A/N: This story is a collab with the-enigma-machine
Seaside Hill was brilliant and clean, and Sonic finally had a moment to race through it alone. He cheered a loud, adrenaline-charged cheer as he dashed through the long, winding paths, taking a deep breath of the fresh, clean air.
The only downside about today were the grumpy, stormy clouds packed along the horizon, but Sonic was always one for a challenge. The puddles that pocked the otherwise pristine sand gave him an opportunity to test his reflexes. And without Tails or Knuckles to slow him down, Sonic maneuvered around them with ease.
A large, rocky white pillar jetted up just ahead of him, and Sonic hopped up onto it to gaze out at the beautiful scenery. The angry, dark waves were only a little bit concerning, but the view of the grassy pathways and checkered cliffsides was worth it.
Sonic squinted. In the distance, along one of the far off beaches, something shiny and strange caught his eye.
He hopped down and sped to the beach. The object was something light blue and mechanical. It was wet, so even in the stormy light, it shone blatantly against the sand.
Sonic skidded to a halt, his soles leaving deep trenches in the sand. His suspicions were confirmed.
It was Metal Sonic. He was lying face down, half covered by mud and beaten by the rising tide.
There were no other robots here. Sonic would know, given he had just scouted the area. And anyway, Eggman's robots hadn't frequented the beach in a long time. So why was Metal Sonic here?
Now curious, he approached Metal Sonic.
And yet there was no reaction. Metal Sonic simply laid there, half buried in sand, cracked and broken like the seashells surrounding him.
Sonic walked closer then knelt down. He heaved, pulling Metal Sonic out of the sand and laying him on his back.
Or... would that be worse for him? Sonic wasn't sure, but he had no other plan.
Metal Sonic's optical screen flashed red. Errors flowed across the screen in crashing waves, each harsher than the waves behind Sonic.
The waves condensed into ovals, and the ovals focused on Sonic. Metal Sonic shoved his hands into the sand, lurching himself backward.
"You—!" Metal Sonic hissed. He tried to stand upright, but his feet were buried beneath the sand, and so instead he sunk to the side.
A single, frustrated beep was the only noise he made before he melted. Sonic had seen this before—the way Metal Sonic could dissolve into nothing more than a puddle of quicksilver. Metal Sonic stayed in that state for only a moment, wavering slightly.
When he finally pulled himself back into his Neo Metal Sonic form, he was shaking.
"You—!" he repeated again, voice hoarse and tinny. "You—!"
Sonic recoiled, surprised at first. However, Neo's shaking made the robot much less intimidating, so Sonic's surprise dulled into cool amusement.
"Yes, me. I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, maybe you've heard of me?"
"I will—" Neo's voice grew longer and deeper, as if it were failing, "destroy...y-you—"
Neo's shook harder and harder, sending pebbles of sand vibrating away from him. He reached his hand up, but the movement was slow to the point of being almost sad.
Neo trembled. "I-I will do it, even if it destroys me—"
He slumped over.
While Neo had originally been a huge threat—Sonic had needed all his friends to defeat him—it was clear that he wasn't right now.
Sonic raised a brow. "Sounds to me like you're near-destroyed yourself. 'Sides, what's the point if you die while killing me anyway?"
Neo clenched his fists into the sand. "I-I am not near-destroyed! I am merely low on power. Were it not for that, you would be wholly dead already."
Sonic rolled his eyes. "You're so dramatic. It's no wonder why you've never had any fun in your life when all you care about is killing me."
Neo looked like he was about to say something, but the words died before he could say them. His optics flickered for a moment then he slumped over, unmoving.
For a moment, Sonic considered just getting up and leaving. After all, this was Neo Metal Sonic, who was probably his biggest enemy yet.
But when Sonic saw how pathetic Neo looked, laying there and about to essentially die, his inner hero begged him not to walk away. He hated his inner hero.
...He loved his inner hero.
"Tell you what, Neo," Sonic began. "I'll promise to power you back up again if you promise not to go after me anymore. No more violence."
Neo jerked his head upright, making a harsh, grating noise. His optics flickered, and for a long moment, he simply stared at Sonic.
"You are asking me to abandon my reason for being." His voice was quiet that time as if he hardly had the energy to speak.
Sonic sharpened his gaze. He sighed then stood up and shrugged.
"What kind of reason is that?" Sonic threw his arms out, exasperated. "You're gonna kill me and then what? Besides..."
Sonic knew he was about to hit a soft spot. He did it anyway. "Isn't that what Eggman wanted you to do? I thought you were better than that."
Neo raised his hand, as if to argue, but stopped. His optics flickered for a moment, and then his hand fell, his head bowed.
"I—I am not in a position to argue. If I do not agree to your terms, I will—" Neo's voice broke into static.
"I will die."
Sonic's expression softened. His arms fell back to his sides.
Why did it suddenly feel like he was the bad guy here?
"Okay, look..." Sonic knelt back down. "We can work on those terms later. Maybe we could spar or something instead of fighting; it's not important right now. You need electricity, right?"
Neo gazed at Sonic with an expression that wasn't quite contempt, not quite disbelief, but something more akin to exhaustion. "No. That is the problem. Not a single robot ever died from lack of electricity. What I need—what these nanites that now make up my form need—"
A single note of static overtook Neo's voice. "—is Chaos Energy."
"Chaos..." Sonic trailed off, putting a hand to his muzzle as he tried to think. He wasn't suspicious of Neo though; given Neo's track record, he wasn't the type of robot to trick an Emerald out of him. His plans were far more complex than that.
"I don't have an Emerald on me," he admitted. "And Tails doesn't have one either."
Neo's gaze dimmed, and he slouched further. "And it would be nearly impossible to recover one. The Emeralds have been lost again since my defeat, and to find one—impossible."
For a moment, Neo's optics clicked off, and he appeared nearly lifeless. But he still spoke.
"Perhaps it was foolish of me to take this form again. True, even in my lesser form, I still consume Chaos Energy. It is the trade I made for my freedom. But I would have used less power."
Silence.
"Or, perhaps, it is better this way. It is no use to delay the inevitable."
"W-what?" For some reason, that statement, in particular, made Sonic uneasy. "Hang on a sec! You can't talk like that! You talk about being so ready to kill me and then act like your life's just—"
...Oh. So that was the reason.
Sonic leaned forward, looking directly at Neo. "Come on, there's gotta be something we can do."
He placed his hand on Neo's shoulder in an attempt to reassure him. It was odd actually. Neo didn't feel like how a normal robot felt. Well, he did kind of. There was something about the contact between his hand and Neo.
It was almost...pleasant.
Neo's head jerked upright, his optics flickering. He lifted his hand, trembling. "I-I can—"
He placed his hand over Sonic's. "You...but of course. You have Chaos Energy. That is what makes you—"
Neo let out a harsh, static beep. "—unbeatable."
"Huh?" Sonic blinked then stared down at his free hand. "I have Chaos Energy just...inside me?"
Neo didn't move. He didn't have the power. "Yes. Why else would it be but only you who can become Super Sonic? It is your ambient levels of Chaos Energy. That is why you are special."
Sonic hummed in thought. Neo's logic made sense.
Although it was also something to consider if he was going to help Neo. Sonic had already decided that he definitely wanted to, and he wasn't one to go back on what he thought.
"But...if I give mine to you..." He trailed off, realizing how selfish that sounded. And yet it was logical to be wary of Neo.
"Your Chaos Energy replenishes. With time, anyway. Otherwise, you would not survive your transformation. It is endemic to you, and while your levels may drop temporarily, they always return."
Neo added, in a hissing tone, "Believe me, I have run the simulations. You would be much easier to defeat otherwise."
"Oh." Sonic felt a strange feeling of relief, strange only in the sense that he shouldn't trust Neo when it came to his own abilities and powers.
And yet when he saw Neo laying there, weakened and near-broken, Sonic couldn't help believing him.
"Alright, so what can I do?" Sonic asked.
Neo tilted his head up just slightly, just enough to look at Sonic. "You will grant me your energy? Truly? And how can you know to trust me?"
"I..." Sonic hesitated, knowing his words weren't reassuring. Still, he was honest. "I don't know."
He met Neo's gaze, firmly and with steady confidence. "But I've never run on all logic. That's not how I roll. I just feel like I can trust you, so I am."
While Neo's upgraded form was a recent development, Sonic had known Metal Sonic for years, so he was very familiar with the look that was forming on Neo's face. It looked like Neo was preparing to insult him.
And yet Neo instead said, "I cannot say no to this, as it pains me to admit. Very well. Now onto the transfer."
Neo hesitated then set a trembling palm on Sonic's shoulder. He waited.
"Do you feel anything?" Neo asked.
Sonic pursed his lips and stared at Neo's hand on his shoulder. He tried to channel his energy, but it wasn't like he knew how to do that. "A little bit, but it's not that strong. What about you?"
"It is the same for me. The presence is there, but this is hardly sufficient. Perhaps if I—"
Neo picked up Sonic's hand. He simply stared at it for a moment as if it were some kind of puzzle. Then he said, "Your gloves need to be removed."
"Hm?" Sonic stared down at Neo's hand holding his. "Oh, right. That makes sense."
He withdrew his hand from Neo then swiftly removed his gloves. It felt a bit odd without them, but he made a commitment, and he was determined to stick to it.
"So. Then. I suppose I just—" Neo looked at Sonic's hand as if it were some kind of unappetizing meal. "I just—"
Swiftly, as if he were ripping off a bandage, Neo cupped both his palms around Sonic's hand.
He waited.
Sonic glanced at Neo's hands then at Neo himself. "Ah..."
He placed his free hand on top of Neo's, once again trying to channel his energy. There was next to nothing.
He sighed. "This isn't working. We need to get you charged, and this isn't working..."
"The charge was slightly more though, was it not? Not nearly enough, to be sure, but if contact is the required conduit, maybe if I just—"
For a single, long, awkward moment, Neo simply stared at Sonic.
Then hesitantly, he pressed both his palms to Sonic's neck.
Sonic stiffened, not scared but confused. "What is it?"
Neo's optics flickered, and he stared at Sonic intently. "Does the flow feel stronger on your side now?"
Sonic waited to get a full feel for it. "...Yeah, a little. It's still not enough though, right?"
"No. Not even nearly. At this rate, I will—I will—" Neo started shaking again, but he quickly got ahold of himself.
He cupped Sonic's cheek. "Now?"
Sonic nodded quickly, wanting to speed the process up as much as possible. "It's kinda stronger than before, yeah."
"Not strong enough. It is not strong enough. It is not working. Why is it not working? I need to—I just need—"
Neo pressed his forehead to Sonic's. His optics shone bright and wide.
"I need more energy—"
"I know," Sonic said sympathetically. "Just—how do we get the energy inside of me to go outside to you?"
"Inside of you?" Neo pulled back for just a moment, just enough that Sonic could see the dimming of his optics. "That—that is it!"
Neo cupped both Sonic's cheeks with his palms. "The energy is inside of you. Your skin is blocking it. But if I could just—"
Neo's claws were sharp, and Sonic could see the way Neo's optics darted between them and Sonic's face.
"...No. I cannot go back on my word," Neo muttered.
Sonic smiled, proud of Neo for that. "Thanks."
He turned away, temporarily breaking contact with Neo as he placed a hand to his muzzle, his thumb against his cheek and his fingers over his chin. "But what can we do?"
Neo said nothing. He simply stared at Sonic. He stared and stared, and his processors were working so quickly Sonic could hear them hum.
"Your mouth." Neo's voice was barely above a whisper, and if it was from energy depletion or shock, Sonic didn't know. "That is the key."
Neo hesitated again. Awkward didn't even begin to describe this situation. But Neo was just so close, and his palms moved up to Sonic's head.
He pulled Sonic closer.
Sonic's eyes widened. While he didn't pull away, he did look profoundly confused. "M-my mouth? What..."
Neo tilted his head just slightly, bringing his muzzle closer to Sonic's. "Yes. If the energy inside of you needs to flow to me, then—"
He pulled Sonic closer, his muzzle now a breath away from Sonic's. Sonic could still see Neo's muzzle, just barely anyway. At first, he didn't believe it. He had to be mistaken.
But then he realized—Neo was a shapeshifter. He could take any form. So for Neo to do what he had done—for Neo to form an honest mouth on his muzzle—it really would have not been much effort.
And then Sonic realized what Neo was going to do.
With Neo so close, Sonic didn't have that much time to think about it. Was he okay with what was about to occur? To help Neo by—
No. That was all. This was to help Neo. He promised.
With that thought in mind, Sonic took the lead, leaning forward himself.
His lips met Neo's.
Energy flowed out of Sonic. It was a strange sensation and yet not entirely unfamiliar. Sonic had felt similar things before, when he had become Super Sonic, when he had used Chaos Control—and now, there was this. The flow was much stronger, much more concentrated, as if he had suddenly pulled the plug on a tub of water. It was warm too, and as the sparks of energy flew from his mouth into Neo's, they tingled his lips.
Something drew him in—maybe it was Neo's arms wrapping around his back, or maybe it was the energy itself drawing him in like someone had thrown open the door on an airlock.
It wasn't even painful, much to his surprise. At worst, he felt like he did after a tough fight: tired but still ready to do whatever he wanted.
He raised his hands up, placing them on the sides of Neo's face. When had he done that? He couldn't recall.
The energy flow slowed from a torrent to a trickle, and with that, Sonic noticed with dull awareness his other senses. His chest was pressed to Neo's, and Neo's hands were wrapped so tightly around his back they tangled with his fur.
But the most noticeable sensation of all came from Neo's muzzle. Neo's lips were warm, almost hot, like that of a recently charged battery.
It took that realization and an extra few seconds for Sonic to realize just how long they'd be kissing.
Sonic flushed, both pulling himself back and pushing Neo away. "Uh—!"
He swallowed, his eyes darting from Neo to elsewhere and then back to Neo again. "W-was...was that enough?"
Enough or not, it was certainly something because Neo now apparently had enough energy to bolt upright, palms pressed in the sand, head turned away.
"T-that was sufficient for my immediate needs. Yes."
Sonic nodded quickly, although he suspected that Neo might've gotten too much power, given how red the lower part of his optical screen was.
Out of the corner of his vision, Sonic noted his gloves. He scrambled over to them and steadily, if shakily, put them back on.
"G-glad I could help."
"Y-yes. I am no longer low on power. P-power levels are ideal." Neo rose to his feet, shaking slightly. "Ah, how much Chaos Energy do you have left now?"
"Ah..." Sonic rubbed his wrist as if that would somehow give him a proper answer.
He really had no idea how this worked.
"Enough? I mean, I could probably still run?" he guessed. "Kinda tired though."
"I see. It will probably regenerate fully within a few hours, maybe a day at most." Neo awkwardly brushed the sand from the side of his cape.
Sonic nodded then pushed himself up to a stand. He stumbled a bit but only from the sudden lack of energy. He was fairly sure he could make it home.
He turned away but paused to glance briefly back at Neo.
Sonic stared at the ground, biting his lower lip as he debated whether or not to say anything.
Finally, he said, "So how long is that energy gonna last you? Are you—I mean—would you be able to find an Emerald before you start running out, or would you have to..."
The way he touched his own lips probably gave away what he was going to say.
"I will most certainly attempt to find an Emerald. All seven if I can manage it. But if I cannot find one in about a week's time…"
Neo trailed off as he turned to face the horizon. "Then we may need to...engaged in this exchange again."
"R-right. That's okay. I told you I'd help you, and I'll stick to that," Sonic said, the red finally starting to fade from his face. "So you know where I live?"
Neo didn't turn back. "Of course I know where you live. I have all of your data."
"Then I'll try to be home all day once a week goes by. So..."
He looked away. "See you then? Maybe?"
Neo turned just slightly, just enough to peer over his shoulder to look back at Sonic. "Yes."
Sonic nodded, taking one glance back before racing off. He sped up and down the grassy slopes slightly slower than usual, although it was certainly just due to his lowered energy.
He briefly thought forward to a week in the future and how normally he would never be willing to sit still so long for someone.
But well, he did make a promise.