"I don't think that's a good idea..."
"Oh c'mon, Shads it'll be fine! We've done way more dangerous stuff than this!"
"Your due date is in like a week, you look like you could pop at any second..." Shadow sighs, wondering how his partner had managed to convince him to even come this far out into the Soleanna forest. They were supposed to be taking a relaxing vacation to unwind and spend some alone time together before they became parents, but Sonic insisted on exploring the old castle ruins and nearby caves instead despite the fact that they were both practically full term and either of them could go into labor any day now.
"Yours isn't that long after mine and you look just fine, stop worrying!" Sonic looks back and grins at the other hedgehog from halfway up the stone wall he was trying to climb, surprisingly making quick progress even with his round belly in the way. There was something strangely familiar about this place even though neither of them had ever set foot in Soleanna before, the strong sense of deja vu left Shadow feeling incredibly unnerved. He hated not being able to recall something, it reminded him too much of when he had lost his memory entirely.
"Can you please just come back down here before you both end up getting hurt?" Shadow pleads, both hands nervously cradling his own swollen belly as he watches Sonic struggling to raise his right leg up high enough to reach another foot hold in the wall. Sonic huffs in frustration and carefully climbs back down to stand beside the other hedgehog, taking his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"We're fine, see? Nothing to worry about!" The blue hedgehog smirks confidently and gently pats his belly, causing his baby to kick at his hand "The kiddo and I can handle ourselves"
"You almost fell twice" Shadow huffs and looks around at their surroundings to try and find an easier path to the top of the wall, spotting a broken down staircase a few yards away "Just stay close, okay? This place is huge and I don't want us getting separated in here, we're already lost and I don't feel like camping out here over night"
"We're not lost, we're just exploring until we figure out where we're going. We'd need to have a set destination to be lost" Sonic replies as they walk up the stairs together, hand in hand "Besides, it won't start getting dark out for a few more hours. We'll make it back to the hotel way before then!"
"You're being way too casual about this, I know how easily you lose track of time when you're on an adventure. We should be trying to find our way back out of here, not going even farther inside" Shadow says as they reach the top of the stairs and step into a huge room that must have been a ballroom long ago, when people still lived there. The walls were crumbling on one side of the room, letting sunlight through the gaps and holes as well as overgrown vines and moss "Looks like it's almost sunset now" He remarks as he looks through a window, noticing how low the sun was dipping over the trees in the distance.
"Well at least we know which way East and West are now, right?" Sonic smiles, admiring the beautiful sight and snapping a picture for their scrapbook with one of the disposable polaroid cameras Shadow had brought along with them. He checks the film reel and frowns when he sees that it only had space left for a few more pictures on it.
"Right, that's something I guess" Shadow sighs, rubbing his lower back when he feels a light twinge in it. They had been walking for too long and it was starting to take a toll on his back due to the additional weight of his baby "We should take a break here, my back and feet hurt"
"Good idea, I'm getting kinda tired too" Sonic admits, finding a fallen pillar to sit on while Shadow grabs a few scraps of wood from the broken furniture to start a small campfire so they can stay warm if they did end up staying the night. The blue hedgehog kicks his shoes off and relaxes on the pillar, rubbing the underside of his belly to ease away a dull cramp that had begun to creep up across it "Do you want help with that, Shads?"
"No, I've got it. Just rest and take it easy for a bit, it looks like you need it" Shadow responds as he looks up from the wood pile and smiles at Sonic, his expression faltering when he notices that his partner's once round belly was resting a bit lower on his body and now resembled more of a teardrop shape "Are you feeling alright...?"
"Yeah, we're doing alright. My back is just a little sore, how are you doing? You look tired" Sonic says, hands still cradling his belly while he watched Shadow light the campfire with a Chaos Spear.
"Have you been feeling any cramping at all? Any pressure or discomfort in your pelvis?" Shadow asks, ignoring Sonic's question and coming over to feel his belly. His ears perking straight up in alarm when he feels that Sonic's baby had flipped it's position to be resting with it's head facing downward.
"Yeah, a little bit. Nothing too bad though, we have been doing alot of walking around today so I didn't really think much of it. Why do you ask? Is something wrong?" Sonic asks, looking confused by his partner's sudden shift in demeanor.
"Don't freak out but...I think you might be close to going into labor. Your belly dropped and the baby feels like it's already facing head down" Shadow explains, his hands still resting on Sonic's belly.
"That...doesn't sound good. What do you think we should do? Do you want to try finding our way out of here?" Sonic asks, setting his hands on top of Shadow's.
"No, it'll be dark soon and I don't want us to end up lost in the forest where we'd be exposed to the elements. It's probably best if we just wait here until morning and hope that nothing happens until we're back in town, if something does happen we'll at least have a safe camp site set up to handle it ourselves" Shadow says as he starts unpacking their hiking supplies, they didn't bring much with them since they expected to only be away from the hotel for a few hours but they did have basic first aid supplies, some food, and a couple blankets. Hopefully they wouldn't have to worry about using any of it but it should be enough to get them through the night in the case that Sonic really did go into labor out here.
"Right, good idea" Sonic chuckles anxiously as the situation finally sunk in and a feeling of guilt crept up on him "How are you doing? Are you feeling alright? I'm sorry for getting us into this mess, I should have listened to you, now our kid is going to be born out in the middle of nowhere and it's all my fault!" He rambles with tears in his eyes "I-I know I said that I didn't want to give birth in a hospital but this isn't at all what I had in mind, I just wanted to be safe and comfortable together in our own home..." The blue hedgehog sighs and holds his belly.
"Hey, it's okay. I don't blame you for any of this, adventuring is part of who you are. I know we'll get through this together like we always do, I promise that I won't let anything happen to you or our babies. We're all going to be okay, even if we do have to deliver your baby here tonight" Shadow assures his partner, hugging him close and rubbing his belly "Let's just focus on getting our blankets and supplies set up for now, okay? We can worry about everything else later"
"Y-Yeah, you're right. Making sure we're prepared is what's important right now" Sonic nods and starts unpacking his backpack, spreading out their blankets near the campfire first then setting up the first aid kit where they could easily reach it if they needed it. He flinches in pain and drops a bottle of water when another cramp passes through his belly, this one catching him off guard since it felt more painful than the one he had felt earlier.
"Are you okay? Tell me what you're feeling" Shadow says as he kneels by Sonic's side, helping his partner lay down on the blankets before giving him back the water bottle he had just dropped.
"I-I'm cramping again...it's worse than the one I had earlier..." Sonic replies, taking a drink of water after the pain fades some. Shadow gently rubs Sonic's belly, noticing how hard it was under his hands. Sonic turns over to lay on his side, trying and failing to get comfortable when he starts feeling a slowly growing pressure building up in the underside of his belly and between his legs "Um...hey, Shads? I think something might be starting to-" He starts to explain, only to be interrupted by the pressure suddenly disappearing with a popping sensation and a trickle of warm fluid that soaked his inner thighs and the blanket he was laying on "-happen..."
Shadow stares in silence for a moment, being caught off guard by how suddenly that had just happened, before responding with a nervous chuckle "Y-Your water just broke...but that's okay! We can handle this, I'll be right here by your side" He says, putting on a brave face to try and hide how nervous he actually was as he starts unpacking the first aid kit.
"Right, we've got this..." Sonic gives Shadow a small smile and holds his hand, picking up on how nervous he also was about their situation. The blue hedgehog gently squeezes his partner's hand, hoping that the gesture was reassuring enough to comfort him. Shadow squeezes back and smiles a bit.
"How are you feeling now? Do you need anything? I'll see what I can do to help you get more comfortable if you'd like" Shadow says, still holding Sonic's hand in one of his own while rubbing his partner's belly with the other hand.
"I'm feeling alright for now, just a little uneasy because of everything that's going...a-ah...ngh..." Sonic starts to reply before trailing off with a pained groan when he has another contraction, tightly squeezing Shadow's hand until the pain faded some and he could catch his breath "...s-sorry, did I hurt your hand?"
"It's okay, don't worry about it" Shadow smiles a bit "I can handle it, a tight grip is nothing compared to what you're going through right now" He says, taking Sonic's hand again after the other hedgehog pulls it away. He knew that Sonic will do the same for him when it came time for him to give birth to his baby.
"I'm not comfortable laying like this, can I get up and walk around a little bit while I still can?" Sonic asks as he carefully sits up, cradling his belly in both hands.
"Of course, let me know when you need to rest or if you feel anything different" Shadow says while he helps his partner stand up, making sure to be careful to not bend over too much himself. Sonic holds onto Shadow as they walk around the large room together, stopping every few minutes when Sonic has to breathe through another contraction. They walk around the room for about half an hour before Sonic suddenly stops walking a few feet away from their blankets, feeling a strong urge to do something as if primal instinct was trying to guide him along and let him know what his body had to do.
"Sh-Shadow...I think I have to push..." Sonic tells his partner, his grip on Shadow's arm tightening a bit as he struggles to take the last few steps to make it back to their blankets before giving into his body's urges and pushing right there where he stood. His ears pressed back flat against his head and his knees shook a bit as he bared down hard for a few seconds before needing to catch his breath, both hands resting on his thighs as he locks eyes with Shadow. The darker hedgehog was already knelt in front of his partner to keep track of what was going on down between his legs in case he had to help with any complications.
"Put your hands on my shoulders, hold onto me" Shadow says while gently removing Sonic's hands from where they were squeezing his own thighs to rest on his shoulders instead "That was a really good push, just keep doing it like that and this will all be over in no time" He praises his partner.
Sonic nods and gasps softly before taking a deep breath and pushing again, his efforts lasting a few seconds longer than his first push. Shadow rubs the underside of the blue hedgehog's hard belly as a mass began to move down toward his entrance, causing a bulge to begin forming behind his slit "Great job, Sonic. It looks like the baby is about to start crowning now" The red eyed hedgehog grins up at his partner.
"It's...ngh...starting to burn d-down there..." Sonic groans before baring down again, grunting softly when his entrance started to spread open to reveal a sliver of wet fur just inside it.
"It's okay, that's normal. Your skin and muscles are stretching to make enough room for the baby's head to pass through without tearing you" Shadow explains as he reaches over to pull their blankets closer along with the first aid kit, taking a small cloth from the kit to gently wipe away the blood and amniotic fluid from his partner's straining entrance to try keeping him as clean and comfortable as possible "I can just barely see the top of it's head, just a few more good pushes like how you've been doing and you'll be done. You're doing fantastically, my love"
"Heh...I-I haven't heard you use that petname in awhile...ngh...agh..." Sonic manages a soft smile at the other hedgehog before needing to push again, bringing his baby's head out to a full crown by the time he had to stop and breathe. The burning was agonizing at this point, leaving the blue hedgehog panting and whimpering as the baby's head continued to slowly emerge on it's own.
"There you go. Just keep breathing like that, the head is coming out" Shadow says softly, hoping that his words were comforting to his partner. He kept a hand resting on their baby's head to prevent it from squeezing through too quickly and harming Sonic, the other hand holding his own belly to ease the discomfort caused by crouching for too long "It's almost out, just hold on a little bit longer, okay? You can start pushing again when you have another contraction, it'll be safe then"
Sonic nods then lets out a pained yelp when his baby's head slips free into Shadow's waiting hand, causing the laboring hedgehog to push with all of his might. He grits his teeth and squeezes Shadow's shoulders, grunting from the effort until the baby suddenly comes out in a gush of bloody fluids and lands in Shadow's hands.
"There you are, sweetheart. It's okay my sweet baby boy, Papa's got you" Shadow hushes the wailing newborn as he brings him close against his chest to hold him more securely while he also helped Sonic sit down on the floor beside them "I knew you could do it. You did so well, my love. I'm so proud of you both" He praises his exhausted partner and kisses his sweaty forehead, holding the blue hedgehog close to him.
"Mmmngh...how are...how are you doing? You're not...over exerting yourself...too much...are you?" Sonic asks, his voice raspy and weak as he tries to catch his breath, bringing a hand up to rest on their son's head. Even after all his body had just been through he was still more concerned about the well-being of his partner and their children than his own.
"I'll be alright, don't worry about me. You should drink something and get some rest, your body just went through a rough ordeal and needs to recover. Just hold our boy and enjoy what your efforts gave us" Shadow replies with a loving grin on his face and tears in his eyes as he lays Sonic down and carefully passes the baby to him.
Sonic holds the newborn close and just stares at him in awe for a few moments, instantly forming a strong bond with the baby in his arms as he instinctively helped the little one find his first meal and start feeding. Shadow kisses both of their foreheads before he starts cleaning them both up and making sure they were comfortable.
"He's absolutely perfect" Shadow smiles at Sonic and hugs him close "And you're absolutely amazing" He praises him as he gently wipes his blue fur clean, setting the soiled blanket aside and helping his partner lay down on the clean one.
"I don't think I could have done it without you here with me" Sonic replies with a soft yawn as he snuggles up against Shadow's side "You get some rest too, okay? You'll have a baby on the way soon too" He smiles tiredly and shuts his eyes "I love you, Shads"
"I love you too, Sonic" Shadow whispers and lays down next to Sonic with their son sleeping between them, quickly dozing off himself soon after he shuts his eyes.
An hour passes by before Shadow is woken up by a sharp pain that spread across his belly and into his back and pelvis, causing him to sit up and groan softly. His eyes widen in panic when he realizes that the blanket was soaked beneath him, along with his backside and thighs. Now fully awake the hedgehog looks over to wake up his partner, only to decide against it when he sees how worn out Sonic looked and how peacefully he was sleeping alongside their newborn son.
Shadow carefully shifts to crouch on his knees so he was in an easier position to reach down between his legs while still having access to the first aid kit if he should end up needing to use something from it, being careful not to disturb his family. He bites his lip to muffle a pained moan when another contraction takes hold of his body, causing an intense pressure to start building in his belly and groin. He rocks back and forth a bit to try and ease some of the pressure as he takes deep breaths and waits for the pain to pass, reaching down between his legs to check his progress only to be startled by what he felt already. His fingers brushed against a large bulge that was already stretching skin and muscles that were barely containing the mass of wet fur that was settled just inside his straining entrance.
He lets out a breath that he didn't realize he had been holding as the contraction finally eases up and his body relaxes, allowing him to think clearly enough to process how fast this was all happening. The hedgehog removes his hand from gently cupping the bulge to start searching through the first aid kit for a clean cloth and another bottle of water to clean himself with and to soothe the tight flesh that was already stretching against his child's emerging head, flinching and biting back a hiss of pain when the cold water touches his tender groin "Ngh...o-oww..." He groans softly, trying to keep his voice down so he wouldn't wake up Sonic or scare their son. Shadow pants quietly and rocks his hips as he makes his first attempt at pushing, managing to bring his baby's head to a full crown before he had to stop and catch his breath. He whines softly when he loses some of his progress when the head retreats back inside a bit, tears of frustration bubble up in the corners of his eyes and he shakes his head to clear his thoughts and focus on the task at hand. Now was not the time to sulk over a small setback, now was the time to surpass his previous attempt.
Shadow gently dabs the wet cloth against his strained entrance a few times to relax his muscles and hopefully make his next push a little bit easier so his efforts would yield more progress this time, when he feels another contraction building up he takes a deep breath and bares down as hard as he could while still staying quiet. His eyes squeeze shut and he grits his teeth as he pushes, feeling his baby's head squeezing out inch by slow inch and stretching his entrance unbelievably wide until it suddenly slips free and dangles between his thighs. He gasps for air and supports the baby's head in his hands, his whole body shaking with exhaustion and adrenaline as he processes what had just happened. He was really doing this, he had just delivered his baby's head all on his own. It was almost over. With trembling fingers he feels around his child's neck to make sure the umbilical cord wasn't wrapped around it, sighing with relief when he feels nothing out of the ordinary there "Thank Gaia..."
He takes a deep breath to steady his nerves and pushes as hard as he can, grunting softly when the shoulders start to pass through. Shadow yelps in pain when the rest of his baby's body slides out into his waiting hands and the newborn starts to cry, waving her chubby little arms and legs around in displeasure and confusion from being expelled from the warmth and safety of her Papa's body "...heh...h-holy shit...I did it..." He laughs breathlessly, bringing his daughter to his chest to keep her warm and let her nurse from him.
"Huh?! Wh-What happened?!" Sonic snaps wide awake from all of the noise, quickly bolting upright and cringing when the sudden movement aggravates his tired muscles "Shadow are you...holy shit..." The blue hedgehog gasps when he sees the bundle of sticky fur that was squirming and wailing in his partner's arms, waking up their son and causing him to cry as well "Why didn't you wake me up? Are you both okay?" He asks, instantly concerned for his partner and new daughter.
"We...we're fine...I didn't want...to disturbed your r-rest...you looked so exhausted...I'm sorry...you missed it..." Shadow explains tiredly, giving the other hedgehog a weak grin as he carefully moves to sit down. Sonic helps him by letting the darker hedgehog lean on him until he was settled in comfortably by his partner's side and both of their babies had stopped crying.
"Don't apologize, I'm just glad that you're both safe and healthy" Sonic replies, hugging Shadow close and kissing him on the cheek. The darker hedgehog yawns and shifts a bit to rest his head on Sonic's shoulder as he gazes down at both of their babies.
"They're both absolutely perfect" Shadow whispers lovingly as he feeds their daughter for the first time, feeling that same instant bond he had felt when seeing their son for the first time only a couple of hours ago. Sonic kisses Shadow's forehead and gently pets their daughter's soft fur, causing her stubby tail to wag as she nursed hungrily.
"Are you sure you're alright, Shadow? It looks like you lost alot of blood..." Sonic asks, referring to the bright green stains that soaked Shadow's fur and the formally white blanket they were laying on.
"I'm fine, I just really want to go back to sleep now" Shadow nods with another yawn as he shuts his eyes, soon falling asleep with his head still on his partner's shoulder. The blue hedgehog carefully takes the baby girl from Shadow and sets her down beside her brother so he can clean up his exhausted love and check him out to make sure that he really was doing alright after the hectic night they just had during their unexpected camp out in what remained of Soleanna's old royal castle, smiling when he was satisfied that his partner was healthy and cleaned up. He settles in to sleep now that his little family was safe and sound, they could worry about finding their way home in the morning.
They would need their rest before having to explain to their loved ones what had happened while they were on vacation.
