Sprx gently moved his hand across Otto's cheek.

He was so sweet and soft, an angel in his sleep. It was unbelievable how he had someone so amazing under him like this. Sprx moved his hand away as his soft smile faded. An exhale escaped through his nostrils.

If Otto was amazing, then what was he doing with Sprx?

They felt the same way, that he knew, but at the same time he couldn't help but feel maybe Otto was better just being with Antauri and Nova. Otto knew what he was getting with them. Sprx was just full of facades, ones that made him seem cooler than he was. Facades that just made Sprx seem better than he truly was.

In reality, Sprx was insecure, he didn't really think highly of himself, he knew he could be doing so much better. Yet he acted like a fool, someone who didn't care about how others thought about him, but he wasn't as calm and wise as Antauri or as kind hearted as Nova. He wasn't a calm wave or fiery flame, he was merely a spark of electricity who could hurt Otto if he wasn't careful enough.

He tried too hard to keep up his cool appearances. How he looked, what he did, what he said, all of it. It was something he would never admit to anyone but himself. He was uncertain about who he was to himself aside from the fact that he was the team's pilot. That was the only thing he knew was true and that he took pride in. It was the truth among the pile of facades that only he could tell.

Otto deserved better than him. He didn't deserve someone merely acting cool, he deserved someone genuine. If Sprx said something now, he felt he would be ripping Otto's heart because he fell in love with the cool facade, not his insecure self. Besides, he'd spend too much time explaining himself and why he led him on like that. He was better off trying to be everything he'd want than be honest and become better.

Maybe it would have been better if Sprx left the room right now.

He stood up and quietly walked to the door. Sprx raised his hand to open the door. He stopped his movement before the door could open for him. The pilot looked back at the mechanic. The end of his mouth slanted downwards.

Go on, leave the room, make him upset that you're gone. You know that's what you want to do, Sprx.

Sprx shook his head. No, his thoughts couldn't act up now.

As you said before, Sprx, Otto deserves so much better. Why hesitate now?

He turned around and walked away from the door. His intrusive thoughts weren't going to get the better of him today. Sprx laid next to Otto. He laid his hand onto Otto's face and cupped his cheek. A smile instantly appeared on the green angel's face. He held onto Sprx like he was a stuffed toy. The thoughts lingered, however it felt like they were muffled now. Resting beside Otto and being in his arms made everything in his head quieter for the time being.

He could make it up to him later. Sprx closed his eyes as he rested his head upon Otto's. One thought was made as clear as day, even if he didn't want it to.

You're only going to make it much worse for him.

Otto felt so in love with him.

Sprx was loving and kindful. He gave him all the love one could give in every moment they shared. He only wanted to make sure everyone in the team was alright. Yet within every second they were apart, he could tell something was wrong. Sprx acted okay and no one else seemed to notice. It was like something bothered him deep down and whatever it was, he didn't want anyone to know.

Well, whether he realized it or not, Otto knew. Sprx could try to hide it as much as he was able to, but his attempts weren't good enough to hide it from him. Otto didn't say anything about it to the others, he didn't want them to worry. If it had something to do with their relationship, he didn't want to bring anyone else into it either.

Otto grabbed as many snacks as he could grab. He put all the snacks he got for Sprx into one of his hiding places. Once Sprx was available, Otto grabbed him and kissed his cheek. The smile on his pink face was almost completely genuine. The bit that wasn't, however, was what made Otto feel worried. He took his hands and dragged him away from everyone else. Otto led him to the hiding place full of snacks.

He figured it would be a good place for them to be alone. He showed it to Antauri and Nova after a few months of dating them, and now he felt it was a good time to show Sprx one of his hiding places. Those areas of the Super Robot were always important to him. Otto always went there whenever he needed space to himself. He wanted to offer Sprx a place like that as well. Sprx might not feel comfortable enough to talk about his emotions anywhere that someone could easily walk in on.

There, he might feel more comfortable and he wanted that for Sprx.

Sprx sat down and grabbed a bag as he looked around. He never stopped to look at the chip bag while he opened it.

"So this is one of your elusive hiding places, huh?" Sprx had curiosity in his voice. "Nice and cozy if you ask me."

Otto rested onto Sprx and put his head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around Sprx. His tail swung back and forth.

"Y'know, if you ever need a place to talk about your problems, you can always come here." Otto offered.

For a split second, Otto noticed the sense of security in his eyes. It didn't matter how pitch black they were, he saw it like a clear image on a screen. After that split second, Sprx chuckled and brushed it off.

"You don't gotta worry about me, Otto." He faked a smile again. "What even brought that up?"

Otto's smile faded. "It looks like something's bothering ya."

"Nah, I'm good. I just haven't gotten good enough sleep lately." Sprx answered so casually.

"You're lying."

Sprx looked at him with wide eyes. Those few words were enough to shake him. Even if he could hide it now, it was already too late.

Otto caught him right where he wanted him.

Sprx didn't know how he could tell that easily.

It was like he stared right into his soul. If he didn't know any better, he could feel himself break at the seams. No, not just feel, he could taste his heart breaking. His simple lie of 'I'm fine' didn't work on him. It should've worked, he even sounded okay and everything. If Otto really did know something bothered him, he hoped he didn't say that he knew.

Sprx only hoped that he left it be.

If he planned to stick around even after the fact, he didn't know what he would do. Especially with the fact that Otto brought him here, one of his hiding places, of everywhere he could've taken him. Sprx knew how much that meant to Otto, yet he was here, knowing something was wrong. He faked another smile and held one of his hands up.

"Really, I'm fine, Otto-"

"Please, stop."

Otto's words sliced through his without a problem. It was like he got hit with one of his saw blades directly. The only thing that was missing was the external wounds and blood. The green mechanic's lips pressed together. The white pupils on his black optics became smaller. His breathing was heavy but quick. If Sprx didn't know better, it looked like he was ready to cry right then and there.

Sprx's hands shook as he raised them to Otto's face. His mind started to race just from looking at his expression. Every thought that came was like a stab at his already wounded heart.

Look at what you've done. You call yourself a good boyfriend? For shame. Maybe you should leave right now. Make everything worse for him. You know he won't like the real, uncool you anyways.

"O-Otto, I…"

"You don't have to lie to me." His voice cracked. "What's wrong, Sprx?"

Sprx gulped, he tried to push back the tears that wanted to form. He forced out a chuckle.

"It's just me. Nothin' that can be done there." Sprx almost whispered.

"It doesn't mean I can't listen."

Sprx looked away. "C'mon, you deserve someone better than me. I'm not cool. I'm not amazing. You deserve people who are, like Nova and Antauri. Gibson would be better than me."

"Are you hearing yourself right now?! You are cool! You are amazing!"

"Nah, I'm just a regular ole pilot. I don't even know why you brought me here."

Otto grabbed Sprx's face. He put his forehead on his. Tears ran down his snout. His eyes were almost completely closed. Whether Sprx wanted to or not, he was staring right at his eyes. It brought forth the tears he himself tried to hold back. It was at this point that he realized Otto wasn't lying to himself to make himself feel better, but he saw it as the truth. A truth that Otto felt Sprx wasn't accepting about himself.

He didn't know which was worse in this scenario. The fact he believed his facade, or the fact he was fighting to make Sprx believe his own words.

"Sprx, you're better than you know. You're kind, you think of us all, you care about us. You're great, no matter what you say about yourself. I don't know why you think you're not, but you're amazing."

Otto kept going. He kept complimenting Sprx, he told him everything great about himself, and it was everything he believed in. Nothing Sprx could say now would cause him to second guess everything he'd come to know. Out of everyone, of course it was Otto who would tell him all of this. No one else would get him alone to say how he felt. No one else would keep pushing as much as he did. Nobody would go through these lengths just for him.

Everything was becoming too much.

He wrapped his arms around Otto. His face was buried into his chest. The smell of dried up oil and fresh grass invaded his senses. Sprx could only sob as a response. Otto rested his tail around Sprx's body and held him close to him.

"Sprx…?"

He hates you. He wants to get away from you, yet you're selfish enough to trap him. How could you? You've tortured him for merely a month and that wasn't enough. You have to do this to him as well. What a monster you are, Sprx. There are no words for someone like you.

He sniffed. "I'm sorry I'm terrible. I'm sorry you have to deal with me. I'm sorry I haven't been the best boyfriend. I'm sorry for everything."

Otto moved himself so they could look each other in the eyes. He wiped away the tears on his face.

"You shouldn't have to apologize, Sprx. I love being around you. You're yourself when you're with me, even if you feel like you're acting. I know who you are and how you feel about yourself isn't going to change that for me. At all."

He hugged him and Sprx hesitantly hugged back. It felt like the sun came through after years of not shining, but it wasn't warmer. In fact, he felt colder than ever. He was supposed to feel better after getting everything out, wasn't he?

Then why didn't he?

He held onto him tight and he closed his eyes shut. More tears fell down his cheeks. It was funny; he told himself that he wouldn't be a crybaby, yet here he was, crying until his heart couldn't give out anymore. Maybe it was what he needed, what they both needed. Let some tears out, even if nobody else were to know what happened there.

Otto's tail held onto Sprx's. He let him cry as much as he needed to. There was no judgment lingering in the air. It was probably the best thing about Otto; he wouldn't judge somebody no matter what. He might end up being smug about something, but never judgmental.

After what felt like an eternity, Otto pulled away from the hug. He kissed Sprx's forehead before resting his forehead onto his.

"You can always talk to me, remember that." Otto started. "Do you want to talk about it more, or do you wanna lay around?"

"...I just wanna be around, if that's okay."

"It is."

Otto laid next to him and they stayed there for hours. It was in complete silence unlike before. In a way, it was helpful for Sprx. He got to process everything. If he needed to ask for reassurance, Otto was right there next to him. He weakly smiled at him. Unlike every other smile he gave him prior, it was completely genuine. It showed how he felt on the inside.

Happy he was there, but still feeling broken on the inside.

Sprx still felt insecure, and intrusive thoughts didn't help in the slightest.

But he felt better about himself. He felt better about being with Otto. Whenever Otto came by, he always shot him a smile. A silent reminder that he was always there, that he was always Sprx's green angel. His smiles always lifted his spirits up even by a little bit.

The drought wasn't over, and it might never be, but they would go through it together.