Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

            It all started with an episode of La Ultima Pasion.

            After binge watching seven seasons, Robotnik was eager to see how the eighth season would progress now that Gabriella’s adopted second cousin had shown up claiming to be pregnant with Pablo’s baby. How that was even possible since said cousin, Gloria, had been introduced as a child herself at the beginning of season seven before being shipped off to boarding school to magically grow up.

            Leaning slightly forward in his chair, Robotnik’s eyes were glued to the large screen, headphones snuggly settled on his ears.

            Never let it be said that Doctor Ivo Robotnik wasn’t considerate of his loyal sycophant. Instead of watching the show on full volume while his ex-agent slept away in the storage room turned bedroom, Robotnik had generously taken to wearing his headphones.

            This decision had nothing to do with Stone being so sleep deprived from the blaring noise that he nearly crashed his motorcycle on a grocery run. It was only through Robotnik’s caring personality that he stayed quiet while Stone slept on.

            “Pablo! Mi amor, look at me. This is your baby!” Gloria had grabbed onto the taller man, shaking his shoulders. She laid a dainty hand over her flat stomach.

            Robotnik scoffed.

            “Who in their right mind would want a sniveling, shitting child?” He mumbled. “Pablo’s right for rejecting her!”

            Next to him, his designated burrito making badnik beeped. Reaching over blindly, Robotnik grabbed his still blistering hot burrito.

            “This isn’t possible!” Pablo exclaimed, his arms reaching up to pull Gloria’s hand off him. “But, if there is even a chance the baby is mine, I will take responsibility!”

            “Dimwit,” Robotnik rolled his eyes and leaned back into his chair.

            If only the show’s writers would actually respond to his many emails, letters, and voicemails. Then the show would truly be something!

            Soon enough, the show switched scenes, focusing on Juan and Gabriella’s disastrous date. Robotnik bit into his burrito as he watched Juan fumble over himself, trying to impress Gabriella, who was not-so-subtly sexting Pablo.

            However, even as he watched, Robotnik felt his mind wander back to Gloria touching her stomach.

            Of course, he knew everything there was to know about human biology. While not his favorite subject—robots were far more superior and simply made sense—he understood how and why humans chose to procreate. Hell, he even understood the science behind why humans couldn’t get enough of babies, even when they pop out looking like wet, rotten tomatoes.

            Being a much more superior being, he didn’t have that problem.

            He didn’t find things cute.

            There wasn’t a single baby or child that had caused him to coo like a pathetic idiot, nor an animal that had others falling over themselves to take a picture of. What others found adorable and cuddly, he found repulsive.

            So, why would anyone willingly want a child?

            For the first few years of their lives, they were completely useless! Couldn’t speak, couldn’t walk, and most certainly couldn’t clean up their own shit! And if they didn’t receive the proper education, they would end up becoming yet another mouth-breathing moron that would keep populating the earth.

            The instinct to keep his lineage alive must have passed him over as Robotnik had absolutely no intention to ever create a mini version of himself.

            “It’d come out with a mustache,” he chuckled to himself. A squishy, wailing infant with a wide, bushy mustache would certainly send the doctors into a tizzy. “I bet it’d even come out spitting out equations and trying to grab a screwdriver!”

            Full on laughter began bubbling out of his chest as the scene began to unfurl completely in his mind, the telenovela completely forgotten as his imagination took hold.

            Whatever poor fool decided to help him create a new life would be sorely disappointed to see their adorable, little bundle of joy proclaiming world domination within their first hour of life. The fool would happily shove the baby at him, wanting nothing to do with yet another freak of nature. And Robotnik would take them.

            He would mold them into an even better version of himself.

            Already, he could see a small body standing on tiptoes trying to see what he was working on, asking a million questions he would answer in detail. Or the same child giving commands to the badniks, happily using that blasted hedgehog as target practice. Then they would laugh together, Robotnik sipping on a latte while the child drank a hot chocolate, both prepared by Stone—

            Robotnik blinked.

            What the fuck!?

            Why was he suddenly envisioning himself with a child?!

            That was the last thing he wanted!

            Wasn’t it?

            The whole idea of having children was to carry on the lineage, to train the next generation to use their parents’ knowledge to create a better future.

            It would be a shame for the Robotnik name to disappear from history…

            So far, all he had achieved was being defeated by the same annoying alien. Twice! Was that how he wanted his name to be remembered?

            Well, he wasn’t dead yet. He still had plenty of time to either cure cancer or take over the world.

            But, who would rule the world once he did pass on?

            If he passed on, that is. He was still working on immortality.

            Stone would only make it so far before he got too mushy and depressed from Robotnik’s death. He knew his barnacle could be cruel, but after a few parades and statues to celebrate Robotnik’s greatness, Stone would lose the motivation to keep his empire going.

            No, Robotnik would need an heir.

            An heir who could learn everything from him and more. Someone who would follow in his footprints. Someone who would love him unconditionally and would never leave him.

            Stroking his wilting mustache, Robotnik thought deeply.

            He could always build an heir.

            Suddenly, the image of one of his badniks wearing his jacket and a metal version of his mustache popped into his mind. The image alone nearly had him doubling over with laughter, the badnik next to him beeping in concern.

            No, he’d put a pin in the AI child for now.

            A test tube baby, perhaps?

            Very feasible.

            Glancing around the Crab, Robotnik frowned. Frankly, the mobile lab was only meant for short stints—the fact he and Stone had been hiding in it for so long had stretched both of their patience to the limit. There was only enough room for daily living and small experiments, depending on what they were doing. Stone had converted part of the main living area into a makeshift kitchen—not that Robotnik complained too much, he did need his daily lattes after all—which left only enough room for badnik repairs.

            If he truly wanted to create a child in his lab, then he would need more space. Which meant leaving the Crab.

            That wasn’t an option.

            G.U.N. was convinced he was dead this time and he needed them to keep believing it. The Crab was not only mobile, but it could also withstand high levels of pressure which allowed them to travel across the ocean floor, completely hidden. No government’s radar would be able to spot them nor track them. Sometimes he amazed even himself with his brilliance.

            Robotnik’s frown deepened.

            Since he didn’t want an AI child or couldn’t create a test tube baby, how else would he have a child?

            The image of Gloria holding her stomach flashed through his mind and he facepalmed. It was so obvious!

            He would impregnate himself!

            This certainly wouldn’t be the first time he had experimented on himself, and definitely not the last. Satisfied with his decision, Robotnik nodded to himself and began to shove himself out of his chair.

            Only to grunt as his still recovering body protested at the sudden movement.

            …

            Maybe his body wasn’t made to go through a full-term pregnancy.

            Stretching his arms above his head, Robotnik glared fiercely at his body. Once again his point was proven that robots were far more superior to humans as he took in his added pounds and slowly wrinkling skin. However, he had already decided a human body would be the best route to create his heir.

            Not only was a human body meant to create other humans, but it could be mobile while a test tube baby had to be stationary.

            Well, if his body wasn’t up to snuff to carry out the pregnancy, who else?

            It wasn’t as if he could go out and hire a surrogate, nor did he want to find some random person off the street to share their genes with him. Who could he possibly chose to be the other half of his heir?

            They would have to be intelligent—if only someone was as intelligent as him—and they would have to be completely healthy. Attractiveness would be useful as well. Pretty privilege and all that. Of course, they would also have to be willing to keep the secret of him being alive. Someone loyal, yes, that was what he needed.

            But where would he find someone who wouldn’t give him up in a heartbeat? Someone who would go along with something so unbelievable?

            Robotnik nearly found himself turning to where Stone normally stood, ready to rhetorically ask him these questions.

            Only to freeze.

            “Stone!” He whisper shouted.

            With the grace of a ballet dancer, he spun on his heel, his arms raised with a flourish. His fingers danced through the air as he finally paused La Ultima Pasion, promising himself to rewatch what he had missed, and pulled up Stone’s old G.U.N. file.

            Not surprisingly, almost the whole thing was covered in black highlighter, hiding all the dirty secrets about his ex-agent. Robotnik had uncovered all those secrets years ago—most of them pertaining to missions before Stone even met Robotnik—and found them uninteresting. However, what mattered the most to him at the moment was Stone’s last physical.

            Perfect health.

            Even being close to forty, the man was in peak condition and was still better at his job than most of the agents G.U.N. hired nowadays.

            Scrolling through the file, Robonik’s eyes narrowed at a piece of information.

            Orphan.

            How did he not know that about Stone?

            Maybe it wasn’t so surprising since they normally kept their conversations professional. The only time their talks strayed into the realm of personal was what Robotnik wanted to eat for dinner. Past that, Robotnik didn’t know much about his trusty barnacle.

            Sure, he knew Stone would continue taking bullets and other projectiles for him, but he didn’t even know what the man’s favorite drink was. Did Stone even like the coffee he made Robotnik every day?

            With an angry swipe, he continued looking through Stone’s file.

            Joined the army at eighteen, rose through the ranks with far too much speed. Transferred so many times it’d make any commanding officer anxious.

            “No wonder they stuck him with me,” Robotnik said dryly. “Just shove all the troublemakers together.”

            While mildly interesting, there was nothing else in Stone’s file that helped Robotnik with his current goal of creating an heir. He was about to close the file when something caught his attention.

            “IQ?” Robotnik squinted before scoffing. “Probably a couple points above average.”

            301

            Robotnik blinked.

            The number stayed on the screen.

            Roughly rubbing his eyes, Robotnik peaked through his fingers.

            Nope. It was still there.

            “How?!” He shouted.

            Before quickly snapping his head around to stare at the door leading to Stone’s bedroom. Sharing a glance with the burrito badnik, he stayed still, waiting for any indication that the man in question had woken up.

            After a minute of bated breath, Robotnik sighed.

            “How is this possible?” He growled quietly, flipping through Stone’s file once more. How could that sycophant be smarter than him?!

            Nothing else in his file gave him the answers he wanted. With a flick of his wrist, the file disappeared.

            Not only was Stone in perfect health, but he was also apparently intelligent enough to actually match Robotnik.

            Healthy, smart, and loyal.

            What more would he want from the one to carry his child?

            A devilish smirk broke out on Robotnik’s face.

            Yes. Stone would do just nicely.

            Glancing at the clock, he saw he had four hours before Stone woke up to prepare breakfast. Cracking his knuckles, Robotnik got to work.

            When Stone finally emerged from his little room, Robotnik was nearly vibrating with excitement. The other man was still wearing his pajamas—a simple t-shirt and sweats—and heading for the bathroom, which was located on the other side of the Crab. He was still rubbing sleep from his eyes when Robotnik grabbed his arm.

            “Sir!?” He yelped, allowing himself to be dragged into the center of the room.

            Robotnik positioned him below several lights, a few badniks floating around, already scanning Stone. Stepping back, Robotnik looked over his ex-agent.

            His normally perfectly combed hair was puffed up while bits of stubble was forming around his beard. No doubt Stone was about to fix this before being stopped, but Robotnik couldn’t wait a second more. In all honesty, Stone should be grateful he had been allowed to sleep so late.

            “Take off your shirt, Stone.”

            “I—what?” Stone spluttered, cheeks darkening.

            “Are you deaf?” Robotnik barked. “Shirt. Off. Now. Do I need to say it in another language?”

            “No, sir.”

            Without any more hesitation, Stone easily pulled his shirt off, revealing scarred flesh and hard-earned muscles. The badniks continued their scanning while Robotnik did the same with his eyes. Almost as if he was evaluating a piece of art at a museum, Robotnik looked over every inch of Stone’s upper body.

            There was barely a patch of skin not marked by scar tissue.

            Long, scraggly knife wounds blended in with the large bullet wounds, while thin lines from his back wrapped around his waist. Circling Stone slowly, Robotnik tried to count the lash marks across Stone’s back but couldn’t be sure of the exact number. Far too many laid on top of each other. Burn marks ran up his right bicep and shoulder, still looking red and angry after all these years.

            Stepping in front of his henchman once more, Robotnik let his eyes drop to his stomach. There were obvious stab wounds—some right on top of where important organs rested—but over all, there were no markings.

            Robotnik wondered what stretch marks would look like compared to all those scars.

            “Do you want children, Stone?”

            Stone’s mouth dropped open, clearly not expecting that kind of question, especially not after all the scanning. It took far too long for him to come back to his senses before he finally cleared his throat.

            “Yes, sir.”

            “Why?”

            While Robotnik had made up his mind about wanting an heir to rule his future empire, it would be interesting to know why ordinary people would want a child.

            “I like them,” Stone gave him a lopsided smile. “They’re usually really sweet and curious.”

            “Why haven’t you had any yet?” Robotnik pressed.

            “My job comes first, sir.”

            “You’re technically unemployed.”

            Stone shrugged.

            “Your plans are too important for me to settle down just yet, doctor.”

            Robotnik hummed in acknowledgement.

            “What if I told you there was a way for both of us to get what we wanted?”

            Stone’s brows furrowed.

            “I don’t follow.”

            “I mean,” Robotnik rolled his eyes. “I extend my plans to encompass having an heir to rule over my empire when I die, and you get to play out your fantasy of being a stay-at-home mom.”

            “…what?”

            “For the love of science, Stone!” Robotnik shouted, stepping right into Stone’s personal space. He had to give the smaller man credit—Stone didn’t appear intimidated in the least—he simply looked up at Robotnik with his doe eyes sparkling in the extra lighting. His head was tilted slightly as he waited for the doctor to explain. Gripping Stone’s bare shoulders tightly, Robotnik leaned in until their noses were brushing. “Listen carefully.”

            “Of course, doctor.”

            “I’m going to impregnate you."

Chapter Text

            Aban Stone had faced many trials and tribulations in his life. He had been orphaned at the age of five, forced to survive in a refugee camp for another five years before being shipped over to America to be paraded around as a poster boy of survival. Once he was declared a legal adult, he had chosen the path of a soldier—perhaps to find some kind of meaning in his life, or maybe as a way to relieve the bloodlust clawing inside his very veins.

            Basic training had been a breeze compared to what he had experienced as a child. It had been laughably easy to rise in the ranks; take a bullet for a comrade here, complete a suicide mission there, and soon enough, he had found himself shoved out of the army. He had been passed around faster than the ink could dry on his transfer papers.

            Everyone wanted a star soldier, but nobody wanted the cold-blooded killer that came with the façade.

            Eventually, G.U.N. had taken him in.

            Stone had been convinced he was about to be transferred yet again when Commander Walters had ushered him into his office.

            “Agent, I have a new assignment for you. Others have found the placement quite difficult to manage, but I feel that you would be a perfect fit.”

            To this day, Stone knew Walters had been hoping for a strict babysitter to keep Dr. Ivo Robotnik in line. From all his previous colleagues, superiors, and fellow soldiers, they would all attest that Aban Stone was a humorless asshole. Unfriendly, stubborn, standoffish.

            Walters had been planning for him to straighten out Robotnik’s bullshit.

            Oh, how wrong they were.

            It had only taken one meeting for Stone to know where he wanted to spend the rest of his life:

            At the doctor’s side.

            The man was a genius, simply put. There was no denying it.

            Stone had been smitten from day one.

            Even now, with the doctor standing before him, rocking back and forth, staring into his eyes like a man possessed, Stone found himself falling even harder. It didn’t matter that the doctor’s morning breath smelled of day-old burritos or that he clearly hadn’t changed his clothes in about a week. The pure, unadulterated energy radiating off of him was enough to make his heart skip a beat.

            If only Stone could make a lick of sense out of what Robotnik was talking about.

            Ever since becoming the doctor’s bodyguard and assistant, Stone had become used to the crazy situations he was pulled into.

            “Stone, come here! I need you to hold up this target for my babies to practice shooting their new lasers!”

            “How long do you think it will take Walters to find out we stole all his undergarments?”

            “I need you to prep the prototype so I can chase after a blue hedgehog that can move faster than the human eye can perceive.”

            “Find me the new phone number of the executive producer of La Ultima Pasion! He changed it again and I have a new idea for the show.”

            Yes, there were many odd scenarios Stone had found himself in since working with Dr. Robotnik for nearly a decade. Privacy didn’t mean anything to the man, which meant Stone was asked a myriad of questions ranging from the inane to the insane.

            While this question was tamer than most, it left Stone reeling.

            “Do you want children, Stone?”

            The harsh lights above him and the fact he has naked from the waist up did nothing to help him find the answer the doctor was looking for. His eyes were intense as they scanned over his body—the kind of intensity Stone had only seen him direct towards his robots and Sonic.

            It wasn’t unusual for Stone to answer with what he thought the doctor wanted to hear, but since this seemed to be a genuine question, Stone opted for honesty. Even if he had no idea where the question was coming from.

            “Yes, sir.” He answered finally, truthfully.

            “Why?”

            Why indeed? Who in their right mind would think a cold-hearted assassin-turned henchman would want children?

            Suddenly, an image of a little girl—no older than two years old—was staring up at him with a toothy smile.

            “Mar!” The little girl exclaimed happily, attempting to say his name. A name he hadn’t used in a lifetime. Childish glee shone brightly in her eyes—eyes that were a perfect match for his. She held out her chubby hands, wanting a hug.

            Back in the lab, Stone let the memory of the girl guide his answer.

            “I like them. They’re usually very sweet and curious.”

            Robotnik continued to interrogate him over his lack of children. Stone wasn’t lying when he admitted Robotnik was more important at the moment. The world wouldn’t change if Stone had children or not, but it would change if he could help Robotnik with his goals.

            “What if I told you there was a way for both of us to get what we wanted?”

            Stone could normally follow the doctor’s chaotic line of thought, but this time, he was truly lost. There was no possible way Robotnik had figured out why Stone had chosen to follow him in the first place.

            What the doctor didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. Stone would make sure of that.

            “I don’t follow.”

            The words “heir” and “stay-at-home mom” were clear as day, but combined, they make no sense to Stone. Why was he struggling to keep up with the doctor this morning? Was he so addicted to caffeine that he couldn’t comprehend anything before a cup of coffee?

            As the doctor stepped into his personal space, their noses brushing against each other, Stone couldn’t help but admire the other man’s features. Even with his hair grown out and mustache hanging low, he couldn’t be more handsome.

            “Listen carefully.”

            “Of course, doctor,” Stone nodded, hoping that the doctor would finally explain what he had gotten up to while Stone was sleep. Maybe he should start drugging the doctor’s burritos with sleeping pills—again.

            “I’m going to impregnate you.”

            Stone opened and shut his mouth a few times, mind working over time to understand what the doctor had just uttered. Glancing around, he tried to see if there was perhaps a hint, a clue—anything—that could help him.

            His eyes landed on the many screens glowing gently behind the doctor and the badniks still scanning his body.

            There was a TikTok looping the growth of a woman’s pregnant stomach, while a bigger screen showed an article on pregnancies in older women. A smaller screen played a TEDTalk titled “Trans Men and Pregnancy”.

            “Impregnate…me, sir?” Stone asked slowly.

            “Yes!” Robotnik growled into his face, another blast of burrito breath shoved its way up Stone’s nose. Long fingers tightened and dug into his shoulders as Robotnik sniffed indignantly before shoving Stone away slightly. “You’ve had sex before, haven’t you? Surely you know how it happens.”

            Catching himself easily, Stone could feel his face flush horribly.

            Was the doctor… propositioning him?

            Could this be some kind of foreplay…?

            A shiver ran through his body as he remembered an encounter he had a long time ago, back in his twenties, with a man in a gay club. Stone had dabbled in crossdressing but had rejected many offers that night, until an older man slid up behind him and whispered into his ear.

            “You look like a woman that needs to be in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant.”

            The resulting sex had been spectacular, one of the best nights of his life. In fact, he still reminisced of it while masturbating—not that he had done that in a long time either.

            “I’m sure you already know this, doctor, but I was born completely ma—”

            “Of course I know you were born male, Stone!” Robotnik yelled over him, fists clenched. “Do you think I don’t know every single detail about you?!”

            “Sorry, doctor.”

            “Basic biology won’t stop me from accomplishing my goal,” Robotnik waved his hand through the air as if chasing off evolution itself. “I’ve been creating schematics for an artificial womb. All we would need to do is pop it inside you and add a fertilized egg.”

            Stone blinked, eyes wide.

            “You…”

            “Yes, yes,” the doctor smiled smugly and crossed his arms, an air of superiority wafting off of him. “You’re speechless in the midst of my astounding genius! Rest assured, my airheaded assistant, I have put a lot of thought into this and have concluded this is the best course of action to create my heir.”

            “Your heir?” Stone asked breathlessly. For some reason, the lights were growing brighter and his heartbeat louder in his ears. He brought a hand up to run through his still tousled hair, only to find his hand shaking.

            “For my empire. Keep up, Stone! I swear, it feels as if I’m already talking to a child,” Robotnik huffed, tapping his slippered foot. “Since I don’t want to ruin my perfect body with a parasite, I’ve deemed yours to be sufficient enough.”

            “You did?” Stone gasped out, words feeling far away as his vision began to narrow.

            “There’s nobody else on this blasted planet that—Stone?” The doctor cut himself off, but for Stone, the man could’ve been screaming from the top of Mt. Everest for all he could hear.

            Gasping, Stone clawed at his chest. Air refused to enter his lungs, and his body was begging for precious oxygen. Darkness began encroaching on all sides as something hard and cold pressed against his back. He swore he heard a high-pitched beep.

            “Mar!”

            “Stone!”

            Something wet was on his face and blurred his vision. Blinking quickly, Stone tried to swallow around the nonexistent intrusion in his throat. All of his years of training had gone out the window with his head feeling like it was stuffed full of cotton. Far away, he could feel something warm grabbing his wrists.

            The world titled. He could feel a hand on the back of his head as his eyes met the ceiling of the Crab. His mouth was agape, but his body refused to take in any air.

            Was this how he died?

            The hand on his head moved to grab at his face, forcing his mouth to stay open and spreading the wetness across his skin.

            “—der!”

            Stone’s eyes began to drift shut.

            “—an order, agent!”

            Like a switch being flipped, the world came into focus: the constant whirring of the Crab was like crashing waves against his ears while the doctor’s hand on his face was scolding hot.

            “Breathe, damn you! How dare you defy a direct order!”

            Spittle landed on his face, mixing with his tears as Robotnik screamed at him.

            His first breath felt like salvation.

            The next few were frantic as his body came back online. The lights were still too bright, and the doctor’s body was too close. Stone’s oxygen starved brain couldn’t process so many sensations.

            “Follow my lead, Stone.”

            Robotnik wasn’t yelling anymore, but his voice was just as firm.

            Stone had no choice but to do as he said.

            “Breathe in,” Robotnik grabbed one of Stone’s hand and placed it on his chest, allowing Stone to feel his rhythm. “Breathe out.”

            Without his input, Stone’s hand fisted hard in the doctor’s shirt, but when he wasn’t reprimanded, he kept it there. The doctor’s body still felt too hot to his addled mind, but the gentle pounding of Robotnik’s heartbeat helped to calm Stone’s frazzled nerves.

            For all Stone knew, they could’ve been like that for hours—him flat on his back with the doctor kneeling next to his prone body. He didn’t know when his eyes had closed, but he forced them open when Robotnik finally removed his hand from his face.

            A disgruntled, almost disgusted, expression was settled on the doctor’s features. He opened his mouth—most likely to chew Stone out—but Stone beat him to it.

            If he was in his right mind, he wouldn’t have dared touch Robotnik without explicit consent, however, his currently impaired state didn’t take that into consideration. Faster than he should’ve been able to move, Stone threw his arms around Robotnik and shoved his face into the man’s shoulder.

            Fresh tears streamed down his face into the doctor’s ratty bathrobe.

            “Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you.”

            In his arms, Robotnik was completely still. Stone couldn’t care less. Closing his eyes, Stone was met with the same image of the little girl. Their mother had dressed her in warm reds and oranges, warning the toddler not to get dirty. She clung to his leg as he tried to follow an older boy through a crowded market. The boy was arguing with a girl who looked identical to him. Her hijab flapped behind her like a cape. Stone tried to reach for it.

            “Earth to Stone!”

            A rough shove sent him sprawled out on the floor once more. Blinking the last of his tears from his eyes, Stone’s gaze settled on the doctor.

            He was pissed.

            “After that impressive show of emotion,” Robotnik hissed through clenched teeth. Blotchy, red spots settled above his mustache as he got to his feet, brushing himself off. “It appears you’re already pregnant!”

            “Sir, I’m so sorr—”

            “Shut up!”

            Stone swore he could see a vein pulsing on the side of the doctor’s head. The badniks were floating around him, trying to check him over while one dipped down to nudge at Stone. Robotnik shoved away the two robots beeping at him, his teeth bared with unbridled fury.

            “To think I considered a weakling like you to carry my heir!” Robotnik seethed.

            Once more, Stone felt his lungs seize up. No! The doctor couldn’t mean that! There was no way he would so cruel as to give Stone such a wonderous gift only to take it away. He had to fix this!

            “Sir! No! I can do this!”

            His body was still working on overtime as he scrambled to his knees, tears refusing to stop pouring from his eyes. On hands and knees, he stared up at his doctor. “I swear I can give you the heir you want! Please, you can trust me with this. I won’t fail you!”

            For his part, even Robotnik looked taken aback by his heartfelt pleading. He blinked down at Stone, a considering glint in his eyes. The world seemed to slow as the harsh metal floor of the Crab dug painfully into Stone’s palms and knees. He didn’t dare take his eyes off the doctor for a moment, needing to know what the man was thinking.

            Robotnik rubbed his chin in thought as he stared down at Stone like a god staring down at their underserving disciple.

            After a long, tortuous moment, he spoke:

            “Get up, you pathetic waste of space.”

            On shaky legs and with help from the badnik, Stone stood in front of the doctor again, trying to wipe the tears from his eyes. His breath was still coming too quickly, but that didn’t matter at the moment. No, he needed to convince Robotnik to go through with his plan.

            He was sent one more considering glance before Robotnik twirled around and pulled up a new screen. This time, it showed a hologram of Stone’s body. Unlike his real body, this one wasn’t littered in scars—something he never thought possible.

            “From what my babies have scanned, you’re in perfect health to receive my seed.”

            Stone clenched his jaw so hard at that, he wondered if he had cracked a tooth. At his hip, the badnik nuzzled closer, no doubt tracking his heartbeat.

            “I swear I can handle this, doctor. You won’t have to worry about—”

            “I heard you the first time,” Robotnik snapped, waving his hand to shut him up. “Would you like to explain your little outburst?”

            Stone shivered at the harsh glare the other man sent over his shoulder, his long hair framing his face in a way to make him appear even more intimidating. Taking a steadying breath, Stone directed his gaze towards the badnik hovering next to the doctor.

            “I—” Stone hesitated. Staring deeply into the red eye of the badnik, he realized that for the first time ever, he would truly lay himself bare. Never before had he shared his past. Not with anyone. The doctor included. “I’ve always wanted children. I used to take care of my siblings when I was young. After so many years, I never thought I would actually become a parent.”

            Biting his lip, Stone waited for Robotnik’s reaction.

            “Pfft! Is that all?”

            What?

            Glancing back at the man, Stone saw Robotnik rolling his eyes before turning back to the hologram Stone.

            “What do you mean, sir?”

            “It’s in human DNA to want to pop out a brat. You’re nothing special. However, unlike those imbeciles prancing around wasting away their lives, you and I will be creating the smartest being to ever live!”

            A smile tugged at his lips. Of course, when the doctor put it that way, maybe Stone really had overreacted. His want for children was nothing special. Nor was his need to protect and take revenge for those he cared about.

            All perfectly normal.

            The doctor was right. His need to kill and maim anyone who threatened his loved ones was completely natural. Basic human instinct.

            “Chop, chop, sycophant! I expect you dressed and making breakfast in ten minutes!”

            “Right away, doctor.”

            Gently, the badnik cuddling up to him pulled away to let him walk towards the bathroom, but dutifully followed behind him. It hovered behind him right into the little room, still scanning away. Not bothered, Stone began his normal routine. It wasn’t the first time a badnik had watched his bathroom activities. Although, he did have to shove the robot out of the shower stall before he stepped under the warm spray.

            With a heavy sigh, he leaned his head back onto the metal wall.

            He was going to be the one to carry the great Dr. Ivo Robotnik’s child.

            It was an opportunity anyone should be jumping at, and here he was being handed it when he wasn’t even worthy to be in the doctor’s mere presence. The absolute trust the doctor had in him to help create such a marvel was overwhelming.

            Nearly a decade ago, Stone had decided to give his very life to protect the doctor. Now, he was giving the same promise to the doctor’s successor.

            He wouldn’t fail this time.

            Closing his eyes and enjoying the water for a few more seconds, the image of a small, limp hand poking out from a pile of rubble flashed through his mind.

            No.

            He refused to fail.

Chapter Text

            Ten minutes on the dot found Stone dressed and in the kitchen. To the naked eye, it would appear to be the same morning routine that occurred daily inside the Crab. Stone was puttering away in his small kitchen while Robotnik continued to throw screens around and created a hologram of his newest project.

            However, Robotnik could feel the shift.

            Stone wasn’t humming.

            He wasn’t sure if the other man even realized he hummed while making food. It didn’t matter if it was one of Robotnik’s many lattes or lunch—Stone was always humming when in the kitchen. Usually it was whatever song Robotnik had played the previous day. As of late, Stone had been parroting La Ultima Pasion’s theme song.

            Half the time, Robotnik would throw the closest object at Stone’s head to make him shut up. The other half was divided between Robotnik either joining in or reluctantly listening to the soothing vibrations coming from his assistant.

            Right now, he was ready to turn around and scream at Stone to start humming. Anything! His silence was far more distracting than his noise making!

            “Please! You can trust me!”

            Robotnik cringed. In the decade of time they had been together, he had never once heard Stone beg. Not when Stone had been tortured for days, nor when G.U.N. had accused him of selling state secrets and arrested him. Every time a hint of danger had appeared, Stone was, well, stone-faced. Nothing seemed to faze him.

            So, why did the mention of having children have such an impact?

            He had heard people breaking down in tears at the news of being pregnant, but a full-blown panic attack seemed excessive. Glancing over at the unusually quiet man, he caught a glimpse of Stone’s face and couldn’t decern any of his thoughts. Where was that aggravating smile the ex-agent normally wore?

            Snarling quietly under his breath, Robotnik flicked away an offending screen before pulling up another that showed an article about two male mice creating viable offspring. If he were to replicate a similar process with his and Stone’s cells, then he would be able to place the fertilized egg inside the artificial womb.

            Before that, they needed to get the womb inside Stone.

            Robotnik would need to ask Stone if he really needed anesthesia or if he could simply knock Stone over the head and save them a few bucks. Or maybe he could perform the surgery while Stone was awake? The man did have a high pain tolerance after all…

            Deep in thought, Robotnik didn’t hear polished dress shoes clicking behind him.

            “Your latte, doctor.”

            “Holy—!”

            Clutching at his chest, Robotnik glowered down at Stone. His usually pleasant and unassuming smile was plastered on his face, but Robotnik could see right through him. His eyes weren’t glued to Robotnik like they normally were, instead they were staring straight at his prototype womb.

            “Stop sneaking up on me or I’ll get the bell out again,” Robotnik snapped and snatched the cup out of Stone’s hands. The latte art was at least up to snuff—a badnik with little hearts around it.

            “Apologies, doctor,” Stone said smoothly.

            Robotnik scoffed and took a sip of his latte. Ah, perfect as always.

            Silence fell between them.

            If they weren’t dozens of miles underwater, Robotnik swore there would’ve been crickets chirping.

            “What?” He finally grunted. His voice made Stone start as his eyes finally settled on him. As they always should be, Robotnik thought.

            “Are you hoping for a boy or girl, doctor?”

            Robotnik paused. He had been expecting Stone to question him on his certification to cut open another human and shove a piece of untested technology inside them, not something so trivial. That was Stone—keeping him on his toes.

            “I don’t subscribe and hit the bell for society’s made-up gender roles,” Robotnik curled his lip in disgust. “It won’t matter what genitalia it has, it’ll be a Robotnik either way. And named Ivo Junior.”

            Stone was staring at him with his big, brown eyes, unblinking. Slowly, a small but genuine smile appeared on his face.

            “I shouldn’t have expected anything less from you, doctor.”

            Glancing away, Robotnik couldn’t tell if he should accept that compliment or not. Another awkward silence fell between them as Robotnik kept sipping at his latte and Stone kept staring at him.

            “What about you?” Robotnik narrowed his eyes. “Are you hoping for a little boy so you can take him down to the shooting range and decapitate some poor, little animal that crosses your path?”

            Let it be said, when he allowed it, Stone’s face was extremely expressive. At the mention of killing animals, his nose scrunched up and pulled his lips into an unsettled frown. Stone always had a soft spot for animals.

            “If I’m there, they shouldn’t need to know how to shoot a gun.”

            “What about a little girl then, hmm?” Robotnik took a step closer, invading Stone’s personal space for the umpteenth time that morning. “Are you going to spoil her like the princess you believe her to be?”

            Stone smiled brightly.

            “Boy or girl, your heir should be treated like royalty, sir. They will be the ones ruling the world, after all.”

            “Hmph,” Robotnik sniffed. Stone did have a point. His child should be treated like royalty. “So, which is it, Stone? What pre-assigned gender role do you want to give the infant?”

            Stone’s smile faded.

            “I don’t care about gender either, sir. I want them to be happy.”

            Happiness. Such a simple concept, yet, something people were searching for their entire lives. Robotnik scoffed. He didn’t need a happy heir, he needed a competent one.

            “Don’t be putting such frivolous ideas in my spawn, you ninny,” Robotnik snapped. “What are you waiting for? Breakfast won’t make itself!”

            “Right away, doctor.”

            Stone scampered away, his pleased smile plastered back firmly in place as a soft humming finally took hold of Stone’s little domain. Robotnik could only shake his head. How this morning had started off with such a brilliant idea and slowly turned into an emotional rollercoaster was beyond him.

            Perhaps he would drop Stone off on an island with enough supplies to last him the whole pregnancy. Then he wouldn’t have to deal with any more emotional outbursts.

            Breakfast was delicious as always, especially since Stone had put considerable effort into making pancakes in the shape of the Eggman logo. He only did that for special occasions.

            After recovering from his injuries, most of Robotnik’s time in the Crab was spent in his chair—either entertaining his loyal followers on stream or binge watching whatever caught his attention at the time. There was barely a time he left the chair.

            Meals were different.

            If Stone made food, then he was expected to eat at the table. When he had been recovering, it had been Stone’s way to help incentivize him to get up and move. Nowadays, it was a welcome part of their daily routine.

            He could do without Stone’s staring this morning, though.

            Between each bite, Robotnik would continue catching Stone’s inquisitive gaze before roughly stabbing his fork into his breakfast. For his part, Stone kept his coffee topped off and offered him more scrambled eggs.

            “The way you’re acting, you’d think I’m the one eating for two,” Robotnik hissed at the mound of food still on his plate.

            “I—sorry, sir,” Stone straightened up. Robotnik rolled his eyes.

            “You’re mother-henning too much for someone I haven’t even stuffed full yet.”

            Stone’s fork clattered to the floor as he stared at him wide-eyed, mouth slightly parted.

            “What?”

            “Nothing!” Stone coughed and retrieved the utensil. “I was wondering, when do you think the prototype will be ready?”

            “Not until I get the necessary parts,” Robotnik twirled a finger in his overgrown mustache. “I’ve set our course to Tokyo. We’ll probably stick around there for a while, so start practicing your Japanese.”

            “Hai, wakarimashita, sensei,” Stone smirked. Understood, doctor. Robotnik rolled his eyes—Stone would have to write a book in Japanese before he praised his underling for his efforts.

            “It’ll take us a day to get there,” Robotnik continued. “I expect you to start doing your own research on pregnancy and child rearing. I refuse to have the vessel carrying my heir to be irresponsible and act like an imbecile.”

             “I won’t let you down, doctor.”

            The intensity was back as Stone stared him straight in the eye, almost as if trying to communicate with him telepathically. Curling his lip, Robotnik ignored Stone and went back to his now slightly cooler pancakes.

            He’d start looking into that island idea.

            The more time Robotnik spent researching impregnation, the more excited he was becoming. Scientists from around the world had been experimenting with creating offspring between two males, two females, three parents, and then there was the cloning. There was so much potential!

            And he would be the first to succeed!

            He could already hear the praise being rained down upon him from all over the world; scientists who had been dedicating their entire lives to this research would be bowing down to him while all those desperate parents would be flocking to him to have their own crotch-spawn. Of course, Robotnik would do it—but for a price. Instead of charging exorbitant prices, he’d instead make it so he would become a household name.

            Then he would take over the world and have his adoring fans waiting to fawn over him.

            But first, he needed to create the damn prototype.

            His schematics were immaculate. The prototype resemble a womb perfectly; it would be placed inside Stone at a smaller size and be attached to his body like a normal womb minus the birthing canal. Once a viable egg was placed inside, the womb would start constructing a placenta and umbilical cord from Stone’s cells, growing alongside the infant. Simply put, Robotnik was still very much a genius who couldn’t be rivaled. The perfect combination of biology and technology.  

            Best of all, he had finished before lunch time!

            Mentally preening, Robotnik turned to proclaim this to Stone when he saw the man hunched over something in his lap, a holo-screen blocking whatever he was working on. Curious, Robotnik began walking over and spotted a badnik hovering next to Stone’s chair with a basket resting on top of it.

            A basket full of yarn.

            Robotnik let his whole head move with his eyeroll.

            His ex-agent had become extremely proficient in knitting and crocheting while doting on him during his recovery. There were countless times Robotnik had woken up needing another dose of morphine only to spot Stone sitting next to his bedside, knitting away. He’d drone on and on about the patterns he was experimenting with at the moment, his words and the drugs helping to loll Robotnik back to sleep.

            Once he was back on his feet, he yelled at Stone for making little coats for every single badnik in the Crab. His machines were meant to be threatening! Besides that, they were robots—they didn’t get cold!

            Like a kicked dog, Stone had undressed each robot—most of them giving mournful beeps—and stowed the coats away. He was lucky Robotnik didn’t burn them all in front of him.

            That being said, Robotnik refused to give up the blanket Stone had made him. Even if the badniks would steal it and cuddle underneath it.

            Now, the man was furiously knitting little, red booties.

            “What in Isaac Newton’s name are you doing?”

            Stone flashed him a quick smile before turning back to his little project. Robotnik spotted mittens and a hat already finished laying in the basket.

            “Preparing for the baby, sir.”

            “I better not see anything for my babies in there.”

            “But this is for the baby?” Stone frowned, his needles stopping their clacking.

            “My real babies, Stone! Like the one you’re currently using as a side table,” he hissed.

            “Won’t this one be one of your babies too? Only human instead of robotic?” Stone’s eyes were doing that thing again; they were becoming far too large for his face as his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

            “It’s going to be my heir. Get that through your thick skull, you moron. Unlike my robots, I won’t be able to dictate every little thing about this parasite. For all we know, it might not even be able to grow a mustache!”

            “That’s easily fixable, sir,” Stone chuckled. “They’re your heir. No matter what, they’ll come out perfect.”

            Robotnik sneered. Spoken like a true optimist.

            “Well, mommy-to-be, don’t let this interfere with your duties.”

            Stone visibly swallowed before nodding weakly. Raising an eyebrow, Robotnik leaned down at the waist to stare straight into Stone’s eyes. When he tried to shift his gaze, Robotnik grabbed his jaw and forced him to keep eye contact.

            “My little assistant, what kind of reaction was that?” He cooed. His grip was gentle enough to let him speak but firm enough to keep the threat evident.

            “I…” Stone started. “I’ve been wondering what the ba—your heir will call me.”

            Again with these silly questions!

            “Ugh,” Robotnik groaned. “Dad, dada, daddy, papa, padre, oto-san, appa, fuqin, baba. Take your pick, Stone. Or maybe we’ll just stick with the classics: imbecile, moron, idiot. Really, it’s your choice.”

            “Maybe…”

            Now, Robotnik was growing enraged. Where was his steadfast, confident agent? While Stone knew his moronic comments would be tossed away like the trash they were, he wasn’t this hesitant about voice them. Maybe he should scrap this whole thing and kidnap a woman instead. At least then Stone might stop acting so skittish.  

            “Spit. It. Out.”

            “They could call me ‘mama’?” Stone was biting his lip harshly and looking up at him through his lashes, nervousness radiating off of him.

            Robotnik’s mind short-circuited for a moment. He had been expecting Stone to request something related to his ethnicity, not this. Had Robotnik’s jabs and insults gotten lodge so far into his assistant’s brain that he was convinced he wasn’t male?

            “But you’re a man?” Robotnik blurted out the first thing that came to mind. Why was Stone acting so complicated all of a sudden?

            “I know,” Stone took a steadying breath. “Like I said, gender doesn’t really matter to me. Since I’ll be the one birthing them, I feel like the term is appropriate.”

            Shaking his head in exasperation, Robotnik released his grip on Stone. Before the ex-agent could relax, he flicked him in the forehead.

            “You’d better be adding my logo.”

            Robotnik could see the beaming smile on Stone’s face as he turned away to grab a snack from the fridge.

            As he predicted, they arrived in Tokyo the next day.

            He already had a deal set up with a black-market seller for the materials he would need. Stone would go alone to complete the deal and then pick up anything else necessary for his upcoming surgery. Even though he was hiding it well, Robotnik could tell that Stone was itching to race out of there on his motorcycle. While Robotnik was used to spending days upon weeks inside a cramped lab, Stone was always one for wide, open spaces. He didn’t do well stuck inside for extended periods.

            Not to mention, they were running low on supplies.

            “I don’t need this many badniks, sir,” Stone frowned, pulling on his riding gloves. Robotnik ignored him, instead focusing on his own gloves as he gave precise instructions to the robots.

            “There,” he announced. “They’ll follow you to the meeting but stay out of sight while you travel through the city.”

            “Really, sir, I can handle this myself.”

            “Knowing how you handle that thing,” he waved his hand at Stone’s motorcycle. It was the only mechanical thing on the Crab he didn’t have a hand in creating; Stone had been very territorial of the vehicle. “You’ll meet your demise just like Han.”

            “Who?”

            “Nothing! What are you still doing here? Get going!”

            “Right away, sir.”

            Robotnik crossed his arms as he watched Stone put on his helmet and started his motorcycle. It truly was magnificent—Stone was just as anal about keeping his possessions in working condition as Robotnik himself. It roared to life beautifully before Stone peeled out of the Crab, tires squealing as he vanished into the city.

            Closing up the Crab once more, Robotnik made his way back inside. One of the badnik’s camera feeds was already up on the large screen, tracing Stone’s path through Tokyo. He wasn’t surprised to see Stone weaving in and out of traffic as if the other vehicles weren’t obstacles. How the man had yet to crash was beyond Robotnik.

            “When he’s finally knocked up, I’m throwing that damn bike in the ocean,” Robotnik promised to himself quietly. At least then he’d have an excuse for finally getting rid of that death trap.

            Walking past the kitchen area—basically a large island with a bunch of appliances hooked up across from it—Robotnik stopped next to the other chair he had set up.

            It resembled a dentist’s chair.

            They would be using it for Stone’s surgery and the subsequent fertility treatments he would be receiving. It had armrests and stirrups, and could be folded different ways to better accommodate whatever they needed, even going as far as laying completely flat. There were some other hidden features as well.

            Eyeing the chair up and down, Robotnik could feel excitement thrumming through his veins. He was one step closer to having his heir. Nodding in satisfaction that Stone had set everything up for the surgery, he was about to turn La Ultima Pasion on when something in the corner caught his eye.

            Stone’s yarn basket.

            Crouching down, he picked at the garments Stone had already made. He smirked at the newly knitted onesie. It was red with the Eggman logo proudly displayed on the back in black.

            “Perfect for a Robotnik.”

Chapter Text

            “Do I need to invest in a cone for you, Stone?”

            “No, sir.”

            Stone jerked his hand away from the bandages on his stomach as if burned. How the doctor even spotted him picking at them when the man had his back turned to him was irksome. Stone sent a suspicious glance towards the badnik hovering next to him, holding his yarn basket once more.

            The surgery had gone well.

            He had been able to convince Robotnik to actually use the anesthesia he had gone great lengths to steal. While Stone wasn’t unfamiliar with watching his body be cut open and later stitched up, he would rather not have the mental image of a piece of technology slipped in between his organs.

            When Stone had woken up, he had found himself in his cot, blanket tucked up to his chin. He wasn’t surprised to find three badniks laying in bed with him. One had forced its way between his ankles, while another was a firm pressure at his hip. The last one was sharing his pillow—luckily having turned itself to battery saving mode so not to cause a constant buzzing in Stone’s ear.

            Since there wasn’t a badnik laying on his chest, Stone suspected Robotnik had given them a lecture on surgery aftercare. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for Stone to wake up feeling as if he was being crushed only to find a badnik or two laying on top of him.

            Unfortunately for him, the badniks took his care seriously.

            As soon as he was awake, Stone had attempted to leave the bed, only to find the badniks’ robotic arms flying out and pushing him right back into bed. He had nearly sweettalked them into letting him up, but Robotnik’s orders took higher priority than Stone giving them a thorough polishing.

            His three little guards were incredibly diligent to the point of annoyance.

            If he took a single step towards the kitchen, he would find himself wrapped up in their arms and back in his own chair. He wasn’t allowed to grab his own food or drinks, and if he attempted to lift something heavier than a ball of yarn, it would be snatched out of his hands. Even if he stood for too long, he’d have one or all of them bumping into him, nudging him to sit again.

            Worst of all, Stone knew he couldn’t ask the doctor for help.

            “Sir, this is excessive!” He may have whined. The incision only had ten stitches—barely anything! He could easily handle his normal duties.

            “We’re not having a repeat of Bogota.”

            That was enough to shut Stone up.

            A year into his employment with Robotnik, Stone had still been on the roster for field missions when he was sent off to Bogota for two weeks. He had completed his mission—quite successfully in his opinion—but had sustained far too many injuries for him to hide. Previous wounds he received had been treated privately inside his own bathroom at home with a heavily stocked first aid kit. However, after being shot three times, stabbed four times, and who knows how many broken bones, he couldn’t hide from his fellow agents.

            It had taken seven agents in total to drag him to the hospital. The doctors were forced to sedate him immediately or else he would have fought them tooth and nail all the way to the operating room. In fact, Stone was pretty sure he had bitten a nurse or two before going under. That would explain why he had the taste of iron in his mouth when he finally woke up.

            After his fifth escape attempt, the hospital called G.U.N. He had been moved to one of their facilities for the rest of his recovery.

            Walters didn’t believed the nurses back in Bogota until he received notice that Stone had snuck out—on a busted leg and with three gunshot wounds—and taken down a whole brigade of agents. That’s when he had finally called Robotnik.

            “What do you think you’re doing, agent?”

            Stone’s hospital room had swiftly been fitted into a prison cell and himself strapped down to the bed. He already had a hand freed when Robotnik cooly entered the room. The agents situated outside were sharing scared glances while Walters pinched the bridge of his nose.

            “Trying to get back to my job, sir.”

            Robotnik’s icy stare had him lowering his head in shame.

            “A damaged tool is no use to me,” Robotnik hissed. All Stone could do was keep his gaze lowered in fear of angering his doctor further. “He’ll finish his recovery with me.”

            Of course, Walters hadn’t been thrilled with the idea, but had ultimately relented when he saw Stone eyeing the window.

            Alone in Robotnik’s lab, Stone had been chewed out for an entire hour by the doctor. He had been forced to write an essay detailing all the ways he could have jeopardized his own recovery until Robotnik was satisfied Stone had learned his lesson. Even then, Stone was still chained to one of the lab’s walls for the majority of his recovery. He had only stopped slipping out of the chains when Robotnik threatened to fire him. At least the doctor had allowed him to practice his latte making skills while healing—the only thing other than answering emails he was permitted to do.

            Come to think of it, that had been the first time the badniks had started cuddling up to him. He could distinctly remember one of them stopping him from getting up by laying in his lap. The doctor had only told it to move when he wanted his hourly latte.

            So, no, Stone very much didn’t want another Bogota incident. He needed to be on his best behavior, or he feared Robotnik wouldn’t let him go through with the pregnancy after all.

            Thinking of the pregnancy brought a smile to Stone’s lips. Glancing over at the doctor, he could see how focused he was on creating the fertile eggs. Robotnik had promised that they would be ready to be placed inside his womb by the time he was healed.

            If only his body would hurry up.

            Stone once more found himself under harsh lights and sans-shirt as he leaned back in the medical chair. His three badnik guards were hovering close by, occasionally scanning him over even though his vitals were shown on a screen next to him. He hoped Robotnik didn’t think anything of his slightly elevated heartbeat.

            “How long until we know if the egg took, sir?”

            “Three weeks.”

            It had already taken far too long for his body to heal, and now he would have to wait even longer to know if he was carrying the doctor’s child. If Stone was less professional, he would be whining about the unfairness. As it stood, he kept silent as he watched Robotnik pick up the largest syringe Stone had ever laid eyes on.

            “Stay still.”

            Eyes wide, he watched in fascination as Robotnik used his pointed finger to trace over Stone’s abdomen, trying to locate his newly acquired womb. A green light lit up on the glove’s fingertip. Completely steady, Robotnik lined the needle up to the same point and slowly pushed it inside of Stone’s body.

            A soft gasp escaped Stone as he felt the needle pierce through his skin right into the artificial organ. The doctor paused, using his glove to check the position once more. After a small nod, he pushed the plunger down on the syringe. Far too quickly, the liquid disappeared into Stone’s body. Just as quickly, the needle was removed.

            The Crab was quiet as Robotnik handed the syringe off to a badnik to be disposed of while he looked over Stone’s vitals.

            “What now, sir?”

            Robotnik curled his lip.

            “I already told you. We wait.”

            “…oh.”

            “You must be stupider than I thought if you imagined you’d blow up like a balloon just like that,” Robotnik snapped his fingers for emphasis.

            “No—I meant, there’s nothing else we need to do?”

            “You can go scrub the floors with your toothbrush if you want something to do, sycophant!” Robotnik snarled at him before turning away to storm back over to his part of the Crab. Stone was left staring at the other man as La Ultima Pasion began blaring out of the speakers.

            Sighing, Stone had hoped there would be a little more fanfare. Maybe more steps; something to give the situation more weight. Not just a shot—one and done. Rubbing over where the needle had gone in, Stone slowly stood and put on his shirt again.

            The doctor was right though—the Crab did need a good cleaning.

            Never in his life did Stone think three weeks could go so slowly.

            He had deep cleaned the Crab twice—nothing too strenuous or else he’d promptly be yelled at. The badniks had gotten several polishings before even they drew away from him and forced him to do something else. The fridge was full of extra meals and baked goods he had made out of boredom, while his yarn basket was nearly depleted from his constant making of garments. At least the doctor seemed happy with his new blanket with intricate designs of badniks and the Eggman logo. Even digitally designing a nursery was getting old.

            The worst part was he couldn’t even leave the Crab.

            Robotnik had told him it was too risky. Since the womb was artificial, it wasn’t guaranteed that the egg would be able to attach itself and form correctly. The doctor wanted him close to keep checking that nothing went wrong—for example, the womb malfunctioning and damaging Stone’s other organs. Until they knew the womb was working fully, he didn’t want Stone going far.

            Which meant no motorcycle drives or walks around the city. The doctor must have picked up on his melancholy over this fact since he allowed Stone to use the VR headsets to simulate paragliding and other adrenaline pumping scenarios. It wasn’t nearly the same, but it helped.

            For the first time in a long time, Stone found his patience wearing thin.

            Stone kept his gaze firmly on the screen placed near his elbow. Robotnik had made it so his gloves could perform the ultrasound, which meant having the doctor poking and prodding at his abdomen. His face was mere inches from Stone’s body, making the ex-agent force down some extremely unprofessional thoughts.

            The screen showed the inside of Stone’s womb, but he couldn’t decipher anything from the image. He tried scanning over every pixel, but there was nothing to indicate there was a fetus.

            “Doctor?”

            “Shut up.”

            Robotnik had two fingers pressed steadily into Stone’s skin, his frown growing deeper and his mustache twitching in annoyance. They had been going at it for ten minutes. Stone assured himself the doctor knew exactly what he was doing. He always did.

            After a few more minutes, Robotnik finally raised a hand and called over a badnik.

            “Grab a new vial.”

            Stone sat up quickly, only to be shoved back down harshly by Robotnik. He could hear his heartbeat spike on the screen.

            “Sir?” He tried to swallow down his panic, but could hear it escaping into his strained voice.

            “It didn’t take,” the doctor huffed.

            “I…”

            The egg didn’t take. He wasn’t pregnant. There was nothing alive in the womb.

            He had failed Robotnik.

            “I’m sorry, doctor,” Stone blurted out. “I’ll try to fix this. I won’t fail this time.”

            A heavy weight settled in his stomach. The doctor had trusted him to carry his heir, and he couldn’t deliver. What if the next time he still couldn’t get pregnant? Would he make Stone find a surrogate who could? Would the doctor throw him away?

            A sharp click of fingers next to his ear brought him out of his spiraling thoughts. Blinking at the doctor, Stone grimaced at the clear anger in his eyes.

            “And what will you do differently this time, hmm?” Robotnik sneered. “Are you going to manually create new cells in the womb? Or maybe you’ll ask the egg oh-so nicely to attach itself?”

            Stone swallowed.

            “Exactly, you idiot!” Robotnik snapped. “This is a prototype for a reason. Even my creations don’t always work on the first try. You’ve seen my process before—don’t act so thick.”

            Right. This was all new territory for the doctor as well. A few hiccups should be expected. Taking a deep breath, Stone watched as Robotnik prepared a second, large syringe.

            Hopefully, the next three weeks would go quicker than the first.

            Time seemed to slow to a snail’s pace, so much so, that Stone wondered if it had stopped all together.

            No matter how many times Stone checked the clock, barely any time had passed. He tried everything he could to distract himself, but nothing would hold his attention. All he wanted was to know if the egg had taken.

            His three accompanying badniks tried their best to keep him entertained, but there was only so much three floating, killer robots could do for a man waiting down a clock. Robotnik had taken mercy on him—while not letting him out of the Crab—he allowed Stone to pick a movie for them to watch every night. Bollywood movies were his go to, but even those wouldn’t stop his eyes from flicking down to his watch.

            The only thing that made time move quicker was sleeping.

            Of course, he made sure the doctor was set up with everything he needed through the day, even setting alarms to get up to make the doctor’s midday lattes. The badniks would settle down next to him, a comforting weight as he forced his eyes closed.

            When the three weeks were finally up, it felt as if he was coming out of a coma. Quite literally since he had done that before after a nasty concussion. Suddenly, the Crab’s walls felt oppressive, as if they were closing in, threatening to crush him and the possible tiny life inside of him. The lights stung his eyes, making his eyes water as he tried to stare at the ultrasound screen once more.

            Even the doctor’s hands on his body didn’t elicit the same response as before.

            He just wanted to see a tiny fetus on that black and white screen.

            “Bring me a vial.”

            No. It couldn’t be. Not again. What was he doing wrong!?

            A sound not unlike what a wounded animal would make escaped his throat. Robotnik’s head whipped around to him with alarm.

            “What?”

            “I’m sorry for failing you, doctor,” Stone gasped, something thick in his throat. Robotnik sighed before leaning closer to him.

            “Listen to me, Stone,” Robotnik whispered. He slowly brought a finger up to Stone’s face, making him go cross-eyed trying to follow it as it poked him in the forehead. “Unlike technology and my precious robots, biology is fucking finicky. While I can make most sciences my bitch, biology is annoying. We’ll try one more time before I look into the eggs themselves.”

            “Ok,” Stone bit his lip, blinking away the sudden wetness in his eyes.

            The procedure occurred once more, the same as before. This time, though, Stone was glad there wasn’t anything more to it. He couldn’t take any more disappointment.

            Robotnik’s irritation was almost tangible as he shoved Stone, waking him up from his midmorning nap. Blearily, Stone stared up at the man towering above his cot before doing a double take.

            Dr. Ivo Robotnik wasn’t in his bathrobe or food-stained clothes. Instead, he was wearing a mostly clean hoodie and slacks. He did not appear to be happy about this.

            “Get dressed. We’re going out.”

            Stone nearly fell out of the bed with how quickly he tried to get up. The three badniks were rudely dislodged as he untangled himself from the blanket.

            “But, sir, I thought I couldn’t leave the Crab.”

            Even as he said this, he was grabbing his own clothes to change into.

            “As long as you don’t do anything stupid, it should be fine. Hurry up.”

            “Yes, sir.”

            Spring time in Tokyo was absolutely stunning. Since the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, tourists were everywhere, allowing them to blend in with no issue. The air was still crisp with the last vestiges of winter while the sun felt glorious on Stone’s skin after weeks stuck inside the Crab. He couldn’t help but stop and turn his face skywards, enjoying the rays bathing him in their warmth. Maybe he could convince the doctor to let them raise the heir here. They could visit the parks every spring to see the cherry blossoms.

            “What the hell are you doing, Stone?” Robotnik grunted next to him. His shoulders were hunched as he shoved his face into one of the many scarves Stone had made. He kept glancing around, almost expecting an attack out of nowhere.

            Which would never happen since Stone already sent several smaller badniks to surveil the area and keep him updated on current threats. Even if Stone was no longer employed by G.U.N. as the doctor’s personal bodyguard, he would never stop doing his job.

            “Enjoying the weather,” Stone responded with a wide smile.

            “Weirdo.”

            Ignoring the insult as always, Stone began to wander the pink covered park. He could hear the doctor’s low mumblings behind him as he followed.

            They spent the afternoon admiring the blossoms—Stone actually taking in the scenery while Robotnik took out his frustration on a couple of annoying tourists who were shaking the trees and ruining the event for others. They had fled, scared shitless by the maniac making robotic noises and pulling up their search histories right then and there.

            Stone kept an eye on how may people had recorded the event. He would deal with erasing the doctor’s presence from the internet once they returned to the Crab. For now, he was going to enjoy his time out.

            Eventually, Robotnik called for lunch.

            “Sushi?” Stone suggested.

            “No.” Immediate refusal.

            “But I thought you like it, sir?”

            “Of course I do! I will not have you eating raw fish if there’s a chance you’re carrying my future heir.”

            Thoroughly disappointed, Stone was able to find a suitable ramen place. He had been looking forward to sashimi. Once they were sat and had ordered, Stone was about to suggest their next destination when the doctor pinned him with a narrowed look.

            “Doctor?”

            “We’ll be changing your diet.”

            Stone sighed. He was hoping the doctor would overlook that little detail about pregnancy. After doing his own research, Stone had been devastated to find that his current diet would be completely unsuitable for a pregnancy. Surely a baby made between his and Robotnik’s genes could handle a ghost pepper or two.

            Not only did Stone frequently eat peppers that would have ordinary people on the floor crying, he was just as much of a caffeine addict as the doctor. And he could completely forget his occasional cigarette and shots of vodka—at least those he could easily live without.

            If the badniks were already bad about him doing too much physical labor now, they would be little hellions about what he ate when actually pregnant.

            “Yes, doctor—”

            “No spicy foods—”

            “I know—”

            “Nothing raw or undercooked,” Robotnik continued, throwing him a firm glare. Right, Stone did eat his steak bloody. “Further more, no caffeine.”

            “What? At least one cup is fine!” Stone couldn’t help but stare at the doctor incredulously. He couldn’t be serious!

            “None. End of discussion.”

            “But—”

            “End. Of. Discussion.”

            Stone was only a few years shy of forty, a trained soldier, and agent who had helped take down some of the deadliest terrorist groups to exist. None of this stopped him from pouting and pulling out his puppy dog eyes on Robotnik.

            “Doctor, if I can’t have any coffee, then how can I make sure your lattes are still up to your standards?” He made sure to angle his eyebrows just enough to look earnest, but not so much to appear fake. The expression had gotten him out of many disciplinary meetings, both in the army and the agencies he had worked for. It had a sixty-eight percent success rate with Robotnik—it really depended on his mood and if he was in the mood to indulge Stone.

            “I—” Robotnik faltered for a moment before glancing away. “I suppose one cup won’t hurt.”

            Stone beamed.

            “If you don’t calm down, I will sedate you,” Robotnik growled from were his nose was nearly pressed against Stone’s naked stomach. His long hair was brushing against Stone’s skin, making him want to squirm at the sensation.

            “Sorry, sir,” Stone gulped.

            His knuckles were turning white from how hard he was gripping the armrests of the medical chair. The lights were brighter than ever as Robotnik continued to slide his fingers slowly across Stone’s flesh. For the third time, Stone stared at the screen peering into his womb. He wasn’t sure what would happen if the egg didn’t take this time.

            After they had taken their first walk around Tokyo, the doctor allowed a few more. Stone had even convinced him to visit a few high-end cafes and critique their coffee. Robotnik always declared Stone’s lattes to be superior. The walks had helped the time go by quicker, but did nothing to soothe Stone’s worries as he finally sat down for his third ultrasound.

            Robotnik raised a hand to flick through a screen closer to him and angled away from Stone. He narrowed his eyes before moving his other hand only a few centimeters across Stone’s belly.

            “Hmm.”

            On the screen showing Stone’s vitals, his heartbeat began to speed up. It took all of Stone’s willpower not to growl and demand to know what was going on. He had to trust the doctor. For his part, Robotnik didn’t notice the increasing panic overcoming the man he was currently poking.

            “That…” Robotnik whispered, mouth pursing and eyes narrowing.

            “Sir?”

            Stone tried to lean forward, fear threatening to strangle him. His movements dislodged the doctor’s hand and the screen he was analyzing began beeping.

            “Hold still, you incompetent idiot!”

            “What’s going o—!” Stone cut himself as Robotnik jerked forward. He moved faster than Stone was expecting as strong hands wrapped around each of his wrists. Stone didn’t dare resist as Robotnik slammed his arms down, back onto the armrests. Wincing, Stone opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but the doctor snarled at him and raised one of his gloved hands. With the press of a button, metal manacles appeared from the chair and encircled his wrists tightly.

            “Doctor!”

            “I would think even your pea-sized brain would understand a simple enough command,” Robotnik barked, a hand snapping up to grab right under Stone’s jaw, wrist leaning heavily against his throat as he slammed Stone’s head back. Another button was pressed before more manacles popped out of the chair. One slid across his forehead and another around his throat. The harsh metal didn’t allow for any movement even as Stone instinctively pushed against his restraints. Robotnik knew exactly how to pin Stone.

            “Listen carefully,” Robotnik’s enraged face was all Stone could see as he swallowed, his adam’s apple brushing against the manacle. “I’ll give you an even simpler order: focus on your breathing. Think you can handle that?”

            “Sir, please just tell me—mmph!” He didn’t even see Robotnik’s hand move until it was too late.

            Stone choked as a rag was shoved into his mouth, the doctor’s fingers pushing the cloth further inside until it nearly brushed against the back of his throat. With the two manacles pinning his head down, he couldn’t move his head in any way to avoid his fate. He didn’t even dare to think of biting Robotnik’s fingers as they finally receded, satisfied that Stone was thoroughly gagged.

            “Hnnggh,” Stone whined pitifully behind the rag, mouth stuffed full. He felt that he deserved that after being restrained.

            “There,” Robotnik sniffed as he looked down his nose at Stone. “You’re lucky I didn’t just sedate you.”

            All Stone could do was stare up at him, silently begging to be released.

            Robotnik only sneered before settling back down in his stool. This time, he moved all the screens out of Stone’s line of sight and moved the medical chair to tilt back further. Stone was left staring up at the ceiling, not able to do more than glance down at the top of Robotnik’s head.

            Stone would rather face real torture than experience this.

            He couldn’t see the doctor, but he most certainly felt him. Both of his hands were wrapped around Stone’s waist with his thumbs brushing up and down his abdomen. Stone let out a stuttered gasp as the gentle caress.

            The restraints were firm; Stone knew Robotnik wouldn’t half-ass anything. The only way Stone was getting out of them was if he dislocated something but that was out of the question. If he pulled that trick in front of the doctor, who knew what kind of punishment would be in store for him. Robotnik already chewed him out frequently over ignoring his injuries—he’d blow a gasket if he learned of Stone hurting himself on purpose.

            Instead of escaping, Stone did as he was told. He began to take measured breaths.

            The rag in his mouth tasted disgusting—he had no desire to know what he had been used for. He shoved the sensation to the back of his mind as he slowly breathed through his nose. He curled and uncurled his fingers, a small enough stim to keep his mind from over analyzing the doctor’s movements.

            Robotnik was back to using two fingers as a wand to search his womb. He kept going between two points—back and forth, over and over—as if to double and then triple check something. Stone could vaguely hear him mutter something under his breath before small beeps broke through the mounting tension in the room.

            Stone was trying to push the rag with his tongue, but was getting nowhere with it. He was at the doctor’s mercy.

            After what felt like a lifetime, Robotnik finally spoke up.

            “The egg took.”

            Stone’s eyes widened. He could feel a weight lift from his shoulders as he let out a small noise of excitement. He was pregnant!

            “However…”

            Short nails dug into the plush armrests as Stone desperately tried to stare down at Robotnik, waiting for the next bit of news.

            “The other one did as well.”

            What?

            They had agreed that only one fertilized egg would be administered each time. Since the first two were duds, then there should only be one viable egg inside of him, right?

            “It appears I may have…made a miscalculation last time,” Robotnik admitted reluctantly, almost as if physically pained him to say it. “The egg took but due to its location against the womb’s wall, it blended in. I didn’t catch it the first time since the placenta and umbilical cord were only starting to form.”

            Stone’s breath caught in his throat as Robotnik finally adjusted the chair so Stone was sitting up and could meet his eyes. He was scanning Stone over, mouth set in a thin line.

            “Since that egg was shoved to the back of the womb, there was still room for the other egg to take hold as well.”

            All he could do was stare at Robotnik.

            “Congratulations, Stone,” he sighed. “You’re having twins. Fraternal, of course.”

            “Mmmmph.”

            Stone tried to push against his restraints, but they held firm. He wanted to brush his hands against his belly, to feel his baby—no, babies.

            He didn’t fail last time. They were only hiding. He didn’t fail.

            His vision began to blur and when he blinked, he could feel hot tears rolling down his cheeks. Twins. They were having twins!

            “Luckily, each are forming their own placenta and umbilical cord, so we won’t have to worry about them fighting over nutrients,” Robotnik continued, typing away at a screen, not even looking at Stone. “We’ll have to keep a close eye on their growth since one had three extra weeks to develop. Best case scenario, you’ll have to undergo two separate C-sections to get the brats out.”

            Stone tried to listen to the doctor’s words, but they washed over him as he imagined what the twins would look like. Perhaps each one would resemble their parents. He felt himself smiling around his gag at the thought of a little Robotnik and Stone running around and making mischief. He was secretly hoping they would take after Robotnik more than himself—he wanted the doctor’s heirs to truly live up to the Robotnik name.

            A flick to his forehead brought him out of his daydreams.

            “From now on, you will follow a strict diet,” Robotnik’s voice brokered no arguments. “You will also refrain from driving your little death machine you call a motorcycle. Any strenuous duties will be given to the badniks. Am I understood?”

            “Mmhm,” Stone hummed, unable to nod in agreement.

            “You may still do some of your daily exercise,” Robotnik narrowed his eyes. “Within reason. And no shooting range.”

            While disappointing, Stone fully agreed with that last statement. He wouldn’t dare put his babies in any kind of situation that would harm them. Robotnik held his gaze for a long moment, searching his soul. Stone stared back unblinkingly.

            “Good. Now go make me a latte.”

            Robotnik stood and began walking away from him. Stone could only watch him go. He wasn’t remotely surprised it took Robotnik five minutes to realize he left Stone tied up and gagged. With an eyeroll and flick of his wrist, the restraints retracted back into the chair, while Stone was left pulling the now spit-soaked rag out of his mouth.

            He quickly washed his mouth out before making the doctor his latte. The whole time, he couldn’t help but keep touching his stomach. If someone had told him a few years ago he would be the one carrying the doctor’s children, he would’ve begged the doctor to let him do it sooner.

            With a smile plastered on his face, Stone settled back into his own chair and pulled up a screen. He was about to pull up his previous nursery designs when a notification popped up. One of Robotnik’s safehouses was reporting fifteen badniks missing from their charging stations. Squinting at the screen, Stone wondered if maybe they were simply doing their routine security sweep. When he went to check the cameras, he found them offline.

            “Strange,” he whispered. Glancing over to the doctor, Stone decided he would handle the matter before bringing it to Robotnik’s attention. The man already had enough to deal with.

            Resting a hand on his belly, Stone began to track the missing badniks.

Chapter Text

            Robotnik sighed. The Crab was quiet at the moment as he flicked through the giant screen from his chair, trying to select what he wanted to watch. He had been jumping between La Ultima Pasion and two other telenovelas, but none of them were holding his attention. Glancing at the clock, he knew why.

            He was waiting for Stone to finally wake up.

            With them being underwater for most of the time, and hidden away in underwater caves, their natural circadian rhythms were screwed up. While Stone preferred to keep with the current time of the closest time zone, Robotnik had thrown that nonsense out the window. He slept whenever his body told him, which wasn’t often. So, he was left by himself for nearly eight hours every day. Normally that wouldn’t be an issue, however, when Stone was his current science project, it was annoying.

            Stone was now three and a half months along. The pregnancy was progressing smoothly, no issues with either of the fetuses. The three-week difference in development was concerning, but manageable. With anything else in life, three weeks wouldn’t make that much of a difference, however, a fetus could grow quite a bit in that amount of time. Even then, they were both within the parameters.

            At first, when Robotnik had discovered the hidden first fetus, he had been ready to rip the little sucker out of Stone. How dare something ruin one of his experiments! However, a little voice had spoken up:

            That’s exactly how a Robotnik should act.

            Yes. The egg had hidden away against the womb, biding its time. A clever one.

            It would make a perfect heir.

            The other one, he wasn’t so sure.

            Both fetuses had the potential to have his full intellect and the drive for world domination. The questions was, could he pick which one would rule and which one would become the dutiful henchman? Would they try to kill each other over the position of Ultimate Ruler? Could they rule together peacefully?

            Or would they both pop out completely useless to him?

            Good thing he had extra eggs stored away. With how Stone had been acting since they found out he was pregnant, Robotnik was sure the man wouldn’t mind doing it again. He’d probably kick up a fuss about having to get rid of the first two, but he’d get over it. Robotnik would make sure of it.

            Ever since they received confirmation of the eggs taking, it was as if Stone had become the true embodiment of a mother to be.

            He was even more doting than before, if that was even possible. It had gotten so bad, he would find Stone staring at him during meals, at the ready to clean if a single crumb even dared to fall from his mustache. The Crab was spick and span, practically sparkling with Stone’s nesting habits. There were a couple of boxes full to the brim with knitted and crocheted garments, many of which meant for the fetuses when they were fully cooked.

            At one point, Robotnik had joked about getting Stone a maid outfit. He decided against actually doing it—Stone’s entire wardrobe would be changing soon as his belly grew, so there was no point—instead getting him an apron that read ‘bun in the oven’. Stone had nearly started crying then and there. He wasn’t expecting Stone to actually wear it, but now it was part of his normal attire. Especially when cooking.

            Robotnik wasn’t complaining in the least when it came to Stone cooking and baking even more.

            “I need to practice for when the heirs come. I’m sure their palettes will be just as refined as yours, sir.”

            Stone had smiled so brightly, Robotnik didn’t have the heart to tell him the brats would be happy eating their own snot and glue, let alone Stone’s cooking. Either way, he was reaping the benefits with all the baked goods and pastries filling the Crab’s fridge. Even if that meant he had to give up his habit of eating fast food since Stone would go all teary-eyed at the sight of something other than his cooking.

            There was only one other issue that had risen with Stone’s cooking: the man kept trying to break his diet. Even with three badniks watching over his every move, Stone had gotten quite good at sneaking in extremely hot peppers. Robotnik had been concerned he was sneaking extra caffeine but luckily Stone was more disciplined than to succumb to that addiction. Now, if Robotnik didn’t have to go searching for a jar of peppers expertly hidden in the Crab every week, then everything would be just peachy.

            Each time, he would throw the jar away, only to be met with Stone’s pouty lips and big, sad eyes. He’d try to explain it away by claiming ‘cravings’.

            “Cravings are just your body’s hormones acting up. Try using your higher thinking skills before giving into your animalistic urges,” Robotnik would snap each time. At least that was one of the only negative habits Stone had picked up during the pregnancy.

            Sighing, Robotnik slumped in his chair and rested his chin on his fist. Bored out his mind, he checked the time. Stone had overslept by ten minutes. Normally, he would be yelling his head off about missing breakfast, but had decided since Stone was dealing with two parasites, he could have some leniency. Robotnik was nice that way.

            After another five minutes, he finally heard Stone’s door open.

            “Mornin’, doctor,” Stone called out around a yawn.

            “Hurry up. I wanna do another check-up.”

            “Right away.”

            Stone was out of the bathroom in record time as he padded up to Robotnik with his signature goofy smile. He was still dressed in a t-shirt and sweats, bare feet exposed to the Crab’s freezing floor.

            “Do you want me to get the chair out?” Stone asked, folding his hands over his stomach. It wasn’t an unusual position for him, however, unlike before, his hands rested more protectively over where the fetuses rested.

            “Don’t bother,” Robotnik huffed. Instead, he patted his lap. “We’ll just do it here. It won’t take long.”

            Stone stared at him wide eyed. His throat bobbed up and down as he swallowed.

            “T-there, sir?” His coughed.

            “Not up to your standards?” Robotnik sneered.

            “Not at all, sir!”

            “Then get over here!” Glaring, Robotnik watched as Stone edged closer to his chair. His hands shook slightly as he reached out for Robotnik’s chair. “I don’t have all day, Stone.”

            “Sorry.”

            Stone slowly lifted one leg up and then the other as they bracketed Robotnik’s thighs. Leaning the chair back slightly, Robotnik didn’t hesitate to grab Stone’s hips and pull him closer. He heard an odd sound from above him, but chalked it up to Stone being weird. Honestly, the other man should be used to having Robotnik’s hands all over him by now. After all, he was the one who impregnated him.

            “Grab onto the armrests,” Robotnik instructed him. Grasping Stone’s shirt, he pulled it all the way up to reveal his chest before holding the edge of it to Stone’s mouth. “Hold that.”

            Without hesitation, Stone’s teeth clamped down on the cloth, holding up his shirt so Robotnik could start poking at his abdomen. Immediately, he could feel the firm bump that was beginning to form. While Stone wasn’t quite showing just yet, it was obvious the small amount of pudge wasn’t from eating too much cake.

            “Hmm,” Robotnik hummed, continuing to feel Stone’s stomach before starting the ultrasound. He had never had the luxury of feeling a pregnancy bump before, only his own growing, soft belly. In a few months, it would be hard to tell which of them was the pregnant one.

            He could feel Stone’s muscles tensing underneath his hands and see the way his fingers clenched and unclenched out of the corner of eyes. Robotnik internally rolled his eyes. Stone better get used to this treatment because Robotnik didn’t feel like getting out the medical chair every time he wanted to do a check-up.

            Finally, he brought up a screen and started scanning Stone’s womb.

            It was a cake walk to find the two little fetuses. Ever since he had found the first one, it was now determined to show off for him. It was growing well, while the second was trying to keep up.

            “’octor?” Stone’s voice was slightly muffled.

            “They’re right there,” Robotnik said, pointing them out on the screen. “Brat one and brat two. They almost look like beans.”

            Stone was clearly mystified by them as he stared unblinkingly. Rolling his eyes, Robotnik continued the examination. After a few more minutes, he pulled his hand away.

            “There. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

            Letting his shirt drop, Stone smiled.

            “When do you think we can find out their gender?”

            Robotnik let his hands rest on top of Stone’s thighs as he thought. It was still too early to tell on the ultrasound, but there were other ways. He signaled a badnik to bring him a syringe.

            “A blood test should do.”

            Stone didn’t react as Robotnik took drew his blood, in fact, he stared at the needle intently. For what, Robotnik didn’t know, nor did he care.

            “Now, get off of me.”

            “Yes, sir.”

            As graceful as a ballerina, Stone slid off of him and made a beeline for the kitchen. Robotnik wasn’t surprised. Setting up the blood sample, Robotnik also had it perform a health screening as well. Better safe than sorry.

            Breakfast was omelets, fresh fruit, and slightly mishappen croissants. Stone was pouting over them even though the pastry was still delicious. By the time they were both fed—Robotnik was keeping an eye on Stone’s eating habits and how many calories he was intaking—the blood test was done.

            “Show time,” Robotnik called over his shoulder to Stone as he headed for the computer screen. He could almost feel Stone’s breath on his neck as the man looked over his shoulder.

            Checking the health screening first, Robotnik was pleased to see a clean bill of health for both fetuses. Next, he pulled up the genders. He blinked.

            Both were female.

            “This is wonderful, doctor!” Stone crowed behind him.

            “How is that?”

            “They’ll be sisters. They’ll be able to help each other with everything.”

            Robotnik raised an eyebrow. Last he heard, sisters hated each others guts—at least that’s what he gathered from social media. “Hmph.”

            “What’s wrong, sir? I thought you didn’t care what gender they would be?”

            “I don’t!” Robotnik huffed and crossed his arms. “But it’d be nice if at least one would take on the Robotnik ‘stache.”

            “I’m sure we’ll convince one of them,” Stone chuckled. “Do you have any names in mind?”

            “Ivo Junior.”

            “…for a girl?”

            “Of course! I need someone to carry the legacy!”

            Stone nodded slowly.

            “And for the other one?”

            “I—” Robotnik paused. He actually hadn’t thought that far. Up until that moment, they had been Fetus One and Two, nothing more. It wasn’t as if he had any family to name them after nor was there anyone remotely impressive from history to name them after either. “Ivo the Third?”

            “Sir…”

            “Fine!” He threw his hands up. “You name it then!”

            “Really?” Stone was staring at him as if he had been handed the moon on a silver platter.

            “Don’t question me, or I’ll take the privilege away,” Robotnik threatened. “And I have full rights to veto any name I don’t like.”

            “So, Stone Junior is off the table?”

            Robotnik didn’t even bother responding to that.

            “Doctor, I’m heading out!”

            “You better be taking an Uber!”

            A month after Stone was declared pregnant, Robotnik had admitted that it wasn’t healthy for Stone to be cooped up inside. Besides the pregnancy, it was clear being confined to the Crab was having damaging effects to his psyche. Sometimes Robotnik had to wonder if G.U.N. had given him a German Sheppard instead of an agent.

            Not only did Stone need stimulating enrichment, but he also needed to run around from time to time. Robotnik could remember the first time he had followed Stone on a field mission. It had been half a year after his employment to the doctor, and it had been clear as day the agent needed to dig his teeth into something. He had been twitching, ready to run as soon as he took a step out of their transport.

            And that he did.

            Robotnik hadn’t been expecting his agent to literally bite someone, but it most certainly happened. They had been searching for stolen weapons when they had been jumped. Stone had snapped into action faster than Robotnik could call any of his badniks. There wasn’t anyone alive by the time the robots’ lasers were ready—Stone had seen to it. Robotnik could still clearly see the blood-soaked expression on Stone’s face that day; it always sent a shiver down his back. He was an attack dog, through and through.

            An attack dog he was keeping trapped inside due to his own paranoia.

            There was no doubt in his mind that the artificial womb was working perfectly, but there were a myriad of ways something could go wrong. Hell, Stone laying the wrong way could potentially be catastrophic. The womb could move against another organ and cause tearing, or the cells inside the womb could impact the fetuses negatively. There were too many factors at play.

            On top of it all, Stone was horrible at hiding his morning sickness.

            They literally lived in a technologically advanced tin-can, did he not expected Robotnik to hear him vomiting? Or see him speed-walking from his room to the bathroom?

            He had been a little surprised that the sickness wasn’t only in the mornings—why name it that if it was false! —and had been forced to hear Stone puke his guts out at random times. Unfortunately, Robotnik noticed it happened occasionally after Stone would make his lattes—the smell of steamed milk was getting to him. As a result, he had requested one less latte in the day.

            His generosity knew no bounds these days.

            Due to the vomiting, he had kept a closer eye on Stone’s food intake. He was able to keep enough down to give enough nutrients to himself and the parasites, so Robotnik hadn’t intervened just yet. Perhaps that was another reason he let Stone out to do grocery runs alone.

            For now, Robotnik was going to enjoy his rare, Stone-free time.

            Which included eating absolute garbage since Stone would turn into a kicked puppy anytime Robotnik ate something other than his cooking as of late. How dare he control the great Dr. Ivo Robotnik’s diet! Who did he think he was? His mother? Ha! Robotnik had never met any of his family, so there was nobody for Stone to even imitate!

            “Hmm, now where do I wanna order from?” Robotnik tapped his chin. “Hell, why not everywhere.”

            “I have fallen in love with another,” Gabriella’s intense eyes stared wistfully at the camera.

            “But who, Gabriella? Tell me, who?!” Juan begged before his brother jumped out of the wardrobe. “My twin brother, Pablo!?”

            “Pablo!” Gabriella rushed to the other man.

            “Bastardo!”

            “Buenos dias, Hermano!”

            “Nooo!”

            Robotnik paused the show, Juan’s anguished face filling the screen. Chuckling, Robotnik spoke to the fictional character as he reached for his burrito. Sure, it wasn’t as good as Stone’s cooking, but sometimes fast-food hits different. Two different take-out containers sat at his feet—Stone would have a fit seeing trash on the floor. Him and his insufferable nesting habits could jump out a window for all Robotnik could care.

            “Let that be a lesson to you, Juan. Family is a field of emotional claymores that leave you abandoned, betrayed, and weeping while you eat cake. Which creates copious amounts of adipose tissue, and what some callous individuals would refer to as ‘man-boobs’.”

            Taking a vicious bite of the burrito, he heard a ding from his watch, meaning someone had come within ten feet of the Crab. That must be his McFlurry!

            By his estimate, Stone still should be out for another forty minutes. That was plenty of time to mow down and hide the evidence before his little assistant was back. Deciding a bit of celebrating was in order, he turned on his own jingle from his streams.

            One of the benefits of gaining his large belly was that it acted as a great impromptu drum. It wasn’t the first time he had enjoyed slapping his extra chub, in fact he very much doubted it would be the last.

            Even if his sworn enemy had seen him doing it.

            “Ahhh!”

            Yanking his shirt back down, Robotnik stared at the three, furry pains-in-the ass that were staring back at him in disbelief.

            “Doctor, we have visitors,” Stone helpfully announced.

            Robotnik tried pushing the take-out containers on the ground with his foot, but he could see Stone’s lips already wobbling and turning into a disappointed frown as he spotted them. Damn his overly expressive face and making Robotnik feel guilty!

            “Reeeeally?” Robotnik squeaked out. “And here I thought I was having an anthropomorphic nightmare where the only person I could trust in the whole world showed up with all of my worst enemies, while I was in a bathrobe and playing congas on my big fat belly!”

            “Sorry, sir.”

            Oh great, now Stone looked even more pathetic!

            “I don’t believe it. Eggman’s alive?” The blue, obnoxious weasel spoke.

            “And he’s never looked…worse,” the little fox joined in.

            “Well,” Robotnik laughed without mirth. “Maybe this is what not giving a damn what I look like, looks like.”

            He sent all three a glare before glancing over at Stone to see why the little cretins were in the Crab. That’s when he noticed the man’s leather jacket. Stone only wore that while riding his motorcycle. Robotnik felt his eye twitch—if he found out Stone touched, let alone rode, his damn motorcycle, there’d be hell to pay. He knew the rules!

            “Sir,” Stone pulled something out of said leather jacket. “Right now, we have an even bigger problem.”

            “Oh, c’mon,” he groaned. Not only had Stone brought some of his worst enemies into his living space, but he was also presenting him with something else just as irritating. He swore, once he kicked the little trio out, he would make Stone unravel his favorite knitted piece. That would be a fitting punishment.

            “There’s an imposter out there, using your technology,” Stone sighed, sliding a disk into a console.

            “Imposter?” Robotnik couldn’t help but laugh as he turned to face the screen. “That’s impossa-what?!”

            There, on the screen, were his babies!

            He was proud they were doing their duty and trying to kill the hedgehog and his gang, but he wasn’t the one who sent them there! By their design, he could tell which batch of badniks they were—they were supposed to be in his hidden lab in Norway. Not causing a ruckus in Tokyo without his permission.

            “My sweet, mechanized spawn!” He anguished. “Whomever this party-pooping pose is looking for, they’ve stolen my persona and the precious babies from my egg-sac! Well, I will soon egg-sact my revenge! See what I did there?”

            He could hear Stone’s little chuckle behind him. Good, at least the man was still useful for something.

            “It’s time for the dramatic soap opera twist, where this Pablo, reveals his Juan!”

            “Sir, there are children present,” Stone blurted out. panicked. Ignoring him, Robotnik stormed over to a console. He kicked the other take-out container into the corner, again hoping Stone wouldn’t say anything about it. He’d have to cancel that next order too before Stone started looking at their shared purchase history.

            “By cross referencing the precise coordinates of each drone’s energy spikes, I can track my babies to the imposter’s base of operations. Right…about…there!”

            With as much flare as he could put into his finger, he pointed at the screen.

            Only to be met with no applause.

            Out of the corner of his eye he could see Stone picking up the offending take-out containers with a sigh. No doubt he’d be getting the sad, puppy-dog-eyes look all night.

            “I hate to say it, Sonic, but I think we’re after the same person,” the fox’s annoying voice pipped up.

            “Hold on, hold on!” The blue rat stopped him. “You’re not suggesting we team up with Dr. Ro-butt-stink, are you?”

            Robotnik had tuned them out at this point, jabbing at the glowing dot on the console. How dare they steal his babies! Didn’t they know how much blood, sweat, and tears he put into his creations? He had crafted them with love! Oh, when he found this drone-napper, he’d tear them limb from limb! He’d make them regret being born at all!

            His poor babies must be missing their daddy. Feeling lost and alone—if they could feel that is. Just thinking of them in a stranger’s hands had Robotnik ready to kill.

            “Perhaps the fox is right,” the idiot warrior’s oddly masculine voice joined in. “It could be our only chance to find this mysterious, more impressive hedgehog.”

            “Ugh,” the blue rat groaned. “All right, Egghead. I hate to say it, but it looks like we’re partners.”

            A devilish smile spread across Robotnik’s face. He could work with this. Twirling back around, he pinned the little group with a look.

            “On one condition.”

            Robotnik held out his hand, motioning for something.

            “Dude, you have serious issues.” Nonetheless, the hedgehog complied, pulling out a shining, blue quill. Without a moment of hesitation, Robotnik brought the quill up to his tongue, feeling the familiar and satisfying shock.

            A rush of adrenaline he hadn’t felt in a long time ran through his veins, leaving him with a large smile. He didn’t hesitate to grab onto Stone.

            “Let’s do this!”

            “If you think you can turn my heirs into iPad using zombies—”

            “That won’t happen, sir.”

            Robotnik could practically hear Stone’s soothing smile in his voice as he continued to shave around his ears. Still grumbling, Robotnik glanced over to a corner of the Crab where Stone had set up the annoying trio.

            He had supplied them with cinnamon rolls he had made that afternoon—they were meant to be Robotnik’s midnight snack—and an iPad. The game they were playing had been modified so that depending on which creature was playing, the difficulty would automatically switch. On top of that, no matter how hard they tried, they would never beat Robotnik’s top score. Not that he played whatever game Stone set up—it was a simple programming design to make it even more engaging and distracting for the trio.

            How Stone knew exactly how to distract the little furballs so Robotnik could have his dramatic costume change made Robotnik wonder if it was instinct or something that came with pregnancy.

            That didn’t change the fact Stone had given away his snacks to the little pests.

            He’d make Stone unravel two knitted onesies.

            Stone’s hands were firm but gentle as they ran across his scalp and massaged the freshly shaven skin. Soon those hands disappeared as the man circled around to stand in front of him once more. His smile was radiant was he brought out Robotnik’s mustache kit, small scissors at the ready. Robotnik let his head be titled back as Stone followed his precise instruction on shaping his iconic ‘stache.

            Eyes slipping closed, Robotnik let his body relax as he let Stone take control for a moment. Even with his sworn enemy grumbling under his breath about losing the game once more only a few feet away from him, Robotnik knew Stone wouldn’t let anything untold happen. If there was anyone in complete control of the situation at the moment, it was Stone.

            Not only had he gotten the little twerps to settle down, but he had a sharp instrument next to Dr. Ivo Robotnik’s soft bits.

            There was ample opportunity for Stone to take advantage of every single one of them.

            It would be child’s play for him to stab Robotnik in the throat and to have poisoned the others in the room. He could set the Crab to self-destruct, covering up any evidence of what had occurred, leaving him a free man to go anywhere he pleased.

            But he didn’t.

            Rather, he finished shaping Robotnik’s mustache before starting to sweep up the last remnants of Robotnik’s depressive episode off the floor while asking the trio if they wanted anything to drink.

            Perhaps I should train my future heirs to be just as subservient, Robotnik thought to himself. While he was busy ruling the world and creating his empire, his heirs could be creating new inventions—of which he would take credit for, of course. They would be tripping over themselves to garner Robotnik’s approval, doing anything to get the smallest compliment. He could ask anything of them, and they would do it; after all he was their sire.

            If Stone was satisfied with serving him, then so should their shared spawn. They were half Stone.

            Chuckling to himself quietly, Robotnik grabbed his coat. Time to finish his look!

            Only to open the bathroom door and bark at Stone.

            “Tinker-tailor! I need room.”

            “But, sir,” Stone frowned at him. “I don’t have the proper materials—”

            Without breaking eye contact, Robotnik grabbed the sleeve of Stone’s suit jacket and pulled down viciously. The sleeve came straight off, leaving his henchman speechless.

            “There, found some,” he sneered, thrusting the cloth back into Stone’s hands. “Use the rest of it while you’re at it.”

            “…resourceful,” Stone muttered to himself as he walked away.

            He was lucky Robotnik had chosen his jacket and not his shirt. Or else his stomach would be on full display—Robotnik did not need to explain to three pre-pubescent idiots about the Birds-and-the-Bees.

            “So, which way do we go?”

            “I know,” Robotnik turned back around to their little impromptu search party. The abandoned G.U.N. base was unassuming so far, but with the drone-napper having his technology, who knew what kind of ambush was awaiting them. “We should split up. Everyone with hideous, brightly colored fur take the left and the middle. Stone and I will go right.”

            “No, no, no! I’m not letting you out of my sight,” the bane of his existence snapped back. “Tails, you and Stone go left. Knuckles, you take the middle. Eggman, you and me go right.”

            “By all means,” he curled his lip. “We could spend some time together—to work on your trust issues.”

            “You know what? You’re right. I should be more trusting. I mean, you’ve only tried to kill me twice!”

            I would like it to actually stick, Robotnik growled to himself. He shoved past the blue menace to glare down at the yellow fox.

            “If a single hair is out of place on Stone, I’m going to turn you into my new bathroom rug. Understand?” He put as much venom as he could afford into his voice as Red and Blue took steps closer to him at the threat. Luckily, Foxy was easily terrified.

            “I-I understand!”

            “Good.”

            Meeting Stone’s eyes, he could see the man’s clear disapproval at threatening the yellow creature. Classic Stone—he never did like Robotnik being even slightly cruel to animals. Ignoring his henchman’s little frown, he gave him a knowing look.

            If anything happens, you come to me immediately.

            Stone gave a small nod back in understanding. If there was anything Robotnik would bet money on, it was Stone doing everything in his power to protect the fetuses nestled inside of him.

            “Are you done threatening my friends, Eggbutt?”

            “For now,” Robotnik sniffed. Without waiting for the hedgehog, he stomped towards the very right tunnel.

            “You ever wonder what your life would’ve been like if you had a family?”

            “Hmm, no!”

            “Maybe you wouldn’t have gone full supervillain.”

            “I have no parents, no aunts, no uncles, and something about my attitude renders me undesirable to all possible genders.”

            At least I made it so the Robotnik name won’t end with me, Robotnik smirked to himself. While it was cathartic to trauma-dump on the hedgehog, the creature didn’t need to know about his expected heirs.

            He knew very little of his parents—the only family he had ever found the names to. They had been scientists in their own right, but hadn’t made contributions to much before disappearing from the earth. Bodies lost over a cliff or something equally tragic. Robotnik hadn’t bothered to read the whole report. Why bother crying over people he’d never meet?

            The concept of family had always eluded him and would continue until the end of his days. Of course, the idea of having someone on your side, no matter what you do, was extremely tempting to acquire. They would take care of him, support him, be there for his achievements and failures alike, but most of all, they wouldn’t abandon him.

            If only they hadn’t actually abandoned him.

            Maybe the hedgehog was onto something. Not that he’d ever admit that. Speaking of the blue rat…

            “Where’d you go, hedgehog? I wasn’t done!”

            Turning a corner, Robotnik gasped. Sitting in the middle of the room, and stacked neatly in a little pyramid, were his badniks.

            “My darlings!” He rushed towards them, wrapping his arms around the top one and resting his cheek on the cold carapace. While the rest of the room was covered in layers of dust, not a spec was on his robots. “My eggy-weggies! Daddy missed you so much!”

            “Memories, like corners of my mind…”

            He had a grandfather.

            Someone who had been imprisoned and kept away from him his entire life. A family member who not only supported his evil ways, but a man who’s intellect was nearly parallel with his own. What more would he want from someone genetically connected to him?

            “You’ll see,” Gerald told him. “I have the answer to everything. C’mon kiddo.”

            Robotnik felt a shock of warmth go through him as his grandfather’s hand rubbed his bare head. Nobody had ever given him a head pat before. Watching the man lead the way, Robotnik couldn’t help but skip along after him.

            Not only was his newly established grandfather also a genius, he had an enhanced version of Sonic at his beck and call. The black and red hedgehog had captured the tri-colored trio, effectively tying them up. However, Robotnik wasn’t pleased with Stone also being tied down. Scanning him over, he could see the hedgehog had been in fact gentler with Stone than the others. In all actuality, Stone could easily slip out of his bonds if he wanted to—his hands weren’t even secured!

            Robotnik was much better at tying Stone up.

            “Stone, why are you tied up? Do that on your own time. You sicken me,” Robotnik curled his lip. It was like his henchman hadn’t even tried to fight back! Even as Stone gave him a disgruntled look in response, Robotnik clearly flicked his eyes down to Stone’s stomach in a silent question. Are you hurt?

            A small jerk of the head to the side. No.

            “You must be the long-lost grandson.”

            Even more disgusted, he turned to look at the new hedgehog in question. His voice was deeper and eyes far more intense compared to his blue counterpart. Why Gerald was so attached to an annoying creature was beyond him.

            “And you must be another stinking hedgehog!”

            Couldn’t he get a break from all these anthropomorphic nuisances?!

            At least this Shadow was useful as he retrieved the key to Gerald’s ultimate weapon. To think the Eclipse Cannon was hiding somewhere in G.U.N.’s possession and Robotnik knew nothing about it. He had combed through every little bit of their files, but nothing like this nor Gerald Robotnik had ever been mentioned. How had they hidden this from a genius like him?

            With his glove, he called the Crab to their location while using a small laser to cut Stone free—not that the man needed it. Robotnik kept his eyes trained on his assistant as Stone fluidly got to his feet as if he wasn’t kidnapped by a killer, space hedgehog. There were no marks on him that Robotnik could see, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to give him a thorough scanning once they were in the Crab.

            “Holy Crab!” Gerald called out as they approached the uniquely shaped ship.

            “Spacious and crustaceous,” Stone chirped.

            Robotnik bit his lip so as not to laugh at that.

            Instead, he graciously allowed his grandfather to enter the Crab first. He could feel himself preening under the older man’s appreciative sounds as he slowly walked around the ship. Robotnik was thankful for Stone’s pregnant tendency to clean everything until it was shining or else his grandfather might have seen a pigsty instead.

            The ship ascended gradually out of the secret base before flying higher and faster once the new hedgehog teleported inside the Crab. However, Robotnik wasn’t quite paying attention to the speed of the Crab as he had it fly above the mountains to view the destruction from above.

            Not until he heard feet running and the tell-tale sound of Stone expelling his stomach contents as the bathroom door slammed behind him.

            “Damn it!” Robotnik hissed. Before falling pregnant, Stone never had a problem with motion sickness, however, now that he was expecting, things had changed. They had first experienced this when the Crab had been left floating on the sea, allowing Stone to sit out on one of the claws. The motion of the waves had left him green for hours and attached to the toilet for half of that time. Robotnik had tried to be careful with how quickly the Crab moved so as to keep the sickness at bay from then on. A small shot of guilt pierced his heart as he took a step towards the bathroom.

            Only to stop short at the derisive snort behind him.

            “This younger generation is fully of prissy, weak idiots,” Gerald sneered. “Where did you even find him?”

            “Uh, well,” Robotnik fidgeted. Should he tell his grandfather about the pregnancy? It was completely unorthodox—not only did he create an artificial womb and plant it into a male, but he and Stone weren’t in any kind of relationship. Male pregnancy and children out of wedlock wasn’t quite what Gerald’s generation would classify as ‘the traditional way’. Would Gerald find this disturbing and leave? “He’s been working for me for years. Just a bit of motion sickness.”

            “Weakling,” Gerald grunted before turning away.

            Robotnik winced. Stone was anything but weak. Sure, he had certain traits that would win him the ‘House Wife of the Year’ award, but he was still a trained agent. There had been times when Robotnik was convinced Stone couldn’t feel pain with the way he moved in the field. Robotnik hadn’t seen another human take a bullet to the thigh only to keep running for two more miles while carrying a badnik under each arm.

            Glancing towards the bathroom, he could hear Stone’s coughing. What surprised him was the way the hedgehog was edging towards the sound. Was that concern he saw on the alien’s face?

            “Now, let’s see how those little runts are fairing,” Gerald called out to him.

            “Yeah…”

            Turning away from Stone’s direction, Robotnik gave his grandfather his entire focus as he pulled up a live feed of the Crab’s main camera. They watched as the mountain completely disappeared, not a trace of the secret base left behind.

            “I’ve spent years trying to cleanse the cosmos of that spiny, blue speed freak,” Robotnik stared at the screen, mouth agape. “And you did it…in one afternoon.”

            “There’s nothing we can’t destroy—together, my boy,” Gerald smirked back at him.

            A small beep from his gloves grabbed his attention: a scan of Stone’s health. Whipping his head around, he saw two badniks scanning the man over as he sat down at the navigation controls. The smaller one was bumping gently into his arm while the other kept the scan going even after it gathered all important information. So far, everything seemed normal, even with Stone being captured by Shadow.

            Meanwhile, the hedgehog had stationed himself next to Stone, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Weird.

            “Setting course for G.U.N. headquarters in London, sirs,” Stone announced, almost as if he wasn’t puking his guts out a few minutes ago. “ETA four hours. As the Crab flies.”

            “By all accounts, we’re ahead of schedule,” Gerald turned to Robotnik and gently placed his hand on his shoulder. “We should take this time to get to know each other better.”

            “Wow…what?” Robotnik blinked. He wasn’t quite sure he had heard right. “You mean—spend some qua-qua-quality time together?”

            “You’ve waited for this your entire life. How would you spend one perfect day with your new grand-pal?”

            Robotnik swore he could hear music play as every scenario he had ever wished to experience ran through his head.

            The perfect afternoon with his grandfather.

            After all these years, he had given up on creating any lasting familial memories. Now, the opportunity was being presented to him by a man he didn’t even know exist an hour ago. He could finally live out every milestone he wished his family had been there for in his life.

            The rest of the world fell away as he and Gerald put on the VR headsets.

            Four hours of bonding passed, leaving Ivo feeling rejuvenated—almost as if he wasn’t past his prime, had stiff joints, and his back hurts more and more these days. Like a changed man. He felt better than he had in years, like he was ready to take over the world—with his grandfather, of course.

            He was manually steering the Crab into the Thames River and then into the sewer system. With his expert flying, he was able to keep the ride smooth, however, it meant keeping his entire focus on doing so. When he finally settled the Crab close to their destination, but still hidden, he could hear Gerald muttering.

            “What is this?”

            Letting the Crab settle into position, Ivo looked over to where Gerald was standing, having rummaged through a few of the storage cabinets. Squinting, Ivo could see he was holding a jar of something.

            Was that…?

            “Hmm,” Gerald popped the lid off and gave it a sniff before dipping his fingers inside. As he pulled out a pepper, Ivo sprang to his feet. “Would you like to try one, Shadow?”

            “Wait!” Ivo shouted.

            The hedgehog took a pepper, both of them taking a bite at the same time.

            “Ah, shit…” Ivo winced. By the looks of it, that was one of the hotter batches of peppers Stone had gotten his hands on.

            The effects were instantaneous.

            Shadow’s eyes grew so large, Ivo swore his head was more eyeball than spikes. Tears streamed down his furry cheeks and his mouth puckered before he blinked out of existence. Meanwhile, Gerald’s face was beet-red, sweat pouring down his cheeks and mixing with his own tears. If they had been in a cartoon, steam would’ve been coming out of his ears. As it stood, the old man fell to his knees, holding onto the wall for support.

            “Grandpappy!”

            Ivo crouched next to Gerald, rubbing his back. The door to Stone’s room opened, revealing the culprit of this whole situation.

            “Sir, what’s going on?”

            “Why the hell were your peppers in the cabinet with the spare badnik parts!?” Ivo snarled. “Get something to help him!”

            “Yes, doctor!”

            Gerald was making weak wheezing noises, clutching at his throat and fanning his tongue. Ivo flinched in sympathy—even he couldn’t handle the amount of scovilles Stone enjoyed eating regularly.

            “Here you go.”

            Ivo snatched the glass of milk out of Stone’s hands and coaxed Gerald to slowly drink from it. Honestly, it was kind of gross watching the old man’s mustache get soaked with the Austrian goat’s milk. The smell of it didn’t mix well with the man’s musky odor.

            “W-what in the seven hells was that?” Gerald croaked out after downing the entire glass.

            Peering at the jar Gerald had dropped, Ivo rolled his eyes.

            “Red Sarvina habanero peppers,” Ivo told him, helping him to his feet. “Stone, I thought I told you to go another hundred thousand scovilles lower if you were going to eat those torture trips.”

            “Normal habaneros taste boring,” Stone pouted. He was standing close to his bedroom door, almost as if ready to dart inside. Ivo narrowed his eyes—if Stone thought he could get out of a punishment, he was dead wrong.

            “Boring?!” Gerald barked, voice still hoarse. “You’re a mad man! Who in their right mind would eat such a thing!”

            “Ever since I got pre—”

            “He’s just weird!” Ivo shouted over him, baring his teeth at Stone. “I could never get him to kick the habit.”
            Purposefully turning away from the odd wetness in Stone’s eyes, he gently pulled his grandfather to a chair to sit down.

            “Young people these days,” the old man groused. “Ruining everything.”

            “Of course, granddad.”

            Eventually, Shadow appeared back inside the Crab, acting as if nothing had happened. It was finally time for their grand entrance.

            “London, baby!”

            He flared his arms out, enjoying the theatrics. For some reason, he felt as if none of the three next to him were giving him the attention he deserved.

            “G.U.N.’s headquarters is right there!” Shadow turned to Gerald. “Let me go in, get the key, and destroy anyone in my way. I want revenge!”

            A porcupine after my own heart, Ivo snorted to himself.

            “Patience, Shadow,” Gerald soothed. “Just let us handle this, and I promise you’ll have revenge on a scale you couldn’t possibly imagine.”

            “C’mon, Granddaddy-O, we’ve got dirt to do,” Ivo grinned. “Suits!”

            Dutiful as always, Stone stepped right up, opening the briefcase Ivo had him dig out of storage.

            “Right here, sir.” Stone gave him an eager smile. Grabbing the case, Ivo drew closer to Stone so only he could hear him.

            “Stone, babysit the hedgehog. Maybe even practice your swaddling while you’re at it. I think he needs a nap from how cranky he is,” Ivo quipped. Pulling the case out of Stone’s hands, he turned back to Gerald and gave him a wide smile. “It’s time for more family bonding!”

            “So, thank you for taking the bait and falling into my trap.”

            “I don’t believe this,” Ivo struggled to talk as one side of his face was pressed harshly against the floor. He wasn’t expecting augmented gravity inside the vault itself.

            “What I don’t believe,” Rockwell cocked her head to the side, giving him a considering look. “Is that you did the dirty work yourself, Robotnik.”

            “What do you mean?” He tried glaring up at her, but wasn’t sure if the intimidation worked.

            “Where’s Stone?” She asked sweetly. “With those special suits of yours, I’d think Stone would’ve been in and out of here in ten minutes. He knows exactly how to evade the very agents he worked alongside of, and has every single inch of this place memorized. Also, he wouldn’t have wasted his time doing a little, dance choreography. What, is he not feeling well?”

            “I can easily handle something as simple as stealing from G.U.N.!”

            “Oh, I’m sure,” she gave him a smug look. “But Stone is the one with actual experience breaking into top secret locations. I’ve seen him. He’s much better at this than you are.”

            Ivo let out a low growl.

            “In fact,” she tapped her chin as if in thought. “I still can’t understand why he follows you around like a puppy. You’d think he’d want to work for someone smarter than him.”

            “How dare you—!”

            “So much wasted potential. Not only was he a top agent before working for you, but he was also up for several promotions. Talk about flushing your career down the toilet.”

            “You—”

            “I actually prepared for him, you know,” Rockwell interrupted him, looking disappointed. “But now that he’s not here, I feel like all my preparations are a bit much for the likes of two washed up Robotniks.”

            Suddenly, the walls were opening up to reveal a dozen or more soldiers, all armed to the teeth. Heh, even with all that, they still wouldn’t have been able to take down Stone, Ivo thought. He saw the fox and the two idiots who hung around the colorful trio being escorted into the vault.

            “It’s over. The only way you’re leaving here is in handcuffs. There’s no other way out.”

            “You know,” the blue rat spoke up. “There might be another way out.”

            “And what is that supposed to mean?” Rockwell rolled her eyes.

            “Hey, big guy…”

            The Eclipse Cannon was nothing like Ivo could ever have imagined. His grandfather truly was a genius. Especially since he was able to get G.U.N. to make them new suits on top of the space station.

            His own tech gloves paired beautifully with the suit’s new ones, however, he wasn’t expecting them to chime with an incoming call.

            “What do you want, Stone? I’m busy.” Honestly, he wasn’t expecting his assistant to contact him. He was only supposed to stay in the Crab until told otherwise. Stepping away from Gerald, Ivo lowered his voice.

            “Doctor, I have a bad feeling about this,” Stone sounded almost breathless. “I don’t think your grandfather’s been completely honest with us. It was something Shadow said—there’s more to their plan.”

            Ivo was quiet as he listened to Stone. At the last part, he looked back at Gerald, who raised his eyebrow.

            Gerald was the only living family he had left, so why was Stone questioning him now? It had to be jealousy! Even if this was being brought on by the pregnancy, he would not allow Stone to question his grandfather!

            “How dare you!” Ivo hissed. How did he not see it all along?! “You’ve been jealous of my long-lost grand-pop-tart since the very beginning!”

            His grandfather who had spent the entire afternoon with him, reliving all the moments Ivo had missed out on in life. The man who was going to conquer the world with him. The very person who had helped him take down the blue menace and his little friends.

            And what had Stone done during all that time?

            Nothing!

            All he did was throw up and almost kill Gerald with his pregnancy cravings! In the past he had his usefulness, but now, he was only good for gestating Ivo’s future heirs.

            “I no longer require your obsequious groveling. Consider this your notice of termination,” Ivo knew Stone couldn’t see him talking down his nose at him, but that didn’t change his tone. “Your letter of reference will be L for ‘loser’.”

            He shared a smirk with his grandfather before turning away slightly and dropping his voice once more.

            “I expect you to deliver my heirs to me once they’re house broken, but don’t think you’ll get a cent of child support out of me!” He hissed into his hand. Letting his voice rise again, he continued. “You and I are done! Like a blackened catfish dinner!”

            “Sir, it’s too dangerous, and I’m not there to protect you! I already lost you once—”
            “Unsubscribe, blocked, and reported.” With as much disdain as he could muster, he roughly jabbed the buttons to hang up the call.

            Gerald gave him a proud smile before handing him one of the keys.

            “Care to do the honors,” Gerald winked at him. “Grandson?”

            “The Eclipse Cannon is going to turn this planet into a flaming pile of rubble, wiping out everything in a 25,000-mile radius,” Gerald stepped up to one of the bay windows, ignoring the large amount of chaos energy sparking behind them. Ivo stood next to him, staring down at Earth. One of Gerald’s hands came up to move his face so their eyes would meet. “Including us.”

            Ivo blinked.

            “WHAT?!” He shouted, a nervous laugh bubbling out of his throat. “We can’t annihilate the Earth!”

            “Hmm?”

            “By combining our genius, we can rule humanity! Together!” He looked at Gerald hopefully, his hands clasped together, almost in a prayer. Please, grandpappy, please tell me you’re joking…

            “Humanity is a failed experiment. If anyone should know that, it’s you,” Gerald snarled. “All you life, you’ve been rejected by this world. You have nothing down there. No one who cares about you.”

            No one who cares…?

            That wasn’t true. At all.

            Without his permission, Stone’s sappy smile flashed through his mind. That’s right—Stone cared. He cared so much, he had stuck by Ivo’s side through everything; even when the man thought Ivo would never return from an alien planet, or when he had broken almost every bone in his body. Stone had been there for every bit of it.

            It hadn’t mattered if Ivo had become a lazy slob—Stone had never once complained or threatened to leave. Not even when Ivo had screamed, thrown things, or hit him, Stone didn’t leave.

            He cared about Ivo.

            “But I have you now…we’re family. We have each other,” he tried to search Gerald’s face for any scrap of love and affection the man had shown him only a few hours ago. They were family, surely that meant something to his grandfather.

            “Oh, Ivo…” Gerald shook his head, disgust clear in his gaze. “You’re no Maria.”

            He wasn’t like the dead granddaughter Gerald had lost over fifty years ago. A child Ivo had never met and never would.

            “The moment I lost her, my family was gone forever!” Gerald shouted, storming away from Ivo. “The only way to give Maria’s life meaning is to destroy the world that took her from me. So, I’m burning it all down!”

            Gerald’s family was gone.

            Ivo wasn’t his family.

            That meant Ivo didn’t have any family either.

            Doctor…

            No, that wasn’t right either.

            He had Stone.

            Stone who had tried to warn him. Stone who was waiting anxiously back down on Earth for Ivo to return.

            Stone who was pregnant with his heirs.

            No, not heirs.

Ivo’s children.

            Dr. Ivo Robotnik was going to have children. Two daughters.

            “I-I’m going to be a dad,” he whispered brokenly, pulling his clasped hands apart. His head snapped up when he heard Shadow’s voice.

            “It’s done.”

            No! He couldn’t let this happen!

            Ivo couldn’t let his daughters die before they had even been born.

            He had to fix this.

Earlier…

            “Gabriella should kill them both. She’s not a prize to be won.”

            Stone glanced up from the guac he was preparing—apparently Shadow wasn’t all that keen on actually cooking—to look at the dark hedgehog. He was glaring up at the screen, watching La Ultima Pasion. Maybe Stone shouldn’t have put the show on since the doctor was going to have a fit when he found out Stone watched ahead. Serves him right, Stone groused to himself.

            After the way Robotnik had been acting, he deserved the small act of mutiny. Not that Stone would go further than simply messing with the doctor’s telenovelas or misplacing something on purpose. He was still loyal after all.

            “Kill this. Murder that. You need to lighten up, Shadow,” Stone called out to the hedgehog. Suddenly a thought hit him—he knew exactly how to cheer Shadow up. Smiling, Stone put his wooden spoon down and rounded the kitchen island. “Shadow, come here.”

            For his part, Shadow frowned, but did as Stone asked. Crouching down, Stone smiled as Shadow stood in front of him. He could see the way Shadow’s body relaxed, clearly not expecting an attack from the human.

            “Before meeting you and the professor, the doctor and I were actually working on something,” Stone began. He unbuttoned his suit jacket. “You see, he decided he didn’t want the Robotnik name to disappear. So, he created heirs.”

            “Heirs?”

            “Yes. We were only planning on one, but something went a little sideways and now we’re expecting two babies. Two girls.”

            Shadow’s eyes widened. Stone’s smile grew as he placed a hand over his stomach and pressed down gently. He could just about feel the small bump.

            “Your—babies?” Shadow’s voice was unsarcastically hesitant.

            “Mmhm,” Stone tried to keep his excitement muted so not to overwhelm the hedgehog. “In fact, the doctor said that I could name one of them. Unfortunately, I don’t really have any ideas.”

            “Really?” Shadow narrowed his eyes.

            “You see,” Stone sighed, glancing away. “I would name them after a family member, but I honestly can’t remember any of their names.”

            “Why not?”

            “I was too young when they died.”

            Shadow blinked at him, clearly shocked. Taking a deep breath, Stone explained.

            “When I was five, my village was attacked. Like a lot of others, it got caught up in the war. My siblings and I were shopping in the market when the fighting broke out. My older brother and sister were taken right in front of me. They were old enough to be of use to the soldiers—for different reasons. My little sister and I tried to run away, but a bomb went off. A building near us collapsed. My sister wasn’t quick enough.”

            Swallowing, Stone wiped at his eyes.

            “It took me an hour to dig her out. The debris had crushed her. One of my uncles found me the next day, still clutching her body. My parents had been killed during the raid.”

            Stone met Shadow’s wide eyes.

            “No matter how hard I try,” Stone tried to keep his voice steady. “I can’t remember any of their names. I can see their faces, but no name feels familiar. So, would you do me the honor of choosing a name for me?”

            Shadow’s mouth had dropped open slightly. He didn’t say anything, instead he continued to stare at Stone.

            “Shadow?” Stone reached out before hesitantly placing a hand on the hedgehog’s shoulder. His fur was surprisingly soft. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said anyth—”
            “No,” Shadow blurted out. “It’s fine. But why are you asking me for a name?”

            “The professor seems to really care about you,” Stone smiled gently. “I might be reading into it, but it feels like he treats you like a grandchild, like the doctor. You’re practically family. Who better to ask?”

            The dark hedgehog stared at him, his usual glower falling away. His movements were slow and jerky as he reached out for Stone. Pulling his jacket open further, Stone placed his hand on top of Shadow’s to guide it towards his stomach. There wasn’t much to feel at this stage of the pregnancy, but the pure awe in Shadow’s eyes was enough to let Stone know he also felt the bump.

            “What do you think?” Stone whispered, afraid of breaking the fragile emotion in the air. After a long pause, the hedgehog finally spoke.

            “Maria,” Shadow mumbled. “Is that name acceptable?”

            “Maria,” Stone repeated the name, testing it out. He could see the flicker of hope in Shadow’s eyes as he waited for the man’s verdict. “I like it. Thank you, Shadow.”

            “What will be the other one’s name be?”

            Stone sighed.

            “Ivo Junior.”

            “That’s a stupid name. Especially for a girl.”

            “You try telling that to the doctor,” Stone chuckled. The air seemed to lighten around them as Shadow gave him the faintest hint of a smile. Looking the hedgehog over, Stone decided to take a risk.

            Keeping his movements slow and obvious, he took his hand off Shadow’s shoulder. His eyes were locked with red ones as he gradually rested his hand on top of Shadow’s head. If Stone wasn’t watching him, he wouldn’t have caught the miniscule sigh the hedgehog let out as Stone brushed his hand backwards, almost petting him.

            Adorable.

            A sudden crackle from the large screen broke them apart. Snapping his head up, Stone saw Tails’ big, blue eyes taking up the entire thing.

            “Cheerio! I guess someone forgot to flush.”

            Jumping to his feet, Stone felt the Crab begin to shake. Items began to fall to the floor while Stone struggled to keep standing. He could already feel his stomach rebelling. Looking through the Crab’s back camera, he could see a huge wave of water rushing towards them.

            “Oh, shit!”

            A strong hand wrapped around his wrist, pulling at him.

            It felt as if he was being put through a meat-grinder—every nerve was alight, burning and tearing all at once. His lungs were wrung out, every bit of air stolen, but no matter how much he willed his body to fight against the sensation, nothing happened. Even his eyes didn’t seem to listen to his commands as a blanket of pure darkness enveloped him.

            I’m dying.

            My girls are dying!

            Then his knees hit unforgiving ground, the impact rocking through his entire body. Gasping, air rushed back into his body. He could already feel tears streaming down his cheeks as he clutched at the ground below him.

            Only for his body to revolt.

            Everything he had eaten in the last few hours suddenly reappeared as his stomach muscles clenched harshly. Stone could do nothing to stop the now familiar act of vomiting.

            Clutching at his stomach, he tried to relax his muscles to ease the process, but his body was having none of it. He didn’t know how long he stayed there, but by the time he was done, his throat was on fire and a horrible after taste was left behind.

            “I’m sorry.”

            Stone spit out a bit of bile and scrubbed at his face. Squinting against what he now saw was sunlight, Stone saw Shadow standing a few feet from him with his arms crossed.

            “W-what happened?”

            “I teleported us. If we had stayed, we would have drowned.”

            Stone groaned as he unfolded his body. Glancing around, he saw they were outside on the bank of the river—where the Crab was now flipped upside down and sinking into the water. Fuck.

            Looking back at Shadow, Stone could see the guarded expression was back.

            “Thank you for saving me. Saving us,” Stone corrected himself.

            “Are…you all right?” Shadow was only looking at him out of the corner of his eye.

            “Just nauseous. I’ll be fine.”

            “Hmm.”

            Unsteadily, Stone got to his feet. With one more mournful glance to the Crab, Stone was about to pull out his phone when he nearly jumped back. Shadow was suddenly standing in front of him.

            “Shadow?”

            “I will get my revenge,” the hedgehog met his eyes, his conviction clear. “I don’t want you to get hurt, but this is inevitable.”

            “What do you mean?” Stone narrowed his eyes. “We’re going to rule the world. I won’t get hurt.”

            “By the time we’re done, there won’t be anything left to rule.”

            “Shadow, what are you talking about? What are you and the professor up to?”

            Instead of answering, Shadow turned his face away before disappearing.

            “Shadow!”

            He was left standing alone, talking to thin air. What’s going on?

            “…I can’t lose you again,” Stone whispered as he watched the call with Robotnik drop. He felt his strength leaving him as his hands fell to his sides and his knees shook. The doctor didn’t believe him. He thought Stone was jealous.

            There was no convincing him.

            It was as if the very ground beneath him was falling away as Stone hazily looked around. Sinking into the Thames was the Crab—and everything inside of it. Stone’s own tech gloves had been left in the small kitchen, meaning he couldn’t call the badniks out before the water destroyed their electronics nor could he try to have the Crab save itself.

            The place he had called home was now gone.

            Everything he had knitted and crochet was now sitting at the bottom of the Thames, while the small life he had carved out with the doctor had disappeared in mere minutes. Unless the doctor came back right that moment, there was no saving their home.

            Swallowing thickly, Stone tried to shove his tears down.

            He didn’t have time for them.

            With not much of a plan other than calling the doctor again, Stone jumped when he actually felt the ground shaking.

            Screams rose around him as the rumbling grew louder and louder, the sound of rushing water echoing through the city of London. Craning his neck, he watched in awe as a giant, dome like ship rose out into the air.

            So that’s what the professor was talking about.

            All he could do was watch the Eclipse Cannon’s ascent into space, knowing it was taking his doctor away from him.

            “Doctor, come back,” Stone whispered. Unconsciously, his hand settled on his stomach. “Come back to us.”

            Already, he could hear a news report playing on the large advertisement screens around the city. Walking towards a crowd of people near a fountain, Stone had never felt more like a bystander in his life.

            Ever since he started working for Robotnik, Stone had always felt like a part of the action. He was on the front lines of Robotnik’s plans and schemes, never one to take a back seat. But now, all he could do was wait and watch the man’s brilliance. He now knew what everyone else felt, watching helplessly as Robotnik worked his own magic.

            His eyes stayed glued to the sky as he desperately tried to locate the Cannon, but to no avail.

            Not until a giant flash of light came from the sky. More screams of panic surrounded him, but he couldn’t care less as he continued to watch.

            What are you doing, doctor?

            In only a matter of moment, a laser beam the size of the Earth itself passed through the sky, hitting the moon. Out of everything, Stone hadn’t been expecting Robotnik and his grandfather to target the moon.

            Everything fell silent as the sky was light up with an orange glow coming from a singular point in the night sky.

            The flash of light had fried most of the city’s lights, including the large screen plastered on the building near the fountain. Stone wasn’t expecting for it to flicker back to life, Robotnik’s face filling the entire thing. Bewitched by the doctor’s presence, Stone took a step closer towards where Robotnik stared down at him, but not truly seeing him.

            “This is Dr. Ivo Robotnik, dedicating my final livestream to one very special henchman: Agent Stone.”

            “No, no. Doctor, wait!” Stone cried out.

            “If I can’t rule the world, I might as well save it! For the one and only person who ever cared about me.”

            “Don’t do this, doctor, please!”

            “Stone, you were more than a sycophant to me—you were a syco-friend.”

            Stone’s voice was gone as he stared up at the screen, not believing what Robotnik was saying.

            “I’ll miss your lattes with steamed Austrian goat milk. I loved the way you made ‘em!”

            Robotnik was smiling at the camera, but Stone could see the pain in his eyes as he said the next part.

            “And Stone, I’ve always liked the name Sage for a girl.”

            “Doctor…” Stone clutched at his stomach. “Don’t leave us.”

            “So, I guess there’s only one thing left to say. Take care of them, Aban.”

            “I will, doctor,” Stone choked out as his tears finally escaped. A fiery explosion filled the screen before it went dark, leaving the orange, sparkling false galaxy to fill the sky above the city.

            Stone didn’t know how long he stood there, simply staring up at where he knew the doctor had been. His hand rubbed soothing circles against his stomach—whether as a reassurance to the still small babies or to himself, Stone didn’t know. Gradually, no more tears fell from his too dry eyes, and he began to turn away.

            “Goodbye, doctor.”

            He didn’t make it more than ten steps before he heard a few dozen laser guns powering up. Staying perfectly still, his eyes flickered around the hoard of G.U.N. soldiers surrounding him on all sides.

            “Aban Stone! On yours knees with your hands behind your head!”

Chapter Text

            While not the Hilton, Aban had been in worse prison cells.

            In fact, he was fairly sure he had tortured someone in the very cell G.U.N. had placed him in. Small world.

            The cell was a basic concrete box without a single window or ventilation vent, and one wall of iron bars. He was surprised he hadn’t been stuck inside a smaller cell, but he supposed it was to help incentivize him to give up information. The room was big enough for him to walk around and stretch, but not big enough for him to really work up a sweat if he wanted to.

            Furniture-wise, there was a bed, toilet, sink, and a small table bolted to the floor. It was shoved up against the bars of the cell to match another table on the opposite side of bars. No doubt another tactic to make him more talkative by forcing him to sit in front of whoever came to interrogate him later. He was given a wooden stool—less material to work with if he wanted to make a weapon.

            Sitting on the thin mattress, Stone purposely kept his hands on his thighs and not on his stomach; no matter how desperately he wanted to feel his girls, he couldn’t give away the fact he was pregnant.

            Who knew how G.U.N. would react to the fact two more Robotniks were on their way into the world.

            He had been given a t-shirt, sweatpants, and a hoodie to wear—he didn’t hide his eye roll at the big G.U.N. logo plastered over everything except the socks. The hoodie was a miracle in disguise as it was helping to hide his stomach. How long he could keep the pregnancy a secret was entirely up to his skills.

            If he gave up every single piece of information on the doctor, then G.U.N. would set him up with a little house in the middle of a suburban neighborhood with a new identity.

            On the other hand, if he gave up nothing, he’d probably be waterboarded that afternoon.

            He was walking a thin line between giving them viable information while not betraying his late doctor.

            Unfortunately, escaping wasn’t an option.

            His cell was at least three levels underground and being guarded by a dozen pairs of soldiers positioned at strategic points to take him down. The cell sat at the end of a long hallway of other cells with only one exit at the other end—an elevator. A special key was needed to access the elevator out of the cellblock, no doubt coupled with an eye-scanner after the recent renovations Aban had read up on in the G.U.N. files he hacked into a few weeks back.

            None of this would have been an issue for him in the past.

            But that was before he became pregnant.

            Escaping meant inevitable injuries that could hurt his babies. If he was alone, he wouldn’t think twice about coaxing a guard over and strangling them, but now that he had a giant weak spot, he couldn’t afford to bulldoze his way out.

            Thus, he would need to play nice.

            I hate being on the other side of an interrogation, Aban thought glumly to himself.

            “What did Robotnik mean by liking the name Sage?”

            “He wanted to adopt a Labrador puppy and hadn’t decided on a name yet.”

            “And what about, ‘take care of them’?”

            “The puppy. Obviously.”

            Aban kept the bored expression on his face even though he wanted to laugh at the way Agent Markham’s eye was beginning to twitch in annoyance. G.U.N. must have scraped the bottom of the barrel to find an agent like him. He had come in like a bull in a china shop—demanding answers and only offering threats in response.

            Where was the finesse? The phycological torture? The mind games?

            Surely someone had informed Markham that threats of bodily harm wouldn’t affect Aban; he had gone through torture resistance his second year in the army. However, if the man did act on those threats, that was a different story all together.

            Aban would rather tear someone’s throat out with his own teeth before anyone laid a hand on his babies.

            In all honesty, Aban was insulted neither Walters nor Rockwell had come to personally question him.

            “Remember, Stone,” Markham hissed through his teeth. “I can easily make it so you never see the light of day ever again. Either you start answering my questions, or I’ll get some of my toys out.”

            Aban raised an eyebrow.

            “As long as you’re willing to share them.”

            Slam!

            Markham was seething as he slammed his hands on top of his half of the metal table on the other side of the bars. Peering closely, Aban could see a vein popping on the man’s temple.

            “I’m done playing games!” The agent roared.

            “What game were we playing?” Aban blinked up at him innocently.

            If the cell bars hadn’t been between them, he was sure Markham would’ve lunged across the table and strangled him. As it stood, all he was able to do was grab the bars and shake them vigorously. Aban didn’t move an inch; instead, he kept a neutral expression on his face.

            “Agent, get away from the bars!” A soldier nearby commanded.

            “I swear,” Markham growled, yanking his hands off the metal. “I’ll break you, if it’s the last thing I do.”

            “I don’t break,” Aban replied cheerfully.

            “We’ll see about that,” Markham spat before storming away.

            To a lesser person, their sense of time would have disappeared inside of Aban’s cell. The bright, florescent lights were always on and without a window, he couldn’t tell if it was day or night. However, he had already figured out the guards’ shift changes.

            He must not be a time sensitive prisoner or else they would have used every tactic to confuse him. They wouldn’t have let the guards’ shift be the same eight hours nor would they have scheduled his meals to come at the same time. If they truly wanted to screw with him, they would have randomized both times to hasten his mental spiral.

            As it stood, someone was being gentle with his imprisonment.

            Perhaps Walters had a soft spot for him.

            If only the man himself would come and visit, then Aban could throw the tasteless gruel into his face and demand something more nutritious.

            Sighing, Aban held his head in his hand as he poked at said gruel with a rubber spoon. Even the bowl was made of rubber—a material that he couldn’t break, splinter, and then use as a weapon. At least someone had done their homework on him.

            Eventually, he forced a spoonful of gruel into his mouth. Instantly, he wanted to spit it back out. A month after he became pregnant, his cravings had kicked in. They mostly pertained to spicy foods, which was easily fulfilled by his peppers. However, ever since he was captured, his body was screaming for pineapple.

            He didn’t even like pineapple!

            Now, each time he tasted the gruel, his entire being—body and soul—wept that it wasn’t ingesting the sour fruit. Swallowing down the bite of gruel, he could feel it hit his stomach like a glob of cement—which it might as well be since it shared the same color.

            It must have taken him at least another ten minutes to finish the bowl and shove it through the bars. Probably another reason for it being rubber.

            Another ten minutes found him throwing the disgusting gruel back up.

            Somehow, it tasted even worse the second time it hit his tongue.

            “Fuck,” he gasped into the metal toilet bowl. Sweat was beading across his forehead as he panted. His next meal wouldn’t be for another eight hours when the new guards came in. With as much strength as he could muster, he flushed and dragged himself onto the small cot. They hadn’t even bothered giving him a blanket or pillow.

            Agent Markham had only lasted their one session before a new agent was brought in. Aban hadn’t even learned what her name was before simply refusing to talk.

            Why was G.U.N. sending all the newbies to interrogate him?

            For the next two weeks—by his estimations at least—he would cycle through a new agent every two days or so. Each one was just as green as the last. At one point, he decided that if they weren’t going to treat his imprisonment seriously, then he would take any amusement he could get out of it.

            His last two agents left crying.

            Not his fault they hadn’t been trained well and couldn’t handle the psychological damage they were meant to be handing out themselves.

            Even with the threats of violence, offers of rewards, and a slew of other tactics, Aban was becoming suspicious. The agents had only talked with him and nothing else.

            Why hadn’t anyone actually come and tortured him?

            They could have easily tried sleep deprivation or even some kind of sound torture. He already knew he was being watched 24/7, so it wouldn’t be unusual for them to use speakers and pump some kind of sound into his cell. Instead, only the constant lights were the closest thing to a form of torture.

            Well, that and the fact he was stuck inside a concrete box. He would never admit it, but he hated being stuck in small rooms—his army required psychologist had hinted at claustrophobia, but he disagreed. There were times he was required to hide in small spaces for hours on end and he wasn’t scared. However, once the mission was over, he could feel a full-body itch just below his skin; the only way to relieve it was to get out into the open. Even being inside the Crab had created the same sense of anxiousness.

            He doubted G.U.N. had intended to trigger this kind of response in him, but it was the closest thing to making him break yet. Unfortunately for them, Aban had figured out how to suppress any panic attack that would suddenly hit him from being stuck inside a small space. That didn’t stop him from pacing his cell, desperately waiting for the moment he could finally see the sky above him once more.

            But, all of this was nothing compared to what Aban knew G.U.N.’s operatives were capable of inflicting. Did they simply not care enough about his information and ties to Robotnik?

            Was that why they were sending in newbies and nothing else?

            For some reason, Aban found himself insulted. Maybe they really didn’t see myself and the doctor as a threat.

            The answer came sooner than he was expecting.

            “You’re dismissed for lunch.”

            “But, director, we still have three hours—”

            “Are you deaf, soldier? I said, you’re dismissed.”

            Sitting up in his cot, Stone watched as the soldiers glanced at each other before slowly stepping away from where they were positioned in front of his cell. He could hear more footsteps further down the hall until eventually everything was quiet once more.

            Stone stood and went towards the table as someone stepped in front of his cell.

            “Aban,” Director Rockwell met his eyes evenly, not an ounce of emotion on her face. She was wearing the normal soldier garb, with a few medals and patches added to show off her rank. It was a look she had worn after she surpassed their shared rank of agent so many years ago.

            “Rochelle,” he greeted in kind. She gestured for him to take a seat. Not daring to break eye contact, he did so and watched as she sat across from him. He finally blinked when he saw her pull a rubber cup from behind her back.

            “Here,” she left the cup on her side of the bars, letting him grab it when he wanted to. “I’ve been receiving reports of you vomiting. We wouldn’t want our star prisoner being dehydrated, now do we?”

            Eyes narrowed, Aban gingerly grabbed the cup through the bars. He wouldn’t be surprised if she swiped at his fingers as they brushed against the rubbery material. When no attack came, he pulled it through. He was grateful not to drink from the faucet directly anymore.

            “Why are you here?” He didn’t bother hiding his suspicion.

            “What? I can’t come visit an old friend?”

            “Not when they’re a known traitor.”

            “Not the first time G.U.N.’s accused you of being one,” she shrugged.

            “I was framed the first time.”

            “And this time?”

            He raised an eyebrow.

            She held his gaze for a few moments before sighing and reaching inside a pocket for something. Aban was expecting a gun or knife, or even a lighter—burning was one of her favorite forms of torture—but he let out a bark of laughter when he saw what was in her hand.

            A deck of cards and a bag of gold, chocolate coins.

            “Just like old times?” He joked, smiling for the first time in what felt like forever.

            “I thought chocolate would be better than the old revolver we used,” Rochelle winked at him. Ripping the bag open, she divided them out evenly before handing over the cards. Aban took them before shuffling.

            “Will the higher ups be all right with you playing Texas Hold ‘Em with a prisoner?”

            “All they’ll see on the cameras is us sitting here talking,” She had a glint in her eyes that Aban recognized. Someone’s being naughty…

            “And here I was beginning to think you had forgotten all about me,” Aban stated casually as he dealt each of them two cards.

            “Trust me, nobody upstairs has forgotten about you,” Rochelle sneered as she scooped up her cards and tossed a coin towards the bars in a bet. She watched intently as Aban set three cards on his side of the bars and threw his own coin to join hers.

            “Then why are you sending the small fry my way?”

            “What makes you think that?”

            Glancing down at his cards, Aban watched as Rochelle threw another coin into the pot. He matched her bet.

            “The fact that I’ve never met any of them is the first indicator,” he revealed the fourth card in the row. “I helped train all of G.U.N.’s top interrogators. I should have had a few come through here, and yet, I’ve only seen noobies. It almost feels as if you’re taking it easy on me.”

            “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she sniffed before throwing her cards down. “Fold.”

            Gladly taking all the coins for himself, he gathered the deck and handed it back through the bars. He didn’t bother watching her shuffle as he peeled open a coin and popped it in his mouth. Without his permission, his eyes slid closed as he enjoyed the burst of sweetness across his tongue. Even if it was cheap chocolate, it beat the disgusting slop he’d been eating.

            “Hey! Don’t eat our chips.”

            “Should’ve brought the revolver if you didn’t want me eating them.”

            She gave a weak chuckle as she began to deal the next round. Aban was tempted to eat every single one of his ‘chips’ but decided to win all of hers instead.

            “You haven’t told the agents anything of value.”

            “Did you think I would?”

            “No,” Rochelle sighed. They continued playing the round, this time throwing in two coins to start. “I was hoping we would’ve found something in that weird crab thing and could deal with you later.”

            “Too bad I set it to self-destruct, huh?”

            She sent him an unimpressed look.

            “You have no idea how much of a headache you’ve made for me.”

            “Between the two of us, I think I’m the one having a bad time.”

            She snorted in amusement before revealing the final card and both showed their cards. Her hand was better. Aban cursed himself for losing so many chocolates.

            “Why didn’t you fight back?” She handed him the deck back.

            “Would you believe me if I said it was because I knew I’d lose?”

            “I’d sooner believe that crackpot turned you into a cyborg.”

            Aban took a steadying breath. Rochelle had always hated Robotnik—he shouldn’t be surprised she was still insulting him, even in death. As much as he wanted to snap at her for her disrespect, he instead forced his hands to relax around the cards as he dealt.

            “I didn’t feel like fighting.”

            “That’s new.”

            “My horoscope advised against it.”

            “Fair enough.”

            “I have a bad knee.”

            “If you don’t tell me the truth, I’ll make sure you have two bad knees,” she sent him a withering glare.

            “Getting the ol’ tire iron out?”

            “More like a crowbar.”

            Aban felt himself smiling even more as they fell into their normal banter. Not many agents could stand being paired up with him, but Rochelle had been a perfect partner. Too bad the higher ups didn’t like the collateral damage that resulted from them being paired up on missions. Something about them feeding off each other’s bad habits.

            “So, ‘Director’. How many dicks did you need to suck to get that position?”

            “How many times did you let Robotnik fuck you in the ass?”

            “I kept asking him, but he never took me up on the offer.”

            “Not even that lunatic wants to fuck you.”

            “I remember all the junior agents saying the same thing about you and Walters.”

            Little by little, he could see the way Rochelle’s shoulders relaxed and her lips flicked up into a smirk. Everyone assumed she didn’t have a sense of humor, but Aban knew better. While her humor was incredible dry and dark, she enjoyed raunchier jokes than most people assumed. Aban always found talking to her refreshing.

            Glancing down, he could see Rochelle was quickly taking all of his chocolates. He needed to remedy that.

            “I’ve been wondering,” he began, leaning forward with his forearms on the table. She met his gaze, hands effortlessly shuffling the deck. “Why no torture?”

            “We both know it wouldn’t work.”

            “Sure, but your bosses don’t care about that.”

            Her earlier smirk—almost smile—disappeared in an instant.

            “The only reason you’re not strung up and experiencing every technique in the book is because of me.”

            Aban blinked and opened his mouth to respond, but couldn’t find a fitting response to that. Instead, he wordlessly took his cards. Rochelle sighed, her shoulders stiffening once more.

            “I don’t quite understand where it came from,” she spoke softly. “But, your loyalty to Robotnik is unwavering. There’s absolutely nothing myself or anyone in G.U.N. can do to get you to spill his secrets. I honestly think it’s a waste of time and resources keeping you here. However, like you said, my bosses think differently.”

            “They’ve been pressuring you.”

            “You have no idea,” Rochelle scoffed. “Every day is a new meeting. ‘What has he revealed today, director?’ ‘Why aren’t you taking this matter seriously, director?’ ‘If you can’t get the job done, we’ll find someone who can, director.’”

            He tried not to laugh at the horrible impression Rochelle made of the army generals; she never could pitch her voice low enough.

            “So, if I don’t tell you anything, I’ll most likely be receiving even more annoying visitors.”

            “Yes.”

            “You know I can take it,” he narrowed his eyes. “You’re never this protective. Especially of a traitor.”

            Rochelle didn’t meet his intense stare. She threw her cards down on the table, allowing him to win the round neither of them were giving much attention to.

            “I don’t believe in kicking a man while he’s down.”

            Never before did Aban hear her speak so softly or genuinely. He felt something twist in his gut.

            He and Rochelle had known each other longer than he and Robotnik had worked together. She had been in the air force before joining G.U.N. at the same time he had. Right away, he had seen the way the other agents had shied away from her, instinctively cowering from the threat they were receiving. But not him.

            Rochelle Rockwell was one of the only people in the world he had tried to befriend.

            Too bad their first meeting had ended up with a black eye for him and a broken nose for her.

            He remembered that day fondly.

            “Thank you,” he spoke just as quietly as her. She finally flicked her eyes up to meet his and he was astonished to see the emotions he saw in them.

            “I need you to give me something to work with. It’s the only way I can keep you safe.”

            Neither of them had bothered picking up the cards from their last round. Instead, they stayed spread out on the tables, chocolate coins and winning completely forgotten as Rochelle silently pleaded with him. Swallowing thickly, Aban let his hands fall to his lap. The tips of his fingers brushed against his small bump.

            Maria Rochelle Robotnik. That has a nice ring to it.

            “I can give you one of his bases, but not the code to get in.”

            Rochelle’s eyes closed as her entire body relaxed with relief. When she finally opened her eyes again, the storm of emotion was tamed.

            “That’s more than enough.”

            “On one condition.”

            “Only one?”

            “Can’t get too greedy now, can we?”

            “What do you want?” The calculating look from all their previous Russan Roulette games appeared on her face. Ah, that’s the Rochelle he knew.

            “Better food.”

            “Done.”

            They continued to play a few more rounds, but Aban could clearly tell she was allowing him to win. Eyeing the chocolate, he decided he didn’t really care. When all the coins were on his side, Rochelle gestured for the cards and slid the deck back into her pocket.

            “Stone.”

            “Rockwell.”

            With one last nod, she turned on her heel and left, the soldiers coming back to their position only a minute later.

            The coordinates he gave to Rochelle did more than a few good meals. He had woken up to a blanket and pillow resting on the table. While they weren’t the best quality, they were better than nothing. The meals themselves were far more nutritious and resembled real food. Aban was almost sure he could feel the girls squirming with happiness as he swallowed a real vegetable after so long.

            However, even with these better commodities, he was left alone in his cell for hours on end. The guards didn’t care if he walked in circles, but he knew it would be useless to engage in conversation with them. Anything he said to them would be reported back to either Rochelle or someone higher up.

            The only time he was allowed out of his cell was for a shower and change of clothes. His only saving grace was he was given the semblance of privacy while showering in a stall. As long as he angled his body in the right way, the guards weren’t able to see his growing stomach.

            If only the doctor were there to see how the girls were growing.

            The only times he felt safe to touch his stomach was during those short showers and when he curled up to sleep. As long as he continued laying in a regular position to sleep, then the guards wouldn’t think anything was amiss.

            Curled up on his side with his back to the cold concrete wall, he had one arm wrapped firmly around his stomach while the other was tucked up under the pillow. He would be able to easily roll out of the bed and into a fighting stance if the need arose. Luckily, nobody had bothered to enter his cell.

            With the constant lights, his sleep schedule was beyond screwed up. He tried to be awake for when his meals were delivered, wanting to enjoy them warm and to keep with his time table. If Rochelle was the one in charge of his wellbeing, then he was correct to assume she had purposely kept his meals and weak interrogations to strict times. However, even knowing this didn’t help with the fact his body refused to sleep at times.

            More often than not, it would take him far too long to slip into a light sleep.

            His body knew he was in an unsafe area and with being pregnant, his mind simply didn’t want to calm down enough to sleep due to the constant sense of danger.

            Thankfully, after Rochelle’s visit, the time it took for him to fall asleep was a tad shorter.

            Nearly in the fetal position, Aban could feel his body stiffen when he felt the small bed dip slightly as someone’s weight settled next to his upper body. Cracking an eye open, he audibly gasped when he saw a woman.

            “My sweet Marwan,” his mother smiled down at him. The florescent lights were blocked by her hijab, the light playing against the sheer fabric. Unlike his older sister, his mother had always gone for more muted colors for her hijabs. She had joked that she already had a husband and didn’t need to show off anymore.

            “Mama,” he whispered. He didn’t dare reach a hand out to touch her.

            “You’re so strong, Habibi. I am so proud of you.”

            “I miss you.”

            “I am here,” she soothed. The skin around her eyes crinkled as she smiled warmly at him. She hadn’t even been able to grow old enough to develop crow’s feet. “Your daughters are going to be so beautiful.”

            “I wish you could meet them.” He kept his eyes open—he knew if he blinked, the tears would begin to spill.

            “They will know of me. I am sure of that.”

            She was right, as she always had been. He had never known his mother to be wrong about anything—no matter if it was about trivial things like the weather or about more serious issues such as the civil war coming to their doorstep. If only she had known when.

            “Be patient, Marwan,” his mother’s voice became grim. “Your and your girls’ fates are in another’s hand right now. Do not do anything rash. They are coming for you.”

            “Who? Who’s coming for me?”

            Instead of answering, his mother gave him a sad smile before raising a hand. He swore he could feel her fingers brushing through his hair. Letting out a soft sigh, Aban shoved his face into his pillow and finally allowed the tears to fall.

            When he finally woke up, it was to an odd feeling in his stomach. Not quite pain, but something odd nonetheless. Sending a quick glance towards the guards, Aban settled his hand more firmly on top of his stomach.

            He could feel something meeting his touch from the inside.

            His girls were kicking.

            “Doctor…”

            He was sure that if Robotnik were there, he wouldn’t let Aban go until he had his fill of feeling the girls responding to his touch. Maybe the doctor would even talk to them. Biting his lip, he tried not to smile at the idea of Robotnik ranting about his plans for world domination to Aban’s belly. Even if the doctor refused to admit his need for human interaction, Aban knew the man would take any opportunity to talk with a captive audience.

            Laying back down, Aban kept his hand firmly on his stomach, wondering which of his girls was so desperate to get his attention.

            He had been in G.U.N.’s custody for nearly five weeks when he received his second visit from Rochelle.

            ‘Breakfast’ had been hours ago, leaving him alone with his thoughts and increasingly harsh kicks against his organs. He had started up his pacing once more, the walls feeling as if they were closing in on him. The sharp dismissal of the guards was heavenly.

            “Rochelle,” he greeted her, but his focus was entirely on the plastic bag hanging from her fingers. She gave him a shit-eating grin when he licked his lips at the smell of outside food.

            “We found the base you told me about,” she spoke flippantly as she settled into the chair and pulled a take-out container from the bag. She had to tilt it completely sideways to fit it through the bars, but Aban couldn’t care less as he snatched it out of her hand. Nearly tearing the top off, he silently cheered at the sight of three tacos, even though half their contents had spilled. “We lost fifteen men from the robot guards, while another ten were injured.”

            “Did the base explode?” He asked before shoving the first taco into his mouth. The whole thing was gone in two bites.

            “No. I had them fall back before we got closer,” she admitted. Her expression was a mix of disgust and judgement at his table manners. He simply began eating the next taco, thankful that she was kind enough to put jalapenos on them. “Wanna reconsider giving me the access code to get inside?”

            “No.”

            “You’re lucky I refused to wear a wire,” she rolled her eyes. Shrugging, Aban took his time to actually chew as he looked her over. “Especially since the cameras in this cell block lost audio a while ago.”

            “Convenient.”

            Rochelle was quiet as Aban finished off the food. Unlike before, both of them were completely at ease, almost as if this were another shared lunch on the rare days their schedules matched up. After he was assigned to Robotnik, their lunches and dinners together had become nonexistent; no doubt that only added fuel to Rochelle’s burning hate of Robotnik.

            “So,” Aban asked once all the tacos were gone and every last crumb had been consumed. “Are you here to make another deal?”

            “Not this time,” Rochelle pursed her lips. “The higher ups are still wetting themselves over what’s inside Robotnik’s base. Once we either get inside or it blows up, I’m sure they’ll have me back down here.”

            “Then why are you here?”

            “To yell at you.”

            Aban’s eyebrows furrowed.

            “For what?”

            “For getting yourself in this situation.”

            Oh, that was real anger in her voice. Aban glanced around and wondered if the guards could hear him if he shouted for help.

            He was expecting her to start hurling knives and hissing venom at him, instead, she reached back into the bag and pulled out a…

            … bottle?

            Leaning closer he could see it was in fact a vitamin bottle. He began reading the label.

            “Prenatal vita—” His eyes widened as he cut himself off. Fear gripped his throat as he realized his secret was out. How was this even possible?

            There was no way G.U.N. would think he was pregnant. They had his files—he was complete male in their eyes, so pregnancy shouldn’t even be possible for someone like him. What would they do now that they knew?

            A shudder ran through him as scenario after scenario ran through his head.

            He’d rather die than give his girls up to G.U.N.

            “Aban.”

            Gasping, he grabbed ahold of the edge of the table to ground himself. He felt a bead of sweat roll down his temple as he met Rochelle’s eyes.

            He didn’t know she could ever smile that softly.

            “I told you, I’m not wearing a wire and the cameras have been on the fritz.”

            Wasn’t wearing a wire…?

            G.U.N. didn’t know.

            Rochelle knows.

            “H-how did you—?”

            “Because I did the same thing.”

            “What do you mean?”

            She tore her eyes away from him before using a too short nail to peel the label off the bottle. Seemed like the great director of G.U.N. still bit her nails when nervous.

            “Do you remember my mission to Istanbul in ‘09?”

            “You took two months off after it,” he nodded. Like him, Rochelle had to be threatened to take her vacation days. It had been the talk of G.U.N. when she had voluntarily taken those two months off.

            “When I took the mission, I knew.” She sighed as she continued to pick at the label. “I knew I had missed my period. I’m always regular but I had missed it for two months before I went on that mission. I guess I was hoping I had early menopause or something.”

            “You were pregnant.”

            “Yeah,” she gave a jerk of her head, her tongue darting out to wet her lips. “I knew. But I still went.”

            “You never told me what happened during that mission.”

            “I got sloppy. I was going after a hacker—a real piece of shit that was blackmailing female government workers. What I didn’t know was that he had protection.”

            Her fingers were finally successful in tearing at the label and peeling it off. Once she was done, the bottle appeared innocuous. Without preamble, she forced the bottle through the bars into Aban’s waiting hands. He opened it and broke the seal. Of course she had bought him the gummy version—he hated pills.

            “They caught me,” Rochelle continued quietly as she leaned back in her chair, eyes trained on the table in front of her. “I was lucky all they wanted was to ransom me.”

            “But something happened.”

            “It was during my rescue. When the team came, they were too trigger happy to realize who was their target and who wasn’t.”

            “Friendly fire.”

            “I had already snuck out of the room they were keeping me when they came. I wasn’t quick enough to evade the bullets.”

            “Where were you shot?”

            “In the abdomen.”

            Suddenly, the tacos were threatening to reappear as Aban swallowed back a wave of nausea. She looked up and he saw that her eyes were wet.

            “I don’t remember if the doctors said if it was a miscarriage or something else. The bullet wasn’t close to my uterus or anything, but the shock was enough.”

            Silently, Aban slid his hand through the bars and rested it on her table. He was pleasantly surprised when she took his small offer of comfort.

            “I don’t want the same thing to happen to you,” her voice was firm as she squeezed his hand. “I’d sooner kill you myself.”

            “You already know who the other parent is.”

            The look of disgust was back on her face, making Aban let out a small chuckle.

            “I don’t how that freak got you pregnant, but I think I can deal with a kid that’s half of him. At least you’ll be there to mellow them out.”

            “Her.”

            Rochelle’s eyebrows rose.

            “A girl? You’re sure?”

            “Confident.”

            He’d apologize for not telling her about the twins later.

            “Rochelle Stone,” Rochelle smiled. “I like that.”

            “She’ll be taking the Robotnik name.”

            “Can’t blame me for hoping.”

            “No, no I can’t,” he smiled at her. “So, when are you breaking me out?”

            She gave him a dry look.

            “I’m exploring a few avenues that don’t include me going traitor.”

            “What are they?”

            “I don’t want to tell you in case they don’t work out.”

            As much as he wanted to press her, he instead squeezed her hand gently. He’d have to trust her.

            He had no other options.

            Ever since the girls began kicking, sleep was practically thrown out the window. He didn’t know why they were literally kicking up a fuss, but the constant feeling of his body being attacked from the inside left him unable to fall asleep.

            Aban was sure he looked absolutely awful.

            There wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that G.U.N. would ever let him close to a razor, let alone scissors to trim his hair or beard. Alongside that, he wasn’t even allowed a comb. His beard was unkempt but hadn’t gotten so long as to annoy him. On the other hand, his hair had grown out so much, he could feel it curling on the back of his neck and tickling his ears. At this point, he was ready to pull each strand out, one by one.

            He was sure Rochelle wanted his hair as long as hers so she could braid it again. Back when he had been jumping from one government agency to the next, he had grown out his hair in defiance to not being able to while in the army. It hadn’t been as long as Rochelle’s but it had gone just below his shoulders. She had spent their down time during missions braiding it.

            “Every morning before school, I’d do this for my little sister.”

            Unfortunately, he had to chop it all off after an accident in Robotnik’s lab a month after he started working for the doctor. It had been safer to keep it short afterwards.

            Rochelle had never quite forgiven him for that.

            On top of his new scraggly look, he was sure there were deep, dark circles under his eyes now. His girls wouldn’t let him sleep longer than a couple hours before forcing him awake again. Even the guards must have noticed because the lights in his cell began to dim an hour after his second meal and didn’t brighten again until eight hours later.

            Being in cahoots with the director had its perks.

            Even if he was still stuck inside a cell, awaiting his fate.

            All the while, his belly was still growing every day. At first, the hoodie had covered everything but gradually, even the added material didn’t hide that he was now sporting extra weight. He had a feeling Rochelle was once more behind the fact that the clothes he was given were a size up. As long as nobody questioned how he was gaining weight living off two meals a day while stuck in cell, then he’d be fine.

            His girls had finally settled down after a simple meal of boiled vegetables and meat—he had to wonder if they were unsatisfied with the menu as much as he was. Pulling the blanket over himself, Aban let himself doze off.

            Only to gasp when he felt a hand rubbing his bare belly. Eyes snapping open, his body categorized the feeling of the hand—it was covered in cloth with odd bumps.

            He already knew who it was before his eyes even landed on the man.

            “Doctor!”

            “Hello, Stone.”

            Aban opened his mouth but his words fell short as he took Robotnik in fully. His mustache was smaller and well groomed, while his entire frame was much thinner than when Aban had seen him last. The red and black jacket Aban had designed him was missing as well, replaced with black medical scrubs. He looked younger as well, almost like how he had looked before they had been sent out to Green Hills to locate Sonic. Even his hair had grown back and was slicked back like before.

            “D-doctor?”

            “I see you haven’t been giving my heirs the rightful care they require,” Robotnik scolded. “I expected better from you.”

            “I’m sorry, doctor,” Aban pleaded, trying to ignore the way Robotnik rubbed his hand underneath his shirt. “I couldn’t risk the girls’ safety by escaping.”

            “Excuses, excuses,” Robotnik sneered before taking his gloved hand off Aban’s stomach. “It looks like we’ll have to start over.”

            “Start over? What do you mean?” Aban began to panic. Starting to sit up, he wasn’t expecting Robotnik to move so quickly. Impossibly strong hands grabbed his wrists and slammed them back onto the thin mattress, Robotnik’s body resting against Aban’s bigger belly. Gasping, Aban screwed his eyes shut as the girls’ and Robotnik’s combined weight settled on top of his organs—there was a reason why he slept on his side. “Sir, please! Be gentle!”

            “You think you deserve gentleness, Stone?” Robotnik let go of one of his wrists to grab his jaw in a bruising grip. “After everything you’ve done? I knew I couldn’t trust a weakling like you. You’ve already made my heirs worthless.”

            “What? No, never!”

            “We’re starting over, Stone. You’re the only viable vessel around that can carry on my legacy. Count yourself lucky.”

            Before Aban could say anything else, he felt something wrap around his wrists. Suddenly, leather straps were pinning him to the bed while the lights above him became blinding. Blinking harshly, he felt tears stream down his face as Robotnik turned into a dark silhouette against the lights. A soft whirring sound filled the cell as three badniks floated up around Robotnik. One was holding a tray with its robotic arms.

            “Doctor, what are you doing?” Aban began struggling against his restraints, but found the harder he fought, the more appeared. Soon enough, leather straps were holding down his legs and stretched across his chest. “Please! The girls are fine, I promise!”

            “Shut up, or I’ll make you.”

            A whimper escaped Aban’s lips as his hoodie and shirt were violently pulled up, revealing his belly. He could feel his girls starting to move around again, this time with a vengeance at how hard they were kicking.

            “Stop, doctor! Please!” He choked out.

            “Shut up, you whimpering fool!”

            Aban’s head snapped sideways from the force of Robotnik’s slap. Fresh tears raced down his now pulsing cheek. He tried to keep his whining and hiccups quiet, but it was all for naught as he saw Robotnik grab something from the badnik’s tray.

            A scalpel.

            “NO!”

            His struggling did nothing as the knife descended towards his bare skin. All he could do was watch as the knife slowly met his belly and the tip began to dig in.

            “Doctor, please, don’t do this!”

            Searing pain ran through his body as he let out a scream. Blood welled up around the straight cut Robotnik made across his belly—creating a new scar to join the rest. The knife moved effortlessly across his entire stomach, from one end to the other.

            Robotnik dropped the scalpel back onto the tray with a clatter as he pulled off his normal gloves to replace them with surgical ones. He pulled his goggles over his eyes as he reached out for Aban, a wicked smile plastered on his face, his lips stretching impossibly wide.

            Aban’s throat worked around a trapped scream as he watched in horror as Robotnik’s long fingers played with the fresh cut he had made. Full sobs wracked Aban’s body as he felt Robotnik pull his flesh apart to reveal where the girls rested. Soon enough, Robotnik’s entire hand disappeared inside of him, blood rushing out from the added mass.

            “Ah, my genius really knows no bounds! This would’ve been the perfect experiment if it weren’t ruined by your stupidity.”

            The pain was overwhelming; Aban could feel every single little movement Robotnik’s hand made as it moved inside of him, searching for something. All the while, his wrist stretched the wound further, threatening to split Aban in half. His every nerve was alight with electricity as he watched helplessly as Robotnik finally began to pull his hand out.

            He was holding a red, wriggling lump.

            A bloody umbilical cord was still attached to the fetus as Robotnik pulled it further and further away from Aban’s body. He could see a too small head and body resting in the man’s palm, going completely still and dripping blood.

            “Say hi to mommy, Sage!” Robotnik cackled as he yanked the umbilical cord free of Aban’s body. The pain was like nothing he had ever experienced before, not like a bullet or a knife wound. It was all encompassing and burning, his entire body bowed, pushing against his restraints. All the while, Robotnik’s laughter swirled inside his head as his hand began to descend towards his belly once more.

            Before Aban could do anything, his eyes flew open to see he was alone in his cell.

            A hand slammed over his mouth as he sat straight up in the bed. He threw the blanket off and scrambled on his knees and hand over to the toilet, barely making it in time. His body convulsed with how hard he was vomited, the sound of retching echoing off the walls.

            He could hear the guards shuffling their feet outside his cell while he clutched at the cool metal. Flashes of blood and a slowly dying fetus filled his mind.

            A sharp kick from his belly had him shoving his face back down as his continued to heave.

            The next time Rochelle visited, Aban had already decided on another secret base he was willing to give up in order to get a haircut. However, when he heard her voice float down the long hallway, he wasn’t expecting her to bring company.

            Especially not bright, fluffy company.

            “Mr. Stone!”

            Tails flew the short distance to stand on top of the table to stare at Aban through the bars. He looked almost frightened as he took Aban in. Sure, he looked homeless and like he hadn’t slept in a few months, but he shouldn’t look scary.

            “Oh, boy.”

            Glancing away from Tails, he saw Tom Wachowski standing next to Rochelle. The man gave him a weak smile before quickly looking away. During his time in Green Hills, Aban had interacted with Tom quite a bit. At first, it was daily coffee runs for the man, but soon enough, it was obvious he was trying to be a wingman for his cop buddy. Aban wasn’t sure how much of Tom’s opinion of him had changed since the man saw him running after the doctor.

            “One of your avenues?” Aban asked dryly, looking at Rochelle.

            She gave him a small shrug in response as she leaned against the wall. Tom stepped up to stand next to Tails, both of them fidgeting. Aban simply waited them out. Finally, Tails clasped his hands together and looked up at him through his lashes.

            “I wanted to apologize for, uh, flushing the Crab with you in it.”

            Aban blinked.

            That wasn’t what he was expecting.

            “It’s all right,” he responded slowly. “If I was in your shoes, I’d have done the same thing. Luckily, Shadow got me out of there.”

            “Oh, that’s good.”

            Smiling, Aban leaned his hip against the table. It was hard to imagine this sweet kid having a level of intelligence that could almost rival Robotnik’s. Hopefully he didn’t waste it on video games and junk food.

            “Ahem,” Tom cleared his throat. “We also wanted to give you our condolences. Tails says you and Eggm—Robotnik were friends. I couldn’t imagine going through that loss and being arrested like this.”

            He sent a glare back towards Rochelle as he said the last part. Aban bit his lip as Tails joined in, throwing his own adorable glare at her.

            “Why is he here anyway?” Tails pouted. “He worked for Eggman, but he didn’t do anything wrong! Mr. Stone even gave us cinnamon rolls.”

            “Did he?” Rochelle sent him a pointed look. “And he didn’t poison them?”

            Ah, right. He did have a history of poisoning people at G.U.N. and other agencies—well, no history they could actually prove. It wasn’t his fault they didn’t train themselves to be resistant to common poisons and left all the juicy missions for himself. Of course, he had stopped once he had been assigned to Robotnik.

            The only reason Rochelle even knew it was him was because he had helped her bag a few high-ranking missions with his method.

            “No!” Tails yelped, completely horrified.

            “Look, why is he here? What are his charges?” Tom demanded, puffing out his chest. Aban frowned at the sight. Rochelle sent the small town cop an unimpressed look.

            “Treason.”

            “Uh…” Tom pulled at his shirt collar nervously. “Anything else?”

            “Well, there was that thing that happened in Seattle,” Aban piped up, keeping his eyes trained on Rochelle’s face. She squinted at him as her lips puckered up as if she ate a lemon.

            “What happened in Seattle?” Tails asked innocently, looking back and forth between them.

            “To keep it tame for young ears,” Rochelle sneered. “He stole my date.”

            “He thought I was prettier,” Aban tried to keep his giggles down at the rage boiling in Rochelle’s eyes. In all actuality, Aban was just quicker to give the guy a blowjob.

            “You’re keeping him locked up because he stole your boyfriend!?” Tails cried out.

            “Um, buddy,” Tom placed a hand on the fox’s shoulder. “They’re joking. I think.”

            “Oh, right,” Tails glanced between the humans, clearly uncertain what to think of them. “Is there anything we can do so he can be let go?”

            Aban furrowed his brow. Why was one of the hedgehog’s friends trying to get him released? Did he really make that much of an impact on the trio? Raising an eyebrow, he waited for her answer.

            “I’m not sure right now,” she sighed. “I’m still talking with the higher-ups to see if we can make a deal.”

            “What kind of deal?” Tom narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. Aban finally decided to sit down; his back was complaining from standing still for so long. He didn’t like having to look up at the three from his seat, but at the moment, he had to accept he wasn’t an active player.

            If Tails was able to either convince G.U.N. to let him go or even help him escape, then Aban wouldn’t have much of a say in the situation.

            Not as if he really made many major decisions in his life.

            He never chose to leave his village, to move to the US, or where he would go when transferred. In fact, he didn’t have a choice in if he wanted to work for Robotnik. After that, decisions were not his to make when the doctor was around.

            “If Stone is willing to give up everything about Robotnik and his robots, then I’m sure I could cut him any deal he wanted,” Rochelle explained. “However, seeing as he refuses to, a different deal will have to be made.”

            “You sure you don’t wanna tell them everything?” Tom glanced over at him.

            “They can get the information from my corpse.”

            “Dark, but okay.”

            “What if I made one of Eggman’s robots?” Tails asked suddenly. Aban’s head whipped around to stare at the little fox. “Then G.U.N. would have something and Mr. Stone wouldn’t have to betray Eggman.”

            “Why would you do that?” Aban couldn’t stop himself from blurting out the question. He couldn’t understand Tails’ dedication to getting him out. Where was this devotion coming from? They had barely spoken! Sure, he had fed the trio, made sure they were comfortable while in the Crab, and had been kind to them. And yes, he had tried to put himself between Tails and Shadow back at the abandoned G.U.N. facility, but surely that wasn’t enough to gain the fox’s loyalty. Right?

            “Because friends help each other,” Tails turned to him, a serious look on his face. “I was hoping we could be friends.”

            “I…” Aban swallowed around a lump in his throat. “I’d like that, Tails.”

            It was as if switch had been flipped with how much the kid’s face lit up in joy.

            “Then I’ll do anything I can to help you, Mr. Stone!”

            Aban couldn’t help but smile back at him. That smile was too infectious.

            “Well, do we have a deal?” Tom asked Rochelle. She curled her lip as she took in Tails’ smiling face and slightly wagging tails.

            “I’ll see what I can do.”

            “Yes!” Tails pumped his fist. “Can I ask for one more thing?”

            “What?” It was obvious Rochelle was nearing the end of her patience.

            “Can I give Mr. Stone a hug?”

            “I swear to fu—” She cut herself off and rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

            Aban watched intently as she stepped out of sight to the keypad next to his cell. From his angle, he couldn’t see what she typed in nor could he hear any buttons. Even if she was on his side, she wasn’t giving him any opportunities to escape.

            The bars next to the table began to retract into the floor, allowing Tails to fly through them and stand in front of where Aban was sitting. He stood confidently now, his smile so big it scrunched up his large eyes. Small arms opened in invitation. Who was Aban to deny him?

            Hunching over in the stool, Aban wrapped his arms around Tails’ body, letting one hand rest on the fox’s backpack while the other ran his fingers through soft fur. It had been far too long since Aban had received any sort of physical contact, let alone a hug.

            He desperately missed the feeling.

            Eventually, Tails pulled away.

            He was staring at Aban’s belly.

            “Tails,” Tom called. “It’s time to go.”

            “Right…” Tails gave his stomach one more long look before meeting Aban’s eyes. “I swear we’ll get you outta here!”

            “I look forward to it.”

            Tails flew back through, the bars coming up to trap Aban inside his cell once more. With a few goodbyes, his visitors quickly disappeared from view. He could hear Rochelle’s voice growing faint.

            “Do you normally let your children become friends with grown men?”

            Chuckling, Aban couldn’t hear Tom’s response but he knew Rochelle would keep pressing him for the fun of it.

            Aban let his hand rub against his belly, the lack of guards and working cameras giving him the confidence. He couldn’t believe how big he had already gotten. Raising his other hand up to eye-level, he smirked.

            “It’s good to have friends,” Aban chuckled darkly.

            The gold ring shined innocently against the bright lights of his prison cell.

            Hiding the ring inside the vitamin bottle Rochelle gifted him, Aban decided to bide his time. If Tails could actually something to hand over to G.U.N., then maybe he could be released. Or, at least given the opportunity to escape. Whatever came first.

            As it stood, he had to wait another two weeks before he saw another living soul outside of his normal rotation of guards. At least Rochelle hadn’t forgotten about him since he was now given a midday meal. He wasn’t sure who was happier: his body that was crying out for more nutrients, or his girls who seemed to be doing somersaults.

            The two weeks consisted of him nearly walking a hole into the floor of his cell while pushing back his increasingly irksome bangs. His sleep schedule was just as screwed up, but this time with even more nightmares.

            The scalpel went too deep; he could hear twin screams of pain as robotic arms ripped open his stomach.

            Shaking his head, Aban forced the image out of his mind. He instinctively knew the doctor would never hurt the girls, however, that didn’t stop the reoccurring dreams from invading his slumber. Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones or perhaps the isolation was truly getting to him because the night terrors happened every time he fell asleep.

            He wondered what the guards thought when they heard him jerk awake and rush to the toilet to vomit every few nights.

            Whatever they thought, they kept it to themselves as they stood silent as the grave.

            Laying on the bed in a half-dozing state, he heard far too many marching footsteps coming down the hallway to be a shift change. Gingerly sitting up, he waited to see who his visitor would be.

            “Stand in the middle of the cell, hands above your head,” Rochelle’s voice was firm and commanding as she stared him down. She was surrounded by a group of heavily armed soldiers, all of them armored to the teeth, helmets turning them into mindless drones.

            She did it.

            He was slow to stand, letting his hand dip under his pillow to grab the vitamin bottle. As he stood, he let the bottle drop into his sweatpants’ pocket. The bottle was a bit bulky, but hopefully Rochelle would explain it away as necessary medication. Doing as he was told, he faced the opposite wall with his back to the squadron of soldiers.

            Intensely, he listened as heavy boots entered the cell behind him and rough hands grabbed at him. Staying relaxed and allowing them to position him, Aban took steadying breaths.

            His arms were pulled tightly behind his back, shackles going around his wrists, forearms, and biceps. The strain on his shoulders was immense, but he kept his face neutral; he didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of getting a reaction out of him. Next, even heavier chains were wrapped around his ankles. He eyed the extra chain that extended between his legs as they pulled it upwards.

            A thick, leather collar slipped around his throat as the extra chain was attached to it. Even more chain was tied around his waist, pulling tight around his belly. It took all of his restraint not to lash forward and bite the hands that dared to touch him there. With his movement so thoroughly constricted, he thought they were done.

            He was wrong.

            “What—!”

            A small growl burst from his lips as something slipped over his face. He felt the hands tightening the muzzle around his head flinch away before returning. Maybe they had been reading his thoughts about biting them.

            The muzzle was like a small cage over the lower half of his face; guess he was cosplaying as Hannibal Lector wherever they were taking him.

            “Take him to the transport,” Rochelle’s voice didn’t lose its edge.

            At least the soldiers walked at his pace as they marched him down the hall and into the elevator. Anxiety was slowly creeping up his throat as he watched the floor numbers tick upwards.

            He didn’t want to get sick while restrained like this.

            It was one thing to be tussled up like a turkey, it was another for the enemy to see him get motion sick.

            Finally, the elevator stopped at what appeared to be a hanger and he was quickly shuffled into a military grade helicopter. He let out a warning hiss at the soldier that was in charge of strapping him into his seat, smirking as the man jumped at the noise. With his arms pinned behind him, the seat was extremely uncomfortable and left him staring at the back of Rochelle’s head.

            Why didn’t she give him a heads up?

            Something must have happened. There was no way G.U.N. would move him so quickly if something hadn’t. Did Tails succeed in making a robot? If so, he doubted it would be enough to earn him his freedom. Not that being chained up and secreted into a helicopter felt like freedom. So, what changed?

            Instead of worrying about it, Aban closed his eyes and tried to think of anything other than the rocking of the helicopter. Anything to keep the nausea at bay. The girls must have felt his anxiety since they weren’t making things easier, kicking at the straps pushing against his belly.

            After what felt like an eternity and only a couple of seconds, Aban could feel the helicopter descending. Looking out the window, all he could see was an empty field. Was he facing the firing squad? Clenching his fists, he tried to calculate how quickly he could dislocate his arm and reach the vitamin bottle.

            The soldiers quickly unstrapped him and pulled him out of the helicopter, the blades still moving and kicking up a strong wind. Aban tried to keep his eyes open, but the wind was making them water. He let the soldiers guide him further away before blinking the dust out of his eyes.

            When he opened them again, he swore his legs almost gave out.

            “Doctor?” He gasped.

            Standing proudly on the other side of the large clearing, was Dr. Ivo Robotnik in his full glory. There were at least two dozen badniks hovering around him and the Egg Mobile. At his hip, arms crossed and a scowl etched into his face, was Shadow.

            As he took in the scene, he could see three colorful figures standing off to the side, an equal distance from both Robotnik and G.U.N. Did they have something to do with this?

            “He won’t stay dead, will he?”

            Eyes widening, Aban finally noticed the soldiers had backed away, leaving him standing next to Rochelle. She stared ahead at Robotnik.

            “What’s going on?”

            “We’ve reached an agreement,” Rochelle snorted. “We hand you over and he doesn’t destroy every single G.U.N. base.”

            “So, did you plan this…?”

            She glared at him from the corner of her eye.

            “You know where my safe house is if you don’t want to deal with his crazy ass.”

            “It won’t come to that.”

            “I expect to be the first one to hold Rochelle Junior.”

            Aban didn’t bother hiding his laughter. No wonder she hates Robotnik. They’re just alike.

            “Thank you.”

            “Be safe, Aban.”

            The walk across the clearing took much longer due to the chains around his legs, while the shackles keeping his arms behind his back made it difficult to keep his balance. He still wasn’t used to his new center of gravity.

            Once he reached the halfway point, the badniks came to life.

            Half of them came racing over to him, their lasers cutting through every offending restraint, but not daring to hurt him in the process. Pulling off the muzzle and chucking it into the grass, Aban picked up his pace. His hands stayed on his belly as he approached Robotnik and Shadow.

            “About time, sycophant.”

            Aban smiled.

            Robotnik looked him over before nodding towards the Egg Mobile. Following behind his doctor, Aban was relieved to see this version of the vehicle was larger than before with enough room for passengers. Settling down on the rounded bench with Shadow, Aban felt his face hurting from how hard he was smiling.

            He was finally going home.

Chapter Text

            The Wachowski dinner table was lively, bustling with different conversations and filled to the brim with all kinds of foods. For Tails, however, he was lost in his own world as the rest of his family moved around him. Poking at his food, his eyes didn’t even process the green beans and pork chops on his plate.

            He couldn’t stop thinking about Stone.

            Would he be okay with Eggman?

            After the whole Eclipse Cannon fiasco, Tails, Sonic, and Knuckles had assumed with Eggman and Shadow sacrificing themselves, G.U.N. wouldn’t want anything to do with them anymore. They had been surprised when Director Rockwell had shown up at their doorstep nearly two months after the incident.

            They had all been wary of her, especially after she had wanted them arrested. Tom and Maddie had both been ready to fight her if necessary, but instead, Rockwell had wanted to talk about what had happened. She had even been polite!

            Tails and Knuckles had described how they had helped Eggman shift the laser, while Sonic talked briefly about his fight with Shadow. He didn’t say much—Tails knew Sonic was still mourning the other hedgehog. He had been incredibly moody since then, going off on his own at times and not as energetic as he once was.

            Rockwell had tried to press them about what they had seen in Eggman’s secret base: The Crab.

            “What did you see? Did he have any new technology?”

            “Why do you care?” Sonic had asked, voicing all of their suspicion.

            “Because his henchman, Stone, refuses to say anything. We need to know if there were other weapons he was planning on using.”

            That had sparked Tails interest.

            “Stone? You’ve been talking to him? Where is he?”

            “He’s in G.U.N.’s custody.”

            “Can I see him?”

            “And why should I let you?”

            “Maybe I can convince him to tell you something.”

            Tom had agreed to go with him to meet Stone. He had been kept at G.U.N.’s headquarters in London, under Rockwell’s supervision. Tails never would have imagined how much the man could change in only two months.

            He reminded Tails of the zombie movies Sonic had shown him. The very ones Sonic was then grounded for showing him.

            It was obvious he had lost weight from his hallowed cheeks, while his skin no longer looked healthy but ashen and sickly. The dark circles under his eyes frightened Tails the most. What was G.U.N. doing to him?! How could Rockwell do this to him!

            She had never liked them, but as Tails listened to Stone and her talk, he wasn’t entirely sure what to make of them.

            Were they friends?

            But, if they were, why would Rockwell keep Stone locked up? Shouldn’t she want to help him? Tails would never let Sonic sit in a jail cell!

            On the other hand, she didn’t say no to Tails helping Stone himself.

            Too bad he never got try his hand at building one of Eggman’s robots. Instead, the crazy doctor himself had appeared.

            Well, Shadow had appeared announcing he and Eggman were alive.

            Tom had taken them out to the lake while Maddie was at work when they heard a popping sound. Sonic had been the first to spot a black and red shape on the shore, speeding across the water as Tails and Knuckles were left to help Tom row the boat back to shore.

            Tails still couldn’t believe that Shadow had allowed Sonic to hug him—even if it was only for three seconds.

            “Shadow! You’re alive!” Sonic was nearly vibrating with joy. “But how?!”

            “The emerald you gave me,” Shadow grunted, glancing at all of them, his gaze lingering on Tom. “It amplified my teleportation powers. I was able to grab Ivo and get us out of there.”

            “Ivo?”

            “Robotnik.”

            “What, you’re on first name basis with Eggman now?” Sonic snorted.

            “Yes.”

            “Oh. Then where have you been? We thought you were dead!”

            “Unfortunately, because my teleportation was so extended, I accidentally sent us to another planet. We just made it back to Earth.”

            “I was the first person you wanted to see when you came back?” Tails couldn’t identify the emotion in Sonic’s voice, but he worried his adopted brother might start crying.

            “You and Stone, but we can’t find him.”

            “That’s because G.U.N. has him,” Tails piped up but regretted it as Shadow’s head whipped around to stare at him with murderous eyes. Ducking behind Knuckles, Tails stared back wide-eyed.

            “They’ll regret taking him.”

            While none of them were happy with Shadow and Eggman threatening to blow up all of G.U.N.’s bases, Tails was relieved when Shadow invited them to watch Stone being handed over. Sonic said it was because Shadow trusted them, but Tails wondered if there was another reason.

            When Stone had finally been pulled out of the helicopter, Tails had felt sick to his stomach. All those chains were unnecessary! And a muzzle? Would they have done that to him and Sonic back in Hawaii?

            “Why are they doing this to him?” He had wondered aloud.

            “They fear him,” Knuckles had responded, but sounded just as perplexed as him. “He did not seem that dangerous to me.”

            Tails would never describe himself as an angry person, but watching Stone stumble across that empty field made something in him snap. If Knuckles hadn’t grabbed a hold of his arm, he was sure he would have flown over to Stone and gotten those chains off himself. How could they do this to him?

            Stone was one of the nicest people Tails had met!

            The man had saved them from the Eggdrones in Tokyo, and then had given them treats. He had smiled at them so warmly, Tails had wondered what he was doing with Eggman. Then, when Shadow had appeared behind him and Stone, the henchman had done something Tails had never expected.

            Stone had shoved Tails behind him before facing Shadow head on.

            There weren’t many people who would willingly put themselves in the warpath of Shadow, but Stone had. For Tails.

            All they had known about each other was that they were on opposite sides, forced to work towards a common goal. And yet, Stone had willingly put his own life in danger for someone he barely even knew.

            Only to be arrested and kept locked up, treated worse than a zoo animal.

            Luckily, Eggman hadn’t been too happy with the way they had restrained Stone either as his drones had flown over to help. Once he was free, Stone had eagerly joined Eggman and Shadow, a smile on his face.

            However, he had been holding his stomach.

            “You okay, Tails?”

            Blinking, he lifted his head to meet Jojo’s slightly worried expression. Next to her, Rachel was looking at him as well.

            “I’m fine,” he gave them a half-hearted smile. He was seated at the end of the dining table with them.

            “Something on your mind, buddy?” Randell ask around a bite of food. They had been surprised when Rachel had actually gone through with the wedding, marrying Randell. Maddie had joked that if there’s anyone that can keep a G.U.N. agent in check, it was Rachel. Wait…

            “Have you been with G.U.N. a long time?” Tails put down his fork, giving Randell his entire focus.

            “Oh, yeah. Why?”

            “Is Stone really that dangerous?”

            Randell’s eyebrows rose, clearly surprised by the question. The rest of the table fell silent as everyone waited for his answer. Clearing his throat, Randell looked awkward, clearly put on the spot.

            “Well, let me put it this way. If I had to choose to be locked in a room with either Robotnik or Stone, I’d take Robotnik any day.”

            “You’d rather be stuck in a room with Dr. Crazy?” Sonic stared at him as if he sprouted blue quills.

            “Robotnik is predictable. I’ve heard enough stories to know what to expect from him. Stone…” Randell trailed off, expression slowly taking on a haunted look. “He was one of G.U.N.’s best agents. If you wanted something taken care of discreetly, he was the one you’d call.”

            “Really?” Maddie raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “The guy who made my lattes for eight months and picked a goat for his shop’s mascot. He’s a top agent?”

            “Most agents are unassuming when they need to be,” Randell explained. “Stone was the best at it. His infiltration skills were next level. I never got to see him in action, but I’ve heard enough about his abilities. He’s not someone I’d want to mess with in any life time.”

            “Rockwell mentioned something about poison,” Tom spoke up.

            “I’m not surprised she’d be the one to say it,” Randell pushed his plate away from him. “There was a rumor going around that she and Stone would have competitions to see who could drink the most poison without taking the antidote.”

            “But, that’s just a rumor, right?” Maddie frowned.

            Randell shrugged.

            “Wait,” Rachel turned to her husband. “You were telling me something about an agent named Stone.”

            “Yeah. The Unwritten Rules of G.U.N.”

            “What’s that?” Sonic asked, everyone’s interest peaked even more.

            “With all the crazy things that G.U.N. has to face, there’s some rules that people have decided are important, even if they aren’t written down,” Randell continued. “For a long time, one of the rules was, ‘under no circumstances let Rockwell and Stone work together’.”

            “Why?” Tails asked weakly. He had a feeling he wouldn’t like the answer.

            “I hadn’t joined G.U.N. when they were both agents, but apparently the last mission they went on together, they almost took over a small country.”

            “What, by accident?” Maddie joked.

            “By killing the guy in charge,” Randell winced.

            Everyone was quiet as they process the information. Tails glanced down at his plate of food once more, and decided he wasn’t hungry anymore.

            “So, the Goat Milker is a formable warrior after all,” Knuckles looked thoughtful. “It’s understandable then why Eggman took him on as a minion.”

            “Goat what?” Maddie stuttered, staring at Knuckles before waving a hand to dismiss the odd nickname. “Anyway, if Stone is that dangerous, then why did he choose Eggman of all people to follow?”

            “I have no idea,” Randell shrugged. “All I know was that when Stone defected from G.U.N., he was put on the ‘kill on sight’ list.”

            “How do you get on that list?” Jojo asked, looking up at Randell with large, sparkling eyes.

            “Don’t answer that,” Rachel sent Randell a sharp look.

            “I don’t know,” Sonic looked skeptical. “I’ll believe it when I see it. There’s no way a guy who can make a cup of hot chocolate that good could be dangerous, right?”

            Tails silently agreed. Even though he hadn’t spent too much time with Stone, there was nothing about the man that made Tails remotely scared of him. Other people, like Rockwell and Eggman, had made the hairs on the back of his neck rise, but Stone hadn’t. Making up his mind, Tails decided to ask Randell more about Stone after dinner.

            Curled up in his bed, Tails typed rapidly on his tablet.

            Why did Stone’s stomach feel so weird?

            In all honesty, Tails had been expecting Rockwell to laugh in his face for asking to give Stone a hug, but she had allowed him. But, when the man had hugged him, Tails hadn’t been expecting to feel Stone’s stomach to be so firm.

            Did it have something to do with his imprisonment?

            Then, when he had been given over to Eggman, he had held his stomach.

            What did it all mean?

            Everything he had found on the internet was pointing to a conclusion Tails didn’t want to come to yet. Did Stone have a parasite? A tumor? Something else that made his stomach expand like that?

            The more he searched, the more horrific the results.

            Stomach rolling, Tails gulped. What if Eggman doesn’t help Stone?

            Shaking his head, Tails forced those depressing thoughts from his head. He couldn’t think that way! Stone would be fine!

            Scrolling through more photos of rare diseases, Tails had completely tuned out Knuckles’ snores and Sonic’s sleep talk. So focused in fact, he didn’t notice Maddie come up into the attic until she was standing at the end of his bed.

            “Why are you still up?”

            “Ah!” Tails nearly threw his tablet in shock.

            “You should’ve been asleep an hour ago,” Maddie scolded him softly, sitting next to him on his bed.

            “I know…” Tails lowered his gaze and picked at his blanket.

            “Tails, what’s wrong?” Maddie ran a hand between his ears, her fingers scratching lightly at his skin. Relaxing, he put his tablet down.

            “I’m worried about Stone,” he admitted softly.

            “Oh, honey,” Maddie sighed. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

            “But, when he went with Eggman, Eggman didn’t even hug him or anything! I thought they were friends.”

            “Not all friends hug. Maybe their friendship is just…different.”

            “I guess.”

            “I know you’re worried, but Stone is an adult. He can handle himself.”

            “It’s just…”

            “What, sweetie?”

            “I think he’s sick,” Tails looked up at her hesitantly.

            “Sick? Why?”

            “When I hugged him, his belly was really firm. Not like how bellies should be,” as Tails talked, the more convinced he was. Picking up his tablet, he pulled up his theories. “I don’t know much about humans, but I think he has a parasite.”

            Maddie raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced, as she took his tablet. Both her eyebrows were raised now as she scrolled through his different theories.

            “I—wow, there are a lot of gruesome pictures you shouldn’t be looking at,” Maddie said. “Honey, unless Stone is walking around the Amazon Rain Forest, then I don’t think he has half of these things.”

            “Then what’s wrong with him?”

            “I don’t know,” Maddie sighed, handing the tablet back. “I know more about dogs than humans, but I can tell you this—if it was serious, then he would go to the hospital.”

            “What if Eggman doesn’t let him?” Tails blurted out. “I asked Randell about their friendship after dinner, and he said he saw Eggman hit Stone once!”

            “Uh…”

            “Should we have stopped Stone from going with Eggman?” Sniffing, Tails could feel tears prickling at the edge of his eyes.

            “Oh, Tails. Come here, sweetheart,” Maddie scooped him up, placing him in her lap. Tails didn’t hesitate to shove his face in her shoulder. Her hand was back to petting his head. “You said Shadow was with them, right?”

            “Yeah,” he hiccupped and hugged her tighter.

            “Then maybe we can ask him how Stone and Eggman are doing. And if there is a problem, maybe Shadow can help us come up with a plan.”

             Tails nodded. Shadow had admitted Sonic and Stone were the two people he wanted to see after coming back to Earth, so maybe he did care for the man, too. But, would he go against Eggman if something was wrong with Stone?

            More tears began to fall as Tails imagined the worst-case scenario.

            “You’re a good friend, Tails,” Maddie whispered in his ear. “I can see you really care about Stone. I know he’d really appreciate your concern.”

            “H-he tried to protect me,” he admitted, rubbing his eyes.

            “Then I think he does deserve your friendship,” Maddie assured him. “But, until we know for sure, let’s not jump to conclusions, okay? From what you told me, he was happy to see Eggman. If he’s happy, then we shouldn’t worry too much.”

            Nodding, Tails sniffed.

            Maddie was right. There was no use in worrying over something Tails couldn’t change. He only hoped that Shadow would be willing to tell them how Stone was doing.

Chapter Text

            “…and that’s how we bested a bat at her own game, helped save the universe, and defeated an evil tentacle monster!”

            Twirling around in the control chair, Ivo made sure the Egg Mobile was going a steady speed on auto pilot. He didn’t need Stone’s motion sickness to be triggered. With a wide smile plastered on his face, Ivo finally looked at Stone, waiting for his henchman’s awed expression at hearing one of the most thrilling and exhilarating stories of all time.

            Only to find Stone slumped sideways with his head resting atop of Shadow’s, his breathing even and eyes firmly shut.

            “What! How long was he asleep?” Ivo barked at the hedgehog.

            “The moment he sat down.”

            “He didn’t hear a word I said?” Ivo felt his body deflate as he stared at the duo. Stone was going to have an incredibly sore neck if he stayed like that for much longer. If Shadow didn’t have the strength he did, no doubt he would’ve been crushed under Stone’s weight. As it stood, the dark hedgehog looked nonplussed by the impromptu cuddle session.

            “No.”

            “Hmph!”

            Ivo wasn’t above pouting, especially when it came to Stone not giving him the rightful attention he deserved from his loyal sycophant. Sitting on the edge of his seat, he reached for one of Stone’s wrists, only to be met with a growl.

            “Don’t wake him.”

            “I’m not!” Ivo hissed back. “I want to check his vitals. He looks like shit.”

            Under Shadow’s increasingly narrowed gaze, Ivo gently grabbed Stone’s wrist and used his gloves to take basic vitals. So far everything looked fine, but he was concerned with Stone’s weight; while it was obvious his pregnant belly had grown, the rest of him looked far too thin. As soon as they got to the secret base, he would have his badniks do a much more thorough job of scanning Stone over. Placing Stone’s hand back in his lap, Ivo took a moment to really look him over.

            He had been right—Stone looked awful.

            Ivo couldn’t remember the last time Stone’s hair had been that long nor if the man had ever had such dark circles under his eyes. To hell with the truce-slash-agreement he made with Rockwell—he’d destroy a dozen of G.U.N.’s assets for what they had done to Stone. He knew Rockwell was willing to do just about anything to get her way, but to torture a pregnant person?

            He vowed to burn G.U.N. to the ground.

            Tearing his eyes away from Stone’s face, Ivo’s eyes zeroed in on his belly.

            His entire attitude shifted as he took in the much bigger belly. Two months had passed far too quickly—his girls had grown in the meantime, without him there to watch their growth and guarantee they were healthy. Of course, he believed Stone tried his best to keep them safe, but there was only so much he could have done.

            The idiot had to go and get captured, Ivo silently cursed.

            When he had streamed his farewell message, Ivo had assumed that Stone was safe and sound in the Crab. Unfortunately, he had found the Crab disassembled inside one of G.U.N.’s bases. He’d need to have a talk with that dastardly fox about trying to drown his henchman.

            Instead of hiding at the bottom of the ocean in the Crab, Stone had been shoved into a cell for the last two months. Who knows what Rockwell and her little cronies had done to Stone during that time. From the looks of it, they hadn’t figured out Stone was pregnant or else they wouldn’t have let him continue the pregnancy—especially if they knew whose children he carried.

            Ivo’s children. His daughters. Sage and—

            Frowning, he realized he actually didn’t know what name Stone had decided on for the second baby. In fact, they hadn’t even discussed which baby would be named what. Perhaps the first baby would receive Ivo’s choice and the second Stone’s. Yes, that would be sufficient.

            The thought of his daughters being born had Ivo growing worried.

            Stone was now close to the end of his second trimester—the pregnancy was already halfway over and there was still too many things that could go wrong. What if something had gone wrong with the artificial womb? It had only been created to hold one fetus, not two, after all. Or, what if the torture and stress Stone had been subjected to had affected the girls? Could they be suffering from some kind of health defect because of his imprisonment?

            More and more questions began piling up in his mind, spiking his own distress.

            Pushing a button on his gloves, he was ready to perform an ultrasound right then and there—Stone being unconscious be damned. His hand made a beeline for Stone’s belly, fully intending to lift his shirt.

            A different gloved hand grabbed his wrist in a crushing grip. Ivo bit his tongue so as not to scream in pain.

            “Stop. Trying. To. Touch. Him.” Shadow growled.

            “I need to know if the girls are all right, you insolent rodent!” Ivo tugged on his arm, but Shadow’s grip was unbreaking.

            “Then wait,” Shadow snapped. “If there was something wrong, he would have said something. Let him sleep.”

            Two months ago, Ivo would have fought vehemently with the alien, but after having to spend so long attached to each other, he knew when to drop it. Shadow would only keep fighting him, not once letting up. Unlike the humans Ivo was used to bullying into submission, Shadow refused to back down, even if it was a verbal fight. For now, he’d let the little brat enjoy his cuddling, but as soon as they landed, Stone was his.

            “How are we going to do this?”

            The Egg Mobile had landed gently in front of a steep cliffside in the Baetic System of mountains in southern Spain. It housed one of his more recently created secret bases, hidden deep in the wilderness so there were no prying eyes. Unfortunately, it was also the smallest of his bases on the European continent. They didn’t have many options at the moment since Stone didn’t need the stress of a much longer flight in the Egg Mobile.

            Their new problem was that Stone still had yet to wake up. Neither of them had the heart to wake him.

            “Can’t you teleport him inside?” Ivo suggested.

            “No. The last time I teleported him, he threw up.”

            “Fine, give him to me.”

             He did not appreciate the way Shadow looked him up and down.

            “You’re going to carry him?”

            “Yes!”

            Sending a venomous glare at the hedgehog, Ivo stepped up to where Stone was still leaning against Shadow. Sliding his arms under Stone’s knees and across his back, Ivo tried to be as gentle as possible as he lifted Stone. He let Stone’s head fall onto his shoulder, his breath ghosting against Ivo’s neck. With how tightly Ivo was holding him, he could feel Stone’s firm belly pressed against his softer one. He couldn’t wait to see how his daughters were doing.

            “C’mon,” Ivo grunted. Stone was heavier than he had anticipated. 

            Since his hands were full, he had to use voice commands to reveal the entrance to the base. It was set deep into the cliffside, fully encased in the rock without a lick of sunlight allowed inside. Lights flicked to life as they walked down the long corridor and through several highly secured doors. Stepping into the main lab, he activated his badniks.

            “Clean this place up,” he instructed them. Leaving them to it, he walked to one of the many doors branching off the lab. He was forced to use the override code to unlock Stone’s personal room.

            When Ivo had begun planning to construct his hidden bases, Stone had brought up the necessary detail of sleeping arrangements. While the agent didn’t seem to mind Ivo’s suggestion of letting Stone sleep in a dog bed, Ivo had relented and planned for a bedroom for each of them. Initially, he hadn’t thought to set up different locks, but after an unfortunate incident, they had agreed that only Stone would have access to his personal quarters.

            Ivo had tried to scrub the memory of Stone laying face down, ass in the air with his hands doing something between his legs, loud moans abruptly cut off when he realized Ivo had walked in unannounced. Neither could look the other in the eye for over a week after that incident.

            Of course, Ivo still had a code to access Stone’s room if need be.

            “You’re going to make him sleep in here?” Shadow asked, nearly stepping on Ivo’s heels from how closely he was following.

            “He’ll be fine. He’s used to it.”

            The room was the same size as the room Stone had occupied on the Crab. It had a single cot shoved into a corner with a bedside table next to it. There was a small closet in the opposite wall from the bed. The walls and floor were bare, the grey metal looking dull after the absence of any human presence for so long. In all reality, the room was so small, if they were to duplicate the bed, nothing else would fit inside.

            With the utmost care, Ivo laid Stone down on the bed. He looked oddly peaceful underneath the florescent lights.

            Pressing a few buttons, Ivo ordered a badnik to bring him a stool.

            “Will he be all right?” Shadow asked, edging closer to Stone’s bed. His arms were crossed as he examined the man, an intense look on his face.

            “If you let me scan him earlier, I could tell you,” Ivo snapped, grabbing the stool from the badnik. Activating his gloves and letting the badnik scan Stone, he reached for the man’s hoodie.

            Only to jerk away when Stone let out a small breath and his face scrunched up in discomfort. Sharing a glance with Shadow, they waited to see if he’d wake up.

            However, all Stone did was mumble something unintelligible and rolled over onto his side—luckily facing Ivo. His arms curled around his stomach protectively as he nuzzled into the pillow.

            Rolling his eyes, Ivo started to reach for Stone again.

            A strong grip on his arm was the only warning he got before he found himself falling backwards onto the lab’s cold floor.

            “Oof!”

            Blinking rapidly, he twisted his head around to realize he was back in the main lab, flat on his ass.

            “What gives, you insufferable creature!” He shouted at Shadow.

            “Stop touching him!”

            “I have to know if he and the girls are fine!”

            “Wait until he’s awake,” Shadow’s voice dropped threatening as small sparks of electricity started to form around his quills. “Let him rest before you touch him.”

            “He can sleep after I make sure he’s going to be all right, or do you want him to die in his sleep?” Ivo spat, shoving himself off the floor. He could see the door to Stone’s room had slid shut. At least it was designed to be soundproof.

            His words had Shadow flinching back, but he stood his ground.

            “You don’t get to touch him whenever you want.”

            “He’s my henchman! I can do whatever I want to him, whenever I want!”

            “He’s not your toy!” Shadow bellowed, energy sparking off him, arcing and hitting the lights above him. Glass showered down around them, the small explosions echoing in Ivo’s ears and making them ring.

            Crouched slightly and covering his head from the glass, Ivo stared at the hedgehog. Shadow had his teeth barred, fists clenched and ready for attack. I didn’t know he was that attached to Stone…

            “You can examine him when he’s awake.”

            With those final words, Shadow disappeared.

            Ivo didn’t have to guess that he had gone back to Stone’s side.

            Ten hours.

            Ivo had to wait ten long, excruciating hours before Stone finally woke up.

            At least it had given him time to reorganized the base and set up the essentials. He had sent out badniks to gather fresh groceries while going through the stored food already prepared. Stone must have been the one in charge of stocking it since there was quite a bit of variety in the food choices. If Ivo had been in charge of it, it would’ve been all clam chowder with one or two vegetables thrown in.

            He had also forgone his grandfather’s specially made jacket for a pair of pajamas and a bathrobe. Silently promising not to fall into his pattern of depression back in the Crab, he had the badniks pick up an entirely new wardrobe for him as well.

            Along with that, he had created a new watch for Stone.

            Not only would it be able to track his vitals, the GPS was updated to be able to track him even underground or underwater. Even if Rockwell got her grubby hands on Stone again, there wouldn’t be anywhere she could hide him from Ivo.

            The only downside was Ivo had to begrudgingly knock on Stone’s door and hand it to Shadow before having the door slammed in his face. He’d make the hedgehog regret that. He had felt his own glove vibrate with a notification that the watch had actually been put on Stone, so at least Shadow had done that much.

            Now, a full ten hours after they had arrived, Ivo’s gloves alerted him to Stone waking up.

            Jumping to his feet, he couldn’t help himself as he jogged over to the door.

            Only to collide into Stone.

            “Doctor!” 

            Holding onto the smaller man’s shoulders, Ivo suddenly didn’t know what to say. Stone’s eyes were big and glittering as he stared up at him, almost as if he couldn’t believe Ivo was standing in front of him. His hair covered his forehead and threatened to fall over his eyes, while the deep circles made it look as if Stone had been punched. Ivo swallowed thickly, realizing Stone wouldn’t look like this if Ivo had simply listened to him.

            “Doctor, I—”

            “You were right,” Ivo sighed, fingers pressing into Stone’s flesh. One of Stone’s hands came up to loosely grab onto one of his wrists. “My grandfather’s whole plan was to destroy the planet, us included. If Shadow hadn’t saved me, I would have lost you and the girls.”

            “Sir—”

            “I know, I know. You tried to warn me. I should have listened. Gerald had poisoned my mind with his promises, and I refused to see through his lies simply because we shared blood.”

            “I—”

            “Things will be different, my syco-friend!” Ivo smiled, shaking Stone by the shoulders. “I swear, I will do everything in my power to protect my daughters. I will make sure they are happy and healthy for when they are ready to take over the world themselves! Just imagine it, Stone, Sage and the other one, side by side—”

            “DOCTOR!”

            Ivo’s mouth dropped open.

            Did Stone just… yell at me?

            For his part, even Stone looked mortified. However, the expression quickly morphed into discomfort.

            “I-I’m sorry,” he stuttered out. “But, I really need to pee.”

            “Oh. Well, don’t let me stop you.”

            Watching Stone scurry away, Ivo had to wonder why he designed the lab so the bathroom was on the opposite side from the bedrooms. He could vaguely recall Stone asking him the same question so many years ago.

            “Sage and the other one?”

            Whipping his head around, Ivo quietly snarled at the dark hedgehog’s dry tone.

            “He never told me what name he chose!” Ivo defended himself.

            “Maria,” Shadow’s voice was softer as he replied. “He asked me to choose her name.”

            “He what?” Ivo croaked.

            “Oh, Ivo…you’re no Maria.”

            All of a sudden, it felt as if his legs couldn’t support his weight. Stumbling backwards, he reached for his chair and allowed himself to collapse into it.

            How could Stone pick that name?

            There were millions of names out there, and yet, the name of the grandchild Gerald actually loved was the one Stone had picked. Didn’t Stone have a family of his own that he could draw from?

            Orphan.

            The word flashed through Ivo’s mind as he remembered reading Stone’s file so long ago. But, that didn’t make sense. Didn’t Stone even mention having siblings? How could he be an orphan if he talked so fondly about his family?

            None of it made sense.

            Stone wanted to name Ivo’s daughter after the person that Gerald and Shadow had wanted to destroy the world for. Someone that Ivo could never measure up to, no matter how hard he tried. How could he raise a daughter who would remind him of his failure every single day?

            “I can veto any name.”

            Right. He had told Stone that he could choose the name, but Ivo had the final say. Good, all he had to do was tell Stone to pick a different name. Maybe they could even try and find some of Stone’s family names if he wanted to be mushy.

            Soft shuffling of feet brought Ivo out of his thoughts as he saw Stone slowly approaching him. He had the same expression he always wore when he knew he had upset Ivo and was now awaiting his punishment. His head was slightly bowed, a hand cupping his belly while his other hand rubbed circles across it.

            Sighing, Ivo didn’t have the heart to even yell at him.

            “Better?” He asked instead.

            “Yes,” Stone smiled bashfully at him.

            “Would you like to see them on the ultrasound?”

            “Yes, sir.”

            Stone’s earlier hesitancy was completely gone as he approached Ivo but stopped when he spotted Shadow. His face nearly split in two as he sped towards the hedgehog. For his part, Shadow uncrossed his arms and his face relaxed out of its normal glower.

            “I’m so glad to see you’re all right, Habibi,” Stone said, crouching down to Shadow’s height. “Can I…?”

            “Sure.”

            Ivo was tempted to tap his foot and stare at his watch as Stone circled his arms around the dark hedgehog and hugged him close. He was mildly surprised to see Shadow lean into the hug and bring his arms up to embrace Stone back. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when Stone raised a hand to pet Shadow’s spikes.

            Shadow let out a small sigh, a ghost of a smile on his face.

            Only for his eyes to fly open and meet Ivo’s.

            The murderous threat was explicit in the rat’s red eyes.

            “Ahem, if we’re done with all this touchy-feeling crap, I’d like to get to the ultrasound.”

            “Sorry, doctor.”

            Even though Stone was apologizing, he had a beaming smile plastered on his face. He carefully held his belly as he rose from his crouch. Ivo lurched forward as he saw Stone wobble a bit. Shadow caught one of Stone’s hands, steadying him.

            “Thank you, Habibi.”

            Ivo rolled his eyes at the way Shadow seemed to stand straighter as he led Stone over to Ivo, who graciously allowed Stone to sit in his control chair. It was the only one that could lean fully back if they needed it. Shadow had positioned himself right next to the chair, almost like a bodyguard as he watched Ivo’s every move.

            “How have you been feeling?” Ivo asked. “What did Rockwell subject you to?”

            “Other than tasteless food and bright lights, I was fine. But, the girls have been really moving. It’s been hard to sleep more than a couple hours,” Stone admitted before pulling his hoodie up himself. Ivo despised seeing the G.U.N. logo so blatantly sprawled across his henchman’s belly. He’d have to make Stone change after this. “I’m surprised they let me sleep that long.”

            “We can look into which sleep aide is safe for you to take if it comes to that.”

            “Thank you, doctor.”

            Powering up his gloves once more, Ivo frozen as he finally took in Stone’s bare stomach.

            It’s grown so much.

            Of course, Stone didn’t look like he was about to pop anytime soon, but compared to two months ago, it was now obvious the man was pregnant. Ivo could even spot small stretch marks on either side of his belly. Collecting himself, Ivo began the ultrasound.

            He set the screen up so all three of them could view it as he slowly moved his fingers across Stone’s belly.

            “That’s what they look like?” Shadow stared up at the screen, completely dumbfounded. Ivo wasn’t surprised—it would actually be odd if the hedgehog had seen a human fetus before.

            “Do they seem okay, doctor?”

            “I don’t see anything wrong at the moment,” Ivo said, not wanting to get Stone’s hopes up until he could analyze further. With his other hand, he brought up a few more screens to cross reference the girls’ development. “Sage is three weeks ahead, but the other one looks to be almost at the same stage.”

            Stone hummed in acknowledgement, eyes glued to the screen.

            The longer the procedure went on, the more obvious the relief in the room became. The girls were fine.

            Ivo moved his fingers minutely across Stone’s belly, trying to catch the glimpse of Not-Sage when he felt something poke back at his finger. Curious, he applied the smallest amount of pressure; did Stone have indigestion or something?

            Only for his finger to be met with a much sharper poke.

            “Ugh!” Stone grunted above him, his hand coming down immediately to soothe his belly. “I guess they’re awake.”

            “What do you mean?” Ivo asked, completely lost as he stared intently at where he had felt the poke.

            “They’re kicking,” Stone explained with a soft smile. “They started a few weeks ago and haven’t let up since.”

            “Kicking?” Shadow asked sharply, alarmed. “Are they hurting you?”

            “Not hurting,” Stone chuckled. “But they certainly don’t want me to ignore them, even when I want to sleep. Do you want to feel, Shadow?”

            Ivo hadn’t moved from his spot.

            His mind was racing.

            The girls were kicking.

            They were moving.

            In three months, they would have two babies in their arms.

            So lost in his thoughts, Ivo barely registered Shadow moving to stand next to him to better feel the babies. As soon as his gloved hand touched Stone’s skin, the hedgehog was jumping away with a gasp.

            “It’s all right, Shadow,” Stone soothed. “They’re just excited to meet you.”

            Were they excited to meet me, too? Ivo couldn’t help but ask himself.

            Pulling away from the pair, Ivo frowned as Stone encouraged Shadow to come closer again. The man looked so incredibly happy, it was as if his joy was literally spilling over and coating everything around him. The lab didn’t feel as oppressive or suffocating, the badniks’ whirring became a calm symphony that matched with the other sounds of the base. Stone’s smile put the lights to shame with how brightly he smiled. Ivo wanted to bottle up this feeling for a rainy day, just to soak up the pure radiance flowing out of Stone.

            He’s going to make a wonderful mother.

            But what kind of father would Ivo make?

            Stone needed another day to fully recover his energy, claiming the girls were unusually calm and he wanted to take the chance to rest. Ivo kept Stone’s vitals pulled up since Shadow had once more shut him out of Stone’s room.

            In the meantime, Ivo did what he did best.

            He planned.

            Even though they were literal years away from the girls being able to read and write, there was no excuse not to prepare for their future. So far, he was busy creating a personalize curriculum that could adapt to either child’s interest as they grew. However, since he didn’t want to necessarily play teacher all the time, he decided he would create something that could.

            So far, he had decided on an orb shape for his newest robot, moving away from the elliptic shape he preferred. Perhaps he should pair this robot with another? An opposite? A cube could work.

            When Stone finally got up to make what was then lunch, Ivo sat at the kitchen island to watch the man cook. After a shower and some rest, Stone was starting to look like his old self—albeit with longer hair. He had trimmed his beard, appearing semi-professional once more but had yet to ditch the G.U.N. hoodie.

            Ivo’s eyes flickered over the ingredients Stone was slowly pulling out of the fridge and cupboards.

            “Cook the halibut.”

            Stone froze for a moment, turning to him with a frown.

            “I was going to use the chicken,” he said, his voice lilting slightly as if to ask a question.

            “Halibut has more iron in it,” Ivo told him firmly. “Cook it.”

            “But, sir—”

            “Your blood test showed your iron levels have dipped. Are you trying to harm the girls?”

            Stone’s face fell before he silently put the chicken back in the fridge.

            The kitchen was quiet besides the gentle sizzle of the fish cooking and the steady chopping of vegetables. Glancing into the hallway, Ivo was relieved Stone had set Shadow up with headphones and a movie. Who in the world recommended the hedgehog to watch the movie Speed was beyond him, but he couldn’t care less as his eyes swiveled back to Stone.

            “What was your mother’s name?”

            By the way Stone dropped the knife, the utensil clattering harshly against the metal floor, Ivo surmised he should have started with something different for his line of questioning.

            “W-what?” Stone stared at him as if he had grown a second mustache.

            “Your mother’s name,” Ivo rolled his eyes. “What is it?”

            “What brought this on, sir? If I may ask,” Stone hurriedly added as he carefully crouched down to retrieve the knife. He kept his eyes trained on the sharp instrument, mouth set in a thin line as he washed it.

            “Well, I thought perhaps you would like to name the other baby your mother’s name. It’s not unusual to name a child after a grandparent. Especially a deceased one.”

            Was it a trick of the light or did Stone’s eye twitch?

            “It’s fine, sir. I already picked a name.”

            “Then pick a different one!” Ivo barked at him.

            “What do you mean?” Stone stared at him.

            “I will not have you naming my daughter that name!”

            “What’s wrong with the name Maria, doctor?”

            “Everything!”

            The chair he had been sitting in fell backwards as Ivo jumped to his feet, hands clutching the island with an iron grip. Baring his teeth at Stone, he could feel the overwhelming rage that had consumed him back on the Eclipse Cannon.

            “But Shadow—”

            “I don’t care what that rat said! I told you from the beginning that I would refuse a name if I didn’t like it. Choose. A. Different. Name.”

            Stone was doing a beautiful impression of the fish he was cooking as his mouth opened and closed a few times before his eyes darkened. His body was stiff as he turned back to the chopping board.

            “Understood, sir.”

            They didn’t speak to each for the rest of day.

            After their…conversation the previous day, Ivo took it upon himself to create a list of names for Stone to choose from. He couldn’t keep thinking of his daughters as Sage and Not-Sage.

            Since Stone had never told him what his mother’s name was, Ivo decided to start there. For as long as he had known the man, Stone had always been the sentimental type, so surely the most logical conclusion was that he would want to name Not-Sage after a family member. Not to mention, it wasn’t a bad idea to look into Stone’s family history for medical reasons as well.

            Shelving his orb and cube robots for the moment, Ivo began to delve into Stone’s family tree.

            It was much more difficult than he was anticipating.

            Why couldn’t they keep more accurate records in war zones?

            And on top of that, why had Stone changed his name? It had taken Ivo much longer to discover this fact than he would like to admit when the name ‘Aban Stone’ showed no results. Lucky for him, the US army had required Stone’s old documents of immigration and name change before allowing him to enlist. However, once he found Stone’s birth name, things went smoothly.

            Stone kept himself busy in different parts of the lab or watching older movies with Shadow. Ivo’s ears had picked up soft laughter coming from Stone’s room once and found the pair were watching Bill and Ted. Not the movie he would have shown a space hedgehog that had missed fifty years worth of cinema, but that wasn’t his concern.

            He wasn’t pleased that it took almost a week to gather all of the necessary documents to complete his list of names, however, he had accomplished what he had sought out to do. There was now a list of at least ten different female names that spanned a few generations of Stone’s family.

            Now all the man had to do was pick one.

            Stone was happily polishing a badnik when Ivo found him. Shadow had left for the weekend to visit Sonic; Ivo had made a mental note to make him shower as soon as he was back—they didn’t need the blue devil’s germs everywhere.

            “Here.”

            Blinking up at him, Stone gingerly took the list.

            “What’s this?”

            “The names of your female relatives. Pick one and let’s move on from this whole issue.”

            Crossing his arms, Ivo watched as Stone’s eyes flickered over the names and which family members they were connected to. His henchman’s face revealed nothing as his fingers began to crumple the paper slightly. A long minute passed in silence as the badnik pulled itself out of Stone’s lap to return to its charging station.

            “How did you get this, doctor?”

            “How do I get any of the information I find?” Ivo smirked. “By the way, I took the opportunity to look over any medical issues in your family. I have to wonder how tall the girls will get since your female relatives appear to be quite shorter than mine.”

            Stone nodded absentmindedly, eyes boring holes into the paper. The more time Stone took to read the names, the more Ivo tried not to fidget.

            “Well?” He asked impatiently.

            “I’ll think about it.”

            What?

            Standing, Stone made to pass by him and back into the main part of the lab—no doubt to go hide in his room once more. Gritting his teeth, Ivo decided he had had enough. He tried to keep his grip gentle as he grabbed Stone’s arm, but dug his fingers into Stone’s flesh when he felt the other man pulling away.

            “How hard is it to pick a name, Stone!?” Ivo hissed. “Are the girls stealing all of your brain power?”

            “No, sir.” Stone’s voice was emotionless.

            “Then pick one!” Ivo gestured with his other hand. “What about ‘Sanaa’? That was your mother’s name, right?”

            Stone’s body was angled so Ivo was staring at the back of his head, infuriating him even further. He didn’t answer. Snarling under his breath, Ivo continued.

            “Or, if that’s too close to Sage, what about ‘Amal’ or ‘Hana’, your sisters’ names?”

            It was as if he was talking to a statue. No wonder he changed his name to Stone if this was how he was going to act. Losing his already thin patience, Ivo pulled sharply on Stone’s arm, twirling the man around to face him.

            His next words nearly choked him when he saw Stone’s face.

            Tears were streaming down his face, his eyes already turning red. However, even though he was crying, he glared at Ivo cooly.

            “I would appreciate it if you’d stop looking into my family, sir,” Stone’s voice was barely above a whisper, but his words were steady as they pierced straight through Ivo’s heart. With a hard jerk, he pulled his arm free and calmly walked away.

            Ivo could only watch him go.

            He was forced to make his own meals for the rest of the weekend.

            “I’ve noticed Sonic calls the man he lives with something other than his name,” Shadow’s voice floated over to where Ivo was more certainly not sulking. The atmosphere in the lab had continued to be tense even when the hedgehog had returned. He didn’t seem to either notice or care as he kept himself glued to Stone’s hip. He had been talking the man’s ear off about all the inane things he had done with the other equally annoying hedgehog over the weekend.

            “What do you mean, Shadow?” Stone asked. He was carefully brushing Shadow’s spikes, the hedgehog curled up in his lap. Ivo had been a little shocked when they had sat down in the main part of the lab since Stone had been avoiding him like the plague—as much as he could at least in the small base.

            “He calls him ‘dad’ instead of ‘Tom’.”

            “That’s nice,” Stone hummed.

            A beat of silence.

            “Could I call you something like that?”
            Shadow’s voice was barely above a mumble. The whole lab seemed to be holding its breath as Shadow—and, secretly, Ivo—waited for Stone’s answer.

            “Of course, Habibi,” Stone’s smile was obvious, even if Ivo wasn’t looking at him.

            “What name would be best?”

            “Um, well,” Stone cleared his throat. “The girls are going to call me ‘mama’, but you could call me ‘baba’, if you’d like.”

            “Which one do you prefer more?”

            “I…” Stone trailed off. “I’m not entirely sure. Some days I think ‘mama’ fits me, but other days, ‘baba’ is better.”

            “Hmm,” Shadow sounded thoughtful. “What about today?”

            “Today, I feel like ‘baba’.”

            “Will you tell me if you feel like ‘mama’ the other days?”

            “I will. I promise.”

            “Thank you, baba.”

            An incredibly rare occurrence happened a few nights later.

            Ivo went to sleep at the same time as Stone and Shadow.

            Since the base only had two bedrooms, Shadow decided to bunk with Stone, who didn’t seem to mind in the least. Ivo had yet to figure out how they managed to fit in the bed together

            The tension that had filled the base had been like a thick miasma, but surprisingly, Shadow’s presence had helped to lessen it. Stone wasn’t pacing the lab as frequently when the hedgehog was around and not off on a play date with Sonic and company. However, the moment Ivo opened his mouth about Not-Sage’s name, the other man’s entire demeanor would shift. His easy smile disappeared and his jaw would clench almost painfully.

            On top of that, with Shadow around, he had found out Stone had been sneaking food again.

            Stone had reluctantly agreed to follow a much stricter diet due to his lack of nutrition during his imprisonment. Ivo would pointedly ignore Stone’s pout with each bland meal, most times having to tell Stone not to add unnecessary ingredients in the meals. The man might like added butter, but his body didn’t need it.

            However, Ivo had noticed a few hidden wrappers in the garbage; mostly different candies and chips, along with a large jar of peanut butter. Did Stone go through it that quickly? Immediately, Ivo had gotten after Shadow for sneaking in the snacks, which had the hedgehog’s hackles rising.

            “So what? He said he wanted them.”

            “He can’t eat whatever he wants. Fetuses need certain nutrients to develop correctly—who knows what those chemicals could do to the girls!”

            Shadow only rolled his eyes before teleporting away.

            Controlling Stone’s food intake would’ve been easier if he didn’t have a rebellious teenager teleporting all over the place.

            That night, he had gotten into yet another screaming match with Shadow when he spotted the hedgehog trying to sneak in a box of cereal. As if he’d let that kind of processed cardboard to get within ten feet of his incubating daughters. Stone had been forced to intervene before either of them could actually start causing bodily harm. Ivo didn’t miss the forlorn glance Stone gave to the pile of ash that once had been the box of cereal—the sad excuse for food having been blasted by a badnik.

            After that confrontation, Ivo had simply been too tired to keep dealing with a space hedgehog and an artificially impregnated henchman. So, he had called it a night.

            A steady vibration from his gloves had woken him a few hours later.

            “What…?” He groaned, squinting down at his own watch. His grogginess quickly vanished when he saw it was Stone’s heartbeat.

            It was spiking along with his stress levels.

            Throwing off his blanket, he didn’t doubt he looked comical as he nearly tripped over himself trying to race out of his room and towards Stone’s. His feet slid across the metal floor, forcing him to catch himself on the door. So lost in his panic, he punched in the override code without thinking.

            Stone’s bedroom was bathed in the low glow from the main lab’s lights, illuminating where Shadow was standing next to the bed. One of his hands was holding Stone’s in a tight grip. He let out a snarl as he jerked his head around at Ivo.

            “What’s wrong?” Ivo demanded.

            “Nightmare.”

            A small whine escaped Stone as he curled harder in on himself. The hand that wasn’t clasped in Shadow’s was digging into his belly as tears trickled down his face. Anguish and fear were clear as day in the way his body twitched and jerked in his sleep.

            Ivo felt his heart clench at the sight.

            Silently, he crouched down next to Shadow and placed his hand on Stone’s tear streaked cheek.

            “Stone, wake up. Everything’s all right, it’s all a dream,” he tried to keep his voice low and calm, however, Stone’s face scrunched up even further. “Stone, can you hear me? Wake up.”

            “Ah—!” A little gasp escaped his lips, but his eyes refused to open.

            Cursing to himself, Ivo wasn’t sure what to do. In the past, he would have simply shoved the man awake, possibly even pushing him straight out of the bed entirely, but as it stood, he needed to be gentle.

            “Aban, listen to me. You need to wake up.”

            At the sound of his first name, his henchman’s eyes finally blinked open.

            Only for a fist to come flying at Ivo’s face.

            “Fuck!”

            Ivo clutched at his nose, sharp pain bursting from the now throbbing appendage. Blood began to drip through is his fingers as he stared wide-eyed at an equally shocked Stone.

            “D-doctor?” Stone hiccupped, fresh tears now flowing like floodgates. “Oh shit, no, no! I’m s-so sorry!”

            More mumbled apologies tumbled out of Stone, each one becoming more and more unintelligible as he scrambled backwards until he was shoved into the corner of the bed and wall. He tried to hug his knees to his chest as well as he could with his arms wrapping around his head, almost for protection.

            Why is he so scared?

            “Baba?”

            Ivo had completely forgotten about Shadow. At the sound of the hedgehog’s voice, Stone moved his arms so he could peek out at them. He stared at them in terror, his breathing coming far too fast.

            “What…what do we do?”

            Sighing, Ivo glanced down at Shadow, the teenager looking lost. It was clear Stone’s reaction was scaring him in turn, even if he would never admit to it.

            “Go get me a towel. I’ll calm him down.”

            Shadow quickly blinked out of existence for only a moment before reappearing with a towel. Pressing the cloth to his nose and wiping his hands as best he could, Ivo raised his other hand as he took a tentative step towards Stone.

            “Aban,” he gently called. The man’s eyes flickered over to him in recognition. “You and the girls are safe. Nothing can hurt you here. I’m not upset with you for hitting me. You were protecting the girls.”

            Gradually, he could see Stone’s body relaxing as Ivo answered the silent questions swirling in his mind. Keeping his movements slow and obvious, Ivo sat on the other end of the bed.

            “Remember what happened in the Crab? Follow my breathing. Breathe in. Breathe out.”

            Stone’s eyes were glued to his chest as he followed along to Ivo’s breathing. After several long minutes, Stone’s breathing finally calmed but it took even longer for him to uncurl his body and open his arms to let Shadow slide into them. Shadow tucked himself into Stone’s side and shoved his face in the man’s shoulder while Stone pressed his cheek to the top of the hedgehog’s head.

            The room was silent as the three of them sat on the too small bed.

            Ivo pulled the towel away from his face and assessed the damage, relieved Stone hadn’t broken his nose. No doubt it was the ex-agent’s sleep addled mind that had made it so he didn’t use his full strength or else Ivo might be facing more than a bruised face.

            “Are you all right, sir?”

            Glancing at Stone from the corner of his eye, Ivo frowned at how meek his voice was.

            “I should be asking you that,” Ivo sighed. “What were you dreaming about?”

            Shadow pulled his head back enough to stare up at Stone as well.

            “I—” Stone’s voice caught. “I dreamed the girls were taken from me.”

            “I won’t let anyone take them,” Shadow immediately told him, the conviction clear in his voice.

            “Thank you, Habibi,” Stone’s lips twitched upwards.

            “Aban.”

            Stone’s head snapped up as he stared at Ivo.

            “Y-yes?”

            “Is that all the dream was about?”

            “Yes, sir.”

            Ivo narrowed his eyes as Stone purposely avoided eye contact, instead staring down at Shadow and running his fingers through large spikes.

            Why was he lying?

            As much as Ivo wanted to press the issue, he knew it would only cause more problems. Not only would it cause more stress for Stone, Ivo had a feeling Shadow would promptly kick him out of the room if he thought Ivo was being too pushy. Shaking his head, Ivo began to stand.

            “Uh, sir?” Stone’s hand made an abort movement, almost as if he was reaching out for Ivo. “Do you think you could check the girls for me?”

            “Of course.”

            Sitting back down, much closer this time, Ivo was secretly relieved to see Stone’s body relax even further when he approached. Unceremoniously, Stone raised his sleep shirt and Ivo began running his fingers across his belly.

            He still wasn’t used to the feeling of the girls poking back at him. Stone’s earlier panic must have set them off because they were pushing back constantly as he checked them over. Eventually, he had gotten the information he needed, but he wasn’t ready to pull his hand back quite yet. Instead, he rubbed small circles into Stone’s belly, the girls feeling as if they were tracking his movements. Their kicks began to lessen gradually until all Ivo felt was warm skin.

            Ivo jumped when he heard Stone let out a soft sigh. Both Ivo and Shadow stared at him—his eyes were slipping closed again, face growing lax.

            “Aban?”

            “They’re finally settling down,” Stone whispered drowsily. “No matter how much I try to calm them, they refuse to settle. But they will for you, doctor.”

            “Oh.”

            Ivo wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, but his gloves alerted him to the fact Stone had fallen asleep. With Shadow’s help, they maneuvered Stone to lie down again.

            “On his side,” Shadow grunted.

            “What does it matter?”

            “They’re too heavy for him to lay on his back.”

            He hadn’t even considered that. Staring down at Stone, Ivo grabbed up the blanket and carefully draped it over him. Shadow crawled into the bed, placing himself between Stone and the wall, cuddled up against the man’s back.

            Checking Stone’s vitals once more, Ivo quietly left the room.

            Unlike the other two, sleep didn’t find him for the rest of the night.

            “You’re about to wear a hole into the floor,” Ivo called over his shoulder. He didn’t need to be able to see Stone to know the man had made his twenty-fourth lap around the lab. Stone’s feet didn’t stop their shuffling as he grunted in response.

            Stone’s nightmares had been becoming a problem.

            Not only was Stone losing sleep, so were Ivo and Shadow. Every time a nightmare would occur, Shadow would either try to help Stone himself or retrieve Ivo to calm him. The dreams were becoming more frequent, happening almost every night that week, sometimes occurring several times per night. Eventually, Ivo had told Shadow to spend the weekend with Sonic again—at least then the hedgehog could get some sleep while Ivo tried to find to solve the problem.

            It didn’t help that Stone refused to tell him exactly what the nightmares were about. Only that it involved the girls and Stone losing them.

            How was Ivo supposed to solve this if he didn’t have all the details?

            So, he had sent a few badniks to fetch a few types of sleep medications that would be safe for Stone to take. In the meantime, Ivo had gone back to his most recent robot designs while Stone had started up his pacing once more. With Shadow away, Stone was becoming more fidgety. Ivo had hoped the lack of sleep would force him to nap, but no luck—instead it seemed to do the opposite with Stone wanting to constantly move.

            After a few more laps on Stone’s part, and a few small adjustments to the designs on Ivo’s, he finally heard Stone leave the main lab.

            Only to return a minute later.

            “Sir? Why don’t I have access to open the main door?”

            “Because I don’t need you wandering outside by yourself.”

            “I can handle myself, doctor. You know I can.”

            “Yes, you could handle yourself. Before you were pregnant. Now, who knows. Maybe you’ll just get yourself captured again.”

            “I’m sorry about that,” Stone replied weakly. “But this time will be different. I’ll stick close to the base.”

            “No.”

            “Just for ten minutes, I promise—”

            “You’re not leaving without either myself or Shadow accompanying you.”

            “Could we then?”

            “Do what?”

            “Go out—together?”

            Sighing, Ivo finally turned his chair to look at Stone.

            They had been at the base for three weeks now. While Stone looked much better compared to before, the dark circles had yet to leave his face. He had kept up his maintenance on his beard, but for some reason had allowed his hair to continue growing out. His belly was quite obvious as it tried to poke out from the G.U.N. hoodie he had yet to dispose of. Ivo really needed to burn it sometime.

            He stared back at Ivo, one arm cupping his belly while the other played with the hem of the offending hoodie.

            “Please, sir? We can even bring a few badniks,” Stone pleaded with him after a minute of silence. “Ten minutes, then we can come right back.”

            The base was hidden in an extremely remote area in the mountain range, hundreds of miles from the nearest city. He had chosen an area that wouldn’t be too difficult to travel on foot if the need for escape arose, so it shouldn’t be too dangerous to let Stone walk around.

            “Fine. Let me finish this first.”

            “Thank you, doctor,” Stone smiled in relief. It was one of the only smiles Stone had given him since they arrived at the base. Ivo didn’t realize how much he had missed them; Stone had always been so eager to smile at him any chance he could.

            Turning back to his schematics, he quickly became absorbed in the newest AI he was creating for the two new robots.

            “Sir?”

            “What?” Ivo snapped, hating that his flow was interrupted.

            “It’s been an hour. Can we go?”

            “In a minute.”

            Another half hour passed before Stone was standing at his elbow.

            “Doctor—”

            “I’m not finished!” He heard Stone walk off again.

            I need to make them smart enough to look after a child, but not able to be harmful. Should they have the same maturity as the girls, or—

            “Can we go now?”

             Snarling, Ivo checked the clock and saw it had only been fifteen minutes since Stone asked last.

            “Fine! Go get your leash on, Fido,” Ivo waved his hand dismissively, his train of thought broken now. He heard the soft slap of feet as Stone retreated from him. Quickly saving everything, Ivo stood and stretched—maybe Stone had a point of taking a walk. It wasn’t healthy for either of them to hide away from the sun for so long. Ivo glanced around and frowned when he didn’t see Stone standing next to the entrance. “Stone?”

            Silence was the only response.

            Maybe he’s in the bathroom? Ivo thought. The girls had been doing a number on the man’s bladder lately as they continued to grow. Using his glove, he tracked Stone’s watch. Why the hell is he in his room?

            Storming over the door, he didn’t hesitate to bang his fist on the metal.

            “Stone! What are you doing? Weren’t you the one who kept bugging me about a walk?”

            The door cracked open slightly to reveal an annoyed eye. Ivo crossed his arms as he stared Stone down. The ex-agent wasn’t intimidated at all, it seemed, as he regarded Ivo coldly.

            “I’ve changed my mind.”

            “Then why bother me in the first place!” Ivo shouted, exasperated. “Are your hormones that out of balance that you can’t make a simple decision?”

            Slam!

            “Did you slam the door in my face?!”

            Silence.

            “I could have left you at the mercy of G.U.N., you ungrateful minion!”

            Ivo wasn’t above kicking the door, but instantly regrated it since his soft slippers did nothing against the solid metal. Growling under his breath, he stumbled away, toes aching.

            Dropping back into his chair, he glared up at the schematics.

            What the hell is Stone’s problem? He crossed his arms and let his feet move the chair to let it spin around slowly. The lab moved past as Ivo considered his henchman’s behavior.

            In the past, Stone had never been so insolent or disobedient. Ivo could freely act however he wanted with Stone—whether that be in a positive or negative way, his loyal sycophant had never batted an eye. He took anything and everything Ivo had thrown at him with a smile and a quiet ‘yessir’. Even when Ivo would go as far as to hit Stone, he would quickly shake it off and try to do better in the future.

            Now…

            It was like Stone wasn’t his henchman at all.

            He was back talking, going against orders, and hadn’t put much effort into his latte art. Where had all this come from?

            “…hormones out of balance…”

            Blinking, Ivo smacked himself in the face.

            It was all so obvious!

            Stone was experiencing mood swings.

            Even though his womb was artificial, everything about the pregnancy was completely real. His body was no doubt recreating the same experience anyone born with a uterus and had gone through a pregnancy would. It would explain his insistence that he had ‘cravings’—Ivo still didn’t believe they needed to be indulged in. He was monitoring the girls’ health and there wasn’t a single nutrient they needed that the diet he created for Stone didn’t provide.

            Mood swings were expected in a pregnancy and would certainly explain Stone’s less than stellar performance of late. Once the girls’ were born, then Stone would go back to his normal self.

            Grimacing, Ivo wasn’t excited to deal with the disrespectful attitude for another two months. Mark his words, once this whole pregnancy was over, he’d punish Stone thoroughly.

            When the now inevitable alert came that Stone was experiencing yet another nightmare later that night, Ivo was reluctant to go to Stone’s side. Instead, he opted to watch Stone’s visuals. After a while, they returned to normal as Stone soothed himself out of the nightmare. Ivo wasn’t expecting for Stone’s door to open, jumping in his seat as the man emerged from his room.

            Their eyes met briefly before Stone looked away first.

            Ivo shook his head.

            “Here,” he picked up two different pill bottles and offered them to Stone. The pills inside rattled loudly against the quietness of the base. “These should help.”

            “Thank you,” Stone said as he took them. There was no other way to describe him:

            Stone looked exhausted.

            “Are the girls still kicking?”

            “They haven’t stopped all night.”

            Chewing his lip, Ivo glanced up at Stone, who looked ready to collapse on the stop. He was nearly swaying on his feet as he stood in front of Ivo, cradling the pill bottles in his hands.

            “Do you want me to do what I did the other night?”

            Stone blinked at him slowly, brain processing the suggestion.

            “They do seem to calm down for you,” Stone nodded. His eyes were half mast as he raised his shirt up just enough for Ivo to slip his hand underneath. He hadn’t been kidding, Ivo could immediately feel small pokes against his gloved hand. Not quite knowing what to do, he rubbed his hand back and forth a few times, feeling the movement under his hand gradually decrease. Glancing up at Stone, he could see him struggling to keep his eyes open.

            “Let’s get you back to bed.”

            Humming in agreement, Stone didn’t object as Ivo wrapped an arm around his waist and gently led him back to his room. In fact, Stone rested his head on Ivo’s shoulder. Entering his room, Stone didn’t resist as Ivo helped settle him back down in the bed. However, as Ivo turned to leave, a hand caught his wrist.

            “Stay?”

            Stone’s eyes were barely open as they stared up at him, silently begging him. Immediately, Ivo wanted to point out that the bed was far too small for both of them to fit comfortably, but bit his tongue at the hopeful expression on Stone’s face.

            “All right. Move over.”

            There wasn’t an inch of space between them. Stone had turned over so his back was to Ivo’s front, making it so they were effectively spooning. Awkwardly, Ivo held one arm above them while Stone had captured the other as a pillow. Feeling the ache in his shoulder, he finally brought his arm down and let it rest across Stone’s hip. His hand fell on top of Stone’s belly, but he didn’t feel the tell-tale signs of the girls.

            Listening to Stone’s steady breathing, Ivo felt his own eyes falling shut.

            Maybe Stone’s change in attitude wasn’t so bad after all…

            The next morning, Ivo couldn’t tear his eyes away from Stone.

            It was as if the man had downed twelves shots of caffeine as he moved around the kitchen, humming away happily. Ivo had reluctantly agreed that Stone could make waffles—only with fruits—and that had only heightened his good mood.

            After they had fallen asleep, neither had woken up until eight hours later.

            Stone of course had nearly pushed him out of the bed trying to get to the bathroom, while Ivo had been left befuddled. How had he gotten the best sleep in literal decades pressed up against someone else in a tiny bed?

            As for Stone, he had thanked him, saying it was one of the first nights the girls didn’t wake him up countless times. Ivo didn’t realize how demanding the girls were being—on the other hand, they were both Robotniks after all.

            “Stone?”

            “Yes, doctor?”

            “Why are you still wearing that stupid hoodie?”

            “Oh,” Stone’s face flushed slightly as he kept his eyes trained on the waffle maker. “It’s the only thing that fits nowadays.”

            “Fits…” Ivo groaned silently. He hadn’t even thought of the fact Stone would need different clothes. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

            “I guess it slipped my mind. Pregnancy brain, you know?”

            “I’ll order you more clothes,” Ivo rolled his eyes.

            “Uh, well…” Stone was looking at him from the corner of his eye, hesitating.

            “What?”

            “Could we go out and shop?”

            This again?

            Taking a walk only a short distance from the base was completely different to taking a shopping trip. There were far too many risks and factors with leaving the safety of the base. Meeting Stone’s eyes, Ivo faltered when he saw the hopeful look on the man’s face. He was biting his lip and his eyes were far too wide for a grown man to have. Ivo feared that if he said no, Stone might actually start crying.

            Ivo sighed.

            He didn’t want to deal with another sulking fest from Stone, even if it was caused by the hormones. Not to mention, he had promised to take Stone for a walk and had gone back on that. Remember, the man’s like a dog. He needs to stretch his legs once in a while.

            “You will stay next to me the entire time, got that?”

            “Of course, sir!” Stone looked ready to start jumping for glee.

            “We’re only going to get the essentials, nothing frivolous.”

            “I wouldn’t think of it.”

            “If I think there’s even a hint of danger, we’re leaving.”

            “Couldn’t agree more.”

            A plate of blueberry waffles was set in front of him with a latte with his face smiling back at him. Humming in appreciation, Ivo watched as Stone started working on his own waffles. Perhaps he really did need to give Stone more treats like this during the pregnancy—he infinity enjoyed a happy Stone over an irritated, silent Stone.

            “Could we look for some things for the nursery while we’re out, sir?” Stone asked.

            “Nursery?”

            “For the twins?” Stone glanced over at him, a small frown marring his happy demeanor. “They’ll need their own room, after all.”

            “They can’t stay with you in your room?”

            The man’s body stilled as he stared at Ivo. For the first time in his life, Ivo felt as if he said something stupid—which is impossible! He knew everything! Surely, Stone was overacting!

            “Doctor,” Stone was still staring at him. “You weren’t planning on us staying here to raise the girls, were you?”

            “Of course not!” Ivo sniffed. “Once you and the girls are able to travel, we’ll move to one of our bigger bases.”

            “One that has a nursery set up?”

            “Uh…”

            As the conversation continued, Stone’s once exuberant attitude diminished. He slowly sat himself next to Ivo, barely touching his own food as he rubbed his belly. Ivo resisted rolling his eyes; how did everything he say upset his henchman? He need to fix this before he had to deal with another drastic mood shift.

            “We’ll look at what we need for a nursery while we’re out today,” Ivo grumbled. No, he wasn’t admitting he had forgotten the girls would need their own room once they were born. He was simply trying to placate Stone before he burst into tears. “I’ll have the badniks set up a nursery in the base near Paris.”

            “Thank you,” Stone’s small smile wasn’t as bright as his earlier ones, but it was better than nothing. “Any theme in particular you want to make it?”

            Ivo frowned. Why was there so much to having children? Wasn’t it enough that he had helped to give them life? He should have found a way to birth children that were already able to walk and talk.

            “Space?” He tentatively offered.

            “Hmm,” Stone took a bite of his food. “That’d be nice. Shadow might want to help us decorate.”

            Once they had finished breakfast, Stone had darted off to change clothes, when Ivo took note of something.

            Stone wasn’t walking.

            He was waddling.

            Huh. It was oddly…cute?

            Which meant Ivo would have to keep a tight hold of Stone’s leash when they were out. Since his belly was getting bigger and bigger every day, that meant he wouldn’t be able to protect himself. Ironic how Ivo’s once bodyguard would need to have Ivo guard him.

            After ten minutes of Ivo waiting by the front door, he once more had to go in search of Stone. Luckily, his door was open this time as Ivo popped his head inside to find his henchman sitting on his bed, head buried in his hands. By his feet were three sets of shoes, two pairs of dress shoes and a pair of running shoes.

            “What in Isaac Newton’s name are you doing, Stone?”

            “I-I can’t get my shoes on…”

            Mouth dropping open slightly, the super genius found himself dumbstruck the second time that morning.

            “Would you like help?” Ivo asked, unsure himself.

            “Yes, please.”

            The floor was unforgiving to Ivo’s knees as he crouched down and grabbed a shoe. He pointedly didn’t look up at Stone’s face as he looked around at the shoes. “Which pair?”

            “The sneakers,” Stone sighed. “I can’t get the other ones on at all.”

            “Why not?” Ivo grabbed up one of the black and white running shoes.

            “My ankles are a bit swollen.”

            The admission was a quiet mumble as Ivo gently touched Stone’s ankles and found he was telling the truth. He was equally careful when slipping the shoes on Stone’s feet, making sure not to lace them up too tight.

            “Does it hurt?”

            “Only when I’m on my feet for too long.”

            “We’ll make sure to take breaks while we’re out.”

            Grunting, Ivo got to his feet with a bit of effort. His knees were not happy with him. Holding out a hand, he was pleased to see Stone grab it with his signature goofy smile.

            The city of Malaga was only half an hour away by Egg Mobile, the trip luckily smooth as they watched the scenery pass by. Ivo couldn’t help but keep glancing over at Stone, checking to see if there was anything amiss. If there was even a hint of green in his complexion, Ivo was turning the ship around and going back to the base. As it stood, Stone peacefully sat on the bench, a smile not once leaving his face.

            As soon as they landed—with Ivo stepping out and giving Stone a helping hand—he pulled Stone to his side, interlocking their arms.

            “S-sir!?” Stone squeaked out.

            “I told you, you’re not leaving my side,” Ivo grunted, using his glove to cloak the Egg Mobile. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Stone’s face had gone a bit red. Was he too hot? “C’mon, I don’t want to be out here all day.”

            The streets of Malaga were busy with locals and tourists alike as people and cars filled the narrow roads. Ivo could feel himself tensing each time anyone brushed up against either him or Stone, but he had to admit, he had missed this. Walking around, taking in new sights and sounds, the coastal breeze flowing over his scalp and through his mustache.

            Ivo used his own watch to search for the nearest clothing shop, Stone happily trailing next to him, his head swiveling every which way. Secretly, he would say Stone had yet to break the German Shepard comparison with how it appeared as if he was scenting the air.

            Turning the corner onto the desired street, Ivo found himself being pulled into a different direction.

            “Stone?”

            “Oh, uh…”

            Furrowing his brow, Ivo looked up to where Stone’s feet had been taking them. There was a stall with a sign that said Calientes with a small line of people in front of it. Already, Ivo could smell the tell-tale scent of fried dough.

            “Really?” He asked flatly.

            “The girls started to kick really hard when I smelled them,” Stone responded, not meeting his eyes. Not remotely believing him, Ivo rolled his eyes.

            “Go ahead.”

            Stone didn’t need to be told twice as he nearly skipped over to grab a churro. Shoulders tense, Ivo kept glancing around in case an attack came out of nowhere. Who knew if G.U.N. had found their location and was keeping tabs on them. Not to mention, Stone was clearly pregnant and a man, so there was a chance some bigoted jackass would pop up and say something.

            “Would you like a bite, doctor?” Stone asked around a mouthful of churro as he came back with his treat. Apparently he had opted for a large amount of chocolate sauce as well.

            “Why not?” If he was going to indulge Stone, then he might as well indulge himself. Without thinking he leaned down to bite down on the churro in Stone’s hand instead of taking the other one in the paper container. Chewing, Ivo looped his arm through Stone’s once more. “Let’s go.”

            Unfortunately for him, they came across a baby store before making it to the clothes shop. This time, Ivo let Stone drag him inside, but complained that the Egg Mobile only had so much space.

            “I’ll keep it to a minimum, sir,” Stone verbally waved him away.

            As they stepped inside, an older woman came up to them, her eyes sparkling as she grinned up at Stone. She rapid fired a litany of questions, her regional Spanish nearly flying over Ivo’s head. He let Stone fumble his way through the conversation with his own Mexican style Spanish, earning a giggle from the woman as she slowed down. Excitedly, she grabbed Stone’s hand, causing Ivo to let out a small snarl.

            She blinked up at him before a sly smile spread across her face.

            “You have a protective husband, don’t you, sweetheart?” She winked at Ivo before finally pulling Stone away from him.

            Ivo choked.

            Husband!?

            Dr. Ivo Robotnik was nobody’s husband!

            There was nobody alive or dead that would think he would or ever be married. He had acknowledged a long time ago that there was not a single soul on this planet, no matter the gender, that found him attractive, let alone good enough to take as a partner. Even if someone only wanted a Green Card, they would never choose to marry him.

            Desperately trying to remember the word for ‘sycophant’ in Spanish, Ivo didn’t pay too much attention to what the woman was showing Stone. As long as he didn’t have to carry any bags and it wasn’t potentially harmful, then he didn’t care.

            However, he was concerned about the way both Stone and the woman were gesturing to Stone’s chest.

            What could that possibly mean?

            Glancing away from the duo, Ivo decided to look around himself. The shop was filled to the brim with everything an infant could ever wish for. Not an inch of the place didn’t have toys, clothes, diapers, and other baby essentials. The woman must love babies to be around all these things day in and day out.

            Suddenly, something white and yellow caught his attention.

            Moving towards a display of toys, he saw a few types of plushies that were meant to be bought as a pair. One pair caught his eye in particular—a fried egg and a cup of coffee. Why a baby would care about coffee was beyond him, but the idea of breakfast was loud and clear. Picking up the toys, he rubbed his thumb over the soft material. Nodding to himself, Ivo turned away, plushies in hand.

            “Stone, are you done, yet?”

            “Almost!”

            Carrying one of two unnecessarily full bags, Ivo kept his arm twined around Stone’s as he finally led them towards the clothing shop. Luckily, Stone didn’t make them stop by an ice cream parlor even if Ivo caught him eyeing the place up.

            The rest of their trip went smoothly, even if Ivo was left to carry yet another bag. The shop keep had sent him a dirty look when Stone had taken it initially. Ivo ignored Stone’s insistence that he could still hold his own bags, that he wasn’t weak.

            Foot traffic had gotten thicker as they made their way through the crowd, Ivo’s social battery completely drained. He would rather not see this many human beings for another year if he could help it. Stone would have to accept walks outside the base in the meantime.

            “Get out of the way!”

            Snapping his head around, Ivo didn’t have time to react to a green moped racing down the street, narrowly missing people as it weaved through the crowd. The vehicle was coming straight at them, shouts of people filling the air.

            Using his hold on Stone’s arm, he sharply pulled them both back. The moped whipped by them, the trailing air slapping Ivo in the face and causing him to stumble. He was barely able to keep his footing.

            A loud yelp made his heart skip a beat.

             Sprawled on the ground at his feet, Stone was rubbing his back and hissing in pain. Instantly, everyone around them began to converge on Stone, all of them offering him aid and asking if he was all right. A young couple were the ones to help Stone to his feet, another man offering to track down the motorist and beat the living daylights out of him for Stone.

            “You should go to the doctor,” someone said amongst the concerned crowd. More voices rose around them.

            “I can take you there!”

            “No, I’ll call him an ambulance.”

            Ivo stayed rooted to the spot, not believing what had happened.

            We should never have left the base.

            The thought echoed through his mind, mocking him.

            Growling, Ivo pushed past the mass of people surrounding Stone and grabbed the man’s wrist. Ignoring the shouts, he pulled Stone away, nearly dragging him behind as they sped through the streets.

            “Sir! Please, slow down!”

            Ivo didn’t. His hands tightened further around Stone’s wrist and the bags he still held. How could he be so naïve!? He should have known this would have happened! The bags’ handles dug painfully into his skin, a further reminder that this was his fault entirely. If only he hadn’t let Stone influence his judgement, then he wouldn’t have gotten hurt. Stone would still be tucked away in the safety of the secret base, the girls not in danger of the outside world.

            I can’t lose them. Not again.

            He could hear Stone’s ragged breaths as he finally brought them to a halt in front of the cloaked Egg Mobile.

            “Doctor—”

            “Get in the ship,” Ivo snarled. Stone did so, tail tucked between his legs as he did. Stiffly, Ivo set the ship to a higher speed, wanting to get back as soon as possible.

            “Sir, I’m fine—”

            “Shut. Up.”

            Ivo’s teeth ground together harshly, his jaw tweaking in pain from how hard he was clenching it. Never again would he let Stone out of the base! What if Ivo hadn’t been quick enough? What if the moped had actually hit them?

            An icy wave of fear flowed through Ivo’s veins and wrapped around his throat, threatening to choke him.

            He tried to shove the thought away, but it persisted. Imagines of Stone lying bloody and dying on the street flashed through his mind, making his stomach twist horrendously. His fingers clenched around the ship’s controls. Two little bodies joined Stone’s body on the street in his mind; far too small, battling to stay alive outside of Stone’s body.

            Blinking, Ivo felt tears running down his cheeks.

            I can’t lose them!

            Perhaps that woman was right—he and Stone were no longer employer and employee. They had lost that status a long time ago, neither of them bothering to voice what they had become. Not even villain and henchman as Ivo had lovingly come to think.

            No henchman alive would do the things Stone did.

            They wouldn’t smile so brightly at him like he had offered them the sun and moon.

            Nor would they put so much effort into creating things for him—from costumes to secret bases to crocheted blankets.

            A henchman would most certainly not make latte art with little hearts.

            How long had Stone been in love with him?

            And when had Ivo considered Stone as more than a friend?

            Ivo’s head was spinning. He barely noticed the trip back to the base. Stone had wisely listened to him earlier, deathly silent all the way back. Neither of them spoke when they landed, instead, Ivo grabbed Stone’s wrist once more.

            “Sir?” Stone called out, his feet barely keeping up with Ivo. “What’s wrong? I’m fine, I promise.”

            Lips pressed into a thin line, Ivo roughly punched in the codes to enter the base.

            “I only fell on my back, the girls should be fine. We can check them over, if you’d like.”

            Pulling Stone fully into the lab, Ivo didn’t respond as he marched them towards Stone’s room.

            “Doctor! Please tell me what’s wrong!”

            “What’s wrong!?” Ivo turned on his feet, shoving his face right into Stone’s shellshocked one. “I was stupid to believe that you could stay out of trouble! The girls could have been killed all because you wanted to take a fucking walk!”

            “I—”

            “I don’t care if I have to lock you in your room, you’re not leaving this base until I’ve cut the girls out of you!”

            Stone’s face had gone dangerous white, his eyes almost two perfect circles as he stared at Ivo. Letting his rage fuel him, Ivo yanked further on Stone’s arm and shoved him into his bedroom. He slammed the door behind the man, swiftly using his override control to take away Stone’s access to the door.

            “Doctor!”

            Stone’s voice was muffled as he screamed through the metal door, his fists pounding against it uselessly.

            “You can’t do this!”

            “I can do whatever I want with you!” Ivo shouted right back, his nose pressed against his side of the door. “Don’t you dare forget your place, you incubator!”

            The banging didn’t decrease, Stone’s shouts growing in volume.

            Ignoring Stone’s pleas, Ivo stormed away.

            I shouldn’t have done that, was Ivo’s first thought an hour later once he had calmed down.

            Since he had walked away and didn’t have cameras in Stone’s room—per their agreement about privacy—he had no idea how long Stone had pounded on the door. A flash of hot, burning guilt ran through Ivo’s body.

            He had searched through the kitchen and found Stone’s small stash of candy, deciding to use it as a peace offering. Maybe he would even replenish it depending on how quickly Stone forgave him.

            Even if it took some time, Stone had always forgiven him in the past. This wouldn’t be any different.

            Stepping up to the now suddenly intimidating door, Ivo knocked gently.

            “Stone?”

            When he didn’t receive a response, he wasn’t surprised.

            “I’m coming in.”

            Opening the door, he made sure to reinstate Stone’s own code. The room was silent as he stepped inside, mentally preparing himself for anything—tears, a glare, or even both at the same time.

            He was met with an empty room.

            “Stone?”

            Eyes moving all round the room, Ivo’s heartbeat began to pick up. Dropping the candy in his hands, he sped towards the closet and flung it open only to reveal neatly hung clothes. Next, he dropped to his knees to search under the bed and found the shoes Stone had discarded earlier.

            “Stone! Where the hell are you?!”

            Scanning the room once more, he spotted something on the bed. Reaching for the items, he frowned at the unmarked bottle of gummies. Where had Stone gotten these?

            However, what concerned him the most was the watch that laid next to the bottle.

            The watch he had given Stone.

            The very thing that allowed Ivo to track Stone.

            “Aban…”

            He was gone.