It was delicious - not too sweet and not too sour - yet did little to alleviate the hedgehog's suspicions. So what if he can play along and follow instructions?
"Okay, explain it to me like I'm eight," she'd start. "Why is he here and why shouldn't I just give him a few whacks with my hammer and call it a day?"
She didn't raise her voice and had no reason to; just having her hammer on the table within arm's reach next to the plates and teacups spoke louder than any words could.
"Found him wandering outside, trying to get back to Eggman. I fixed him up and convinced him to stay."
Amy would go shifty-eyed after her friend's explanation. Before she could rip into it, however, the stray spoke up, having been dead silent up until now.
"Is the tea to your liking?" An innocuous question that the robot hoped would help reduce the tension in the room, but seemed to have the opposite effect; Amy didn't so much as move a muscle in response. Sensing his screwup, Metal would try and make himself useful by doing the dishes.
A noble goal, were his fingers not razor sharp.
"Just leave that to me, okay?" Honey grumbled, stopping him before he could do any damage. "Have a seat."
Doing exactly that meant being right next to Amy, someone who he'd rather be as far away as possible. Clearly, this was a mistake, but he trusted Honey had some kind of plan to get both of them out of this mess.
His previous attempt at defusing the situation with words had failed, but given how it was just one instance, it wasn't enough to establish a pattern.
Barring the tea, another conversation starter was none other than Amy's trusty hammer. Even with all the data he had from their past interactions, it still was a mystery to him how exactly it worked and why.
A quick scan would reveal a rather mundane addition, however.
"Ah, a sling," the robot proclaimed. "Perhaps you'd like me to hang it on the coat rack near the-"
She'd swat away his hand. "No, I don't. It's right where I want it to be."
Metal nodded his head. He tried his best, but it seemed like a fight was inevitable. Darting his eyes quickly over to Honey, he wasn't exactly subtle about giving her the 'go ahead'.
In the meantime, Amy had finished her cup and was pouring herself another.
"So, this whole 'just trying to get back to Eggman' story, you buy it?" the hedgehog asked, her eyes piercing into Honey's. "And be honest - no 'I think', 'I'd reckon'. Last time, you swore up and down that the badnik you repaired was harmless, then called it innocent when it blew itself up and took half the kitchen with it. Maybe you thought it was cute, but how can you feel any compassion towards this… thing that's masquerading around as your maid?"
Calling Metal a thing seemed to have struck a nerve, as the very next thing the cat did was to bolt out of her seat and slam her fists on the table. "Thing? He was hurt!" she shouted. "Eggman shot him out of a cannon!"
Amy smirked, but her friend wasn't done yet.
"And I don't mean one of those fun, circus ones that people use to get around in some places. An actual cannon."
She may have come out swinging, but the hedgehog was ready. "Clearly Eggman didn't do a good job then, did he?"
Honey would open her mouth to say something, but then just closed it again. She was in disbelief that Amy really went there, all while the robot was sitting next to her and listening.
"Unless getting it here was the point. Have it find someone gullible and use them to get what it wants," Amy continued. "Yet you'd still rather treat it like a lost puppy."
Honey would raise a finger. She knew she had just the thing to prove her wrong, but it hinged on circumstantial evidence and a personal interest in badniks.
"Well, I-" She tried to formulate it better and give her an unbiased reason, but couldn't get her mind out of the gutter. 'I kinda like puppies' wouldn't really cut it.
While she was busy thinking things through, she realized something.
Amy wasn't drinking cup after cup due to thirst - it was merely a way to give her more time to explain herself. This was her second chance to set the record straight and she had just squandered it.
Defeated, Honey would just sink into her chair, mouthing a 'I'm sorry' to Metal.
The hedgehog would finish her second cup, smiling ear to ear as she proclaimed. "Thanks for the tea, but I really ought to be going."
For a moment, the cat would breathe a sigh of relief as Amy got up from the chair and brushed herself off.
"Oh, I almost forgot."
Honey's heart would skip a beat as Amy would disappear in a flash of pink and so would her hammer.
There was only a single audible CLANG, but she saw Metal get hit twice - first one knocked him off his chair, while the second smashed him into the tiled floor.
She just stood there, unable to do anything but stare for what felt like the longest second of her life, only snapping out of it once she saw Amy walking towards the robot and twirling the hammer by its sling around her wrist.
Throwing caution to the wind, she'd leap out of her chair and stand in the hedgehog's way, shielding Metal with her body.
"What are you doing?!"
Amy would smirk. "What I should have done the moment I saw him. Step aside."
But the cat refused and stood her ground.
Not that it made a difference.
The hedgehog would grumble "I wasn't asking" and once more disappear in a pink blur.
This time, however, the robot was ready for her and his eyes kept up with her movement, even at top speed.
Surprised, but undeterred, Amy would still follow through with her attack, lunging at Metal and aiming straight for his head.
But he'd deny her the pleasure.
She wouldn't see him move, but he had caught the hammer with just one hand right before it could connect with his face.
His firm grip made any of Amy's attempts to pry it out fruitless.
"It would appear I am still faster than you."
The observation only made the hedgehog angrier, as did further attempts at freeing the hammer from the robot's grasp. "Oh yeah? There's more where that came from!"
Now that she had the chance, Honey would try and restrain her but backed off when Amy gnarled at her like a wild animal.
"I promised Honey I'd refrain from violence," Metal continued. "If you'd like, I can make that same promise to you." Surmising that she would be more receptive to actions than words, he'd loosen the grip on her weapon, eventually letting go.
This gesture would stump Amy, as would the words he said to her.
"But if you insist, I won't fight back."
At the sound of that, Honey immediately piped up. "Are you insane?! Do you really want her to-"
A simple nod was all Metal needed to shut her up. Now the tables had turned and she had to trust him for a change.
Amy clutched her hammer and lifted it over her head, thinking the whole thing through when she saw the robot do something else unexpected - he switched off his eyes.
Though he couldn't stop new data from being recorded, he could at least ensure this particular moment wouldn't have any video to go along with it.
She'd grit her teeth, determined to put an end to this farce, but the sight of someone completely at her mercy rubbed her the wrong way. It was supposed to be a grandiose duel, ending with her finally triumphing over the badnik who kidnapped her all those years ago, but now that she finally had the chance to give him his due, she just couldn't do it.
Revenge wasn't really all it was cracked up to be.
She swore under breath and relented, lowering her weapon.
"You're lucky I trust you more than I like him!" she croaked, pointing fingers at Honey, then at Metal. "I'll wait till the repair technicians get here to fix the mess I made, then I'm outta here."
Then she went to cool off in the living room and make a few phone calls.
Metal would reactivate his eyes and scan himself for damage. There was a noticeable dent on the left side of his face plate, but it was purely cosmetic - the alloy could take quite a beating before functionality was compromised. As for the costume, one of the shoulder straps came loose in the commotion.
Honey would help put it back in place, sneaking in a hug which the robot did not reciprocate.
"Oh, sorry!" she'd grumble sheepishly, breaking it off. "I just thought that since you touched me, that I could- Nevermind."
With that strange interaction over, Metal would try and make himself useful by volunteering to help clean up the rubble. Like with dishes, however, the cat would respectfully reject. "Let me handle this. You go talk to her about the thing you're after.."
The robot knew it was a bad idea, but he still went through with all calculations just to find out to what extent. "Now's not a good time," he'd proclaim. "Perhaps later when she's in a more agreeable mood."
"Then let's get her in one."
Honey would open her fridge, take something out and then present it to Metal.
He'd eye the mysterious, gelatinous substance and begin analyzing it down to the smallest detail he could, trying to find any link between it and Amy.
"I don't get it."
"Ames' got a soft spot for cake and this one right here - strawberry jello - is one of her all time favourites. One of mine, too."
There was an awkward pause as the robot tried to factor this new knowledge into his analysis, only to end up empty handed again.
"I still don't get it."
The cat sighed. Surely he's been around to see Eggman gorge on food, right?
Regardless, she'd explain the finer nuances of stress eating in plain Mobian.
"Person mad. Person eat. Person less mad."
Now it all made sense.
"I had no idea food had such an effect on Mobians," he'd proclaim, taking the two slices. "Will it work?"
Therein lied the catch - she had no idea. Although she'd been friends with Amy for years, there'd also been gaps in which they didn't really hang out. If she had a new favourite or gave up on sweet stuff altogether, she'd never know.
"Absolutely." Another lie, another gamble.
With no other questions on his mind and no better plan to follow, the robot would go and approach Amy.
The moment she saw him, she just said "Oh second thought, bring the whole team," to whoever was on the other side of her phone call, ending it with "Yeah, call it an extra large favor."
"What do you want?"
Without saying a word, the Metal would just hand her the cake.
She'd cross her arms, looking warily at the plate. "Is this your idea of a bribe?"
"Not mine," he'd speak up. "But if you'd prefer, I can take it back."
Amy would then just shake her head and smile, confusing the robot. The non-answer had him briefly turn his attention to the kitchen and consider just taking the loss and letting Honey handle this.
But when he looked back, the cake was gone; the hedgehog snatched it from his hands when he wasn't looking and began eating it.
"So, is this what you do now?" she'd ask. "Play maid?"
Metal nodded and sat down at the opposite side of the couch. "For the time being. I gave my word."
Amy chuckled. "Your word? Since when do you make promises?"
It took a few moments for the robot to formulate an answer, time the hedgehog used to raise an eyebrow.
"Since today." Going over events that led him here, he now found it strange how Honey helped him despite there being nothing in it for her. Perhaps she'd ask for something later so they'd be even.
Amy couldn't help but chuckle. "Okay, just for a moment, let's pretend you're being honest-"
"I am not pretending; I've no reason to lie." Him insisting on that was the closest she came to hearing him raise his voice.
"It's a figure of speech," Amy barked back at him. "You want me to believe Eggman had no ulterior motive when he shot you into the city?"
Metal considered his options on how to proceed. He knew from past attempts just words weren't cutting it, so he thought of another approach.
Running a query, he'd quickly find the audio file of his and Eggman's last exchange, then play it in its entirety to a dumbstruck Amy.
It was more of an interrogation than a friendly chat from the sounds of it, but that wasn't what caught her attention.
When she spoke again, her tone was dead serious.
"Where did this conversation take place?" Up until now, she was under the impression that he and Eggman didn't actually meet in person.
"I don't know," the robot answered in earnest. "It was definitely an Eggman vessel of some kind, but its design was unfamiliar to me." True as it was, that answer didn't seem to be what Amy wanted to hear.
"The audio was taken from a video recording; perhaps that could-"
Without warning, the hedgehog disappeared in a puff of smoke, reappearing uncomfortably close to his face and brandishing her hammer.
"Hand it over."
She wasn't asking.
The metropolitan defense force had spent the last few weeks trying and failing to get any scrap of intel on Eggman's flagship and the rest of the new Egg Fleet. That information, regardless of where it came from, could save so many innocent lives from Eggman's senseless attacks on the city.
Nonetheless, her attempts at intimidation would not only be ineffective, but also pointless.
"I would, if I could," the robot told her. "Transfer of data has always been an automated process and not one I have control over. In other words, I would need someone to help facilitate it."
First few words only served to make her angry and poised for an excuse along the lines of staying true to Eggman. It simply being an issue of hardware and not a general disdain for Mobians made her feel more than a tad embarrassed for trying things the hard way.
Now she looked like the bad guy.
Without saying a word, she'd put the hammer away and go sit back down on her side of the couch. Metal would note that although she could just use her speed, she chose to walk there and then just stared into the floor.
There would be a few more moments of awkward silence before the robot settled on what he wanted to say and do next. He saw that being wrong weighed heavily on her conscience.
"Given our history, you've acted accordingly," he stated, then continuing after a pause. "But there truly is something, or rather someone, I'm after - Metal Tails and Metal Knuckles."
The first part, Amy found strangely reaffirming, even if to the robot himself, it was likely just a statement of fact.
But the second...
Out of all the things he could have said his actual mission was, this wasn't even in the least expected category. It wasn't hard to imagine that somewhere down the line, he'd want to track down the closest thing he has to a family; she just didn't think he'd ever care.
Just the prospect alone utterly stumped her.
Given who she was dealing with, it couldn't be that easy.
"A proposition then?" she asked. "You give me something I want and I'll give you something you want?"
Metal nodded.
"Should you agree to it, yes. If not, I will still uphold my end of the bargain; that file is of no significance to me."
An oddly generous deal skewed entirely in Amy's favor. So generous she couldn't wrap her head around it. If his goal was time-sensitive, wouldn't putting himself in such a weak position waste precious time?
While she was pondering his reasoning and a couple more of the universe's greatest mysteries, Metal would take her prolonged silence as a no.
"Very well," he'd get up and pick up the now-empty plate. That was his new job after all. "I'll inform Honey."
By the time he walked past, Metal was already going through the files he had on Sonic's other allies and trying to ascertain which of them wouldn't attempt to turn him into scrap metal on sight.
Amy grabbed his arm.
He'd stop and look at her. Try as he might, his stare always amounted to a deathly glare.
"I'll get you a copy of those files," she'd tell him. "I don't know why you chose to have so much faith in me, but I'll get to the bottom of this. If this really turns out to be something genuine, I don't want to be the one who slams the door in your face."
Afterwards, she'd offer him his hand.
He hesitated. This wasn't really about trust for him; it was a transaction between two parties and it didn't matter to him how long it took or what he'd need to do or say for it to happen.
But Amy didn't need to know that. Her believing what she did was perfect for him.
And so, he'd shake her hand, careful not to cut her with his fingers.
After giving it a good twenty minutes, Honey would enter the scene broom in hand. All that quiet between two people who hated each other had her a tad worried and she wholly expected to find a scene.
Instead, everything was in one piece and two of them had nary a scratch on them.
She'd pull both of them into a group hug, her newfound strength catching Metal off guard. "Oh, I'm so glad you guys made up!"
Metal and Amy would share a look.
"Kinda, we made a deal." Amy then wanted to explain it in detail, but there was a series of four knocks on the door. Every department under the defense force had its own code phrase and this was unmistakingly the one used for the repair technicians she had called not long before.
They had terrible timing.
"I'll explain after they're done. Hide him."
The cat suggested either her bedroom or the other workshop, the one without all the dresses and cloth, but didn't really prefer either option. For Metal, the workshop was the one he insisted on - the sooner he could get that file ready for Amy, the better, but it could also serve to test a theory of his.
An unexplainable gap in his memory was the reason he was after his teammates, but it also cast doubt on its integrity; he himself couldn't modify it, but if others can…
He hoped that wasn't possible, but wouldn't know for certain unless Honey tried.
It took a bit of finagling and coercing a computer not built for that purpose to cooperate, but Honey would eventually succeed in hooking it up to the robot's databanks.
After giving her the exact path to the relevant file, he'd ask her to cut, not copy.