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Allow Me

Summary:

Eight years passed since Stone was first assigned to Robotnik and, in that time, their relationship grew to be more than simply boss and assistant. Stone proposes. Things get a little messy for a moment.

Notes:

Hello! This is a gift for my dear friend Clover, who asked for this specific prompt so I could take my mind away from art block, haha. This was a blast to write and I love them so much.

Side note, this fic is slightly canon divergent, as in Sonic didn't happen yet and it's 2023 in-universe. It doesn't affect much, but I thought it was best to let you know so things don't get confusing.

Happy reading!

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

 Today is the day, Stone thought, nervously patting the side of his pants to ensure the little box was indeed there, as he had been doing all morning ever since he left home. Truth be told, he never felt more anxious in his life. Not when he got deployed, not when he received a letter from home for the first time in years, not when he was informed that the great Doctor Robotnik had chosen him to be his assistant.

 It all came down to that last part, in fact. The day Stone first stepped foot into Robotnik Labs and was met with the cold, hard glare of his new boss, who had hand-picked him from the endless sea of highly skilled Agents. It still felt surreal. Robotnik had chosen him purposefully, with the same practicality he sported in every aspect of his life.

 Stone recalled that day as if it had been merely weeks ago.

 “And who are you?” The man’s voice echoed through the sterile laboratory, stern and cutting. The Doctor had not yet turned to look at him, hunched over his desk.

 Joining his hands on his front and relaxing his shoulders, Stone spoke, “I’m Agent Stone, sir. I’m your new assistant.”

 At that, Robotnik rose from his seat slowly, cracking his neck and stretching before turning to him with the same intensity of a stalking predator. Three wide steps and the imposing man was a mere two feet away from him, staring him down, towering over the Agent as he analyzed every micro expression and twitch of a muscle. A test.

 “Is that so?” He purred, circling Stone for a moment before suddenly snapping two fingers close to his ear. Not even a flinch. “You look shorter than your file suggested,” he stated, clearly finding the situation amusing. Stone fought the urge to follow Robotnik with his head, finding the man almost magnetic.

 With no warning, there was a gloved hand on his face, firmly grasping his cheeks and turning his head up. The cold metal on the tip of Robotnik’s thumb made shivers run down his spine. “Hmm. If you can survive the first week, Agent, I believe I’ll have numerous uses for you and your… skills.”

 Stone gulped discreetly, watching a mischievous grin creep up the Doctor’s lips. “Yes, sir. I’ll do my best, sir.”  

 The Agent choked down a gasp when Robotnik brought his face even closer, looking into his eyes as if he would devour him. “And lose the ‘sir’. I’m Doctor Robotnik. Understood?”

 “Yes, Doctor,” Stone offered, it sounded warm on his tongue, as if he was always meant to say those words to this person, and this person alone.

“Good!” The Doctor let him go in favor of giving a few pats on his cheek. “Now, let’s get to work!”

 That was exactly eight years ago. And today was the day Stone would propose.

 Patting his pocket once again and sighing with relief when the box was still there and didn’t inexplicably cease to exist, he entered the laboratory with a freshly made latte in hand and a chocolate croissant.

 “Stone?” Robotnik called, enthralled in his work but still attentive to the sound of footsteps.

 “Doctor,” he responded, resting one hand on Robotnik’s back as the other put the cup and pastry on the table. “I’ve brought you something to eat.”

 The Doctor turned to him, a strange look in his eyes. “Thank you, Stone,” he muttered, reaching for the cup.

 Stone smiled, running his hand up and down the other’s back a few times before retreating to his designated spot and sitting down. It took them some time, but with no cameras anywhere near the inside of his lab, Robotnik grew accustomed to Stone’s physical affections, no longer shying away from it when they were alone. They didn’t dare show any more than a slight hand touch or a quick brush of shoulders outside the safety of the laboratory, as their relationship was a well-kept secret for almost three years now. It didn’t bother Stone as much as he thought it would. They were deeply private people, and their field of work wasn’t exactly the safest place to broadcast this kind of thing, even with Robotnik’s power and influence. 

 It got easier as the years went by. Easier to control his fond looks and the instinct to shield the older man from threats he knew weren’t as grievous as his brain made them to be. He no longer had to hold back his commentary and remarks, nor his malicious snorts when the Doctor went on a tangent and terrorized the nearest unlucky rookie.

 People often expressed their concerns and gave him sympathetic looks when meetings ended, always assuming the worst of Robotnik. They couldn’t even begin to understand how wrong they were. Stone kept his mouth shut, because he knew what Robotnik was like, and none of those asinine simpletons deserved to see him fully, to share his brilliance and glory, to be by his side. But he did. And he would like to be by his side forever if the Doctor allowed it.

Please allow it, he thought, bouncing his leg up and down discreetly underneath the table, looking almost past the monitor as his nerves ran wild. He should’ve eaten something before this, he could feel his blood pressure going down, or maybe it was going up? Oh God, he better not pass out before popping the question.

 Having his back turned, Stone couldn’t notice the intrigued shimmer in the Doctor’s eyes that followed his body movements closely, mindful of every little change. A sliver of worry crept onto his mind upon noticing the Agent’s agitated leg, as he was never one prone to visible demonstrations of anxiety. Should he ask? Would it make it worse? He decided to take the chance.

 “Stone?” He called, watching the Agent almost aggressively spin his chair around to face him. There was something on his mind, that’s for sure. He knew the way those brows moved when Stone desperately wished to say something. He had a perfect poker face with others, but Robotnik could pinpoint any new emotion miles away with the simplest twitch of the mouth.

 “Yes, Doctor?” He answered, eyes shooting from one place to another rapidly, first to the man, then the half-eaten croissant on the table, to the tiny chocolate smudge on the edge of Robotnik’s lips. He took a deep breath, forcing his gaze to stop on one singular point, the Doctor’s eyes.

 Pushing his chair closer to Stone with his feet and taking ahold of the other’s own chair to give him more leverage, Robotnik was in front of him in less than a second, legs awkwardly tangled by the sides of their seats and knees touching. Even like this, Robotnik still managed to stare him down before making a conscious effort to make himself smaller, less intimidating, and hunching over to almost touch Stone’s nose with his own. He sure looked ridiculous, all bent to ensure he would see Stone eye to eye, but he found that he didn’t care. Not anymore. Not after so many years.

 “What is it that’s plaguing my most valuable Agent’s mind, hm?” He smiled softly, tilting his head to the side.

 “I’m your only Agent, Doctor,” Stone retorted with a grin of his own, the physical contact grounding him.

 Robotnik snorted. “The point still stands,” he nudged Stone’s ankle with his shoe. “C’mon, off with it.”

 Robotnik watched, fascinated, as Stone took a deep breath with closed eyes, cataloging every little detail of his face with the short time window he had. “Do you know what day it is, Doctor?” Stone finally asked.

 “Thursday.” He deadpanned. Stone looked to the side, the faintest glimpse of disappointment passing through his features. It pulled at Robotnik’s few heartstrings. He relented. “January 19th.”

 With a sigh, Stone turned to him again. “And this date doesn’t remind you of anything?” He tried again, secretly hoping for the right answer to kickstart his plans. Robotnik was staring at him, brows furrowed. When no answer came, the Agent shook his head with a tiny smile. “It’s been eight years, Doctor.”

 “Oh,” he exclaimed softly. Stone snorted, disappointment gone in favor of appreciating how adorable the other looked at the moment. He couldn’t help the quick look at Robotnik’s lips, always so inviting when he had no intention of being kissed at all.

 “Yeah,” he laughed nervously, feeling the importance of the moment dawn on him suddenly. Robotnik felt it too, if the way his eyes darkened were anything to go by. The little box appeared to gain at least two pounds, weighing in his pocket as a silent reminder.

  Much closer than they were used to in the work environment, no one could blame Stone for reaching out to clean the bit of chocolate on the corner of Robotnik’s mouth, absently minded licking it off his finger after. “While we’re at it, Doctor…” he started, heart hammering in his chest and painfully hitting against his ribs.

 Interlocked by their tangled legs, Stone didn’t have the appropriate space to get down on one knee. He quickly mourned the fact before reaching into his pocket, his breathing a little faster than it should be.

 “I know it’s not common for people like us, but. I mean- nothing is ever really common for us,” he stammered, trying and failing to get ahold of his emotions. Robotnik’s piercing gaze made his cheeks burn for the first time in years. “But I would like to spend- if you’ll allow me-” He took a deep breath, finally taking the black velvet box out of his pocket and opening it. “What I’m trying to say is… will you marry me, Ivo?”

 Silence. Deep, suffocating silence.

 “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Robotnik said unexpectedly, and Stone, taken aback, distanced himself from him, sticking his back to the chair.

 “What?” Stone asked, feeling like a pit had opened in his stomach. He could taste bile coming up his throat. He made a mistake, didn’t he? It was too soon, too emotional, too vulnerable-

 His panicked thoughts were interrupted by the agitated movements of the other, who was contorting himself into reaching into his inner pocket inside the black coat. Trembling, Stone slowly closed the little velvet box and started to roll away with his chair.

 “Wait, no!” Robotnik cried, using his legs to hook himself into Stone’s own and forcefully bring him close again. “Just- wait. Wait a moment.” He practically begged all while still trying to reach something.

 Stone waited, deeply hurt and upset, for the other to make his point. He knew it was a stupid idea. Robotnik didn’t believe in marriage except when it provided legal benefits. They had talked about it before, for god’s sake. He knew and yet he went and broke his own stubborn little heart-

 “Aha!” The Doctor exclaimed triumphantly. It took Stone a few seconds to recognize what the other had in his gloved hands.

 Now incredibly confused, Stone stared at the object and back to Robotnik in rapid succession. “What?”

 Robotnik had the nerve to roll his eyes despite the clear panic contained in them. “Did you really think I would forget? When I was the one to choose you? When I kept choosing you every day since?” He started, trying to get his words to sound as vulnerable as he felt.

 Stone gulped down the ball inside his throat, eyes watering and breath shallow. “Oh.

 Opening his own box, Robotnik choked down an emotion-filled gasp, “I simply didn’t expect you’d beat me to it. Always the overachiever, aren’t you?”

 One ragged inhale later, Stone finally had the strength to speak, “Ivo, I-”

 “Do I have to do the whole thing? Get down on one knee and all that?” He joked, offering a tentative smile. Stone hiccupped, and after followed a disbelieved laugh, making Robotnik’s shoulders relax at last. “So? Will you marry me, Aban?”

 Stone pulled out his box again, taking the thin and elegant white and gold meteorite wedding band out of it and grinning at the other. “I asked first, Doctor.”

 Another eye roll, this time more amused than anything. “Yes. Of course I’ll marry you, Aban,” he smiled in return, taking the – unsurprisingly – black and grey wedding band out to put on Stone’s outstretched finger. A perfect fit.

 Stone analyzed the ring for a moment, giving an approving nod, “Yes.” he said softly, extending a hand to take Robotnik’s glove off. Finger by finger, he removed the cloth and placed the ring in its forever home. It shone beautifully in the bright lights of the lab.

 It was the Doctor who pulled Stone in for the kiss, bare hand resting on the side of his face. The ring was cold against his skin but sent pleasant shivers down his spine. His own hand made its way to the other’s neck, bringing him impossibly closer. He savored the feeling of the goosebumps caused by his ring on soft, warm skin.

 Breaking apart, they shared a breathless laugh. “Happy anniversary, Doctor.”

 “Happy anniversary indeed, Agent,” he grinned before pulling Stone for yet another kiss.

 

Notes:

I hope you enjoyed this silly little thing, as always, kudos and comments are appreciated and I'd love to know your opinion on this work <3