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Welcome home, Doctor
It’s been almost five months to the day since Doctor Robotnik was sent to a distant planet by the blue alien hedgehog, when Agent Stone is woken up at five in the morning by some noises coming from his living room. Or is it the kitchen?
There’s another loud clanging noise as something is dropped (or tossed?) on the floor. Definitely the kitchen, then. Strange, Stone thinks as quickly blinks himself awake and grabs his gun to go investigate. If this is a burglar, they have to be the clumsiest burglar ever, he thinks. At least they shouldn’t be much of a problem, in that case.
What he wonders about most is how anyone got into the house in the first place. The locks were specifically designed by the Doctor himself. He had just showed up one day with the new locks and had them installed on every door and window in the house.
“Can’t have you killed by some common burglar, now can I?” Robotnik had said in response to Stone’s confusion. “You’re the only idiot I have who can make a decent latte!” Stone likes to think the Doctor just doesn’t want him to die, and not just because of the latte-making. Might just be some wishful thinking on his part, though.
What’s important right now is that someone has somehow gotten past those locks and is now rummaging in his kitchen. Stone holds his gun with both hands as he carefully sneaks around his house, toward the kitchen where the noises are still coming from. He carefully peaks around the corner to see what’s going on.
There’s a single man standing in his kitchen, apparently going through his cabinets looking for who-knows-what. It’s hard to make out any details as he stands in a dark part of the kitchen otherwise illuminated by the streetlights outside. He’s tall and lanky and looks somewhat familiar... But no, this is not the time for that! Stone steels himself and steps toward the intruder, gun pointed at him.
“Hold it there!” Stone announces his presence to the intruder. “Who are you and how did you get in here?” The intruder stops what he’s doing and slowly turns enough to see him.
“How stupid have you gotten to not recognize ME, you moron!” The man yells at him. The voice sounds incredibly familiar, like – “And I designed those locks of yours, of course I can open them! Idiot!”
Now that sounds even more familiar, and there’s no mistaking who the man standing in his kitchen is. Stone stands in the doorway, as if paralyzed, arms dropping slightly, now completely limp, as he can do nothing but stare.
“Doctor Robotnik?” The name comes out as a whisper, as if speaking too loudly would cause the man to vanish into thin air.
“Who were you expecting, you absolute moron, Santa Clause? And if you don’t drop that gun right now, I’ll turn your molecules into mushrooms!”
Stone had never believed hearing that voice, the insults, and the threats would actually make him smile one day. But here he is, grinning from ear to ear as he hears more of it.
The gun drops to the floor as his slack hands fall to his sides (luckily, he never took of the safety), making a clanging noise that sounds unnaturally loud in the otherwise silent room.
“Doctor, you’re back!” Stone can barely believe his eyes, and briefly considers if he’s dreaming or if he’s started hallucinating. He even pinches himself to make absolutely sure he’s not dreaming again. But no, it is indeed the Doctor standing in his kitchen.
He looks different from the last time Stone saw him, bald, dirty, with ripped clothes and a crazy moustache, but it’s unmistakably Doctor Robotnik. After all these months, he’s finally back. He’s fully turns to face Stone, giving him a somewhat unimpressed look, which is dampened by the lack of actual annoyance and the small smile tugging at his lips.
“Obviously,” Robotnik grumbles half-heartedly. He would never say it out loud, but maybe just to himself, maybe just this once, he can admit that he’s missed Stone. Just a bit. Or a lot. He takes in the bright eyes and the huge smile and the joy that seems to radiate from him just from seeing Robotnik again. “Idiot,” he tacks on after a few moments.
Stone feels something in his chest tightening, and something is bubbling up his throat, and he doesn’t even know if he’s about to laugh or cry over the absurd situation. A strangled noise makes its way out of his mouth, somewhere between a laugh and a sob.
Before he has time to think any further, Stone takes a few steps to bring him to Robotnik and throws his arms around him in a tight hug. Robotnik freezes up, not expecting so much physical contact so suddenly, while Stone clings on to him like he never wants to let go.
“I’m so glad you’re back, Sir,” he whispers, nuzzling the taller man’s neck. “I missed you,” he adds quietly.
He knows the Doctor isn’t a big fan of physical contact and that he’ll probably get yelled at later, but he really doesn’t care about that now. Robotnik can yell at him all he wants later, and he’ll take it with a smile. The important part right now is that the Doctor is really here, and alive and not on some distant planet, or worse.
Robotnik, on the other hand, isn’t really sure how he should be reacting. He’s standing completely still in Stone’s embrace, arms on each side of the man, close, but not quite touching. A part of his brain is telling him to push the agent away, that he hates physical contact, that Stone shouldn’t be taking such liberties with him.
But a part of him notices how good it feels. Even the man’s beard scratching against his neck doesn’t bother him, like it otherwise probably would. Stone hugging him is warm, and soft and comfortable, and he wants to pull him closer, to hug him back, to never let him out of his sight again. He’s never felt this way before, but...
“Stone,” he whispers, almost like he’s afraid to ruin the feeling if he talks too loudly. “What is this?” He has to know, to make absolutely sure. Get all necessary data before drawing any conclusions.
“Affection, Sir,” comes the answer immediately, somewhat muffled against his neck. No hesitation. At least one of them knows what they’re feeling.
“Disgusting human neediness,” he mutters, mostly out of habit, not entirely sure if it’s directed at Stone or himself.
Suddenly Robotnik notices Stone loosening his grip on him and starting to pull away, apparently interpreting his words as a hint the affection isn’t wanted. He can practically feel those puppy-dog eyes looking at him in sadness, getting ready to apologize for his mistake or something. That’s not what he wants right now. The very thought of Stone pulling away from him makes him feel cold, like someone just dumped icy cold water on him.
He quickly reacts, grabbing Stone’s arms, preventing him from moving anywhere. He pulls the agent closer to him again, somewhat stiffly, not quite sure exactly what to do, as he hasn’t really done this before.
“I didn’t tell you to stop, did I? Keep doing it!” he commands Stone, moving his own arms from the agent’s arms to his back, somewhat resembling a hug.
“Yes, Sir,” comes the answer soon enough. He soon feels Stone relax back into him, arms encircling him again, nuzzling against his neck, getting all happy and comfortable.
After a few moments the Agent is growing bolder with his showing of affection, as his hands start roaming all over Robotnik’s back and arms and even brush over his head briefly. Light, somewhat shy touches, as if he’s worried the Doctor will push him away at any moment.
Can’t have that, Robotnik thinks. He tries relaxing a bit more himself, letting his body relax into the agent’s embrace, properly wrapping his arms around him and holding on tightly, yet affectionately. Even goes as far as turning his head to nuzzle into Stone’s hair. It’s a bit longer than he remembers it being, but it suits him. It’s even softer than it looks, so he reaches up and softly runs his fingers through it. Very soft, indeed. He feels Stone shudder in pleasure at the act.
“I love you.” The words come from Stone’s mouth in a breathy whisper, and he immediately stiffens as he says it. Damn, he thinks, didn’t mean to let that slip out! He hadn’t been able to stop himself, with the hug and the closeness and the warm hand caressing his hair and –
There’s no way Robotnik didn’t hear that. The way he stills, and his hands go slack tell that clearly. And there’s no way to tell what he thinks about Stone’s confession. Not when he doesn’t say anything, and Stone’s face is still flush against his neck so he’s unable to even read the Doctor’s expression.
He’s about to pull away again, but Robotnik’s arms tighten around him again, preventing him from moving anywhere. He can hear his own heart hammering in his chest and he briefly wonders if the Doctor can hear it, too. If it’s as loud as it seems to him. Suddenly he notices his own heartbeat isn’t the only one he hears. Under his ear, pressed against the Doctor, he can hear the man’s pulse hammering under his skin, at least as fast as Stone’s.
“I -”, Robotnik starts, before stopping himself. He swallows nervously, Stone can feel his throat working under his cheek. “I believe I have developed some affection for you as well,” he finally says.
It’s not exactly a love confession, at least not as most people would expect one, but more than good enough for Stone, who finally manages to pull his head back enough to look the Doctor in the face.
Robotnik notices when Stone starts slightly pulling back, and lets him lean back a bit, just enough to look him in the face. When he looks down at Stone, he is immediately drawn to those sparkling eyes and the small, happy, hopeful smile. Such a beautiful man.
He does notice Stone looks like he’s about to start talking, which he really doesn’t want right now, so he silences the Agent by grabbing onto his hair firmly and pulls him into a kiss. Stone makes a surprised noise, before quickly relaxing into the kiss, leaning into Robotnik and clinging on to him desperately. Like he’s never wanted anything else.
The kissing goes on for a bit, until they eventually have to part in order to breathe. For a while, they both just stand in silence, faces barely an inch apart, foreheads pressed together, breathing in the same air. Until Stone actually steps away from the Doctor with a firm push to the man’s shoulders. In the direction of the bathroom.
“No offense, Sir,” he explains as Robotnik gives him an annoyed glare, “as much as I’d like to keep kissing you all day, you kind of stink.” He grabs the Doctor’s hand, still having a hard time believing this is actually happening, and pulls him to the bathroom. “Why don’t you take a shower, clean up, and I’ll make something to eat?”
“Fine.” Robotnik doesn’t like the idea of Stone telling him what to do, but the thought of a hot shower, a chance to freshen up, and maybe some clean clothes is too tempting to let go of, just because he’s being stubborn. “But make me a latte as well. I haven’t had a latte for months.”
“Yes, Sir!” Comes the chipper answer immediately. Stone is just happy (and a bit relieved, as he really doesn’t want to argue with the man) the Doctor isn’t putting up any protests about being told what to do.
Before he has time to move, Stone quickly looks the Doctor up and down, just remembering how dirty and thorn his clothes are. Very, considering he’s been apparently wearing them for months.
“I’ll see if I can also find you some clean clothes,” he decides, as getting back into the dirty clothes after cleaning up sounds a bit counterproductive. The Doctor is taller than he is, with longer legs and arms, but he should be able to find something temporary that kind of fits him.
“Right, good thinking, Stone!” Robotnik has just stepped into the bathroom and has been so lost in thought he almost forgot how dirty his clothing is. They absolutely reek of mushrooms! Which reminds him... “Remember, Stone, no mushrooms! No mushrooms in the food or the clothes or anywhere else! In fact, I never want to see another mushroom again as long as I live!”
“Yes, Sir! No mushrooms!” Stone yells from somewhere down the hall, either the kitchen or from wherever he’s trying to find some clothes. “Oh, and, Doctor?”
“Hmmm?”
“Welcome home.”