Julius Robotnik! Emptiness In My Core - Blog Posts

“   you had me worried .   ”

"for a moment there, i couldn't find you. you had me worried."

julius glanced up, a smile lighting up his expression at the sight of james stone leaned against the doorframe into the g.u.n break room. james returned that smile, easily & readily. he pushed off the frame and walked into the room itself, gently setting down a file onto the table and sliding it over so that way julius would catch it.

"your field test results, revised after our studies." james sounded, proud, and julius could feel his heart pounding in anticipation yet fear. even with james' help, what if he'd failed? what if⸻

"julius," his attentions were brought back up to james yet again. met with that affectionate and yet ever-confident smile, "let's have some coffee in your quarters. while we go over the results."

his eyes brightened, a sort of goofy giddy smile crossing julius' expression as he hopped up out of his seat, "i'll grab the coffees then," james knew that julius preferred doing this. it was why he had mentioned it: a way to take julius' mind off the anxieties and fears that had hung over him like a darkened cloud.

his gaze lingered where julius had been seated, now following julius' pepped up step over to the nearby coffee machine in the break room. a small laugh threatened james, but he stifled it, "i'll meet you there." & trusting julius to know he meant his quarters, james turned and left the break room, that file tucked under his arm.

"Robotnik will lead your squadron," their supervisor announced, lowering that page back onto the clipboard. he was about to turn away from them all, but julius stepped forward, clearing his throat,

"Sir, with respect, i-" he motioned over to stone, "erm, shouldn't Stone be leading the squadron. he's far more capable than i-"

"you've got rank and seniority, Robotnik."

"so?" julius said it without thought, and the supervisor seemed almost offended that julius dare question his decisions. "stone's got better experience in the field, and he's-"

"YOU are the leader, Robotnik."

julius' eyebrow twitched, and he exhaled, nodding.

"hey, don't sweat it jules," wolfe grinned, clasping a hand onto julius' arm. julius gave him a small, polite smile, "i trust you."

the others in the squadron all pat julius' shoulder, agreeing in their own ways. clearly trying to blow air under his sails, and he enjoyed their company, but he doubted their opinions. they hadn't seen how abysmal his files were on field work. he could gather samples and scout things, but actual physical missions that required sheer tact, understanding and know-how on leading?

was the room spinning? did he feel warmer? he felt a hand cupped at his face, then, and julius blinked, "julius, look at me," stone's voice. and julius did, glanced over at stone, staring down at him. stone smiled, "you can do this. and even if you think you can't, you can work at it until you improve."

stone always knew how to put things in a way that julius respected. he nodded, expecting stone to pull his hand away. stone's gloved hand lingered against his face, though. julius blinked, head lilting to the side a touch. what-?

stone's hand slipped away, and he gripped at julius' wrist, tugged him so that way julius began to walk alongside stone, "come on, i can run you through some basic potential field scenarios so you can study."

julius had just discovered about his own experimentations; those memories ⸻ of being injected, killing the scientists after he'd lost control ⸻ he had shackled away and compartmentalized. locked and buried deep within, yet always a nagging. a ghost of dreams, thinking them only bad nightmares, horrible intrusive thoughts that couldn't possibly⸻ but they were real. they were memories, and julius was not a human. hadn't been in decades, not since he'd been a young boy.

the rage he'd felt was indescribable. he couldn't stay with G.U.N any longer, knowing now what he did. & so julius sought to leave the base, but not before exacting some revenge. this organization had done nothing but take, take, take from julius. time he returned that favour.

before this though, he sought out agent stone. stone, julius had decided, was not part of the plan. stone was one julius couldn't bring harm to, no matter how annoyed and irritated he may be feeling. so, julius had told stone that they'd be parting ways, and stone was to leave the base. julius made up some small lie about stone being relocated to a different G.U.N base without him. convincing enough, julius decided. that done, he left, headed back to his own quarters.

& didn't exit from his 'room' for the next few days, planning.

of course, missing his duties meant that eventually the G.U.N base supervisor and some of his men were obligated to check in on robotnik. he could hear them now, knocking on the door and demanding that robotnik open the door, before they broke it down. he stood there, memories of those agonies ghosting along his ear.

he could feel it now, so easily: that power swelling within his chest, swirling and building, arcing down his arms and kissing his fingertips with warmth. he gathered that chaos energy into his palms, noting that bright red energy that gathered like a mist initially before transforming into a brighter plasma, a low bubbled laugh rolling out of julius' mouth at the sight. a grin split along his expression ⸻ HE WAS GOING TO ENJOY THIS ⸻, and he moved, hurling that sphere of chaos energy at the door the moment they breached; which caused an explosion to billow outward, engulfing the supervisor and the men behind him, causing the others to be blown off their feet.

alarms began to blare, explosions in another part of the base caused the lights to cut and for the emergency lights to kick in. washing the floor and the walls in a darker red. julius stepped out, over those bodies, barely paying them any mind. until his gaze landed on an unmoving person laying just a bit away from the main group.

stone.

julius stalled, staring. what⸻ he moved, scrambled, dropped to his knees and scooped that limp corpse body into his arms, eyes scanning and roaming stone's face for any signs of life. no, no- "y-you were supposed to leave," the words are hurried, hushed. julius had killed him⸻ NO, NO JULIUS COULDN'T HAVE⸻ NOT HIM

his shoulders twitched, hunching over stone's body, as though protecting him. useless. stupid. worthless. his breathing was quickened, as though gasping for air he couldn't suck in fast enough. he hadn't meant to- he couldn't- please, come back. "i'm sorry, i'm sorry!," the words were barely there, whispered, voice breaking, a choked catch of the last syllables. if he'd felt that energy building before, it was skyrocketing now. his entire body tensed up, a screamed wail of a noise that heightened into a louder angered sound: shrill and echoing and seemingly never-ending.

that energy burst outward, not in an explosion but a burning of fire, that energy arcing around julius' body. through tear-stained face, he watched as stone's body burned away in his arms. ash, slipping through his fingers, scattering along the floor only to blow away from that output of pressure. he had thought he'd lost everything before⸻ didn't realize until it was too late just how much more he had left yet to lose⸻

"i, for one, have never been prouder of colin."

⸻a snort of chuckle breaths through julius' lips at the other's response. he gives a slightly tight smile in silent response but doesn't comment elsewise. then he's being asked how he travelled here, "chaos energy. i've decided to take a little," he rolls his wrist, considering, "me time. do some travelling." & what better way to avoid the cacophony of shit that was his own universe, than jumping ship for a little while?

"I am bald, correct! would you like a gold star for stating the blatantly obvious, other me?" ivo grins, but his eyes narrowed soon after despite himself. "how did you get here? multiversal travel, I suspect?"

jaw flexes minutely upon realizing who julius is face to face with. instantly, his crimson red irises began to glow, piercing through even the darker tint of his sunglasses. chaos energy licked along his fingers and arms in the form of a darker red electricity,

"COMMANDER," there's no affection to his tone. in fact, one could only call the words that spill from julius' mouth mocking, "how nice to see you again. i expect the cavalry will be arriving shortly to try and take me in. again."

@towerfcllen

his left hand jerked forward, gripping at stone's wrist. his fingers twitched, thumb roaming and pressing into his wrist, to feel his pulse. julius' fingers, his whole hand, was quivering, shaking subtly. was he checking for stone's pulse, to make sure that he was really there?

or was it just to hold onto him?

he hears the breathing, and does his best to match that rhythm. but then, that feeling, that sensation getting worse in his chest. the breathing helped, for a spell, but- stone would feel julius' palm heating up, warming, as though an element on a stove just beginning to heat and give off a light waft of temperature-

hurriedly, julius let go of stone's wrist, and stepped back from him. the breaths were quicker now, shallow, "n-no, no," it's murmured, to himself? his palms move, cupping and pressing and covering his own face. "enough. stop." that burning would get worse- stone would no doubt smell it; flesh, starting to sear, but julius wasn't moving his hands away from his own face.

he'd ducked down now, squatting, hunched forward slightly. low, barely there mumbles, something along the lines of 'please no more. not now.' / 'you want to' / 'no' / 'liar.'

stone offers him a smile, very happy that julius was actually listening to him for once. he only wished it was under better circumstances. seeing the man start to do the little exercise saw stone joining in with him, hoping it would help him further in the little goal of calming julius down.

"you're doing so well. just continue until you start to feel better," stone says softly, continuing to do the breathing exercise with him.

look at him. look at him. the young 20-something. precious. i just wanna hold him. little jules. tiny juju.

"julius, look at me." / "can you try taking some deep breaths for me?"

his gaze flicked up, dulled irises and lidded eyes staring across at stone-not-stone. no. that was just him being rude. stone was stone.

("you're not my....") that bitter, lost, confused little smile. his expression skewed very briefly. looking as though he wanted to cry, but there were no tears. he couldn't. hadn't physically been able to cry in years due to that chaos energy in his system.

his lips parted, and julius inhaled slowly, unevenly, then exhaled unsteadily. his gaze closed, lips trembling. hands clenched at his sides, but he inhaled unevenly, slowly, deeply, then exhaled another shaking breath.

he watches as julius literally slams his hand against the side of his head, and the sound actually made stone wince at just how hard it was. surely that had to have hurt, but perhaps that was the point? despite his apology however he had been written off yet again, and the man dared to take a few steps forward until he was only a few inches away from him though he still refrains from touching him.

julius could always just shove him if he wanted, or dismiss him yet again so why not try to help, even if it was just a little?

"can you try taking some deep breaths for me? it may help you to alleviate what you are currently experiencing, and help you ground yourself."

why are you so damned sensitive⸻

⸻you just marinate⸻

damned sensitive⸻

⸻marinate

⸻

⸻

.....

"we are merely getting to know one another" distant, though through a haze, or muffled from underneath water. he blinks, but doesn't move. simply stands there, gaze looking a tad duller than it even did in his waking day to day. which was saying something, how detached he felt normally. "i.... i M SOROY- unkwo- somet-" he blinked, a hand moving to slam against the side of his own head, as if wanting to jostle himself out of whatever stupor or state he were in⸻ all it served to do was making that pounding in his head worse, but his hearing did come back to him somewhat.

lips. what had stone's lips said. he blinked, focusing on the movement he had just seen a few seconds ago. 'i am sorry' 'didn't mean to upset you'.

julius scoffs. gaze lowering away from stone. he shrugs briefly. "hardly something to get upset over." he could feel it, that churning sensation; like a rolling fire, stoking and trying to vault higher but he was pushing that down. no no no stop stop⸻

stone instinctively took a step back when he saw how quickly the man's demeanor had changed, though he knew ultimately if julius chose to attack him there wasn't really much that he could do. in a way he had been unknowingly provoking the man, it seemed, not that he had any real way of knowing.

whatever feeling of annoyance and boredom stone had previously felt was quickly replaced with dread, like his instincts were telling him to try and run and yet... he didn't. he just stood there, staring aimlessly at the man.

something was wrong, and stone was almost sure the man was currently experiencing some form of PTSD. he'd seen it firsthand during his time with G.U.N, and for a moment stone's expression softens before he hears the words the man uttered next, whatever sympathetic words of his own getting lost entirely.

"we are merely getting to know one another," stone replies as he refrains from moving further away from him, a bit of him on guard regardless if the man chose to suddenly snap. "I... I am sorry, if I unknowingly triggered something with what I was saying. I did not mean to upset you..."

"you're the one taking offense and acting all defensive over a simple topic."

("why are you so damned sensitive.")

he stilled, hand twitching and stopping in his hair. his arm slacked, falling away from his own skull.

"⸻you just marinate, it's no wonder you feel how you do."

an explosion rattled and echoed in his own mind; sight of bodies, pieces of limbs, once organs, bits of hair and skull, lay strewn before him. he remembered shaking ⸻ unable to process what his eyes were seeing, his squadron, dead⸻

blood rained down on his face, scientists strewn along once white now red stained marble flooring⸻ his mother's distant, muffled screams, blood coating his own hands, arms. such a small child to be covered in so much blood⸻

years, days, months as a child and a teenager of begging, pleading, ASKING what he had done wrong to his parents and never being told why⸻ being treated like he were this horrible monster, this terrible blight of existence despite NOT REMEMBERING⸻

AND IT WAS HIS OWN FAULT? MARINATING?

"julius," stone's voice, his stone, cupping his face, "look at me. it's going to be okay."

any anger julius might've been feeling dissipated. he couldn't. not to him. never. and yet part of him could, would. julius smiled, but the expression looked bitter, a mix between genuinely hurt and confused, a touch lost,

".....clearly, you've waste your time."

the glare does nothing to him, and if anything it just makes the former agent shrug in response as he crosses his arms over his chest. "I merely asked. you are the one taking offense and acting all defensive over a simple topic."

really could the man not realize that? surely he had to know how odd that reaction was.

"because, from what it seems, you don't do hardly anything aside from challenging sonic when you get the chance. you just marinate, for lack of a better word. it is no wonder you feel how you do." the more he spoke with the man the more he regretted showing up, as whatever hope he had of aligning himself with another supposed like-minded individual kept slipping further and further away with every passing minute.

though that was mainly on stone for assuming, of course.

at what stone says about sonic, julius' pupils shrink and he glares across at him, "shut up," the response is instant, the words are sharp and slightly raised as they leave julius. is he ⸻ defending sonic while sonic's not present? "what i choose to do in my own time is hardly any of your concern."

a scoff leaves julius when stone mentions that they all had their own things to keep them occupied. feeling insulted, julius shrugs, and moves to ruffle at his own hair. irritated. he felt irate because he knew he wasn't explaining himself properly even though he was actually trying for once, "it isn't just sonic," or is he deflecting? denying that?, "it's that he can match me. you've no idea how ⸻ how dull it is. i have all of this strength, this energy cascading around inside of me, and nothing to do with it 90% of the time."

"fighting sonic. of course, what an obvious answer. you sound as if you actually enjoy fighting that little blue menace." stone couldn't personally see the appeal, but then again he was nothing like julius. stone was nothing more than a mere man, and julius was... well, whatever he was. the answer the man gave felt almost unsatisfying in a way, but stone didn't really bother to care in expressing that feeling currently.

"I suppose we all have our own little things that keep us occupied. yours is fighting sonic, for instance."

it'd be fun, the thought floats through julius' mind when stone wonders what the point in slaughtering those that'd be working for him, and because it's chaotic. his expression twitches, a fraction, but julius stifled that. breathed through it, refocusing, through the slight tinny ringing of his ears as stone wonders what would be a challenge to julius, then.

"...." he shrugs, not sure how to answer that initially. no one had ever asked him that, before. not earnestly. it takes him barely a fraction of a second to think of a response, "fighting sonic." though even as he says this, there's an odd, fondness to julius' voice ⸻ as though sonic weren't an enemy of his, but an old friend? perhaps a rival?, "sonic's one of the few creatures that can match my power," maybe even exceed it, if the little hedgehog bothered to try, "so fighting him is thrilling. it's exciting because it's new and i don't know what to expect, i can't predict him."

"you deflect my questions and it only serves to further my curiosity towards all of this," stone says as he rests his hands behind his back, nodding along to what the man was saying.

however when it came down to him mentioning 'needlessly slaughtering' stone's expression changed. now becoming one of confusion.

"what? no, why would I do that? what sense would there be in slaughtering the people I'd want to work for me? I don't want them dead at all." well... not all of them, of course. "what would be a challenge to you, then?"

it felt as though something within him writhed at stone questioning on why julius hadn't enslaved humanity yet. why hadn't he⸻ & then stone goes on to say if he had even a fraction of julius' powers, he would've taken advantage of the opportunity. his expression shifts, something akin to a brief headache, like a dull throbbing, pounding along his skull. that chaos energy in him, writhing, he inhaled, hesitated.

"i feel nothing for most. but humanity as a whole's done nothing to me. i've only struck out against the few that've moved to hurt me." & then there was the collateral damage, and all that blood overwhelming him, and how he'd⸻ his irises flicker, eyes glowing briefly but then stopping, as though a dimming and reigniting lightbulb, "it's rare i give into those sadistic urges."

"i just see no point in it. it's too easy, there's no challenge." at what stone asks about what julius found interesting, he shrugged, ignoring that and continuing to elaborate, "perhaps if you had the same powers, you might show me what is so 'fun' about needlessly slaughtering."

stone frowns, having to resist the urge to give him the biggest eyeroll that had ever existed in response. "then why haven't you? if you can do it at any time, and on your own, why haven't you? if I had even a fraction of your power I would take full advantage of it." his doctor would, too. "what do you then consider 'interesting' and 'not boring'?"

that eyebrow arches upward yet again, and julius silently mouths the words 'world domination', and at the thought of 'enslaving humanity' his nose scrunches up. he frowns. to serve julius' will? tch. "that sounds boring. i can do all of that easily, and without your help." julius had enough power from that chaos energy inside of himself to level a continent if he so chose. it'd probably take him less than a day, if he really focused at it.

ah, so that had obviously been the right thing to say. he had the man's attention, even if it were only further dependent on how he replied and the little ideas given. due to that stone wastes no time, instantly thinking of all the things he and the doctor had dreamed of doing together... before that damn hedgehog.

"world domination, for one. enslaving humanity to serve your will for another," stone starts as his eyes light up, as if the topic he was currently speaking on was something utterly fascinating to the man, "toppling governments, too. any number of things, really. nothing is too small or out of reach, or so I'd like to think."

his gaze narrows, slightly, before it lids at what stone mentions about being fascinated by their last encounter. & then mentioning doing horrible things together, if julius would give him a chance. his tongue moves behind closed lips, gliding the tip of his tongue along his upper teeth in some thought. his boot shifts against the ground again, exhaling through his nostrils.

"⸻what did you have in mind?" what stone had mentioned was terribly vague, but julius was, briefly intrigued by the notion. however fleetingly. it really depended on what stone himself defined as 'horrible'.

stone wasn't too surprised when the quill was snatched from his fingers, and it reminded him a little of when he had found one of sonic's quills to which the doctor had promptly taken and immediately examined. out of all the other robotniks he had met this one was the most like his doctor, though he knew better than to bring him up currently. this encounter was actually going pretty well, all things considered.

when the quill is tossed back he quickly catches it, tucking it away back into his breast pocket before clearing his throat. "believe me, I would have, but the chaos emeralds are guarded by sonic and his little friends. I'd have no luck obtaining them, and as it stands the only means of chaos energy I currently possess is that which is stored in the quill."

he tilts his head then as he sees the little pose the man had hit, and he had to stifle a laugh at how utterly silly it looked. he pauses a moment then continues, planning on answering his next question.

"like I said... I came here for you. I was fascinated by our last encounter, and feel we could do something wonderfully horrible together... if you'll give me a chance."

at the genuine thanks, julius pauses. he shrugs, a tad, not sure how to respond to those words, so he doesn't. not initially, "i wasn't about to let you die," he trails though once stone starts to speak of chaos energy. julius glances over then, finally, gaze narrowing at how stone mentions a quill from a hedgehog. sonic? shadow? their quills - yes, he supposed that made sense. the chaos energy had to gather somewhere when output, and where normally it would discharge off julius' body and his skin naturally, it made sense that the same chaos energy would get 'caught' in the hedgehogs' quills.

stone produces the quill, and julius walks over before snatching it out of stone's fingers before the other can think to blink. he hums, lifting that quill above his head as though to study it under the light from the rays of the sun. it's a beautiful day, white fluffy clouds rolling peacefully along that bright blue sky.

he can see flickers of that chaos energy arcing along the quill, but to julius, these are like dying embers. he scoffs, "these quills hold barely a fraction of actual power in them. you'd be better off using the chaos emeralds. or gathering your own source of chaos energy," disinterested, he tosses the quill back towards stone, "⸻why are you here." as though julius didn't believe what stone had answered previously.

he shifts, hip jutting out slightly, arms crossing over his chest, an eyebrow raised. now that stone can see his eyes, julius gaze looks, darkened almost. not distant, but, almost, vacant? as though julius were living life through a sort of hazed, barely present state.

stone was about to say something else when the man's hold on him gave way, and just as quick as he'd been dropped he had been grabbed again, only this time instead of being held by his arm he was being held in a more proper position.

at least this way his poor arm could have a little break...

stone as well looks away, but not before noting the way the man's face had flushed. once back on the ground stone takes a moment to literally ground himself, before he looks back over to the man and nods.

"thank you, for saving me. I suppose I owe you for that yes? as for the... chaos energy, as you call it. In a way, yes. there is a particular hedgehog where I'm from that exudes the same energy you do."

simple explanation, right?

"I used one of his quills to essentially make my way to you," he says as he picks said quill from the brest pocket of his coat, then holds it up to the man so he could have a better look. "I once watched the doctor harness the energy from another hedgehog to power his machines, and to be as fast as the speed of sound."

stone was staring up at julius like julius had grown seven extra heads. he supposed that made sense, if this was stone's first time experiencing flight via chaos energy. though, julius was instinctively aware of stone's gaze lingering on his eyes. ah, great.

"i, uh, i was looking for you. it worked." ⸻ w h A t ⸻ his brain short-circuited. in fact he was so shocked by this that julius' grip on stone's arm slipped and stone started falling away.

he scrambled, diving down after him and catching stone properly this time, by grabbing him and lifting him so that way julius was holding him flush against him. he exhaled, mumbling, "if you say so." he's avoiding looking directly at stone, a light flush coating his face. "let's get you to the ground." & julius starts to descent then, before landing and letting stone go, stepping back from him.

"there. no risk of you falling and becoming a splat on the ground." an ungloved hand moves to run through his hair. julius exhales, boot shifting along the dirt beneath him. "⸻i sensed chaos energy, earlier. that was you?"

well it definitely had worked, as when stone reappeared he was in a different place entirely but also... wait. he was falling?? he in fact was falling and could feel himself plummeting towards the ground at an almost alarming rate. why had he been brought to the literal sky and not the ground??

as he fell however he swore for a brief moment he saw robotnik, flying in the air like some damn bird might but that wasn't possible... right? people just didn't fly, but his brief thought was only confirmed when he feels something grab him and a sharp pain erupt in the upper part of his arm right after.

though he soon forgot about the pain when he realized he was no longer free falling, as the only thing he could focus on was how he had been saved by him, and... no way. his eyes were glowing? not only was this man flying, but his eyes were glowing an intense crimson that made stone feel very small beneath the man's gaze. then he hears the man speak, and his voice was just the same as it was all those years ago. in fact, he hadn't changed at all, it seemed.

fucking speak, stone!

"I uh, I was looking for you," he finally says as the initial shock wore off, and he managed to catch his breath despite the pain from being only held by the arm soon coming back into his mind. "it worked."

time was an odd concept to julius: never aging, he hadn't really needed to think about how long it'd been in years. he rarely thought of days. barely kept track. just sort of existing, especially now that⸻ no. don't think of that.

his eyes closed, and he exhaled: he was flying today, trying to hone his chaos energy manipulation and control. if he trained that, he'd get better at it. able to fly farther, faster, more precisely without floundering like a fish out of water. hadn't thought to before. maybe it was because he had nothing to do now but just fly about⸻

sensation then, floods him, like a shiver: or more like being dunked with cold ice water. his eyes widened, and he stopped on a dime, only to see stone materlise in thin air and then start to plummet because stone wouldn't know how to fly.

instinctively, julius moves and soars down, catching stone via his arm and using his chaos energy in order to halt stone's fall without accidentally ripping stone's arm off just from the sheer momentum of the stop coupled with julius' innate strength.

it's the jarring of the motion that causes julius' sunglasses to fall off, passing stone by and falling down towards the earth. julius barely registers this, bright crimson eyes staring down at stone, exhaling, then chastising, equal parts anger and annoyance, "what the hell do you think you're doing."

three years had passed since his encounter with that robotnik, and during that time stone had managed to visit many alternate universes that varied in different ways. some were universes where the doctor had died from the numerous encounters with sonic the hedgehog. one where he was slain by the hedgehog himself, for instance. another where he had died after falling from his giant egg-machine due to super sonic destroying it.

on top of that there were other timelines where stone had never even met robotnik, and everything was... better? as if not having the doctor there was far better for the earth and everyone who inhabited it. those stones looked so content and happy without him, and it made stone sick to his stomach.

he could never imagine his life without the doctor in it, and despite all the timelines stone had briefly visited the only one where robotnik was still there and very obviously himself, as much as he could be, was the one where he had had one of the oddest encounters. he'd been blown off, somehow having offended the man in a way he wasn't entirely sure of.

so why now was he wanting to return, and give it another go? he was lonely and that certainly was a factor, he mused. he also was mildly interested in just how that robotnik managed to send him back via the chaos control he'd seen shadow use once or twice. he then thinks on why shadow couldn't save his doctor, and it made his blood boil in thought.

no, stone, not now.

taking a deep breath he thinks about that timeline, and using one last try with the chaos energy he had produced from one of shadow's salvaged quills he wills himself to make that 'jump', hoping he'd arrive at his destination and not ultimately end his life due to potential miscalculation.

his jaw clenched, however subtly. that irritation grew at how, placid stone was being. resigned. fight for another version of himself, supposedly, but not him, hm? tch. whatever. he focused, feeling that sensation and sensing that chaos energy from stone's world. very briefly, like a flickering tether that julius grabbed onto. bolstered by stone remembering his world & julius making physical contact.

his eyes glowed, shimmering before stone would blink, and be back in his own world.

julius' hand lingered there, poised, not moving as though still having his hand on stone's chest. then his arm slacked, and he exhaled deeply while looking skyward. that same gloved hand moved, to rub at his eyes underneath his sunglasses, before he turned and tried to resume what he was doing.

stone felt... angry? at being so easily dismissed, which was a bit strange considering he was used to it from his doctor and never had it bothered him until now. why did it bother him so much? more importantly, how could this man send him back?

he looks down at the hand splayed on his chest, then looks back up into the lenses of the man's sunglasses, bending a bit backwards when once again they were in close proximity.

knowing he'd get nowhere he ultimately resigns himself with a sigh, indeed closing his eyes and focusing on the earth he was from. oh well. just because it didn't work this time doesn't mean the next time wouldn't work.

after all, he'd waited almost half a decade to get here... what's another year or more, really?

every single thing that stone said seemed to go in through one ear and directly out the other. that frown hadn't left julius' expression, a hand moving to rest on his hip and an eyebrow raised upward ⸻ "i don't care." was his immediate, blunt response to everything that stone had said. & frankly, he didn't. with a slight lean forward of his upper torso, "after all, i'm not your robotnik, right?" the words are sneered. seemed that those specific words had touched a nerve for julius. he moved a hand then, splaying it along stone's chest, "close your eyes and focus on whatever world you came from. once you do that, i can send you back."

he knew the man wasn't too pleased with him not returning the hug, and a small part of him feels a bit of regret at that fact. despite it though stone is quiet for a long moment before he smooths out his coat, fixing the gloves... ivo's gloves, on his hands while he listens to the man speak. his tone was harsh, almost irritated and finally he was reminded of his doctor. stone wanted to explain, so badly in fact that he completely ignores the second thing the man had said.

he had to explain, for as much as this encounter had been odd, this was still an alternate of the doctor.

"yes... I come from a timeline where my doctor sacrificed himself to save the wretched people of earth from certain destruction." he wouldn't dare say it was to save him from being eradicated as well, as the thought alone caused his stomach to churn.

"I had hoped there was a timeline where a robotnik was missing his stone, and would accept my company so we could continue our plans to conquer the world." why he was spinning this story he wasn't entirely sure. perhaps because he wasn't ready to return to his own timeline yet?

or perhaps it was because he quietly hoped the alternate robotnik might allow him to stay at his side...

can feel the tensing of his muscles, the way stone's body goes rigid from the close proximity. equal parts irritation and confusion broil up inside of julius' chest. can feel the way that stone inhales deeply. hug back. hug back WHY AREN'T YOU HUGGING BACK⸻

"please. i am not used to this at all..."

his gaze opened, though only halfway. eyes lidded, very briefly, before he clears his throat with a small grunt and steps away from stone. stares down at him, then frowns. "well ⸻ what the hell are you doing here." is he irritated at stone for not hugging back? of course, julius doesn't give stone a chance to respond. is he afraid of the reply, or had that question been rhetorical?

a click of his tongue. "i take it you're from another universe." he says this as though bothered by the very concept, an exhale, he moves a gloved hand to run through his hair, eyebrows pinching together somewhat, "i can send you back. you merely need to think of the place and i can teleport you there."

of all the things he had expected from this first encounter being hugged was not one of them, and stone froze up immediately upon feeling the man's arms wrap around him. he stands there for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts as he found his brain almost short-circuit at the unexpected act of affection. his doctor would never do this, and it only further solidified how different this version of robotnik was.

stone takes a deep breath, feeling how tightly the man's fingers were digging into his back, and how they seemed to be shaking. did this alternate lose his stone?

yes, that had to be it.

it was the only logical explanation the man could currently come up with, but despite it a sense of unease began to fill him as the hug carried on for far longer than stone was comfortable with.

"please. I am not used to this at all..." his voice came out almost strained, as if he were fighting with himself as to whether he should just endure or physically remove the man from his personal space.

he sensed it behind him, head lilting and shifting up a fraction as that sensation of another world's chaos energy washed over his back. tingled at his skin, thrummed along his own chaos energy like a disorganized harmony losing it's foot and placement. he inhaled, tasting that sensation of chaos energy that he hadn't felt nearby in years⸻

he turned, to face him. knowing without needing look, who it was. stone. & yet, different: older, clearly, a different emotion or perhaps lack thereof clouded his once bright eyes. julius could tell at a glance that this stone had been through quite the life.

& then stone spoke, or began to, "you're not my...." catches himself, redirects, "you are not the man i had hoped to find here."

no contractions. interesting. to denote distance? or were it a sign of silent strength and formality on stone's end? were it anyone else that had said such a thing, the words would have ghosted through julius. he would've barely bat an eye. but, hear those words, coming from that face? with his voice (even if the cadence and grit were different, sharper)? these words SPEARED HIM, felt like his heart was being torn into. at most, julius' lip twitched along the corners. his gaze narrowed behind obscuring sunglasses. but he didn't look away from stone.

he stepped forward. & then he walked forward with purpose and almost hurried nature to his steps. not a word, before he's grabbing stone by the arm and pulling him forward, leaning down and hugging him. his gloved hands are shaking somewhat as his palms press into and his fingers dig into the back of stone's jacket. julius' eyes closed behind those sunglasses, head shifting and lilting inward, towards stone's.

closed starter with @drrobctnik.

how long had it been since he last saw the doctor? he had lost count as the weeks slowly turned to months, and months to years. the last he had seen of the man was the transmission he sent out before choosing to save the earth from its demise.

why had he done that? because of him?

had the doctor just taken him with him to the ark the earth wouldn't have mattered! instead he chose to be a savior at the end of it, and though the transmission was meant to bring closure it did anything but for the sycofriend.

if anything it drove stone mad, and the man soon was toiling away in one of robotnik's hidden lairs. grief stricken and feeling a whirlwind of emotion he works on failed experiments from the man for longer than he could remember. then he got to thinking about the multiverse, and how if it were true then the doctor was still alive. there was a timeline where he lived, and stone was still with him. the thought floored him, and if he could find said timeline he could easily eliminate that stone and take his place, and have the doctor back right where he belonged.

years he spent researching, years he spent studying those stupid rings and seeing if they were capable of multiversal travel. in the end he was right, and as a portal opened up he could see robotnik on the other side. not wasting a moment he quickly steps through, but it was only when the man looked utterly baffled at what just happened that he knew something wasn't right.

he did not look like the doctor, save for them having the same face, no. something was definitely wrong. the realization however happened slowly, as by the time it had struck the portal had closed and the ring outright disappeared. then he focuses his attention back on the man, taking a moment to gather his thoughts before finally speaking.

"you are not my..." he pauses again, feeling a lump form in his throat before he swallows it down and continues. "you are not the man I had hoped to find here."

laugh tumbles out of him again, continuously, even as he's hit by that chaos energy and sent spinning and hurtling skyward. his hair starts to dishevel, mussed and messy bangs hanging over his forehead. & by now, especially from that spinning, those sunglasses have fallen off his face and clattered against the ground. so, when julius STOPS ON A DIME AND HOVERS there in the sky, shadow will be able to see julius' brilliantly glowing crimson red eyes, eclipsed only by the never ending void that were the black sclera of his eyes.

julius is teleporting in front of shadow then, looming and towering over him. shadow will feel it then, like a pressure: like the sheer energy from julius' presence and mounting chaos energy alone may root shadow to the spot. he doesn't grace shadow with a response, not right now. too lost in that NEED FOR MORE, MORE⸻

he's grabbing shadow by one of his raised wrists, that grin never having left julius this entire time. & with the ease that one might use to swat a fly ⸻ or move a newspaper off a table ⸻ julius breaks shadow's arm to the point that shadow's raised fist will be unnaturally bent backwards and yet up towards his own face.

   ⌦ HOW UNNAFFECTED THE other was made his fur bristle in frustration. Even being LAUGHED at fueled his rage. The hedgehog was ready to strike again, only to be met with brute force after brute force. Meeting the soil below, the hedgehog's claws tore out of the gloves tips, digging into the flesh. Being winded by the blow and now suffocating, Shadow's scrambling to pry the human off began to become frantic. Dissociation started to seep in, the dusk sky shifting in and out between bright white lamp lighting. The familiar feeling stirred a pool of panic within his gut. The words grilled into him caused the alien hedgehog to recoil into the dirt. He couldn't be trapped like this. Not again. 

         Hate, fury and fear glossed over those ruby cat eyes. They sparked over an orange hue as chaos energy began to spike. He wasn't able to do his full potential with the limiter rings on. Shadow had to do something. And fast. Bloodied claws glittered with electricity, twinning with the quills. A strained grunt was what he managed to get out, two fists of charged up energy hitting the man in the chest. Hard enough to send him flying. As soon as he was freed, he rose from the dent in the earth, coughing and rubbing his throat. 

      "W-what. . . are you?" The way he took other mortals down so easily looked like child's play with this man. Julius wasn't anything like what he was used to. It was like meeting a scientist face to face again when he was small and weak. Hands trembled as they lifted up into fists like a boxer, ears flattening down and backwards. 

shouting while punching shadow noises, "you should listen to him maria! he makes very valid points!"

"both of you stop it! we're family. "

he was impatient, head lilting upwards to stare up at the very obvious security camera zooming in on julius standing there in front of the door. julius focuses, can feel colin's energy signature, and simply teleports into that office room with him, now standing directly behind colin.

hands gently clasp colin's shoulders, and julius leans forward to speak lowly beside colin's face, "why, is that relief i hear in your voice~?" his fingers squeeze so carefully, but julius doesn't move to let go of colin's shoulders. then, julius remembers and does let go, because he doesn't want to make colin feel uncomfortable or trapped,

"now don't i feel special." very suddenly, julius has teleported to across colin's office desk, standing on the opposite side of it before sitting on the edge of the front of the desk, careful not to muss any of the paperwork. his left leg crosses over his right leg, eyebrow raised. julius isn't wearing his sunglasses, so those bright crimson red irises and black sclera are on full display for colin to see.

& despite the otherworldly hues, julius gaze looks warm as he looks across at colin. he even smiles, fleetingly.

@drrobctnik

"Knew all along you weren't dead."

The protracted, nasal drawl in Snively's voice is especially evident in this moment, as he leans back in the office chair and smirks at the image of Julius Ivo Robotnik filling his tablet screen.

Relief, tacit approval, even a touch of admiration, belie his cockiness.

"Motber fucker."

ah. not accustomed to those. genuine compliments. for a moment, he stares down at her through obscuring sunglasses, unsure of what to say or do. how easy it was for her to accomplish what most others could not: leave him flailing internally for a way to respond. unlike most, he cared for her. julius could count on one hand the number of people he actually gave a shit about.

though, when she mentions the name robotnik as though it were a place of pride for her, julius does scoff, "yes and that is precisely the problem." he won't elaborate, and won't give her the chance or time to ask after what he might have meant, "don't you have something better to be doing, like paling around with the little hedgehogs."

"it IS a compliment, cousin julius." because what were the robotniks if not odd? they certainly weren't what the average would call normal, as much as she might have enjoyed some normalcy, but then again...she was alive because they were not 'normal'. so she smiles at him, shaking her head and goes on. " odd means different. i don't think there's anything entirely wrong with being different. it makes us who we are- robotniks."

how rude. he stares across at her, but doesn't have it in him to be snide. much as her comment stings. julius never could be mean, not to her. least of all because of what she represented, in his mind. "i'll take that as a compliment," & with an overexaggerated flourish of his left hand, julius bows, smirking somewhat.

"it seems like no matter the name he goes by- my cousin is always odd."

that frown doesn't leave him, head lilting to the side just a fraction. "and you're bald, how quaint." his arms cross, an eyebrow jutting upwards as his other demands to know who he is. a fit of laughter threatens him, but julius quells that urge. for now. "i'm you. well, an alternate version of you. we've led different lives, no doubt." am i going to go bald? he certainly HOPED not. & there was no chance in hell julius would ever grow such a horrendous looking moustache.

@drrobctnik (julius) sent : he stares, then frowns, a low scoff leaves him, "why on earth do you have that god forsaken moustache." what a lovely way to greet your alternate self, julius. insults.

"you mean my utterly handsome moustache?" ivo replies as he twists the ends of said moustache to further emphasize the word, then tilts his head as he observes the man before him. "who the hell are you?"

god I just. love ruthlessness as a character trait so much. sexy sexy sexy