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Eyes firmly affixed to the ceiling, Robotnik leaned so far back in his chair it threatened to tip over, and crossed his arms. He was the pure epitome of boredom. All around him were other G.U.N. scientists, researchers, and their sugar-daddy generals, acting as if they cared about the speaker at the front of the conference room. He knew they cared about as much as he did—which was none.
The room was set up like any other conference room with a long, oval table that held so many people, you could only talk to those sitting directly next to you and never once speak to anyone on the opposite side. Standing behind those sitting was everyone’s agents, all of them stoic suits whose eyes resembled those of a dead fish. Since many of those at the meeting were from various G.U.N. bases, each of them required their own agent for protection.
Robotnik could feel a smirk playing along his lips as he thought of his own agent.
He doubted anyone else had impregnated their agent. Especially when said agent had been born completely male.
Without having to look, he knew Stone was standing perfectly still behind him, waiting for the dull meeting to be over. Unlike the other agents, Stone wasn’t wearing a button down shirt, instead he was wearing a black turtleneck underneath his suit jacket. To an outsider, it would appear that Stone had put on a couple pounds, his belly larger than it ever had been during his time at G.U.N. He had been forced to give up his normal shirts two weeks ago, neither of them having time to shop for a larger size. So, he had been forced to tug a sweater over his expanding belly.
For a moment, Robotnik desperately wanted to turn around and stare at Stone’s belly. It was much more exciting than whatever the speaker was talking about. Afterall, it had been Robotnik who had not only created the artificial womb, but he had helped fertilize the life growing inside Stone.
Before all of this, Robotnik had never once thought of himself as paternal, however, the longer he watched Stone’s belly grow, the more the once nonexistent feeling expanded. They had found out they were expecting a girl, and that was all it took for Robotnik fall in love with their yet to be born baby.
Stone had joked that Robotnik would be the most overprotective ‘girl dad’ to exist, and honestly, he took pride in that. Like everything else he did in his life, Robotnik would be the best.
Lost in his daydreaming, he blinked when his ears picked up on a suspicious noise.
Almost like fabric scraping together.
Sitting up and fixing his chair, Robotnik let his eyes roam the table. Nobody had moved other than a few people resting their heads in their hands, trying not to fall asleep. He subtly glanced towards the agents closest to him, but found listless zombies standing until they were released from duty. The sound would come and go, but each time it picked up, it caught Robotnik’s attention.
Finally, he turned his head to look at Stone.
Only to see a small grimace on the man’s face as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Instantly, Robotnik’s eyes snapped down to Stone’s feet and knew without a doubt that his ankles were swollen. He had been having issues wearing his normal dress shoes, having to resort to running shoes. However, since they were on a different G.U.N. base for the conference, Stone had tried to go back to his normal attire as much as he could.
Rolling his eyes, Robotnik turned fully and poked Stone’s arm.
Frowning, his agent stared down at him, his focus taken off his sore feet.
“Go sit,” Robotnik hissed. He watched as Stone clenched his jaw and shook his head minutely. Narrowing his eyes, Robotnik didn’t appreciate the disobedience. “Sit.”
He watched the internal struggle occurring in Stone’s eyes. His agent wanted so badly to follow the order—for his own benefit and to please Robotnik—but at the same time, he refused to ignore his duty as Robotnik’s agent. It didn’t take a genius to know how much pride Stone took in fulfilling his duties as Robotnik’s bodyguard. How could he sit when every other agent was able to stand guard over their charge?
Robotnik shook his head at Stone’s stubbornness. He swore Stone was even more stubborn than him some days.
Getting to his feet, Robotnik ignored the looks he received as he grabbed Stone’s arm and yanked him towards the chair. He could feel how stiff Stone was as he shoved his body into the chair and gleefully smirked at the glare his agent was sending him. Even with the daggers being shot at him, he watched as Stone’s body relaxed and his hands came up to cradle his belly.
With an air of nonchalance, he leaned a hip on the back of the chair and faced the front, meeting the speaker’s perplexed gaze.
“Dr. Robotnik?” The speaker eyed him with uncertainty.
“What?”
“Is something wrong?”
“What makes you say that?” Robotnik challenged, ready to rip the woman apart if she questioned him. She must have sensed this as she shook her head and continued her inane prattling. He pointedly ignored everyone else’s curious glances, instead planning on how they would decorate the nursery.
“An absolute waste of time,” Robotnik grumbled as he marched out of the conference room an hour later, Stone walking in step with him. The speaker had outlined the next few days of presentations—meaning they would be back in the same room for the foreseeable future. Worst of all, his own presentation wouldn’t occur until the second to last day. “As if these simpletons could ever process even a word I say. I would have an easier time training monkeys to produce electricity from a root vegetable than have these morons understand my genius.”
His hands waved in the air as he spoke, barely paying attention to the scenery as they exited the building. Like every G.U.N. base, the place was built similarly to a college campus with the buildings spread out from each other with neat footpaths. The weather was pleasant, with a nice zephyr teasing his mustache.
Next to him, Stone was quiet.
“I can’t believe Walters thinks this whole charade is worth my time! ‘Oh, Ivo, you’ll meet like-minded people!’ As if I haven’t already found the only other intelligent person on this planet and procreated with them.”
At his underhand compliment, Robotnik waited for Stone to gush and thank him.
Instead, he received silence.
Letting out a huff of indignation, he turned his head towards his agent.
“Cat got your tongue, Stone?”
“No, doctor,” came the ever ready response.
“Then what?”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“You’re awfully moody for someone who should be thankful that their job is to stand around all day.”
He’s not expecting a dark cloud to fall over Stone’s face at his comment. It wasn’t unusual for Robotnik to insult Stone—far from it, in fact. There was rarely a time Stone didn’t let the insult brush off him like it was nothing. So used to Stone’s non-reaction, Robotnik sometimes forgot that his agent could even be insulted.
“What?” Robotnik pressed, not liking Stone’s silence.
“Nothing, sir.”
Stone’s jaw was tweaking from how hard he was clenching it, his hands balled up into fists at his sides. His back had straightened as he stared ahead, not once looking over at Robotnik. Utterly bewildered by his agent, Robotnik decided to wait until they were back in their room before he said anything further.
Since they were visiting another base, they had been assigned a dorm room along with all the others attending the conference. As they approached the dorm building, Robotnik’s lip curled in disgust. Far too many people.
The footpath leading up to the dorm was filled with soldiers, G.U.N. agents, and other random people. Quickly mapping out the fastest but least crowded path, Robotnik picked up his pace. He knew Stone was struggling to keep up with him on his swollen feet, but he was confident Stone would catch up.
So focused on reaching the building’s entrance without human interaction, Robotnik didn’t notice a laughing soldier backing up quickly.
Not until the man bumped into him, sending them both to the ground.
Robotnik let out a grunt as his right shoulder took most of the impact, the soldier already spewing out an apology as they both laid on the ground. Snarling, Robotnik could feel the venomous words on the tip of his tongue, but as he opened his mouth to strike, he felt hands on his arm. He instantly snapped his head around to either verbally or physically—whichever felt better in the moment—bite off the person’s head when he saw it was Stone trying to help him to his feet.
Allowing himself to be pulled up, Robotnik brushed himself off, grumbling under his breath the entire time. The soldier was trying to speak to him, however, Robotnik’s attention was entirely on Stone.
Whose eyes were watery and bottom lip quivering.
Shit! Did he get run into as well? Is he hurt?
“C’mon,” Robotnik snarled as he grabbed ahold of Stone’s elbow and dragged him along, the voices of the soldiers fading away as they made their way towards the dorm building. People around them parted at the stormy expression on Robotnik’s face, none of them wanting to take Stone’s place. As if I would ever let them!
Softening his grip on Stone, he led them into the elevator before he spun on his agent.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Is the baby all right?”
As Stone opened his mouth, the dam broke. Tears began streaming down his face as he let out a pathetic sniffle, his hands coming up to hide the evidence. Before Robotnik knew it, Stone was full on sobbing.
“I—” Stone tried to force the words out, but they were interrupted by stuttering hiccups. He viciously scrubbed at his eyes, but the tears wouldn’t stop, which only made things worse. “I’m sorry!”
“For what? Stone, what happened?”
Stone could only shake his head.
Robotnik didn’t know what to do.
His normally cheerful agent was standing in the middle of the elevator, sobbing his heart out as he tried to speak through the emotions coursing through him. Stone’s cheeks were turning red, his breathing uneven, and small tremors were beginning to run through his body.
Behind them, Robotnik heard the doors of the elevator open. As much as he didn’t want to touch anyone with snot running down their face, he gently wrapped an arm around Stone’s waist and guided him out. They were lucky there was no one else around as Stone shoved his face into Robotnik’s shoulder, his tears soaking the fabric.
Getting into their assigned dorm room was easy.
Calming Stone was infinitely more difficult.
Think! Robotnik urged himself. How do you comfort a hormonal pregnant man?
His mind ran through lists of things he had seen in movies, read in stories, or heard from obnoxious coworkers in the past.
Start with the external issues.
“Sit down,” using his arm around Stone, he guided him towards the larger bed. Since G.U.N. still hadn’t figured out their relationship, they had been given a room with a queen sized bed and smaller cot. One for Robotnik and the other for his agent.
“D-doctor—”
“It’s fine, Stone.”
Finally getting Stone to sit, Robotnik lowered himself to the floor and grabbed up Stone’s feet. His fingers made quick work of his laces. Slipping the shoes off Stone’s feet, he sighed at how swollen his ankles and feet truly were. Was this the cause of his distress?
He tossed the shoes away and brought his hands to cradle one of Stone’s feet. While he had no experience in comforting anyone, he had read stories about husbands rubbing their wives’ feet during pregnancy. In that moment, he was fearful that he would hurt Stone, but as he rubbed his fingers into the foot, he heard a confused sniff.
Glancing up, he met Stone’s surprised expression.
“Good?” He probed.
Stone gave a small nod, his tears finally starting to slow.
Continuing his ministrations, Robotnik made sure that both ankles received the same treatment. Above him, Stone had relaxed on the bed, his hand rubbing slow circles on his belly. Tear tracks had stained his cheeks, while his eyes were red-rimmed. External stressors first, Robotnik reminded himself.
“Did you pack your favorite pajamas?”
“Yes,” Stone frowned up at him as Robotnik got to his feet and turned towards their bags. Ignoring the feeling of eyes boring into the back of his head, Robotnik rummaged through Stone’s luggage until he found the worn, purple shirt and black pajama pants with dogs on them. “Doctor, we still have another meeting later—”
“We’re not going,” Robotnik cut him off. “We both received food poisoning. End of story.”
His agent wasn’t particularly pleased with the excuse, but since he wasn’t arguing, Robotnik shoved the pajamas into his hands. Robotnik watched him like a hawk as he began to undress; the suit jacket and turtleneck were hung with care while Stone gladly unbuckled the far too tight belt around his waist. When Stone was finally dressed in his pajamas, it was clear he had been struggling in his normal attire.
Internal stressors next.
“What do you want to eat?”
“Oh, um,” Stone chewed on his bottom lip, looking away. Instantly knowing that bashful expression, Robotnik already had his hand raised to call the badniks. “I’m sure there isn’t—”
“This base is next to a city much bigger than one next to ours,” Robotnik pointed out, brushing away Stone’s concerns before he could voice them.
“Maybe tacos?”
“Extra jalapeños?”
Stone gave a small smile as he nodded. Shaking his head at Stone’s increased want for spicy food, he was quick to order the food on his phone before sending the badniks to pick the food up when it was ready. With substance on the way, Robotnik let his eyes roam over Stone, trying to decide on how else he could comfort his agent.
With the way Stone was hugging himself, Robotnik had an idea.
Ever since Stone had become pregnant, his need for physical contact had increased. In bed, Stone would be attached to him in some way, typically clutching him like a stuffed animal. Outside of the bedroom, he walked so closely, he had stepped on Robotnik’s heels more than once. Perhaps if their relationship wasn’t a secret, Stone would want to hold hands or hug in public. For now, they were restricted to their bedroom.
Kicking off his own shoes and shrugging off his jacket, Robotnik climbed onto the bed. Stone let out a noise of surprise as he was manhandled until they were spooning, Robotnik’s chest pressed firmly against Stone’s back. Both their hands rested on top of Stone’s belly.
Immediately, Robotnik could feel how Stone relaxed into the embrace, a content sigh leaving his lips.
“Better?”
“Yes.”
The afternoon sun came through the window of the room, bathing them in golden light. Letting his fingers trace random patterns on Stone’s belly, Robotnik nuzzled his face into Stone’s hair.
He had no idea if his form of comfort was what Stone needed, but since his agent had stopped crying and was now safely secure in his arms, Robotnik hoped it was enough.
“What happened, Stone?”
The words might have been whispered, but in the fragile silence of the room, they might as well have been shouted. Stone ducked his head as he curled his body in embarrassment.
“I…” he swallowed thickly. “I think it might be time for you to get a new agent.”
Robotnik snorted.
“What nonsense are you spewing? What use do I have for another agent when I have you?”
“You need an agent who can actually preform their duties and protect you.”
Robotnik’s eyebrows knit together. Typically, he prided himself on his intelligence and being able to follow different paths of logic, but even he couldn’t understand what Ston was getting at. He could feel the way Stone was tensing in his grasp.
“Don’t you do that already?”
With a noise of frustration, Stone roughly flipped himself over so he could meet Robotnik head on. His eyes were swirling with a mixture of regret and desperation.
“I couldn’t even stand for the entire meeting!” Stone informed him. “And then I allowed someone to not only touch you, but knock you over! I think it’s clear that my time as your agent is over.”
“Stone, you—!” Stress is bad for the mother and baby, a little voice piped up. Growling, Robotnik brought a hand up to squeeze Stone’s face. It was a normal position for them as he stared deep into those expressive eyes. “I don’t want or need another agent. Of course you can’t perform all your duties the same as before—you’re growing an entire human inside of you! Only an imbecile would expect you to continue your normal duties just the same. Do you think I didn’t plan for this?”
For his part, Stone stared at him in shock. Rolling his eyes, Robotnik released his hold on Stone and brought up a hand. Pressing a few buttons, he looked over Stone’s body and smirked as he saw a dozen small badniks rise from his coat.
The miniature robots swarmed towards them, a few swooping in front of Stone’s gobsmacked face.
“Doctor, what…?”
“Portable and deadly,” Robotnik smiled broadly. “I have them all over my jacket. When we return to our own base, I will have even more ready so you can carry them on your person. We’ll also have to upgrade your control gloves as well. You still have my older protypes.”
“I didn’t know,” Stone mumbled. He held his hand up and smiled when a few of the small badniks settled on his palm, their small red eyes staring up at him innocently. “You really do plan ten steps ahead, sir.”
“Of course I do!” He preened. “I have to protect my child and their mother! Even if their mother is foolish at times.”
Stone chuckled, the insult not phasing him in the least. He pet the badniks with a finger before releasing them. They swarmed together before flying back to their hidden pockets in Robotnik’s jacket.
“I’m sorry for my outburst, sir.”
“No need to apologize. You can’t help your heightened emotions.”
“Still,” Stone pursed his lips. “I’m your agent. I should be able to do my job.”
“Your job,” Robotnik stressed. “Is to grow our child. When you’ve popped her out, then you can think about taking a bullet for me. Until then, your only duties are to protect our child.”
Nodding, Stone pressed closer until his face was shoved into Robotnik’s chest. Without thinking, Robotnik brought his arms up to hug him close. A satisfied hum resonated against his throat as a leg slipped between his, Stone’s baby bump firmly pressed against his own stomach. The atmosphere had calmed, a comfortable feeling filling the room and settling across them like a blanket.
“Thank you, doctor.”
“You’re welcome, Stone.”