His Left Hand Jerked Forward, Gripping At Stone's Wrist. His Fingers Twitched, Thumb Roaming And Pressing

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.

[txt:] surprised to hear what?

[txt:] erm, nothing really?

[txt:] well maybe some things.

[txt:] i don't know i've never been asked that before.

[txt]: surprised to hear that. [txt]: so what else about you is old schooled too then?

@drrobctnik sent 🎶 genuinely curious what you come up w/ for jules

Sucker - Marcus King

Get the fuck outta my head // So long, sucker I don’t wanna see you, // I hate this life // Get your fingers out of my hair // You’re gone, sucker // Good luck killing me ’cause I’m already, already // Dead inside

Send me 🎶 and I’ll share a song that reminds me of your muse!

he could feel himself starting to clam up again. julius hadn't been finished, he'd just paused to try and figure out how to word the rest of it. if he could. it'd been hard enough to even get out those small bits and portions. & where stone might think his words were comforting, they were the exact opposite.

⸻ all that did was reaffirm to julius that he was supposed to be the one to be in that position. to be the one leading. to be the one that was meant to be sadistic. or to be the one that was meant to ⸻ what had he said? 'enslave humanity'? not unlike that time julius'd been told he was to lead his squadron despite not wanting to at all and feeling as though james had been better for the job.

if he had the energy in him, he might've gotten angered. but that odd numbness that settled into his heart and mind, sort of felt like a fog. like what little bit of hope he had for that ever happening cracked and slipped away. & julius just, let it.

"....." he isn't certain what to say, to stone telling him that he was happy that he trusted him enough. he exhales, and lets go of his hand before standing up, forcing himself to, even though he doesn't truly want to.

a big part of stone wasn't surprised with the reply julius gave, as he figured they had to be something someone wouldn't want to actually voice. the thing stone was surprised about was the man's willingness to humor him and actually give an explanation. stone knew it was likely very difficult if julius' body language were any give away.

however when the topic changes to him, or rather the stone that belonged to julius' timeline, he felt his heart start to race. how odd it was to hear those words come from his mouth, as if julius were some sort of mindreader and was voicing the thoughts stone had a long, long time ago.

it was the same explanation he would have given to ivo if he were able, but that didn't matter. not anymore, not since...

he meets julius' gaze with a soft one if his own, trying to figure out how to reply.

"I know how you feel. those thoughts that you have. they were the same words I wished I had told to ivo, before he..." he quiets, clearing his throat as he wills the tears away, "before he sacrificed himself. I'm not sure what happened to your stone, but I have a feeling we are in the same situation where we are missing our respective companions."

again silence on stone's part, but it is only a moment before he speaks again. "I am happy you trust me enough to share such a personal and vulnerable part of yourself with me."

“   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.

sonic's doesn't go quite nearly as far as his had, which causes him to puff with silent glee. julius is in the midst of finding an even flatter rock, wanting to skip it the absolute farthest so sonic can't hope to catch up, when sonic mentions station square and a festival, of all things.

he stills, staring down at the grass. knelt on a knee, he glances over at sonic, gaze squinting at him behind those sunglasses. holding that rock, but he doesn't move to try and throw it. thumb roams along that flat top of the rock tucked between his fingers. "....and." his voice is rather flat, weary.

he waits, knowing. julius was always a curious, competitive kinda guy. it doesn't take long before he's in the grass, and sonic watches him with a small smile, before julius is tossing that rock. it does go pretty far, and at that, sonic whistles, impressed,

"hey, not bad." a thumbs up. his hand grabs another errant rock, and tosses it, watches it go about five before sinking. finally, his mind settles on something. knows it's a long shot, but sonic wants to try,

"you know. station square's got some kind of festival coming up. think they're setting up stalls on a cleared out street."

I didn’t miss that social cue I just thought it was stupid 

im yearning about you and there is nothing you can do about it (threat)

Linkin Park Lyric Starters

IN THE END

"It doesn't even matter how hard you try." "All I know, time is a valuable thing." "Watch the time go right out the window." "I wasted it all just to watch you go." "I kept everything inside and even though I tried, it all fell apart." "It doesn't even matter how hard you try." "I'm surprised it got so far." "Things aren't the way they were before." "You wouldn't even recognize me anymore." "You kept everything inside and even though I tried, it all fell apart." "I've put my trust in you." "For all this, there's only one thing you should know." "I tried so hard and got so far." "I had to fall to lose it all." "But in the end, it doesn't even matter."

NUMB

"I'm tired of being what you want me to be." "I don't know what you're expecting of me." "Can't you see that you're smothering me?" "'Cause everything that you thought I would be has fallen apart, right in front of you" "Every step that I take is another mistake to you." "And I know I may end up failing too." "I'm becoming this, all I want to do is be more like me and be less like you." "I'm tired of being what you want me to be."

DON'T STAY

"Sometimes, I need to remember just to breathe." "Sometimes, I need you to stay away from me." "Somehow, I need you to go." "Forget our memories, forget our possibilities." "What you were changing me into?" "Take all your faithlessness with you." "Sometimes, I feel like I trusted you too well." "Sometimes, I just feel like screaming at myself." "Don't stay."

LOST

"I pretend it isn't there." "This is how I feel." "I'm trapped in yesterday." "I'm lost in these memories." "But I'm tired." "Lost all my dignity.' "I will always be afraid." "I try to keep this pain inside." "But I will never be alright." "I'm lost."

"My actions speak for themselves." What they say is a series of clunking hisses from where he's punched through a steam pipe in order to 'fix' a leak.

he's wordlessly staring at the destroyed pipe. eyebrows pinch together and his gaze narrowed behind sunglasses. seems to be weighing his options on whether he wants to deal with whatever moronic conversation will stem from this.

a heavy weighted sigh that bleeds into his words, sounding deadpanned and tired, "do i want to know what the fuck inspired you to try and fix this instead of calling an actual service."