Don't Stare At His Arms, Don't Stare At His Chest, Don't Stare At His Arms, Look At His Face,

"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.

"sorry, i didn't realize this seat was taken," julius gave a softer smile, shuffling and moving his bookbag off the seat he'd set it on. his gaze lingered on the man in front of him, enjoying the way that his hair accentuated his face, and those eyes were beautiful too. he wondered if he had ever seen him around the eden club. julius cleared his throat, "are you, here with anyone, or are you waiting on someone?" realizing how bold that sounded, julius quickly clarified, "n-not that i'm! trying to, flirt or anything. i just thought if you had a moment, maybe we could try getting a coffee?"

starter. for roman (@blckfckinmsk) BASED ON THE PREMISE THAT JULIUS & ROMAN START DATING (before becoming bitter exes).

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."

'doctor'

julius stared down at him. hm. curious.

'how are you here?'

"wrong question. it isn't how, but when, when am i here," he's stood not too far from the crater that shadow had created. no doubt from warping here via an errant chaos control. nasty things, those. julius at points had encountered them himself. "or rather: when you are." seeing how he wasn't getting anywhere with his metaphors & here julius thought he was being funny, he clarified,

"this isn't your universe. this is a different universe. things didn't play out quite the same here, as they did there."

@drrobctnik Liked for a starter

Ringing was all the hedgehog heard. Eyesight blurry as he tries to open ruby colored eyes. Everything spinning as he lays in the crater of where he landed. Pain rearing through his body as he raises a hand to his head. Easing it against the throbbing in his head he felt as he simply lays there. Letting air enter his lungs he tries to recall the events of what happened.

Where was he even ?

Shadow hadn't the slightest idea but he knew he needed to get up. He couldn't lay here. Summoning what strength he had to roll onto his stomach. Tucking his arms under him to push himself upwards. Pain flaring as he cries out to himself. ❝ Damn ... ❞ He swears under his breath. Something was definitely broken.

He had to keep going as he feels around. His fingertips brushing against something cold as he glances at the item. The familiar golden sheen of his inhibitor hitting the little light he could see. Grabbing it he sits on his knees a moment. Slowly reattaching it to his wrist as he rubs the back of his head. He didn't see any of the other inhibitors. That was going to be a problem in the long run.

Slowly eases himself back up to his feet. Wobbling as he found his footing as he climbs out of the crater. Oh how everything ached as he hisses through his teeth as he takes a deeper breath. Finally he takes in his surroundings. Seeing a form familiar yet so different he thought was imagining it ...

❝ Doctor ? ❞ He questions. But how was that possible ? The Doctor was inside of the Eclipse Canon as it exploded. What was going on ? ❝ How are you here ? ❞

indie julius ivo robotnik. a villain, well, depending on who you ask. neither games nor movie canon, but a secret third thing (my own). 21+. heavily mature themes inside. studied by wilhelm. carrd.

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.

post 🎉 and let your followers tell you about how you're doing with you character portrayal underneath!

he didn't think sonic would hug him back. he couldn't remember the last time he had given someone else a hug, genuinely, and felt safe in their arms. his grip on sonic increased subtly, a shivered exhale of relief and peace leaving him. his head turned in towards sonic without his conscious realization, grateful. if sonic thought so, then yes, julius would try again. perhaps next time, they could spend time together at sonic's home. maybe eventually, julius could branch out and start to actually include the other little trio- not right away, but in time. who knew-

"....it's gonna be alright, julius. okay?"

julius' gaze opened, eyebrows slightly furrowing at that. what?... did sonic think he was that overwhelmed by everything? yes he'd been overly stimulated, but being off on this quieter road was calming his nerves down.

"i promise ya, everything''ll be alright."

sonic stepped back. no, something was⸻ a crack of sheer pain caused his sight to turn white from the impact, and before julius could register what was going on, he fell unconscious.

only to startle awake, inhaling sharply and his eyes shooting open. greeted by darkness; but it wasn't a normal type of shadow, he could normally see in the dark. this? like an inky black void, unable to see through it for as hard as he tried.

his knees hurt, and julius realized why. tried to move, but couldn't. his arms, legs and even his neck were bolted in place, massive shackles holding him down, chained and reinforced into the floor. he was being forced to hunch forward, couldn't even twitch his arms. there was a half mask clamped along his jaw, stopping just at the middle of the bridge of his nose, restricting him from talking.

at most, the only thing he could move were his eyes, and he could hear his own rasped breathing under that half-mask, getting heavier and heavier the longer he sat in this reality. how-

"....it's gonna be alright, julius. okay?""

he⸻ sonic had⸻ his breathing hitched, getting more uneven as the realization slowly dawned on him, widened gaze, pupils shrinking in shock. julius tried, he focused, as best he could, but he couldn't push out his chaos energy. couldn't begin to build it, tap into it, no matter how he tried. whatever they were restricting him with, wasn't giving him any access to his chaos energy. he couldn't escape this, truly. he was trapped.

his eyes skewed shut, for a brief moment, not wanting to believe. sonic wouldn't⸻ julius had trusted him⸻ felt his body tensing, and his mouth opened and a scream left him, that sound elongated, sheer rage, disbelief, hatred, anger that burned at his lungs and caused his throat to ache but that scream wouldn't stop, getting louder and more desperate and breaking on the edges from how intense as that near roar of betrayal left him.

his expression skewed, eyebrows furrowing as julius hugged him. sonic hesitated before hugging back. he could feel julius' face turning and almost tucking closer to him, and sonic swallowed. "....it's gonna be alright, julius. okay?" his voice is quieter, and it does shake a tad. "i promise ya, everything''ll be alright."

he squeezed julius just slightly, breathed out and stepped back, before swiftly and suddenly jerking his hand forward and slamming it into the side of julius' neck and lower jaw, as hard as he could. watched as julius' eyes widened before he slumped over, knocked unconscious.

a gasped exhale, and sonic swallowed before lifting an arm into the air, motioning with a short wave. it took a second or two before those G.U.N soldiers repelled down the sides of those supposedly empty buildings from their hiding spots on the rooftop.

"excellent work, sonic." clearly the leader of this squadron, addressed sonic. sonic was staring at julius, having to look away as some of those soldiers placed larger restraints along julius' wrists. could hear them doing the same to his legs.

"...he'll get the help he needs. you'll make sure of that." he's turning to look up at the man, who flashes a standard for the public smile.

"at G.U.N, nothing is impossible. even robotnik can be reformed under our guidance." a hand juts out, and sonic shakes his hand, glancing over and watching as those double doors closed, julius now tucked detained. that vehicle begins to drive off.

"....can i see him, at least? you've got like, visitations or something, right?"

"i am afraid not. robotnik is a.... let's say a flight risk. he will be better off under our care without any outside influences."

"better off..." sonic echoed, inhaled, exhaled, nodded. right. this was, for the best. julius would be able to get the mental, and the emotional help he needed.

⸻ ft. imad stone x julius robotnik ⸻

( "i can't lose you." )

crafted by iggy & marker.

bless you truly, man. this means a lot to me.

i can't wait to see colin's reactions to everything. you take all the time you need.

please feel free to send in things to either julius or sonic concerning it, i def want that.

Snively is having some (irrational) rejection feels that are fueled by complex ptsd (canonical childhood and adolescent trauma) based on getting emotionally attached to an uncle from a different dimension while also trying to stay loyal to the Mobian Resistance, but I, the mun, keep being too fkn sick to sit up in bed and write about it coherently ic!

ARG!!! chronic illness SUCKS!!!