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The fact that Sigma did not need to sleep or recharge was a fact Mecha had been aware of for some time– something to do with the nature of his construction– but Mecha had learned the tells of when he needed a break. He would apologize more than normal, flustered over every small thing; complete a task, then forget, and redo it; his optics would be dim and flicker and his vocalizer would skip on his apologies.
Lately he had been working on the Egg Carrier from dusk til dawn, while the rest of the island's residents recharged. Then he would continue on with his normal duties– construction and upkeep of the residential section, maintenance and repair on malfunctioning Eggtech, and mending of the Scrapniks themselves. His list of chores never seemed to end, and yet Mecha still caught him disappearing into the hangar to squeeze in fifteen, twenty minutes of work here and there when he could. His focus had never been so intently upon repairing the airship– while it had been important before, of course, Mecha had noticed the priority shift in the wake of Sonic and Tails's departure.
They were in the Death Egg shutting down some old traps that had reactivated during a power surge when Mecha decided enough was enough.
"Could you pass me the 3/8s wrench please, Mecha?" Sigma said, holding out his hand. Mecha tilted his head to the side, confused.
'It's in your other hand, Sigma.'
"Eh?" Sigma swiveled his head around, giving a frustrated huff through his vents when he found Mecha to be correct. "Bugger me. Forgiveness requested."
'When was the last time you recalibrated your...well, everything?' Mecha asked, hopping down from the railing he was perched on. He took the wrench from Sigma's hand and threw it back into the toolbox.
"It has been...some weeks."
Mecha's eye shifted into an annoyed downturned arc, and he crossed his arms. 'Sigma. You'll crash your software. You need to reboot. No more working for a while.'
Mecha grabbed Sigma's arm, dragging his companion out of the Death Egg and into the sunlight. He led him up to one of the island's observation decks where it was quiet and calming, overlooking the sea.
"I apologize for making you worry, Mecha," Sigma said as he folded his legs beneath him so he could lower into a crouch. "It was not my intention."
Mecha sat beside him. 'You work so hard for all of us but never take care of yourself. I don't know what I'd– we'd do without you, so please, take it easy once in a while.'
Mecha moved in closer, resting his head against Sigma's chassis. He could hear the hum of his power source and the cessation and reactivation of his internal processes.
"I know. Your forgiveness is–"
Mecha shot him a look from the corner of his eye, and he cut off the apology.
"Ever since our unexpected visitors departed, I have been filled with a renewed drive to leave this place. The little ones deserve better. You deserve better. There is a whole world out there waiting for us."
'I can't wait to see it.'
Quiet fell between them as Sigma rebooted his CPU. There was only the sound of the gentle breeze, and the ocean waves– Mecha wondered what the rest of the planet just sounded like. Felt like. What sights would he see when they were able to take to the skies? Would the grass tangle up in his wheels when he stepped out of the ship, onto land?
There was a series of beeps that signaled Sigma coming back online, then a question–
"What will you do?"
Mecha thought for a moment.
He realized he didn't have an answer.
'I don't know. Stay with you, I suppose.'
"Oh, Mecha. You can go anywhere and do anything. You don't have to stick around with silly old me."
Mecha took Sigma's gloved hand and tangled their fingers together. 'I...want to stay with you. I love you.'
Sigma's optics brightened in surprise. "What– truly, Mecha...?"
Mecha nodded, though he averted his eye anxiously, and began to fidget with his cloak with his claw. 'I realized it not long ago– that I don't ever want to be parted from you. I will never feel lost again if I have you..'
"Oh, you sweet thing," Sigma said, tilting Mecha's chin up with his free hand so their gazes could meet. "We shall have a life together, then. Wherever the wind takes us, my love."
Mecha's eye changed into a happy arc, and he nuzzled affectionately against Sigma, engine starting to rumble in a purr. Sigma pulled him into his arms, cradling him against his chassis. They fell into another comfortable silence, interrupted only by Mecha's contented rumbling and the crash of waves.
"Let's do this more often," Sigma said after a while, "sit up here, just the two of us. You are right that I should relax sometimes."
'I would like that very much.'