Chapter Text
Six AM rolled around, and Robotnik awoke with a start to his alarmbot-- he wasn’t aware he’d fallen asleep in the first place, having tossed and turned and ruminated as much as he did last night. Whatever, at least it was something. He pulled on his coat and shoes and left his little room, stopping only when he heard activity in the kitchen alcove between the two bedrooms.
There wasn’t a door between the hallway to the kitchen, so Robotnik just stood leaning on the frame, arms crossed, as he watched Stone in an apron at the stove. He looked like he was enjoying himself, swaying his hips to a tune he half-hummed as he carefully flipped an egg in the pan.
Robotnik couldn’t help but note that Stone never looked happy like this when Robotnik was around. Which was for the best, of course.
After a moment or so, Stone turned to slide the egg onto a plate and startled when he noticed the Doctor. “Sir!” he said, and his smile fell into a flat line, and Stone dropped into a low bow. “Good morning! I was just making breakfast to deliver to you, as an apology.” He straightened back up and seemed to be searching Robotnik’s face as thoroughly as Robotnik was searching his.
“I wasn’t able to follow your critique yesterday,” Stone continued slowly, carefully, no doubt waiting for Robotnik to blow up at him again. “I’m sorry, sir, if I’m not doing everything to your standards.” He paused, and Robotnik nodded for him to go on. “My ‘place’ is beneath you, of course, sir. Anything I’ve done to step out of line has been a mistake on my part, I assure you-- of course I’m working to correct these as much as I can, but unlike you, I am only human, sir.”
Hah. So that’s all it was. Trying to appease the vengeful beast. Never mind that Stone could have left and never come back, had he wanted. “Acceptable apology, I *suppose,*” Robotnik said, and added a disdainful sniff for good measure. “I’m not hungry, though, so you can take your breakfast and shove it. Just bring me my coffee, as usual.”
Stone was replying, but Robotnik was turning around and leaving before he had to acknowledge his stomach’s sudden rumbling. Of course it would, the traitorous thing.
Coffee was enough.
Robotnik went upstairs to the lab and settled in to work on badniks again for the morning, munching on as much of a months-expired granola bar as he could without something to wash down the dryness. Just last minute checks for today on the badniks, it was much too late to be making real changes to the plan for tomorrow’s job. At most, Robotnik was taking down notes for things to improve for later-- after all, while he was a genius and knew he could implement things quickly if necessary, a smart man also limited his potential failure points.
Stone eventually did arrive by his side, with his coffee of course. When Robotnik took the paper cup from his assistant, their fingers touched, and--
And nothing. Any sensation that coruscated up his nerves and to his brain was an illusion, any sense that he wanted anything more than what he had was a lie. In fact, he wanted less. The only change to the plan for today’s job he’d accept would be Stone walking out entirely. It would ruin a good many things, but perhaps that would be worth the price.
Of course, Stone didn’t leave. He never left, the insistent little barnacle.