"Can you quit that. You've been at it all night." Emerald eyes squinted at the ebony hedgehog. Not a hedgehog. Of course, not really. A robotic abomination that looked like her beau. The android kept cutting vegetables on the board, sending a glare at the hedgehog.

"I am making your food. Shouldn't you be happy?" Sonic snorted, pulling at her restraints.

"I honestly don't care about eating right now, Shadroid." The Shadow-look-a-like narrowed his eyes at her, standing up. He dropped his knife walking towards her slowly.

"Why?" Ignoring the question, Sonic's eyes darted to her shoes. Perhaps, if she got that knife, she could cut them off. That would solve half of the problem.

"You know I was like you once."

Shadow jolted awake, clutching his chest. A sharp spike of chaos energy lingering as he spluttered, regaining his breath. "What…" Ragged breathing, slowed, as he looked around his office. He must've fallen asleep while doing paperwork. Sighing, he glanced to look at his phone, only realizing. "I'd forgotten it, right." He stood up, set on going to the Mess Hall, when he got another pain in his chest.

Frowning, he put a hand to his chest. Pushing on it, left no physical pain. So, what was it then? Thinking he experimentally reached out with his Chaos Energy, feeling a sharp sting when he did so. Someone else's energy prodded back violently, almost scared. He closed his eyes, focusing on it, and then…

Sonic.

Sonic's chest was tight, her brain screaming. "I used to have dysphoria once."

"Dysphoria?" He rolled his 'r', sending a not so unpleasant shiver down her spine. She nodded, sweat on her brow.

"It's when you have like, confusion, frustration, dissatisfaction with something in your life." She eyed the knife if she could get him to let her out...well.

"Go on." He said, walking around her chair in a circle.

"I had a lot of...gender dysphoria. It's usually common with trans and non-binary p-people." She stuttered as he ran a hand along her spine. "I also had some with just my identity in general. Which I think would apply to you, my dude. " He ran a finger over one of the quills on her back.

"But, I am Shadow the Hedgehog. I will kill Robotnik. I will have you." He said confidently as he walked back to her front. He was smirking.

"Maria wouldn't have wanted you to kill anyone." His smirk wavered.

"Maria…?"

"Yeah." For the first time, the Shadroid's confidence seemed to completely waver.

"Professor Gerald's granddaughter. Robotnik's cousin." Sonic raised an eyebrow curious to where this would lead. "What does she have to do with anything?"

"If you were really Shadow, she would have to do with everything." She replied quietly. Shadroid lunged forward fingers digging into the metal armrests of the chairs. A desperate look pined in his eyes, the dead one violently flickering. Sonic's breath was ragged as a realization came to her.

"I'm at the center." She said a weak laugh coming, "I know more than anything could ever know about Shadow the Hedgehog. And Ivo Robotnik." The Shadow-Look-a-Like turned away from her swiftly, his stance worried, perhaps...ashamed?

"Why do you want to be him so badly?"

"It's who I was meant to be." He growled in reply, turning his head to look at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Who says that? Eggman?" She was gaining some ground. "Hey, my brother, he can turn you into your own unique android. You could start over."

"You don't understand. I Need to be Shadow the Hedgehog." His voice glitching was less in anger, but more in the seriousness of the topic. Sonic squinted.

"Like I said, Dysphoria. Everyone expects you to be something, but... you're not. And you're having trouble accepting it, because even you expect yourself to be something." She flexed her fingers nervously. Shadroid turned and stared at her, almost reading into her soul.

"You- Your brother- He-" He cut himself off, closing his eyes then trying again, "He could make me...new? Could he-"

"He could reset you even if you wanted to go that far." Shadroid temporarily panicked, eyes growing wide.

"No!" He snapped, a spark flying from a wire in his chest. "No…" He sighed now.

"Can I-" Sonic closed her mouth, trying to think of wording, "I know just a little bit about engineering, can I look at that?" Without saying a word he went to the back of the chair and pressed a button. The locks snapped open. She rubbed her wrists, smiling. Progress was being made.

"May I?" She said gesturing to his chest. He hesitated walking back towards his cutting board. It was then she realized, she hadn't needed to use the knife at all. Then turning back to her holding his arms out, he smiled.

"If anyone could fix m-"

"CHAOS SPEAR!" Sonic's breath caught in her throat. Shadroid's eyes flickered, a smile still plastered to his face. A hole had been blown straight through his chest. She reached out a hand trying to grab him, catch him. Finally, he fell, sparks flying off him, eyes losing all finale light and closing.

"No. No…" She murmured so quietly, "I was so close...I could've…" She wasn't sad, but, an odd feeling filled her chest. A feeling of what could have been. Regret? She glanced up. Shadow. The real Shadow, stood there, eyes wide, clutching his chest.

"Why do you regret it?" She took a step back, eyes avoiding the fallen android.

"Regret- I- How- I- How do you…?"

"I can feel it." He clutched his chest. "I can feel-" His eyes blinked several times, and then rolled into the back of his head.

"Chaos!" She rushed to him, as he started seizing. She turned him on his side, searching for something, anything to put under his head. In panic, she simply sat and rested his head on her lap. She hadn't dealt with a seizure in years, procedures running through her head. "Shadow, Shadow can you hear me?"

Finally, after what seemed forever, he calmed. She rubbed spit off the side of his mouth. Shadow blinked, confused. "Wha-?"

"Shh…" She ran her hands through his quills. This was a new problem.

TO BE CONTINUED

A.N.

ReginaDC21: I'm glad you liked it! About Infinite knowing about their relationship, I think since he dug around in his head, that he did.

Pamitydesu01: aaah Thank you, I'm so glad you liked it!

Till next time! ~