"Ok, so if I'm understanding you right, Shadow had told you that although he has girl parts, he has no uterus. So basically no way to get pregnant. Then you two did the deed and now he's somehow magically pregnant?" "Jeez, ya make it sound so casual when ya talk like that." Peach hands nervously fidgeted on the cup between them. The orange juice had hardly been touched since their talk began. He sat slouched over on the couch, ears drooped in embarrassment of sharing his intimate life. The bat sat in the chair across from him, a coffee in one hand. Her body language was more relaxed now, one leg over the other and the free hand supporting her head under the short locks. The hedgehog in question was sleeping peacefully in the guest room, scratch that, his room. There's no way the bat was going to let him leave now, even if she had to strap him onto the bed herself.
The bat shrugged her shoulders slightly, "I didn't expect you to stay a virgin forever, hun. Just didn't expect it to be with Shadow." The other flushed. She could tell?! Green eyes flicked away slightly, "Heh, guess ya know why I always used ta avoid Amy now." Rouge sat up slightly, "Speaking of, have you told her? She's not going to take it well." "Nah, ta be honest, she stopped chasin' me a while ago. Think she got sick of tryin'. Maybe she's found someone else, who knows?" The girl hummed, sitting back again, "Well that takes care of one problem. But we still have to figure out what we're going to do with sleeping beauty in there." "...About that...Rouge, would ya mind if stayed here?" Eyebrows raised in surprise. "I'm responsible for this n' I wanna make it right. I wanna take care of Shadow. I-I can sleep on the couch! You won't even know I'm here!"
The spy thought it over for a bit, seeing the worried, desperate look on the other's face. She closed her eyes, "mmm, alright. It would be easier to take care of him with you around. Plus you could watch him while I'm at work." The hero smiled, "Thank you, Rouge! I promise I'll look after him." She held up a finger, "BUT. You have to swear that you'll follow my rules, clean up after yourself, and DON'T aggravate Shadow. He'll be under enough stress as it is. Not to mention finding out he has to live with you now too." "Deal." Silence reigned once again.
"...How are we gonna tell him?" A sigh, "...I don't know. He's not gonna take it well. We'll have to take it slow and try not to freak him out." The bat stood, "I'm going to make something for dinner." I can't stand just sitting around and waiting. Blue nodded, "Alright. I'm gonna sit with him." "Call me if he wakes up."
The hedgehog trudged down the hallway, reaching the room at the end of the hallway. The door was slightly open, and he pushed it quietly so as not to wake the other. Seeing the peaceful look on his sleeping face calmed him slightly. Everything's gonna be ok...right? He slowly walked into the room, sitting next to the other on the bed. The movement seemed to have roused him a bit, making the half-breed's face turn into a grimace as his hand squeezed the blankets below him. Blue eyebrows furrowed in worry. He said his stomach hurt, right? Gingerly, he placed a hand on the other's belly, feeling it go taut from the contact. Moving in small circles, the blue hedgehog gently rubbed it, trying to help with the pain. At first it seemed to make it worse, the other's body tightening in pain, before finally relaxing again, and continuing his deep sleep.
Azure made himself comfortable, lifting up the blankets to lay next to the other while laying on his side with a hand supporting his head as he continued the massage to ensure the other would have a painless rest. He glanced at the other's rib cage, seeing that the wound from last month had already healed and was no longer visible. Green eyes glanced at his own hand, pausing for a second on the ebony's lower stomach, "So my kid's in there, huh? It's so strange...I want ta have a life with ya, Shads, but...this isn't exactly what I had in mind...it's all happenin' a little too fast for me." Too fast? I'm one ta talk. You'd think the fastest thing on Earth would like all things fast. A sigh. "I jus' hope ya open up ta me more. It'd be a hard eight months if ya had your walls up the whole time."
His hand moved on its own, tracing lower along the black frame, finding a hip bone and dragging it gently down to his thigh. The blue ear twitched as the other's breath seemed to hitch for a second, bringing a smile the fawn lips, "So sensitive aren'tcha?" The hand found it's way between two thighs, finally resting and petting the soft fur there. The soft breathing turned to a pant. "Relax, Shads, I'm not gonna take advantage of ya while ya sleep." He smirked, the other was so amusing to mess around with.
However, his enjoyment was cut short and turned to worry as the other's soft pant turned into heavy puffs, as if the other was exerting himself. His little game quickly ended, moving his hand to the other's chest and shaking him slightly, "Shadow. Shadow!" He sat up, the other was close to hyperventilating now, sweat starting to pour down his forehead. He grabbed the other's shoulders, shaking him a little harder, "Shadow! Shadow, wake up!" The other squirmed in his grasp, as if trying to get away, "Shadow!" Crimson eyes finally flew open, their owner in a state of panic. He sat up quickly, pushing Sonic away from him and glancing around in confusion as to his surroundings. The blue hedgehog raised his hands slightly at the other, "Shadow, calm down, it's ok."
The alien half breed squirmed backwards until his back pressed against the wall behind him, breathing starting to slow down as his mind came back to him. He quickly checked to see that his inhibitor rings were still securely fastened around his wrists. Seeing they were, he glanced at the one beside him, realizing the other had just witnessed him awaking from a nightmare. What had it been about? It was all blurry and hard to make out, but it felt so real. He remembered an intense pain with a dark shadow over him, similar to the humans that had experimented and tortured him so many years ago. Enough of that; he pushed the nightmare out of his mind, focusing on the one beside him. That idiot was just sitting there looking at him as if he was some kind of hurt puppy. He swallowed, willing his voice not to crack, "What are you doing here?" Fawn arms lowered. Now that the other was awake and in the right state of mind, it was only natural for him to want answers as to what had happened when he had been unconscious. The blue hedgehog debated calling for Rouge, would it be easier for him to take the news from her?
"I brought ya here after ya passed out." He could at least try to talk to the other. After all, he'd never gotten to speak to him before. The black hedgehog glanced away gruffly, a bit tiffed that the other had been here the whole time, "Where is Rouge?" Sonic motioned behind him, "Makin' dinner." Shadow glared at him slightly, "...Why are you still here?" A hand scratched behind the blue quills, "Well, I never actually had the chance ta talk ta ya." He would wait to tell the other he was staying with them permanently until the other had learned why.
The half breed snorted, "Ah yes, the reason this all happened in the first place. Just what is so important that you could not leave me alone?!" Sonic was a bit taken aback, "I just wanted ta talk ta ya, Shads! It's been a whole month since..." Said hedgehog looked away again, head lowered slightly, "There is nothing to talk about." The blue hedgehog persisted, putting a hand over the other's, "C'mon, ya can't tell me ya didn't feel anythin' that night. Ya said ya needed time ta think and...well I gave you a whole month! I jus' wanna know...what our next move is?"
The hand was snatched away, "We relayed such emotions ONCE in the entire time we have known each other. Do you seriously think that we could ever--hrk!" Yet another sharp pain in his lower abdomen cut him off, one eye closing in pain as he fought to keep his ears upright. He couldn't let that blue hedgehog see him in pain. He was already ashamed he saw him in his moment of weakness at G.U.N. He slouched slightly, trying to ignore it as his hands gripped the blanket, "b-be in a relationship?!" The blue hedgehog's ears perked, reaching forward, before his hand was slapped away with a snarl, "I-I'm fine!" The other backed away again, ears lowering in rejection with a small sigh, "Ok. I guess I get why ya need more time before ya can make a decision on how ya feel about me. And I can see how it'd be hard ta figure out how ya felt about someone after only one day together. But at least gimme a chance; lemme show ya how'd it'd be like if we were together."
Tan slowly started to relax as he thought over the other's proposal, the cramp having passed now, allowing him to sit up straight once again. The black brows remained in a pointed glare, crimson eyes staring the other down. The first response that came to him was an immediate 'no', however as his mind was tangled with contrasting feelings, he elected to give in to the temptation, for now. He turned his head away, "Fine." Do not make me wish I had not said that, Hedgehog. This was too much to take right now, he had to give in. The sudden awakening from his deep sleep left him dizzy, causing his stomach to flip with a dull ache.
The hero seemed to jump with happiness inside at the chance. To even have been given one in the first place was a step in the right direction to him. He moved forward, crawling back over to the other. The half-breed eyed him, instinctively moving away, however the sudden movement forced his stomach to contract once again. "Hck!" He hunched over, still trying to move away from the one intruding his personal space, but the blue hedgehog wouldn't allow it. Taking advantage of his slouched stature, he managed to wriggle himself between the wall and the other, forcing the black to either lean against him, or sit up straight. Moving to allow the other to sit between his legs, he snaked his arms under the crimson striped ones, their owner starting to fume in rage, muttering profanities under his breath as he tried to ignore the cramp and his spinning head. Finally azure came to rest, moving a hand to the aching stomach of the one in front of him.
Shadow flinched at the contact, the sudden gentle touch surprising him. He bristled as the blood started to run to his face. Why was the other acting this way? He didn't ask to be cuddled! The hero dodged the threatening black quills, resting his chin on the ebony shoulder so he could see what he was doing. He slowly began to move his hand in the small circles as he he had before. Once again, he felt the anti-hero tense under him, before slowly beginning to relax.
The gentle rubbing made Shadow want to shiver, but he denied his body the chance. The pain had started to fade with the soft touches, and the massage helped distract him of his queasiness. As his body started to grow limp, he relaxed his quills and slowly sank backwards into the one behind him, letting out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding as he felt his ears start to droop slightly. Despite the situation being rather awkward and intruding to him, he'd let the other continue for now if it meant a calm stomach. The past month had been painful and exhausting, finally being relieved of that was welcomed.
Sonic beamed at the other's submission, he was finally being allowed to do exactly what he'd always wanted, be at Shadow's side. However, now that said hedgehog had calmed down, perhaps it was a good time to break the news. He gulped as nerves made him start to sweat slightly, "...Uh, Shads? There's...somethin' ya need ta know..."
Said hedgehog already felt his eyelids start to flutter, being so surprisingly relaxed he could fall asleep. The black ear flicked slightly at the other's statement. He let out a tired grunt, "What is it now?" He could hear the other swallowing nervously as well as how he moved his muzzle away from the other's ear. Sonic had never acted nervous around him, save for their little adventure a month ago. What could be so worrying that the hero was afraid to tell him? His eyes opened a bit more, intent on hearing what the other had to say. The blue hedgehog's other hand was fidgeting anxiously on his chest, a bit too close to his fluff for comfort. That was a sensitive spot, he didn't want to the other to discover it.
Azure finally spoke, "While you were unconscious, the doc at GUN ran some blood work ta see what had been makin' ya feel so bad." Ugh, that's right. They had drawn Shadow's blood right before he had passed out. He hated that Sonic had seen him act that way. He was not against the further research on his healing abilities, rather the contrary, he wanted it. If his DNA could heal other people like it was meant to for Maria, then he was more than willing to help. However why did they need his blood for that. Couldn't they just take a cheek swab or something more simple? Admitting he was afraid of needles wasn't an easy task. He hated that he was scared of something so insignificant. But the inhumane experiments placed on him at an early age made him shake at the simple sight of one.
That's how it had always started, one shot to sedate; make him woozy until he couldn't move, but not enough to put him to sleep. Once he was immobilized and strapped down came the snapping of bones and bloodshed. His thoughts were interrupted as the hero continued, "They found somethin', but it doesn't really make any sense." Black brows furrowed. So something really is wrong? I suppose it would confuse, after all, I am supposedly not able to fall ill. Is that it? "What did they find?" Sonic's massage had faltered now, using the hand to scratch behind his ear, "Um...well they said you'd be fine. Just need ta eat a more and get a bit more sleep. I know ya don't usually do that, but they said ya have ta now." Shadow looked up at him with a frown as much as the position would allow, "That does not provide me much of an answer. What was the diagnosis?" He saw sweat forming on Sonic's brow, "They said...you're...pregnant..." A blink. In the silence, the hero returned his hand and resumed his massage, giving the other a moment to process.
Pregnant?! Was that hedgehog really as much of an idiot as he seemed? Was he trying to make fun of him?! A small growl grew his throat as he glared up at the other, "That is not funny, Faker." Now it was the hero's turn to blink, "I-I'm not lying, Shads. That's what the blood said." Said hedgehog flicked an ear in anger, sitting up and moving away from the other to face him. The loss of the massage was a bit disappointing, but he had a moron to deal with, "That is not possible. Did you not listen to what I had told you before?!" He saw the faker looking past him and turned to see the bat in the doorway, holding two plates of food. She seemed a bit surprised, as if she was not expecting to see the half-breed awake.
Rouge had finished preparing dinner, making extra in case the sleeping hedgehog had awoken so that he could eat, if they could get him to. She was bringing a plate in to Sonic when she overheard the black hedgehog's voice; he seemed angry. So he finally woke up? Wasn't that worthless hero supposed to call for her? He better not have been bothering Shadow. Turning into the doorway, she heard the last statement from said being. Her eyes widened slightly as the two occupants looked at her, one looking rather cornered and the other accusing. Did he tell him already? He was supposed to wait! Shadow's had enough for one day!
She glared slightly at the blue hedgehog, "What did you tell him?" Sonic relaxed slightly, looking away, "The truth." Setting the plates of food on the nightstand, she sat on the bed next to the other occupants. Shadow had scoffed at the comment, looking to the house owner, "This faker is telling fairy tales. Would you please talk some sense into him?!" Rouge sighed, "He's not lying Shadow, it's true. Here." She pulled out the paper of his blood work the Doctor had given her before they left and handed it to him, "Read this. It proves everything." He eyed the paper hesitantly before taking it. He skimmed over the blood results; thankfully, growing up in a scientific environment allowed him to understand most of the terms.
The other two occupants watched and waited patiently for him to take it in. Shadow's brows furrowed and he blinked a few times, turning the paper over and back as if there should be more of an explanation, "This...does not make sense...They must have contaminated the samples..." Short white locks twisted as their owner shook her head, "The Doctor assured me she ran the tests several times for certainty. They all come back the same." The paper was slowly lowered onto the crossed black legs, crimson eyes staring off in front of him. The bat moved to put a hand on his, "Shadow, you're going to have a baby." The black hedgehog shook her off, "Rouge, please! Do you honestly believe any of this?! I am a male, this is physically impossible for me!" White brows furrowed at him, "Don't lie to me. Sonic told me everything." Said hedgehog lowered his head, looking away from the other who blinked before eyeing him in shock.
Canines made a brief appearance, "Even if he did, you should understand then that this is still absurd!" He paused for second, as if contemplating his next argument. Did he really want to reveal everything to her? What if Sonic truly hadn't told her the whole story? He swallowed, Rouge was his friend. She had accepted him up to this point, learning more about him shouldn't change that. Touching his chest with only his fingers, he looked at her, "I was born without a womb, without ovaries, without anything that would make this possible. Surely you can understand that there must be some mistake." The spy nodded slightly, "I get where you're coming from, Shadow. But blood doesn't lie. G.U.N. has tested it before and never found these results, so it's not like you're body is always producing those hormones. Look, if you prefer, I went out and bought some regular tests for you to try." She handed him a plastic bag that had been lying next to his bed. On the way back from work she had stopped to pick some up. She knew he would have trouble believing them.
The half-breed resolved to glare at her. Was nobody listening to him? He snatched the bag, taking a box out and reading the directions, before looking back at her, "Fine. If it will provide certainty to the situation, I will do it." He rose from the bed, a bit unsteady on his feet, and walked to the bathroom, the other two in tow. He slammed the door behind him before they could follow him in. The blue hero rubbed his hands nervously. It felt like he was about to find out all over again. The bat beside him leaned against the wall across from the door, arms crossed as her nails dug into the flesh slightly.
The black hedgehog inside opened each of the boxes separately. Rouge had purchased several different tests so that they would not only be relying on one, a bit overkill he thought, but this was an odd situation, so as much certainty as possible was needed. He read the instructions carefully. They all require a urine sample? If it proves my point, then I guess I have no choice. The several cups of coffee that morning would indeed come in handy. A few minutes went by until the door opened once again. He was not surprised to see the others waiting right outside. Rouge walked in, seeing the tests laid out across the sink; now was waiting, "They should be done in a few minutes. Do you feel well enough to wait here or do you want to go back and lay down?" Ebony frowned at her, "I'm fine, Rouge." "Jus' don't push yourself," the blue hedgehog said as he came in, seeing the glare and looking away, "it's not jus' you we need ta worry about anymore." "Erg! Faker, would you cease speaking that way?! This is nonsense! I am only doing these tests to prove you wrong so that you can leave!" He could not deny the queasiness in his stomach however at the thought. Playing denial made it easier to deal with. The blood results had disturbed him, but surely it was not feasible...right? The lab accidentally contaminating the blood samples felt more realistic, and doing these tests himself would provide a more accurate result knowing they weren't corrupted.
Sonic shrugged, "Oh c'mon, Shads! With all the experiments and stuff they did on ya, couldn't it happen?" Said hedgehog growled back, "You know nothing of what happened to me." "No, but that's the whole point! Anything's possible." "Hush you two, one of the tests is coming up," The spy waved at them behind her to stop arguing. The hero joined her at the sink as the other crossed his arms. This was absolutely ridiculous. There was no way. Besides, if he was, there would have been signs. Of course he had been sick lately, similar to morning sickness. But if he was capable of reproducing in such a way he should have been seeing something akin to the feminine monthly cycle. He had nothing of the sort. His illness so soon after procreation was the only reason this solution was made.
Speaking of illness, this subject was making his stomach flip. Part of him wanted to go back and lay down, but his pride refused to allow it. He had told Rouge he was fine, and so he would be. It was strange though; he had never experienced anything like this before. The Ultimate Life form was immune to illness...at least he had thought he was. It had started a few days after Eggman's attack on Sonic. Rouge had refused to let him leave after she had found him cringing in the bedroom at a cramp. He had to admit - the timing did line up with pregnancy symptoms... Shadow felt his mind start to wander; what if it was true? I saw it myself aboard the ARK during the surgeries. I've seen most of my internal organs at least once, however a uterus was not among them. But what if what he remembered was a lie? It wouldn't be the first time his memories were tampered with. What if he was only recalling what he wanted to remember?
A gloved hand lowered from it's position on the striped arms to his lower belly. Could there really be another life inside him? If that was true, what would become of his job? G.U.N had hired him for his use in battle, not for his clerical skills. He would have to take time off, if not be fired. The soldiers there would never treat him the same way-not that they saw him as anything other than a lab rat now- but it would be worse if they knew of his secrets. And where would he live? He had no home to call his own, he only stayed with Rouge because she forced him to. He would have to find somewhere safe enough to raise a child while trying to find work. And then there was that faker. If the half-breed was indeed carrying the hero's child, you can bet Sonic would want to be in the infant's life as much as possible. Shadow wasn't sure he was ready to face all these feelings at once. He could feel his heart start to race inside his chest as he thought of the possibilities. It suddenly felt much too warm in the bathroom.
"Shadow," said hedgehog snapped back into reality at his name. The other male was calling him, "Didja hear what I said? The tests are all done." Already? Had it been that long? Why were those two staring at him like that? He swallowed and took a step forward towards the sink where the tests lay. He felt afraid to look at them, black arms cradling his torso, trying to hide his body's shakes. The other mobians stepped back a bit to allow the other room as he glanced at the readers.
Positive. Every one of them. The spy stared in worry at her friend. She could see the slight trembles as well as hear the silent mumbles, "...that's not...how could..." The hero remained silent on the other side, studying the black hedgehog's reaction. Ebony felt as if he'd been hit by a train. Everything he was worried over suddenly became very real. This was happening, and it was happening right now. He felt his stomach lurch with an audible groan, bile rising in the back of his throat. A hand clamped itself around his mouth as the black ears lowered. Oh no...
