Evil Grows with love (ENGLISH VERSION)

12 . Bad methods

- Ha...Good evening Lieutenant. There was almost relief in his voice, I warn you, it's war here...

Agent Stone was especially relieved to see the lieutenant's face before him. His calm expression contrasted completely with the panicked look of her/his counterpart.

He used to spend hellish nights with Robotnik, but this time he had really overstepped the line.

It was one thing for him to wake him up at any time of the day and night to have a latte, to take him out on him when nothing was going his way, either, he had gotten used to it. And had even come to understand that this was a mark of affection.

But THAT...

It had all started with [Lieutenant's name] 's message, at least that was when he realized the situation was serious. In fact, he had seen the doctor change his attitude when [Y/N] had answered this policeman and he had offered to have dinner with her.

Then it got worse when she left the truck that night.

Then, the message had put all his senses on alert.

He had no idea how much.

-Doctor?

After several hours of silence, Stone had decided to make sure his boss was still alive. He was used to not seeing him come out of his lab often, but that night things tended not to go as planned.

-What now ? he growled. No doubt now that he was both alive AND in a bad mood.

- Sorry Doctor, I wanted to make sure everything was fine.

NO. Nothing was going well, at all! Robotnik's expression conveyed his frustration and anger.

- I've been trying to assemble this mechanism for two hours and nothing works as I want! His locks were falling over his forehead, a sign that he was getting way too nervous about holding his hair gel. He kept fidgeting over his workshop table and Stone had even seen the tremor of his hands. It was scary, because he had never seen his boss' body react so strongly to any emotion.

- Can I do something for you? Had he ventured. After all these years by his side, Stone felt genuine empathy for how he felt. Because even if Robotnik boasted of being insensitive, it was a decoy.

The doctor was sensitive in his way, and that way was not understood by anyone.

Or almost.

- A LATTE! he spat. Stone nodded and quickly went to the part of the truck set up for this purpose. With any luck, the sweetness of Austrian goat's milk would finally manage to appease the anger of his boss.

-Shit.

The word came out on its own when he opened the coffee cupboard.

Empty.

He was sure there was a bag of ground coffee beans left just two days ago. Did Robotnik increase its consumption?

A few minutes, the time to find a good way to break the news to his already upset boss and he was already outside his door.

Not against the wall, please, not against the wall. he thought, half-opening the laboratory door again.

-Doctor?

- WHAT NOW ?

- It's the coffee...I think we've run out of stock.

Silence.

He hadn't screamed yet. Neither grabbed?

Was he already dead?

- I have to go to town to get something to help us out, do...