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Robotnik didn't think he would survive it. In fact, he was certain he wouldn’t. The numbers were absolute, his chances of making it out alive were precisely 0.0000000001%. And yet, here he was. Breathing. Existing. Against all logic. Against all odds.
Saved by a black hedgehog who had appeared just as suddenly as he had vanished. Robotnik wasn't sure what to make of it, but one thing was certain, he had officially had enough of colorful hedgehogs for the foreseeable future.
When he returned to Earth, he expected the usual tedium. The same predictable, mind-numbing routine. Instead, he was met with absolute chaos.
Cities in ruins. Governments in disarray. A world teetering on the brink of destruction. And the one responsible? None other than Agent Stone.
At first, Robotnik wasn’t sure whether to be furious or impressed. Then he saw the footage. The news broadcasts, the reports, the shaky camera angles capturing Stone standing amidst the wreckage, eyes gleaming behind round, purple-tinted glasses. Declaring war on the world in Robotnik’s name.
Robotnik’s first reaction? Pride. His second? A bit of charm creeping in. His third? Well, that might have been a touch of flattery when he saw Stone almost annihilate Sonic and his friends with nothing but sheer, calculated ruthlessness.
And the outfit- oh, the outfit.
Gone was the neatly pressed black suit, the tie, the polished appearance. In its place, a long black coat that billowed with every step, those eerie purple glasses obscuring his eyes, making him almost unrecognizable. Almost.
Robotnik had to admit. If it weren’t for the whole “burning the world to the ground” thing, he would’ve let Stone keep the look. Of course, getting to him was another matter entirely. Convincing Stone that he was alive after all? That was even harder. And convincing him to stop his apocalyptic rampage?
An absolute nightmare.
Seriously, what was it with villains and their obsession with obliterating the world whenever someone they loved died? It was impractical, illogical, and frankly, quite dramatic. But then again, Robotnik wasn’t exactly in a position to judge.
Still, after some rather intense negotiations (and by “negotiations” he meant dodging laser blasts while yelling, “Stone, put the damn missiles down- I’m NOT A GHOST, YOU BUFFOON!”) things had settled.
Well. Mostly.
Now, a few weeks later, the two of them were back in hiding. Off the grid. Staying under the radar. It was almost like old times. Almost.
Robotnik sat in his usual chair, staring at the screens in front of him, fingers drumming on the armrest. The usual calculations, blueprints waiting to be put into motion. Everything was back to normal. Except for one thing.
"Your coffee, Doctor." Stone’s voice was smooth, steady, as he placed a steaming latte beside him. Robotnik glanced at it. Perfect as always…. Almost.
He frowned, tilting his head slightly. Something was missing. The latte art. Stone had always drawn something. His own little touch. A heart, a weird doodle of him and Stone, or just Robotnik himself. It was stupid and unnecessary, but it was Stone.
And now it was gone. Just like his smile. Robotnik used to see it constantly. Whenever he spoke, whenever he gloated, whenever he breathed, Stone would be there, grinning like an idiot, eyes lighting up at his every word.
Now?
Robotnik couldn’t even remember the last time Stone’s smile reached his eyes. Did his "death" really shake Stone that much?
Obviously. This is stupid question.
The evidence was everywhere. Cities still in shambles, governments scrambling to recover, entire sectors of the world still cleaning up the aftermath of Stone’s grand, destructive love-suicide letter to the world.
Robotnik let out a slow sigh, glancing at Stone out of the corner of his eye. God- even his eyes look numb and tired. The man standing before him was Stone... and yet, he wasn’t.
There was something wrong about him, something so fundamentally off that Robotnik couldn’t ignore it. Gone the adoring, borderline obsessive glint in his eye. Instead, there was just... nothing. A hollowed-out husk wearing his agent’s face.
Robotnik bit the inside of his cheek as he stared. “Is something wrong, Doctor?” Even his voice was different. Monotone. Flat. It was like listening to a robot. And not even one of his well-designed ones.
Robotnik quickly shook his head, breaking out of his thoughts. "Nothing. Do something for me and bring me the blueprint I left in the other room." Stone nodded mechanically. "Of course, Doctor." And with that, he turned and left.
As soon as he was gone, Robotnik let out a groan, dragging a hand down his face. This isn’t working. He had to fix this. Somehow. But how?
This wasn’t like his Badniks, where he could simply take them apart, adjust a few wires, replace a broken circuit, and put them back together good as new. Human minds don’t work like that.
He groaned again, slumping slightly in his chair. "Ugh, why does the human brain have to be so damn complicated?" What had he been expecting when he came back?
That Stone, grinning ear to ear, would welcome him home with one of his perfect lattes, the way he always had? That things would just go back to normal? … Okay. Maybe a little.
But this? This silent, hollow version of his once-loyal sycophant?
It was starting to piss him off.
Robotnik’s eyes flickered to the security monitors, watching as Stone entered the other room, moving with the same emotionless precision as always. He reached for the blueprints, picked them up... then, for the briefest second, paused.
His fingers hesitated at his pocket. Robotnik narrowed his eyes. Stone almost pulled something out but then he stopped. Whatever it was, he stuffed it back and straightened, as if nothing had happened.
For now.
Robotnik exhaled sharply through his nose. He already knew what it was. He didn’t need to see it.
The cigarettes.
He hadn’t said it out loud yet, but if there was one thing he absolutely despised about this new version of Stone, it was the smoking. Of all the possible addictions in the world, smoking?! Really?!
It was disgusting. Stupid. Completely unnecessary, and it reeked. A few years ago, he wouldn’t have tolerated it. Not for a second. If Stone had ever dared to pick up such an idiotic habit back then, Robotnik would’ve fired him on the spot and replaced him with someone less repulsive.
But now? Now, he just had to grit his teeth and deal with it. And that? That was what bothered him the most.
"Your blueprints, Doctor." Stone entered the room, placing the rolled-up blueprints on the table. Robotnik barely acknowledged them. Instead, his eyes kept flicking back to Stone. He leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping against the armrest, watching as Stone stood silently at his side, waiting.
"Do you need anything else, Doctor?" The question was routine. Formal. Lifeless. Robotnik rolled his eyes. "Yes. Can you go back to factory settings?" The words slipped out before he could stop them, sharp and edged with frustration.
Stone blinked. Bowed his head slightly. "Doctor, I’m afraid I don’t understand-" Robotnik abruptly pushed himself up from his chair. "Of course, you don’t understand! Why would you ever understand what I-"
He cut himself off with a sharp inhale through his nose. No. No, snapping won’t fix this. Robotnik exhaled, pressing his fingers to his temples. "Just forget about it."
Silence.
Then, carefully, almost cautiously, Stone spoke. "Doctor, could I maybe go-" Robotnik’s fist clenched, his teeth grinding together. He already knew what Stone was about to ask. "I refuse." Stone went silent again.
"You’re still the most wanted man in the world, plus I don’t support your idiotic addiction." Another beat of silence. Then the smallest nod. Robotnik hated that nod. It was too submissive. Too obedient. Like Stone had already resigned himself to whatever fate Robotnik dictated for him.
For a second, Robotnik thought he might actually drop to his knees in front of him.
Pathetic.
"I understand. My apologies, Doctor." Robotnik pinched the bridge of his nose. "Stop talking like that." Stone said nothing. Just stood there, still and quiet, like an empty puppet waiting for new strings.
Robotnik scowled. "Why don’t you do something? I don’t know… knit something?" That made Stone lift his head slightly. A flicker of confusion crossed his face. "I remember that you liked knitting. Why don’t you get back to that?" Robotnik waved a hand vaguely. "A much better hobby than burning your lungs out like a complete imbecile."
Stone frowned. "I don’t know if this is the right work-" Robotnik took a step forward, voice firm. "Okay, I’ve had enough of this. Just tell me what to do to get you back to normal." Stone hesitated.
His fingers twitched slightly at his sides, like he wanted to reach for something maybe the cigarettes, maybe nothing at all. Then, quietly, he asked. "Would you have mourned me?" The words froze Robotnik in place.
His first instinct was to scoff, to dismiss it as absurd. Mourning was a waste of time. An inefficient, emotional response that served no practical purpose. But when he looked at Stone. Really looked and he saw it.
That quiet, gnawing, aching doubt buried beneath all the numbness. The man had burned half the world down for him. Had nearly destroyed everything for him. Had been willing to die for him. And yet, somewhere deep down, he still wasn’t sure if this was enough for Robotnik standards.
Robotnik opened his mouth. Closed it. For the first time in his life, he hesitated.
"Aban." Robotnik said the name slowly, deliberately, tasting the weight of it on his tongue. It felt strange like speaking a word in a language he hadn’t used in years. He stepped closer, placing both hands on Stone’s shoulders. His grip was firm but not harsh, fingers pressing lightly into the fabric of Stone’s coat.
"I saved the whole world for you." The words were spoken slowly, deliberately, as if he needed each syllable to burn itself into Stone’s brain so he would never forget it. "I sacrificed myself so you could live on." Stone’s breath hitched.
Robotnik could see the shift immediately, his posture stiffening, his fingers twitching at his sides, his eyes flickering with something fragile, something breaking. "I want you to understand something." Robotnik continued, voice low but steady.
"I was 100% sure I was going to die that day. No tricks. No backup plans. No miraculous escape routes. And yet the only thing I thought about was you." His grip on Stone’s shoulders tightened just slightly. "All I cared about was whether you'd be okay." For the first time in weeks, something cracked in Stone’s expression.
His eyes widened, and Robotnik could see the first hint of tears forming at the edges. “W-wait... why you?” Stone’s voice was a choked whisper as if his brain was actively rejecting the words, refusing to process them.
Then, suddenly, he broke. Robotnik barely had time to register the moment before Stone collapsed to his knees, his breath stuttering into sharp, gasping sobs.
Oh
Oh
Okay, this was happening.
Stone was having a panic attack, and Robotnik was probably the worst possible person to handle this kind of thing. His mind instantly went to solutions. Should he leave? Give him space? No, bad idea the second Robotnik so much as shifted a foot back, Stone’s sobs intensified.
Right. Okay. So not that.
Maybe talking?
"Stone, what’s going on? Stop it."
That did absolutely nothing.
Stone didn’t stop. If anything, he seemed to get worse, his breaths coming in erratic, uneven bursts, his fingers clenching at the fabric of his coat.
Dammit.
Okay, options were running out. What now? Robotnik hesitated for half a second before he did the only thing left to do. Carefully and awkwardly he crouched down beside him. "Stone?"
No response.
Stone was trembling, his shoulders rising and falling with unsteady, ragged breaths. "I can’t- " His voice broke, hands gripping his sleeves so tightly his knuckles turned white. "I can’t lose you again…. I can’t…."
Robotnik stilled.
There it was. The real reason.
It wasn’t just grief. It wasn’t just shock. It was the sheer, paralyzing terror of almost losing him and now, even with Robotnik standing right here, Stone still didn’t fully believe he wouldn’t disappear again.
Robotnik hesitated just for a second. Then he placed a hand on Stone’s back. Stone didn’t flinch at the contact. That was a good sign. So, after a moment, Robotnik let out a slow breath and did something that felt even stranger than saying Stone’s first name.
He pulled him into a hug. It was awkward. Stiff. Weird. Robotnik was not a hugging person. He didn’t do physical affection. He didn’t do comfort.
But right now?
Right now, Stone was falling apart, and for once in his life, Robotnik didn’t feel like watching something break. So he held him. And let him calm down.
"I love you."
Stone’s voice was wet with tears, broken and raw. He was still trembling, his breaths uneven as he clung to Robotnik like a man afraid of being pulled into the void. Robotnik just held him tighter.
"I know."
The words left him easily, like he was stating an obvious fact. Like saying the sky was blue, or that gravity existed, or that he was a genius. Because, deep down, some part of him had always known. It was in the way Stone looked at him. The way he followed him without hesitation. The way he gave everything, without expecting a single thing in return.
Robotnik had always known.
He had just chosen not to care. It had been easier that way. To bury it. To ignore the weight of it and push it somewhere deep, somewhere where it wouldn’t slow him down. But now, he couldn’t ignore it anymore.
Not after hearing Gerald’s words, still haunting his mind like a ghost. "No one in this world ever cared about you." And yet...here Stone was.
Not just caring. Loving. With a fire so bright and warm that it should have been impossible for Robotnik to ignore. For the first time, he saw it.
Really saw it.
Slowly, carefully, Robotnik reached out and took Stone’s face in his hands. His thumbs brushed over tear-streaked skin, and for the first time in all the years he had known him, he truly looked. Stone’s eyes deep brown, soft, unwavering.
A color Robotnik had never really thought about before. But now, he liked it.
Because in those eyes, he saw everything. The fear. The desperation. The unshaken, unrelenting love that had been there for years open, waiting.
And now, it was guarded.
Stone’s heart had been cracked open once before, and the pain had made him afraid. Afraid to feel that same agony again. Robotnik should have seen it sooner. Should have realized. But now, all he could do was let his thumb wipe away the tears, watching as Stone gazed at him like he was the most important thing in the world.
Something in Robotnik’s chest tightened. And before he could stop himself. He leaned in and kissed him. It wasn’t calculated. Wasn’t some premeditated act of manipulation or control. It just happened.
And Stone... Stone melted.
His hands found Robotnik’s coat, gripping him tightly as if terrified he would disappear the moment their lips parted. There was no hesitation, no second-guessing just pure instinct, pure devotion, pure need.
Robotnik felt it in the way Stone held him. Like he never wanted to let go. Like letting go would kill him. The kiss finally broke, both of them breathless.
For a long moment, neither of them moved, their foreheads nearly touching, breaths mingling. Stone’s face was flushed, and Robotnik was almost certain his was too. They stared at each other. The weight of everything, the grief, the longing, the years of unspoken devotion, settling between them like a live wire.
Robotnik was the first to speak.
"Stone."
Stone blinked, his lips parting slightly. "Y-yes, Doctor?" His voice was soft. Like he wasn’t sure if this was real or just some fever dream he’d wake up from. Robotnik exhaled, his expression shifting back to something more familiar, smug, amused, but still oddly... fond.
"If you want another kiss, quit smoking." Stone’s eyes widened slightly. Robotnik tilted his head. "There’s no way I’m doing that again with that disgusting taste on my tongue." For a second, Stone just stared.
Then, suddenly he laughed.
A real, genuine chuckle. Not forced. Not hollow. Just soft and warm and real. "Of course, Doctor."And for the first time in weeks, Stone smiled.