Work Text:
Stone stood upright on his feet, hands behind his back, posture as straight as ever. only his eyes were moving, watching the doctor pace around the lab to retrieve tools and metal pieces here and there while mumbling about the mess. it seems like he didn’t notice Stone’s presence, and yet he was the one who called him here, it sounded urgent but Robotnik presumably already forgot about it.
after a few minutes, Stone finally dared to say something.
“doctor, i—” he got cut off by the doctor jumping and dropping his screwdriver in his surprise.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Stone! how long have you been here?!” he bent down to retrieve his tool on the floor, then put it on the workbench he was working on.
“well, a—” Robotnik took a set of quick steps towards him, getting so close to him Stone could feel his breath on his face. he swallowed. “a couple of minutes, sir.”
“and your 50-something IQ didn't even think of knocking on the goddamn door?!”
“it’s, uh—” the older man’s gaze pierced through him, a look that he knew for sure meant « watch your mouth ». “i mean, my apologies, sir. it won’t happen again.” my IQ is bigger than yours, moron , he thought very hard.
Robotnik scoffed and took a few steps back, Stone realizing he'd been holding his breath the whole time. he exhaled, but it was not enough to relieve all the tension in his body. with the doctor, he never knew what to expect, even after 8 years of working for the man. sometimes he couldn't help but think dating this man would be quite interesting, you’d sure never get bored. at least he thought so, but Robotnik had never even mentioned something about a past partner, so maybe his romantic life was boring, like most people’s. and why, exactly, was he thinking about that now?
while he had zoned out, Robotnik had retrieved a file from a drawer, holding it proudly in his hand like a trophy. Stone squinted as the doctor came closer, permitting him to read on the front page of the file a name, a name he thought he’d never have to see again, followed by his last name. his real last name, the one he was born with, not that stupid code name G.U.N gave him after he was hired. his jaw fell open, feeling a knot form in his stomach. what the hell.
“wh— where did you get that?” he almost barked. “that’s—!”
“your personal file from when you first joined the military.” he opened it to the front page, his lips stretching into a devilish smirk. “it even has a picture! how fascinating.”
Stone felt his blood starting to boil, his jaw tightening, his hands trembling, his heart pounding. suddenly, all his “keeping calm” agent training slipped away before his own eyes, and he was particularly attracted to the idea of his fist making out with the doctor’s face. very passionately.
but also, he was terrified.
“what’s with the face, agent?” Robotnik asked with a half-smirk, pacing around him, the file still in hand. “don’t tell me you really thought you could hide anything from me? that’d be foolish, even for you. wouldn’t it? say it, Stone. tell me how foolish you are.” the doctor purred in his ear, making him wince slightly.
“i made sure every copy of this file was destroyed for a reason.” he said through gritted teeth, fighting against every cell in his body to not put Robotnik in a head lock right here and now.
the doctor then fell silent. he stood back, walking slowly to the closest workbench, leaning against it. he put down the file next to him, crossing his arms and gazing Stone up and down, as if he was analyzing him, sizing him up. Stone still hasn’t moved, stiff as a rock. he didn’t understand why Robotnik was doing that.
the machineries, the robots, the maths, the physics, it was never enough to entertain Robotnik. he needed someone who could cure his boredom, a bug in a jar he can poke at whenever he wanted. Stone was his bug, and oh was he a great one.
as Robotnik was still glaring at him, Stone wondered if this was the end. was he going to lose his job? the doctor hated lies. but this wasn’t a lie, was it? it’s not like Robotnik ever asked either. he simply never told him. was he legally allowed to fire him for that? would he even be capable of it in the first place? in 8 years, Stone didn’t learn much about the doctor’s personal life, but he sure knew one thing: the great dr. Ivo Robotnik was one hell of an asshole, but never was he even slightly discriminatory towards anyone. on the contrary, Stone had to indulge in hundreds of monologues about how shitty today’s politics were. « none of these morons can see farther than their own asses. they’re white, rich, straight, and all the privileges in the world. all the misery doesn’t exist to you when you’re so high up on your pedestal you can’t even see the world beneath your feet. it’s pathetic, Stone. », his drunk (and probably high, Stone never dared to ask) voice still resonated in his mind. out of all the highly intelligent people in the world, Robotnik was one of those you wouldn't expect to have opinions as radically positive as his.
and yet, Stone felt his stomach twist in terror at the idea of Robotnik knowing his past, where he came from, who he used to be. where did he even find this file? what was he going to do with it? did he hope to have some sort of pressure point, so he could make him do anything he wanted? « do this, or else your secret won’t be safe with me anymore. » , as devilish as it was, it didn’t sound like him. but who was he to say what sounded like Robotnik? the man’s a maniac, of course there will be a point where the banter would not be enough, a point where he’ll need way more than that to entertain himself. and this point was now.
Stone felt his breathing going out of place. the doctor could destroy him. his career, his personal life, everything. he felt the fear rise in his body, like a spear going through him.
he was trapped, like a bug in a jar.
“i’m impressed, Stone.”
the agent was suddenly brought back to earth. he frowned, tilting his head to the side, “i’m sorry?”
“oh, come on.” Robotnik rolled his eyes dramatically. “don’t make me repeat it.”
Stone opened his mouth, but no sound came out, and he closed it right after. did Robotnik… compliment him? about what, exactly? but he seemed almost… sincere , even though that sounded extremely stupid to imagine coming from the doctor. he never gave compliments, and yet…
“Stone, come outside with me for a minute.”
he saw Robotnik walk past him with the file in hand, and he automatically followed him like a guard dog, finally moving after what seemed like an eternity. as they reached the door, he held it open for Robotnik then followed him outside, breathing the fresh almost-spring air. the scenery wasn’t exactly dream-like, they were only surrounded by gray, blend buildings, with no sight of vegetation whatsoever. but Stone felt a little bit more at ease nonetheless, putting his hands in his pockets and letting a slight breeze run through his hair.
beside him, Robotnik had stuck the file under his arm while he got a cigarette and a zippo out of his pocket. he stuck the cigarette between his lips, then handed the file to him.
“hold this.”
Stone stared at him in confusion but still took the file in his hands, feeling a pang in his heart at the vision of the name he hated so much. not that he didn’t like the name, but it was related to someone people have pressured him into being, and like a naive fool, he tried for years to fit into the mold society imposed on him, even if it meant breaking his own bones.
he saw a reddish light flash in front of his eyes, then an intense heat brushing the skin of his hands. when he was finally aware of his surroundings again, Robotnik was bent towards him, lighting his cigarette to a flame. but the flame was between his hands, and the file was progressively combusting. all those years of suffering, all those sleepless nights spent asking himself what went wrong, all those tears, he watched as it all got reduced to ashes. he never thought he’d have to go through this again. as the flame got a bit too close to his fingers, he dropped the remains of paper to the ground, and before he could do it himself, Robotnik stomped on it to put out the fire.
“doctor—”
“what kind of sick intentions did you think i had, agent?” Robotnik turned his head to look at him, taking a drag out of his cigarette and spitting out the smoke in the opposite direction.
“by the way you acted earlier, i thought you wanted to… use it against me.”
the doctor scoffed, seemingly not taking offense to this assumption, but rather looking amused by it.
“oh come on now, we’ve known each other for almost a decade. when have i ever shown a disdain for oppressed communities?”
“you’re right, sir, i’m sorry. i just thought… maybe it would be different with me. some people, and i’ve met them, are accepting of other people’s identities until it’s someone they’re close to.” his heart skipped a beat. “i-i mean, not that i consider us close, i would never—”
“Stone.” the agent immediately closed his mouth. “it’s fine.”
Robotnik was looking at him, like he was waiting for any kind of reaction, but Stone stayed still, as he usually did. the doctor sighed, spitting out the smoke he just inhaled from his cigarette, this time not bothering to turn his head to the other side. it’s fine, Stone was a smoker too, and he liked the scent of Robotnik’s cigarettes. he never dared to ask him one, he should one day.
“you were scared.” Robotnik said in a tone Stone had trouble analyzing. it was an observation, but the way it was delivered made him think it may have been a revelation, like he just found out about it.
“i, uh… guess i was? it’s um, never really easy… these kinds of things…” he and the doctor rarely discussed such personal matters, it felt quite awkward for him, but he couldn't decipher what emotion Robotnik was going through right now, he rarely could.
he swallowed hard as another silence fell between them, and he started fidgeting nervously. in 8 years, the doctor put him through so many emotions, through hell and back, but this was something he’s never felt before, a kind of nervousness he didn’t even know existed. a question was burning on his tongue ever since this whole situation started. multiple times he opened his mouth but nothing came out, until eventually, the words just got blurted out.
“so what do you think?”
he saw Robotnik turn his body fully towards him, and he did the same instinctively, leaving them face to face. this way, he got to see the doctor’s expression more clearly. he seemed strangely relaxed, despite his squinting eyes, constantly analyzing everything that came before them.
“i think it’s fine, Stone. besides…” he dropped his cigarette to the ground, next to the files’ ashes, putting it out with his foot. “i do love myself a self-made man.”