Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jo the kangaroo finished off her stack of paperwork and nodded in satisfaction. She was just reaching for the next pile when she heard the sound of a motorcycle from the driveway outside. When the engine stopped, she peeked up to see the door of the building swing open, the bell over it ringing jauntily as a black hedgehog with red stripes strode inside. His handsome face was set in a stalwart scowl, making Jo flinch. She recovered and acknowledged him.

“Welcome to the Chao shelter, sir!” she emphasized, in case he had somehow wandered into the wrong building, a possibility she felt was likely between the motorcycle, the leather jacket, and his glare. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m looking to adopt.”

His gravelly voice was just as at-odds with his mission. She brushed it off and put on her Customer Smile. “Wonderful! The Chao are right through here.” She power-walked to a nearby door and inched it open, making sure no Chao were lingering behind it in hopes of escaping. The hedgehog followed her inside.

A porcupine was leaning against the wall by the entrance, feeding a baby Chao from a bottle. “Hey, Jo. Do you think you could–oh!”

The porcupine immediately stalled out upon locking eyes with the man. A haze of infatuation spread across her face. Jo held a hand to her forehead. Here we go again...

“H-hi! My name’s Charity. What’s yours?” She held out a hand to shake his and leaned forward, fluttering her eyelashes in an attempt to look cute. The Chao in her arms frowned in discomfort and grumbled quietly.

The man ignored her, instead reaching his hand past hers to support the Chao she’d partially let go of. “Are you alright?”

At the support and his concerned tone, the Chao settled down and smiled once more. The hedgehog nodded in relief, then fixed Charity with a look of irritation. “A Chao this young needs support at all times, literally and figuratively. Two hands.”

Charity’s eyes bugged out. She recovered and held the Chao with both hands again. “Right! Right. I knew that.”

“Hmph.” The man was clearly unimpressed and made no secret of it. He kept walking, leaving Charity flabbergasted. Jo chuckled under her breath and jogged to catch up with him.

“So is there any type of Chao you’re looking for in particular, Mr...?”

“Shadow. Shadow the hedgehog. I don’t have anything specific in mind.” He squatted down to pet the head of an older, grayish hero Chao, who preened at the attention. “Cute.”

“As you can see, we let the Chao walk around freely if they can handle it.” She gestured to the expansive cages in the center of the room. “Even when a Chao needs a cage, we provide a roommate so no one gets lonely.”

Sadness crossed Jo’s face. Except for one of them.

She turned back to Shadow, only to find one of the goofier flying-type Chao had taken residence upon his head, while a power-type had climbed up onto his shoulder. Shadow held a normally introverted dark swim-type in his arms. Jo held in a laugh at the silly picture. “You’re running out of room there! You really have a way with them, don’t you?”

Shadow held her gaze for a few seconds, then looked back down at the swim-type shyly. “I like Chao.”

“Really?! Me, too! I bet we have a lot in common,” Charity gushed, already past his earlier rebuff. Shadow barely glanced at her before continuing down the walkway, not even dignifying that with a response. Charity looked devastated. Jo had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing.

“As you can see, we have quite the variety,” Jo continued. “You’ll find all alignments and specialties, as well as different colors, two-tones, jewels, shinies–”

“I want to meet all of them.”

The blunt demand startled her, but she put on a smile once more. “Of course!”

The trio kept moving. Shadow stopped to pet every Chao he passed, and before long, he was covered in affectionate Chao who seemed to see something in him that the two workers couldn’t, especially Charity, as he smoothly shut down every advance she made. For all the clingy Chao he accumulated, however, Shadow didn’t seem to latch onto any one in particular, even as he had to walk slowly and carefully to account for the ones on his legs, arms, shoulders, head, and quills. All the while, his face never once faltered from his disgruntled scowl. It was a constant source of amusement for Jo.

At last, they’d looped around the whole place. “Are there any others?” Shadow asked, looking between each loving Chao that had plastered itself to his body.

Charity scratched her chin. “I think that’s it...”

“No.” Charity and Shadow both looked up at Jo. “There’s one more.”

Charity’s eyes widened in recognition. “You mean...” She cringed. “Are you sure, Jo? She’s...”

“I want to meet her,” Shadow cut in, his eyes flashing.

Jo nodded. “She’s over here.” If there’s anyone who can handle this Chao, it’s him.

Jo led the way around a corner to a separate part of the room. As Shadow approached it, the other Chao whimpered and climbed off of him to scurry back where they’d come from. Shadow’s serious expression was marred with worry. “What’s wrong? Where are they going?”

Jo winced and lowered her voice. “This next Chao has a tendency to...lash out. Her original owner was...”

She trailed off. Nausea spread across Shadow’s face. He swallowed his apparent pain at the injustice and nodded. Jo kept moving until the three of them stood in front of a sturdy cage in the corner held shut with a variety of locks. “What’s with all the locks?” Shadow asked.

“She’s a real escape artist!” Charity piped up. “Smartest Chao you’ll ever meet. Takes a lot to keep her in!”

Shadow’s frown deepened. “Understimulated, probably. I’d like to see her.”

Jo took out her keys, sighed, and got to work on the locks. “Alright, but don’t be disappointed if she’s a little standoffish. She doesn’t like to be held, even by us.”

“I’m patient.”

His response was automatic and authoritative, allowing for no arguments. Jo peeked up at him from the corner of her eye. We’ll see if that attitude’s still here in a few minutes.

Jo finished with the locks and carefully swung open the creaky door. Nothing happened for a few moments, but then a pair of wide eyes peeked out from the dark corner. The Chao tentatively crept forward into the light, still hiding half her body behind the wall of the cage as she poked her head out inquisitively.

Jo could see Shadow’s eyes widen. They shined with obvious affection the moment he saw her.

“She’s pink.”

Jo tilted her head in curiosity. Charity chimed in once more, her tone hesitant. “Yup! So...are you shopping for a girlfriend? Daughter...?”

Jo rolled her eyes. Honestly, can you get any more obvious?

Shadow didn’t look up. “No. I’m here for me.” Charity sighed in relief.

The Chao took another step into the light. Her color shone even more vibrantly, and her tiny, perpetual smile came into view. Shadow looked smitten already.

“If you’re interested in adopting her, I’d ask that you please spend some time with her in the playroom.”

Shadow looked back up at Jo. “No problem. Is that the shelter’s policy?”

Jo bit her lip. “Not for all of them, but...” She lowered her voice. “She’s...been brought back a few times.”

Shadow’s eyes widened and blazed with anger on the Chao’s behalf. He took a deep breath to control himself. “I’d love to spend time with her.” Jo nodded. She reached down and tried to pick up the Chao. As always, the Chao whined in displeasure and wriggled away from her.

“Come on, now. We’re just introducing you to a new friend! It’ll only be for a second!” The Chao shook her head insistently and retreated to the back corner. Jo pouted and looked over her shoulder. “Just give me a second. She’s–”

“Have you tried walking her over instead?”

“Huh?”

Shadow crossed his arms. “You said she doesn’t like to be held. Why not hold her hand and lead her to the playroom instead?”

Jo held her mouth open for a moment, then closed it. “I haven’t tried that...”

“That’s such a good idea!” Charity gushed. “You’re really good with Chao. Maybe you should work here!”

Shadow blatantly ignored her to bend down next to the cage. “Chao feel more comfortable if you get down on their level. Try bending down like this.”

Charity pouted, while Jo took his advice. Slowly but surely, the Chao stepped forward. She warily reached up to take her hand. Jo smiled. “There we go! Let’s head over, shall we?” The Chao sucked on her paw. It was a nervous habit that most Chao outgrew before reaching adulthood.

Then again, this was no ordinary Chao.

Jo led them to the playroom, bending down awkwardly the whole way. She could see the way Shadow gazed down in admiration at the Chao, just as so many had before him. Between her perpetual smile and bright pink coat, she was the epitome of cuteness. Jo almost wished that weren’t the case; too many parents had taken her in, thinking such a cute Chao would be perfect for a child without considering the challenges this one would bring. Each time she was returned to the shelter, things got worse. On top of all that, she was clever enough to cause all sorts of mischief...and smart enough to understand what was going on every time another family brought her back. Jo looked back up at Shadow over her shoulder.

Please, please be different.

“Here we are,” Jo announced, leading them into the play area. Immediately, the Chao started whimpering and shuffled away into a corner, fear apparent in her eyes.

Shadow’s eyes immediately snapped up to the two workers. “Back up. She feels crowded.”

Jo and Charity backed up automatically at the demand. The Chao relaxed, and Shadow nodded in satisfaction before turning back to them. “Leave us. I’ll take care of things from here.”

His brusque tone left no room for disputes. Jo shuffled a reluctant Charity away from the playroom and told her to go back to feeding the Chao. As Jo got to work with a few chores of her own, she kept an eye on the pair in the playroom.

Through the plexiglass walls of the enclosure, she could see Shadow lie down on his stomach off the bat, keeping his motions slow. His face lacked the aggressive scowl he’d worn around Jo and Charity. He gazed across the enclosure at the Chao and waited for her to settle down, giving her as much space as he could. He remained motionless for several minutes.

In time, the Chao relaxed. She unrolled from the defensive ball she’d curled into, though she still kept to her side of the enclosure. She sucked on her paw, still eyeing him warily. Instead of advancing further, Shadow picked up a nearby box of crayons and a piece of construction paper, then started sketching something. After a few seconds, he subtly rolled a few crayons in the Chao’s direction, locking eyes with her briefly before going back to his own drawing. The Chao inspected the crayons with suspicion. After a moment, she cautiously picked one up, retrieved some paper of her own, and followed his example.

At first, it seemed as if he weren’t paying any particular attention to her. They were just two creatures sharing a space and an activity. The Chao soon stretched out lazily on the floor as she colored, looking far calmer than she usually did. Jo pondered this.

Chao love being held and getting attention. It’s good for them...but this one’s been picked up and held by strangers her whole life. And with how her first owner handled things... Jo winced as she kept cleaning out one of the cages. I wonder if she’ll always need extra space.

Shadow didn’t seem bothered. Once the Chao stopped coloring, he set down his own crayons and turned the paper around to show her. Jo squinted, but all she could see was a patch of pink and red. The Chao seemed to like it, though. She shuffled forward to show Shadow her own picture. Chao were never the best of artists, but Shadow appeared to pore over it with all the seriousness of an art critic. After a few moments, he nodded solemnly and muttered something Jo couldn’t hear. It must have been a compliment, though, as the Chao crossed her arms and nodded back proudly in response. Jo held in a snort. Those two look so different at first glance, but...

Shadow brought over a toy car next. The Chao turned away in disinterest, and Jo tsked and shook her head. You’re not gonna get anywhere with that one. She’s never liked the car. Jo started sweeping in front of the cages.

Shadow noticed the Chao’s lack of interest, too, but instead of pushing it, he flipped the toy car onto its back and started idly spinning one of its wheels. Jo paused in her sweeping to tilt her head in confusion. Now what is he up to?

The soft sound of the spinning wheels drew the Chao’s attention. She pretended not to be interested at first, but Shadow kept doing it, seemingly oblivious. Soon enough, she hesitantly crawled over. She sat down close to the car and started spinning the wheel farthest from Shadow. She did so slowly at first, then sped up her motions. Her tiny tail wagged in excitement. Shadow’s eyes flicked up, and he gave a small smile, the first one Jo had seen from him.

Jo’s eyes widened, and then she grinned. He’s not treating her like a pet. He’s treating her like a friend. Why have I never thought of that?

Shadow continued to play with the Chao for a while longer, longer than anyone else had ever played with her. Jo had time to fill all the other Chao’s water bowls. She glanced back over to the play area once she was done, only to find that Shadow had removed one of his hands from the toy. Instead of trying to pet the Chao, he laid it down on the floor palm-up. The Chao scooted forward to sit closer and cautiously sniffed at his glove. Seemingly deciding it was safe, she poked at his hand, curiously exploring it. She kept going until she got to the gold ring he was wearing on his wrist, and she tugged at it. Immediately, Shadow gently took her paw and held it aside. Jo saw him mouth a quiet but firm ‘no’ as he did so. The Chao reached for the ring again. When he stopped her paw with another firm but gentle touch and a repeated ‘no,’ she paused for a moment, then burst into tears. Shadow cringed.

Jo sighed and dropped her head. Here we go again. This Chao had figured out early on in life that she could use tears to get what she wanted. Jo, Charity, and the others had gotten used to her antics, but she was persistent and hard to ignore. It was a common complaint among families who’d brought her back: she’d cry constantly, so they’d keep spoiling her to try and make it stop, but it never made anyone happy for long. At least she’s starting early this time so he knows what he’s getting into, Jo thought. She looked back up in trepidation.

The Chao was still crying, but Shadow wasn’t cringing anymore. He wasn’t soothing her, either. He was just lying on his stomach on the playroom floor, arms folded in front of him as he waited. In time, the Chao “calmed down”–or rather, she paused her act to check on his reaction. At his blank stare, she sniffled loudly.

Shadow just wagged his finger. His expression remained stern. The message was clear as day.

I know exactly what you’re up to, and it’s not going to work on me.

The Chao sucked on her paw for a moment longer and sniffed again. When he still didn’t react, she sighed and closed her eyes, apparently giving up. Jo’s eyes were wide.

Already?! Is it just because he didn’t cave in from the start?

In time, Shadow’s expression softened once more. When the Chao opened her eyes, he reached up as if to pet her on the head, and she instinctively cringed, curling up defensively. Seeing this, he held back, then changed his approach. He lowered his hand and held it palm-up instead. She loosened up again and waited warily as his hand approached. Finally, he got close enough to scratch her under the chin with one finger.

At first, she just froze, but she started shaking as he kept scratching...and then she let out a giggle. He kept it up, and soon, she couldn’t help but crack up laughing, eventually unrolling entirely so he could scratch her belly, too. Jo grinned widely at the sight.

Shadow kept playing with her for quite some time. Jo had enough time to finish sweeping the whole place and settling all the Chao in for the night. Once she finished and nodded in approval, Shadow’s low voice chimed in from behind her.

“We’re all set.”

Jo turned around. Shadow’s face was set in the same solemn gaze as ever. He was holding hands with the Chao, who was standing idly and rocking back and forth a bit, the image of contentment. “So you’re adopting her?” Jo asked. When he nodded, she beamed with genuine excitement. “Wonderful! Right this way.”

Shadow took his time following her to the front desk so the Chao could keep up with him. Jo had enough time to set up her adoption papers. When the two got there, Jo set down a pen next to the forms. “Okay! First up is the adoption fee.” He handed over a credit card. When it cleared, she pointed to a couple boxes on the forms. “Sign and date here and here...and put her new name here. If you need a minute to decide on a name, that’s fine!”

She didn’t mention that the shelter had technically closed ten minutes ago. If it means this Chao can finally find a forever home, I’ll wait as long as I have to.

She watched as Shadow signed the forms, his penmanship unexpectedly elegant for such an outwardly rough person. When he got to the name section, he wrote down an “A” and an “M” before stopping and panicking. He frantically scribbled out the letters and instead wrote “Rosie.” He looked embarrassed. Jo tilted her head. What was he planning on writing?

Jo held up a stamp pad next so the newly-named Rosie could sign with her own pawprint, an unnecessary but endearing tradition the shelter had. Instead of lifting Rosie up to the table, Shadow let her climb up on her own, holding his hands out to spot her in case she fell. After signing the form with her paw, Rosie tried to put it in her mouth out of habit, but Shadow caught her and gently kept her paw away until they could wipe the ink off.

Shadow bid Jo farewell with a nod and a curt ‘thank you,’ then departed hand-in-paw with Rosie. Charity, who’d apparently finished with her closing duties in the intervening time, stepped over to stand beside Jo. She leaned in to speak to her, tone full of excitement.

“Do you think he’ll be back?”

Jo watched as Shadow took out a Chao-sized motorcycle helmet he must’ve bought in advance. He delicately clipped it under Rosie’s chin and helped her up into a cute sidecar Jo hadn’t noticed before. Before driving off, he leaned down to say something to Rosie, and the Chao nodded back. Both of their faces showed true smiles. Jo grinned.

“No. I have a feeling we’ve seen the last of both of them.”

Chapter Text

Even once he and Amy were ready to have their first child, Shadow was secretly afraid he wouldn’t be a good father. Amy had told him how nurturing he was many times in the past-–in caring for her while she was sick, in looking after kids like Cream and Maria, and for choosing to protect humanity time after time. When she noticed something was bothering him, he explained his insecurities, and she smiled reassuringly, reiterating what she’d told him many times before. It made him feel a little better, but somewhere in the back of his mind, an insidious voice always reminded him that his biological father was a bloodthirsty alien who’d tried to manipulate him into turning humans into livestock, while Shadow’s creator had called him his own son…before trying to weaponize him against humanity.

Rouge was visiting once while Amy was out, and Shadow expressed his concerns about fatherhood while keeping an eye on their Chao.

“WHAT?!” Rouge’s baffled, incredulous cry startled Dash, and Shadow rushed over to hold him and keep him from crying.

“Rouge, be careful! Chao are sensitive to loud noises.” Dash calmed down as Shadow rocked him slowly.

Rouge was visibly trying to hold in laughter. “Shadow, do you really not know–!” She only held it together for a few seconds before she burst out laughing. Rosie started making noises of discomfort, too, and Shadow easily scooped her up, effortlessly cradling both Chao at once. He frowned at Rouge disapprovingly.

Before he could say anything, she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and gestured to him. “Hun. You’re doing it. Right now.”

While she got herself under control, he looked down to the two Chao cradled calmly in his arms. Dash was sucking on his paw, while Rosie was sitting up and gazing up at him with wide eyes. Shadow considered it for a moment, then tried to brush it off. “These aren’t actual children, though. It’s not hard to keep a Chao happy.”

Rouge was unimpressed. “No one raises Chao as well as you and Amy do, Shadow. I’ve never met a Chao as happy and engaging as Rosie, and you spoiled Amy’s tiny little angel Chao until it became the spitting image of you because it loved you so much. It’s confusing hearing you doubt your paternal instincts when it’s all right here. You’re already a dad. You guys are already a perfect, coordinated little family. It’s sickeningly cute.”

Shadow kept staring down at his Chao as he listened to her humored voice. He looked away. “But…I’ve never had a good father figure. Black Doom…”

“Was a good-for-nothing sperm donor who didn’t show up in your life until he wanted something from you. He’s not your dad, Shadow.”

“…but…Professor Gerald…”

“…let you down and hurt you in a horrible, horrible way,” Rouge agreed, turning serious. “But you’re not them, and their actions don’t define who you are. You chose to become a good person. And you know who was there to help?”

Shadow thought for a moment. “I had help from friends like you, and that one time, especially…” His eyes went wide. “Amy.”

Rouge nodded. “And you’ll both be working together as a team,” she reminded him with a soft smile. It turned cheeky. “You’ll have to change a lot more diapers, but you two can handle it…and if it gets to be too much, just let Omega try for a while! I’m sure he’d love to–”

He interrupted her with an angry snarl. “I’m not letting a combat robot change my son’s diapers.”

Rouge flinched a little, then laughed. “And those are the kind of paternal instincts that make you such a good dad.”

Shadow felt a heavy weight lift off his shoulders as he laughed with her, keeping his voice down for the sake of the Chao.

Chapter Text

Shadow felt better about his immortality once he realized Chao always reincarnate if they’re well taken care of. Even better, he and Amy raised two Chao together, Rosie and Dash. Due to their history, Shadow and Amy chose to keep them the same for each cycle. Dash was easy, as he was a dark-type who looked just like Shadow.

Rosie was tougher. She was neutral, so Shadow needed someone with a hero alignment each time to balance him out. Amy did for years, but he had to ask others later. Luckily, Cream had a big family.

Rosie happily became a neutral adult again with the help of one of Cream’s great-great-grandsons. As he left, he glanced back to where Shadow was tightly holding the two Chao. He turned to Omega. “I still don’t get it. Why not just let them both be dark? Why bother?”

Omega recognized the way Shadow looked at the two Chao. As the only one left on Earth who’d seen the way Shadow looked at Amy, he knew no one else would ever fully understand.

“IT IS…COMPLICATED.”

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