Despite the fact that Metal no longer worked for Eggman, he couldn't help being thankful that the doctor had made him waterproof. With the rain pouring down as hard as it was, he would've been a wreck had he not been immune to the stuff.

A Sonic detector would've been nice though. Metal very badly wanted to call for him, but with his voice chip the way it was, his best attempts were loud rapid beeping, which was both annoying to the wildlife and himself. It was frustrating, having Tails finally manage to make a voice chip for him, only to realize that it wasn't working, despite Tails stating that it should've been.

Thus, Metal kept searching on his own, in silence, looking for any potential sign of the hedgehog.

Or, well, hedgehog-turned-werehog. Honestly, it was the only thing that made Metal confident that he could find Sonic in a decent amount of time. If he could remember where Sonic had been the last time he saw him (and he always did), it was a simple task of calculating how far he could go in the time they'd spent apart and factoring that in with how long it'd take Metal to explore the corresponding area. If Metal had missed an entire daytime cycle without him, then it was much more difficult, but thankfully, Sonic had visited Tails right as the sun had set. This made the estimation easy for Metal.

He knew it wouldn't take long, and it didn't. He stopped when he saw Sonic off in the distance, sitting under a tree to shelter himself from the rainstorm. Chip - the creature that had been traveling with Sonic - was right next to him and took notice of Metal, flying off to give them some privacy. Metal approached Sonic, silently cursing the rain for keeping this beautiful soul from enjoying the day as he'd planned to. Sonic looked over at him, smiling his usual smile.

"Hey, Mets." The smile turned slightly sheepish. "You came looking for me, huh? Sorry. It started pouring and I... yeah." He gestured to his fur for emphasis.

Metal still couldn't comprehend why Sonic didn't approve of his werehog form. In this particular case, there was at least one reason, but Metal could think of a vast majority of other reasons to outweigh it. For one, no matter what anyone else said, Metal firmly believed that Sonic's werehog form was just as handsome - if not even more so - than his hedgehog form. He didn't care about anyone else's opinion; it was a scientific fact.

Metal glanced up at the rain, then made few hand gestures to Sonic.

Umbrella?

He always got straight to the point with his sign language. No need to waste his angel's time with unnecessary words.

Sonic waved a hand dismissively. "Nah, it's all right. I'll just wait for this to pass." It warmed Metal's non-existent heart to know that Sonic must've learned sign language for him.

Sonic paused, thinking for a moment, then gestured an arm out for Metal. "You wanna wait with me?"

Metal's red eyes squinted. Was he serious? That was a question that honestly needed to be asked?

Metal strolled up without another gesture, climbing into Sonic's waiting arms and sitting between his legs. He heard a chuckle from above. "Yeah, probably should've guessed that."

Sonic leaned back, head resting against the bark of the tree. Metal felt bad that he couldn't be better conversation, but Sonic had once told him that it was comforting just to have someone to talk to, especially if it was him. Metal remembered being particularly thankful that day that Tails had upgraded his cooling system.

"I guess it's not all bad," Sonic commented, eyes pointed up at the sky. "I always liked the sound of rain. Plus, I've got you here." He laughed, reaching a hand over to hold Metal's. "Free bonding time, you know?"

Metal knew that Sonic was aware of what he was doing. He was facing away from Sonic, but he could practically feel the smirk on his face. He could hear the playfulness in his voice.

And somehow, he couldn't help but love it. Sonic did all sorts of things with his emotions that no one else could, and he cherished it every time.

Metal brought his gaze down to the hand that was holding his, then trailed upwards to Sonic's arm, noting that it was slightly wet. Metal guessed that he hadn't been able to immediately take shelter. He moved his hand over to the patches of wet fur, feeling them in his fingers. The gears in his head churned; it was like a completely different texture!

Metal's hands were also wet, he realized. Wet from the rain. He brought both hands up, exploring Sonic's arm like it'd been his first time doing so, even though he'd done so at least one hundred and seventy-six times before. He would know, he kept count.

Sonic allowed Metal to do as he pleased, not minding at all. In fact, he often liked having his fur felt, as long as it was Metal. It let him forget about whatever was on his mind and just generally helped him relax.

He could also feel Metal's warmth in the moment. The robot was thoroughly flustered, and Sonic was fully aware of what would happen if he wrapped his arms around him.

He did it anyway, smiling contentedly. "You're warm..."

Metal squirmed in surprise at first, a stuttering beep following afterward. Even once he relaxed, he was sure he was burning up on the inside. He was amazed that Sonic didn't recoil from the heat.

This stupid, silly, perfect werehog.

Sonic hummed, enjoying the embrace. "Want to know a secret?"

Another question that Metal was shocked to be asked. Knowing that his hands didn't have enough space to reply ''OF COURSE'' in the loudest manner sign language could offer, he simply nodded his head.

"I've known sign language for a while," Sonic admitted. "For a few years now."

Metal paused, wondering what this information meant for him. Sonic had never told him when he learned sign language, so he had just assumed he'd learned it after they'd become friends, since Sonic didn't seem to understand it before—

Wait.

Metal beeped, a single memory coming to mind. He'd still been working for Eggman. Orbot had called a code blue. He flew as quickly as possible towards Sonic, stopped, and signed...

"Kiss me," Sonic murmured. "That's what you were trying to tell me, right?"

Metal wasn't sure how to proceed. At the time, it'd seemed like a good idea, but knowing as much as he did now, the statement had been far too direct for two who were supposed to be enemies.

Sonic sighed. "I guess I just didn't get it at the time." Metal flinched at the guilt in his voice, feeling his complement's arms tighten around him. "I didn't know how you felt. I shouldn't have left you there."

Pure. He was too pure. Metal had no lungs, but Sonic's sweetness was suffocating.

"Metal, look at me," Sonic said, voice as soft as his fur.

Metal turned, placing one hand on Sonic's chest as he looked up at him, confused.

Sonic's face came down to his in a swift motion, gentle lips connecting to metal muzzle. Metal froze, the new pressure on his muzzle and furry arms against his back sending his sensors into overdrive.

He felt sparks. Sparks in his head, strongest where Sonic's lips were. It was like getting a fresh reboot after being fully charged, only better. So much better. It was hardly even a comparison.

Sonic pulled away after an unknown amount of time, dazed but content. He even smiled.

"Better late than never, right?"

Metal had barely heard him, completely lost in all the havoc the kiss had caused for his system. It'd just been so unexpected, and he couldn't help worrying if he'd done it correctly. Had the timing been right? Had it been a normal length of time for a kiss? How long had it been anyway? Metal had completely lost track of time, and that never happened.

Looking up at Sonic's face, Metal wondered if he felt the sparks too. He would've asked if he could've.

"Sonic."

"Yeah—?" Sonic cut himself off, ears perking as he gazed down at Metal. "Uh..."

Time caught up with Metal. At first, he didn't understand why Sonic had been staring at him with such surprise, but then he realized; he'd spoken. His voice chip hadn't been broken after all.

"I, ah, hm..." Hearing his voice was weird - bizarre even - but also wonderful. It was Sonic's voice, albeit more robotic. He couldn't have asked for anything better.

And, now that he had it, he could say anything he wanted. Without hesitation, he broke away from Sonic's grasp, making the signs with his hands as he spoke.

"Marry me."

He wasn't going to let the opportunity go to waste. Before, ''kiss me'' had been inappropriate, but now was perfect for proposing. They were together, and Sonic had initiated a kiss. All the pieces were in place. Granted, Metal currently had no minerals to offer, but he would certainly get one later on that Sonic would find acceptable. Nothing would be too perfect for Sonic, but Metal would nonetheless try his best.

Besides, he wanted him now. The offerings could be worked out later.

Sonic blinked, eyes wide and ears turned towards Metal. Then, he laughed, loud and hard, hand against his forehead as he struggled to breathe.

Before Metal could question him, he shook his head, calming himself down before replying, "Okay, but only if I get to be the groom."

"What?" Metal asked, not fully comprehending that his proposal had just been accepted. "Why?"

Sonic gave a toothy grin, amusement showing on his features as he eyed Metal up and down. "Because you'd look way better in a wedding dress than me."

Rain fell on Metal's head, but evaporated immediately on contact.

Sonic chuckled. "Love you too."