I didn’t miss that social cue I just thought it was stupid
"could you at least tell me your name?" (from amy!)
he had never meant to save her, to help her. if anything, his life would be so much easier if he had just left her to perish. he knew of her, by proxy, through sonic and sonic's constant blabbering about his little gaggle of mobian pals. something about an 'amy rose' & it was easy enough to know of her because of that signature hammer that sonic had mentioned too.
so when he'd noted the danger she was in, fatal no doubt, and he moved in order to protect her and shield her from that debris that would've no doubt crushed her? he couldn't answer as to why he'd done so. it had been instinctive, moving without conscious thought. he glanced down at her through those obscuring sunglasses: judging by the dumbfounded look on her face, she had no clue as to who he was. nor the fact that his errant destruction of nearby buildings during his previous battle with sonic, had caused the debris that would've been her death had julius not intervened. sonic was probably still rousing from the beating he'd taken, which is what gave julius time idle enough to just, observe her.
he turned away, about to leave, but she spoke which gave him pause.
"could you at least tell me your name?"
"....." his eyebrows furrowed, a slight frown etched along his facial muscles, how the action also narrowed his eyes. he shouldn't. really should not indulge her small talk. they would become enemies in time, this he knew: inevitable. julius and sonic fought so often, it would be no time at all before all the other mobian gaggle banded together in order to stop his 'evil'. well. he supposed it was evil to them. to himself, he saw death and murder as no great consequence. merely a byproduct, an inevitability born from julius' own disgust at himself. the world. his own cracking and fraying faith in goodness or the inherent kindness humanity strived to have. failed to, most days, from julius' own perspective. or maybe that was just his growing cynicism.
really shouldn't.
"julius robotnik." & without waiting for a response, maybe not being able to stomach her sincere thanks if she might give it, julius swiftly walks away from her. perhaps, in another life, if julius' path had been different, he and sonic and their little mobian gang could've been friends. on the same side.
....hmph.
what false hope.
fyi i do not “crush” i experience violent, all-consuming devotion and yearning that leaves me physically ill
⸻ ft. imad stone x julius robotnik ⸻
( "i can't lose you." )
crafted by iggy & marker.
the outfit that 'ian' is wearing during this thread, in case anyone was curious!!
Jeanette Winterson, Gut Symmetries
he can feel a headache threatening him, more out of annoyance than any actual sheer anger. julius inhales, running a hand through his hair as if that'll help. what an insistent little- "neither of those colours would suit me." he sees sonic frown, and quickly amends, "but. if i must choose.... ginger. i suppose." sonic smiles then, and julius huffs, "....you'll not stop until i relent, will you."
"yeah, i know you know what wigs are," sonic returns, smirking at the scowl that julius gives him, "i'm thinking blonde. or maybe a ginger." his hand lifts up, 'framing' julius' face through some of his fingers as though imagining it. "we can grab one'a those massive floppy rimmed hats, for the sun."
grateful it were just he and sonic again. truthfully, he had only really come to this event because it was sonic that had asked him to. he never would've set foot at one of these shindigs, otherwise.
at sonic's laugh, julius scoffs a breath, "for someone panicked, you certainly kept your cool." naturally, julius thought, and based on sonic's little smirk he seemed to agree.
"yea, well, y'made it pretty easy. nice italian by the way."
"mmn," he hummed, not sure how to respond to that genuine compliment. his scalp itched but he couldn't do anything about that due to this damned wig. "why were you so insistent on dragging me here." he can't help the bluntness to his tone, all of that stimuli from the sounds, smells, let alone the massive crowd, was beginning to irk him more and more as the seconds passed.
amy's eyes were practically sparkling as she listened to ian & sonic's exchange, her attentions rapt on sonic in particular, "wow sonic, you sounded so good!" at that, sonic grinned over at her and flashed a thumbs up, "oh gosh, let's see if i remember any words..." turning to face ian, she smiled up at him and spoke, her cadence slowing down and sounding a tad broken up. "il tuo cappello è bello."
"Oh, grazie."
"that in mind, i'm gonna take ian to grab some grub." sonic didn't want make julius feel more pressured, and that meant getting him away from the trio. especially tails, if anyone of them might start pulling the ruse apart it'd be his little buddy. planning to meet up later, sonic 'ian' and the others all went their separate ways.
it wasn't until they were fully out of earshot and eyesight that sonic started speaking to julius normally again, "whew, i panicked there for a second!" he lets out a softer laugh, "i was torn between italian or russian, but i thought that italian would be the safer bet!"
a sputtered clipped laugh punches out of him immediately at the echidna's confession about the 'fixed' phone. ah yes, of course. how stupid of julius to think elsewise.
"you do realize you can stop and think before resorting to brute strength, yes?" how hypocritical of julius to say. especially considering whenever he did lose his composure and his calm, julius would be the first to resort to and praise violent or physical methods.
that being said, julius drew the line at trying to 'fix' menial tasks using sheer strength alone. even he wasn't that desperate to resort to such violence. he wasn't some mindless barbarian.
"i know you are not that daft, echidna. what is the real reason you want to constantly 'fix' things using only your fists alone? what is it, some nonsense about fear of not being acceptable enough or worthy enough if you're not the strongest of the bunch?"
"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."
god I just. love ruthlessness as a character trait so much. sexy sexy sexy