Chapter Text
23rd feb, 2025. 2 months and 3 days into the pregnancy.
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A badnik hovers around Stone, observing him as he solders wires to a motherboard. He gags slightly as he accidentally bumped the soldering iron to the rubber casing of one of the wires, when the smell of burnt rubber lingers, he gagged again, dropping the iron so he could cover his mouth as he ran to the bathroom. The badnik unpluggs the iron before following after.
Stone sits hunched over the toilet as his body forcibly expels the contents of his stomach. Once he stops actively throwing up he sits back, his eyes glassy and unfocused as he shifts so his back is against the wall. The badnik beeps in concern as it nudges Stone's leg, who simply reaches out a shaking hand and pet them, while not actually acknowledging their presence.
After a moment his eye focuses on the drone.
“Sorry you had to see that darling…”
Stone stands up, walking to the sink, keeping his eyes glued to the counter so as to not see his reflection in the mirror. He grabs a cup that was on the counter and fills it with water and then chugging the liquid down, only for it to immediately come back up. He bends over the toilet as he throws up. The badnik lets out a concerned trill as Stone stands back up.
“I'm fine, I promise… I should have known to drink it slowly..
The drone lets out a trill again and nudges Stone's side, earning them another pet from the man as he refills his cup and takes a small sip from it, sighing in relief when it doesn't immediately come back up.
He heads back out to his work bench, plugging the soldering iron back in before sending the badnik to its charging station as he gets back to work.
. . . .
26th feb, 2025. 2 months and 6 days into the pregnancy.
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Stone sits at the main desk, typing away at the code for Cubot, a badnik happily in his lap. He had a holoscreen off to the side just playing the news just to fill the silence.
His hands cease their typing as his ears pick up on the words being spoken on the news.
A celebration being held to celebrate team sonic saving the world-
Stones clenches his hands into fists, the badnik whining as they fall from his lap when he stands up. He opens up a new screen to look up the celebration in question, when article after article mentions nothing but the space pests, Stone slams his hands down on the desk in anger.
“YOU UNGRATEFUL BASTARDS!!!”
Stone screams while shoving all the items on the desk onto the floor, the badnik beeping in worry as he storms over to a small closet where he pulls out the empty shell of a robot version of the blue rodent and dumping it onto the desk, the shell had been the last thing the doctor made. (well aside from the artificial womb currently inside of Stone)
“I’ll make them all pay.”
He pulls up the blueprints for the metal hedgehog.
“He didn't die just for that stupid. Fucking. Rat. to take all the credit.”
He scans over the circuitry it would require.
“The world will feel the wrath of the doctor's empire.”
The badnik trilled in concern, bumping into Stone.
“Not now sweetie, I need to focus.”
The badnik beeped sadly and returns to its charger.
. . . .
1st mar, 2025. 2 months and 9 days into the pregnancy.
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A badnik activates as Stone storms into the bedroom, it takes a moment to observe the state of the main lab, scanning over the smoking shell of the metal doppelganger, the scan telling them that it had overdrawn its power and burnt out its mother board. When it gets another alert, it floats into the bedroom.
Stone lays on his stomach, burying his head in the pillows as he screams, the badnik nudges his side, he sobs loudly into the pillow before sitting up to look at them, It beeps sadly and bumps into his side again.
“Do you need something?”
The badnik turns back and forth, mimicking the act of shaking one's head, beeping as he scans over Stone's stomach, causing him to draw his knees up to his chest, shielding it from the drone.
“T-they’re fine…. Dont…” Stone stares off to the side.
The badnik lets out a sad trill.
“Stop.” his hands clench onto the sheets.
“Stop acting like you care, stop acting like you understand…” his eyes fill with tears. “Stop pretending like you know what it's like to know that the universe hates you.” he growls and slams his fist into the headboard before grabbing at his hair. “How could i be so FUCKING Stupid?! Of course he was going to leave, in one way or another…” he angrily wipes away tears. “Of course he wouldn't even think about the possibility of me carrying his child, he thought got what he wanted and more from Gerald, why would he…” he sniffles, laying down on his side with arms wrapped around his stomach as he curls in on himself. “why doesn't he….” Stone sobs.
The badnik beeps in worry but is shooed away so it returns to its charging port.
. . . .
4th Mar, 2025. 2 months and 13 days into the pregnancy.
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Stone growls angrily as he runs a hand through his hair, Staring down at the powerless metal hedgehog.
“What am I doing wrong?! I’ve followed the blueprint to a T!!! It should work!!”
The badnik nudges his shoulder, he stares at it, his eyes sunken and blood shot.
“Why isn't it enough…”
He cradles the badnik to his chest, and it lets out a sad beep. Stone sighs, tucking the drone under his arm as he pulls up the blueprint once again.
“Wait wha…” Stone re-read the chicken scratch in the image. “He needs… of course. Of course he would need a quill to work!!! It makes sense- how could-” he growls in frustration, tearing off the control gloves as he storms off to the nearest wall and punching it with all his strength.
The badnik beeps in alarm, trying to push Stone away from the wall but just gets pushed away by him.
“How. could. I. be. So. Stupid?!” He punctuates every word with a strike at the wall.
He punches the wall until his knuckles are raw and there's a noticeable dent in the metal.
The badnik trills in concern and projects an image of a med-kit, Stone sighs.
“I know… return to your charging port.
The badnik rubs against Stone's face before following the order.
. . . .
8th Mar, 2025. 2 months and 17 days into the pregnancy.
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Stone sits at the main console, a half eaten breakfast lays abandoned to the side while he tinkers away at the folded up form of Cubot. When a badnik beeps he starts talking.
“I’ve been testing out Cubot, he seems to be functioning as he should, but upon research to program him with proper child caring abilities do i realise why the doctor designed him a friend, it's simply not an easy single person job, which is….” he takes a deep breath, “encouraging…” sarcasm laces his tone. “So I guess I'm gonna start building Orbot..”
He sighs and rests his bandaged hand on his stomach.
“It still doesn't feel quite real…. I know, logically, it is but.. It's like i'm in some sort of limbo, I'm still just standing there, by that statue in London, but yet at the same time, I'm here, working in the lab…”
The badnik beeps sadly and snuggles into Stone's side.
“I'm sorry darling, this is all just…” he sighs.
The badniks fans let out a low whine.
“I'm alright, promise..” Stone idly rubs his stomach while he gets lost in thought.
The drone lands in his lap.
“11 weeks, huh? Seems like such a small amount of time when you put it like that..” he softly laughs, “and yet i'm on the way to the last month of the first trimester..”
He stares down at his stomach, at the more noticeable bulge at the bottom where the buttons on his shirt begin to strain to contain it, and he frowns.