A/N:
Agent Aban Stone = "_"
Doctor Ivo Robotnik = '_'
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It was a typical day in Montana, The sun was beating its rays down onto the lush landscape. The small town nestled in the basin of the land, bustled with life, as people rushed around. Trees lined the high, sloped hills, concealing a dirt track, leading off into the untamed pine forests. If you were to follow the track for twenty minutes to half an hour, you could glance a small building, its wood timbers adorned with long-dead lanterns, longing for new bulbs, so they could illuminate the now darkened building. The building front itself consisted of two musty glass panels, cobwebs decorating the corners like tinsel on a Christmas tree. Through the heavy wooden doors, the walls were lined with books, all ordered in a precise system, making a particular book easy to find. Near the back of the book shop, past the desk, past the tables, was another shelf of books, covered in a fine layer of grey dust. Every book seemed untouched but one. This one book, if pulled out, revealed an elevator which led to Robotnik's lab.
Robotnik would spend hours in his hunched over his blueprints and machines, scribbling and scrawling different design notes and sketches. With whatever 70s or 80s song from his anarchy playlist droning on in the background. Robotnik could do as he pleased in his lab: he had unlimited coffee and lattes on demand, could break into dance whenever he desired and bask in his intelligence without judgement from inferior humans who would never understand him. His lab was a tall island of knowledge in a vast sea of ignorance.
Until the lights went out.
The only noise that could be heard was the dying whirring of his machines and equipment. There had been no warning, no sign. Robotnik froze, his hands trembling, his face twitching. He called out into the darkness "Backup generators on!" There was no reply. He felt his legs start to shake. He sunk down by what he presumed to be his laboratory wall. The shadows curled around their claws around his neck, causing his breathing to increase in pace. The only noise was his exaggerated breathing. The shadows seemed to cackle at his panicked state. He began to rock back and forth. The memories flooding back to him.
It had been another hellish school day, his tormenters constant torture drilling into his head. Robotnik was getting has bag from the lockers at the back of the room when he felt rough hands grip his shoulders and hold him tight. He tried to look behind him but another hand held his head forward. They dragged him to the caretakers supply closet and forced him inside, their howls of laughter echoing as they locked the doors and began to bang on them. Robotnik curled up in a ball wishing them to leave. It was an hour before they did so. He was left in the closet, the light outside flicked off, and deafening silence befell him, the darkness clawed at him. Slashing at him. He was found by a teacher early the next morning. If he was to say who trapped him, his tormentors would beat him up so he resorted to saying he had locked himself in there accidently. Everyone soon forgot the incident, everyone but Robotnik. He would never be able to forget the darkness and its sharp claws.
Robotnik tried to reason with himself, it was just the dark, there was no creature that only existed in darkness and disappeared in the presence of a light source.
Then there was a distant sound of the door opening.
Robotnik screamed and tried to scramble further against the wall. He flayed and continued to shout 'Get away from me!' He threw out his fists 'Stop! Leave me alone! Please!' Strong hands gripped his own and restrained them to the wall. 'Get off me! Let go!' Robotnik begged.
"Doctor!" Robotnik cautiously opened his eyes, tears pricking the corners of them. The hands around his wrists let go and Robotnik lowered his arms from the wall.
"It's me sir, Agent Stone" Robotnik stared meekly into his eyes, before looking around cautiously.
"Let me just-" Agent Stone flicked on his phones light, eliminating the now slightly visible lab. He put down the phone so it was positioned with the light shining onto them.
'I don't want you-' Robotnik stuttered, trying to force the useless words out his mouth. To see me like this.
Stone hushed Robotnik. "Don't worry Sir, there was an issue with the power station towers, they are getting them fixed as soon as they can" Robotnik stared blankly. "Doctor, did you hear me?" Stone asked, "Are you alright?" He said in his gentlest voice.
A nod would suffice. "I am going to try and get your heart rate and breathing slowed and to a healthy rate, Ok sir?" Robotnik nodded again. "Firstly, we can do some breathing exercises ok?" Robotnik nodded his head slightly. "In for six seconds, hold for four, out for five."
"Breath in"
"Breath out"
Robotnik's breathing had slowed to a reasonable pace now and he was feeling slightly more relaxed and comfortable. Robotnik closed his eyes and thought about what would have happened if Agent Stone hadn't have been there, about how he was such a good person even after Robotnik was constantly verbally abusing him and degrading him, and how he stuck with Robotnik no matter what the issue was.
"Is there anything else I can do for you sir?" Stone interrupted Robotnik's train of thought.
'Never mention this to anyone.' He hissed
"Your privacy is everything to me Doctor." He replied with a slight smile.
The room was plunged into silence. "Do you want to talk about it sir? Talking usually makes me feel better after I have a panic attack"
'I did not have a panic attack!-' Robotnik said, flustered, 'Panic attacks are a feeble human issue! I, such a genius, am above such things!'
Silence befell them again.
"How long do you think it will take for the Power lines to be fixed?" Stone asked, in an attempt to fill the void of silence.
'Another hour, but if I was fixing it, ten minutes'
Another bout of silence overcame them.
"Would you like me to go now sir?"
'No!' Robotnik blurted out, 'Don't go.' He pleaded. He didn't know what he was saying. Why was he so desperate for Stone to stay?
"I will not if you don't want me to."
Robotnik and Agent Stone sat against the wall staring into the darkness absently. Stone would throw glances at Robotnik from time to time to see if he was still ok. He watched Robotnik's hands. He would click and crack them, that being the only sound other than their own breathing.
"Doctor?" Stone asked.
'Hm?'
"Would you like me to hold you hand, Doctor? Strictly for protection needs of course."
Robotnik looked down at the scab on his hand which he had be subconsciously picking at and sighed.
'That would be nice.'
Stone was taken aback by this. Robotnik hated and physical contact with anyone. Stone shifted closer to Robotnik and held his cold hand, feeling over his bony knuckles, rubbing them with his thumb.
"You shouldn't over work yourself so much.." Stone muttered, quietly enough that Robotnik didn't hear.
"Sir?"
'What now?'
"Would you like to position myself and you so I am more able to defend you if anything were to go wrong?"
Robotnik considered this for a few moments. He knew he wanted it. He sighed and replied.
'Yes, that would be good Stone. For protection I mean.'
Stone moved Robotnik into his arms, holding his close his his chest. Robotnik relaxed in the Agents arms his eyelids beginning to become heavy. He battled against the urge to close his eyes, flicking them open whenever they begin to shut. After minutes of war, he lost against sleep. His eyes were closed and he was snoring quietly.
When he awoke, the bright red lights of the lab were illuminating all his machines and blueprints. Everything was where he had left it, his pens and pencils scattered over his desk as always, the crumpled coffee cups lying on the desk. The only thing new was a steaming cup of coffee. He awkwardly got up and stumbled over to his desk, his legs numb as if they had been put under anaesthetic from the long night of sitting down by the wall. He wrapped his hand around the cup of warm fresh coffee and sipped it, the refreshing liquid running down his throat, relief washing over him. He sat down at his desk, cracked his knuckles and began to continue scribbling over his blueprints. As he scribbled his thoughts drifted to Agent Stone and how understanding he was and how amazing he was. He smiled at that thought.