Horocchan here! Thanks for all your reviews, favs and follows, you made me so happy :) Even though I haven't updated this since last year –insert lame joke-. I don't know how to apologize, I was a lazy ass, I admit it.
While I was planning this chapter, I realized it was necessary to change Sonic's (and therefore everyone else's) age mostly because of my old-fashioned morality (I'm such a prude lmao). I mean, I'm sixteen and I got awkward when I realized I made Sonic have sex at age 15 (I think that would be Shadow's mental age since he was in cryo?), if you're okay with it I respect your opinions, but since this story is mine and I want to be comfortable with what I write, then Sonic's age was 18 before Shadow left him, and now he is 23.
I have nothing else to say, so I hope you enjoy this chapter :D
It had been a month since Shadow arrived. For Sonic, it seemed like Shadow and his son would stay a long time, since the former had brought to his home a lot of things for Silver: a high chair, lots of cartons of milk, a couple of feeding bottles, a crib, some toys, extra blankets, etc.
Sonic wished he was right. He really didn't want Shadow to go, it nearly seemed like he had moved to his house. He hated having to restrain his feelings for Shadow because if he did otherwise Shadow would leave. He despised not being allowed to touch him, embrace him everytime they got too close, he hated not being able to kiss him again.
Shadow was a closed book, Sonic knew that. Shadow was really sad for losing Rouge, and Sonic knew that too, even though the black hedgehog didn't show it. Sonic simply knew, by the times Shadow looked at Silver and his lower lip trembled, only stopping when he bit it.
When Sonic got up and came to Shadow's bedroom, he was surprised to find the black hedgehog fully awake, and playing with Silver, tickling him. Of course he was amazed that a serious hedgehog like Shadow could laugh and smile and tickle someone, but suddenly he felt odd.
And not only because of the scene he was watching provoked him a longing frustration, but because he noticed Shadow was forcing his smile and low laughter. It was like he was tickling Silver because he didn't want himself to get sad.
Silver noticed this some seconds after, and stopped laughing. Shadow stopped too, and sighed. Sonic knocked on the door.
"Uh?" Shadow mumbled, startled. "H-how much time have you been there?" He asked, a stern look placing on his features. However, his voice was a little shaky.
"Uh... I came to look after Silver." He said, which wasn't a lie after all. Shadow narrowed his eyes, but let it be. "I thought you had already gone to work."
"Hmph. I don't need to go for a while."
"Really? Why? It is because you became widowed?" He whispered the last part.
"You could say so. Ever since Rouge died, I've tried to keep myself as busy as possible. GUN just found out about what happened and my relationship with her, so they told me I don't need to work for a while," Shadow sighed, frustrated. "At least I already bought everything we need for now. When food or anything else falls short, then I'll take another mission. I just hope GUN takes me back by then." He added.
"Oh... I see." Sonic mumbled. He felt curious. He wanted to know when exactly had Rouge passed away. Then again, he felt that it wasn't the right time.
"I guess it's time for breakfast." Shadow stated, taking Silver in his arms. Sonic nodded and headed to the kitchen, Shadow following him.
The hedgehog trio ate their meal quietly, until Sonic turned on the TV and watched the news. There was a huge fire in some building in Station Square and there was still people trapped inside. Sonic didn't think twice before dashing out of his house, ready to save the day.
Shadow closed the door, before placing Silver on the couch in front of the TV and watching attentively how a blue blur arrived at the building on fire and going inside and in no time the same blur got out of the building, with a human baby in his arms. Sonic handed the baby to one of the firemen, and went inside again. This time, he rescued an old lady and her cat. Sonic went inside for one last time to make sure he didn't forget anyone, and he got out with a passed out woman, maybe the mother of the first boy. Silver, the news reporter and the firefighters cheered the blue hero.
Shadow smirked; Sonic would come back late. He knew from those times when they used to be a couple, whenever Sonic would save the day, people would throw a banquet in his honor, and Sonic wouldn't refuse it, being the food (chili dog in his case) lover he was.
Silver soon got bored of watching the news and crawled towards the stairs. Shadow grabbed him, not wanting him to get injured.
"Want to go upstairs?" He asked. Silver nodded. Shadow put him back on the floor, and helped him to climb every step. As soon as they reached the second floor, Silver went inside Sonic's room. Shadow's eyebrow rose. He followed his son, and found him looking under the bed.
"What are you doing?" He asked, not really hoping for a coherent answer.
"Sowneek." The toddler babbled.
"Uh?" Shadow tilted his head to the side. Was he looking for Sonic?
"He's not here." He answered, but Silver shook his head in refusal.
"No that Sowneek, MY Sowneek." He pointed at his own chest with his index finger.
Shadow gazed at his son with confusion.
"Hey, Shads, take a look at this!" Sonic handed him a small cardboard box.
"What is this?" He eyed the misterious object.
"Just open it!"
"Fine." He obliged. He noticed the mini-Sonic inside.
"They made an action figure of me! Isn't that awesome?" He said with joy.
"It's... Cute, indeed." He smiled softly. "Maybe I should stay with him and leave you." He joked, though it was hard to tell because of his serious tone.
"Eh?! Shads, that's mean! I'm better than him, after all, I'm the original."
"Yeah, but you're noisier."
Could it be?
"A mini-Sonic?" He asked. Silver nodded.
"Sowneek give me a sowneek."
Maybe the blue hedgehog showed him the action figure and Silver left it here.
"Let me search for it." He headed to the drawer of the nightstand, and opened it. He couldn't find it. He opened the closet and examined the inside. Since Sonic only used gloves, socks and shoes, there wasn't much. He opened the drawer of the closet, and found the figure. When he lifted it, ready to give it to his son, he found something else.
An envelope.
Shadow opened it, and the content made him blush faintly. There were photos of him and Sonic. Mostly of him. He eyed every one of them cautiously. He remembered with detail everyone of the moments in the pictures.
He stared at one in particular. It was taken the day of their first date. He remembered all the funny reactions Sonic had because he was so excited yet nervous for finally getting Shadow to accept a date with him. Sonic wanted it to be the perfect date, he paid for everything, even though Shadow said it wasn't necessary. Shadow had thought it was cute, and rewarded Sonic with a kiss on the cheek at the end of the date, which made Sonic happy.
"What are you doing?" The voice of Sonic startled Shadow. Damn, he was so distracted by the photos he didn't notice Sonic coming back.
"Uhm... Nothing." Shadow stuttered. Sonic approached him and noticed the photos. His face turned red, just as Shadow's.
"Give them back! I can explain it!"
"No, I haven't seen them all yet!" Shadow stood up and raised the photos above his head, so Sonic wouldn't reach them.
"We are the same height! Why the hell can't I reach them?!" Sonic growled, tripping with their foot and falling alongside Shadow. Silver giggled. The photos flew in every direction of the room.
Sonic fell on Shadow, in a very compromising pose. Their legs were intertwined, and their faces very close to each otherThey stayed like that for a few seconds, that for Sonic were too short. He loved this moment, Shadow looked so delicious with his flushed face, ragged breathing, and...
Their faces were awkwardly close. Yeah, Sonic definitively loved this moment. He slowly started to shorten the distance beetween his lips...
"Sonic." Shadow whispered, his breath touching the other's lips and stopping their owner. "What are you..."
"Sowneek kiss papa?" Silver babbled. Shadow's muzzle blushed beet red.
"No!" He shoved Sonic off of him and stood up.
"Of course not, I felt a little dizzy and my head felt heavy..." Sonic lied lamely. Damn! He was so close to tasting his heavenly lips again...
Shadow sighed with relief at the explanation.
He believed me?!
"C'mon, Silver." Shadow opened his arms and Silver ran to hug him. The black hedgehog picked him up from the floor.
"So... Why did you have those pictures?" Shadow asked, not blushing anymore. Sonic felt embarrassed. He didn't want to tell him the truth, because Shadow didn't need to know Sonic still loved him.
The ultimate lifeform waited for the answer.
"I... I wanted to... I just couldn't throw them away. It's nothing..."
By the look Shadow gave him, Sonic knew he said something very wrong.
"Nothing? So all these moments meant nothing to you? All the time we spent together meant... Nothing?" Shadow blurted, his fist that wasn't holding Silver clenched so hard that his knuckles became white. Sonic suddenly felt intimidated by his behavior.
"No! It's just that... I... Um..." Sonic stammered, afraid of the consequences. Shadow left Silver on the floor again, and raised his hand. Sonic closed his eyes, expecting a punch, but he didn't get it.
When he opened his eyes he found Shadow, looking very confused.
"Shads?" He called.
Why do I care for whatever this idiot thought of our relationship?! It's over now, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter!
"Nevermind. Forget it." He hissed. "Forgive me, I shouldn't have reacted that way..." He gazed at his son and followed him out of the room, leaving Sonic alone.
He hated that Shadow apologized when the blue blur was the one supposed to apologize.
Sonic picked the pictures up from the floor, and put them back on the envelope. He sighed. He should explain it to Shadow as soon as possible.
When he opened the drawer where the envelope used to be, he noticed the figure of himself that he showed to Silver some days ago. He took it and put the envelope back where it was.
When he got to the first floor, his eyes searched any trace of the black hedgehog or his gray son. The TV was on, so maybe Silver was on the couch.
He approached the couch and, indeed, Silver was there, lying on its surface. Sonic raised one eyebrow. Silver always sat on the couch, never leaning back.
Maybe he is tired, he shrugged it off. However, it was very strange for Silver to be tired so early. He left the mini-Sonic beside him. Silver didn't even notice him.
He headed to the kitchen, where Shadow was sat, using his forearms as a pillow to rest his head, because the table was too uncomfortable.
"Shads..." Sonic called, his voice sounding regretful. Shadow didn't even move, but Sonic knew he wasn't asleep. "Please forgive me, I didn't mean to..." He got closer to him, but he didn't dare to touch him.
Shadow ignored him again. Sonic bit his lower lip.
"I... I don't want you to be sorry for my own mistakes, Shadow. I'm sorry for what I said earlier, but you have to know that..." He took a deep breath before continuing.
"I don't want you to leave again because of my mistakes." As soon as he said that, he felt Shadow's hand wrap around his arm. Red eyes found green ones.
"No," He stood up. "You have to forgive me, I made a drama for nothing." He stressed the last word, making Sonic's heart ache. Great, now Shadow thought that their time together was nothing, just as Sonic 'said' earlier. Sonic wanted to punch himself; instead of making Shadow love him again he was only making the ultimate lifeform want to keep away from him. It was so hard to make Shadow fall in love with him if he had to act as a friend and, at the same time, the only way to mend his mistakes was, ladies and gentlemen, revealing his true feelings.
"No! Forgive me. I said something stupid." Sonic insisted.
"I won't. I was the one who behaved like that." Something in Shadow's voice told Sonic that Shadow knew that Sonic wanted to tell the truth. But Shadow didn't want him to admit it, he didn't want to hear the truth.
"Papa..." Silver's voice sounded from the living room.
"I'm here, darling," Shadow answered. He couldn't see it, but Silver shakily got off the couch, and walked slowly towards the kitchen. Sonic felt odd when he heard Shadow say 'darling'.
"I'm sorry." Said Sonic.
"I know, I know... But I'm more sorry than you."
"No, I am!" Sonic gritted his teeth.
"You aren't." His noses touched, and their eyes pierced each other.
"You don't have an idea of how sorry I am." Sonic hissed.
"Oh, really?" Shadow shoved Sonic away from him. Sonic glared at him.
"Yes. Now please forgive me."
"Not until you—" Shadow stopped talking when he heard a thud coming from the door. His eyes widened in horror and he shoved Sonic aside, and Sonic felt mad and confused until he saw why Shadow had done that.
Silver was lying on the floor, and Shadow was cradling him, telling him to wake up.
Sonic tensed as soon as he watched Shadow's face becoming more terrified with every second. Silver didn't react to his words.
"He fainted, didn't he?" He kneeled beside the distressed father. Shadow nodded, and carried the child to the couch.
Sonic remembered seeing Silver before, and he didn't look very good either. He gulped. Shadow kept telling Silver to wake up.
"What are we going to do?" Sonic asked, getting desesperate.
"I don't know! Silver, wake up... Wake up!" He shook the child's shoulder. "He— he used to faint when he used his powers too much, but he hasn't used them in a while! And—" Sonic noticed how fast he was talking due to his desesperation, and he tried to calm him down, cupping his cheek in his hand. Of course, as soon as he noticed how Shadow had become silent, he also realized that he wasn't touching the right place. Shadow's wide eyes and flushed red muzzle told him so.
Sonic let go of Shadow, and the black hedgehog let out a breath he didn't know he was restraining.
"I- I'm sorry, Shads." Sonic muttered. Shadow looked away, avoiding his gaze. His cheeks were still red.
"Hmmph..." He tried to grunt, but it sounded more like a whimper.
"Should we take him to a hospital?"
"I'd rather not..." Shadow frowned, his eyes becoming distant, as if he was having an unpleasant memory. Sonic figured it had to do with Rouge's death.
"I think Tails and Amy could help with Silv..."
As soon as he mentioned the fox and the fangirl, Shadow became pale as a ghost.
"No." He quickly refused.
"Uh?"
"No, no, no, absolutely no!" He answered nervously. Sonic raised one eyebrow and tilted his head.
"Tails is very good at science! Even when he prefers inventing things, he does know medicine; and Amy is great with children, you have to admit it. Why not?" He asked, raising his voice a little.
"Isn't it obvious?!" Shadow became exasperated.
Sonic blinked for a few seconds, and then he realized. "You don't want to see them..."
"Why would I want to? I— This isn't how I planned things to be..." Shadow growled. "I shouldn't even have come here," he muttered with a defeated look.
"They have to know the truth, Shads..."
"No, they don't have! Don't you dare to call them, Faker!"
"Then what?! Are you gonna leave Silver like this?!" Sonic snapped. Shadow was a little taken aback. Sonic apologized when he noticed his reaction. It wasn't the right moment to fight.
"Look, I can lie to them if you want. You can hide anywhere and then I'll call them, I'll tell them I found the kid god-knows-where and—"
"No."
"Why not?" He pinched his frown.
"I won't deny my son."
"Then decide already!"
"I..." Shadow swallowed.
Tails flew to Sonic's house as soon as he could. Since Shadow had left, Sonic called him less frequently. He sincerely missed when they hung out together. Sonic wouldn't admit it, but since Shadow left him he wasn't the same. He mostly got out of his house when Tails or Amy or Knuckles forced him to or when somebody was in danger. Sonic's smiles became fake with the time, and there were times when he would stare at nowhere, lost in thought.
So as you can imagine, Tails was more than eager to meet with his best friend. When he reached his house, he landed on his garden. He was surprised when he found Amy outside his door too.
"Hi, Amy!" He greeted politely. The pink hedgehog greeted him back. "Did Sonic call you too?" He asked.
"Yes! I knocked the door like ten times but he said he wouldn't open it until you came. So I'm glad you came, Tails."
"What could have happened?" Tails wondered, knocking the door. Amy shrugged. "Sonic, I'm here! Open the door, please!" He said. The door opened and they met the blue blur.
"Hi, guys." He said, smiling at them. Tails and Amy gulped, noticing something.
His smile..., Tails thought.
It isn't fake! Amy thought. Her eyes sparkled with joy. That's the Sonic I love!
"Before you come in, I have to ask you for something..." He became serious.
"What is it?" Asked Tails, curious.
"Please, no matter what happens or what do you believe, stay calm, alright?" He remained serious, and waited for them to agree.
Amy and Tails exchanged worried and confused looks. Nevertheless, they nodded, almost reluctantly.
Sonic let them in. Tails and Amy scanned the place, searching for whatever Sonic would want them to be calm for.
They became speechless when they found it. In their minds, they screamed what their throats couldn't.
A familiar black hedgehog stared at them with a little white hedgehog in his arms.
"I see..." Amy hissed. "This is why you told me not to bring my hammer..."
Tails flinched. He could sense the dangerous aura flowing from the pink hedgehog beside her.
"You..." She pointed at him contemptously.
"Amy, don't you dare." Sonic's voice echoed behind her, warning her to not break her promise. Amy looked at him, dumbfounded. She couldn't believe it. She hated Shadow. She hated him for taking 'her' Sonic away from her, she hated him for 'dumping' him and making 'her' Sonic suffer silently for five years.
"W-welcome back, Shadow!" Tails greeted, doing his best to ignore Amy's anger. He approached the black hedgehog and his eyes fixed on the toddler. "Who's this?"
"He's Silver. He just fainted and..."
"Fainted?" Tails' ears perked up, his eyes overflowing with interest.
"He used to faint all the time, when he used his powers too much..."
"Powers?" The poor fox couldn't be more excited.
"Yes, he can move objects with his mind..."
"Psychokinesis?!" He took Shadow's hand beetween his, looking at him like he had just shown him the most amazing thing ever.
"Um..." Shadow felt a bead of sweat traveling down his temple. "Can you help him? When he fainted he took around 5 minutes to wake up, but it's been half an hour and..."
Tails understood and nodded, suddenly serious. He asked Shadow to follow him to the guest's room. Shadow obliged.
When they got there, Tails headed towards the bathroom and took the first aid kit. He opened the windows and Shadow put Silver on the bed.
"Put him on his side, so he'll breathe more easily. Thirty minutes? This could be serious... Please wait, I gotta get my own medical kit. If Sonic had told me this would be way easier..."
"Just go already." He waved him off, losing his patience. Tails nodded. Both of them flinched when they heard a crashing sound.
"I'll better go!" Tails ran out of the room.
"What were you thinking?!" Amy shouted as soon as Tails and Shadow and the baby— she didn't know his name, she didn't care anyway— went upstairs.
"What are you talking about?" Sonic fought to keep his cool; Amy was a girl and his friend.
"Don't play dumb with me! Why did you want me to come here?! Do you want to get hurt again? He doesn't deserve you!"
I know, he deserves someone better.
Amy was clearly pissed.
"Why is he here?!"
I don't really know.
"I dunno. And I don't care, because he is here and that's all the information I need to be happy."
Amy's eyes opened like windows.
"Weren't you happy with me? You called me so I could see this and be hurt?"
"First: You are my friend, Amy! Second: He didn't dump me, he left because I was an idiot! Third: I called you because we need your help! But if you don't want to give it and instead you prefer to talk bad about him, you'd better get out of here!"
Amy stood still, her cute features shocked.
"Sonic, I love you! I don't want to see you sad, or hurt, or angry!" She sobbed. Sonic looked at her regretfully. He shouldn't have shouted at her.
"I know. Sorry, Ames..." He tried to comfort her in a hug, but Amy shoved him off.
"That's bullcrap!" She threw the nearest object to the floor: a poor flower vase. "Sonic, you're trying to tell me that...?!" She sniffled, unable to continue her sentence. Then, Tails appeared, obviously startled by their fight.
"What's going on here, guys?!" He asked.
"Stay out of this!" Amy whined, covering her face with her hands. Sonic gave Tails a 'please help me' glance.
"Whatever." Tails rolled his eyes. "You could have told me what was wrong at least."
"You see, I couldn't."
"You couldn't?! How could I fall in love with an idiot like you?!" Amy blurted. "I only want the best for you and you only get more messed up! You stubborn dork!"
"What is all this noise?" The calm voice of Shadow was noticed by everyone. Amy felt her blood boil as soon as she saw the imponent figure.
"You shut up! You shouldn't even be here! After all what you've done to my poor Sonic...!"
Shadow narrowed his eyelids.
"So it was that..." If glances could kill, Amy would be dead by now. "Instead of arguing about something so stupid, you could be helping!" He glared at Sonic.
"And you... My son is about to die and the only thing you care for is your sick one-sided-love!" Shadow seemed truly enraged while he said this to the pink hedgehog.
"What have you said, bitch?!" Amy exclaimed, her pride wounded enough to make her astonishment (Shadow having a son was what she would call shocking news) vanish.
"... Bitch?" Shadow's eye twitched. "Don't make me laugh, you can't even make a man fall in love with you, pink witch."
"You little—!"
"I don't care if you made me look as the villain of the story, the only person I have left in this world is about to die and you should be ashamed of what are you doing right now!" He glared at Sonic. The blue blur felt a knot in his stomach. Only? Shadow had misunderstood everything, great, fucking great. Now he practically said he didn't care about Sonic anymore.
Thanks, Amy...
"Would you shut up?!" Tails yelled. "Shadow, I know how indignant you're feeling in this moment, but you'd better go check on your son. Amy, if you don't want to help, simply get out. You're becoming a nuisance. And Sonic, since you're guilty for not telling me to bring my medical kit, go to my house and bring it here, you'll get there much sooner than me." He scolded the three hedgehogs. Shadow grunted in defeat and headed upstairs. Amy seemed to be in absolute impotence. Sonic simply nodded and dashed away. Tails sighed deeply and decided to make Shadow some company.
"Has he shown any signs of faintness lately?" He asked, trying to distract Shadow from the current situation. He could tell the black hedgehog was having a bad time.
"I don't know, I wasn't checking on him for a good time before he fainted." He answered, embarrassed of his negligence. Tails felt bad for asking such question. Shadow struggled to not fall in despair. He looked at his son and bit his lower lip.
She would know what to do. She always knew.
"Take off his gloves and boots, and put a pillow beneath his feet." Tails asked. Shadow obliged, his hands trembling because of his impatience.
Sonic knocked on the door before going in.
"Got it!" He handed the leather bag to Tails.
"Thank you."
Soon as Tails said this, Silver coughed. Shadow's eyes widened in surprise.
"Silver!" He called. The white hedgehog opened his eyes lazily, and looked at his father.
"Pap—" He couldn't continue because Shadow hugged him suddenly.
"I'm so glad..." Shadow muttered. Sonic felt odd while he watched the scene.
Damn it, he should really do something about that. He was glad too, but he couldn't help that stupid, really stupid feeling he got whenever...
"Shadow, I'll need to get some blood samples from him." Tails said, interrupting his thoughts. Shadow glanced at the fox, still holding his son close to him.
"Fine." He answered. "You'll receive a little prick, alright?" He petted his son, trying to make him feel safe. "I'll be here, so don't worry, it'll only hurt a little."
Silver's eyes widened in horror. For being so young, he knew exactly what his father was talking about. They were the same words her mother would tell him everytime they went to the doctor's...
"No." He answered, shaking his head to the sides.
"You better call him down, a strong emotion could make him faint again." Tails warned.
Silver looked at the fox, and by his gentle look he calmed a little. Then, he noticed his two fluffly tails swaying, and his eyes sparkled with interest. He stretched out his hands towards the fluffly appendages.
"I think he likes your tails, buddy." Sonic chuckled. Tails hissed, a little embarrassed.
"Um, if it isn't much trouble, could you let him play with your tails? That way he'd let you take a blood sample." Shadow asked, uncomfortable.
Tails sighed in defeat.
"Alright... Sonic, hand me a rubber cord, a syringe, cotton and alcohol."
Silver took one of the fox's tails, and squeezed it. Tails did his best to ignore it, and took the toddler's arm. He put the cord around his arm and squeezed too. When he noticed the vein was ready, he desinfected the area with an alcohol coated cotton, and introduced the needle.
Silver felt the needle and bit Miles' tail. The fox clenched his jaw to supress a yell, and as soon as he got the sample he handed it to Sonic, took his burning tail and rubbed it.
"Ouch ouch ouch!" He winced in pain.
"Thanks a lot." Shadow whispered.
"Whatever, I'll never be a doctor if this is what I get." Tails half joked. Sonic chuckled. "I have everything I need to analize the sample, so it'll took half an hour." Tails announced.
"I'll go check on Amy, alright? Tell me if you need anything." Sonic went out of the room and headed downstairs.
Sonic found the pink hedgehog in the couch, with sadness all over her features.
"Am I... A nuisance?" She asked weakly, not even looking at him.
"I'm sure Tails didn't mean it, he was stressed."
"I'm not talking about him. Am I that obnoxious? Am I that mean to you?"
"Ames..."
"I only want the best for you, Sonic..."
"I know, I know and I wish I could make you feel better..."
"Do you still love him?" She asked, surprising Sonic. "Tell me, don't be afraid. My hammer isn't here." She chuckled. Sonic took in a deep breath.
"How could I not? Amy, I was the one who hurt him. I was the one who avoided him and I was the one that drove him to leave me. I hurt him, Amy," He repeated, guilt in his eyes. Amy stared at him in surprise. "I don't want you defending me for what I did. I know it's hard to accept, but... I screwed up big time with Shadow. I make mistakes too, Amy."
"Sonic..." Amy muttered with a conflicted look.
"A month ago, I was in this living room, bored and nostalgic. Then, someone knocked on the door and I couldn't believe my eyes. I thought I was seeing the most beautiful angel in my door, shivering from the cold rain, with another cute angel in his arms. I wanted to cry and thank whatever brought him here when I realized he was real. Yes, he was pissed because I stared at him like an idiot, and he punched me when I joked at him. But I was so happy." Sonic smiled, he knew he was being cheesy but didn't care.
"The next day he wasn't here, but Silver was. I thought he was gone again, but I couldn't get sad because the little ball of fur needed my care. When he came back the same night I was so angry at him that I yelled at him, but then he explained that he went to work and I couldn't avoid telling him I never wanted him to go again...
"A week later, he told me what happened. He married Rouge, and had a baby with her: Silver. Rouge died. He came here... I was sad for him and I was so angry at myself for being happy that he was here, I was so egoist. Since then, I can't let him know how fucking glad I'm that he is here, with me."
"Because you are prideful." Amy guessed, shock in her face.
"No. It was because I was scared. I'm still scared of telling him. I don't really know when Rouge died, but I can tell it happened not long ago. I don't really know why Shadow came here, but I like to think he doesn't have anywhere else to go. If I tell him what I feel for him, he could go away. He'd think I'm an insensible bastard for wanting to be with him when he is still recovering from Rouge's death. He'd hate me. I'd hate myself. I want him, I'm an egoistic bastard, am I not?"
Amy stared at him for a few seconds.
"You haven't answered my first question. Am I that mean?"
"Yes, you are, but that's what idolizing does to people, I guess," Sonic sighed.
"Why did you call me?"
"You're great with children, Ames," he praised her to make her feel better. Amy smiled softly. "I don't doubt Shadow's a great parent, but with everything that's happened to him, I can't blame him if he happens to miss something with Silver."
"I know. And you aren't egoistic, I think you're really suffering because you can't tell him your feelings, you can't make him know how much you care about him, you... I'm sorry for getting angry. I guess I owe Shadow an apology, right?"
"Yes, you do." He smiled at her.
"I still don't know what does he have that I don't." She joked.
"You two are totally the opposite of the other." Sonic answered. There was a moment of silence, before Amy lowered her head.
"I can't believe she's dead..." Amy commented, staring at the floor.
"Me neither... But Shadow told me she was a great mom, even three weeks ago Silver would cry all night because he still missed her."
"He seems like a nice child."
"He is, in fact. Rouge raised him well, I guess." He sighed again.
"Weren't you jealous?" Amy asked.
"Of course I was. But I like the kid and I was the one who messed up with Shadow. Rouge made him feel better, and I'm grateful at her." He sat beside her.
"That's the Sonic I love." Amy smiled.
"But... It doesn't matter how I feel right now, Shadow hates me now."
"Eh?!" Amy exclaimed.
"Don't you remember? He thinks I told you some kind of lie to make him look like the bad one so I would be the victim." He looked away.
"Then... I have more reasons to say sorry!" She stood up. "Do you think Shadow will forgive me?"
"Of course." As soon as he said so, Amy nodded and went upstairs.
"Hey," A pink hedgehog called softly, going inside the room. Shadow stared at her, and narrowed his eyes. Silver shot her a curious glance.
"Please forgive me!" Se bowed. "I was a mean witch to you, Sonic always tried to tell me the truth about your disappearance, but my heart made me twist it all! I'm so sorry if I made you feel bad or look like a villain, but Sonic was never the victim and now I understand! I'm so sorry!" She didn't dare to look at those red piercing eyes.
"Papa, she's sowy." Silver babbled.
"I know..." Tails, even when he was focused on the results he was going to get from the sample, couldn't ignore the scene.
"I'm very sorry." Repeated Amy.
There was a long pause, which seemed eternal for the pink hedgehog.
"... It's alright." Shadow said lowly. Amy stood up quickly, a little surprised. She expected Shadow to be mad at her.
"Emy." Silver pointed at her. Amy felt her heart melt at the sight of the white baby hedgehog.
He knows my name! How cuuuuuute!
She hugged Silver strongly. Shadow reacted way too late to prevent her of doing that.
"You must be Silver! You are so cuuute!" She nuzzled his fluffy chest. The baby giggled. "Eeh, you can call me 'Aunt Amy'!"
Shadow's left eye twitched. No way in hell he will call you that.
Just as Amy was about to pinch Silver's cheeks (and Shadow shove her off his son), Tails' PC beeped. The results were ready.
"What it is, Tails?" Shadow asked, impatient.
"Um..." Tails stuttered. "He has iron deficiency anemia. That's why he fainted and took so long to wake up. Right now he looks pretty tired, doesn't he?"
Shadow nodded, clenching the sheets beetween his fists. Amy loosened her hold on Silver, noticing his fatigue too.
"You poor thing!" She held him close to her chest, with the same softness as her motherly instincts showed. Silver couldn't help but remember his mom. He wondered where she was and why wasn't she here. He wanted to cry but was too tired to even sob.
Shadow also remembered Rouge, but in a more distressed and regretful way. If she was here this wouldn't even have happened. She knew exactly how to take care of Silver. He, in return, was a terrible father, or so he thought. He didn't even know how to feed his son, he didn't even know how to show Silver that he loved him. He...
"It's a very common disease, so don't worry." Tails said, hiding his concern for the black hedgehog that was clearly blaming himself for being so careless, with his professional tone. "You just have to add more iron to his diet, what has he been eating recently?"
"... Milk. And bread." Shadow said, disgusted with himself. Tails felt like he shouldn't have asked that.
"Well, then he should start eating more meat and vegetables like brocoli. Alright? I'll write you a list of food he has to eat strictly."
Shadow only nodded. Amy noticed his sadness and wanted to help.
"Shadow, if you let me, I will go to buy the food Tails says."
"What— But you don't have to—" Shadow stuttered, surprised with the sudden kindness. Amy lend him Silver.
"It's a spur of the moment. Let me buy them, please. I owe you for being so mean and I can't stand watching you blaming yourself." She said. Amy wasn't the type of girls who kept their feelings.
"I..."
"Here's the list." As soon as Tails said that, Amy took the paper from his hands and ran out of the room.
"When I come back I'll make dinner for you guys!" She yelled. Tails sighed.
"Amy's cooking is something to be scared of." Tails whined.
"Really?" Shadow's eyebrow rised a little.
"Nah, just kidding."
Amy's cooking is the devil itself.
"Tails? Why are you shivering?"
"Ah, it's nothing, must be the weather. Heh..." He smiled innocently, though it seemed creepy.
Sonic entered the room, confused.
"Guys, do you know where did Amy go? She ran past me and didn't tell me anything."
"She's cooking tonight." Tails said with the same creepy smile. Sonic mimicked him as soon as he got the news.
"Amy must be a good cook if you're smiling so much." Shadow guessed. Sonic and Tails's shivering got worse.
Poor soul. If only he knew..., thought Sonic.
It was nice to meet Shadow again, I'll miss him, thought Tails.
Sooner than expected, Amy came back with two bags full of food she got at the market.
"Whew, you won't believe me! The shopkeeper didn't want to give me a discount of more than 30 per cent! What a theft!" Amy chirped. She stopped talking when she met the three hedgehogs and the fox sat at the couch. Sonic and Tails stared at her as if she was about to torture them, Silver was too tired to even care and Shadow was the only one who looked actually eager to eat her cooking. This, obviously, made Amy happy.
"See you guys? You should learn from this gentleman, he truly knows of good cooking, not like you, you wimps. Shadow, you and Silver won't regret!" As she said this, she entered the kitchen with the two heavy bags.
"I heard that fish has a lot of iron so I bought an entire octopus! It'll taste good with honey and oregano!" She exclaimed. Sonic and Tails could feel their faces becoming purple while imagining a dish with a moving tentacle. Shadow raised an eyebrow. What was wrong with them?
This brought him memories at the ARK, where Maria was learning to cook and forced her grandfather and Shadow to taste her food. Sonic and Tails' faces resembled the ones Dr. Gerald Robotnik made whenever Maria needed him to be her personal culinary judge. Oddly enough, the old scientist would always say that Maria's cooking was wonderful. Shadow, since at that time he hadn't tasted anyone else's cooking, thought Maria's cooking was a piece of heaven. When he came to Earth, he still believed so.
"Ta~Da~" Amy greeted, placing four plates on the table. Sonic and Tails paled at the sight.
"Is this a new recipe?" Tails flabbergasted.
"Thanks for asking, Tails! Yes, it is. I call it 'Honey coated octopus with curry sauce topping and broccoli salad with soy sauce and mayonnaise'. Eat up, everyone!"
Tails regretted asking. Sonic lost his appetite.
"Silver! You should specially eat it! You'll get healthier, and bigger. I made it with love!"
Love won't make your food tastier, Ames.
Shadow took a spoonful of the dish, and gave it to Silver. The toddler chewed the tentacle, narrowing his eyelids while tasting the bizarre food. Shadow continued feeding him, since Silver didn't complain.
Sonic and Tails were another story. They elbowed each other, like saying 'You taste it first.' Amy noticed their suspicious behavior and scolded them for their rudeness.
"What's all that fuss about? Eat it before it gets cold! You should be grateful that I am here to give you a proper meal, otherwise you'd be as skinny as a skeleton, Tails! I know you skip meals when you're developing a new gadget."
Sonic snickered at the comparison.
"Don't laugh, Sonic! If it wasn't because of me, you'd be rotting in scurvy and other diseases. I know you love chili dogs, but you can't live on them! They aren't even healthy!"
Now it was Tails' turn to laugh. Sonic glared at him, reminding him that they still had to eat Amy's cooking, and that was enough to send shivers through the fox's spine.
"Thanks for the food." Shadow said, placing his fork beside the empty plate.
"Zank fo da food." Silver tried to repeat.
Tails and Sonic's jaws fell open. How in earth did they manage to eat such a uneatable dish?
"Wow, you really are so polite! C'mon, it was nothing..." Amy scratched the back of her head.
"No, I actually... Liked it." Shadow stared at the floor. Tails and Sonic became breathless. How the hell?!
I guess he's the Ultimate Lifeform after all, since he's able to adapt even to the most terrible circumstances... Including Amy's cooking, Tails thought.
He's a monster... Or a pretty good liar, Sonic though.
"Moar!" Silver asked. Tails and Sonic could feel themselves having a seizure.
"Ah, but I cooked only for five people..." Amy answered.
"Take my portion, Silver, I'm not hungry!" Sonic exclaimed.
"Take mine too, Silver, kids have to eat a lot so they can grow healthy..." Tails added.
"You guys are the worst." Amy sighed, but let them be. They missed it.
Silver gladly accepted the extra portions. Sonic, much to Amy's chagrin, brought a chili dog out of the fridge and devoured it.
"But these chili dogs are the best." Sonic smiled. Amy couldn't help but smile too.
Amy and Tails left the house soon after. Tails had an appointment with a fellow scientist and Amy felt like she wasn't needed anymore. Nevertheless, Sonic managed to thank her for the 'delicious' food. Amy would have believed him if not for the fact that the blue hero gave all his food to Silver. Sonic's got an awful taste.
Once they were left alone, Sonic gazed at Shadow. He felt happy now that the black hedgehog wasn't all worried and hopeless like some hours ago, though he could still notice that Shadow was upset. He feared that he still could be mad at him for the misunderstanding that Amy brought, but soon decided that that couldn't be: Shadow wouldn't even look him in the eye if he was still angry.
Sonic did his best to dissimulate his recent suspicion. After all, it was only a suspicion and it had either to be confirmed or refuted.
"Hey, Shads, you really surprised me and Tails when you actually ate Amy's cooking." He praised, wanting to lighten the mood.
Shadow looked at him, as if woken from a trance.
"Uh? Ah, that... It was only food, I don't even understand why to fuss over it like you two did." He only kept visual contact for a second, before directing his gaze towards his son, who had fell asleep on his lap.
"I guess you were used to that kind of food," he commented. "Did Rouge had crazy cravings?" He knew he was picking a sensible theme of conversation, but that was the only way he could get to the main question. When exactly had Rouge died? Besides, he wasn't being offensive or anything.
"Cravings?" Sonic mentally sighed in relief when Shadow didn't react badly when he mentioned his late wife. This could be a signal that it was okay to talk about her.
"Yeah, y'know, when a woman is pregnant she tends to crave for odd and bizarre things, like Amy's food."
Shadow stared at him in silence, as if thinking the answer.
"I don't recall her wanting anything out of common." He answered quietly.
"Oh, I see. That's odd, but good, I guess. I was just wondering how you didn't freak out with Amy's food."
Shadow kept in silence for a while, again. It was like he was choosing his answer very carefully.
"Back at the ARK Maria cooked for me and her grandfather. We both loved her cooking, she cooked dishes that resembled Amy's."
Sonic felt pure misery for Gerald Robotnik, because he was sure as hell that the poor man couldn't actually love that kind of food.
"Wow, who could have guessed it." He sweatdropped.
He still felt frustrated at not being capable of getting to the main subject. He should be more risky this time.
"And... How was Rouge's cooking?" He noticed Shadow clenching his fists in the couch, and hurried to mend his mistake. "Sorry, I didn't mean—"
Shadow's gaze darkened.
"What are you up to, Faker?" His tone was icy. Damn, he was smart.
"N-Nothing." He stuttered. "I was just curious, but—"
"Maybe you should just stop being curious." He stressed the last word harshly. Sonic felt his heart jump.
"I'm sorry, really, Shads." He said.
After a really frightening silence, Shadow sighed.
"Fine." When he got up with Silver in his arms, Sonic flinched. For a second, only one damn second, he thought he was going to leave. His relief couldn't be bigger when he observed Shadow go upstairs. He followed him to his and Silver's room, and couldn't take his eyes off him while he tucked the infant in his recently-brought crib. He could notice the sadness in Shadow's eyes as he did so.
Oh.
He didn't get to ask why was the cause of Silver's loss of conciousness.
"Shads." The named flinched at the nickname.
"What is it?" He said, nearly in a whisper. Right, Silver was asleep.
"If it isn't being too much curious, may I know why did Silver black out?"
Shadow turned around and glanced at Sonic's eyes. It was night already and the moon was too brilliant for Shadow's taste. It made Sonic's eyes look... Nice, though he would never say it aloud.
"Of course." He thought wether getting out of the room would be a wise idea. On the one hand, he didn't want to awake Silver, but neither he wanted to leave him alone. The fear of losing him had just got back that day, and he hated it. He couldn't stand it, it made him imagine the worst situations (most of them, he knew weren't even possible, but he couldn't stop thinking in them), it made him wake up in middle of the night sweating cold and wanting to cry both from sadness (because of the nightmares) and happiness (because they were only nightmares and Silver was still with him). Silver was the only family he had left. If he ever lost him...
"Shads?" Sonic's voice got him back to reality. Damn. He could tell that Sonic had already noticed his ragged breath. Great, just when he had started to get over it, it came back.
"Yes? Ah, of course... Sorry, I got distracted."
Sonic realized that Shadow was nervous, maybe embarrassed for his recent behavior. He felt pissed. What the hell was making Shadow so... Upset? He hoped he could get an answer soon.
"Silver has anemia." Shadow said without further ado. Sonic was startled at the news.
"Is he...?"
"He's going to be okay, though. Tails told me so. It's supposed to be a common disease in kids..." He didn't sound convinced by this. "We just need to add more iron in his diet—"
Shadow suddenly stopped, realizing what had he just said.
"I-I need to add more iron..." He stuttered, muzzle turning red. The next words weren't heard by Sonic, because he was too focused on what had Shadow said and now tried to mend.
We.
Had Shadow just included him in his sentence? Yes, he had, sweet heaven. Even if it was just a slip of the tongue, Sonic couldn't be more excited. Shadow had just implied him in something obviously important for the black hedgehog: taking care of his son. Not that Shadow hadn't already let him take care of him, but this was different: he actually acknowledged his help.
Sweet chili dog... He's talking as if we were the parents.
Shadow stopped talking when he noticed the overly excited look Sonic was giving him. He actually wondered if Sonic was really trying to hide it. Five seconds later, Sonic realized the stupid face he was making. He couldn't care less.
"Shads..."
"Are you gonna make fun of me?" He growled, avoiding his gaze.
"Nope." He still had those beaming eyes and Shadow felt his cheeks burn again. He didn't want to doubt him right now.
"Whatever." He sighed. "In summary, I just have to make his diet way healthier." He bit his lower lip. That only meant that Silver's diet was poor and unhealthy. He felt guilty again, it was his fault that his son was like this. He was so neglectful, he sucked as a parent.
Again that fucking feeling of fear assaulted him. Fear of losing someone and knowing it was his fault. Again.
Sonic noticed his sudden distress. That was it, he had to know what the hell was happening. And now.
"What's wrong?" He put his hand in his arm so Shadow could pay attention to him. Shadow frowned and took a step back.
"Nothing." He doubted whether tell him or not. He really hated showing signs of weakness. He already had done that way too much. Damn it, he wasn't even supposed to tell him anything at first!
"Well, I know that's not true."
"Well, I remember telling you about being curious." He hissed.
"Don't you understand I fucking hate seeing you so upset and then pretend that everything's alright?" He raised his tone just a bit. Shadow hushed him menacingly.
Sonic growled slightly. He had to remind himself that Shadow was a closed book. A closed book that hated when he used bad words.
"Look, if you don't want to tell me, it's alright, but you should know that it's not good for any of us if you bottle it inside."
Shadow cursed him. He only was telling him that he should tell him what was happening, no matter what he wanted.
Taking a deep breath, Shadow went out of the room. Sonic thought that Shadow would ignore him, but then he heard him.
"Sometimes I can't help but feeling that I'm the worst father in the world." He said it with such bitterness that Sonic mentally wished to never hear something similar from Shadow again.
Sonic felt awkward talking with him in another room, so he looked for him, inmediately finding him sat on the first step of the stairs.
"You know, after this I'm definitely sure that I am a bad father." He stared at the rest of steps that went down. "She somehow knew exactly what to do with Silver, but I'm a disaster." He chuckled with the same bitterness as before. Sonic clenched his fists with anger.
"This isn't your fault." He said.
"Pfft. Don't try to make me feel better with sweet lies."
"It's not a sweet lie!" He protested. "Nobody said you had to be the perfect parent, but you'll get used to it. Just give it time." He said the last sentence much more softly.
"I didn't even know that kids need to eat much more than milk and bread." He said with self-disgust.
"Just give it time. Parenthood is full of discoveries."
"I'm scared of discovering anything way too late. Again."
"Don't worry, take it easy! Well, not that much, but you don't have to stress yourself with this. You have friends, Shads, you have me. I can help you with anything if you want a break, Amy can cook for us even when I would probably throw up her food, Tails can check on Silver's health from time to time, you're not alone."
Shadow kept silent.
"You don't have to hate yourself for anything, we all make mistakes."
"... But somehow this mistake of mine could kill Silver."
Sonic couldn't be more frustrated. This conversation wasn't going to where he wanted it to go. Yet, he couldn't avoid asking what he asked after hearing that last sentence.
"When did Rouge die?" He said so quietly he thought Shadow wouldn't hear him. But the sudden change in his features told him otherwise.
Shadow flinched, his eyes were as wide open as windows, and despite looking like he wanted to punch Sonic, he went still. Like he was paralyzed by the question.
Sonic cursed internally.
"A-are you serious...?" His red eyes screamed what his tone couldn't, wouldn't say.
Sonic nodded. He didn't know why he did so, why he asked that, but there was no turning back.
"She had to die recently if you are still so insecure about your parenting skills." He said with logic. Even he was surprised of how professionally he sounded. He made it look like he was only trying to understand Shadow's situation better.
"Yeah, she did." He answered, rather uncomfortable.
"When, exactly?" This time he was being selfish. He needed to know when she died, so he could calculate how much time Shadow's heart needed to heal.
Then he realized how cruel all of this was. The look Shadow was giving him was beyond unbearable. He looked like Sonic was torturing him and he was ready to scream 'please, stop'.
"You know what, nevermi—" He blurted, disgusted with himself.
"Exactly one month ago, in the morning." Shadow interrupted. He looked so hurt that Sonic wanted to punch himself. Great. This wasn't the way he wanted to know! He would have never asked if he knew Shadow would look so distressed—
Wait.
Exactly one month ago.
"E-exactly?" He stuttered, realizing just something else.
Shadow's gaze wasn't only one of hurt. He was...
Exactly one month ago, at night, Shadow arrived with Silver. Sonic could remember it clearly.
Then...
Shadow was hurt, but he was embarrased, too.
Shadow noticed how much impact his words had in Sonic.
"After I buried her, it started raining. I know I should have gone home, but... Without her, our house was only a house. I decided that I couldn't go back there because it'd be so filled of memories, yet so empty. Then, I don't know... The rain was getting worse and we couldn't go back to that house and see the blood on the floor, and the only place I knew that would never be empty was..."
There was a pause. Sonic couldn't be more impatient for Shadow to continue.
Say it, say it.
"Here."
Sonic's heart skipped a beat. He felt the urge to jump in the air and scream in bliss.
"It sounds silly, doesn't it?" Shadow gaze was lost.
"Uh? Of course not!" Sonic answered, maybe a bit too quickly.
"Yes, it is. Maybe you think I'm weak for coming here in the first place. I thought it was a spur of the moment, but then I realized that I was right, that I couldn't pick a better place to stay... I hate you, for some reason I can't keep my secrets when you're around, Sonic." He said with a light chuckle. The blue hedgehog felt his heart melt at the mention of his name. Shadow rarely called him by his name.
"I don't think you're weak, Shads. I think you're very strong because you've endured all of this."
"It's all for Silver."
"Yeah, I know. And I'm happy that you came here. Well, I wish the circumstances that made you come here were different, but I-I... You know what I mean!" He admitted. Shadow only smiled softly, his gaze still lost. Sonic thought this would be a very 'romantic' moment if Shadow wasn't avoiding his gaze. Yet, he was surprised that he actually said so and Shadow didn't react badly.
"I feel so tired..." He whispered again.
"Then we should go to sleep, sweetie." He put his hand on his back, but noticed that Shadow flinched at the sentence. Only when he looked at his flushed muzzle he realized what he had just said.
Fucking shit.
Sonic froze. He didn't even took his hand off of Shadow's back.
Shadow was looking at him, waiting for Sonic to mend his words. Because he couldn't have said that on purpose, right?!
Sonic was exactly going to do that, but when he noticed the look Shadow was giving him— wide red eyes, eyebrows furrowed worriedly, muzzle bright red... Damn it, he knew he would take his time. Right now Shadow looked so delicious that he would rather stare at him until this memory was deeply saved in his brain.
For a second Shadow really thought Sonic had said 'sweetie' on purpose, especially when he noticed the hungry look that the blue hero was giving him.
"S-Sonic?" He cursed internally for stuttering at a moment like this.
The said hedgehog seemed to wake up from his lust-induced trance, and blinked twice before remembering what was happening.
"Ah! M-my bad, Shads, you see, it was a slip of the tongue... Sorry! I didn't mean it, I don't even know where that came from... Ehehe... I'm tired, and when I'm tired I tend to say stupid things, silly, uh? Well, we should go to sleep, in our respective rooms, Shads!"
I deserve a fucking Oscar for this.
Shadow relaxed a bit, and let out a relieved breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Well, see you tomorrow!" Sonic exclaimed, forgetting that Silver could hear him, and entered his room.
"You. Fucking. Moron!" He hissed while he slammed his head against the wall.
If he didn't learn to watch his words, the next days would be awkward as hell.
"Sonic? What is all that noise?" Shadow asked from his room.
"Nothing, swe—Shads!" He corrected as soon as possible. He didn't get any answer, so he assumed that Shadow accepted it.
"Moron!" He slammed his head for last time.
I hope you have liked this chapter! Review if you feel like it, I'll appreciate it!