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Even though Tails had given them an estimate of when it would happen, it was still hard to know exactly when the small hedgehog would be ready to come out of the tube. However, now that they were looking at her, it seemed it would be soon, given how much she had started to look like an actual hoglet instead of a shapeless pink blob like a few months ago.
She had her eyes and mouth closed peacefully, her small paws clenched into weak fists, her ears bent down as if too weak to hold their own weight. The most amazing part of all was that sometimes, if you paid close enough attention, you could see her tiny tail flicking softly.
They were lucky they had finally given her a name a few weeks back. They couldn't imagine what it would be like to choose a name on the spot for their daughter, considering that Sonic's options were something along the lines of ‘Sonic Junior’. They had chosen Emily, due to its meaning of ‘rival’, which reflected their tumultuous relationship. They had started affectionately calling her Emmie just a few days ago.
Now, Sonic and Shadow sat in Tails' workshop, looking up at the small hoglet inside the big tube that held her. They didn't even know how late it was; they weren’t paying attention to that. All they could think about was Emmie and how soon she would be there, in their arms.
They watched as she lightly moved, changing her position with the smallest kick of her equally small leg, and both adult hedgehogs silently gasped. Her eyes were tightly closed before relaxing again.
“Oh, she’s so ready!” Sonic whispered, a wide smile spreading on his face as he watched the small hoglet go back to her curled position. “I know she's just as impatient as we are.”
Shadow hummed as he watched his partner light up at the smallest movement. “She’s your daughter, after all.” Sonic chuckled at the teasing.
“Come on, you can’t say you're totally okay with waiting for her.” The blue hedgehog teased back. However, the playful atmosphere quickly dissolved with one deep sigh from Shadow. “What is it?” Shadow shook their head, but Sonic would have none of that. “No, tell me, what's wrong?” His boyfriend sighed once again.
Shadow knew there was no way Sonic would let this go. After years of being together, Sonic no longer let his partner bottle up his feelings until they exploded. There was no point in trying to fight it; Sonic always managed to get it out of him, one way or another.
“This might not be the healthiest, but...” Shadow paused for a second, looking for the best words to convey their thoughts. “Emmie makes me feel like I have a purpose again.”
A second of tense, heavy silence. Shadow wasn't looking at his partner, yet he could tell Sonic was looking at him with that forced, worried smile of his—eyebrows slightly furrowed and smile small, with lips pressed together.
“I have someone to take care of again,” he continued when Sonic said nothing. “Yes, I take care of you, but you can take care of yourself. Emmie depends on me to survive, and I feel useful. I have a purpose.”
Sonic hummed. He knew of his partner's issue with the need to have a purpose. They had talked about this, about Shadow’s need to be useful for something, to be a tool. While they had gotten better, Sonic knew the issue wasn't completely gone, now more obvious than ever as Shadow looked up at their child, not even born yet, but still so loved.
“She doesn't depend just on you, though,” the blue hedgehog said, getting Shadow to finally look away from the tube that held their hoglet. “We share responsibility; you don't have to carry the whole weight of it on your own.”
Shadow remained silent for a second, slowly blinking as if still processing his partner’s words.
Sonic seemed to struggle with his next phrase. He looked down at his hands for a second. “Is... Is that why you’re doing this?” he asked, and Shadow silently gasped, as if surprised by the suggestion.
However, his silence seemed to say the opposite, as if that was exactly what was on their mind.
“I... don't know,” they finally said, deflating in his place. “I don't think so.” He brought a hand up to his quills, smoothing them back.
“I, personally, am doing this because it felt natural for us, you know? Even if I used to think it was a crazy idea,” Sonic explained, a wistful tone in his voice. “It's just... the next adventure for us, you know? After you've done everything, what else is there to do but to give someone else the opportunity to experience all of that?” He shrugged.
Shadow sighed.
“I do want to do this with you,” they said quietly, looking down at their hands, one playing with the inhibitor ring on the opposite wrist. “Not just for me.”
Sonic hummed. “This is different from the ARK, you know?” he asked in a soft tone of voice.
The hybrid nodded. “Yes,” he said. “I know.” He looked away for a second before looking back at his boyfriend. “We're doing this together.”
Sonic smiled widely, extending an arm out to the other, putting his arm around Shadow’s shoulders and scooting closer, their sides pressed together.
“Yeah!” he exclaimed happily. “And we’ll be the best parents ever, Shads!” The other chuckled.
Emmie's tail flicked once more, making both of her parents smile up at her.
It was such a strange feeling, Emmie was in a situation so similar yet so different from the one Shadow had been in all of those years ago. In a tube, hoping to get out soon, with a great promise with her arrival. While Shadow had been created as a tool, Emmie had been created as a daughter, as a legacy, and most importantly, as her own person.
She did not have a purpose; she did not have a mission. All she had to do was exist, something that Shadow had wished for so long. And now he was giving that to his daughter, the opportunity to be without compromise. She could just be. And the peace on her face was something that Shadow could only yearn to have himself, but it was comforting to see such a thing in his daughter’s face.
It felt like correcting Gerald Robotnik’s wrongs. But also it felt like Shadow simply living his life. Maybe that was why they wanted to have this child with Sonic, because they were simply living their lives.
Yes, that seemed right.
The door behind them suddenly opened, surprising the couple of hedgehogs as they both turned around.
“Ah, it's you guys,” Belle said, a small sigh leaving her lips. “I didn't think you'd still be here.”
“Sorry, Belle, we’ll be leaving soon,” Sonic said as he rubbed the back of his head. He hadn't even realized how late it was; it wasn't his intention to bother his brother or his roommate.
“Oh, no, it's fine,” the robot girl waved a hand dismissively. “I just heard voices and got worried. You guys can stay.”
The blue hedgehog sighed. “Thanks.”
“No problem! I couldn't really tell you to not visit your daughter,” Belle softly laughed. “Especially since it seems she’ll be out soon.”
Shadow turned around, once again looking at the small hoglet.
Emmie simply floated peacefully in her tube. But not for long… At least they hoped, they really couldn't wait for her to be out of that tube.