Work Text:
Whenever Stone went to the sunday markets, he usually went alone. Usually.
Unless, for some reason he refused to reveal, the doctor demanded to accompany him. The scene went something like this:
Robotnik, sitting at his desk, minding his own business. Until, "You go to the markets on Sunday. I'm coming this week."
Stone, at his own desk, confused but not bothered to ask why, responding "Okay."
Later, on Saturday night, a message from Robotnik reading "🪨🚗🥚🕙AM", which Stone deciphered as "You pick me up at 10am." Stone responded "👍".
Scene ends. They had their language, and it worked, as here they were, 10:30am traversing the sunday markets. In the dead of winter, even the near midday sun was not enough to warm Robotnik up - the max reaching 18 degrees celcius with a mild breeze, and enough to reach Robotnik's core. He trembled, walking closer to Stone than typical for him.
"I'm finding I sincerely regret this already. Why are you not affected by this?" Robotnik sneers, feigning offense.
Stone smiles sympathetically. "I have a naturally higher body temperature. I'm much less affected by the cold, but the warmth gets to me. A win for a loss, I suppose."
"It seems we're opposites in that sense, then. How ironic." He rubs his gloved hands together in a sad attempt to create friction. He pauses when a scarf is held infront of his face, confused further when he recognizes that it's Stone's. He raises a brow at him.
"I don't need it. You look like you do, sir. It's fine, really." He pushes it forward, prompting Robotnik to take it. He hesitates, before grabbing it and wrapping it around his neck, trying to ignore how insanely good it smelled.
"We aren't on work hours. Why still call me that?"
"Feels weird to call you anything else, I guess." Stone laughs quietly, inconspicuously making his way over to a hot chocolate van while Robotnik's attention was directed on him. "Two hot chocolates please. One with an extra sugar, too." He slides a $10 note over, and Robotnik seems to realise where they are.
"Hot chocolate? Are you trying to earn brownie points, Stone?" His mouth quirks into a smirk, and Stone shrugs.
"Perhaps. Or, I'd like it if you could warm up so we can shop in peace." Stone grins cheekily.
"I'll have you written up for insubordination, you cheeky shit." Robotnik pokes Stone's side, who yelps and twitches away. Their order is called, and they continue on to other shops. When Robotnik finishes his drink, Stone offers his, which Robotnik takes without hesitation. After all that, he still shivers, and Stone doesn't expect Robotnik latching onto his arm. Stone looks up at him, blinking in surprise.
"Just as I suspected, you're warm as hell." Robotnik grumbles, looking a little pissed at the fact.
"...Apologies?"
Stone finds himself being dragged away behind a bunch of stalls, out of the view of any passing browsers. Robotnik sheds his gloves, shoving his cold hands straight into Stone's sleeves, holding his wrists.
"I despise how biologically advantaged you are." He glares at Stone, who yelps as soon as Robotnik's iced hands touch him.
"I hate how DISadvantaged you are, oh my god!" Stone tries to shake Robotnik off, but he doesn't budge, and secretly, some part of Stone doesn't actually mind. He sighs, giving in. It actually feels kind of nice.
That is, until Robotnik retracts his hands and shoves them under his sweater instead, and he squeals, trying to escape the harsh cold on his stomach.
"Doctor!" He tries to push him away, but Robotnik whines.
"You're so warm though! Its greedy not to share, you know. It's called kleptothermy, but I'll save you the trouble of looking it up. It's an adaptive behaviour developed by animals that gets them to crowd together to share body heat. Penguins use kleptothermy to survive in the cold. Little fact for you." Robotnik rants, and Stone is forced to sit still and endure until his skin gets used to the cold.
When Stone is able to think about things besides the harsh temperature change, he realises how intimate their position is right now. Deliberately hidden out of sight, just so Robotnik could shove his hands, his BARE hands, up his shirt.
"Sir, isn't this a little... um. You know."
"A little what? Go ahead, say it." Robotnik innocently smiles, but Stone knows he knows.
"I don't know, intimate?" Stone clears his throat.
"No. Intimate would be this." Robotnik's eyes glint as he spins Stone around, pulling him flush against his chest, hands on his waist now.
Stone would describe their relationship as... complicated. There have been times where Stone was against a wall, and he noticed Robotnik glancing at his mouth, or his neck. There were times when Robotnik would drag him out of meetings if Walters said too many words to Stone. There were small touches that Robotnik made out to be unintentional, but Stone had a feeling they weren't. This was new, though.
A desperate noise forced its way through Stone's throat as he felt his back connect with Robotnik's chest.
"This is actually significantly better. I think I'll stay like this a while, thanks." Robotnik declared.
"What if someone comes back here..?" Stone gulped, praying Robotnik couldn't feel his heart beating out of his chest. Robotnik graced him with a grunt in response, before resting his forehead on Stone's shoulder.
Stone thinks he's certainly hot enough now. He can't do anything, really, except let himself be used as a personal heater for Robotnik. It's difficult for him not to get a bit... excited, at the situation, and he resorts to thinking of dead puppies to get his tent down.
30 minutes later, Robotnik finally moves.
"Kay. Thoroughly warmed." He slips away from Stone and grabs the man's wrist, dragging him back towards the market.
Stone genuinely cannot think straight for the rest of their day together, because Robotnik can't keep his hands to himselr, some part of him always touching Stone in some way in the name of 'heat absorption', which they both know is probably a bullshit excuse.
They don't talk about it.