Chapter Text
Stone had thought his life was over after Robotnik died. He bought a house so he wouldn’t have to keep hotel hopping because he just didn’t have the energy anymore. The badniks whined, caring for him, trying to get him to move but it wasn’t until Robotnik had come back to him.
He had met Mr. Taylor Tinker when the older man moved into the neighborhood a few weeks after Stone had. The agent had recognised him immediately, nearly hopping the fence to stand before his doctor again. Only for the man to not recognize his back.
Stone turned red. Apologizing for the confusion, he went home heartbroken. For the next few days he didn’t leave the house, crushed with the weight that Dr. Ivo Robotnik was gone. He hadn’t left his bed for more than a few minutes, sobbing at the idea that the man he loved wasn’t coming back this time.
He would have stayed like that for the rest of the day except for a knock at the door. Dragging himself out of bed he was met with the smiling face of Tinker.
Stone blinked at him, his eyes adjusting to the light outside the house, “hello?”
“Hi,” the man before him held out a covered dish, “we got off to a weird start, but I was hoping we could still be friends. I made you cookies, as a gift. I know they're in a lasagna dish, I don’t seem to have a platter. Or plates for that matter.”
The man would have kept rambling if Stone didn’t take the dish from him, whispering “thank you,” while not meeting his eyes. Tinker smiled and wished him a good day, walking back down the agent’s walkway.
Stone had turned around and was about to close the door when Tinker called out to ask if he wanted to come over for dinner once he got his plate situation under control. The agent winced so hard that the shoulder holding the door open got smacked as it swung shut, making Tinker think his offer went unheard. He kicked a rock back onto Stone’s driveway in frustration as he walked toward his own house.
Stone didn’t crawl back into bed even though his heart ached. Instead, he sat on the couch, nibbling on the cookies Tinker had brought. They were really good, especially since he hadn’t eaten anything in almost twenty-four hours.
Stone returned to normal schedule, but made an effort to avoid the man so the pain would hopefully lessen. He knew that was his doctor, but it seemed like he was experiencing amnesia. And also poor eyesight the agent noted as he watched Tinker squint to make out the fine print of his book.
The agent almost smiled at that, he had begged the doctor to get glasses so seeing Tinker actually driving away only to return with circular frames brought the agent a small spark of joy, even if it wasn’t what he had expected.
Unfortunately for Stone, avoiding his problems was impossible. They both lived in a small town and neither depression nor amnesia seemed to be able to change habits of ten years. They seemed to run into each other everywhere, so much so that the agent started looking for him in crowds just so he could have the security of knowing a familiar face. After weeks of the man somehow showing up in his life, and confirming it wasn't stalking, the agent caved and finally accepted his invention to come to dinner.
It was a friday night, the agent had put on a nice button up shirt and trimmed his beard for the occasion. He even brought a bottle of wine.
When Tinker opened the door, he was beaming. He invited Stone in with a wave of his hand, letting the agent take a look around while he pulled his spaghetti bake out of the oven. The agent looked at the mantle where a line of hand-carved wooden animals sat as decoration.
Stone sat perched on his seat fiddling with his spaghetti fork as Tinker awkwardly picked at a roll he had heavily over-buttered in anxiety.
“So,” Stone began awkwardly, “I noticed you do wood carvings?”
Somehow that one question brought a spark to Tinker’s eyes as he began to talk about wood for the next twenty minutes. Stone had expected to be miserable and only reminded that this wasn’t his doctor anymore but he found himself smiling at Tinker’s passion and laughing at his silly tree puns.
The agent left the woodworker’s house with arms of leftovers, a wooden carving of a cat, a smile on his face, and a promise to do it again on Tuesday.
Those weekly dinners led to an awkward first date which led to a stroll in the park and then soon they were practically always in each other’s company.
And Stone tried to be normal, to pretend like it didn't hurt when he looked at Tinker and saw Robotnik. In the end, they were curled on Tinker’s couch when the whole story came crashing out as Stone sobbed in his arms. Tinker looked at the broken man clinging to his shirt and taking wet, gasping sobs.
He started talking in a soft voice that he really hoped was soothing, “I guessed that I was the man in the video that the whole world saw. I knew I didn’t remember anything about who that was and found quite literally nothing beyond that he had saved the world so I moved on. Met you, made a friend who actually cares about me. I,” Tinker attempted to run a hand through his hair, remembered he was bald, and ran in through Stone’s hair is defeat, “I’m sorry to admit I didn’t realize you were the agent Stone from the video, I know he, I, must have meant so much to you and I am just a reminder,” the woodworker used his free hand to take his glasses off so the tears that were spilling down his cheeks wouldn’t dry on the lenses, “of him,”
Stone looked up at the man that had held him while he sobbed about everything, the man who had chosen to stay with him, the man who cared about him.
“I feel awful that I kept it from you, it felt like I was lying everytime,” Stone choked out.
“Oh my dear,” Tinker didn’t know what to say to comfort the man he had grown to care about, “I- I don’t know what to say,”
“Please don’t hate me,” Stone croaked out, tears spilling off his face and soaking Tinker’s sweater.
“Hate you? Stone I could never hate you! You are my best friend, my only friend, even though I know you loved him, I hope I can still be close and you know,” Tinker finished lamely.
“You’ve shown me more care and attention in these past months than he ever did in ten years,” Stone said in a meek voice, hating that it made him sound obsessive or weak.
Tinker felt his heart shatter as he looked at Stone. The poor man had been through so much and he hadn’t even been dating his past self? The woodworker just squeezed Stone tighter, tears falling into the man’s dark hair as he pressed closer, burying his face into Tinker’s chest. His choked sobs became fewer as he slowly fell into an uneasy sleep, exhausted from the emotions.
Tinker stayed awake, never taking his eyes off the agent in his arms out of fear he would get up and walk out the door never to be seen again.
Tinker insisted Stone stay at his house the next day and the next. He was too worried about Stone to let him go sit alone in that house that was much too big for one person.
The agent tried to sleep in the guest room but the first three nights of his stay Tinker heard his sobbing through the walls and brought Stone to his bed where they would lay curled together as Stone tried to keep himself together and Tinker did his best to sooth his worries.
When he was finally deemed ok to go home, Tinker spent the whole day worrying until a knock came from his door. Stone stood on his stoop looking tired but smiling as he presented the woodworker with a familiar lasagna dish full of snickerdoodle cookies.
Somehow he had gotten invited in, so Stone and Tinker sat intertwined on the couch, eating the cookies and smiling. Stone fell asleep on his shoulder again.
Now that Stone’s secret was out, he felt more comfortable around Tinker. Like they could just be friends, relearning everything about each other. It wasn’t long until they were kissing on Tinker’s back porch one night that Stone had been invited over to star gaze.
The agent had been leaning on the porch railing staring up at the sky, trying to avoid the deep orange supernova that was swirling. Tinker had seen the tears in his friend's eyes and used a finger to turn his head away. Stone smiled when he saw Tinker’s soft gaze. Caught up in the moment, the pair had leaned in together.
Stone’s lips were unbelievably soft, Tinker thought that Robotnik had fumbled so badly. This man was perfect, and so genuinely caring and lovely. Tinker couldn't believe Stone had fallen in love with him again even though he was so different from the stories he had heard about Robotnik.
——
It was endearing to Stone how much Tinker sucked at using technology. Stone had to build him a flip phone because he accidentally bought a hundred dollars worth of in-app purchases. When his neighbor hadn’t heard from in over an hour, the ex-agent had kicked down his door and found him the poor man crying in the corner with the phone laying on the floor in front of him. Stone later learned it was because the customer service lady had bullied him when he called to cancel the purchase. Once Stone solved the issues and got his money back, and successfully gotten to threaten someone for the first time in a year, he told Tinker to just ask him for help next time. As much as Stone loved that man, he was so shit at technology that next time happened every few days. Not only enduring, it was a reminder that Stone only needed the first year of their relationship, Tinker wasn’t Robotnik anymore. It also made Stone feel secretly proud and giddy that he was able to help the man he loved.
He remembered once when Tinker couldn’t set up his new wifi router, arriving at Stone's door at six in the morning in his pajamas and slippers, to beg the agent to help. Stone had thrown on his coat and tennis shoes to immediately follow him back to his house. He finished setting it up in five minutes but stayed another three hours thanks to his endlessly grateful host making waffles and then insisting they watch a movie to make sure it worked properly. It was the meals like that which had Stone regaining the weight he had lost during his depression in just a few months.
It was those moments, the ones that were just undeniably domestic compared to what he and Robotnik had done that pulled the agent deeper in love with the woodworker. Stone wasn’t sure when he had fallen head over heels in love with Tinker, but he knew that he was unable to picture his life without the man in it. He was funny and sweet, caring about Stone in a way the former agent thought no one would or even could.
When Tinker suggested they move in together, Stone was all for it. He practically lived at the woodworker’s house anyway.
The agent knew he wanted his partner to have a shop, so he suggested they look for apartments in small towns that were above spaces for shops. Tinker was thrilled at the idea, already making plans for a layout where he could sell all his creations on a paper napkin.
Stone chuckled at his enthusiasm as he watched the man hurriedly begin scribbling ideas down. He watched the pencil scratch against the paper until one part of the shop plan caught his eye. It looked like a small cafe near the front with a smiling man behind the counter. He felt a warmth take over his chest as he realized Tinker had not only paid attention when he had talked about missing his coffee shop, but made a plan so that they could share the space and he could have one again.
He threw his arms around the man’s neck, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Tinker glanced over at him, smiling as he kissed Stone’s forehead and watched the man nuzzle into his neck.
“Do you like the idea?” he asked, almost shyly as he held it up.
“It’s perfect,” Stone whispered, “thank you.”
Tinker nodded, understanding what Stone meant, “I’m just glad you’re happy.”
While searching for an apartment, they sold Stone’s house and the majority of his furniture minus the coffee table Tinker made him after they started dating. It was the only thing in the house the agent had sentimental value to, minus a few boxes that he was able to salvage from the crab’s wreckage and Robotnik’s labs.
He also had the few still functional badniks move into Tinker’s while they searched for an apartment. They mostly acted like weird pets because he rarely gave them orders anymore.
Except for the day Tinker burned his hand on a soldering iron, the last time they actually protected someone was during Stone’s months of depression after losing Robotnik. The agent and woodworker had actually been having a mundane, domestic life, which baffled Stone. The badniks loved Tinker, he was like their father and also not but he made Baba smile, so he must be alright.
Tinker loved the badniks. He got really into knitting for a few months in the winter and made them all hats and scarves. It was too cold to find good wood for his sculptures so he had begged the agent to teach him. Stone had been overjoyed at the idea of getting to teach his partner something new. Tinker made him a purple sweater too, with a hem of flowers. He wore it until the heat of summer was beating down on them and Tinker started worrying he was going to die of heatstroke.
—-
Stone laughed every time he got a text from his partner because he texted like an old man. It was adorable to see the “-Tinker” at the bottom of his messages because it was almost like a reminder at first so he wouldn’t forget his own name again.
Usually they were just messages asking if he needed anything from the store when Tinker dropped by on his way after work. Stone sometimes requested a bag of chips or a soda, a treat since his job at the moment consisted of talking to people.
The agent had taken a temporary position as a customer service clerk since it was a job he could do from home since he didn’t like to be away from Tinker. The job was enough to keep them both stable and the money from Stone’s house had gone directly into savings so they could get there dream apartment.
After only a month of searching, the couple were able to find an apartment and shop that matched their needs. The apartment was small, but the shop space had plenty of room for Tinker's shelves of items and Stone's cozy coffee corner. There was also a second room off the back that reminded Stone of the lab inside the Mean Bean, that they planned to turn into a woodworking shop.
The move was taxing on both men. Between having to renovate the shop so it was able to fit their needs and driving through two states in a rented u-haul, the men were stressed. Eventually, there furniture was in, but the boxes remained packed and the shop was unfurnished.
Stone collapsed on to the mattress that was still on the floor with a groan. They hadn’t set the bedframe up yet, but the sun was setting and he was so tired. Tinker sat down next to him, running a hand through the agent’s shoulder length hair that he had been growing out since they started dating.
“Hey, you did a great job today,” the woodworker purred, gently shifting so Stone’s head was resting in his lap.
The man stared up at him wide eyed as if he didn’t understand the praise. He pressed his head deeper into Tinker’s lap, nuzzling his nose into the amnesiac’s belly with a weird whining noise.
“Stone? Are you ok whats wrong?” he tried to quietly sooth the man with his hand
“He never said I did a good job, I’m just waiting for you to say something to negate it,” Stone whispered into his partner’s shirt.
“He what?” The man sounded so shocked Stone looked up to see the horror on Tinker’s face, “You worked for him for ten years and he never told you good job? Aban, my love, I have seen you work yourself to the bone for us and he never, not even once, said one genuine scrap of praise?”
“I wasn’t good enough,” The agent’s voice was faint as he felt tears well up, realizing that Tinker was right.
“I know that’s not right,” the woodworker softened, "Because you give everything you do your all and you are fabulous at it.”
Stone sniffled in response, trying to bury his face deeper until Tinker made a squeak of discomfort and tugged him up, “hey, Aban, I love you and everything you do. You work hard everyday to make sure I am happy, thank you.”
The agent smiled at him, eyes blurry with tears as he sat up to lean into his arms, “thank you, Taylor, you have no idea how much that means to me.”
Tinker gave him another soft smile before starting to wrap blankets around him, making him snug like a burrito as he murmured softly to rest because he had had such a long day and he deserved good things. For the first time, the agent believed that maybe he was right, maybe he did deserve to be happy after so long. Cocooned in blankets, Stone rested his head on Tinker’s shoulder to watch him play a game on the switch. The woodworker gasped in surprise as his character was knocked back, freezing as he ran into a scoopy banoopy. Stone chucked as he whined that it had managed to throw him into a tree. Stone fell asleep as he nuzzled into the man he loved and let out a pleased sigh.
----
Slowly they descended into domestic bliss. The shop went smoothly, even on taxing days when customers were pushy, they were able to calm the other down and still have a soothing evening.
Even when a man came in during June and complained about the pride merch, Stone was able to calm the woodworker down after the shop was closed and when a man threw his latte back in Stone’s face because he had asked for three scoops of sugar and then complained it was too sweet, Tinker was able to convince his partner to not murder him out back.
Most frustration was solved with home cooked meals or baked goods. Stone preferred baking bread or fragrant dishes with spices that made Tinker’s eyes light up. Since Tinker was vegetarian, a fact Stone was surprised to learn since Robotnik had decidedly not been, the agent had also cut meat from his diet, just because they were in close proximity most of the time it had made sense. He even had a habit of checking candies to make sure they didn’t have gelatine when he was getting sweet treats for his boyfriend.
Tinker almost exclusively baked when he wasn’t helping Stone in the kitchen. He had learned early on that his partner had a sweet tooth that he never tended to satisfy on his own, so Tinker took matters into his own hands. And then he took Stone's growing belly in his hands too, overjoyed at the softness over taking his partner’s body.
“I’ve gotten fat,” Stone pouted, twisting in the mirror to see his pudgy body from all angles. His butt was bigger, his thighs were so thick his old suit pants would never have even slid up if he had tried. And his belly. God, it was sagging and for some reason it made him feel awful. Tink’s belly looked great, why couldn't his? It wasn’t fair.
Stone collapsed onto the bed, still shirtless as he gave up for the morning.
Tinker walked into the room, just having taken his mustache out of its rollers as he looked down at Stone laying dejectedly across the bed, “How’s my stunning boyfriend?”
“Not feeling very stunning,” Stone said in a small voice as he rolled over and buried his face in a pillow.
Stone heard Tinker make a sad noise as his comment. Gentle fingers began running through his hair.
“Is it a headache?” The amnesiac asked, still petting Stone’s thick, black hair that was to the middle of his back now as a disguise.
“No. Insecurities mostly,” whispered the barista, barely audible through the pillow.
“Ah,” Tinker said with a twinge of sorrow, it had sort of been his fault that the agent was experiencing those. Him and his stupid stress baking.
Stone layer on the bed, Tinker still stroking his hair as he thought. He wasn't some amazing agent or a bodyguard anymore he was a barista, sharing a shop with his amazing partner. Maybe he was allowed to get fat, but why did his brain have to be so negative?
He thought about how his body had looked in the mirror, it was jiggly when he tried to press the fat around or back into shape he was more familiar with.
He sighed, sitting up. He didn’t meet Tinker’s sad eyes as he slid out of bed and went to finish getting dressed. He pulled his apron as tight as it would go, sadly realizing the strings just weren’t quite long enough for a bow in the back anymore. He huffed, and tried to go about the rest of his day without letting his insecurities win.
That was how it went for the next month, Stone trying his best to ignore his new discovery, and Tinker trying his best to sooth him
One day the barista was cleaning out the back of his boyfriend’s workshop, looking for more tiny carvings in need of keychain hooks that he could prepare for the register when he saw a box on a shelf labeled “My Darling Aban” in Tinker’s loopy, excessively calligraphy-esc handwriting.
He slid it out to see it was full of statues of him. Some were thinner while others had his potbelly and thick thighs. Some even had chubby cheeks, something he hadn’t even noticed as his belly took up most of his mind. He pulled out a statue that was closest to when he and Tinker had met and one that was closer to his current body type.
Stone held the statues of himself next to each other. Despite the first statue having the body he wanted, his face looked miserable. The fatter statue, the one where Stone appeared to roughly the same plumpness as now, he was smiling, a full on grin he remembered shooting Tinker when they were working in the shop the other day.
Stone stared into the box before pulling all the statues out, making a line from the thinnest version of himself to the statue depicting his current form.
There had to be almost sixty statues, maybe even seventy. The agent looked at each one in order and saw the progression of his belly rounding out, how his thighs slowly widened, his hips, his chest, everything becoming pudgy over time. Even his butt was accurately sculpted, a detail that made Stone roll his eyes affectionately.
But somehow that wasn't what Stone’s eye was drawn to. As the stature’s captured time passed on, he could tell each little statue was smiling more. They captured his expressions perfectly to show that he was slowly becoming more happy.
Stone relaxed a little bit then, maybe it wasn’t so bad to be fat and happy rather than miserable and alone. And most likely dead.
He heard the shop bell jingle below as a voice called out, “Abaaan? Can I have some help with the shopping?”
“Coming, Tay!” The man replied, scooping the statues up and placing them all back in the box as he hurried down the stairs from the apartment to meet his boyfriend by the car to carry his new wood logs for carving up.
When Stone was getting dressed the next day, he stood in front of their full length mirror to study his outfit. He took a quick glance behind him to see the still form of Tinker, who was very much not ready to brave the drab December day.
Stone turned back to look at his ample frame, hands slowly sliding over his rounded belly to smooth his button up before pulling on the sweater vest he had made. As he messed with his collar, a familiar wooden shape caught his eye. The Stone statue who was smiling the brightest was perched on the mantle by the mirror.
The agent felt tears of love fill his eyes as he looked back at Tinker. This time the lump was staring at him through a gap in the blanket. When he noticed Stone looking, he blushed and slammed the gap shut.
“Thank you, Taylor,” Stone whispered as he walked closer to the man still in bed.
The barista draped himself over Tinker as he crawled back into bed. He did want to rest his weight on the man until a pair of arms snaked out from the blankets, tugging him into a hug.
“You’re perfect, Aban,” he whispered, “perfectly perfect.”
The man blushed as Tinker stared up at him, eyes full of love. Stone gave a little sigh, not of defeat but love, and kissed his partner. It was gentle and so loving as Tinker pulled his partner closer, tucking him into the warm blankets as if to protect him from the cruel outside world.
Stone did have to get up eventually, since he had promised to go grocery shopping. Tinker wiggled out of bed so he could throw on some clothes and join him. He looked a little bit like a rainbow exploded on him, but he was smiling so big Stone could help but laugh.
The woodworker beckoned Stone over so he could fix his hair. Now that the agent had long hair to keep himself disguised, Tinker got to style his hair. He loved giving the agent fancy buns with wooden handmade hairpins, or intricate braids.
Stone sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes closed as he focused on the feeling of calloused fingers weaving through his long hair. Tinker gently braided a small section across Stone's forehead that fed into a thicker braid that came to his mid back as the woodworker secured it with a hair tie before looping a ribbon around the elastic band and tying a bow.
As they headed out of the house, Stone commented on a storm cloud in the distance. The woodworker waved it off, saying they would be back before the rain started.
They weren’t successful in that mission.
The rain was coming down hard by the time they pulled up to the house and it showed no signs of stopping. Both men took a deep breath, preparing to get drenched as they grabbed the groceries from the back seat. Tinker shouted at Stone to hurry as the woodworker fumbled with his keys in an attempt to unlock the door before they both caught a cold. By the time all the groceries were in, both men were soaked through and dripping on their nice hard wood entry way floors.
“We should check the weather app desk time,” Stone said as he shivered.
Tinker’s jaw hung open as he stared at his boyfriend. Sure he had seen the man naked, but this, this was the next level.
Stone had left his sweater vest in the car because the last thing he needed was for it to shrink since it was already a bit too small across his abdomen. His shirt was soaked through, revealing everything as it clung to him like a second, pale purple skin. Every curve, stretch mark, and scar was on display through the thin water logged t-shirt and his partner loved it. Even his pants were hugging, accentuating his already chubbier butt and thick thighs. Stone was so stunningly gorgeous at any given point, Tinker couldn't believe the barista had somehow gotten hotter.
The agent found himself against the wall, heart pounding as the action sent him back to his days as an agent, even if neither of them had been quite this rounded out, and Tinker had been a different man.
“Pin yourself to the wall,”
The order flashed in his mind as he felt his boyfriend’s lips on his ample chest, gently kissing along the underside and praising his scars before slipping farther up. One hand was pressed against the wall, pinning the chubby man there, while the other slid under his drenched shirt to squeeze his belly in pure adoration.
Stone blinked away the memory, focusing on the now. One hand rose to cradle Tinker’s cheek as his tongue slipped into his mouth. The other one slipped down under the hem of his pants, pressed flat against his partner’s own rounded ass.
The pleased sound Tinker made against his mouth was enough to make Stone melt into his arms as he pulled the man closer.
——
The agent sneezed, sending a glare across the room to where Tinker was sadly standing in the doorway with a wooden bowl of soup.
The agent had in fact gotten sick from staying in his cold wet clothes too long, even though they had been taken off only a little while after getting home.
He was wrapped up in a mountain of blankets, their switch balanced on his knee as he made grabby hands for the soup bowl.
Even with Stone’s tiny sips, he made it to the bottom of the broth where the word “sorry” was carved into the bottom. He laughed so hard he started coughing.
Tinker rushed to his side but the agent just pulled him in close for a hug, “I was never mad at you Tay, sweetie,”
Tinker let out a sigh of relief, “oh good, I was so worried,”
Stone shook his head, Tinker was such a good man he couldn’t believe how lucky he was to see this pure gem of a man leaning against him. The woodworker watched as Stone was thrown into the lava.
“Stupid ramen,” the agent growled, nose too stopped up for anything else.
Tinker giggled as Stone frowned at his screen, luring the snax away from the lava with cheese sauce.
Tinker looked at his partner, his nose red from blowing it all the time and the complete mountain of blankets that surrounded him.
“Let’s get married when you feel better.”
Stone’s head shot up so fast he nearly collided with Tinker’s chin
“YES!”
—-
Tinker sat in the middle of their important papers after realizing one crucial detail, “I’m not Robotnik.”
Stone nodded, “and his entire life was erased after his first disappearance, so he doesn’t have a birth certificate anymore and it would be difficult to get a new one."
“That is going to make it a whole lot harder,” Tinker sighed in frustration, “do you at least know where yours is?”
“I don’t even have a birth certificate,” the agent admitted, “don’t think I ever did.”
“What? Then how do you know your name is Aban?” Tinker asked, glancing over from where he had started sketching a picture of Stone in a wedding dress the agent thought was accentuating too many of his curves to be considered classy.
“Its not actually,” Stone gave a sad chuckle, “I made it up when I joined GUN, it's short for abandoned.”
“Aban Lee Stone… Tinker!” Tinker was on his feet before he even processed that the agent had sniffled, “Abandoned, oh, Stone, you are not abandoned, oh, honey,” the woodworker wrapped his arms around the barista.
Stone just shook his head with a sad laugh, “I didn’t realize it would be so fitting, Tay,”
“Stoooone,” the man whined.
“Hey, I’m not the one named Taylor Tinker, sweetheart,” Stone chuckled, snuggling into the hug as he wrapped his arms around his fiancé.
“Stone,” Tinker said, “do you still feel abandoned?”
“No! I promise you, no I do not,” the barista assured, “but since we can’t exactly get married legally, we could forge them, I know how you feel about breaking the law and I have been trying not to suggest more illegal solutions to our issues but I am already a wanted criminal and technically you are too, even if you are presumed dead-“ Stone's rambling was cut off with a kiss.
“Yes, I think forging the documents is fine, anything to get married to you faster.”
Stone squeaked in joy, throwing himself into Tinker’s arms as they spun around in the room, laughing happily.
—-
Stone’s head was resting on a squishmallow as he watched the leaves falling outside his window. He was lying in bed waiting for his partner to wake up so they could start their day when a hand creeped under his shirt and started lovingly rubbing at his rounded belly.
Stone blushed, he knew Tinker absolutely adored his chubbieness but sometimes his gentle touches still made the barista feel slightly insecure. He turned to look at his husband only to find he was fast asleep, drooling on the giant Valentine’s Day dog plushy they used as a pillow for some reason.
The agent looked down at his belly which was now being cradled in Tinker’s hand, the soft, scared flesh of his tummy being gently appreciated by the calloused hand of the woodworker.
Stone smiled at the sensation, even asleep his husband couldn't keep his hands to himself. The barista closed his eyes, relishing in the soft touch until the alarm blared. Tinker turned toward him with bleary eyes as the hand that had been stroking Stone’s belly moved to his hip and then his love handles to pull the barista into the woodworker’s arms.
“Mornin’, babydoll,” Tinker sleepily murmured, hand massaging at his hip as he pursed his lips against Stone’s cheek.
The agent felt like he couldn’t contain all the love in his heart for this man as he snuggled into his touch, the morning light steaming in through the window making his brown eyes sparkle golden.
“Good morning, my darling, my Taylor,” Stone leaned forward to capture Tinker’s lips with his own, sharing a small kiss before they had to shuffle out of bed to start their day.
Stone dressed in his button down white shirt and sleek black slacks, throwing on his apron as he watched his husband select a bright pink shirt and green overalls. Stone snorted, loving that his husband liked to dress in such bright colors.
“You look like a watermelon,” Stone commented with a smile.
“You say that everytime,” Tinker replied with a laugh.
“It’s true, you cutie!” Stone chuckled, “always dressed so fruity,” the barista reached over to fasten his husband’s overall straps.
Tinker smiled at the barista as he was gently pulled in by the straps for a quick kiss before both men headed to grab breakfast and open the shop at nine.
It was a busy day, so neither man was able to sneak away from his post to visit their partner until the very end. Tinker had collapsed at his desk, feet and head aching as he began to sketch a little while Stone finished cleaning his coffee instruments. He heard footsteps approaching, a smile spreading across his face as he felt a peck on his cheek, his husband’s bearded face brushing against him in the way he loved. The barista handed Tinker his matcha latte with strawberries, because he liked his drinks to match his colorful outfits.
Tinker looked at him and smiled as he took a sip, “Thanks, doll.”
Stone was so tired from working the register all day he rolled back and forth on his feet, waiting for the “For nothing!” Robotnik always added to his gratitude towards the agent. When he heard silence, the barista blinked, squinting down at Tinker, who had matcha foam on his upper lip and wood shavings in his mustache.
The woodworker looked up at Stone, “oh, I know what you want,” he said with a smile as he stood up and placed a tender kiss on Stone’s lips.
The barista melted into his arms, hands rising to cradle his face as Tinker wrapped his arms around his husband's softened waist. When they finally pulled apart, Stone couldn’t even remember why he hesitated.
Tinker smiled at Stone, slipping his hand under Stone’s polo shirt to lovingly squeeze at his back fat. The barista chuckled, plopping his head onto the woodworker’s shirt.
Tinker smiled and kissed Stone’s forehead, “you are just too irresistible, my dear,” as he used his other hand to close his journal filled with doodles of future carvings and plans for new ideas for the shop, “Come on, Aban, we should get some dinner, it’s getting late, sweetheart.”
The barista nodded, grabbing his husband’s drink from the table as Tinker pulled him toward the kitchen.
“I want cheese toast and soup!” Tinker announced as he bent down to look at their selection of canned goods.
Stone leaned against the table as he stared at his partner’s butt with poorly concealed joy. The woodworker turned, holding up two cans of soup, one tomato and the other was chicken noodle.
“I know we usually cook but,” the bald man shook the cans a little, “if we eat canned soup, we have more time to lounge in bed, maybe watch a movie?”
Stone smiled, “I like how your mind works, Tay,” he paused to think, “I vote chicken noodle, the weather is getting colder again and I think it would be nice and warm.”
Tinker hummed, sliding the tomato back into the cabinet and shutting it as he prepared a pot to make the soup. Stone was on toast duty, spreading a thin layer of butter before adding on goat’s cheese for Tinker and a handful of good old cheddar to his. Sliding it into the machine, he set the timer and leaned against the counter to watch his husband cook.
While it wasn’t much in the way of cooking, more heating up, the man put his all into preparing it and Stone loved to see him happily singing to the soup while he waited for it to cook.
Soon dinner was prepared and over, they shed their clothes to get ready for bed so they could do it all over again.
Stone once thought the monotony of daily life would bore him to death, it was one of the reasons that had pulled him into Robotnik’s charm. But now? Curled into his husband, getting to spend everyday in their perfect little bubble, it didn't seem so bad.
——
The day had started off bad, a customer had thrown her coffee at Stone because the almond milk was too almondy. The agent had wanted to scream at her and kick her out of the shop but instead he simply refunded her order. He was going to complain to Tinker about this later when they sat on the couch and shit talked over a bottle of wine.
Stone was wringing coffee out of his shirt when a man at the counter of his little cafe spoke, “Should prolly lay off the cakes, eh, sir?”
Stone bit his tongue. Rude customers were always an issue, he could handle a few being fatphobic too.
Stone was about to make a joke, maybe mention how his husband’s baking was worth the sacrifice when a voice he hadn’t heard in years sliced through the air like a knife.
“I hope you get splinters in your eyes,” spat Tinker as he glared at the man, “How dare you talk to my husband like that.”
Stone looked at his partner with shock in his eyes. The agent studied his face, seeing only Robotnik in those deep brown eyes as he reached for Tinker’s arm.
“Taylor, its ok, nothing they say means anything to me,”
“But it’s not ok,” Tinker turned to look at him, his gentle gaze returning, “they think they can just slide in and shame you for having an appetite and then they can just leave.”
“Tay, I know I’m fat, I know some people don’t especially like it, I don’t care. Their opinions mean nothing,” Stone smiled, hand raising to Tinker’s cheek, “but thank you for protecting me, it makes me feel so loved.”
Tinker gently took Stone’s soft hand in his two calloused ones, pressing a gentle kiss to his knuckles. The barista blushed, his eyes sparkling as he pretended to swoon.
By the time they finally looked away from each other, the customer had left, leaving a twenty dollar tip on the wooden counter. Tinker tucked it into Stone's slightly unbuttoned shirt, right between his man boobs. The barista snorted, planting a kiss on Tinker’s cheek.
But unfortunately the day got worse when a familiar blue creature stepped in through the door, sending it jingling.
Sonic followed his mother into the shop. He was wearing a big sweatshirt and jeans to hide his face as he wandered between aisles, watching Maddie pick a wood sculpture for her souvenir of the trip.
“Can I help you with anything?” a kind but familiar voice asked.
Sonic turned to say that they had it handled when his sentence died on his lips.
Dr. Eggman was there. He was definitely doctor Eggman: bald, fat, that ridiculous mustache. Sonic tried to step backwards but fell, his hood coming off to reveal his face.
Eggman screamed, not in rage but pure fear. Sonic didn't know what else to do at that moment so he screamed too. Eggman seemed to fumble for something, was that a flip phone? Sonic couldn't understand how he had somehow gone back in his technology usage.
Suddenly a heavy set man appeared next to Tinker, his eyes were wide and scared, “Taylor, I heard you scream, Is everything alright?”
“No. No it is not alright,” the man gestured at the hedgehog, “What is that, Stone?!”
Stone? That was the name of Eggman’s assistant, though he had let himself go like Eggman. Sonic couldn’t figure out what was happening, Eggman didn't recognise him and was now hiding behind Stone in fear.
The agent was softly explaining to the man behind him that this was the hedgehog he had mentioned. There were tears in his angry eyes as he refused to look at Sonic.
“That’s not a hedgehog, Aban,” the man hissed in fear, “it’s scary.”
“I am a hedgehog!” Sonic finally snapped angrily, “fastest hedgehog in the world! You know that, Eggman!”
Something about what Sonic had said had the man in purple who was supposedly named Stone turning to him with anger in his eyes. Eggman stayed behind him, but one arm snaked around his plump waist as if to hold him back.
“How dare you tell a man with amnesia what he should and shouldn’t know!” Stone’s voice was raised as he shook with rage.
Maddie, who had stopped her shopping when Sonic had screamed, was now helping her son up.
“Excuse me?”
“My husband, Taylor Tinker,” Sonic giggled when he heard that, earning him a glare from both Stone and Maddie that made him shut up, “has amnesia from the explosion of the eclipse cannon. I am going to need you to leave the premises for scaring my husband.”
When Sonic didn’t budge, Stone’s lip tightened into a thin, angry look, “either leave or I call the police and have you escorted out for trespassing. GUN might even notice, and I do know Rockwell would love to bring you in for the shit you pulled at the Chao Garden.”
“That was you! And the other Eggman,” Sonic protested but it was clear Stone was done with this.
Maddie scooped Sonic up, carrying him like a screaming child as she addressed Stone and Tinker, “I’m sorry, for this and also for your loss,” she walked out without buying anything, Sonic glaring at the couple over his shoulder.
“I don’t like him,” Tinker commented before he felt Stone’s entire weight crash into him as the barista went weak in the knees, letting out a sob.
Tinker held Stone in his arms, the man shaking and sobbing as he was held close in a tight hug.
“Everytime we meet that hedgehog, I lose you,” Stone mumbled, “I’m worried it will happen again,”
“Don’t worry my dear,” Tinker soothed, “I’m not going anywhere, though I do see why Robotnik wanted him dead, he is utterly terrifying and quite rude.”
Stone snorted at that, his head resting on the taller man’s chest as he steadied his breathing. Tinker’s hand found his, interlacing their fingers and squeezing.