robotman25 suggested this one. Here you go, Amigo! Enjoy!

I only own my OCs. All other characters belong to their respective owners.

You're Never Weak When You Have Caring Friends

Chromastone felt very groggy for most of the day and was thinking perhaps he had overexerted himself on the mission the day before, but he had gotten a good night's sleep, so he was puzzled as to why he felt so tired.

"Chromastone?" said Sugilite, coming in and looking at his brother. "What is wrong?"

"Sugilite," said Chromastone. "I…I don't…feel right. I feel…weak."

With that, Chromastone feel to his knees and Sugilite quickly helped him to lie down on his bed and watched with concern as his brother's color started to darken and he let out an exhausted sigh.

Cassy came in. "Chromastone?" she asked and went to his side and saw her fiancée's state. "Sugilite? What's wrong?"

The older Crystalsapien wrapped a comforting arm around her gently. "Don't be alarmed, Cassy," he said to his soon to be sister-in-law. "Chromastone is going through something I went through a long time ago."

"What is it?" asked Cassy.

"Do you remember Rachel told you of the time that Swampfire went into metamorphosis and his appearance changed?"

She nodded and looked at him. "Is Chromastone going through the same thing?" she asked.

He nodded. "Depending on when the metamorphosis hits, it could be a few hours to maybe a month before Chromastone is well again."

"Uncle Chromastone's sick?" asked a voice and they turned to see Rachel standing there holding Tina, her niece, in her arms.

"In a way, yes," said Sugilite. "He should be alright soon, I hope."

Rachel went to stand by her guardian. "Chromo? Can you hear us?" she asked.

Chromastone opened his eye and saw his charge, his niece, his fiancée, and his brother looking at him with worried gazes. "Just…very tired," he said. "Once my metamorphosis is finished, I'll be better."

"What can we do to help?" asked Cassy.

Chromastone took a deep breath. "Only rest will help," he said.

Cassy looked worried and Rachel placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "We'll check on him every so often," she promised. "We have to trust Sugilite when he says that Chromastone will be okay."

The elder Crystalsapien placed a gentle hand on both Rachel's shoulder and on Cassy's shoulder. "Both of your presences will help my brother during this time," he said. "It will give him something to think about when he is in pain and your voices and presences will be soothing to him."

Rachel and Cassy nodded in agreement.

A few days become a couple weeks and Chromastone was now very weak. He couldn't even stay awake for longer than five minutes. Rachel and Cassy talked to him and he would respond by gently squeezing their hands to show he was listening. It gave them some comfort, but they still worried.

Finally, one month had passed and Chromastone was barely hanging on. Sugilite realized that the situation was dire.

"Cassy," he said. "How much do you love my brother?"

"Very much," she said.

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "He needs you," he said.

Cassy went in and saw her love looking almost dead. "Chromastone," she said and held his hand. "Don't leave me."

He didn't respond to her, but then, she leaned down and kissed him on the mouth. "I love you," she whispered and kissed him again.

Chromastone was very weak but felt Cassy's warm mouth on his and moved his head as much as he could, which was barely an inch, but it told Cassy he was there still. She pulled back softly and began massaging his shoulders, kissing him again.

"I need you, Chromastone," she said. "Our babies need you."

That last sentence had the most effect on Chromastone as he heard her and pictured her holding babies. Their babies. Their children. And Cassy. He couldn't leave her.

Mentally grabbing onto that picture of him, her, and their future children, Chromastone's body began to glow brightly, making Cassy gasp and Sugilite gently pulled her back. "He's coming back," he said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"The pain he felt was too much which caused him to lose not only his energy, but his hope too. You just sparked that hope for him, which is good, because he needed it," said Sugilite.

He and the two human girls watched as Chromastone glowed brighter than a super nova and they shielded their eyes and then saw him get up and stand up.

"Cassy. Rachel," he spoke, fondness in his voice.

That alone brought tears to Rachel's eyes and Cassy's eyes as the latter hugged her fiancée hard and the former hugged her guardian, who looked a tad different than before, but they could tell it was still him from the way he held them. He kissed Cassy on the mouth and hugged her tightly. She did the same as she smiled up at him.

Chromastone then turned to Rachel and hugged her. She returned the hug and felt him kiss her forehead affectionately. "You didn't think I'd leave you two, did you?" he asked.

Rachel chuckled a little. "You have us worried, Chromo," she said. "Not even Swampfire's metamorphosis was this scary."

He nodded. "Well, don't worry," he said. "I won't be going through any more of that."

"It's true," said Sugilite. "Crystalsapiens only go through metamorphosis once in their life."

"That's good," said Cassy. "I don't think I could handle another one."

"Yes, because it would be terrible if you were stressed while carrying my child, my lovely crystal," said Chromastone with a flirty smile.

She playfully punched his shoulder and Rachel and Sugilite laughed, glad to have their family member back and Chromastone was glad to have such wonderful friends and family that cared for each other and helped each other out.

It was one of the qualities that made the family grow stronger every day.

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GoldGuardian2418