Teaspoon—now that was a good word. Metal could appreciate a word like that. It was descriptive, useful, and the object it referred to would suit Metal's needs perfectly.

Holding the teaspoon with the tips of his fingers, Metal pulled out a small heap of sugar from the ceramic sugar bowl then tapped the spoon gently against its edge. It was easy to overlook levenening the sugar but this was, perhaps, the most important step. He needed a teaspoon, not a teaspoon plus a heap. The measurement was to be exact.

Tilting the spoon at precisely a 20 degree angle, Metal poured the sugar granules into the tea; an earl grey blend Metal had found in the back of Sonic's kitchen cabinet. Then using both hands to keep the cup steady, Metal wandered from the kitchen back into the living room.

Sonic was still asleep there. That hedgehog-turned-mangy-mutt seemed incapable of using a bed.

Sonic's ear twitched as Metal came closer. He slowly stirred, sitting up and presumably shaking the sleep away.

"Metal? You're still here?" he asked.

"I am still here, yes. I had to spend the full day recharging my battery, and so I have not yet had a chance to leave."

That was basically a complete lie. While Metal's battery had initially been low, it wouldn't have taken more than an hour or two to recharge it to the required levels. But Sonic was too dumb to notice that, and Metal still had an experiment to run.

Metal held out the tea.

"I made this for you to adjust to your new sleep cycle. It is a breakfast tea to assist with awakening."

Sonic was surprised. "You made me tea?"

Sonic's ears twitched as he took the cup.

Metal watched Sonic with rapt attention, his sensors utterly focused on Sonic's aura. If anything happened, Metal would record it.

Sonic stared at the cup. He brought it to his mouth, almost hesitating, then closed his eyes and took a sip.

His eyes shot open, ears perking as he pulled the cup away from his mouth. He sniffed the liquid.

"It's...good," Sonic said, pleasantly surprised. "Really good."

"It is," Metal said, although the surprise in his voice made it sound almost like a question. "The key to a successful blend is to avoid over steeping the leaves, thus eliminating the bitter aftertaste associated with the lower quality teas."

Metal was still watching the aura though, whose stillness was nearly uncanny.

The only explanation was that the aura seemed to react to danger.

"Huh." Sonic looked back down at the tea, taking another sip. "I just—I don't know; I figured you wouldn't know how to do it, being a robot and all."

Metal folded his arms. "Well then you have several false assumptions to reconsider. Tea blending, as well as cooking more specifically, is a form of chemistry. Anyone with a working knowledge of stoichiometry could succeed."

Sonic's only response was a nod. He stared back down at the tea, then gulped the rest of it down in one go.

"Heh, you want this back?" he asked with slight amusement, offering the cup back to Metal.

Metal reached out. "Yes, I can take—"

In their prior examination, Metal hadn't paid much attention to Sonic's hands. But in this lighting, Metal had a much clearer view of Sonic's new, blue skin, and something was wrong. A dark, red smudge was cut along Sonic's palm, puffed and swollen in that way only day-old wounds can.

Metal plucked the cup from Sonic's hand and set it down on one of the couch cushions. He then took Sonic's hand in his own, bringing Sonic's injury up to the light.

"What is this? It looks like a burn."

Sonic recoiled from Metal, but still allowed his hand to be held. He paused, then averted his gaze, ears flopping down in shame.

"Uh—yeah. There was an…accident. With a Chaos Emerald."

"An accident?" Metal turned Sonic's hand over. There were no burn marks on the topside. "These look like second degree burns. How long have you been injured in this way?"

Sonic shrugged, looking away in embarrassment. "I-I don't know. A few hours before you found me, I guess?"

"And you have not had them bandaged or sought medical attention otherwise during this time?"

"I haven't really gone out since this happened and Tails...he isn't really an expert at this stuff. So—no," Sonic said.

Those wounds looked painful. Not that Metal had ever felt pain, so he supposed on some level he was just making assumptions. But for Sonic to burn his hands like that, and then walk around like nothing had happened...something was wrong. Not to mention the risk of infection—

What had Eggman told Metal to do? 'Take care of him'? Technically, this was a vague command. 'To take care of' had more than one definition. Eggman had probably meant it in the sense of 'to remove,' but that wasn't the only definition.

Well it wasn't like Metal had any other leads, and he could hardly return to Eggman a failure.

Still holding the back of Sonic's hand, Metal tugged slightly, gesturing toward the upstairs.

"These wounds need to be disinfected," Metal said.

Sonic jerked forward somewhat, not expecting the tug. "Um—"

His eyes followed Metal's gesture. "Yeah, I think I might have some stuff in the bathroom?"

"That is good. Basic medical supplies should be all we require," Metal said. He eased up on the tug somewhat, although he was still obviously trying to direct Sonic upstairs.

Sonic hesitated then nodded. He got up off the couch, then took the lead, walking ahead of Metal and leading him up the stairs.

Metal had to scamper the remaining distance, quickly coming to a rest as Sonic reached the top. The bathroom door sat ajar next to the staircase, and Metal slid into it. Like the rest of Sonic's house, it was unorderly in that peculiar, unlived in way that only Sonic could manage.

Metal tapped the faucet, filling the sink basin with warm water. He then picked up a small rag and turned back to Sonic.

"I require your hand."

Sonic smiled just slightly, holding his hand out. "I can't detach it or anything if that's what you want."

"Of course you cannot detach your arm. That would be ridiculous." Metal took Sonic's wrist in one hand, enormous as it was, and dipped the rag into the water with the other. He dabbed it on Sonic's palm, wiping away the dirt and grime and leaving the wound clean.

"I know," Sonic replied in good humor.

The wound cleansed, Metal turned and rummaged through a side cabinet installed along the wall. He pulled out a handful of medical supplies, including some bandages and a tube of disinfectant. He swiped the cap off the tube and squeezed a bead onto Sonic's palm.

He stared at Sonic's hand.

This had seemed like a good idea when he had started.

Sonic blinked. "What's wrong?"

Holding the back of Sonic's hand, Metal brought his other hand up, hovering it just above Sonic's palm. He hesitated for a moment.

Then, taking care not to apply pressure to the burns, he began to smear the disinfectant across Sonic's palm with two fingers, working it into the damaged tissue.

Sonic let out a small noise.

"Thanks," he murmured.

Metal began to unravel the wad of bandages, rolling the cloth over Sonic's injury. He had to ensure the tension was just right. Not too loose least it fall, but not too tight either. Just enough to hold firm.

Once finished, Metal tucked in the edge of the bandage. "How does it feel?"

Sonic flexed his fingers, closing his hands into fists a few times, carefully as to not let his claws dig into the cloth.

"Feels pretty nice," he admitted, pleased.

His smile faded somewhat as he sighed. "I never burned myself when I was like this before. Looks pretty bad on light blue skin, huh?"

Metal wadded the rag in his hands, wiping off the remnants of the disinfectant. "You have been in this wolfish form before? I was not aware."

"Ah—" Sonic hesitated. "Yeah."

Sonic turned away, walking off and standing in the doorway for only a moment and giving Metal a look that encouraged him to follow.

"You remember back when the planet was in pieces? Or did Egghead have you off?"

Metal tossed the rag onto the counter. He turned, following Sonic. "The doctor had me deactivated during that period for some critical maintenance work, but I did ask Orbot of the details later. I am familiar with the basics."

Sonic nodded. "Well, some Dark Gaia stuff went on and I became like this until I fixed the planet. 'Cept... back then, I was only in this form at night."

Sonic led Metal into his room. Something shiny laid on the floor, but Sonic walked right past it without sparing it a second glance.

"Wait—" Metal had stopped at the threshold of the room. On the floor, was that...was that really—

"Is that a—" Metal's voice broke. "—a Chaos Emerald?"

Sonic stopped, turning and only looking at the Emerald for a split second.

"Yeah. That's the one that burned me." He held his hand up for emphasis.

"It—you...you just leave Chaos Emeralds, cosmic artifacts of nearly infinite power, on your bedroom floor?"

"It burned me," Sonic repeated, pouting. "I kept it in the drawer before."

"In the drawer—" Despite the fact his voice was synthesized, Metal sounded somehow airy and exasperated. "I just...in the drawer—"

Metal shook his head then rubbed his face. He finally sighed and walked into the room, stopping to squat down by the Emerald.

Hesitantly, he rose his hand over it. Using one finger, he poked it.

Nothing happened.

"You said this Emerald burned you during an accident? What were you doing with it?"

"I was..." Sonic sighed again, a bit of light fading from his eyes. "I was just trying to use Chaos Control. I grabbed the Emerald and focused, but..."

He showed his bandaged palms to Metal to show his point.

He chuckled bitterly. "Guess they don't like being handled by beasts like me."

Metal went to say something, but he thought better of it. Whatever had happened with the Emerald was clearly a sore point for Sonic. Perhaps, during earlier times, Metal would have gleefully rubbed this in, perhaps even adding that he was the real Sonic now, given the Emerald couldn't burn him.

And yet, when he saw the torn, sorrowful look in Sonic's eyes, he just couldn't muster the ability to say anything.

So instead, Metal plucked the Emerald from the floor. Eggman had never trusted him with the Chaos Emeralds, and so Metal had rarely gotten to hold them. This Emerald felt just like the other handful of times he had held them—warm and attractive, but in an unnatural, eerie, sense.

Maybe the Chaos Emerald felt warm to him in the same way a candle felt warm to a moth.

Metal turned back to Sonic. "Would you like me to place this back in your…" Metal beeped. "...location of storage, as it were?"

Sonic nodded, not wanting to look at the Emerald any longer. "Yeah."

He gestured to the drawer in question. "Leave it open a bit though. The Emeralds don't like being caged in with their energy going everywhere. That's why I don't keep it in a safe."

"The Chaos Emeralds do not like anything, given they are not alive." Metal pulled the drawer further open. The inside was surprisingly clean, devoid of anything else, as if this drawer were solely dedicated to the Emerald.

With a tilt of his hand, Metal dropped the Emerald into the drawer. It made a soft, muffled thud when it fell.

Sonic frowned. He looked away from Metal, eyes falling to his nightstand. On top was what appeared to be some type of ornate bracelet made of a grayish alloy with a green spherical gem at one side.

Sonic picked up the object. His eyes grew distant and forlorn, as if focused on something that had been but would never again be.

Metal closed the drawer, still profoundly dissatisfied with Sonic's choice of Emerald storage, but left with little recourse. So he instead focused on the object in Sonic's hand. "What is this?"

"Something from a friend of mine," Sonic replied softly. "Back when the world was in pieces, I met a little guy who'd lost his memories. Named him 'Chip,' like 'chocolate chip', since he loved food so much."

He sighed, stroking the gem with a thumb. "I couldn't have saved the world without him."

Metal noticed—it was simple, given the fact he had all of Sonic's data—that something was decidedly anomalous about Sonic's reaction to this piece of jewelry. Sonic was wholly melancholy, not at all like his usual, peppy self.

"This friend...where is he now?" Metal asked.

"Somewhere inside the Earth," Sonic said after a moment. "He ended up being Light Gaia. Heh, who knew, right?"

Sonic stepped back, sitting down on his bed. "He wasn't so brave when we met—he even ran away when he first saw me—and he could be a little blunt, but I could always rely on him, you know?"

Metal wasn't sure he did know, given all his previous experience consisted of working alone and occasionally having Eggman yell at him.

"I see. It must have been invaluable to have an ally like that."

Sonic finally looked over, as if reading Metal's thoughts.

"I know you never really teamed up with anyone before, but working alone isn't always the way. Having a friend around sometimes can be fun."

He glanced at Metal up and down. "You'll have a partner one day, and then you'll get it."

A partner? Sonic had to be confused. There was no way Eggman would ever have him work with anyone else. That was just how Eggman did things, and it was unlikely to change.

"Perhaps—" Metal started but cut himself off.

His radio was going off. Someone was calling him.

Only one person could call him

Metal held his hand up to Sonic, gesturing that he needed a moment.

"I read you, doctor. No, I—what? Give me a moment—"

Metal turned back to Sonic. "How is your present condition?"

"My...condition?" Sonic echoed. Sonic's brows furrowed, a hand going against his chest. He stood completely still like that for a moment, as if he were some kind of decaying monument.

"...Okay," Sonic answered. He looked at Metal, voice raising in confidence as he smiled. "I feel okay."

Metal nodded, pleased. He went to turn back on the radio but then hesitated.

"Give me a moment," he said. "I will be back."

He nodded at Sonic one more time then slipped out of the room, taking care to close the door behind him.

He turned on the radio. "Sonic's condition is stable."

"Wh—stable?" Eggman asked, dumbfounded. "What do you mean stable?!"

Metal winced. Having the radio stuck inside his head made Eggman so loud.

"While he is still trapped in his wolf-like form, I believe he is now unlikely to revert to that truly monstrous and dangerous state."

Eggman sounded frustrated on the other line. "Metal Sonic—"

Eggman huffed. "Very well. It doesn't matter. Return to base immediately."

Metal hesitated for a moment. "Affirmative."

He turned off the radio.

He placed his hand on the door. He had completed his mission. Sonic was stable now, and so he could return to Eggman victorious. The doctor would surely be pleased with his performance.

He stepped into the room. "Sonic?"

Sonic looked up, smirking just a little. "Done with your fancy private call?"

"I am."

There was a long, awkward pause before Metal continued.

"The doctor has ordered I return now."

Sonic's smirk faded into surprise. "Oh! Right, yeah."

He paused. "...Do you have to?"

"It is a direct order from the doctor, and I cannot disregard his commands. This means I am obliged to return."

"Mm." Sonic hesitated. "And...you're not gonna, I don't know, try to steal the Emerald or something?"

"The Chaos Emerald? I do not see why I should. The doctor did not order me to obtain it, thus it is irrelevant to my purposes now."

Sonic's eyes widened, then grew brighter as he smiled. "Yeah, I guess so."

Just as Metal turned to leave, Sonic stood up. "Wait! Uh, Metal?"

Sonic paused, longer than before this time.

Metal turned back. "Yes?"

Sonic opened his mouth to speak, but paused again. He stared down at his hands, as if debating with himself, then looked back at Metal. His smile was small, his voice reluctant but accepting.

"You won, you know?" The look in his eyes was different than before. "You're the real Sonic now."

When Sonic spoke, Metal had been halfway through the door. But when he heard Sonic's words, he had frozen mid-stride. He held that awkward posture for a moment as he considered which one of his models would derive the best response for this.

He finally set his foot back down and turned back to Sonic. "You truly mean this?"

"It's true, isn't it?" Sonic shrugged. "I'm not really me anymore and, well—"

He smiled more genuinely. "You were pretty cool today."

"I, ah—" Another pause. Why were his data models so inefficient at calculating a response to this? Was he going to have to derive a new one just for moments like these?

"Thank you," Metal said at last. "That is the single kindest thing anyone has ever said to me."

Without looking back at Sonic, Metal took a few steps forward and quickly closed the door behind him.

He was definitely going to need that new data model.