What if it were true?!

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/50205019.

Rating: Explicit
Archive Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Category: M/M
Fandoms: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated
Series, Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Relationships: Shadow the Hedgehog/Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower &
Sonic the Hedgehog, Amy Rose & Sonic the Hedgehog, Rouge the Bat
& Shadow the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna/Rouge the Bat
Characters: Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow the Hedgehog, Amy Rose (Sonic the
Hedgehog), Rouge the Bat, Knuckles the Echidna, Miles "Tails" Prower,
Dr. Eggman | Dr. Robotnik
Additional Tags: Sonic the Hedgehog Needs a Hug, Shadow the Hedgehog Needs a Hug,
Alien Biology, Obsessive Behavior, First Time, First Kiss, Character
Death, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Unplanned Pregnancy, Jealous Sonic
the Hedgehog, Jealous Amy Rose (Sonic the Hedgehog), Other
Additional Tags to Be Added, Original Character(s), Top Sonic the
Hedgehog, Bottom Shadow the Hedgehog, Philophobia, Shadow The
hedgehog has Philophobia, The Author Regrets Nothing, I Wrote This
Instead of Sleeping, Mpreg, Emotional Manipulation, Sonic the
Hedgehog Has Anxiety, Lack of Communication, Panic Attacks, Alcohol
Abuse/Alcoholism, Attempted Kidnapping
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2023-09-20 Updated: 2024-03-24 Words: 30,304 Chapters:
9/?
 What if it were true?!
by PrincesaDiamant

Summary

"Shads." Despite his embarrassment, Sonic let out a jenuine laugh. "Do you happen to know
how children are made??

Shadow just widened his eyes before looking away to the Blushed side.

"Shut up, faker."

Or

Sonic is madly in love with Shadow and all he wants to do is declare himself soon. However,
on a starry night, a girl who seems to have come out of a fairy tale suddenly appears claiming
not only to have come from the future but also to be Sonic's biological daughter. What will
the hero of Mobius do?!

Will his love for Shadow overcome all barriers, or will fate fight against them?!

Notes

Philophobia: is the irrational fear of loving or falling in love with someone. This type of
phobia can be triggered by intense emotional trauma related to the feeling of love.
 A matter of time

It was already late at night.

Sonic shifted uncomfortably in bed as he stared at the ceiling of his room in thought, it was
very dark of course. Sounds of frogs and crickets filled his night with a calm and lonely
melody, sleep seemed to never come, even though he had been running around all day
without direction.

Looking to the side, the blue hedgehog couldn't help but growl a low "damn" as he looked at
the time his alarm clock showed.

*03:45. AM*

"It's still early" He growled, turning his attention to the ceiling for a few more seconds.

Seeing that he wouldn't sleep any more that night like every other night, Sonic just got up and
put on his shoes before jumping out the second story window of his room.

Landing silently on the grass, the hero took one last look at his home in a silent apology
before running off towards the forest.

The silver lunar glow illuminated the trees of that dense forest with its dazzling power. There
was still a long way to go before the sun rose to give life and color to that small island. In the
sky, despite the heavy trees, it was possible to see so many stars that it seemed impossible to
count them all. They brought to life beautiful constellations that were well known to Sonic
thanks to a certain pink hedgehog.

As he ran fast enough to break the sound barrier, Sonic wondered why he had left the comfort
of his bed to run so far. He wasn't an impulsive guy, at least not off the battlefield.

Sonic ran some more and left the forest entering a canyon, jumping over rocks, climbing dirt
mounds and dodging trees, he quickly made his way back to the same forest. He didn't have a
goal, nor a place in mind to go or destination, the hero just wanted to run, clear his mind and
try with any luck to fall asleep and sleep a few hours before dawn.

Dodging a small river, Sonic made his way into the forest. His plan was to do at least a
hundred laps before truly choosing to return home. Feeling it pass through his spines, Sonic
can notice something different in the distance.

"Look what we have here" Stopping a few meters away, Sonic's eyes sparkled in excitement
at the sight in front of him.

Sitting on the side of a cliff under a tree was Shadow the hedgehog who seemed to be
enjoying his solitary thoughts.
Sonic saw this as an opportunity. What he needed most at the moment was a good challenge
to get him out of his thoughts. Shadow was not only the perfect person to propose this to him,
but also the only one who could really go head to head with him, whether in strength or
speed.

"Tonight is going to get a little interesting." A small smile appears on the hero's face.

Sonic didn't know if it was because he hadn't seen the agent in several weeks, but the hero
had to admit that Shadow was charming in a way he'd never seen before. Its black fur was
shiny and made its red spines stand out in a dazzling way. The years seemed to do Shadow a
lot of good even though now the older hedgehog was three centimeters shorter than Sonic.

Sonic smiled at that last thought, knowing that he could use this trump card against the agent
whenever he was losing a fight or race.

"He is reading a book?!" Sonic wondered curiously. Accidentally stepping on a dry branch
thus giving away your location in the process.

Shadow's ears flicked toward the source of the noise before his face snapped into full alert.

"Who's there?!" Shadow asked, raising one eyebrow while frowning the other in irritation.
His hands in a death grip around the now closed book.

Sonic's breathing hitched, part of him wanted Shadow to ignore the noise and continue with
his lonely night, but he knew the older man, he knew that the agent would look at every
corner of that place until he knew if everything was okay.

He took a deep breath and waited, opened his eyes in determination and took a step forward,
leaving his hiding place and facing the other hedgehog.

"Hi Shadow!" Sonic said awkwardly as he raised his hands in surrender and a sign of peace.
"It's just me."

The lebanon hedgehog's eyes widen in surprise for a second before returning to his normal
frown.

"I saw you sitting here alone and I came over" Sonic continued apologizing as he rubbed his
head looking to the side in embarrassment.

"Hm..." Shadow mumbled something inaudible before turning his back to Sonic and
returning to staring at his book in silence.

Sonic sighed before slowly walking towards the agent until he was side by side with him.

"Want to fight?!" Sonic asked shyly, trying not to speak too loudly.

"No," Sadow grunted in response, as he tried to remember where he had stopped reading.

Not satisfied with the answer, the hero frowned and asked again. "Want to run?!"
"I want to be alone." Shadow snorted, looking at Sonic seriously. His scarlet eyes had a dark
glow that meant 'If you piss me off I will push you off this cliff.'

"I see" Sonic huffed in response, for the first time disappointed with the other hedgehog's
attitude. "Can I sit with you?!" The youngest asked, gesturing with his paw to the place next
to Shadow.

Shadow, without taking his eyes off the book, just sighed tiredly and shrugged indifferently,
but he also didn't deny the hero's request.

Sonic scoffed and sat comfortably next to the agent, part of him wanted to make a sarcastic
comment mocking the fact that the hybrid was shorter than him, however, another part of him
just wanted to relax and enjoy watching the stars in Shadow's presence.

"The moon is so beautiful today" Sonic grumbled tilting his face to the side.

Shadow just looked up from his book for a split second to look at the sky and replied. "The
stars too."

Sonic smiled at the answer. Although perhaps Shadow didn't know the true meaning of those
words.

"Can you find any constellations?!" He asked, pointing to the sky expectantly.

"No" The alien replied short and dry, turning his attention to the story.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "I forgot how annoying you are."

"And you're noisy." Shadow replied in the same tone of voice.

"I just wanted to train a little" Sonic exclaimed crossing his arms like a tantruming child.

Shadow snorted and smiled softly, it was a very small smile, but it was there. Sonic
discovered that one of his favorite things was Shadow's smile. They were rare and it was
something only he, or maybe Rouge, had seen. But it was a magical thing and Sonic was
secretly in love with those smiles.

Sometimes, the mobius hero wondered if his relationship with Shadow would be different if
he had been able to stop the agent from falling to Earth.

'Would they be closer?!' The hero wondered.

Sonic was happy with the rivalry relationship he had with Shadow in the present. However,
sometimes he wanted more, he imagined what it would be like to kiss those thin, tanned lips,
the feeling of running his fingertips through the white fur on his chest, or the feeling of being
the reason there was always a smile on the face of the youngest person. old.

Sonic couldn't explain how these feelings started. He could only say that he loved Shadow
with every race, every fight or every fight they had together since the battle against the Black
Arms.
"Where are Rouge and Omega?!" Sonic asked trying to break the ice between him and his
rival, in return he only received a tired sigh from Shadow.

"Omega is on a mission" The striped hedgehog replied without giving many details. "Already
Rouge is on a date with her red friend."

"Knuckes?!" Sonic smiled awkwardly as he imagined the echidna and the white bat getting
along. "Scary!"

They both fell silent again before Sonic whispered:

"You don't talk much."

Shadow just rolled his eyes before looking back at his book. In the agent's mind, if he ignored
Sonic, one day the hero would get tired of him and leave. However, it seemed that his plans
were far from successful.

"What are you thinking about now?!" Sonic insisted, which only made Shadow angrier.

"Hedgehog, I'm not in a good mood." The agent grumbled, massaging his head with his
fingertips. "I'm trying to read in peace."

"No, seriously! What are you thinking about." Sonic continued to insist, thus causing Shadow
to lose his patience.

"Chaos, how annoying you are." The striped hedgehog snorted, making the hero laugh.

"But you like it." Sonic blurted out before being glared at with his rival's scarlet gaze. "Sorry"

Shadow just rolled his eyes before looking back at the story, but before he could start reading,
Sonic whispered:

"I'm leaving GUN."

The agent was taken by surprise, but continued with the same indifferent expression on his
face.

"Now that Egman is retiring, I think I can finally settle down and live a normal life." The
blue hedgehog continued as he looked at his gloves absentmindedly.

"That coming from you is strange." Whispered Shadow in surprise, without looking at Sonic
directly. "I always thought you were a free spirit."

"And I have." The hero quickly defended himself. "Look." Sonic took a breath. "I'm always
anxious. Sometimes I think I'm not enjoying life properly. That's why I always try to live to
the extreme, without worrying about tomorrow, but... now it's different. It's my future I'm
talking about.

“And why am I saying this??” Shadow said raising an eyebrow.

“I guess I’m just a little lost.” Sonic sighed. "My friends are going their own ways, and I...
well... I'm afraid that in the end I'll end up alone.

The older hedgehog just rolled his eyes in complete boredom.

"Being alone isn't a bad thing." He exclaimed casually.

"Independent." Sonic says. "I think I'm just like this because like every Mobian male, I want
to have a family."

"Do you want to have kids?!" Shadow asked as he licked his fingertips to change the page in
his book.

"Um... Yes... I really want to be able to adopt one or two children in the future-" Sonic
couldn't finish speaking, as he was soon cut off by Shadow who asked:

"To adopt?!" The agent widened his eyes in surprise before returning to his normal frown.
"Don't you want to have your own legitimate children?!"

"Well..." Sonic took advantage of Shadow's attention being focused on the book and grabbed
a small black velvet box from his spines. "In my case it's a little complicated." He smiled as
he opened the box and looked at the small engagement ring in it.

"You can't have kids?!" Shadow asked, putting his elbows on his knees, leaning closer to the
abyss.

"Actually I can." Sonic responded by placing the open box with the ring behind Shadow
above a rock gently so the older hedgehog couldn't see. "But circumstances don't favor me."

"Why?!" Shadow looked back at Sonic curiously. Unconscious the velvety box right behind
him. "Don't you just come and do it?!"

Sonic choked at the comment. Her sky blue face turned a reddish color that more closely
resembled a strawberry.

"Shadow." Despite his embarrassment, Sonic let out a jenuine laugh. "Do you happen to
know how children are made??

Shadow just widened his eyes before looking away blushing.

"Shut up, faker"

Sonic laughed for a few more seconds before composing himself and looking back at the
other hedgehog seriously.

"Shadow! For you to have a family you need to do something very intimate." Sonic felt his
face heat up and his heart skip a beat as he talked about it with the older boy. "For this
intimate thing to happen, you first have to find someone special.

"Someone special?!" Shadow frowned.

"Yes." Sonic waved excitedly. "Someone who makes you feel good, someone who loves you
to the point that you feel like the most loved person in the world. Someone who is with you
in good and bad times and your only pain in the future will be your cheeks from laughing so
much .

"What does this have to do with having kids?!" Shadow asked, still not understanding.

Sonic already felt like all the blood in his body had gone to his head.

Why did talking about things like that with Shadow make him so nervous?!

It wasn't that difficult when he had to talk to Tails.

"Well... a child is like a token of love between a man and a woman." Sonic gestured with his
fingers as he continued. "That's why Knuckes always tells me that if I really love a woman I
should get her pregnant.

This seemed to catch Shadow's attention and he quickly grabbed his book with one hand
while showing his fist with the other.

"If that idiot thinks about getting Rouge pregnant, I'll..."

"Calm down, I'm sure he'll think twice before trying anything funny." Sonic raised his hands
peacefully, for a moment he forgot that Shadow had a big brother complex when it came to
Rouge.

"You..." Sonic is quickly brought out of his thoughts when he sees Shadow staring deeply at
him for the first time that night. "Did you manage to find this person?!" Shadow asked,
making Sonic look at him wide-eyed. "The person you want to share your life with." He
completed.

"Yes." Sonic smiled fondly as he looked at the engagement ring behind Shadow with passion.
"I achieved."

*And you*

The hybrid frowned, asking: "What's with that expression?!"

"I... Um... It's nothing." Sonic stuck out his tongue and averted his gaze to the sky.

Shadow stared at him for a few more seconds before following his gaze to the sky in thought.

"But what about you, Shadow?!" Sonic's excited voice was heard.

"What about me?!" The eldest asked indifferently.

"Is there anything you want to do?!" Sonic asked, looking at him curiously.

"Why the sudden question?!"

"Well... I'm just curious." Sonic eagerly played with his gloves again." Don't you think about
one day leaving GUN, living and starting a family?!

Shadow growled at the question before answering. "Have you ever stopped to think that this
is none of your business?!"

"You're mean to me." Sonic seemed offended. "I tell you everything about me, I'm an open
book. Why can't you communicate with me too?!"

"Chattering isn't communicating" Shadow looked to the side, huffing before continuing.
"And not to mention that you were the one who started talking about 'the future'."

Sonic just stood with his head down in silence. Somehow that bothered Shadow who took a
long breath before speaking:

"I don't know..." He replied, catching the blue hedgehog's attention. "I was created for the
purpose of being a form of healing in medicine." He shrugged nonchalantly. "After that I was
converted into a tool, a weapon of war. The day I am no longer useful, they will do nothing
but throw me away.

"You talk like you're a robot." Sonic shrugged sadly.

"Hedgehog, I can't have a family because I'm incapable of love"

"Everyone can love, Shadow." Sonic smiled, crawling over to Shadow who shrank when his
space was violated. "Even you."

"Why do you care so much about this?!" Shadow huffed, moving a few inches away from
Sonic.

"Well... We fight, we argue, we fight, but you know..." The blue hero smiled as he placed his
hand on top of Shadow's hand, the heat of their skin penetrating the thin fabric of the gloves.
"I wouldn't trade you for anything in the world."

Before Shadow can protest and lecture Sonic about personal space, something happens.

*bang*

"What was this?!" Shadow asked, quickly walking away.

"I-I don't know" Sonic looked around alertly."

The hybrid hedgehog just growled as he turned on his air shoes and got into a running
position.

"W-wait!" Sonic couldn't finish speaking, as the agent was already far away at the moment.

Sonic sighed as his eyes landed on the forgotten wedding ring in the corner. He carefully
picked it up and stared at it for a few seconds.
"I've clung to something I can't have." The hedgehog whispered as he calmly closed the box
and put it away in his spines.

He faced the path Shadow followed and smiled determinedly.

'I've always liked a good challenge' He thought quickly, following in the striped hedgehog's
footsteps.

Shadow glided around the forest with a scowl on his face, skirting any obstacle that dared get
in his way.

"What was that noise?!" Shadow wondered as he slid faster through the trees. "Another
attack from Egman?!" His frown deepened.

Whatever it was, the ultimate life form was ready to face whatever came.

Arriving close to the location of the crash, the agent was startled by the overwhelming
amount of chaos energy emanating from the place. Sonic caught up to him in a matter of
seconds, stopping right behind him.

"What happened?!" Sonic asked as he noticed the other hedgehog had stopped.

Shadow didn't respond, because all his attention was completely focused on the hedgehog
that was leaning against a tree right in front of him. Sonic, without understanding anything,
followed Shadow's gaze and widened his eyes at the sight he was seeing.

It was a girl.

She looked no more than fifteen years old, her face and neck were covered in blood. Her
clothes were torn and dirty, she was holding her arm as well as she struggled to stay
conscious.

"Curious" Shadow whispered and Sonic just looked at Shadow before turning his attention to
the girl.

Perplexed, the hero took a step forward, extending his arm for Shadow to move away. 'I've
got this covered' he whispered to the black hedgehog who shrugged and crossed his arms
nonchalantly.

"Hello?!" Sonic called her.

No reaction.

"It's okay" Sonic tried to reassure the child. "Don't be afraid, we are the good guys"

The girl stopped. Using all the remaining strength in his body to lift his face and face the
individuals there.

Shadow feeling his body go cold.

The hybrid assured himself when he noticed that the girl's eye color was exactly the same as
Sonic's. Looking to the side, the older hedgehog saw that Sonic was thinking the same thing
because of his surprised expression.

Shadow said how this was possible, since Sonic's eye color was different from other shades
of green. Not as dark as Rouge's, and not as light as Amy's.

The girl's face was pale, but she seemed almost relaxed when her eyes fell on Sonic.

"F-dad...?!" The girl said, pleading weakly as she looked at Sonic with a tired and curious
look.

"And me??" Sonic said confused, as he pointed at himself.

"D-daddy..." The girl sent and whispered once again taking a few steps forward. "Daddy!"

"Take it easy" Sonic also walked forward, fearing that a young child might fall.

"Daddy!" The girl couldn't continue, as a new wave of pain shot through her body, making
her legs lose control of their movements.

"Whoa!" Sonic was quick to catch him before he fell face first onto the ground. Holding the
girl carefully, the blue hedgehog placed his fingers in front of her snout, hoping to feel her
breathing. "She's still breathing." Exclaimed the hero as he carefully cradled the girl's thin
and fragile body against his chest.

Shadow didn't respond.

Taking advantage of the natural lighting from the Moon, Sonic looked at the young girl's face
more closely with a certain curiosity.

Not only the green color of her eyes, but also the color of her fur was very similar to his.
Slender peach-colored arms and belly, narrow shoulders, thin, undefined waist. Every part of
her body resembled him, although the spines on her head were a little more rebellious with a
reddish tinge at the tips.

"She looks like me". Sonic's mouth pursed into a small smile, a strange feeling of warmth
invaded Sonic's heart. Shadow stared at him coldly as he saw the blue hedgehog smile, but it
wasn't just any smile, it was a sincere smile. The hero of Mobius was getting attached.

"She looks like the protagonist of a romance story." Sonic whispered in a daze, his eyes
shining brighter than stars.

"Eww" That's all the hybrid came up with.

"D-Dad..." Still unconscious, a girl clung tightly to Sonic's fur, fearing if she let go he would
be gone forever. "Daddy..."

"What the hell is that, hedgehog?!" Shadow said growling in disapproval.

"I-I...I-I don't know." Sonic stuttered scared. Never taking his eyes off the girl. "I-I n-
never...."

"Tsk!" That was all the black hedgehog said before turning around to leave.

Sonic looked up only to see Shadow walking away. "H-hey! where are you going??"

"To home" The hedgehog replied dryly.

"W-what?!" Sonic asked, standing up with the shaking girl in his arms. "We can't leave her
here alone!"

"Look, hedgehog" Shadow turned to look Sonic in the eyes. "I don't know if you're stupid or
retarded, but that's it!" He pointed at the girl in the hero's arms as if she were a bomb. "It's not
our problem."

"Shadow" Sonic looked at him seriously. "She's just a kid."

"I don't care" He crossed the boats.

"But she's my daughter-

"No, Sonic!" Shadow silences him. "She's not your daughter. She just appeared out of
nowhere!" He growled punching a tree destroying it in the process. "She could be anything.
Including part of some evil plan by Eggman to defeat you!"

"I-I know..." The blue hero looked at him thoughtfully, his voice was sad and distressed.
"But... there's something strange about it all." He blushed, looking back at the girl's peaceful
face. "I'm curious to know what's going on."

"Don't tell me you're actually believing this story?!" Shadow asked irritably. He didn't think
Sonic was that stupid.

"I know it sounds crazy, but..." Sonic turned his eyes to Shadow, emeralds against Ruby. "I'm
feeling something I've never felt before." He squatted down to support the girl's body on his
knees while placing his hand on her chest. "My heart is beating so hard I don't know how to
explain it."

Shadow just stared at him for a few seconds before turning away saying, "Do whatever you
want."

Sonic felt his heart skip a beat as he watched the black hedgehog slowly walk away. He
already expected this selfish attitude from the older man, but even so he couldn't help but be
hurt by the way the agent spoke to him. Shadow was charming. In a stubborn and brutish
way, but Sonic wanted to believe that deep down his rival had a good heart.

Of all the people he could fall in love with, why Shadow?!

"I like your imperfections." Sonic thought with a smile, but was soon pulled out of his
thoughts when he heard a moan coming from right below him.
"Daddy..." The girl whispered again, this time opening her big emerald green eyes into small
slits. "Save mommy... Please... Save mommy..."

A raised eyebrow was the only response.

"Mother?!" Saying those words felt heavy on Sonic's tongue. "But who is your mother??"

"S-save m-mommy..." She sighed before falling into inconsistency again, still tightly clinging
to the hero's fur.

"Let's go home, my little one." Sonic murmured, grabbing her tighter.

To be continued...
 It's more complicated than it seems
Chapter Summary

"Come on then, darling" Rouge waited patiently to be served by Shadow before she
leaned in front of the table in excitement. "Tell me everything you talked about with
Blue."

"We talked about a lot of things... But... There are times when Sonic seems more adult
than me" Shadow whispered thoughtfully as he took the milk from the fridge and sat
down at the table in front of Rouge. "Last night, he couldn't stop talking about dropping
everything and having a family."

Chapter Notes

The future has many names. For the weak it is unattainable. For the fearful, the
unknown. For the brave it is the opportunity.

(Victor Hugo)

If someone asked Tails what he was doing up in the middle of the night, he would answer:
Drinking hot milk?!

Although his brother Sonic was very strict about being on time when he slept even though he
was already 16 years old, it was cool to imagine how overprotective and responsible his older
brother could be.

But, the young fox would never expect to find his brother at his garage door at 4:10 in the
morning carrying an unconscious child in his arms.

"Ah, Tails" her tone was serious and urgent. "I need your help!"

"W-what?! What happened?!" The little genius asked in shock. "Where did this child come
from?!"

"Well... hmm... it's a long story, but to sum it all up, this one is my daughter" The hero
responded as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"She's your what?!" Tails asked in disbelief. "Sonic, where did you steal this child from?!"

"I didn't steal her" Sonic debated, offended. "She really is my daughter."
Tails was looking at Sonic with a face that said: Did you drink?!

"No Tails, I didn't drink" Sonic replied as if he could read the young genius' mind. "Little
friend, this is serious! She is injured and needs your help.

The young fox was worried.

Then again, when was he not worried when it came to his older brother?! Sonic has always
been a very kind person who gets attached to people very easily.

His desire to be a father also had a major influence, making him completely lose his logical
reasoning. For all we know, that child could easily be a clone, homunculus or even a cyborg
sent by Egman to destroy Sonic. He would have to keep an eye out.

And if all that wasn't enough. He was an engineer and not a doctor. He knew how to assemble
and disassemble a plane quickly and practically, but he didn't know how to treat injured
people. What little he knew was because he always tended to his friends' injuries after their
fights against Egman. But they were always minor injuries like scratches or broken bones,
nothing that complex.

"Lay her down on the couch." Tails instructed as he ran to get the first aid kit he kept on top
of the closet, always making sure to keep it stocked in case of emergencies.

"Okay" Sonic just agreed as he placed the girl on the couch, giving the youngest room to
work.

"There are extra towels in the bathroom cabinet" Tais commented as he checked the suitcase
for gases and antiseptic. "Wet the tips of them and use them to remove excess blood from her
face." The young fox didn't even finish the sentence and Sonic was already back in the room
doing what he was told.

Tails analyzed it carefully while Sonic cleaned it, leaving the cut on his forehead almost
untouched. The skin on the girl's face was flexible and appeared to be real, although the
young genius had not ruled out the idea that it was synthetic skin or a very well-made clone.

"I'm done" Sonic whispered, shrinking to make room for Tails.

Now, looking at the girl, whose face was clean and free of all blood and dirt, Tails could see a
great resemblance between her and her older brother.

"She looks like you" Tais whispered before he could stop himself from looking at Sonic who
had an unreadable look on his face.

"I know..." The hero replied with a thoughtful and distant expression. "Tais" Sonic warned
pointing to the unconscious girl's face. "Look at this"

Just below the eyebrow, mixed with the baby blue fur, there was a thin line of red fur that
made an outline-like design around the girl's unconscious eyes. The yellow fox hadn't noticed
at first because the blue bangs covered a large part of her forehead.
Sonic thought of the only person in the world he knew who had those same marks and smiled
at the thought, but soon had to discard that possibility, because he knew that not even in his
wildest dreams would that be true.

"Curious" The young fox whispered in surprise, breaking Sonic out of his thoughts. "Did she
get it from her mother?" Talis he asked as he sterilized his hands before starting to examine
the wound.

"Maybe" Sonic replied as he pursed his lips into a straight line.

"Um... It's just a cut on her forehead, it's not long, but it's deep." Tails slowly moved the girl's
head to the side to show the cut to Sonic. "Remember when I once told you that head injuries
tend to bleed a lot even though they're not that serious?!" Sonic nodded silently. "Nothing
serious. No signs of trauma, maybe a stitch or two and a good night's sleep and she'll be fine."

"Hearing that makes me happy" Sonic commented as he watched his brother work intently.

Although he had little experience, Tails scored almost professionally. Sonic was very proud
that his brother was expanding his knowledge to the limit.

"It's done" The yellow fox finished the last stitch by cutting the excess thread with surgical
scissors.

"Thank you little friend." He thanked Sonic while waiting for Tails to leave to cover the
sutured wound with gas and tape.

Tails faced Sonic, covering the girl with a blanket as he took off his bloody gloves and
discarded them in the trash.

Once again, his older brother had a thoughtful expression on his face.

Pulling two chairs close to the couch, the young fox sat down and gestured with his hand for
Sonic to do the same.

"OK". The youngest took a deep breath and found the courage to ask. "What is happening?!"

Sonic had already explained what happened, but Tails wanted to know more details. Like,
what led Sonic to believe that that girl was his daughter or something like that.

"It's a long story" Sonic scratched the back of his head, looking to the side.

"Then summarize" Tails crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows, waiting. He had the rest of
the night and the day available.

"Wow, sensitive you huh?!" The blue hedgehog laughed awkwardly before looking at the
smiling girl. "Well... I was sleep deprived and went out for a run." He took one of the girl's
hands in a comforting grip and turned back to face his brother. "In the middle of my run, I
ended up meeting Shadow.

"Did you meet him?!" Tails asked, eyes widening.

It was no surprise to anyone that the genius didn't really like the striped hedgehog due to
certain events in the past, but Shadow had changed a lot. He was no longer the same as
before.

It's true that Shadow was a person who preferred to spend most of his time alone, and that he
couldn't trust - and rightly so - people easily, that anything makes him irritable, that he always
wants to solve problems alone and that He always wants things his way. But somehow, the
dark agent seemed to be opening up to people more, in his time.

"Yes" Sonic smiled as he remembered his strong-willed doppelganger. "But we didn't fight or
anything... We just.... talked...." He blushed at the last part.

"And what happened after that... conversation?!" Tails asked softly.

"We heard a bang and went to see what it was... And... that's when I saw her..." he gestured to
the sleeping hedgehog on the couch. "She looked so scared and... when she saw me she called
me 'daddy' and tried to run towards me for comfort."

"You...just believed it?!" Tails asked tilting his head to the side.

"Y-yes..."

"But why do you seem so upset?!"

"Well...Shadow and I had a brief fight over her."

"What did he say?!"

"It wasn't a big deal...he just said I shouldn't believe her." The hero shrugged. "And that she
could be part of some evil plan by Egman to destroy me" The hero stared at his brother with a
small smile on his face. "Then I brought her here and you already know the rest of the story"

Tails frowned suspiciously. He knew Sonic wasn't being completely honest with him, but he
would let that go for a while. Right now he had more important things to worry about.

"And... are you okay?!" Tails mentally cursed himself at the ridiculous question. 'Of course
he's not well, you idiot' he thought.

The oldest just shrugged his shoulders before speaking:

"Yes... she has really chubby cheeks, but I didn't realize she was so heavy." Sonic said loudly.

"That's not what I asked" Tails asked, starting to break out in a cold sweat. "You are not
afraid?!"

"Fear of what?!" Sonic didn't bother to hide his surprise.

"Fear of getting attached and then getting hurt"

Sonic's breathing hitched.

"I didn't understand." The hero replied back to his brother.

Tails smiles

"She's beautiful and looks a lot like you." The youngest held his brother's free hand with
concern. "But I don't want her to be sad if she finds out she's not who she says she is."

"She's my daughter, Tails." Sonic frowned quickly removing his hand from the fox's grip. "I
know that?"

Tails let out a forced laugh before asking:

"Who guarantees you that this is true?!"

"Here!" Sonic points to his own heart. "In here I feel a strange and unknown feeling... I've
never felt it before, and I don't want to stop feeling it either" he whispered to his younger
brother. "I just... know..."

Upon hearing this, Tails just took a deep breath and walked towards the shelves at a slow and
calm pace. Sonic followed his brother's movements cautiously as he watched him look for
something in the middle drawer.

"Sonic, it's not because I don't trust you, but do you mind if I take a sample of your saliva and
hers so I can do a DNA test?!" He asked holding up a pair of cotton swabs and two test tubes.

Sonic nodded.

"If it makes you feel better."

"That will definitely make me feel better" The young fox replied, eliciting a smile from his
older brother.

_________________________________________________________

Shadow felt like he was in a dream. He calmly poured tap water into his coffee maker while
listening to the news on TV.

The agent's ears perked up as he heard the clumsy noise of heels in the hallway, eventually
stopping at the door. The hybrid didn't need to see it to know that it was his roommate Rouge
who had just arrived from a carefree night out.

As he heard the door being unlocked and opened with a certain type of brutality, Shadow was
greeted with the sight of a white bat staggering into the room while tripping over his own
heels.

"Hey darling!" Rouge greeted him formally as she placed her copy of the apartment key on
the table near the door. "I thought you were in bed."

Shadow just stared at her for a few seconds before his gaze fell on his wristwatch.
"How long, I thought I would have to come and get you"

Rouge let out a laugh before looking at her smiling roommate.

"You're so cute when you're worried." She calmly placed her bag on the sofa and began to
take off her high heel shoes in a sloppy and inelegant manner, leaving them thrown in the
middle of the room.

"How boring." He turned to put the water on the stove and light the calming fire.

"I'll have mine sweeter and with milk, please" Rouge exclaimed happily. As she took off her
coat and blouse without worrying about being in Shadow's presence.

Shadow just growled as he reached for the sugar in the cupboard. He always opted for
stronger coffee, because according to him, coffee lost its energy benefits when it was
sweetened.

"And then?!" Rouge casually walked back into the kitchen with just a towel around her body
as she used a cotton pad to remove her makeup. "What did you do while I was having dinner
with my boyfriend."

"Um... I went out to read for a bit, but... I was interrupted by Sonic."

"Um... Should I worry about murder??" She asked swallowing hard. "I left the shovel at
GUN after our last mission."

Shadow knew Rouge wasn't being sarcastic. The albino bat knew how explosive his
flatmate's temper could be, and that's why he liked to keep him close to avoid problems.

Rouge might have all the flaws in the world, but she was the one who helped him escape
three terms of prison and a trial.

"We didn't kill each other or anything" Shadow poured himself a glass and gave another to
Rouge. "We just talked...

The agent's emerald eyes shone like stars upon hearing the last part.

"Come on then, darling" Rouge waited patiently to be served by Shadow before she leaned in
front of the table in excitement. "Tell me everything you talked about with Blue."

"We talked about a lot of things... But... There are times when Sonic seems more adult than
me" Shadow whispered thoughtfully as he took the milk from the fridge and sat down at the
table in front of Rouge. "Last night, he couldn't stop talking about dropping everything and
having a family."

"So our free-spirited hero finally wants to play house?!" She asked as she took a sip of her
coffee, frowning at the taste and adding a little more sugar. Shadow disapproved of her
attitude, but let it go. "How cute, I didn't know Blue had this side"
Shadow stares at her for a moment before remembering something that hasn't left her head
since the conversation she had with Sonic.

"Rouge, how are babies made?!" He asked and saw how Rouge choked on her own coffee.

"W-what?!"

"Sonic asked me that yesterday, but he seemed to be very uncomfortable with the fact that I
didn't know the answer" Shadow explained with a tone of annoyance.

"You know there's only one way to make babies, right?!" She asked in a sarcastic voice.

"No." Shadow quickly interrupted her. "If I knew I wouldn't be asking"

"Of course, that's obvious." Rouge gave a small smile as she stared at her mug. Her eyes
turned to Shadow until her gaze finally fell. "Fuck! Is this serious?!"

Shadow shivered before nodding his head.

Of course it's true, Rouge thought. From the little she knew about Shadow's past, it was clear
that Doctor Gerald never cared about teaching Shadow about the things in life. Maria was
also too young to give any explanation at the time, and not to mention that fifty years ago
people weren't as open with certain types of subjects as they are today.

Rouge's heart sank in her chest. As a considerate older sister, she would do her best to explain
to Shadow everything he needed to know about life.

Rouge frowned at the thought and felt her entire face heat up. "I can't" She quickly gets up
from the table and starts rummaging through the liquor cabinet.

"What are you doing?!" Shadow follows her with an attentive gaze.

She takes a bottle of Black ladel and looks at him seriously again.

"I need to be really drunk to say what I'm about to say to you." She poured some into the
glass, but soon gave up and drank the contents straight from the bottle.

Shadow stared as Rouge took three sips in a row before wiping her lips with a blush. She was
always very weak to drinks.

"So, Honey. I'm not too sure about the... 'alien' part of you." She made a brief quotation mark
sign with her hands. "But... the male has something inside him called sperm, while the female
has something called eggs inside her. And to make a baby you need to bring the two
together."

"And how do you put the two together?!" Shadow asked as he watched Rouge take another
sip.

"Do you know the difference between a male's and a female's body?!" Rouge asked sweetly
and Shadow frowned before replying in a sarcastic tone:
"Who do you think gives you a bath every time you come home drunk after a party?!"

"I'll take that as a yes." She responded by taking another sip of whiskey. She was almost
halfway through the bottle. "Well... in these bath sessions, you may have noticed that you
have something that I don't have. Am I right?!

"Proceed."

"Well... That's the key to all your questions."

"Is my penis the key to my questions?!" Shadow was shocked at where this conversation was
going.

"NO! I mean, yes." She was confused by her words. “Look, for now let’s call your penis and
truck, okay?!

Shadow nodded.

"We females have a crack we'll call the garage," she paused to take another long drink.
"Now... t-to make the sperm meet the eggs, it is necessary for the male to place his 'truck'
inside the female's 'garage', understand?!"

"So..." Shadow took a minute to think. "I put my penis in and then I take it out and I make a
baby?!"

Rouge stopped for a minute to think. The alcohol was making her very sluggish.

“In fact, you can put it in as many times as you want, or as many times as you can stand.”
She smiled embarrassedly. "It can vary from how resilient you are in bed, understand?!"

"I don't understand, but I think I understand" Shadow replied calmly, and Rouge could finally
release the breath she had been holding.

"Great." She collapsed onto the table before Shadow shot her with another question.

"Can males have babies?!"

She smiled at the innocent question before raising her face and answering:

"No dear, this is a privilege given only to females..." She replied, getting up to put what was
left of the whiskey in the cupboard. "The baby grows inside the female's uterus to obtain
nutrients and develop until it is born. This can last a certain amount of time depending on the
species, of course. Some last a few weeks, others can last up to almost a year"

"And how do you get this baby out once it's developed?!" Shadow didn't want to admit it, but
he was really interested in the topic.

"There are two ways." She sat back down at the table. "There's the cesarean section, which
involves a cut that they make in the belly to remove the child quickly and easily." She signals
with her finger in front of her own flat abdomen to show Shadow. "The other way is through
normal birth, which is the one in which the baby is born through our... Um... 'forzinha'". She
whispers the last part close to his ear.

"Little Flower?!" The hybrid asks raising an eyebrow.

"You understand me" She replied crossing her arms. "This form is already made naturally,
when the child is born spontaneously without the interference of a doctor"

Shadow looked at Rouge's crotch making her blush before looking back at her with wide
eyes.

"Is it possible to pass a baby around?!" He asked pointing to Rouge's covered private parts.

"Oddly enough yes, but don't do it so casually with someone else" She replied slapping
Shadow's hand. "I would never accept a natural birth, because in it the woman suffers a lot
when she is going to give birth."

"And why would they put themselves through that to have children?!"

"Because it's good" She shrugged nonchalantly. "Children are like proof of a couple's love.
And not to mention the feeling of knowing that you are generating another life inside you.

"I still think the way of making it is very primitive" Shadow growled when he noticed that his
coffee got cold.

"And as incredible as it may seem, we don't just do this to have a family, but as a form of
leisure.

"Leisure?!"

"Yes..." She replied, considering reaching for the bottle of whiskey again. "Look, during the
act you will feel something that resembles a tickle." Shadow blinks in confusion. "These
tickles only increase until you reach your peak"

"Apex?!"

"Yes, something related to the purest pleasure."

"I still don't understand you"

"I'll give you some examples" She quickly gets up from the table, almost letting the towel
that remained wrapped around her body fall. "I need paper and a pencil"

"What do you want that for?!" He asked, following her from afar.

"The best way to explain it to you is by drawing"

To be continued...
 Future information
Chapter Summary

When Amy said that, Sonic's eyes widened.

"A-amy, what are you talking about?!"

"Isn't it obvious?!", Amy looks at him seriously. "It's obvious that I'm her mother. Who
else would you marry?

Chapter Notes

I'm not afraid of the future, I'm just afraid of my future not having you.

Melke Zatsko

Tails was scared.

It was already the sixth DNA test he had taken and all six had returned positive results.

Not only that, but he also turned the sleeping hedgehog into his machines and the chaos
signatures were similar to Sonic's. No matter how smart Doctor Egman was, he would never
be able to replicate Sonic's energy signature.

That could only mean one thing.

"What will her name be?!"

The young fox's thoughts were interrupted when he heard Sonic ask smiling.

"Come to think of it, I never thought of a name for my children" He paused as he looked at
Tails. "She's small and delicate like Cream when she was younger, so her name should be
something that reminds me of candy."

"Let's pray mom gave her a good name" Tails exclaimed, before turning his attention back to
the computer.

"What's wrong with me giving her a name?!" Sonic raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I'm sure
I would have great ideas for names"
"Can you tell me some?!" The yellow fox asked curiously.

"Um... Honey!"

"Honey?!" Tails frowned and stopped himself from laughing.

"Yes, Honey are sweet and when I look at them I can only think of sweet things"

"Better not" Tails was interrupted when he heard his computer's alarm alerting him about the
latest results of the saliva test.

Compatibility: 50%

50% of that girl's DNA was compatible with Sonic's, while the other 50% was compatible
with DNA that he had no record of in his system. If it was a clone, his DNA would be 100%
compatible, but it was clear that that girl was really Sonic's daughter. Now comes the burning
question, who is she, and where did she come from?!

Anyone could say that time travel was impossible, while Silver would disagree with that with
a smile on his face. But the circumstances were very different. That girl didn't look like she
was raised in a post-apocalyptic world.

"Sonic?!" Tails called for his older brother. His look was serious and concerned.

"Yes" Sonic looked at him with the same intensity in his eyes, already fearing for a possible
answer. "Whatever the test result is, I will deal with it as best I can.

Tails smiled, not a fake or nervous smile, but a sincere smile.

"All tests are coming back positive." Tails began, Sonic's ears lined up at the news. "I didn't
want to believe it, and that's why I did not just one, but seven DNA tests on their saliva." He
paused to breathe, still not believing what he was about to say. "But yes... congratulations
Sonic... I don't know how, but you are this girl's father.

Sonic smiled in relief, it was as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He already
knew the answer, of course, deep down he knew it. But hearing it from another source felt
very satisfying and comforting.

"So...that makes you an uncle." Sonic commented smiling.

Tails blushed at the comment.

"Perhaps!" He looked away embarrassed. "B-but... W-who's the mother?!" He immediately

tried to change the subject.

Sonic's eyes darkened at the question.

"Um... I don't know. I'm not interested in anyone at the moment." The hero lied the last part.
Frowning, Tails was about to protest when he was interrupted by the sound of the covers
moving.

Between baby blue bangs, emerald green eyes finally opened. Rubbing her eyes with her
fingers to shake off the drowsiness, the girl slowly looked around the garage. Curiosity was
not enough to describe what the young girl was feeling at the moment.

"Daddy?!" She whispered as her eyes landed on Sonic.

"It's me" The hero smiled proudly. Being called father gave him a good feeling that he had
never felt before.

She smiled at him and then faced the yellow fox. "Uncle Tails?!"

"H-hi?!" Tails waved awkwardly. He didn't expect to be called uncle so soon.

She gave the inventor a half smile before turning her attention back to Sonic.

Her eyes fell on her hands that were tightly held by the hero.

"Daddy, where's your ring?!" She asked frowning as she tilted her head to the side.

"M-my ring?!" Sonic asked without understanding.

"Yes." She replied, looking at him casually in a childish voice. "The last time you went out
without your ring, Mommy stuck your head in the toilet."

"She did what?!" Sonic shouted and Tails suppressed a laugh.

"ha ha ha ha" The young fox was holding his stomach laughing so hard. "I'm sure you got a
very cute and caring wife, Sonic"

"Shut up" Sonic threatened, looking at him with a deadly look.

The girl's eyes widened as she looked down at Sonic.

"Hey! You're not the daddy I know" The girl shouted as she threw a pillow at Sonic. "You're a
lot smaller than mom and you also look a lot younger."

Tails laughed as Sonic's nose turned strawberry red.

"W-What?! Little, me?!" The speedster choked, running his hands through his hair in
embarrassment. "This is ridiculous, I'm the tallest on the team"

"You are wrong," she scolded him seriously. "It's Uncle Knuckles who's the tallest."

Sonic blushed even more at that statement.

"Come to think of it, that actually makes sense" Tails interrupted, still suppressing his
laughter. "Assuming she came from the future. Then she's probably familiar with an older,
more mature version of you."
Sonic stared at her.

"Y-yes... Maybe you're right" He shrugged tiredly.

"Future..." he whispered to the girl in a daze. "I traveled through time?!"

"Probably yes" Tails replied shortly and professionally.

Her eyes widened.

"I shouldn't be here!" The girl quickly gets up and runs towards the garage entrance.

"Hey! Calm down. It's okay." Sonic stands up and grabs her by the wrist before she can go
any further. She was fast.

"You don't understand, mom is in danger." She whispered with teary eyes.

"Look! We're going to do everything we can to help your mother, but first I need you to stay
calm." Sonic placed his hands on her shoulders comfortingly.

She nodded shakily. Her little arms and legs couldn't stop shaking, she looked quite scared.

Tails looked at her worriedly as he saw Sonic trying to comfort her with breathing techniques
and hugs.

"Are you calmer?!" Sonic asked his daughter calmly as he returned the pillow she had thrown
at him earlier.

"I am." She nodded quickly.

"Now let's start from the beginning." Sonic took the lead, kneeling down to be on the same
level as his daughter. "Do you remember how you got here?!"

She shook her head with tearful eyes.

"Everything is fine." Sonic comforted her. "No need to cry, Tails and I will help you get
home."

"Yes." She nodded as she hugged the pillow tightly to her chest.

"Do you remember what happened before you ended up here?!" Tails asked his niece in a
professional manner.

"I was alone with my mother, when an evil man appeared." She whispered with tears
streaming down her cheeks. "He knew that Dad wasn't with us at the time, so that's why he
attacked us. Mom told me to run and hide. I was so scared that while running I fell and hit my
head." She sobbed shakily. "When I woke up I was in a strange place and I saw you. I
thought it was my daddy, but now I'm stuck here and my mommy is in danger." She couldn't
take it anymore and started crying.
"It's okay little one." Sonic hugged her tightly and lifted her into his arms.

She was crying for a few minutes on Sonic's lap, calling for her mother, until she finally
calmed down, even though she was still sobbing.

"We'll figure it out." Sonic promised seriously. No one hurt their family and came out intact.
He only hoped that his wife would be fine in the future.

"Now tell me, how old are you?!" Tails asked as a way of relieving his niece.

"I'm 10 years old" Still with tears in her eyes she replied showing her fingers on her hand.
"And how old is daddy?!"

Sonic just stared at her before responding:

"I'm 21 years old"

"That was how old my daddy was when he found out that my mommy was pregnant with
me..." The girl moved in Sonic's lap thoughtfully, her eyes shone like stars.

"Forgiveness?!" The hero choked on his own saliva.

"What month are we in?!" The young woman asked, ignoring her father's reactions.

"October" It was Tails' turn to respond, as Sonic still looked in shock.

"Good..." Said the girl. "That means I'm going to be born in two months!!" She clapped
excitedly. "I want to see my mom now"

"What?!" Tails shouted in shock.

Sonic froze and stood up to face the girl.

"Two months?!" The speedster asked with wide eyes. "This is too early"

"Too early?!" The girl asked tilting her head to the side as she was placed gently on the
couch. "Too early for what?!

'Too early to get into a relationship' Sonic thought to himself in alarm. Two months was too
short for him to meet and become intimate with someone, unless that girl's mother was
someone he already knew.

Amy? Rouge? Blaze?... Who?!

"Who is your mother?!" Sonic found himself asking before he even thought.

"Sonic, wait!" Tails was quick to pull Sonic to the corner of the lab.

"What?!" The sprinter asked, confused.

"It's information from the future." The yellow fox responded as if it were the most obvious
thing in the world. "We can't know more, or else bad things will happen if we know too
much."

Sonic frowned, still not understanding.

"It's like the butterfly effect" Tails raising his hand to rub his head.

"What does that mean?!"

"Very small variations that may seem insignificant, but can generate huge changes over time,
causing a feeling of chaos" Tails peered over his shoulder as he waved at the girl who was
patiently sitting on the couch.

"So you're telling me that the mere fact that I know I have a daughter in the future could
mean her very non-existence?!" Sonic asked slightly worried.

"Yes!" Tails whispered a little too loudly.

Sonic didn't want that. Even though he didn't know the girl's mother, it came as no surprise to
anyone that he had become very attached to his daughter in such a short time. And now more
than anything the hero wanted that girl to exist, even if it meant having a relationship with
someone he didn't love.

"I understood." Sonic sat down in front of the girl again and asked: "Now what should we
call you?!"

"Sonic!" Tails shouted in alarm.

"What?!" The hero asked, patting the younger hedgehog's quills. "It doesn't have to be her
real name, maybe a nickname?!" He smiled awkwardly.

"Call me by the name my mom gave me." He exclaimed the girl, trying -and failing- to be
threatening.

"Sorry little one," Tails crouched down next to her. "But the less we know about the future
the better"

Even at a young age, she seemed to be quite intelligent. She understood that this was for her
own good and nodded without blinking.

Sonic smiled. A strange feeling of pride passing through his heart.

"We will see?!" Sonic placed his hand on his chin as he looked closely at his blushing
daughter. "You're so cute it makes you want to bite... What do you think of Candy?!"

The girl makes a face and shakes her head.

"That's a silly name, Sonic." The hero heard Tails say right behind him.
"But when I look at her I can only think of beautiful and sweet things." Sonic retorted, his
eyes returning to his brother.

"What do you think about using an abbreviation of her name?!" Tails asked. "This makes it
easier for her to adapt for now."

"That's a great idea," Sonic crouched down until he was on the girl's level. "What's the
abbreviation of your name?!"

The girl was thinking for a while and Sonic thought that she didn't know the meaning of the
word 'abbreviation', until she replied:

"M-may!"

"May?" Sonic asked and smiled. "That sounds sweet. Just like you."

________________________________________

The dining table was full of drawings. Although Rouge wasn't that good with art, it was a
wonder how the images looked very explicit in a clear and realistic way.

"And then?!" Rouge, already dressed, asked Shadow as she used a hairdryer to dry her damp
fur.

"That's disgusting!"

"It's because you haven't tried it yet"

Shadow pointed to a specific drawing and exclaimed, "That must hurt like hell."

"Only the first time, darling," she shrugged nonchalantly. "In some cases it tends to bleed too,
but it's not much. After fifteen seconds it's pure pleasure"

Shadow looked at her indignantly.

"Where did you learn these things?!"

"Shadow!" She looked disappointed. "I'm not a virgin anymore."

"W-what?!"

"I'm 24 years old," Rouge smiled when she saw Shadow's grimace.

"With whom?!"

"With Knuckles" she replied shrugging indifferently. It was normal to have your first time
with your boyfriend.
"With that idiot?!" Shadow frowned even more.

"I love him!"

"He looks like a brute!"

"He's a knight in bed" she says, taking a piece of paper and scribbling randomly. "Look!" She
handed the new drawing to Shadow. "That's the position I like most with him in bed."

Shadow looked at it for about five seconds before crumpling the paper in his hands with a
grimace on his face.

"God! No! I don't want to imagine something grotesque like that"

Rouge frowned before responding. "Shadow, you are 21 years old, I believe it is past time for
you to lose your virginity"

"I refuse to do something so primitive and animalistic." He exclaimed, taking each piece of
paper off the table and throwing it in the trash. "That's not what Sonic told me"

The bat's eyes widened in surprise.

"What did Big Blue tell you?!" She asked the white bat raising a curious eyebrow.

"He said it was something intimate and special, that you only did with someone you loved"
Shadow repeated every damn word his blue rival said with a red face.

"Intimate, right?!" Rouge repeated the word with a certain kind of interest. "Blue is so
romantic. He may be partly right, but he's already had sex with half of Grim Hills.

That last sentence catches Shadow's attention.

"What?!"

"Sonic is the hero of mobius and possibly the most coveted luxury escort on the island." She
smiles as she stares at the kitchen ceiling. "It's cute and it's also a great choice for a first
timer"

"What are you insinuating?!" The agent asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Usually speed is never a good thing in these cases, but he should do it pretty well."

Shadow blushed, already knowing exactly what his roommate was getting at.

"Rouge..."

"He has a reputation for being good in bed." She mentions. "His super sonic thrusts must be
out of this world"

"Rouge!"
"Not to mention that his spines will give you that thrill when sitting down." She laughed as if
she imagined the scene. "And it would only take one sitting to hurt"

"Rouge!" Shadow placed both hands over Rouge's mouth. "I wish I didn't have to imagine
you having that kind of relationship with my rival."

"What?! but I wasn't talking about m-" She stopped for a moment and smiled goofily "Are
you hungry?!"

"I don't feel hungry!"

She ignored him.

"I know a great place for us to have breakfast." She suggested the white bat taking his helmet
and swinging Shadow's towards him. "Let's go on your motorcycle. Talking about sex makes
me hungry"

________________________________________

"I came as soon as I found out" Amy entered Tails' workshop without bothering to knock on
the door as she was followed by Knuckles.

"A-amy?!" Sonic seemed surprised by his friend's unexpected nighttime visit. "W-what are
you doing here?!"

"Tails sent me messages explaining what had happened" Amy frowned before continuing. “I
brought some clothes for her to wear temporarily.”

"I met her on the way while I was coming back from a party" Knuckles raised his arms
peacefully.

"Okay" Sonic murmured, only now realizing that his daughter couldn't go around with her
clothes stained with dirt and blood.

"Is this really serious?!" Knuckles asked in disbelief, as Amy knelt down next to the girl. "Is
she really your daughter?!"

"Um... Yeah..." Sonic blinked and smiled. "She is my daughter."

Knuckles looked at Tails seriously for confirmation.

"The tests came back positive," the young fox confirmed with a thumbs up.

"I don't believe it," the red echidna let out a laugh as she wrapped her arms around Sonic's
shoulders. "You actually managed to have a baby?! And without any remorse?!" He covered
his mouth to try to contain his laughter. "I seriously thought you didn't even have a penis"

"H-hey, there are kids in the room," Sonic scolded him seriously with a blush on his face.
"But seriously?!" Knuckles asked softly. "Rouge and I bet that either you would be gay, or
you would be a girl in disguise. I confess that I am very surprised."

"Stop talking nonsense, Knuckes," Amy scolded him seriously. "Of course Sonic has a
penis." She pointed at May and added, "How else would he have made that angel?!"

Knuckles looks again at the child who smiles sweetly.

"You're a perfect copy of your father. How unfair", Amy smiled as she looked at every detail
of May who remained standing in front of the pink female. "Everyone will think Sonic made
her alone."

Everyone in the room was silent.

"What's your lovely name?!" Amy suddenly asked the girl who remained silent.

"We thought it would be better if we didn't know too much about her", Tails commented,
approaching.

"So what are you guys calling her??" The 21-year-old woman asked with a frown on her face.

"M-may", the girl replied and Amy's eyes widened in surprise when she heard how adorable
the girl's voice could be.

"I can't believe I gave birth to such a cute girl," She cried as she crushed the girl in a tight
hug. Her eyes sparkled like two diamond stones. "Where did you get all this from?! It's hard
to say since your dad and I are the sexy types. But you're as adorable as an angel."

When Amy said that, Sonic's eyes widened.

"A-amy, what are you talking about?!"

"Isn't it obvious?!", Amy looks at him seriously. "It's obvious that I'm her mother. Who else
would you marry?

Sonic was about to protest when he closed his mouth and looked at May for answers. But the
young girl looked like an emotionless doll who looked at him with big puppy eyes.

After a moment of silence, he whispered. "Amy...I-"

"Your name is violet?!" Amy cut Sonic off, not giving him the chance to speak. "I always
wanted to have a daughter named Violet" She held May's hands affectionately. "Because I
believed she would have a fur color that would be a mix of my fur and Sonic's. But you're
pretty anyway"

"My name is May", the girl insisted again, frowning like an angry teddy bear.

"Oh dear!" Amy placed her hand over her mouth, moved. "It's obvious that she is my
daughter. Even her name is the same as mine. The only thing that changes is the order of the
letters"
Sonic frowned at that statement, only now realizing the little play on words that was being
made with the two's names.

'Could it really be that Amy is May's mother?!' Sonic found himself thinking.

It made a little sense. Sonic thought. Amy was the only girl his age -besides Rouge- he knew.
May said that she would be born in two months, that time was too short for him to know
someone to the point of creating any type of intimacy. So, the chances of Amy being May's
mother were very high.

The idea of having Amy as his wife left him with a lump in his throat, not that the girl was
inappropriate for him, far from it. Amy was a very beautiful and intelligent girl, as well as
being very strong and independent. She was the media's favorite to be with the great hero of
Mobius, but Sonic never saw her as anything more than a friend or a little sister. The hero had
great respect for her and that's why he always made it clear that her intentions would be
nothing more than friendship.

And not to mention he was in love with someone else.

Sonic looked at May again and saw that the girl was living proof that he wouldn't end up with
Shadow in the end. That for her to have been born, he would have had a relationship with
another female.

He was very happy to have a daughter, even if it wasn't with someone he loved, but why did
he feel this strange feeling in his chest?!

His thoughts were quickly interrupted when he heard Amy speak:

" You are hungry?!" She asked the girl sweetly.

May nodded.

"What do you think we go downtown and get something to eat?!" Amy asked happily. "We
can also take the opportunity to buy her some new clothes."

"That doesn't seem like a bad idea to me" Sonic swallowed hard, trying not to get too
worried.

"Let's go then" Amy exclaimed happily as she took May to change in the next room. "I'll text
Rouge to meet us there", she added happily. "I'm dying to tell her I'm a mom now"

To be continued...
 Look at me
Chapter Summary

Hey Shadow!" Amy calls out to the agent who still remained with her face turned away.
"Look at her" She gestured for the striped hedgehog to look at the youngest.

"No," He replied dryly.

"Look at her!" Amy tried to sound more stern, but her voice came out shaky.

"Already said no."

Chapter Notes

How bad it is that you can't say everything you want, you can't say what you feel, you
can't share your fears. It's worse when it's not because of a lack of courage but because
of not wanting to provoke unfair reactions.

Seixa Lemos

"Sonic has a daughter?!" Rouge's voice was full of excitement, excitement, and curiosity.

"Speak quietly!" Shadow scolded her sternly as she looked around to see if anyone at the
coffee maker had heard. If the media found out about this - even if it weren't true - Sonic
would be in serious trouble.

"When I asked what interesting thing you and Blue talked about yesterday, you didn't even
think for a minute about telling me that Sonic has a daughter?!" Rouge whispered the last part
as she patiently waited for a waitress to walk by and leave a piece of strawberry cake in front
of her.

"I didn't tell you because he 'doesn't' have a daughter", the agent made a point of leaving the
word 'no' highlighted. "She came out of nowhere, like, she fell from the sky, he didn't do it
the 'conventional' way." Shadow felt disgusted when he said the last part.

"And?!" Rouge asked as she used a fork to take the first bite of her cake. Shadow was always
against her eating sweets at the beginning of the day, but what could she do?! She loved
sweets.
"So what if she could clearly be an evil clone or even a genetically modified cyborg" Shadow
exclaimed darkly. His red eyes burning like acid.

"Honey, you're very suspicious" Rouge said with her mouth half full. "You should step out of
your comfort zone a little more."

"Rouge." Shadow breathed through clenched teeth. "Do I actually look COMFORTABLE?!"
The hybrid shouted the last part making Rouge flinch in her place.

"You're very stressed here." Using a fork, the agent pointed a slice of strawberry at Shadow's
face, who turned her face away with an expression of disgust. "Try them. They're so sweet.

"I already told you I don't eat." Shadow frowned.

"You don't know what you're missing" The white bat retreated, placing the strawberry
between his lips and devouring it quickly.

Shadow just pursed his lips and rolled his eyes in disbelief. He still didn't know why his
roommate had brought him here.

"Rouge!" A thin, irritating voice interrupted the dark agent's thoughts.

In the distance, Shadow saw part of Sonic's team entering the cafeteria door. Among them
were Rose, the red Echidna and to her chagrin the girl who claimed to be Sonic's daughter.

What was she doing there?!

He growled as he watched them approach his table.

"Rouge, I'm so glad you answered my message," Amy hugged her warmly. "I have some
incredible news to tell you." She screamed in excitement.

"Let me guess," after being kissed by Knuckles, Rouge politely interrupted her. "Sonic is a
father!"

Amy's eyes widened in surprise.

"How did you find out??"

"Shadow told me everything" The white bat replied, pointing at his flatmate who seemed to
be irritated.

"Whoa... Hi Shadow!" Amy greeted the definitive life form in surprise, only now noticing its
existence on the table.

Shadow just growled with his arms crossed.

Knuckles just frowned before turning his attention to his girlfriend lovingly.

"Frankly, I don't know how you put up with him"

"The same way I put up with you, love!" She gave a seductive wink at Knuckles, who had a
pink snout. "And where's the lucky dad?!" The albino agent asked referring to Sonic.

"He needed to go somewhere to buy some things," Knuckles shrugged as he sat next to
Rouge, trying and failing to steal a piece of his girlfriend's cake.

"And who is this beautiful girl?!" Rouge asked as she looked at May warmly.

"That's the other surprise", Amy said smiling as she placed her hands on May's shoulders. "I
want to introduce you to May, she is Sonic's daughter"

"What?!" Rouge's eyes widened like coins. "But she looks about ten years old... So that
means Sonic had her with-"

"No no!" Amy quickly stops her. "She actually came from the future. Sonic didn't have her as
a teenager"

"Ufa!" The agent sank into her chair in relief. "That's much better."

"Is she really his daughter?!" Shadow spoke for the first time.

"Tails did several DNA tests and they all came back positive" Knuckles tried to give a short
and direct answer to Shadow who sighed.

"She's so adorable." Rouge hugs her tightly and squeezes her pink cheeks.

"Hey Shadow!" Amy calls out to the agent who still remained with his face turned away.
"Look at her" He gestured for the striped hedgehog to look at the youngest.

"No," He replied dryly.

"Look at her!" Amy tried to sound more stern, but her voice came out shaky.

"Already said no."

"Shadow, Sonic's daughter is beautiful," Rouge scolded him. "She looks a lot like you"

"You think?!" She asked knuckles curiously, only now realizing that her girlfriend was right.

"Yes, look," Rouge placed both hands on May's face so her boyfriend could see her better.
"She's Shadow with Sonic's colors."

"Ha ha! you're right," Knuckles fought to hold back his laughter.

"This is ridiculous." Amy screamed, scaring everyone -except Shadow- at the table. "Shadow
looks just like Sonic who happens to be her father. That's all."

Everyone was silent.

"We were just joking." Rouge apologized, turning her attention to Shadow who remained
with his face turned away. "Shadow, honey, look at you and see how beautiful she is."
"What do you want me to do, Rouge?!" She asked the hybrid looking at her with a frown.
"Make me her mother?!"

Amy laughed at that comment and May's face turned red like the strawberry on Rouge's cake.

"Hehe, no need" Amy stood firm in front of Shadow who remained with his arms crossed.
"May already has a mother, and she is me"

"Same?!" Rouge's eyes widened in surprise. "I wasn't expecting that" She gave her friend
another warm hug. "Congratulations, friend. I'm very happy for you."

"Thanks!" Amy blushed excitedly, forgetting why she was angry.

"And when will little May come?!" Rouge asked anxiously.

"In two months." Amy replied happily while Shadow rolled his eyes.

"Um... Little question." Rouge approached Amy and whispered. "Have you and Sonic ever
done 'that'?!"

Shadow raised an eyebrow in surprise. Realizing for the first time what the word 'that' meant.

"Chaos, Rouge, no!" Amy screamed, putting her hands on her face in embarrassment. "We
haven't even kissed yet"

"Then you should hurry up" The bat said, returning to sit next to his boyfriend. "And you and
Sonic have to get the right day so there's no danger of changing May.

"I-I didn't think that way," Amy cringed worriedly. Y-you’re right, I need to do my back
properly!”

Knuckles looked confused by the girls' conversation. Shadow even more so, as he didn't have
very advanced knowledge of motherhood.

"How long does a hedgehog's pregnancy last?!" Knuckles was tempted to ask.

"Um..." Amy seemed to think for a few moments. "5 to 6 weeks."

"Serious?!" Rouge mutters breathlessly. "How envious. Bats last 3 to 6 months"

This comment made Amy excited.

"Do you think about having children?!" She asked her curious friend. The idea of Rouge
getting pregnant was wonderful. Knuckles seemed to have the same idea.

"And deform my beautiful body??" The bat raised a sarcastic eyebrow. "Of course not. I'd
rather stay as an aunt."

Knuckles looks closely at his girlfriend with a far from discreet smile on his face, this look
does not go unnoticed by Shadow who uses all his high control not to attack the red Echidna
right there.

"But what brought you to the center today?!" Rouge asked trying to avoid the subject of
motherhood.

"We came here to buy her some clothes." Amy pointed at May, and only looking now did
Shadow realize that she was wearing one of Cream's old dresses.

"That sounds great." Rouge's voice interrupted Shadow's thoughts. "Shadow and I can come
with you?!"

"Clear!" Amy responded warmly.

That was the last straw.

"I am not going!" The agent exclaimed, getting up from the table quickly.

"Shadow, we need to get you a new leather jacket since yours was getting worn out." Rouge
scolded him sternly.

Shadow growled.

"Leave me out of this" He argued, quickly leaving the cafe.

"What animal bit him??" Knuckles asked curiously.

"I don't know" Rouge replied a little disappointed in her roommate.

"You guys know how Shadow is" Amy tried to lighten the heavy atmosphere. "What do you
think we go to the store across the street?! "She asked, changing the subject. "I heard there
are beautiful dresses there"

"Ma-ma..." May whispered to herself in agony. No one listened, or so she thought. It turns
out that May didn't expect that her aunt, being a bat, had more acute hearing than the others.

To be continued...
 Closer
Chapter Summary

"Shadow, if you had a daughter-"

Shadow quickly cut him off.

"I'm not having children," he wanted to make that clear.

"OK!" Sonic declared his arms in surrender, fearing that any wrong word would end up
resulting in Shadow jumping down his throat. "But if you -hypothetically- had a
daughter, what would her name be?!"

Chapter Notes

"Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil."

Aristotle

Sonic seemed to be very angry with the situation he found himself in at the moment. And
how could you not be?! He was a hero, if someone asked him to destroy an evil robot, he
would do it in seconds, now, when Sonic the Hedgehog was having difficulty choosing a
simple brand of diapers.

"What else is missing from the list?!" Sonic asked as he fumbled with six packs of diapers,
all of them different brands.

Tails, who was pushing the shopping cart with some difficulty, just sighed before looking at
the small list in his hand.

"Um..." He analyzed it carefully, while crossing out the items already acquired with a pen.
"There's still a bottle, pacifier and other items missing" He sighed in defeat when he saw that
they had a long way to go. "Sonic, you don't think you took too much stuff, do you?!"

"Tails!" Sonic awkwardly placed the packages in the cart before looking at his brother
seriously. "May is coming in two months, Two months! Do you know what TWO months
are?!"

Tails groaned, rolling his eyes tiredly.

"I shouldn't have asked" The young fox let out a silly smile.

"Oh, man! I'm a hero. How hard is it to buy baby stuff?!" Sonic said looking at the variety of
pacifiers they had in that store.

"Choose a common model," Tails spoke with the phone in his hand. "It's a message from
Amy, she wants to meet us at the diner in half an hour."

Sonic groaned as he grabbed the first pacifier he saw and threw it in the stroller.

"I think we should call it a day and come back another day" Tails replied holding Sonic by
the jump, fearing that the older hedgehog would arrive at the play session.

"I understand" Sonic whispered, lowering his ears.

Tails smiled before taking back control of the shopping cart.

"I'll take this to the cashier," the young genius commented with a mischievous smile on his
face. "I asked them to leave the crib and dresser at home. I'll take the rest of the shopping
home."

"Aren't you going to join us?!" Sonic whined sadly. He didn't know if he could handle Amy
and May alone.

"Actually, I'd like to do some research" Tails commented as he passed the purchases to the
store's cashier.

"Researches?!" The speedster asked, confused as he handed the packages to Tails.

"Yes, I'll look for any changes in energy or anything unusual" The youngest replied with a
raised eyebrow. "If May came from the future, she probably came from some portal or
technology. Usually these things have a habit of leaving traces of energy, I want to capture
them before they disappear."

"I understand" The blue hedgehog replied while typing the card password into the payment
machine. "Would you like me to bring you something to eat?!", he asked politely as he
handed the bags to Tails.

"Um..." Tails pondered for a while before replying, "Cookies with mint jelly, please."

"Okay" Sonic gave a thumbs up as he watched his brother slowly walk away with his arms
full of bags.

"Faker?!"

Sonic felt his heart skip a beat. He knew that voice. Correction, he knew the owner of that
voice.

"Shadow?!" Sonic's eyes widened in surprise as he stared at the older hedgehog, "What are
you doing here?!" He smiled awkwardly, feeling his face get hot.
Shadow just stared at him coldly before turning his attention to the children's store whose
name was "Mommy and Baby".

"Shopping?!" The oldest asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sonic blushed before responding awkwardly.

"W-well! yes... actually I just found out that my daughter is due in two months, so I'm
rushing to make her room."

"I am seeing." He snapped at the agent as he looked at the various bags that were in Sonic's
hands.

"You don't seem surprised" The hero frowned. "I thought you didn't believe May was my
daughter." He teased, tilting his head to the side. "How did you say?! She's a weapon created
by Egman to destroy me?!"

Shadow fought the urge to roll his eyes before replying, "I met with them earlier today." For
some reason, Sonic knew that Shadow was referring to Amy and May.

"AND...?!" The hero snapped his fingers anxiously.

"If the fox took the DNA tests and it came back positive, all I have to do now is be happy for
you" The striped hedgehog's response took Sonic by surprise, leaving him in shock.

"T-thank you?!" He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"How are you?!" Shadow asked as they began walking side by side along the busy sidewalks.

"Honestly?! Kind of scared", Sonic replied tiredly. "This has always been my dream, but it's
all happening so fast. I'm a little nervous. I wonder what she's going to be like?!"

"Small?!" Sadow asked sarcastically. "Small like a baby?!"

"... You're right", Sonic smiled as he stopped to think about baby May, a beautiful baby with
blue and peach fur in the arms of... In the arms of...-

'Don't think about it,' Sonic told himself as he followed Shadow.

Seeing Shadow's wayward spines from behind reminded him of the stars. Whenever Sonic
looked up at the night sky, he was reminded of the temperamental hybrid.

Sonic loved Shadow.

So much so that it even hurt.

But May's newfound discovery shows that in the near future he will be with someone who
isn't Shadow. So at some point in time, he will have to abandon what he feels for the agent.

The idea hurt.

He loved his rival, but he also loved May. He would do anything to keep her alive, even if it
meant forgetting Shadow forever.

But how would he do that?!

Shadow was in all of his thoughts.

Every conversation he had with a striped hedgehog lit the flame in his chest even more.
Making him have thoughts, have desires. Just the hybrid's voice made his body shiver with
sensations he had never experienced yet.

While licking his dry lips Sonic reached into his quills for the small velvet box he carried
everywhere with a smile on his face. He carefully opened the box and lifted it so it was just
inches from Shadow's back.

He was taking a big risk by doing this so carelessly. Shadow could easily turn around and see
an engagement ring. If that happened, what would he say?!

"Haha." The idea of being caught in the act was exciting for Sonic, who couldn't take his eyes
off his doppelganger.

Shadow stopped growing when he turned 18. Now Sonic, at 21, felt a great feeling of
protection, even though the older hedgehog didn't need it.

Sonic wanted Shadow more than anything in the world. But for the speedster, his life had
become one of those cliché novels that Amy kept forcing him to read. The book was always
focused on the protagonist who suffered from a forbidden love.

Shadow was unreachable. The media wanted their hero married and living a happy life with
Amy Rose, his faithful friend and teammate. Sonic wondered if in the future Midia actually
managed to bring the two together in the end.

He shuddered at the thought.

"Faker" Shadow turned around and Sonic had never run so far to hide the ring in his spikes.

Shadow frowned and Sonic smiled, thinking that if it took another zeptosecond, he would be
a dead hedgehog.

"You look weird" Shadow snapped. Or at least weirder than usual. He thought.

Sonic seemed to be uncomfortable with the situation.

And how not to be?!

The experience of almost being caught fragrant made him very excited. And that was a very
dangerous fetish.

"Alright, get your thoughts out of the gutter, you sick man", thought the hero.
"It looks like I'm in trouble", whispered Sonic, but then his eyes went from his rival to the
environment in which they found themselves.

They were in a beautiful park. The air was cool, cool and calm. Children ran around the field
playing tag while being watched by their parents.

The blue hero didn't know when or how they had gotten there, but he soon allowed himself to
relax for the first time in a long time.

"It's beautiful here" Sonic breathed. He had never been to that part of town, or if he had, it
certainly wasn't at less than 100 miles per hour.

Shadow didn't respond. He just let out a light growl as he started to leave. Crowded places
gave him migraines.

"Oh!" Sonic quickly grabs Shadow by the wrist with one hand while pointing in a direction
with the other. "Look Shads!"

This was unexpected and very risky on Sonic's part, but the hero was willing to see how far
he could push Shadow's patience before getting punched in the face.

Sitting on one of the benches in the square was a white dwarf rabbit who was embroidering
yellow flowers on a small silk scarf. But that wasn't what caught Sonic's attention, what had
caught the hero's attention was the bulge on the young woman's belly. The little rabbit was
pregnant.

"That's amazing", Sonic approached the girl while pulling Shadow by the wrist. "Your belly
is so beautiful"

The bunny looked at them and blushed before breaking into a wide smile.

"Thank you" She thanked him and Sonic's eyes shone like stars.

"Can I play?!" The hero asked before thinking. Before he could apologize for his boldness,
she replied:

"Maybe yes"

Sonic returned the sincere smile and let go of Shadow's wrist so he could touch the young
mother's lower belly.

"Wow..." Sonic felt his eyes fill with water. "Amazing"

"..." Shadow just rolled his eyes and when he was about to leave, Sonic called him.

"Shadow, you need to feel this" The blue speedster takes Shadow's hand and places it right
next to hers. "Do you feel it?!"

"Feeling what?!" The agent growls, and when he was about to remove his hand, he felt it.
There...

Strong and insistent.

"He's kicking" Sonic commented.

"Wow..." The agent hummed. Is he really there?! He thought.

Sonic felt like he was almost crying. His gaze returned to Shadow and he felt his heart break
into a million pieces.

"They get very agitated at the end of pregnancy" The young pregnant woman offered a small,
honest smile.

There was a pause. And then.

"Mind if I listen?!" Sonic asked and Shadow looks down at Sonic's hand that still remained
clinging to him.

"Of course not," the bunny murmured fondly. "Feel free"

Sonic curled his lips into a big smile and very carefully placed his ear against his bulging
belly. Waiting. Waiting.

"Wow..." he whispered after a few seconds. "That's really amazing. Is this your first time
pregnant?!"

"No... This is the third one. The other two are at school", she caressed her belly with love in
her eyes. "My husband and I are trying to have a girl."

"But doesn't it hurt?!" The ultimate lifeform asked before thinking. He had talked to Rouge
about this before, but the white bat never had time to go into detail. Although he suspects that
his roommate is just running away from a very awkward conversation.

"Shadow!!!" Sonic quickly scolded him. Even someone like him knew that this was a very
sensitive topic for pregnant women.

"Haha... It's okay, your friend is just curious." The young bunny placed her hand on her chin
as if thinking for a while. "I have been a mother before and I can assure you that the pain of
childbirth can be compared to the sensation of 20 bones in the body being broken at once."

"Um... That looks painful" Sonic commented sarcastically.

"That's why I didn't explain it in a worse way." The bunny winks at Sonic making him blush.
"But that depends on each person."

"Then why do you still insist??", Shadow interrupted their dialogue. "Even though you know
the pain you will feel, why do you still try?!"

The rabbit thought for a moment before responding:

"Maybe there is no right answer to this, dear, the pain is unique and special, and in the end it
will all be worth it"

"If I could, I would feel all the pain of childbirth in my loved one's place", Sonic says,
placing his hand on his chest. He had never thought about it that way, and for the first time in
his life he felt afraid of something that wasn't related to fighting.

"You don't need to feel it, but being close at the moment and supporting us helps us a lot" The
pregnant woman comforted him.

Shadow frowns even more before leaving growling.

"S-shadow" Sonic tries to stop him, without success. He turns his attention to the rabbit and
bows. "I'm sorry about my friend, he's a little temperamental"

"It's okay," the young woman consoles him. "He's just confused."

"I have to go, thank you very much for letting me feel and hear his belly" He thanked him
blushing. "I hope you can have a girl."

"Thank you" She smiled as she watched Sonic try to run to catch up with his rival.

Shadow was still walking in long strides. His lips pursed into a straight line as he tried to
digest what he had just heard.

"Shadow!" The agent heard Sonic calling him from afar, but he didn't stop or slow down his
steps.

Sonic grabbed him by the wrist and tried to pull him against him. Unsuccessfully. Then he
walked quickly until he was facing Shadow blocking his path.

"Why did you get upset all of a sudden?" Sonic felt the urge to ask.

The youngest was upset, he thought the two were having an interesting conversation back
there. The hero actually thought that Shadow had enjoyed feeling a baby's kicks for the first
time.

"Why do you idiots torture yourselves to have a baby?!." Shadow responded by asking
another question. "It makes no sense"

"But that's the way it is, Shadow," Sonic grabs him by the shoulders. "We can't change this.
When you have your children, you will understand"

"I won't have children, hedgehog"

Sonic sighs tiredly before letting go of the older man's shoulders. He was too tired to start a
fight with Shadow. Maybe another day.

"_... the pain is unique and special, and in the end it will all be worth it..._"
The young rabbit's words hammered in Shadow's mind. What could be worth the sacrifice of
feeling pain?!

The ultimate life form would discover. One way or another.

"What did you think when you found out she was really his daughter?!" Shadow asked
quietly, only for Sonic to hear.

"I was happy." Sonic shrugged nonchalantly. "Deep down inside I already knew she was my
daughter. Maybe it was paternal instinct?!", he smiled.

Shadow just listened to his rival in silence as he continued to speak.

"I was also pretty scared when I found out she was coming in two months," he began
cracking his knuckles anxiously. "I feel like I'm not prepared. I keep asking myself, will I be
a good father?! And also, who is May's mother?"

"I thought it was Rose," Shadow looked at Sonic, eyes alert and curious.

"I don't see Amy with those eyes," Sonic replied, his greenish irises darkening in a split
second.

Shadow soon noticed the hero's slight discomfort and quickly changed the subject.

"Her name is very beautiful" He whispered, trying to sound disinterested. Sonic looked at
him questioningly and he finished saying: "Your daughter's name. 'May' is a very beautiful
name."

"And just an abbreviation, I don't know her real name," Sonic's voice was full of questions,
admiration and love.

"Curious" The striped agent lowered his head as he thought. Sonic quickly snaps him out of
his thoughts by asking.

"Shadow, if you had a daughter-"

Shadow quickly cut him off.

"I'm not having children," he wanted to make that clear.

"OK!" Sonic raised his arms in surrender, fearing that any wrong word would end up
resulting in Shadow jumping down his throat. "But if you -hypothetically- had a daughter,
what would her name be?!"

Shadow stopped walking for a moment and thought. Sonic was convincing himself that
Shadow wouldn't respond when:

"Maria"

"What?!" The hero quickly turned his head to face the older hedgehog.
"If I had a daughter, she would be called Maria"

"...Maria..."Sonic repeated tenderly, the name was like candy in his mouth. "That's a beautiful
name"

Shadow just blushed before turning away in irritation. "Your way irritates me" He growls
turning on his air shoes and gaining a great distance from Sonic.

"Don't hate me", replies Sonic quickly following him.

To be continued...
 Nausea and pregnancy cravings part 1
Chapter Summary

"I'm so excited to start feeling sick," Amy hummed as she folded the sweater to put it in
the bag.

Shadow frowned.

"Sickness?!"

"Yes, dear," Rouge replied patiently. "It is common for women to experience certain
types of symptoms during pregnancy"

This caught the agent's attention.

Chapter Notes

The chapter was so long that I had to split it into two parts :3

"Daddy!" If the high-pitched scream didn't scare Shadow, being hugged around his legs
certainly did.

"What?" With a frustrated groan, Shadow began to shake his leg for May to release him. "I'm
not your father, pest"

"Calm down, Shadow", Sonic was quick to grab his daughter's hand and position himself in
front of her. "She must have thought you were me"

Shadow stopped and blinked in confusion.

"What did you think?", the hybrid frowned irritably. There was only one stupid person in the
world who would mistake him for Sonic. "Chaos! Your daughter is blind like Rose"

Sonic was about to protest, but stopped when he realized that Shadow was right. Amy was
famous for hugging any living hedgehog because she thought it was him. As much as
Shadow and him were similar in terms of their physique, speed and resistance, there were
certain characteristics that greatly differentiated them from each other.

"Don't be rude to her, Shadow," Sonic apologized to his daughter. "She's just a child"
"Tsk"

Sonic blinks at this. He was about to say something else when he felt small hands poking his
leg.

"It's okay daddy", May whispered softly for only Sonic to hear. She took one last look at
Shadow before turning her attention back to the blue speedster. "How am I?" She asked,
walking around to show her father the new dress.

Sonic couldn't help but smile. May was wearing a beautiful white dress with straps that
reached her knees, small purple flowers were embroidered on the ruffles giving an air of
lightness and naturalness. Now more than ever, May seemed like the protagonist of a
romance novel.

"You look beautiful, darling," the hero smiled warmly as he crouched down next to his
daughter. "Did you choose him?"

"Yes" May replied giving Sonic a kiss on the cheek before he lifted her onto his lap.

"It looks like a birthday cake," Shadow growled as he looked at May in the hero's arms.

Sonic laughed before turning his attention to little May and asking:

"It doesn't look very comfortable for running," Sonic ran his fingers through one of the
ruffles curiously. "What if you fall?

"Jeez Sonic!", Amy scolded him as she approached. She placed her hands on her hips and
added: "Our daughter is a lady, she's not going to run around like she's a boy.

"But Amy! She's my daughter, it's natural that she likes running just like me", Sonic tried to
talk, but Amy quickly interrupted him saying:

"You mean 'our', she's our daughter Sonic. And I say she's too fragile to run around with the
risk of falling and breaking her neck"

"It's okay," Sonic whispered, drooping his ears in defeat. He didn't want to argue with Amy in
front of May.

The first word that hissed in Shadow's mind was "yuck." Seeing Sonic and Amy acting like a
couple was making him angry. For some reason the dark agent knew things were going to get
more annoying than usual.

"It's okay, Daddy," May's childish voice brought Shadow out of his thoughts. "I can still run
pretty fast even when I'm wearing a dress", true to her words, jumping from Sonic's lap to the
ground, May ran around the group easily.

'She's fast', Shadow thought tilting his head to the side as he crossed his arms in front of his
chest. She really is Sonic's daughter.
"M-may, stop running like that," Amy tried to sound stern, but her voice came out broken.
"You might fall"

"May!" Sonic smiled. He tried to extend his arm to capture May, but because she was small,
she was able to easily avoid her father's arms.

Shadow growled as he felt May go under his legs almost knocking him over.

"That's it," he took a deep breath and stamped his foot impatiently. "Keep running until you
fall and hit your head on the wall," Shadow added.

May stopped quickly and stared at Shadow with big emerald eyes. She opens her mouth to
say something, but no words come out. Not because she had nothing to say, but because she
had never heard the striped hedgehog talk to her like that.

"I'm sorry," the youngest whispers before running to hide behind Sonic's legs.

A laugh attracts everyone's attention to Rouge who was watching everything from afar with
fun, next to her was Knuckles who was smiling widely as they sat at a cafeteria table.

"She's very excited, just like you Blue", Rouge winks at Sonic who feels the blood in her face
heat up.

"Do you think so?!", he asked, sitting down at the table awkwardly.

The white bat smiles mischievously before pulling Knuckles close enough to whisper
something in her ear.

"Don't you think so too?!"

"What?!" The red echidna asks without understanding.

"That Sonic's daughter is similar to Shadow", she gives Knuckles some time to look before
finishing by saying. "If it weren't for her blue fur, I'd say she was Shadow's daughter."

"Rouge, I think you're thinking too much" Knuckles whispered to his girlfriend who laughed.

After placing May in a child seat, Amy sat down turning to Sonic:

"Honey! May looks so cute in the clothes that Rouge and I chose for her. I can't wait to show
you all the little clothes we bought for you", she added, feeling a little proud of herself for
making something so cute and adorable out of her. adorn yourself.

"Dear?!" Sonic asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Yes," Amy smiled. "Since we will be married in the future, I decided to call you darling."
She also wanted to tell Sonic to get used to it, but she soon gave up, as she knew that Sonic
would have all the time in the world to get used to her. Because in a few months they will be
married and have a beautiful daughter.
Sonic didn't respond immediately, he just stared at May who was quiet, very quiet. Well, if he
wanted to know anything about the future, he would have to go deeper than just observing his
10-year-old daughter's reactions.

Sighing nonchalantly, Rouge asked, "How about we pick something to eat?!"

"Please," Knuckles replied meekly as his girlfriend motioned for the waiter to come closer.

"I'll have a fruit salad," Amy said cheerfully as the waiter carefully wrote down the order in a
notebook. "And my husband here will want Chilis dogs"

"T-thank you Amy", Sonic gasped when he felt Amy hug her arm.

"I didn't choose May's, since I don't know her very well", Amy placed her hand on her chin
thoughtfully. "She's so thin and small, it seems like she eats so little."

"What does she normally eat, a lettuce leaf? Wow!" Knuckles howled as he felt Rouge hit
him with her elbow. "I am sorry my love"

"May, what would you like to eat?", Sonic asked his daughter patiently. "A strawberry
shortcake?"

May shook her head. "I hate sweet things," she replied to Amy's surprise.

"So you like Chili dogs like me?", Sonic pointed to himself with his thumb.

"No," she shook her head again. "Actually I hate it"

Sonic's eyes widened at the response. Never in his life had he felt so betrayed before.

"Is she really your daughter?", Knuckles asked Sonic and he nodded his head still in shock.

"Don't you like Chilis dogs?", the hero asked ironically, still feeling like he had been stabbed
in the back.

"I actually liked it before," May explained as she played with her fingers. "But when mom
had to go on a work trip, we spent a week having Chilis dogs for dinner since you didn't
know how to cook."

Sonic felt his face heat up as he heard Rouge, Knuckles, and the waiter laughing softly.

"I'll have a burger with lots of fries and chaos cola, please," May replied to the waiter who
calmly wrote it down.

Sonic stopped for a minute and waited. Asking if May was joking or not.

She wasn't.

"Damn..." Knuckles also looked surprised. "Where does so much food go?"

Rouge elbowed her boyfriend in the ribs again, before glaring at the waiter mischievously.
"My boyfriend and I will have the usual, please... How about you Shadow?" She looked at
her roommate who so far hadn't said anything at the table.

"No," he said shortly.

Sighing, Rouge released the waiter. Shadow wouldn't eat if his life depended on it.

"Aaaaa...", May's scream caught the attention of everyone at the table. "Dad! those kids are
playing pirates in the play area." She excitedly pointed to the other boys. "Can I go play too
until the snacks arrive?"

"Of course not, sweetheart," Amy grabbed May's arm and pulled her back into the chair. "You
are a fragile and delicate girl. You shouldn't mix with these wild and violent boys"

May pursed her lips before facing Sonic in a silent plea.

"Yes you can, darling, you can go wherever you want." He winked. "Just don't leave the
planet, okay?!"

"Okay!", she accepted before running off to the play area. Ignoring Amy's frantic calls.

"Sonic", Amy sighed, looking back at the hero. "You must not trample on my authority"

"Let her play Amy," Rouge scolded her. "She must already be quite stressed about being
away from home. At least having fun will make her feel safer."

Amy let out a big sigh.

"You're right," she sat back down next to Sonic.

With his hand on his cheek resting on the table, Shadow watched May play pirates with the
other children. Her mind went back to the white rabbit she talked to in the park earlier. He
held his breath as he thought about the words spoken by the young mother. It was still very
difficult to understand what they really felt.

The conversation at the table proceeded normally, but Sonic couldn't help but smile as he saw
Shadow stare at May with such a cute and curious expression on his face.

Placing his hands on his cheeks as he leaned on the table, Sonic asked, "Shadow, you're so
quiet, what are you thinking about?!"

Shadow sighed, still distracted.

"Making Babies"

The agent responded without thinking.

Sonic's eyes widened like two coins as his face turned a shade of red that could easily
compete with Knuckles' fur.
Partly coming out of his thoughts, Shadow noticed that all the attention at the table was
focused on him. Rouge smiled mischievously while Knuckles held back from laughing. Amy
had a goofy smile on her face while Sonic struggled to control the blush on his face.

Realizing what he will end up saying, Shadow feels his face burn with embarrassment.

'What the hell did I just say?'

"N-no, that's not what you're thinking, I was just thinking about what we talked about earlier
in the park, okay?" The hybrid tried to explain himself, embarrassed. Shadow at that moment
just wanted to stick his head out from under the ground.

Expecting a sarcastic or silly comment from his rival, Shadow was surprised when Sonic just
nodded and stared at his hands for a few seconds.

"It's okay..." Sonic began clicking his fingers in thought. "No need to be embarrassed"

"I'm not embarrassed," Shadow muttered irritably, not looking at Sonic.

Amy frowned after several awkward, silent seconds. Rouge did nothing but laugh like she
was on some drug.

She needed to change the atmosphere at that table, and quickly.

"Shadow...", Amy called after the older hedgehog hesitantly. "When are you going to start
dating?"

Sonic, Rouge and Knuckles looked at her in horror, as if Amy had made the worst mistake in
the world.

"W-what?", Shadow's head tilted slightly to the side.

"Well...", she played with the hem of her dress. "Rouge and Knuckles are dating, Sonic and I
are practically a couple and we even have a daughter. But what about you?!" She paused. "It
must be very boring to suffer loneliness"

"I don't suffer from loneliness," Shadow replied baring his fangs. "I enjoy every moment with
her."

This answer didn't seem to satisfy Amy's curiosity.

"Come on Shadow," Rose tried again. "Have you ever dated?!"

"..."

"Have you ever had an affair?!"

"..."

"Do you even intend to have children?!"

"No!" Shadow finally responded. He wanted to make it clear to everyone who would listen
that he would never have children.

The only response he received was a sad look from Sonic, a pathetic groan from Amy, and a
look of disapproval from Rouge and her idiot boyfriend.

"I said I don't intend to have children, not that I killed a bird." He responded to the agent,
finding the reaction of Sonic's friends a bit exaggerated.

"Who will take care of you in your old age?!" Rose asked stubbornly crossing her arms in
front of her chest.

"I don't age," he grimaces. He hoped it was obvious since he was the only one who didn't age
past eighteen.

"Stop annoying him with those questions," Sonic interrupted the conversation, as if
conflicted. His gaze rested on Shadow for a few seconds before returning to Amy.

"I'm sorry, but it must be really annoying not to be wanted by anyone," Amy shrugged
nonchalantly as she looked at Shadow. "Because you look like Sonic you should be coveted
by many, but you are still always alone"

"Are you kidding?!", Rouge asked raising an eyebrow. "Shadow is only alone because he
wants to be"

"Really?!", Sonic and Amy asked at the same time. Shadow blushed violently.

"Rouge," the agent scolds her.

"It may not seem like it, but he's famous in GUN," Rouge said with a perverted look on her
face. "Once a boss - I won't name names - of a sector bought a three million engagement ring
for Shadow, and he said no"

"Wow," Amy looked taken aback.

"What the hell, Rouge!" Shadow shouted. His eyes widening with anger.

"And there was a guy who, on his own wedding day, called the apartment saying that if
Shadow dated him, he would leave his bride at the altar."

"How horrible," Knuckles pursed his lips and stared at his girlfriend with a disgusted
expression. "And what happened to this guy?"

"He's still married to his wife today and has four children," Rouge replied, indifferently.

"Rouge," Shadow exclaimed, embarrassed.

"What's up sweetie," Rouge smiled mischievously. Shadow blushed. "I'm just saying you're
irresistible. Remember the Drug Dealer?!"
Shadow frowned. "He hadn't died?!"

"You pushed him off the roof because he asked you out"

"Details." Shadow shrugged again, ignoring his blue rival's large, expressive green eyes.

"I remember this". Knuckles exclaimed, his violet eyes widening even more as he stared at
his girlfriend. "I remember you had to wear a short red dress to seduce the judge."

"I couldn't leave Shadow with a dirty criminal record. That's bad for business", Rouge
stammered in a serious and offended voice. She knew that Shadow - maybe not the dress part
- would do the same for her.

Sonic's gaze slid anxiously between Rouge and Shadow. His gaze dropped to his hands for a
few seconds and then he grimaced.

Ah, poha. Of course Shadow would have admirers. The black hedgehog was handsome and
very attractive, his cold and explosive personality was also a factor that helped in many
aspects.

Was he jealous?

But why feel jealous if Shadow rejected them all?

He can't feel jealous of Shadow, in fact he can't feel anything.

In the future he will marry someone and that someone will soon give birth to May, and all
this in less than two months.

He can no longer let his heart deceive himself.

Of course, Sonic has always dreamed of bonding with Shadow. Before, deep down, deep
down, he hoped to have a chance with his rival, even if that chance was less than 0.01%. But
now it was different, now he knows it's an impossible dream.

"We can't have everything in the world", thought the speedster as he tried to understand why
Shadow and Rouge were still arguing about 'personal life'.

Shadow grimaced and looked away. Before he could get up from the table, Amy interrupted
him:

"Well... how about we change the subject and talk about me", she asked neutrally, without
waiting for an answer, she finished by saying: "Sonic, look at this", she said sweetly while
taking off a nightgown white silk from one of the shopping bags. "What do you think?!"

"Um..." Pretty?!", Sonic replied a little uncomfortably.

"The girl at the store said they're as comfortable as cotton clouds," Amy smiled widely as she
showed the nightgown to the rest of the group.
"I think it's too frilly," Knuckles scoffed, receiving an icy glare from his girlfriend.

Amy just ignored him and continued talking.

"I bought it for when I'm going to give birth to May, the girl at the store said it's very
comfortable." She paused excitedly "I'm already imagining what May will be like running
around the house. And you Sonic?!"

Sonic blinked. "I don't know," he replied quickly. Imagining Amy as May's mother felt so...
Wrong...

Shadow looked at him and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. All this family talk was giving
him headaches.

"I'm so excited to start feeling sick," Amy hummed as she folded the sweater to put it in the
bag.

Shadow frowned.

"Sickness?!"

"Yes, dear," Rouge replied patiently. "It is common for women to experience certain types of
symptoms during pregnancy"

This caught the agent's attention.

“What kind of symptoms?!” he asked casually. Trying to camouflage his slight tone of
interest.

"Um...", Rouge seemed to think. It was really fun to have this kind of conversation with
Shadow, she really felt like his big sister to him. "Menstrual delay, nausea and vomiting,
breast enlargement and breast tension, abdominal cramps, tiredness and excessive sleep,
dizziness, mood changes, acne, headaches, changes in taste, among others.

A pause.

"Does this mean that in addition to feeling pain, the woman will also be subjected to other
types of torture?!", Shadow asked the white bat with wide eyes.

Hesitation.

"Poha!"

"Saying it like that seems like a bad thing," Amy interrupted the conversation, smiling
sweetly.

"Yeah...", Knuckles also interrupted. "Relax man, you're not the one going to feel pain ha
ha... Wow!" He screamed as he was pinched by Rouge. "What did I say wrong?!"
"Nothing, you didn't say anything!" Rouge crossed her arms as Knuckles rubbed the sore
area. Amy and Sonic laughed at their friend.

Knuckles just bought a one-way ticket to sleep on the couch for a long time.

To be continued...
 Nausea and pregnancy cravings part 2
Chapter Summary

"How about we talk about the desires you'll have Amy", Rouge asked gently, not
knowing whether or not the new topic could cause another argument.

"Eh...?!", Amy blushed putting her hands on her face. "Um... I hadn't thought of that
before."

"Wishes?!", Shadow asked curiously. Was this another pregnancy-related thing? He

thought.

"Yes dear," Rouge explained patiently. "This is when a pregnant woman feels a very
strong desire, almost a compulsion, for a specific food"

Shadow calmly waited for her to continue.

Chapter Notes

Pregnancy is the ability to feel sick and be happy anyway.

Soon the snacks arrived on the table and Sonic was quick to call his daughter to eat.

May sat excitedly at the table and stared at her huge sandwich for a few seconds.

Still munching on his Chili dog, Sonic asked, "Is everything okay dear? The food is not to
your liking ?"

May blushed as she looked away in embarrassment.

Swallowing hard, the hero asked: "Do you want me to buy you something else to eat?"

"Idiot," Shadow replied. Not believing that Sonic could be so stupid that he couldn't
understand what his daughter wanted. "She wants you to cut her sandwich for her."

"What?", Sonic asked in surprise. Turning his attention to May with a flushed face. "Um...
yes, ok! I'll do it. Um..." He dropped the knife twice on the table before steadying it in his
fingers. "Would you rather um... if I cut it like this or..."
Out of patience, Shadow stole the knife from Sonic's hands and cut May's sandwich in half.
Many years of living with little Cream made him understand children a little.

"T-thank you!" May thanked him warmly.

"Tsc" He growled in response as he dropped the knife on the corner of the table.

At that moment, Rouge's eyes sparkled like diamonds, a great - and terrible - idea appearing
in her mind.

Catching everyone's attention at the table, she asked:

"What do you think we ask May some questions?!"

"Rouge!" Sonic slammed his hand on the table, scaring the bat. "We can't ask May
questions."

"Why?!", the bat asked, with feigned innocence in its eyes. "I'm just curious."

"No way," Sonic looked at her seriously. "Tails said that knowing the future can cause
unexpected changes"

"Just a few questions, Sonic," Knuckles put his arm over his girlfriend's shoulder. "What's
wrong with asking a few questions?!"

Sonic paused. He didn't believe that asking questions about the future was the safest thing to
do at the moment. His gaze fell on Amy, who remained silent and neutral. He was counting
on her decision.

"That sounds like a good idea." Amy commented, her tone was sweet and gentle. Just like
Rouge, she was also very excited about the idea.

Sonic stopped and sighed in defeat.

He was at a huge numerical disadvantage at the moment. It was three against one, although
Shadow didn't seem too interested in giving his opinion.

"It's already decided," Rouge clapped her hands together as a way of closing the matter.

Sonic sighed, leaning back in his chair. Tails was going to kill him. At least he would make
sure the questions were the most comfortable for May.

"I gave the idea, so I start"

"Go ahead," Knuckles allows.

"Um... May, let's tell you a little about yourself"

Sonic looked at his daughter and saw that she didn't seem bothered.
"My favorite color is black, when I'm nervous I start cracking my fingers, my favorite food is
pizza, I'm afraid of being in tight spaces and I like watching the stars", she stopped for a
second and continued. "When I was 7 years old, I ran away with the circus and then I was
grounded for two months"

"Wow..." Sonic looked impressed and scared at the same time. Someone ended up inheriting
free spirit from him, and he didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"That was really good," Rouge commented and soon turned her attention to Shadow. "Your
time"

"What?!" The striped hedgehog asked in confusion.

"Ask May a question"

Shadow growled and turned his gaze to May as if she were a pest. He didn't care if the girl
knew how to respond or not, all he wanted to do was take her motorcycle and go home, but
he couldn't do that, no
when Rouge hid the motorcycle key in her breasts.

"Um... how many shots can a gun fire?"

"Shadow," Amy scolded him. "Ask her an easy question-"

"What kind of weapon?", May asked, cutting Amy off. Her eyes glittered with defiance.

"A... Desert Eagle" He replied showing his fangs trying to intimidate her, it didn't work.

"A Desert Eagle has magazines of 05, 10 or 15 rounds", as she replied, May felt a pang of
pride blossom as she watched Shadow's expression go from boredom to surprise for a few
seconds before returning to normal.

"Is that right?", Sonic asked curiously to his rival.

"Yes," Shadow replied, crossing his arms, wondering whether or not he should have
suggested a heavier weapon.

"My turn, my turn!" Knuckles exclaimed excitedly. He already had an idea of what to ask.
"How do you say 'my dad is an idiot' in Morse code?"

"Hey!", Sonic shouted in disbelief, Amy and Rouge tried to hold back their laughter.

May stopped for a minute and thought. With her right fist, she hit the table a series of times,
some were fast while others were slower. After taking the last hit, she took a sip of her drink
with a dark smile.

"Wow...that's amazing!", Knuckles' eyes shone like stars. He didn't know Morse code, but he
thought it was something similar. "Did she get it right, Rouge?"

"Y-yes..." The white bat whispered in amazement. I don't know morse code. She thought.
This has always been Shadow's department.

Because Shadow didn't need to eat or sleep, he found it easy to learn new languages and
codes when he was bored. You can't imagine how surprised she was to discover that her
flatmate had learned - in three hours - to use sign language just because he had seen two
people talking to each other.

"She's right," she added with an expressionless smile on her face.

The black hedgehog narrowed his eyes as he stared at his roommate. No, May didn't get it
right. Instead of saying 'my dad is an idiot', she said. 'I love my mother." Although it wasn't
what the echidna had asked for, it didn't change the fact that a ten year old knew Morse code.

This was too complicated for Sonic or Rose to have taught it so casually.

"How do you know that?", Sonic asked his daughter curiously.

May narrowed her eyes as she looked down at her hands. "My mom taught me Morse code
before she even taught me how to talk," He hummed as he sipped his soda.

"Curious" Sonic heard Shadow whisper.

"Sonic," the hero is quickly brought out of his thoughts as he dodges a potato chip that was
thrown towards him. "It's your turn to ask," Rouge exclaimed calmly gesturing to the hero.

Sonic thought for a few seconds and stopped. May stared at him expectantly, her eyes
sparkling with excitement and excitement. His daughter was smart, that was obvious and he
was proud. The hero wanted to ask something different from his friends, maybe something
related to the future?

Tails would kill him.

A question soon formed in his mind.

This was good and had no danger of changing the future.

"Um... May," The young girl smiled at her father, finishing the first half of her sandwich and
going to devour the second half.

"Yes daddy", asked the girl, still with her mouth full.

"In the future, who is faster, Shadow or me?!", he asked, noticing from his peripheral vision
that Shadow was also interested in the question.

May smiled widely as she gulped down her sandwich. "They both have the same speed."

"Cool," Sonic looked at Shadow expectantly. He would never admit it - if you asked - but he
was happy to know that in the future Shadow is with him and that they still maintain their
rivalry.
"Amazing," Amy was pleased with the answers. Her daughter was not only beautiful, but she
was also very intelligent. She was eager to know how she is doing in the future with Sonic.
"May, dear! How many brothers do you have?!", asked the pink hedgehog expectantly. It was
normal for the first child to look like their father, but Amy hoped that May would have a little
brother or sister who had her characteristics, such as pink fur and a rounder face.

Sonic was about to protest when May interrupted him:

"I don't have any brothers," he replied casually as he popped a potato into his mouth, never
looking Amy in the eye as she spoke. "I'm an only child."

"What?!", Rose was disappointed with this answer. "What do you mean you don't have
brothers?" she was still in disbelief. "I thought that since Sonic and I are so in love, we would
have at least four kids."

"Amy" Sonic called her. Her hands hovering in the air in an attempt to calm the pink
hedgehog.

"I'm sorry to bring you to reality Sonic," Amy sobs hysterically. "But for us to have children
our lips and our bodies will have to touch hundreds of times"

"What a nuisance," Shadow whispered, making Amy flinch in her seat.

If regret could kill, Rouge would now be lying on the ground. On one side of the table, Sonic
and Amy were arguing about how many children they would have. The white bat could
vaguely see Shadow silent and thoughtful as he looked at the arguing couple with a deadly
glare. She was afraid that the agent would jump from that chair onto Sonic's neck and stick a
fork in the hero's throat.

May calmly chewed her sandwich while observing the discussion, as if she was already used
to this type of commotion.

The young woman looked to the side and offered a piece of sandwich to Shadow, who angrily
refused.

An idea quickly sprouted in the albino bat's head, something that would not only distract
Shadow, but would also make Amy forget about the unlikely future that awaits her.

"How about we talk about the desires you'll have Amy", Rouge asked gently, not knowing
whether or not the new topic could cause another argument.

"Eh...?!", Amy blushed putting her hands on her face. "Um... I hadn't thought of that before."

"Wishes?!", Shadow asked curiously. Was this another pregnancy-related thing? He thought.

"Yes dear," Rouge explained patiently. "This is when a pregnant woman feels a very strong
desire, almost a compulsion, for a specific food"

Shadow calmly waited for her to continue.

"Usually these foods are unconventional," she shrugged.

"What types of food?!", the agent asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Um...", Rouge placed her hand on her chin thoughtfully. "Something like spicy foods or
some strange combination of two foods that have nothing to do with each other, like ice
cream with pepper, or with tomato sauce... I've heard of some cases where a woman wanted
to eat her husband's toenails."

"Disgusting!", Knuckles' face contorted in disgust. The thought of having Rouge eat his
toenails made his stomach turn.

"Haha...", Amy laughed embarrassedly. "If I have cravings, it will be for cute, healthy foods
like cakes and fruit."

Upon hearing this statement, Sonic had a vague idea.

"May," he turned his attention to his daughter.

...Please...

"What was the wish your mother had when she was pregnant with you?!"

...Anything...

...Anything that says Amy isn't your mother...

May smiled, as if she read her father's anguished mind. She searched her memories for an
answer, vaguely remembering a conversation she overheard from her parents some time ago.

"Earth," she finally replied.

"Earth?!", Sonic asked, raising his eyebrows, trying - and failing - to hold back his laughter.

"Yes, earth!", she paused thoughtfully and smiled as she remembered something else. "And
also grass."

Rouge laughed at that. It wasn't what she expected.

"I'm sorry friend", the white bat tried to console her friend. "But it seems we can't choose the
desires we have"

Amy huffed sullenly.

"I'm afraid there are more boring things for you to worry about, Amy dear," Rouge
commented as she ate her long-forgotten snack. "I want you to be prepared for when your
body starts to change"

"Don't even get me started on that," Amy sighed tiredly. "What worries me most is what will
happen to my pelvis.
"Your pelvis?", Shadow interrupted curiously. He knew it was a group of bones and that it
was in the hip region, but what he didn't understand was what happened to this region in
particular during pregnancy. 'Does it have anything to do with normal birth?'. He thought.

Rouge smiled mischievously. Both Shadow and she couldn't understand why the subject
attracted so much attention from the definitive life form, but she was more than happy to
explain everything to her colleague.

This would be a long conversation.

________________________________________

The rest of the conversation made the night go by like a hurricane. As they said goodbye,
Sonic tried to carry a sleeping May with one arm while carrying several bags with the other.

After giving May one last kiss on the cheek, Amy says goodbye.

"I have to go," she ran her hand through the girl's spines. Part of her didn't want to go, but
she knew Sonic would take good care of her daughter. "I promised to arrange some things
with Cream early tomorrow", she said, walking away. After giving Rouge a hug she added:
"Tell little May I said bye"

"Okay," Sonic sighed tiredly. Despite being small, May weighed twice as much as those
shopping bags.

"Okay," Rouge hummed. "Shadow and I will go too," Knuckles had already gone a few
hours ago, so it was about time they went too. "We have a meeting with the GUN captain in a
few hours." She sighed tiredly. "Maybe a new mission"

"I understand," Sonic smiled as he tried to fit May into his arms. "Then May and I will go
too", He whispered so his daughter wouldn't wake up. "Say goodnight to our friends, darling"

"Huhuhu...", mumbled the girl, drooling on her father's shoulder.

"How cute...", Rouge squeezed the girl's cheek, careful not to wake her. "Say goodnight to
her, Shadow"

Shadow was irritated by the bat, but whispered a small "Night" to the girl.

Even asleep, May smiled big and whispered sleepily. "G-good n-night mommy..."

A vein popped out on Shadow's forehead as Sonic felt his face heat up.

"I'm not your mother!!!" He growled irritably.

Sonic lowers his head in shame as he looks at Shadow, wrapping his peach arm around Mey.

"She's sleepy, Shadow," Sonic tilts his head and rests his cheek on his daughter's head.
"Stop trying to pick a fight with a ten year old girl, Shadow," Rouge scolded him as she
tugged on his elbow.

Sonic couldn't help but smile as he watched the duo walk away. Shadow showed a very cute
expression when being called "mom" by May. He found himself thinking about how Shadow
would act if he had a family, would he be nice, caring and kind?

"May, in the future, is there any chance of Shadow having children?", Sonic asked as he
walked again with his daughter in his arms.

"Hmmm... y" he whispered sleepily, changing his head position.

The hero smiled.

"Is that a yes or a no?"

________________________________________

Once at home, Sonic was drying May's hair with a big, fluffy towel while listening to his
daughter hum an unknown song. They were in his room. Since at the moment they didn't
have a room - apart from his and Tails' - reserved for guests.

He was relieved that his room was presentable when he arrived with his daughter a few
minutes ago. He deduced that Tails had cleaned it for him at some point during the day.

May wore pink cotton pajamas with blue butterfly designs. Its spines, even when wet, were
rebellious and refused to stay down.

"I'm sorry I woke you up to take a shower", Sonic apologized feeling guilty. He didn't want
May to sleep dirty after spending hours playing pirates. But she accepted being bathed by
him well.

"O-okay," She whispered staggering to the side. Too drowsy to keep eyes open. So cute.

"What are you thinking?!" Sonic asked, trying to distract his daughter while trying to dry her
facial hair.

"I'm thinking about mom", he yawned, snuggling closer to the white blanket with ducklings
on it. "Part of me understands her absence, but the other part still misses me"

"I'm sorry," Sonic apologized. "Tails and I still don't know how you got here. But we'll find
out soon. Okay?"

"Yes...", She yawns again as Sonic covers her. "This mom is a little different from the one I
know"

Sonic felt a lump form in her throat.

'May interacted with her mother?'. He thought the speedster intrigued. If that's the case then
was her mother really Amy?
Perhaps, in the future, May would meet an older, more mature version of Amy? Perhaps her
daughter was surprised by the younger Amy's bright and electric personality?

"Different?!" Sonic whispered without thinking. Hating the fact that he tried to interrogate his
daughter who could barely stay awake

"Yes," she turned to the corner. "But a good different... She is very beautiful and strong. And
she smells so good"

Sonic froze at the thought. Amy smelled like freshly picked roses from the field, was that the
smell May was talking about?

"May," he said softly, a lump catching his words in his throat. “Who is your mother?” he
dared to ask.

Now May was awake. Large emerald green eyes look at Sonic seriously.

"Uncle Tails told me not to tell," she replied with a shrug, smiling. "And also, if I told you,
you wouldn't believe it"

"..." Sonic felt his ears flatten. For the first time he had his dream of becoming a father
fulfilled, but something wasn't right. He refused to believe that in the near future he will have
a family with Amy.

"Sh... Sha... Sha-dow...?"

The speedster flinched as he listened to his daughter try to pronounce her rival's name.

"Sha-dow!" His tongue seemed to be in a knot, as if he was learning to speak for the first
time. "Talking like that is funny," she smiled looking at her hands. "I'm going to call him
Shads. You always call him Shads"

Sonic stopped and thought.

"He won't let you call him that," he sneered.

“No?” she asked with her head down. "This Shads is cruel"

"In the future, won't you call him by his name?", Sonic asked curiously.

"Not really," May shook her head.

"Why?!"

"Um...", May pondered, thinking about whether or not she could respond to her father. "In the
future he will lose a bet he made with you. So I will call him something else"

"What name would that be?!"

She smile. "S-e-c-r-e-t"

Sonic sighed. His daughter was smarter than he thought.

"What is my relationship with Shadow like in the future?" he still found himself asking.

"You guys fight a lot," She began. "Sometimes I hear him threatening to put broken glass in
his hot dogs"

"That's one thing he would do" Sonic thought happily.

"Daddy", still tired, May sat on the bed. "Are you scared?"

Sonic blushed at his daughter's question.

Yes, he was scared.

He was afraid of not being a good father, he was afraid that his decisions would take the
wrong path. He feared for May's life.

He was very scared, and the worst thing of all was that May didn't seem to have any idea
about it.

"I'm afraid of changing things and ending up losing you", he without realizing it gave his
daughter a sincere hug. In just a few hours he learned to love unconditionally.

"Daddy...", May whispered, leaning against the headboard. "My future daddy once told me
that one day I would meet a younger, stupider version of him."

"He said that?", Sonic raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Did he know?” he thought.

Did his future self know that May would travel back in time and meet a younger version of
him?

If this were true, then was this cycle repeating itself?

Like a time loop?

"Yes...", May replied as if she read his thoughts. "I didn't understand it at the time, but now it
all makes sense," she smiled. "He told me to tell you something"

"What did he say?" Sonic asked expectantly.

Perhaps information that would answer all his questions?

May leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Follow your heart"

"May..." Sonic had forgotten how unpredictable his daughter was.

If he follows his heart bad things will happen.

Still smiling, Sonic gently kisses his daughter's forehead.

"Yes darling, I'll follow my heart", he lied covering May up to her shoulders. "Good evening
May"

"Good night daddy", May replied with a calm smile.

He was about to close the door when he heard a whisper saying:

Good night mom

.....

To be continued...
 Why are you angry?
Chapter Summary

"Carry me, carry me" she held out her little hands for Shadow to take.

"I hate children," he bared his fangs again, trying to intimidate her. Did not work.

"Carry her a little, Shadow," Sonic continued to laugh, stroking May's fur with his
fingertips.

"I refuse," He felt himself shaking, he didn't know if it was cold or if he was afraid to
hold the child in his arms. This is ridiculous, he doesn't feel cold.

"Sorry princess." Sonic crouched down next to his daughter. "It seems that 'the ultimate
life form' doesn't know how to carry a child on its lap" he sneered.

Chapter Notes

Immortality has its cost: dying many times while living!

Friedrich Nietzsche

Before knocking on the door of Tails' house, Shadow briefly wondered what led him to be in
that place. Amy called Rouge late at night to let her know that Sonic would need help setting
up May's room, and Rouge quickly recommended Shadow.

The dark agent was thinking of various ways to punish his reckless roommate, but Rouge was
one of the few people he could stand and also the only one who had contact information for
his drinks supplier. His stock of Cardhu Single Malt 12 Year Old and his wine cellar
depended on him at the moment.

Spending a few hours in Sonic's annoying company would be worth it in the end. It would be
a small price to pay.

Three knocks on the door were enough for him, if that door didn't open in less than a minute
he would put it down.

Not long after, the door opened revealing a young, smiling yellow fox.

"S-shadow?" Tails asked confused, it was unusual for Shadow to come with her presence.
Was the world in danger again?

"Rouge forced me to come here," the agent was matter-of-fact in responding. Without much
patience to explain her reason for going there.

"What did she do? She put a gun to your head and threatened to shoot? Haha...ha", Tails
questioned casually. With a slight tone of sarcasm.

Shadow frowned and took a deep breath before biting his lip, baring a pointed, shiny canine.

Tails swallowed and froze.

The fox was good at reading the environment.

"C-come in," he said shyly in a shaky tone of voice.

Without another word, Tails led him up the stairs towards the second floor. The fox's house
was extremely organized and peaceful, the walls were painted in a cream color tone while the
furniture and curtains varied between brown and pastel yellow.

On the walls hung an absurd amount of portraits of Sonic with his friends. But what caught
his attention was that there were also pictures of him and his squad. Keeping photos of
people you barely knew was so strange that it seemed ridiculous.

That's it...

"Stupid," Shadow growled, walking back up the stairs in long two-step strides.

"Third door on the right." Tails whispered gesturing the rest of the way to Shadow. Before
descending the stairs in quick steps.

Following the wide corridor, Shadow stopped a few steps from the door when he heard a
childish voice ask:

"...do you think mom will like it?..."

His body locked up.

It was May's voice

"...She'll love it, darling..."

Sonic's response somehow sounded genuine.

Shadow's heart lurched in his chest. Not knowing if it was the cold or the surprise that made
his body shake. He didn't know why, but he always felt strange when he was in the presence
of those two.

With each step he took, Sonic's high-pitched voice became clearer as he talked excitedly to
his daughter.
He thought the brat would be in Rose's company.

How wrong he was.

Stopping in front of the door, Shadow can clearly see May on top of a ladder painting the
wall with a roller while under Sonic's watchful eye.

"Shadow?", Sonic exclaimed in surprise when he noticed the presence of the other hedgehog.

Shadow flinched as he watched Sonic approach.

"What a pleasant surprise," the blue sprinter added tenderly.

"Amy called Rouge in the early hours of the morning telling her that you would need help, so
she sent me here," the nonchalant hybrid replied in a whisper.

"Well...", Sonic hesitated for a few seconds. "But what about your job?"

Shadow blushed before looking away in embarrassment. "The commander gave me a week
off after I broke another squadron leader's nose."

"Wow...", Sonic laughed awkwardly, sparing a quick glance at his daughter before turning
back to Shadow. "What did he do to piss you off? Bring you flowers?"

Shadow growled, but responded anyway.

"The idiot cut off the water in team Darck's dorm, forcing Rouge and I to shower in the dorm
next door, which would be his."

"Did he try to do anything to you or Rouge?" He asked the blue hedgehog for the first time
seriously.

"Apart from the fact that he came into the bathroom while I was showering, no, he didn't do
anything"

Sonic let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and looked at his rival with disbelief and
awe. Deep down, deep down, he wanted to be in the shoes of this bastard who had the
audacity to see Shadow in such an intimate moment. Even if it left him with a broken nose.
There were so many things he wanted to say, but the words were stuck in his throat. Instead,
he awkwardly pointed out:

"There are people who would appreciate that kind of attention," Sonic commented, and then
thought some more. "Like. You're very pretty, so it's normal to receive... certain types of
attention", he added feeling his nose heat up and a slight pang of jealousy.

Shadow frowned.

"These people see me as an excuse. A prize to be won," he growled through half-closed eyes.
"I'm not a stuffed animal to be fought over."
"...", Sonic shrank silently, apparently not interested in starting an argument.

"Chaos, why do I only attract idiots?"

Sonic tried not to feel offended, but Shadow was right. Anyone who showed any kind of
interest in the agent was a complete idiot.

Shadow thought so too. He patiently waited for a sarcastic or mocking comment from his
rival. But to the agent's surprise, Sonic replied:

"Not everyone knows how to appreciate good wine"

"W-what?", Shadow's eyes widen in shock.

Sonic feels his face heat up as he realizes what he just said.

"You mean…" he looked around the room. He needed to change the subject immediately.
"What do you think of the room so far?"

He asked as he pushed his rival into the room.

Still frowning, Shadow looked the unfinished room up and down.

"Is it very... Green?", he tilted his head to the side.

"It's Surf Green, May chose it to match the white dresser and crib." He responded pointing at
his daughter proudly. "What do you think?"

The striped hedgehog placed his hand on his waist and stared at him blankly.

"Do you want sincerity or to continue being happy?", he asked sarcastically to the hero who
raised an eyebrow.

"Just say it looks nice and that's it"

"It's beautiful"

"Thank you", May replied, only now noticing the older hedgehog's presence.

"What have you done so far?", Shadow asked, looking at the pile of boards spread across the
floor.

"While May is painting the walls, I'm trying to put together this crib", Sonic smiled
awkwardly. "But I'm starting to suspect that more parts came than needed"

"More pieces?", Shadow thought, frowning. "Have you looked at the instructions?"

"What instructions?" The confused hero asks.

"Chaos, how do you expect to assemble a crib without instructions?" asked Shadow,
searching the boards in search of the instruction sheet. "Here", he completed, showing Sonic
a folded sheet that looks more like a newspaper.

He only needed five minutes to memorize all the parts before crumpling up the manual and
throwing it in Sonic's face.

With little effort he managed to separate the pieces of the crib into separate groups, aware of
Sonic's watchful eye. After cataloging each screw, he began assembling the crib himself.

Sonic felt like screaming.

Shadow is putting together his daughter's crib!

Shadow is putting together his daughter's crib!

Sonic realizes that he has imagined him and Shadow like this before. Setting up their
children's room.

And here he was, witnessing Shadow fitting the pieces of the crib together with such care and
attention. It would be a beautiful sight if it weren't so sad.

It took a long time for Sonic, perhaps until the time of ARCK, before he fully realized how
beautiful Shadow really was. How wonderful it was to be around him. How much Sonic
longed for the shadowy hedgehog's company.

For a few seconds, Sonic wished that May was his and Shadow's daughter. So he could be
really happy.

It would be something profoundly crazy and wonderful.

But that was an impossible dream.

Speaking of May, Sonic noticed that his daughter was quiet and silent for a long time, which
wasn't her normal. Looking at her, Sonic noticed that May's eyes were shining like stars as
she watched Shadow work.

Her eyes shone like two Chaos emeralds while her cheeks took on a light pink hue.

"Shads," she called him.

Shadow froze, before slowly staring at the girl.

"What did this pest call me?" he growled at May who seemed unintimidated by her fangs.

"Don't talk to her like that, Shadow," Sonic scolded him as he took another piece from the
crib for his rival. "She doesn't know how to say her name"

Shadow's eyes widened.

"So what does she call me?", asked the agent calmly.

Sonic just shrugged while patting May's spines.

"Get out of here," he growled at May, as he felt her grab her legs.

"Carry me, carry me" she held out her little hands for Shadow to take.

"I hate children," he bared his fangs again, trying to intimidate her. Did not work.

"Carry her a little, Shadow," Sonic continued to laugh, stroking May's fur with his fingertips.

"I refuse," He felt himself shaking, he didn't know if it was cold or if he was afraid to hold
the child in his arms. This is ridiculous, he doesn't feel cold.

"Sorry princess." Sonic crouched down next to his daughter. "It seems that 'the ultimate life
form' doesn't know how to carry a child on its lap" he sneered.

Still reluctant and feeling his quills rise, Shadow picked May up so that she was a good
distance from her face.

A laugh escaped Sonic's throat as he took in the scene. Shadow shuddered as he glared at his
rival over May's head.

"Idiot," Shadow muttered, shivering slightly as he felt May wrap her small arms around his
neck and hug him.

Sonic felt panic take over her chest and immediately took a step forward, fearing that
Shadow's thorns could hurt his daughter in some way.

There was no blood, he noted. There were no punctures, scratches or cuts. His daughter was
miraculously unharmed.

"Unusual", thought the hero releasing the breath he didn't know he was holding.

A growl passed the agent's lips. Contrary to what everyone thought, he was not a monster. He
took care of Cream when she was younger and he remembered never hurting her with his
quills.

"I like the way she smells," May murmured into Shadow's shoulder.

"Stop saying weird things", He whispers indignantly trying to push her away. Unsuccessfully.

"Do you hate my daddy?" she asked innocently.

"Of course I hate him, I want to wear his skin as a coat and feel his insides"

Sonic tensed, looking at Shadow as if he could actually do this.

"My mother said that loving is the same thing as hating a person," May relaxed, her body
shrinking to fit into Shadow's arms.

"Are you telling me that your mother hates your father?", Shadow raises an eyebrow, fixing
his gaze on Sonic for reactions. That's Ilario.
May smiled shyly and nodded, trying to ignore the indignant look her father was giving her.

Shadow's mouth twisted into a satisfied half-smile. "What about me? Will I continue to hate
your father in the future?"

May nods again, saying, "You tore up Dad's birth certificate, so every time you fight you say,
'Shut up, you don't even exist anymore.'

Shadow's smile disappeared.

"I can't believe I'm softening." He placed May down carefully.

"What do you think about interacting with younger people?", May asked, swinging her arms
at her sides, making Sonic choke on his own saliva.

Shadow raised both his eyebrows in surprise as May looked at him expectantly.

Sonic's mouth dropped open.

Casting a questioning look at Sonic's daughter, he replied: "Are you suggesting that I date
you? Your father wouldn't take kindly to that." He commented feeling a little disgusted.

"N-no!", May shuddered, putting both hands to her blushing face.

May's reaction resulted in Shadow's expression softening. Hearing that was actually a relief.

"M-may." It was Sonic's turn to blush, his cheeks turning a dark shade of red. "How about
helping Uncle Tails make lunch while Shadow and I finish putting together the crib?"

May's eyebrows drew together. She didn't try to hide her disgust before calmly walking to the
door. "Bye, Shads!" She smiled and left.

Sonic stared at Shadow as he heard May's hurried footsteps around the house.

Still feeling his face hot, he screamed. "Don't run in the house, May!"

After an uncomfortable moment of silence, Shadow spoke, "Sometimes I have thoughts," he

whispered before crouching down on the ground and reaching out a hand to Sonic.
"Screwdriver," he wasn't asking.

Sonic made a surprised expression before handing the tool to his rival. "What kind of
thoughts?" He asked rummaging through his quills for something.

Here!

He took out the velvety box with care before opening it. The engagement ring shined brighter
than ever. Sonic smiled. He was unable to get rid of the jewel, even though he knew he would
never have the chance to use it.
Shadow sighed and continued. "This story of not knowing to preserve the future, I find it all
confusing"

Sonic's mouth closed in a thin line. He allowed himself to kneel next to Shadow, before
depositing the open box behind his rival. A few centimeters from his back.

"Why are you saying this?" He asked staring at the ring in silence.

Red eyes appeared to stare at him and Sonic withdrew his face.

"Have you ever stopped to think that the reason May exists is actually because she ended up
in the past? Wrench." He completed by extending his hand.

"Why do you think so?" He asked, handing the wrench to his rival.

Shadow blinked. "Well... Two days ago you told me you wanted to adopt a child because you
couldn't have children." He bared his teeth, making no effort to hide his indignation. "And
now look at you. Desperate to have a daughter"

Sonic gave him a quick, understanding look. In a silent invitation to continue.

"It's like a coin that you toss and catch with your hand." He made the movement as if he was
throwing a coin in the air. "When you go to see it, it always falls on the same side"

Sonic smiled brusquely. "I hadn't thought about it that way"

"And do you happen to think so?"

Sonic groaned.

His eyes widened when one of Shadow's hands brushed against the small box.

So close. He thought shakily.

Part of him wanted Shadow to discover the ring and ask about it.

What would he respond?

His face flushed at the thought.

"I still want to know who the idiot married you is," Shadow's ironic voice broke him out of
his thoughts.

Once again the hero tried not to be offended by his rival's comment. How difficult was it for
people to believe that he found a wife and built a family?

He was handsome

Funny

Strong
Famous e-

"Wait!", Sonic blinked, confusion written all over his face as he stared at Shadow. "Don't you
think Amy is May's mother?"

If that was true, then Shadow was the first one - apart from him - to think differently than the
others.

"I don't think anything," Shadow shrugged. "But if I had an opinion, I would say no. She is
not May's mother"

This lit a flame of hope in the hero's heart.

"Why?" He asked excitedly.

"They don't look alike."

Sonic's eyes darkened when he heard this.

"May looks more like me." The hero thought this was obvious.

"No, she kind of looks like you, fur color, ears and nose. But the eyes and mouth are
different. They're familiar, but they're not Rose's." He rambled as he fitted the last piece. "All
ready," He stood up, almost stepping on the ring.

"Wow...", Sonic placed his hand on Shadow's shoulder as he lightly kicked the box to the
corner of the room. "Is there anything you don't know how to do?"

Shadow looked at the hand that was still on his shoulder and then looked at Sonic coldly.

"If you touch me again I'll find a way to make you eat your own dick."

"Sorry," Sonic raised his hands in surrender.

With a sigh, Shadow walked away from Sonic and went to the other corner of the room.

They still needed to assemble the dresser.

"Shadow," Sonic began carefully and Shadow looked at him. "About what Amy said
yesterday at the diner...", he trails off. "Don't be offended by that. There are times when she
speaks without thinking."

"I wasn't offended, Sonic." Shadow replied quietly. "I actually thought a lot about what she
said"

Sonic's eyes darkened and he spared a quick glance at the ring box lying in the corner.

"What does he mean by that?", thought the hero, looking back at Shadow as he saw him place
the drawers on a separate side of the room.
"I went out with a guy yesterday." Shadow said it like it was the most natural thing in the
world. As he held a panel that was twice his size like it was nothing.

Sonic couldn't help but feel afraid when he imagined Shadow showing some kind of attention
or affection to someone else.

Wait!

"A guy?", Sonic asked swallowing hard. Not wanting to believe what he heard right. "I-I
didn't know you were-"

"In GUN most guys have relationships with other guys, I just thought it was a more viable
choice", Shadow interrupted him wondering why Sonic didn't buy an already assembled
dresser.

"Hm..., I-I see... I-Is he another hedgehog?" At first, the question didn't want to be recorded.
Sonic didn't know if he wanted to hear an answer or not.

"No"

"Wou...", Sonic shivered, but when he asked, his voice was rough. "Is he a squirrel? Badger
or..."

"A wolf"

Sonic's blood froze.

"A wolf?!"

"Yes...", Shadow looked at him crookedly. "Some problem?"

"Why a wolf?", Sonic made an incredulous sound. He didn't want to have a jealous attack.

At least not for Shadow.

Not knowing that in two months he would become a father.

"He was the first idiot who hit on me at the party", the agent crossed his arms suspiciously.

"Are you going to trade a hedgehog for a wolf?"

"We're in the age of diversity, Sonic. And if you haven't noticed, my roommate is a bat who
dates her friend who happens to be an echidna." Shadow expected Sonic to agree, for him to
shrug his shoulders saying, 'You're right, Shadow," but the response that came next left him
surprised.

"But we're talking about a relationship with a wolf, do you have any idea about that?"

Shadow sighed. "The relationship market is very difficult Sonic, I don't have patience with
the guys at my work and I don't even have many viable options in this shitty city."
"But there are still lots of hedgehogs you can bond with"

"Like who?", Shadow placed both hands on his hips in defiance. "If you name a single
hedgehog that isn't you or Rose I'll change my opinion"

Sonic was going to open his mouth to speak, but stopped when he realized that Shadow was
in fact right. He didn't know many hedgehogs in his social circle.

"Well..." he began. A name quickly coming to mind. "There's Si-"

"Are you talking about Silver?", Shadow raised his hand, interrupting the hero. "Don't you
think I'm a little too old for him? He's not even born yet"

With a grimace on his face, another hedgehog came into his mind.

"The Met-"

"With Metal?", Shadow interrupted, laughing ironically. "I have nothing against non-organic
things, but just imagining myself relating to something that resembles you makes me dizzy"

Sonic would never admit it, but hearing this made him sad.

"Mani-"

"Don't even think about saying that idiot's name." She threatened the agent with wild eyes.

Sonic didn't seem intimidated, but opened his mouth to say:

"Mep-"

"You're kidding, right?" Shadow gritted his teeth.

Sonic sighed, raising his arms in defeat. The fact that Shadow was perfect was unfair to other
people, of course, Sonic saw him that way because he loved him. The blue speedster wanted
to live in a world where he didn't love Shadow, because then he could see his flaws, his true
self.

"But he's a wolf.", Sonic looked at his rival with a hurt expression.

"Details," Shadow said softly. "And not to mention that wolves are superior in several
'aspects' than hedgehogs, several..."

Sonic didn't want to know what 'aspects' Shadow was referring to. Chaos, he prayed it wasn't
what he was imagining.

"I don't plan on keeping him for long, if that's what bothers you."

"This does not bother me". The hero lied. "But why don't you stay with him?"

"Sonic, look at me. What do you see?"

Sonic looked up and down before smiling sheepishly.

"A Hedgehog"

"I'm immortal." Shadow says, and there's no feeling in it. "I'm condemned to eternity, I can't
afford to get attached to someone" she says. "But I also want to live, is that too much to ask?"

Sonic freezes, swallowing hard. Shadow's immortality was a subject he always sought to
avoid. It was painful to imagine that in the near future, Shadow would be helpless, alone.

But it couldn't be helped, with each passing year he grew older, while Shadow remained
frozen in time. The same height, the same face and the same voice.

"Believe me, I wish you weren't immortal," Sonic admitted, running a hand over his face.
Trying not to think about Shadow's words, he wasn't brave enough.

Shadow sighed.

"I just want to understand how you feel," Shadow made a small muffled sound that could be
mistaken for a laugh. "That's a feeling, right? Having a family," he paused. "It must be
incredible," he placed his hand on his stomach thoughtfully. "Create something and make it
real"

As if on cue, a piece of the panel fell aside, snapping the two hedgehogs out of their
argument. Sonic winced as he helped Shadow put him back in place.

Sonic felt like the worst person in the world, until now he was only thinking about his
feelings. He never realized that Shadow couldn't express what he really felt, what he really
needed. No one ever taught him that.

Shadow deserved the world. He deserved someone who made him understand every feeling
of joy that existed, Shadow deserved to be happy.

It was a shame that it wasn't Sonic who would show him that.

As much as it hurt.

"You deserve to be happy," Shadow heard Sonic mutter. "Then I hope that wolf is taking
good care of you"

"Actually…" Shadow trailed off. "He did that."

"W-what did he do?"

It may have just been Shadow's imagination, but Sonic's face seemed to change into
something he had never seen before.

"That thing you do when you're in a relationship," he replied, putting his two fingers together.

Sonic's blood boiled.

'Sex?'. Thought the hero.

'No!'

'Anything but that!'

"You guys did what?"

His insides twisting, Sonic wished he hadn't asked.

"That touching lips thing," Shadow gestured with his mouth. "He pressed his lips to mine"

"Kiss?"

"Yes."

'It wasn't so bad,' he thought.

'Wait!'

"Was that your first kiss?", Sonic made a frustrated face. Who was he trying to fool? Any
answer would make him angry.

"Yes." Shadow replied.

Pursing his lips, Sonic asked:

"Did he use his... Tongue?"

"He used"

"Cum"

"Shadow!", Sonic grabs his rival by the shoulders.

"What?", Shadow asked, observing the hero cautiously. He had never seen his rival act like
this before.

"Please tell me this guy is dead"

"..."

"Tell me you killed him. Because if I know you didn't kill him I'll...", Sonic let him go and
walked across the room.

"I didn't kill him"

Sonic walked away. "What did you do then?"

"Nothing," Shadow didn't understand why he was giving explanations. It was his life and he
did whatever he wanted. "We just planned to meet again"
Sonic just looked at him.

He looked tired.

"I can give you some advice?"

"No!"

"I'll give it anyway." Sonic ignored him. "I just ask that you tell your.... 'boyfriend' to respect
your limits. And if he doesn't respect you, I'll go after him and rip every limb off his body."

________________________________________

"And so that's what he told me." Shadow added casually on the phone, while he waited alone
at a restaurant table.

"Haha, darling," Rouge's aesthetic voice sounded on the other end of the line. "With that
reaction, I'd say Blue wanted her first kiss to be with him."

Shadow frowned.

"Why would he want that?"

"...Shadow...", Rouge looked shocked. "I sometimes wonder how you survived so many years
while being so stupid?"

The hybrid's mouth tightened in a snarl.

"Sorry, the person who spoke is no longer here" The white bat hummed. "But... are you really
going to meet him, I mean, your mystery boyfriend?"

"Yes". Shadow snorted.

"If you want to run away, call me and I'll come get you", the hedgehog could swear his
flatmate was laughing on the other end of the line.

"I'm not going to pretend!" The agent said louder than he intended, attracting the attention of
several people at the moment.

"Hm...", Rouge's voice sounded distant. "Just don't forget to use protection"

"I always carry a gun"

A laugh cut in from the other line.

"That's not what I meant," Rouge said softly. "I'll send you a message explaining what it is"

"Okay" he replied and was about to hang up when he heard "

"Just a tip, try not to kill him today and maybe, just maybe you'll have the best two minutes
of your life. If you're lucky even three", She smiled, mischievously.

Shadow heard something that sounded like Knuckles shouting something along the lines of 'I
can last up to five minutes' on the other end of the line.

"Did this idiot listen to our entire conversation?", Shadow felt his cheeks heat up.

"Only after little May uses you as a stuffed animal."

Shadow growled, hanging up his cell phone.

Seconds later a message from Rouge appeared on her cell phone notification.

He read it and felt her face turn red.

So this was the kind of protection Rouge was talking about?

But he was a man, he didn't have what women had when it came to having relationships. He
thought absently.

“What in the world could make something like you make such a cute expression?” a thick,
icy voice whispered a few inches from his ear.

"I'm not cute," Shadow replied turning to face deep sky blue eyes.

"No, you are not.". The black wolf smiled and raised an eyebrow suggestively. "His eyes are
as red as the blood that falls on the white snow. His fur is as dark as the vast dark and silent
universe"

"I hate sycophants," Shadow turned to take a sip of his water. Following the wolf's gaze
around the table until it was facing him.

"Are you still mad at me about yesterday?" The wolf asked, brushing his tail against
Shadow's legs.

"You kissed me without my consent." Shadow didn't even know that word existed until
Rouge explained it to him ten minutes ago. But he enjoyed seeing the sparkle in the wolf's
eyes disappear before he let out a hearty laugh.

"I'm sorry about that, I couldn't resist. I've been dreaming of doing this for a long time"

"Since when?", Shadow feigned interest.

"Since I had your head in the sights of my McMillan TAC-338"

"It wouldn't kill me, wolf"

"I know," he winked, placing his hand over Shadow's. "Please call me Haven"

"Wolf." He repeated dryly.

Haven let out a laugh before turning her focus back to Shadow.

"You're not going to tell me you didn't like it"

"I hated it"

"I don't believe it," he feigned innocence.

"Look into my eyes". Shadow leaned on the table. "Does it look like I'm lying?"

"Your look seems genuine," He replied, resting his chin in his hand.

"I'll take your head and throw it into the sun"

This only made Haven's eyes shine brighter.

Shadow didn't like that.

There was something wrong with this guy. He thought.

"Didn't you say you were going to visit your daughter today?", Shadow tried to change the
subject.

"I won't see her until later," He leaned forward. "You would love to meet her, she is stubborn
and looks a lot like you.

Shadow didn't respond, just took another sip of his water, ignoring the wolf.

"What can I do to make it up to you?"

"Drinks... Guys."

Raven wouldn't accept that answer.

"Do you like good wine, or...?"

"I want whiskey"

Raven smiled.

"That's how I like it.", She whispered making a small gesture to call the waiter.

________________________________________

It was already past midnight, Sonic got up from the couch drowsily and walked towards the
kitchen. There he found Tails sitting at the dining table drinking a glass of milk.

Without saying a word, Sonic sat down in front of his brother as he was examined by a
worried look.
"You look tired," the young fox concluded.

Tails was unaware of his insomnia, and Sonic intended to keep it that way. At least for a
while.

"Today was a very tiring day," Sonic whispered, his eyes closing as he rested his head on his
hand. "May is very energetic when she wants to be"

"I'm still looking for changes to the area where May was found." Tails was a very direct guy,
that was no secret. But even Sonic knew when the young fox was feeling pressured.

"Hey little friend", Sonic held his brother's hand affectionately. "It's going to be okay. We'll
find our way back to May's house and everything will be fine. I just ask that you don't try too
hard, okay?"

Tails smiled warmly at his brother. Just as he was about to open his mouth to respond, he was
interrupted by the sound of windows breaking and a desperate childish scream coming from
the second floor.

Sonic felt the ground open up. He knew that scream.

"MAY!!!", he shouted running towards the stairs.

To be continued...
 For better or for worse
Chapter Summary

"Didn't you have an emerald to protect?" Shadow asked placing both hands on his hips.

"No one is foolish enough to try to steal it", The echidna replied calmly.

"I hate you," Shadow said.

"Me too," Knuckles replied.

*10 minutes before*

May noticed something was wrong the moment she opened her eyes. She noticed that her
bedroom window was open, which was strange since her father never let her sleep with the
window open.

In her father's mind, May was so fragile and delicate that she could easily catch the flu in the
stillness of the early morning.

When approaching the window with bare feet with the intention of closing it. Something
warm like breath brushes the skin of her neck, sending a shiver down her spine.

"I finally found you, Sunshine," a large hand with black fur grabbed her arm before she could
reach the window lock.

May's eyes widened and filled with tears when she recognized that voice.

"Bad man," she whispered shakily.

"Shhhh... I've been looking for you," he whispered pulling her away from the window. "Now
that I found you I won't let you get away"

May was paralyzed, she didn't know what to do. She couldn't move, her body seemed to have
paralyzed.

"I'm so glad I found you. I didn't expect to find you here," he slowly turned her so she could
face him head on.

The difference in height between them was obvious, he managed to be much taller than his
father, who she always considered a very tall man.
With an extremely sharp claw, he forced May to look him in the eyes. He smiled. "You have
your mother's eyes.

May shuddered and he pulled the claw away, but kept an iron grip on her shoulder,
preventing her from running away.

Not that she would be able to get very far. Even though she inherited her father's speed.

"Do they call you May?", he asked without waiting for an answer. "I hated it. That's not your
name, that's not the name your mother gave you. Your name is Maria, that will never
change."

May's feathers ruffled at the mention of her real name.

"Maria...", he repeated with more affection. "Your name is beautiful and sweet like you. Your
mother always had great taste"

May felt like her heart was going to explode as tears ran down her face.

She had never cried like this before, she didn't know what to do. She looked around the room
looking for some way out, but her gaze always returned to the black figure with blue eyes
that invaded her room.

"I met with your mother earlier today." He began to ramble calmly. "She's as beautiful as I've
ever seen. We met under very... strange circumstances"

May didn't know what to do. Her mind was a mess. Bad memories involving this man came
back to her mind like a horror movie.

"A-are you going to kill me?" May asked as more tears ran down her cheeks.

Blue eyes widened in surprise as she wiped the girl's tears with her fingers.

"Of course not, Sunshine. I like you, even though you're Sonic's daughter," he stood up again.
"Your father was never the right person to take care of you and your mother," he leaned in,
eyes practically glowing. "I still want to give you a beautiful little brother. I can do what that
idiot of your father didn't have the courage to do"

"W-what are y-you going to d-do with m-my mommy?", May was confused by the man's
intentions.

Sharp teeth smiled in the darkness.

"I'm going to steal it for myself"

________________________________________

*Now*

The passage of time is a curious thing.

Tails had never seen Sonic run so fast in his entire life. As he followed the trail of toppled
pictures and misplaced furniture towards May's room, all the young fox could see was a
completely broken window.

As he quickly approached the balcony, the yellow fox could see his blue brother ten steps
away from the entrance of the house kneeling on the ground. Even from far away he could
notice that Sonic's shoulders were shaking and tense.

"Sonic!", he quickly took flight and landed a few steps away from his brother. Reaching out
his hand to touch the hero's shoulder who couldn't stop shaking.

"Sonic, are you okay?" asked Tails, kneeling in front of Sonic, which made the speedster
shrink even more, almost turning into a sphere of thorns and fur.

The hero's left thigh had a terrible nine-inch gash that was bleeding profusely. Sonic probably
cut himself when he went through the broken window at high speed.

And yet, the physical pain implanted in the hedgehog's body was nothing compared to what
he was feeling at the moment. Despite the burning and the nauseating sensation of blood
running down his thigh, the hero's only focus was on the thing that was curled up in his arms.

"M-May?", Tails whispered in surprise.

He managed.

Sonic managed to catch May.

May couldn't stop shaking, and Sonic automatically tightened his arms around her.

...He saw...

He saw a tall, black figure trying to take his daughter away from him.

Damn it!

If only he had been a second late.

Oh, Chaos...

"Is she hurt?", Tails asked, placing his hand on May's arm, who shivered and clung even
tighter to Sonic.

Even though he was shaking, Sonic tried to calm his daughter down.

"You're safe, princess. I'm not going to leave you alone anymore", the hero whispered,
running his fingers through May's hair. Hating the fact that he's hugging her to give comfort
and not caress and affection.

Looking at his daughter's claws, he saw black fur.

Sonic's blood boiled.

Oh chaos, he almost lost her.

Someone tried to take May out of his arms.

May still looked pale, her eyes unfocused and wide as two coins. Sobbing as thick tears ran
down her rosy cheeks.

"...Save mommy, save mommy, save mommy, save mommy..." May kept repeating, as if it
were a sacred mantra.

Tails tensed, looking at May with a terrified look on his face. Her breathing patterns were
fluctuating between fast and slow and she was sweating profusely.

"Sonic, she's having a panic attack," the young fox's gaze returned to his brother and he froze.
Her ears falling along with her shoulders. "Sonic?"

Sonic chuckled as he stopped to think. Laughter, crying, scraped knees, playing house,
scribbled walls, sleepless nights and many other things. He almost missed it. He almost lost it
all.

The sprinter shook his daughter's hand, but he had almost no strength in the act. He brushed
away any traces of black hair from his daughter's nails before hugging her tighter.

"Don't take her from me," he whispered. "Don't take her from me, don't take her from me,
don't take her from me, don't take her from me, don't take her from me-..."

"Sonic, you need to stay calm!" With wide eyes Tails tried to reach his brother. But Sonic was
very far away in his mind. "Please try to breathe!"

He didn't know what to do.

He didn't know what to do.

Tails felt like he had no ground. He had never in his life felt so useless. The guideline that
everyone is familiar with is to control your breathing, exhaling for a few seconds longer than
the inhalation time.

This is not working.

This is not working.

He was an engineer, not a doctor. Tails has never had to deal with these types of situations.
There was nothing he could do at the moment. All he could do was wait and hope that
everything would be okay in the end.

________________________________________
When Shadow unlocked the door to his apartment, he didn't expect to find his fellow bat
kissing her boyfriend on the couch.

"Chaos," he quickly turned away, his face flushed. "Do I really have to witness this?"

"Shadow!", Rouge pushed Knuckles away from her while fixing the collar of her blouse.

"What a shame," Knuckles groaned in disbelief as he leaned against the couch. "I was hoping
you wouldn't come back tonight." He completed rolling his eyes.

"Didn't you have an emerald to protect?" Shadow asked placing both hands on his hips.

"No one is foolish enough to try to steal it", he replied to the echidna calmly.

"I hate you," Shadow said.

"Me too," Knuckles replied.

"Don't fight, you two." Rouge scolded them severely. She hated seeing the two men in her
life fighting. "We've been looking forward to your return, Shadow. I want to know all the
details.

"I see," she replied, rolling her eyes.

"We got a little carried away." Rouge smiled shyly looking at her boyfriend.

Her hedgehog's eyes widened as she noticed for the first time the reason for Rouge's
"accident" last month.

"Don't think I'm going to help you get his quills out of your ass again," he pointed an
accusatory finger in the bat's face.

"What?". Knuckles asked with a frown.

"Nothing! Nothing!", Rouge shouted as she covered Shadow's mouth. Looking at him in a
way that said, 'If you tell him, say goodbye to your imported drinks.' "I'm going to go to the
kitchen and prepare a strong coffee to cure your hangover, so you can tell us the details of
your date", she smiled before heading towards the kitchen.

"I don't feel hungover!", Shadow spat, but Rouge hardly heard.

Still growling, he glared at Knuckles with a frown. Now the two males were alone in the
room.

"Alone?", Shadow thought for a moment as he stared expectantly at Rouge's boyfriend.

Knuckles has been dating Rouge for almost a decade, even though Shadow didn't want to
admit it to himself, Knuckles was the perfect person to answer his questions.
"You like Rouge, right?", the agent whispered, fearing that Rouge was listening from the
kitchen.

"I believe so, or I wouldn't always be by her side." Knuckles shrugged.

Shadow looked around, as if he was being watched.

"And you love everything about her?"

Knuckles frowned at the question, but still responded with a sarcastic tone.

"Hm... Aside from her fetish for having sex upside down and her obsession with shiny things,
Rouge is the only woman I would go down on my knees for."

"..." Shadow felt his blood rush to his head at that answer, he clasps his hands in front of him
to think about Sonic's friend's answer.

Knuckles was still looking at him. Unintentionally, the striped hedgehog had attracted all of
the red echidna's attention.

Shadow sat next to Knuckles, looking at him with a serious look on his face.

"Before, you two fought like two lobsters. How did you have the instinct of 'I'm going to date
this girl?'", Shadow inhales deeply and then exhales.

Knuckles frowned and looked at the kitchen for a few seconds, he motioned with his hand for
Shadow to come closer, as he knew his girlfriend's super hearing.

Sparkling purple eyes fixed on ruby ones before responding:

"Rouge has always had a very strong personality," He smiled. "She is vain, proud and
ambitious. What irritated me most about her was her obsession with the master emerald." He
completed rolling his eyes.

Shadow listened patiently. Giving Knuckles silent permission to continue.

Knuckles smiled at the agent's attention. "The icing on the cake was when I saved her from
falling into a tank of molten lava the first time we met," he stopped, staring at the ceiling with
a silly smile on his face, as if he was imagining the scene. "She held my hand so tight and we
looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds... Then she said 'get your hands off me, you
idiot'", he laughed at the memory. "That pretty much sealed the deal for me, at that moment I
thought 'I had to make her my wife'.

Shadow steps back, tilting his head to the side.

"Don't look at me like I'm a masochist. We don't choose who we love," Knuckles raised his
arms in surrender.

“How does it feel?” asked the oldest.

"Sensation?"

"What's it like to know you like someone?"

Knuckles tries to think, he puts his hand on his chin and sighs.

"We don't know, it just happens", the guardian continued. "Feelings are very complex and
delicate"

"Delicate?" Shadow repeated. "That doesn't make any sense," he muttered, frowning. "If I
have feelings for someone. Does that mean they're the one I should marry?"

Knuckles gasped.

"Not necessarily, there is a big difference between 'love' and 'passion'", He replied, running
his hand through the thorns. "Like, passion and attraction are important in a relationship, but,
love is a feeling that keeps people connected and committed to each other." He paused when
he heard a noise coming from the kitchen. After almost a minute of silence he continued. "It's
the feeling of wanting that person to be well, wanting to be with them in difficult times and in
good times. And maturing is knowing that loving also means suffering.

"Are you trying to tell me that not everything will be good?"

"No," he smiled crossing his arms. "When I started getting closer to Rouge, I felt like I was
trying to have a relationship with a woman who had children," Knuckles finished looking at
Shadow with warm eyes. "You"

"Me?", Shadow pointed at himself in confusion.

"Rouge always worried about you, man. If it were up to me, Rouge and I would be married
within six months of dating. But, she was afraid of you being alone."

"Are you trying to tell me that Rouge is stopping living her life because of me?", Shadow
swallowed, feeling his stomach drop.

"Rouge is a wonderful girl who loves you very much. She knows she can't leave because...".
He hesitated for a moment.

"Why?"

"Because you're stuck in time."

"..." Shadow was confused. He always wondered why Rouge didn't seem to want to start a
new chapter in her life. Whenever he asked, she would shrug her shoulders saying "I don't
want to be trapped in a relationship, I'm a free spirit who still has a lot to achieve." He never
suspected that he was the reason his friend was throwing her life away.

"You never forgot Maria. She still lives there" Knuckles points to Shadow's heart. "You push
people away because you're afraid of losing them like she did. But by doing that, you're
isolating yourself from the world."
"..."

"You're so innocent, she's afraid someone will try to do you harm again," Knuckles smiled,
placing his hand on the hedgehog's shoulder. "I also started to worry about you", his face
became serious again. "And if you tell anyone this I'll tell you it's a lie," he winked and
smiled.

Shadow doesn't smile back, and Knuckles understands that he has crossed the fragile line that
the hybrid had placed for everyone, but now it was a path of no return, and he had no regrets.

He will never regret his decisions.

"You can stop worrying about me, feeling sorry for me and being overprotective." Shouted
Shadow angrily. "Eliminate these emotions"

Knuckles couldn't help but laugh. Which makes Shadow even angrier.

"Shadow, it's okay." Knuckles says, wiping a tear from his eye. "I knew what I was getting
into from the beginning"

Shadow stopped and blinked.

"Same?"

"Of course," he shrugged. "Omega kept warning me.

Shadow growls as he shows his fist, ready to hit Knuckles in the face.

"When are you going to stop pretending to hate each other and start making out?", hummed
Rouge, entering the room with two steaming mugs of coffee.

"We're not pretending," Knuckles huffed, taking the cup.

She laughed before handing the other cup to Shadow. "Here!"

"Thank you", he whispers without looking her in the eyes. Something about what Knuckles
said made him thoughtful.

"What?", Rouge moves the mug away from Shadow's hands. "You don't want to, do you?"

"I want it," he tried to take the mug from his colleague's hands. Unsuccessfully.

"Relax, you don't need to drink.", Rouge looked at him with a hurt expression.

Shadow shivered, but when he tried to speak his voice came out low.

"But I want"

"I know you, Shadow." She smiles wryly. "Your tone of voice gets deeper when you're lying"

"But I'm not lying!"

"Relax," she says, retreating from the living room to the kitchen. "I'm going to get us
something alcoholic to drink"

Shadow stared at the kitchen door for a few seconds before turning his attention to Nuckles.

“How does she do that?” he asked in disbelief.

"That's one of the mysteries I love about her," he replied winking at the black hedgehog who
blushed irritably.

"White or red?!" She shouted the bat's voice coming from the kitchen.

"Red!" Shadow replied back.

"Are you really going to drink alcohol at this time of day?" Knuckles asked, and Shadow
looked at him through gritted teeth.

"This isn't alcohol, it's a magic potion that makes me like you", replied Shadow with a
sarcastic tone.

A short time later Rouge returned to the room with two glass glasses, a bottle of red wine and
a frighteningly perverted smile on her face.

"What were you talking about?" She asked the bat pouring a glass of wine for Shadow and
then another for herself.

"About nothing important." Knuckles replied, calmly drinking his coffee. He knew his bat
girlfriend had frighteningly good hearing, but he wasn't going to reveal what he knew to her.

"Nothing important, what a shame," she sighs, making space to sit between Shadow and
Knuckles on the couch. "Shadow, how was your first date?", she got straight to the point.
"Were there any kisses or-?"

"Absolutely nothing happened," Shadow quickly cut her off. "I just got up from the table and
left"

Rouge looked hurt while Knuckles had a beautiful smile on his face.

"You owe me dinner." Said the echidna, whispering in her girlfriend's ear, making the hair on
her neck stand up.

"Chaos!" Rouge said, pretending to be dramatic. "What are we going to do with our
Shadow?"

"I don't know," Knuckles pushes Rouge away from him. "You were the one who had the idea
of adopting him"

"What are you talking about?" asked Shadow confused. What is this adoption story?

Did Rouge and Knuckles adopt a child without him knowing?

"Oh, Honey. We've been trying to discuss your sex life for the next few years," Rouge replied
calmly.

Shadow felt his blush deepen, but he fought the urge to leave the room.

Rouge took a long sip of wine saying, "Let's do it this way," she pauses to fill the second
glass. "If Shadow still hasn't found someone by the age of 30, we'll marry him"

"Both of us?" Knuckles asks raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," the white bat clapped excitedly. "Look! We can take turns. I can pick him up on
weekdays and you can pick him up on weekends.

Shadow listened in disbelief. Rouge and Knuckles were arguing as if they were an old couple
wanting to discuss their divorce.

"Okay, but who was the child?" Shadow asked himself.

"But what about holidays?" Knuckles asked, crossing his arms.

"We'll leave him at Omega's house", Rouge replied and Knuckles seemed to agree.

"What the hell are you talking about", Shadow shouted drawing the two's attention to him.

Rouge smiled at Knuckles who nodded positively.

"We are discussing who will eat you if you are alone in the future", she replied holding both
his hands against her chest.

"Eat?" Shadow asks, tilting his head to the side. "Eating, like, chewing?"

Rouge widens her eyes and looks at Knuckles irritably.

"What?" he asks.

"You were responsible for teaching him about slang", exclaimed the bat, rubbing his fingers
against his forehead.

"There was no time, woman." He tried to defend himself.

This only caused Rouge to glare at him.

"All good". He sighs in defeat, approaching Shadow and whispering something in her ear,
making the black hedgehog turn red in the face.

"Y-you i-idiots." He screams, hiding his face with his arm. "I am the ultimate life form. I can
create supernovas with my hands, I am psychologically capable of finding a p-sexual partner"

"It would be a little disappointing if you weren't able to do it." Rouge replied without
hesitation.
"Chaos, help me if there's a newer version of Shadow running around." Now it was Knuckles'
turn to make drama. "We already have to put up with a mini Sonic in a dress playing pirates
around."

Hearing the mention of May made a small thrill run through Shadow's body. He doesn't know
how to explain it, but it was warm and comfortable at the same time. It was similar to what
he felt for Maria in the past, but this one was much more intense and unique.

What kind of emotion was he feeling?

A few seconds passed before Rouge's phone started ringing.

"How strange", said the bat. "Who will it be at this time?"

Rouge moved to pick it up from the coffee table, looking at the call indicator.

"It's Sonic," she whispered before answering. "Hello!".

A few minutes passed in silence before Shadow and Knuckles noticed a certain paleness on
Rouge's face.

"Rouge, are you okay?", Knuckles asked, approaching his girlfriend.

"It's May!", she replied in alarm.

Now it was Shadow's face turn pale.

To be continued...
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