Why Are You So Damned Sensitive⸻

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!"

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.

he hadn't heard the name julius uttered in, so long. nowadays it was Robotnik, or Doctor, or Monster, Villain ⸻ but julius? he hadn't thought he'd ever enjoy hearing his name again. nor how much he'd missed being called that, in that absence. maybe he hadn't let himself think on that for too long to really register the depth.

at being told he had a nice name, a blush crossed his expression, and that sincere, awkward smile was back. & as imad said that julius was the first, oh. oh his heart.

he wanted that. more; more, selfishly, greedily, wanted to be the first for imad. a need coiled in his body and he did his best to stifle that, not wanting to get too overwhelmed. might make his chaos energy go out of control again.

a little chuckle leaves him, the noise soft and an airy sort of breath to the sound. "i'm glad." is this what that feeling was? he wouldn't know, hadn't had anything to feel glad about in quite some time. if he had ever. couldn't put a name to most emotions, at points ⸻ but he'd said that without thinking. so it was probably true. maybe that had come from his heart.

"i," a slight hesitation here, but julius pushes through that, "is there anything you might want to do? now that you're here."

julius... what an interesting name.

he doesn't mind that the handshake went on for longer than was considered polite, figuring julius just might not be used to doing such things and perhaps didn't know the unspoken rules of it. then again maybe he just liked having physical contact, given julius' stone was no longer in the picture.

despite it though stone keeps his smile, feeling a bit happy that the man was willing to open up a bit more, even if it was brief.

"it is nice to properly meet you as well, julius. you have a rather nice name yourself. I do not think I've ever met someone named that before, so you'll be the first."

don't stare at his arms, don't stare at his chest, don't stare at his arms, look at his face,

"oh, er, ha, no. no, i've been stationed here for...." how long had it been again? it takes him a second - the days here blur, so easily. day after day, the same exact routine. he liked the consistency of it, the order, but it always felt like he could be doing more. "nearly a year, i believe."

he straightens his posture ( is he wanting to make a good first impression on the shorter, buffer male? ), flashing a little fleeting, awkward smile, "i'm," he was about to say julius but catches himself. G.U.N was a stickler for last names only, never first names. something about 'it sounding better' and 'being the principle of the tradition', or whatever. never liked that, felt too distancing, to julius. he hadn't heard his first name spoken since he'd been recruited.

"robotnik." he holds a hand out, for the other to shake. usually they didn't do this either, but julius' old polite habits died hard. it didn't even register to julius that they were currently stood in the middle of the door into the room, thus blocking anyone from trying to enter or exit the breakroom.

Johnny was not having a good time right now.

When he was first recruited at G.U.N, he had expected it to be more fun than this. Perhaps he would meet some like-minded guys that he could bond with—and hey, chicks dig the military-type guys, right? So he'd thought joining would fulfill him in some way...

That is, until he'd had to get his head buzzed. His beloved hair, his pride and glory, was now gone... All that remained was the sorry excuse of length he'd been left with. He certainly had the army man look now, but at what cost?

The man had been pouting ever since, moping about the break room. He was so miserable that he hadn't even brought himself to talk to anybody yet, aside from the occasional higher-up barking various demands at him. He'd decided he may as well sleep the grief of his lost hair away, and had stood up to walk to the sleep quarters—until he nearly ran straight into somebody, promptly taking a step back.

"Oh! Uh... Yeah. Yeah, sure am." He gave an awkward chuckle. "...You?"

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

PSA

If you ever see someone who writes a character you love and they write them well… tell them. Like someone’s writing? Tell them. Like the way someone’s muse is being portrayed? Tell them. Do you enjoy a muses’ head canons? Tell them. Do you enjoy seeing someone’s creativity and writing on your dashboard? Tell them. Do you enjoy seeing someone on your dashboard no matter what? Tell them

—

More often not, it is really appreciated when someone hears things about their writing and makes them feel appreciated. A simple message can have such a lasting impact and turn someone’s day around. Speak now, spread love.

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 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?

"these are...." his face scrunches just a touch, as though julius were discomforted by saying the word. how childish. " 'badniks', did you call them?" he stares at the little white droid that's floating, nudging at his hand curiously. julius and ivo were technically the same person albeit different lives & circumstances. so, to the little bad-drone, julius supposed he wasn't considered a threat or a target. he gives it a small pat on the bit he supposes is the top of it's 'head', the motion awkward. hoping that'll sate the thing enough to have it leave him be.

@robotn1k julius is visiting ivo!

he felt like he were disappointing sonic. he could tell that sonic were trying for his sake. hell only knew why, but sonic was. and that meant more to julius than he could properly admit, or even begin to process and parse through. he inhaled a touch through slightly clenched teeth, a hand coming up to rub at the side of his own face. "i.... think that would be for the best. i cannot stand these crowds. and the smell isn't something i'm fond of either."

at that, sonic coughed a little laugh, grinning up at julius, "you really are picky, huh," but it sounds fond, and at that, julius scowls a tad but a blush does cross his expression.

"i can hardly stop myself. you try standing around hundreds of people with enhanced hearing and scent and try not to feel dizzied."

"hey. it's alright, julius." sonic's hand is on julius' arm again. julius pauses, and sonic continues, "these things take time, yanno? small steps are still steps. n'hey, once you're feeling better, you can always try again. maybe at a smaller get-together."

what did i do, to deserve you? julius inhales a spell, before he's suddenly dropping down onto one knee, and then tugging sonic forward before hugging him. he can feel sonic tense up slightly, not having expected it. truthfully, julius hadn't either, but ⸻ he had just felt, compelled.

"i just thought you deserved to have a fun day out." sonic replied, and maybe it was the earnestness of his tone, but julius looked momentarily startled silent at what sonic had said. not wanting julius to feel awkward, he continued, "but i can also see that this's gettin to ya bit. hey how about we sneak down one of the side roads. letcha breathe for a spell." gloved hand lays on julius' arm, & sonic smiles easily up at him.

"....very well." & julius motioned for sonic to lead, since sonic knew the streets of station square forward and backwards by this point. and so sonic did, led them away from all that hustle and bustle, toward one of the roads that had less car & foot traffic because the road had been blocked off due to the festivities.

"thanks, for trying julius. i really mean that." sonic's glancing over at julius, "you don't gotta stay for the whole hour. we did say five minutes, originally."