Work Text:
1
Robotnik had many rules for working in his lab.
- Agent Stone was to always arrive exactly on time— not a minute early, not a minute late.
- Regardless of the scheduled end of Agent Stone’s shift, he was not to leave until permitted by Doctor Robotnik— often resulting in remaining hours past schedule.
- Regardless of when Agent Stone was permitted to leave the lab, he was to clock out at his scheduled time.
- Agent Stone was only permitted days off in the event of illness, and even then, he was expected to remain online for the duration of his scheduled work day to complete any possible work.
… Most of Robotnik’s rules flew completely against their department’s policy and were technically unenforceable and illegal, but Stone didn’t mind— besides, he didn’t have much of a social life to speak of outside of the lab, so it wasn’t like he was missing much.
There was one rule, however, that the Doctor stressed as the most important of all, and if he even thought of defying it, the badniks were trained to eliminate him on sight.
Agent Stone was never, under any circumstances, permitted to touch Doctor Ivo Robotnik.
Unless, of course, it was necessary to keep him safe, in which case, Stone was to do whatever was necessary to protect his charge. That goes without saying.
Stone followed every rule of Robotnik’s, but this was the one he took most seriously.
Well, most of the time.
Agent Stone knew that the badniks were programmed to take him down if he touched the doctor, but he also knew they never would— not unless explicitly told.
After all, it was the badniks who chirped cheerfully when Stone came in for his shift.
It was the badniks who beeped and cried and pushed him away from the lab when they knew that the doctor was having a bad day and that Stone would become his convenient punching bag (they have never succeeded in deterring him).
It was the badniks who alerted him that the doctor had once again passed out from over-exertion at his desk.
It was the badniks who watched as Stone carefully lifted Robotnik from his chair or table or floor and slowly carried him out of the lab.
And it was the badniks who flew ahead, opening every automatic door until Stone made his way to the en suite sleeping quarters that Stone had insisted Robotnik install in his lab, dim the lights, and watch as Stone tucked Robotnik in for a solid 3 hours of sleep.
Robotnik, on the other hand, was, naturally, allowed to touch Stone at any time. Stone wouldn’t dare set a boundary against that, and he doubted that Robotnik would heed one anyway.
This, usually, resulted in the doctor grabbing or pushing or, in very rare cases, hitting the agent.
Stone didn’t mind, he’s had worse.
Sure, “worse” was never at the hands of an employer– only the enemy– but Stone could handle it. He’s a big boy.
Stone knew it was going to be a bad day when a few badniks, in their usual fashion, beeped and bumped into the agent as soon as he stepped through the sliding metal front door. He could hear the music blaring from the lab– far too loud for seven in the morning, but it was nothing he wasn’t used to. There was no need to make his presence known to the doctor; he would have been notified the moment Stone scanned into the building, so Stone made his way to the kitchenette a few feet from the main entrance to prepare the doctor’s latte. As he worked, cooing to the couple of badniks who decided to stick around and watch, he listened to the ruckus coming from the lab. Most of what he heard was the music, one of the doctor's metal playlists, but occasionally, a short scream, a yell of frustration, made its way past the wall of music. Stone could make a guess at what was bothering the doctor– it was likely the upcoming deadline of his new “Stealth and Assist” line and the even closer presentation to Commander Walters and other generals and sergeants that Walters deemed worthy enough to view the doctor’s majesty.
Stone didn’t need to guess, though. He had no doubt he would find out soon.
So Stone did the only thing he could– push past the badnik still furiously trying to warn him away and step into the main lab.
When he did, he was greeted with music threatening to burst his eardrums and the doctor, hunched over his work table. Stone was sure he was muttering to himself, but there was no way in hell Stone would be able to hear it.
Stone approached the bench, sidling up a few feet away from the doctor to place the coffee within arm's reach.
If he had learned anything from his time with Robotnik, it was that he had a tendency to, purposefully or not, sneak up on the doctor, and rather than announce his presence or make more noise when he entered a room, he had taken to putting enough space between them that the doctor would be just too far away to punch him in the face if he startled. Stone took another step back, his arms falling into place behind him as he announced, “Your latte, doctor.”
Robotnik didn’t respond– at least not directly– as he snatched the single-use coffee cup from the table, taking a sip before righting himself (if the music had been any quieter, Stone would have heard the low clicks of Robotnik’s aging back, or the grunt as Robotnik uncurled from the position he had been in for far too long).
After a moment of silence between the two, the music paused– likely by the control glove just outside of Stone’s field of vision– and Robotnik glanced at Stone before gesturing toward the workbench, “What is it you see here, Agent Stone?”
Stone turned his attention to the bench, finally acknowledging what the doctor had been working on. “A dismantled badnik, sir?”
“Is that an answer or a question?” Robotnik snapped, closing the distance between the two of them and resting his free hand on Stone’s shoulder– no, not resting. He gripped Stone’s shoulder like his life depended on it. Before Stone could come up with a response, he continued, “Look further, use that pretty head of yours– what do you see?” He gestured again toward the badnik.
Stone couldn’t decide if the “pretty head” comment was a compliment or an insult.
He knew it was an insult, but he decided to believe it was a compliment.
He took a breath, staring at the dismantled badnik for a moment, “Well, sir, it’s clearly from the new stealth and assist line, judging by the upcoming deadline and the red stripe on its exterior,” Robotnik watched as he spoke as if observing the most interesting thing in the world, “it seems you dismantled it because you were having trouble with one of its functions, and I assume you were trying to decipher which piece was the one giving you trouble, because I saw you complete the prototype last night before you dismissed me, and I cannot imagine you are already building a copy this soon,”
“Aww, very good, you do have a brain up there,” He brought his hand from Stone’s shoulder to tap sharply against the agent’s temple before bringing it back down to grip the coffee cup, scowling toward the robot, “The issue is that I can’t get the damn thing to turn on for more than two minutes before it shuts off again. When you went back to whatever dump of an apartment you call home to get a few hours of shut eye so that that pitiful thing you call a body had enough energy to bring me this fucking coffee, I stayed up. Right here. Taking it apart and putting it back together again and making little tweaks and alterations until I’m assuming the sun rose again, and it still. Won’t. Work.”
Robotnik’s chest heaved, and Stone could see the cup begin to buckle under his grip until Stone chimed in, “Did you check its power source, sir? Perhaps it requires-”
He couldn’t get the rest of his sentence out before Robotnik had turned on him, free hand gripping his jaw with extraordinary force. “ What do you take me for, an imbicile? Of course I checked the damn power source, ”
Robotnik released his jaw, but before he could attempt to apologize, to run damage control, to even think about deescalating the situation he found himself in, Robotnik brought his hand back with a quick strike against his cheek.
…
Stone looked off toward where his vision had been skewed from the impact.
It wasn’t the worst Stone had ever had, but it certainly stung.
…
Stone could have blocked that if he wanted, and he was sure the doctor knew that.
They both knew he never would, though.
For a moment, Stone stared off to the side, considering his next moves, before he straightened himself out as his cheek rapidly warmed up around the site of impact.
He was greeted with Robotnik once again heaving, staring Stone down with the wide eyes of a wild animal. It looked as if he had more to say, that he would open his mouth any second and every ounce of frustration he had felt over the course of the night would come spewing out in Stone’s unlucky direction.
Then, though, something shifted. Something small, miniscule, just around the eyes. Some of the tension, the wrinkle in the doctor’s nose, loosened up, and Robotnik paused. He took a few more heaving breaths, watching as Stone righted himself– as if nothing had happened.
Then he was back to normal, raising an eyebrow as his hand came back to Stone's face– this time, though, he only patted the rapidly reddening cheek that he had smacked.
He wasn’t wearing his control gloves. He never touched Stone without gloves.
When had he taken that off? Had that been gone this whole time?
“Aww, did that hurt?” Robotnik patronized, turning his lips down in a mockery of a frown before dropping back into a deadpan, “Walk it off, soldier.”
Robotnik gave him one more sharp pat before bringing his hand back to his coffee, taking a long sip, and going back to work.
“This milk,” Robotnik called as Stone turned to leave, back into his private workspace, “It’s different. What is it?”
“Oh! Uh,” Stone cracked a smile as he turned back into the room, standing at attention, “I thought I would change it up a bit. It’s this Austrian goat's milk I found while I was out yesterday.”
Robotnik took another sip, and for a moment, Stone thought he would blow up again– it wasn’t Stone’s job to think, to make decisions.
But instead, he set the cup down, going back to the badnik in front of him a little calmer than he had been when Stone entered the room a few minutes earlier, “In the future, alert me when you make such changes,” He paused for a beat, as if considering something, but continued before Stone could begin his apology, “But keep it. It’s nice, I like it.”
(If, later, Doctor Robotnik called Stone back in with the sole purpose of asking if he had hurt him too badly, if he had left a bruise, if it had stung, with the distinct sound of guilt in the back of his throat, Agent Stone wouldn’t tell a fly.
And if Doctor Robotnik had chickened out of a real apology, he wouldn’t tell either.)
2
The doctor didn’t need to announce his presence in Stone’s workspace. Unlike Robotnik, Stone preferred to work in silence– he could listen that way. He was alert at all times, responding to any unknown stimuli in the lab faster than a badnik could.
The doctor didn’t need to announce his presence in Stone’s space, but he would anyway; so even as Stone heard the whirr of the automatic door sliding open and the footsteps of the doctor’s new shoes on the tile, he waited, eyes trained ahead toward the email he had been drafting. He paused his movements on his keyboard and listened, feeling as much as hearing it when Robotnik planted himself right behind Stone’s chair– practically trapping him at his desk.
“Agent Stone,”
“Doctor,” Stone responded, turning his head enough to catch Robotnik’s arm in his periphery, “Did you need something? Your next latte isn’t due for another thirty minutes, but I can get started-”
“Calm down, Agent, you’re fine. You haven’t forgotten anything.” There was a twinge of irritation in his tone, but it seemed to be sizzling out– warmer than it had been the day before.
Yesterday, after the altercation of that morning, Robotnik had spent several more hours in the same spot, taking apart and reassembling the same bot, trying to find a problem.
It turned out there had been a problem with the power supply. In his haste and exhaustion, Robotnik had installed the wrong battery.
Robotnik hadn’t told Stone– of course he hadn’t, he was far too proud for that– but Stone found out anyway when he glanced over the doctor’s notes at the end of the night.
Stone was pulled from his thoughts as Robotnik’s hands landed on his shoulders, gripping them slightly harder than expected. “What are you working on?”
Stone brought his attention back to his computer screen as Robotnik leaned in to get a closer look, trying to ignore the comfortable pressure on his shoulders. “Just drafting a response to an email from Walters, sir.”
“What does he want?” Robotnik spat, an air of camaraderie in his tone.
They both hated Walters.
Robotnik’s thumb moved back and forth as he fidgeted with the lapel on Stone’s jacket. Stone tried not to notice.
“Nothing important, sir,” Stone assured, clasping his hands together and fidgeting with his thumbs. “He was inquiring about adjusting the deadline for the stealth and assist presentation– I was just working on a polite way of telling him to shove it.”
His joke fell flat as Robotnik focused on the one thing he hoped he would ignore. “Adjust the deadline?” The grip on his shoulders tightened. “How so?”
“It’s really not something you need to concern yourself with, sir,” Stone tried.
“I asked you a question, Stone, and I suggest you answer it.”
Stone wouldn’t have been surprised if Robotnik’s knuckles were white, considering the force with which he squeezed Stone’s shoulders.
“He was just, uh,” Stone started as he grabbed the mouse, scrolling up to the email he was responding to, “He wanted to know if you would be willing to move the presentation up two weeks– one of the generals had something come up, and he really wanted them to attend– but I was going to tell him that was of no importance to you, and if he wanted your best work he would need to be patient and respect the timeline he already gave you,”
The grip on his shoulder loosened as Robotnik resumed his thumb motions, making a short noise as he considered it. “Two weeks? That would cut my time in half– no, more than half. That puts the presentation next week,”
“Yes, sir,” Stone added, scrolling back to his response, “That’s why I was telling him to shove it.” He chanced a chuckle at his own joke that time, relaxing back into his chair, further into Robotnik’s hold.
“Don’t,” Robotnik commanded with a gentle squeeze.
Stone tensed once again. “I’m sorry?”
“Don’t bother,” Robotnik continued, patting Stone’s shoulder before retracting his hands completely.
Stone would ignore the way his shoulders felt cold at the loss of touch– the way he felt they were missing something now that the doctor was no longer there.
“I’ll make it work. I figured out most of the kinks yesterday.” Robotnik took a step to the side, almost level with Stone, and effectively freed him from where he had caged him to his desk.
Stone adjusted to look up at Robotnik, furrowing his brow. “But, Doctor, are you sure? We don’t have to–”
“Are you doubting me, Agent?” Robotnik cut in with a sharp grin.
Stone blinked up at Robotnik, floundering for a moment. “Of course not, sir. I just figured you wanted–”
Robotnik cut him off with the feeling of his cold hand gripping his chin– far more gently than he had come to expect.
His gloves were gone again.
He pinched the agent’s chin between his forefinger and thumb, a mischievous look in his eyes as he successfully spooked the agent, “I suggest you stop making assumptions about me, Agent Stone.”
His hand left his chin as quickly as it arrived, but not before Robotnik delivered a soft pat to his cheek– the same one he had slapped the morning before, “I can work with it,” He shifted the conversation as he turned his back on the agent, moving back toward the lab, “Don’t worry, Stone, I’ll make it his problem,”
Stone took a deep breath as he turned back to his work, processing the events of the last minute. He highlighted the paragraph he had drafted for the commander, deleting it before moving to type a new one.
“Oh, Stone?” The doctor called from the doorway to the lab.
Stone turned his head once again, catching Robotnik’s form leaning on the open doorway. “Yes, sir?”
Robotnik’s lips curled as he observed the agent, head falling to the side, “I think it’s time for that latte.”
Stones brow furrowed, looking to the clock– that wasn’t for another twenty-five minutes at least.
When he glanced at the clock, he was greeted with a blinking 12:00.
… Shit .
Stone scrambled to his feet, mumbling a “Right away, sir,” as he rushed to the kitchenette, eager to escape the doctor’s piercing gaze.
He did not hear a gentle chuckle from the doorway as Robotnik watched him go.
Nor did he see the way the doctor’s smile softened as he turned on his heel, making his way back to his desk.
He had a presentation to finish, after all.
3
It had been a few days since Walters had requested the change in the presentation. The due date was now lingering at three days away, and Stone could tell that Robotnik was feeling the pressure.
He hadn’t blown up– not yet, at least– but Stone could see the exhaustion seeping into his bones. He didn’t know for sure how much the doctor had slept, but he doubted it was much.
“Stone?” Robotnik called from his desk, where he had been stationed for the past two hours– gloves abandoned next to him as he worked on a physical keyboard rather than his holographic one.
“Doctor?”
“Over here.”
Stone approached Robotnik’s desk from the corner where he had stationed himself; there hadn’t been any terribly important desk work to finish, all of their emails had been screened and responded to (though there were no doubt more piling up every second), and the doctor looked like he would fall down any moment, so Stone decided it best to keep an eye on him.
When he found his way next to the doctor, only half a step behind him and fully in his periphery, Robotnik held out his hand expectantly.
“Sir? Did you need something?”
Robotnik waited a beat, staring ahead, palm facing the ceiling, before he opened and closed his hand a few times– as if he were a toddler begging for something.
Nonverbal communication it was, then.
Stone looked between the doctor, his hand, and his gloves abandoned on the desk.
Robotnik looked so tired . Now that he was getting a closer look at him, Stone doubted he had slept a wink since the deadline had been pushed up.
Stone looked back at his gloveless hand. It opened and closed a few more times before the fingers curled into a relaxed position, patiently waiting for Stone to make his move.
He had to make a decision soon– he doubted the doctor would be patient for much longer.
Being patient for this long was already wildly out of character.
Slowly, hesitantly, Stone removed his hand from its position behind his back and placed it in Robotnik’s.
He grimaced as he waited for a reaction– to be slapped away, told that he was wrong, that he assumed wrong.
…
But nothing came.
For a moment, a brief moment, they sat like that in silence, a tension between them that Stone couldn’t quite name.
Then the moment was gone, but the tension never left as Robotnik curled his fingers around Stone’s– squeezing his hand a few times as if it were a stress ball.
Stone watched Robotnik’s free hand curl into a fist, thumb and forefinger aggressively rubbing together as he fidgeted.
Robotnik’s hand was soft– far softer than he had expected. Far softer than a man who had been working with his hands for his whole life’s hands should be.
He guessed he could thank the gloves for that.
The doctor squeezed his eyes shut before pulling Stone’s hand toward him, pressing his cheek into the agent’s stiff palm.
Agent Stone’s hands were not soft, he knew that. He had been working with his hands since he was a boy and had never bothered to invest in a moisturizer.
But at that moment, he could have sworn his hands were made of silk from the way Robotnik melted into his palm.
“Just… need a minute,” Robotnik mumbled, his entire body relaxing toward the agent.
Stone only stared for a moment, taking the doctor in. His eyes were still pressed shut– as if he were afraid of what would greet him when they opened.
Eventually, Stone relaxed too, his free hand falling from its place at his back as he shifted closer to the doctor.
An instinct to hold kicked in. An instinct to press closer, to wrap his arms around the doctor– to tell him he could have all the minutes he wanted. To envelop the cold man in his warm arms and allow him to sleep all his troubles away. Allow him to rest, cry, scream– anything he needed, he would provide.
Then the instinct was gone.
There was one rule, after all, and he was already too close to breaking it for comfort.
4
When Stone found himself back in the lab the morning of the doctor’s presentation, the building was eerily quiet. A single badnik made its way toward him, the dull hum of its motor cutting through the silence as it nudged Stone’s arm, beeping contentedly when Stone patted its exterior.
It was the badnik Robotnik had been working on the week before, model S-01– one of the prototypes of his “Stealth and Assist” line. It was smaller than the rest of his badniks, more fit for agility than strength, but otherwise, it was nearly indistinguishable from the weaponry bots. The doctor still had to install the silencer for its motor, but otherwise, it was perfect– show-ready, correct batteries and all.
Stone made his way to his espresso machine, the badnik following along curiously as he began to prepare the doctor’s latte, trying his best not to make more noise than necessary.
Eventually, Stone made his way into the lab, practically on tiptoes as he tried his best not to disturb the peace that the doctor had found– whatever that was. He half expected to find him passed out once again, despite having managed to convince him to get at least three hours of sleep the night before. He sat the latte down next to the doctor, a doodle of Robotnik’s face in the foam. It wasn’t his best work— he hadn’t given himself as much time that day— but it was cute, so he decided it was acceptable.
“Doctor,” He called to the very alert, certainly not passed out, doctor, putting the finishing touches on another prototype, “your latte.”
Robotnik didn’t reply– didn’t even look at Stone– before his arm shot out, grabbing Stone by the forearm.
For a moment, Stone’s mind went into bullet time.
He was grabbed. He was being pulled.
He needed to ground himself. To plant his feet into the ground.
An instinct told him to pull back, to throw off his assailant– hopefully catch them off guard and throw their balance.
Doctor Robotnik was by no means stronger than Stone. If needed, Stone could easily overpower him.
Then, the instinct was, once again, gone.
This was the doctor– Stone’s doctor. He wasn’t stronger than Stone, but he also wasn’t a threat.
Not currently, at least.
With a breath, Stone let go, allowing himself to be dragged down.
He expected to be dragged closer– to find Robotnik in his face, yelling at him for something he didn’t do.
Or perhaps he would be shoved face first into the desk, the doctor yelling in his ear about something he, once again, didn’t do .
But that was fine, he was used to it. He just had to get it over with. The doctor probably had to let off some steam before the presentation, and once this was over, he would be in tip-top shape to perform for the various imbeciles of the military.
Except Stone wasn’t stopped inches from the doctor’s face or shoved into the desk.
Instead, he was pulled clumsily down, landing awkwardly in Robotnik’s lap.
He supposed he hadn’t been entirely wrong— he was inches from the doctor’s face.
Stone blinked away his surprise. “Doctor-“ he tried, but cut himself off as he felt Robotnik’s arms snake around his waist, pulling him closer and burying his face in the agent’s collarbone.
Robotnik had been close to Stone before. He had pinned him to the wall, the desk; he had hit him, grabbed him, pushed and pulled him; he had held his cheek, thrown his arm around his shoulders, and patted his back.
But he had never hugged him. Never held him. Never buried his face in his chest and sat idle.
Never, until now, apparently.
Stone sat stunned for a moment before allowing his arms to drape around the doctor’s neck– the only place they could comfortably sit. He made sure, however, that his hands were a solid few millimeters away from Robotnik’s back– a cautious attempt to keep his hands to himself despite the intimate nature of their position.
Stone waited until he heard a change in Robotnik to attempt to speak up again. That change came in the form of a deep breath– as if the doctor was attempting to inhale the agent.
Stone took a breath as well, though not nearly as deep as Robotnik’s, before he tried, “Doctor, is something-“
“ Yes , Stone?”
Robotnik’s interruption was sharp, a challenge— a desperate plea. It was a dare for Stone to try to get out of this— begging him not to. The cotton of Stone’s shirt muffled him, softened the bite behind his words.
“… Nothing, Doctor,” Stone decided, relaxing into Robotnik’s hold, finally allowing the tips of his fingers to graze the doctor’s back, “Apologies, as you were, sir.”
Robotnik did not reply. He only took another deep breath as he attempted to burrow further into Stone’s shirt.
His hair flopped onto the agent’s neck. It tickled.
Stone supposed he should be uncomfortable with this. He should have pushed the doctor away, told him that this was wholly inappropriate, and probably reported him to HR for inappropriate behavior in the workplace.
He should have done those things. It didn’t mean he would.
It certainly didn’t mean he wanted to.
He knew he should be uncomfortable, but there was something so cozy about the doctor’s warm breath on his collar. Something so nice about his hands on the small of his back, supporting him.
Something so endearing about the irritated, whiney, almost desperate sound he made when Stone moved– even if it was only to get more comfortable.
There was one rule, and Stone truly couldn’t decide if he was breaking it, but the doctor didn’t seem to mind– the opposite, really– so Stone didn’t dwell. He only rested his chin on the doctor’s head and allowed a small, contented sound to find its way from the back of his throat.
They had plenty of time.
…
Plenty, but not infinite.
So, begrudgingly, after god knows how long of sitting like that (God does know, it was a little under 10 minutes), Stone cleared his throat. It was his job to keep the doctor on schedule, after all.
“Sir?”
Robotnik only made a noise in acknowledgement– a quiet, annoyed grunt.
“Sir, your presentation is in about two hours. Are you almost done with the preparations?”
Robotnik let out a heavy sigh before finally pulling his head from its spot in Stone’s shirt. “Of course I am; who do you take me for?” He was irritated, certainly, but there was something soft in his tone. Exhaustion, if not physically, then emotionally and mentally– and if Stone didn’t know better, he would swear the doctor sounded almost… fond.
Stone glanced at the badnik on the desk– it certainly looked nearly finished– before looking toward the entrance to the lab. “Do you plan to install that silencer in model S-01?”
As if on cue, the model in question came buzzing into the room.
Robotnik glanced back at the bot before turning back to Stone, dropping his head back into the agent’s shoulder.
“... Shit .”
5
The presentation went perfectly– of course it did. The doctor’s presentations always went exactly as he planned them.
Unless, of course, someone stepped out of line– someone heckled or asked a stupid enough question.
Luckily for Stone and the doctor’s already damaged reputation, though, none of that happened. They made it out of the presentation with only a few sour looks and a few more grumbles from Robotnik. Nothing that couldn’t be smoothed over by a strongly worded email or an apologetic glance.
But all of that was over. The presentation had ended hours ago, and Agent Stone had stepped away from the remaining desk work to prepare the doctor’s early-evening latte. Stone’s shift would be ending soon, but he paid the approaching time no mind. He wouldn’t be leaving for another several hours at least– rule #2.
He moved from the coffee prep to the mini fridge; the doctor hadn’t ingested anything but protein bars all day, so he set out to prepare them both sandwiches for an early dinner.
He was standing at the short counter, back turned to the lab door, when he once again heard the telltale whoosh of the automatic door and the click of the doctor’s shoes on the tile. He only raised his head in acknowledgement, continuing to cut the tomato in front of him as he listened.
Robotnik walked slower than usual– slow, calculated footsteps rather than his usual hurricane of a pace approached Stone from behind.
Regardless, the kitchenette was small, and before Stone could get out a “Hello”, “Sir”, or “Doctor”, Robotnik was behind him.
Like he had earlier that week, Robotnik caged him in from behind. Only this time, without the chair as a barrier, Stone could feel the doctor’s warmth against his back.
He swore his skin lit on fire as Robotnik’s arms snaked around his waist for the second time that day. Stone’s back went ramrod straight as the doctor pressed against his back, chin coming down to rest on the agent’s shoulder.
“Sir?” Stone’s hands froze, knife halfway through the tomato, as he turned his head to look down at the doctor.
Robotnik glanced up at him.
Their faces had been this close a number of times. Hell, more times than Stone could count. Stone had counted the hairs on his mustache, the freckles on his nose, and the ginger roots peaking up when he hadn’t refreshed his hair dye in a while.
This, though, was the most peaceful time of them all. Every other time they had been that close, Stone had been distracting himself from the doctor’s cruelty and the warm knot building in his chest.
Now, though, with the cruelty gone– leaving only the knot behind– Stone found himself noticing the doctor’s eyes. Narrow, lidded things. Chesnut. Lighter than he would have imagined.
“Agent,” Robotnik responded, low and tired.
“Did you need something, doctor?” Stone tried, angling his neck to try to keep as much distance between himself and his employer as possible.
Robotnik hummed, breaking eye contact and looking toward the still blade in Stone’s hand. “No,” Stone felt the doctor adjust his arms slightly before settling again, “Came to make sure you weren’t slacking off. Making dinner?”
Stone couldn’t help but let out a breath of a laugh– the doctor never checked to make sure he wasn’t “slacking off”, not even before he had come to trust the agent. That was what having a badnik roaming the lab was for– a badnik with a live security feed and remote controls that he could access from his desk.
“Yes, sir, you haven’t eaten all day.”
Robotnik scoffed in response, “Falsus, minion, I ate… a few hours ago.” Stone heard the uncertainty in his tone. It was a wonder this man had survived so long on his own.
“A protein bar before you presented doesn’t count,” Stone laughed, “I’m sure that has long left your system.”
Robotnik let out a short grunt but otherwise didn’t argue.
Stone had been getting ballsy lately about disagreeing with the doctor. He was glad it was paying off.
Stone tilted his head as he continued to watch Robotnik, and when it was clear he wasn’t going to say anything else, he spoke up, “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do for you?”
“If there was something you could do for me , don’t you think I would have told you by now?” Robotnik snapped, allowing his head to rise from Stone’s shoulder for a moment before falling back, “As you were, agent. Don’t let me distract you.”
Normally a “don’t let me distract you” from the doctor would be terrifying for Stone. It meant he had done something wrong, something the doctor wanted to observe, or it meant that Stone had forgotten something, and the doctor wanted to see how long it took him to figure it out.
It meant the doctor wanted to watch.
It had no bite now, though. No venom hidden behind a sweet tone.
He just wanted to watch.
So, Stone allowed him. He went back to his work with a hum and a soft smile, his back relaxing as he found himself leaning back into the doctor’s hold.
Stone wondered, for the second time that day, if he should be uncomfortable with this. He wondered if this was crossing some professional boundary that should never be breached.
It certainly was, but for whatever reason, Stone didn’t mind.
Stone didn’t mind Robotnik holding him from behind as he cooked, as if he were some housewife.
In fact, Stone was starting to wonder if that knot in his chest had always felt so pleasant.
When he finished with the sandwiches, he set them to the side, letting Robotnik know he had to move with a small nudge of his shoulder. The doctor released him with a huff, stepping back as Stone moved back to the espresso machine to finally make his latte. When he was sure Stone had everything he needed to finish it, he slid his way back into place behind the agent.
If Stone didn’t know any better, he would swear that when Robotnik buried his face in the agent’s shoulder, it was because he was hiding a grin as Stone drew a heart in the foam.
+1
Stone was right, he had been in the lab far longer than scheduled. It was just past midnight when Stone pushed himself away from his desk, preparing himself for the potentially explosive task of asking the doctor if he could go home.
As much as he would have loved to remain by Robotnik’s side all night, it had been a weird day, and Stone was thoroughly exhausted. He had no idea how much longer he could remain upright.
Stone shut down his computer before turning from the desk, nearly jumping out of his skin when he was greeted by a badnik no more than five inches from his face.
“ Jesus Christ! ” Stone quietly exclaimed, bringing his hand to his chest as he calmed his heart rate, before whispering, “You know, not much sneaks up on me and gets away with it.”
It was model S-01. Of course it was model S-01.
“I should have just kept quiet about that silencer, damn thing,” he muttered, but brought his hand up to pat the badnik’s exterior anyway, pushing past it toward the silent lab. The bot followed, falling in pace about a foot behind Stone.
When Stone made his way to the doctor’s desk, he found what S-01 had likely come to him for: Robotnik, slouched forward in his desk chair, breathing deeply and hair skewed.
Stone sighed, glancing back to the rack of charging badniks– S-01 was the only one awake– before turning back to the bot in question. “ How long has he been like this? ” he whispered, gesturing to the doctor.
S-01 didn’t respond. Of course it didn’t, it was a goddamn robot, but it did shrink a few inches away, letting out a low, guilty beep.
Robotnik hadn’t spoken to Stone in the past two hours; for all Stone knew, he had passed out the moment Stone left to finish his desk work.
The agent let out a huff before moving to approach Robotnik.
Before he could, though, he stopped himself, turning back to the bot.
“ You and I are having a talk once I get him in bed, ” he threatened, jamming a finger in its direction. His voice, however, betrayed him– how could he really be angry at such a young badnik?
He turned back to the doctor, pushing down a smile as he quietly approached.
He crouched down next to the sleeping man, finally able to get a look at his face, resting on folded arms and gloveless hands.
Stone felt that knot in his chest building once again as he stared.
He was beautiful.
His brow was relaxed, lips parted just slightly. His moustache laid askew, and the gel in his hair was beginning to lose its hold.
Stone couldn’t help but allow a smile to reach his face as he turned back to the bot, still stationary where he had left it.
“ Hey, ” He called, despite already having its full attention, “ Power down these computers for me, will you? ”
The bot only sounded a beep of affirmation before the monitors around him began powering down. All of the badniks in the lab had remote access to the machinery– Stone was just glad that Robotnik had already programmed that into the newbie.
Once the monitors and holograms were offline, plunging them into near darkness, Stone addressed the badnik again, “ Thanks, buddy, mind running ahead and opening the doors to the bedroom for me? I’ve got to get him in bed, ” Stone gestured to the doctor as the badnik let out a little trill, rushing out of the room silently.
Stone smiled toward the doorway before turning back to the doctor, his face now only illuminated by the dim lights in the hallway. Stone watched as he stirred, brow furrowing, and made a short, whiny sound before settling once again.
Stone sighed through his nose and shook his head. “ Oh, Doctor, ” he mumbled, “ what am I going to do with you? ”
He leaned forward, putting an arm under Robotnik’s knees and using the other to wrap around his torso before tightening his grip and lifting him.
Robotnik was not a heavy man. He was too thin, in fact, often neglecting himself in favor of working for longer– it was like pulling teeth to get the man to take a break.
If, one day, he could convince that man to eat a bit more, to put on at least a little weight, Stone would be eternally proud of himself.
The doctor stirred again as Stone adjusted him to a more comfortable position, wrapping his arms tightly around himself and letting out a quiet groan. Stone froze, watching, until he settled again. Stone couldn’t help but grin as he watched the doctor's contented face, relaxing more with every second he was in Stone’s arms.
Once he was sure he was in the clear, Stone spared one last glance to the charging badniks, blinking idly, before beginning his short journey to the en suite bedroom.
Stone couldn’t keep away the thoughts of how lovely the doctor looked as they stepped into the light of the hallway. His hair was skewed across his forehead, the eternally tense muscles in his face relaxed for once.
Stone was not new to this sight. He had carried the doctor to bed more times than he could count.
But the sight nonetheless felt new as he gazed at Robotnik’s parted, chapped lips.
Stone was pulled from his thoughts as he arrived at the open door of Robotnik’s small bedroom. He was greeted by S-01 just inside the doorway, staring. If badniks could emote beyond their small light display, he was sure it would look proud of itself.
Stone offered it a smile and a nod before ducking around it into the room, precariously pulling the sheets away from the pillow before laying the doctor down in his favorite spot. He then moved to pull the doctor's shoes off, laying them down neatly next to the bed.
He chanced one last look at Robotnik, admiring the light freckles across his cheeks and nose.
He really was beautiful.
Then he turned again, prepared to finish shutting down the lab with S-01 before heading home for the night.
Before he could manage a step, though, he heard a shift behind him, a hand coming up to weakly grip his wrist. Stone inhaled sharply before looking down, finding a barely conscious Robotnik gazing at him with lidded eyes.
“Sir, I-” Stone began, though he wasn’t entirely sure what he would say. An apology? An explanation?
Stone had been carrying Robotnik to bed for ages. The doctor knew, he was sure of it, but he had never dared mention it.
And he had certainly never woken up before.
It didn’t matter, though, because Robotnik interrupted him with a short grunt before he could get another word out, furrowing his brow in exhausted irritation. “What’re you doin’?” He slurred.
“I- uh,” Stone began, glancing back at the badnik, then the door, before bringing his gaze back to Robotnik, “I was just getting ready to head home for the night, sir. If that’s okay?”
Robotnik let out another groan. “No,” He whined, drawing out the vowel for far longer than necessary.
Damn , he was needy when he was tired.
…
For whatever reason, Stone found that he didn’t mind.
Stone blinked down at Robotnik for a moment as the doctor fell in and out of consciousness, eyes fighting to stay open. “Sir?”
Robotnik let out a hum in response before attempting to drag Stone down by the arm he was already holding.
“Doctor, what are you-” Stone fought for a moment before conceding to his exhausted boss, sitting down on the edge of the bed, “What do you want?”
At first, Robotnik didn’t reply, only pulled further before bringing his other arm up to clumsily wrap around the agent’s midriff. “Stay.”
For a moment, Stone only stared, lifting an arm as Robotnik attempted to curl himself around the agent.
Then, he smiled and looked back to the badnik, still hovering a few feet away, “ Hey, bud, can you turn off the lights in here for me? Then you can go ahead back to your charger. I’ll shut everything down later. ”
The badnik didn’t reply, only pausing for a second to turn off the lights before speeding down the hallway, doors sliding shut behind it.
Stone grinned back down at the doctor, now coated in darkness. He let out a chuckle as he untied his own shoes, the movement causing more whines and groans from Robotnik (only making Stone laugh more).
When his shoes were off and his tie loosened, Stone scooted back against the pillow, gently removing Robotnik from his waist to allow for the repositioning. When Stone found himself laying on the pillow he had previously placed Robotnik on, he guided the doctor to lay on his chest instead, which he did without any issue. The doctor let out a contented hum as Stone wrapped his arms around him, allowing himself a little squeeze.
“ Goodnight, Doctor ,” Stone whispered with a smile.
Robotnik didn’t reply, already fast asleep against Stone’s steady heartbeat.
Stone had every intention of lying there awake until he was sure Robotnik was out cold, then sneaking out and shutting down the lab.
He swore he was going to leave.
But he had had a long, weird day.
So, he woke up the next morning, refreshed and grinning, to find Doctor Robotnik sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling his shoes on.
He half expected the doctor to reprimand him. To remind him of the rules and, for the first time, acknowledge that Stone had carried him to bed without permission.
Instead, as Stone pushed himself onto his elbows, Robotnik only looked him over before grumbling, “You’re awake. About time . I need a latte.”
Robotnik had many rules for working in his lab.
But recently, when Stone found himself placing a hand on the doctor’s shoulder, or pulling him by the wrist, or touching the small of his back to get his attention in tight spaces…
Stone felt like that list was one rule shorter.