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The obnoxious and entirely unnecessary screeching of an alarm blares through the facility like a knife driving repeatedly into Robotnik's skull.
He's heard this horrible, grating sound more times than he cares to count - it's unavoidable when you manufacture weapons for a living, always surrounded by jugheads and generals and otherwise important people who often have a target on their heads. Robotnik is one such person, actually, and considering how grave Agent Stone's expression is and how tightly he's holding onto Robotnik's arm as they walk briskly down the corridor, Robotnik is pretty sure he's the target this time.
Stone's other hand is raised to his ear, listening intently to the information pouring in through his earpiece. Robotnik watches Stone instead of watching where he's going, assuming Stone will weave him out of obstacles and prevent him from running into anything. It's rare to see Stone like this, laser-focused and deadly serious, commanding, every bit the capable agent Robotnik knows him to be. It's a fantastic sight to see, though Robotnik would never admit it out loud.
A pair of agents rush into the corridor in front of them. Stone called them moments ago, and as soon as he sees them he snaps his fingers at them, gesturing wordlessly for them to stick with Robotnik. They draw their weapons and fall into line as Stone continues to lead Robotnik to the safe room. Robotnik says nothing - this is Stone's job, his area of expertise, he's allowed to do it as he sees fit. Robotnik doesn't enjoy having unfamiliar agents flanking him, he'd much rather just use badniks, but his badniks were taken out in an aerial strike earlier in the day. No one ever claimed Syria was a hospitable place, after all, but even Robotnik hadn't expected such a dramatic reaction to routine weapon tests on foreign soil.
The safe room is behind a large steel door with an impressive locking mechanism and a large, 9-digit touchpad controlling the lock. Stone types in his code and the door unlocks with a chunky metallic sound, swinging open to allow them entry. Stone ushers Robotnik inside and the two agents follow him in, stationing themselves on either side of the door. Robotnik breathes an irritated sigh - finally, he can sit back and wait for the idiots outside to deal with this mess. He glances up to see Stone still standing in the doorway, and confusion lances through him. Why isn't Stone just coming inside and shutting the door already?
"No one comes in or out until the threat has been neutralized," Stone orders. "You guard this door with your lives, am I clear?"
"Yes sir!" both agents reply.
Stone pulls his gun from inside his jacket and turns to leave. Immediately, something hot and sickly surges into Robotnik's gut - he wasn't prepared for this, Stone always stays with him, always personally sees to his needs, and now he's leaving, he's going outside where all the gunfire is, why isn't he staying?
Robotnik's sudden panic actualizes as a single word, "Stone?!"
Stone turns at his name. He flashes a reassuring smile. "You'll be safe here, Doctor, don't worry." He appears to have taken Robotnik's tone as concern over the situation. It wasn't, of course, it was a pathetic attempt at a question, a desperate 'Why aren't you staying here with me?'
Before Robotnik can think of anything else to say, Stone turns and shuts the door. The sound of the lock is loud and final. Silence falls over the room, uneasy and unnatural, and Robotnik is left staring at two agents who are not Stone.
Very quickly he turns away, working to put as much distance between himself and the agents as he can. There's a small sitting area on the other end of the room, so Robotnik stomps over to it, pulling out a chair with his foot and dropping into it, seething. Stone never leaves his side. Why would he leave now, of all times? What in the world is he trying to prove?
Robotnik taps his fingers against the top of the table just for something to listen to, something to occupy himself with. He doesn't enjoy this feeling. Stone is always with him, isn't he? They've been in life-threatening situations plenty of times before, Stone is always right beside him. He attends to Robotnik's protection personally. Not having Stone around makes Robotnik feel itchy and irritated.
It hits Robotnik then, the unhappy realization that perhaps Robotnik has become too dependent on Stone. Just when the hell had that happened, anyway? Robotnik detests humans, he's never depended on anyone in his life, so when did he reach the point where he feels this uncomfortable without another human's presence?
It was just that Stone is too good at his job, that's all. He's the only person who can anticipate the exact moment Robotnik needs a latte, the only human who appreciates his work for what it is, not because of what it can do for him. He can keep up. He knows Robotnik's moods and how to navigate them, which is something no other person could possibly manage while simultaneously keeping their sanity intact. He knows when Robotnik is stewing in anxiety, when he's stressed and when he's furious just for the sake of being furious.
And he knows how to calm Robotnik down when he reaches his breaking point. He knows the words to say to diffuse Robotnik when he's at his lowest, and sometimes, he knows exactly the kind of touch Robotnik needs when he's even lower than that, when it feels like the whole world is closing in on him.
At least once a week, Robotnik finds time to remind Stone that he doesn't need him, that he wouldn't miss him if he went away - perhaps in the hope that if he says it enough, it will become true. Hasn't seemed to work so far.
Robotnik's chest is tight. His skin feels tight, actually, and this room is too small, too stuffy, and he wants out, but he can still hear the gunfire outside so he knows he can't leave.
Across the room, one of the agents' radios picks up some chatter. It's too hard to make out at first, but when the voice comes in more clearly, Robotnik feels like his heart has stopped beating.
"- - two - no, three agents down! They have reinforcements, we're getting overwhelmed - Agent Stone is - - - I repeat, three agents down - - "
Robotnik stands from his chair so fast that he knocks it over. All of a sudden it feels like the air has been sucked out of the room, and Robotnik struggles to breathe for a moment, a painful lump moving into his throat. Desperately trying to tame his emerging panic, Robotnik rounds on the agents, marching back over to the door.
"Open it," Robotnik growls at them, his temper balanced on a knife's edge. "Open the door. I'm only going to ask you once."
The agents look appropriately alarmed, exchanging a glance. "Doctor," one of them begins tentatively, "We're on strict orders not to let anyone in or out until–"
"I know what your orders are, you simpleton, I was here when they were given!" Robotnik bellows. "I outrank Agent Stone. Now open the door."
"When it comes to matters of security, Doctor, Agent Stone is who we report to. I'm afraid we can't open this door until we've gotten the all-clear."
Robotnik's fury threatens to burn him from the inside out. He didn't need badniks to kill these idiots, he could use the lasers built into his control gloves. They wouldn't even have time to react, and then he could cut the door open himself, and -
- and what could he do, exactly? Join the fight? He doesn't have access to any of his tech, and he has no dependable combat skills to speak of. He's never even held a gun - too primitive.
Furious, Robotnik returns to the table, picking up the toppled chair and launching it into the nearest wall with a shout. Stone can't be dead, that's ridiculous. Robotnik didn't give him permission to get killed. Stone isn't like the others, he's superior. He's different. He's Robotnik's. The air has disappeared from the room again, and Robotnik's lungs pull taut against his ribs. Robotnik lays his hands on the table's surface and shuts his eyes, trying to ground himself, trying to ignore the shrieking, terrified thoughts spinning in his brain.
He's never thought about what his life would be like without Stone. If Robotnik's being honest with himself, he isn't certain he can function without Stone anymore. He's too panicked to even recognize what a pathetic realization that is, but there will be time for that later. For now, Robotnik feels hollowed out. Three agents down. Those words echo in his mind on an endless loop, and Robotnik can see images in his mind of men and women laying on the ground, bloodied and lifeless, and one of those bodies is Stone.
Around ten minutes pass before the gunfire ceases outside. It's quiet again, eerily so, and Robotnik listens because that's all he can do. Another ten minutes pass in silence before a radio buzzes with noise again. It's the same unfamiliar voice from before.
"- all-clear, I repeat, we're clear. We need medics, injured incoming - lead all injured to the med bay on the south end -"
This time when Robotnik barks for the door to be opened, it's opened without question. He storms into the hallway, heading to the med bay, ignoring the concerned shouts of the agents behind him.
Robotnik's mind is spinning with so many thoughts and analyses and emotions that he's become momentarily numb to it all - his one clear objective is to get to the med bay because Stone must be in the med bay.
Alive or dead, he's there. Robotnik's mind feels like it's splintering into pieces.
When Robotnik finds the med bay, it's chaos. Various agents are being treated for minor to severe injuries, and Robotnik's stomach tightens when a pair of medics pass by him carrying a body on a gurney. Robotnik glances at the body, relief flooding into him. Not Stone.
Robotnik bursts into the med bay, continuing to ignore the voices around him urging him to leave. He can't hear them, anyway, they're not important. Robotnik's eyes pull over the room, his vision is blurry and somehow almost too clear at the same time, his heart pounding against his ribcage so hard he can feel it in his ears.
"-it's nothing, it's only a scratch. I have to get back to Doctor Robotnik–"
"The Doctor should be safe with your security team, Agent Stone. I have to check you out before I clear you."
"That's really not necessary. It's imperative that I check in with the Doctor first!"
The sound of Stone's voice does something downright supernatural to Robotnik. Suddenly Robotnik can breathe again and his spiraling thoughts come to a grinding halt. He turns in the direction of the voice and sees him - Agent Stone, alive and well, politely arguing with a physician. Robotnik makes a beeline for him.
"I'll report back after I've checked that everything–" Stone's sentence trails off when he notices Robotnik, his face alight in surprise. "Doctor! I'm so glad you're alright - wait, where are Reed and Anderson? They were supposed to–"
Robotnik can barely hear Stone, but nothing he's saying matters, anyway. Robotnik grabs Stone's arm and turns, dragging him out of the med bay without a word. The doctor calls after them, but just like every other person Robotnik could care less about, he ignores her, continuing to pull Stone along with him down the hallway.
"Doctor…? Where are we going, has something happened? Are you alright?"
Robotnik's back teeth grind together. Is he alright? He has no idea, he doesn't think so, but Stone is alive, so he's probably more alright than he's ever been.
There's an open door to their left. Robotnik drags Stone into it and shuts and locks the door behind them. It's a small recreational room from the looks of it, with a card table stacked with books and board games and a few chairs, a long sofa in the back. Robotnik stands in front of the door, his breathing ragged and his panic still simmering unpleasantly in his stomach, unable to settle, on the verge of exploding. Stone stares at him with wide, questioning eyes.
"Sir?"
"You had no right to leave me there like that," Robotnik spits out. The words rattle against his ribs.
"What are you talking about?" Stone asks gently, his tone laced with concern. Robotnik can't stop looking at him, can't stop remembering the body being carried on the gurney and what it would be like if it had been Stone.
"You left me with unqualified imbeciles, Stone," Robotnik continues accusingly. His voice trembles pathetically. "You aren't supposed to do that. You're supposed to stay with me, not leave me with… strangers. Those morons don't know me! They're disposable, they're meaningless, but you're not. You're not, so you can't just leave me like that! That isn't your job!"
"Doctor–"
"Three agents down!" Robotnik practically shrieks. His mind feels like it's unraveling, coming completely undone. The scene of the body on the gurney replays over and over until it's all Robotnik can see in his mind's eye. "That's what they said! Do you know what it felt like to hear that? To hear - to hear that something might have happened, that the one person I can tolerate - I've been alone my entire life, Stone, but I can't be alone anymore and it's because of you! It's your fault! You can't leave me alone, you can't play fast and loose with your life because your life is important, it's - it's so important, and I can't - breathe -"
He's so lost in his ravings he almost doesn't notice Stone walking toward him until Stone is pulling him away from the door and into his arms. Robotnik falls against him, exhausted. One of Stone's hands raises to cradle the back of Robotnik's head, his other winding under Robotnik's arm to slowly and gently stroke his back. Robotnik's body gives in embarrassingly fast, his arms raising to hug Stone back, allowing the agent to continue his condescending ministrations.
"It's alright, sir," Stone breathes against his neck. Robotnik shamelessly presses his face into the bend of Stone's shoulder. "Breathe in, breathe out… Slowly, just breathe in–" Stone leads by example, his chest filling with air and pressing gently against Robotnik's, "-and breathe out." It's difficult at first, but Robotnik finds a slow and steady rhythm, following Stone's own breath. The horrible weight in his chest begins to lessen the longer Stone holds him, so Robotnik clings to him like his life depends on it. It's only now that he realizes he's shaking. Stone's fingers rake through Robotnik's hair, fingernails gently scraping over his scalp. It feels good. It feels safe.
After a minute or two, Stone speaks again, his voice calm and soft. "I'm sorry I left you in the safe room, Doctor… Normally I would have stayed with you, but I don't trust the agents here to do their jobs efficiently. I knew if I was in the field, we would have a better chance of successfully defending the base. Considering how quickly some of the agents were taken out, I'd say I had a right to be concerned."
Robotnik huffs a weak laugh into Stone's shoulder. "I should have known you were all right. There's no way you'd be stupid enough to get taken out so early in the conflict."
Stone's hand is still rubbing comforting circles into Robotnik's back. He's had enough experience with this to know how effective this simple touch can be. "Actually, I was counting on some of the other agents to make rookie mistakes so I would have the time to find higher ground and start picking off the assailants," Stone says. "Losing a few men actually worked to my advantage."
"That's my agent," Robotnik muses softly. His body feels weak and wobbly now that the violent surges of panic, rage and anxiety have finally passed. Stone notices this, because he gives the back of Robotnik's neck a gentle squeeze.
"Come sit down for a few minutes, sir. No one will bother you in here. I'll get you a latte–"
"No," Robotnik cuts him off, the tremble in his voice betraying just how embarrassingly fragile his mental state is right now. "Don't leave. Just give me a minute to… just stay here with me, for a little while."
Stone smiles against his ear. "Yes, Doctor." He throws a brief glance behind them, taking a look at the rest of the room. "Would you like to come lay down for a few minutes, then?"
Robotnik only manages a weak nod of his head. Slowly, carefully, Stone leads him to the sofa in the back of the room, sitting down with his back against the arm of the sofa, knees parted to make room for Robotnik. Robotnik wastes no time pushing between Stone's knees and sliding his arms around Stone's middle, resting his head on the agent's chest. The soft thump of Stone's heartbeat is the best sound Robotnik has heard in a while. He feels like he could listen to it forever, could dedicate a whole playlist just to this sound.
Stone adjusts them into a more comfortable configuration, his hand resuming it's soothing circles against Robotnik's upper back. Robotnik always feels like a puddle of a man after an attack like this, like his muscles have turned to jelly. "I'm sorry," Stone says again, pressing his mouth against the crown of Robotnik's head. "If I'd managed this crisis better, you wouldn't have had an attack."
Robotnik scoffs, but it's muffled against the lapels of Stone's suit. "Don't give yourself so much credit. Panic attacks happen, and will continue to happen on occasion. This one was just…" he pulls in a deep breath through his nose and lets it out shakily. "I thought you'd been killed."
"It's going to take a lot more than some Syrian assassins to take me out, sir, I promise. You can always depend on me to get the job done, and to keep you safe." Stone reaffirms. He squeezes Robotnik a little more tightly in his arms. He's warm. Stone is always so damn warm. "I'm not going anywhere, Doctor."
Robotnik's fingers twist in Stone's jacket. He knows they need to leave this room soon, there will be people looking for them, reports that need to be written and sent out, but for now, Robotnik can't imagine letting go of Stone for even a single second.
"I know," Robotnik says. "You wouldn't dare."
Very soon, Robotnik will be telling Stone - probably while he's pinning himself to the wall - that he won't miss him when he's gone. By now, they both know how hollow those words are, especially in moments like this. Robotnik will probably stop saying it eventually, but he isn't prepared to face up to how much Stone means to him quite yet.
Not in words, anyway.