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It took Shadow years to conclude Silver was his son from the future.
In his defense, what idiot would be willing to have a child with him?
Silver never told them exactly how far into the future he came from, but it was far enough for Sonic to be speculated a myth, as stated numerous times by the teen. Even with his immortality, Shadow the Hedgehog did not intend to live that long.
The first few hints could easily be explained away.
A misunderstanding. That's what he chalked it up to in the beginning.
Shadow knew the impact he had on most people wasn't the most positive; he didn't go around charming Mobians with a charismatic personality and a stupid, ever-present grin like a certain blue nuisance.
Usually, his mere presence was enough to intimidate people at best and cause distrust and hate around him at worst.
Even the most naive of Sonic's group of friends took a while to trust him whenever they teamed up to defeat a large threat. It took even longer for them not to tense up whenever he approached them from behind, or not scorn him when they were invited to any celebration or gathering.
From the first moment he met Silver, the time traveler, never had any of those problems.
In fact, he seemed to relax minimally if shadow neared his personal space; his frame would ease, the rigid stance would melt away, and he always, without fail, acknowledged his presence with a wave, smile, or nod, even in the most dire of situations.
It wasn't an overwhelming sort of familiarity; he and Silver rarely actually talked, but Silver was always ostensibly relieved when he was there. Which was…not something he had any experience with.
The best way he could describe it was how Cream reacted when she reunited with Vanilla on that one occasion. Shadow had saved the little girl after she was caught up in a Dr. Robotnics scheme. While Cream showed remarkable strength and bravery for a child and actually contributed to their escape, the moment Shadow delivered her to Vanilla, her whole demeanor collapsed.
She went limp in her mother's arms, ridding herself of every worry and responsibility, she just softly cried and let herself be carried inside.
Shadow himself didn't have any parental figure references to compare it to. But the way Silver threw subtle nervous glances in his direction after stating a plan or reports of what he'd done in whatever crisis they'd been dealing with that week undoubtedly seemed the time traveler was seeking approval. He'd seen it happen a thousand times between Maria and Professor.
Those behavioral patterns by themselves wouldn't indicate much. Maybe Silver was that trusting with everyone, and he did feel naive at times. It could also have been idol worship, similar to the ions of Sonics fans who believed he could do no wrong; perhaps Silver saw Shadow in the same light…?
No, what clued him in besides that was Shadow noticing that Silver just…listened to him, and Silver the hedgehog listened to no one. For all his strength and smarts, the teen was stubborn and single-minded to a nearly worryingly degree, not to mention judgmental and aloof was the first impression most people got from his attitude. He could take suggestions but would often go deaf if it didn't align with his thought process.
So Silver didn't obey anyone per se, except for maybe when Shadow yelled at him to do so.
The first time it happened, he was just as flabbergasted as others.
Silver had taken off towards a new giant Badnik they had no information on, with only reports that it single-handedly took Knuckles out of commission. The barrage of protests and calls of his name followed the hedgehog, attempting to stop his rash decision.
From the corner of his eyes, Shadow caught the giant weapon pulling out and aiming a smaller side gun directly at Silver's head. His heart sank, and he sped forward, seeking to redirect the projectile's path, despite knowing it was probably too late.
“SILVER!” he shouted.
His voice wasn't particularly loud or piercing, compared to Amy and Tails's panicked shouts, but the moment the words left his mouth, Silver froze in his tracks midair.
The Badnik's shot narrowly missed him by a hair and instead hit the ground. The shockwave rippled through the air and threw silver plummeting down, taking him out of the fight.
Shadow attacked the robot's legs, smashing the right one and forcing it to fall on its side. This time, the proximity put Shadow in his direct line of fire, but before the robot could fire its missiles, its arm was smashed to bits.
A moment later, Sonic Spin dashed it from behind, evidently hitting a weak spot because it fell apart almost immediately.
Shadow waited for a quippy remark from Sonic on the Badnik's pathetic defeat, but none came.
The hero was too busy gritting his teeth and glaring daggers at the remains of the enemy as though if he could somehow bring it back, he'd make it suffer before slowly breaking it apart.
Sonic raised his head, and as they locked gazes, the blue blurs eyes softened considerably, his mouth opened, but before he could say anything, they were called away by Amy.
***
Shadow decided to test it. He'd give Silver simple tasks, like asking him to take something to Rouge or bring him some coffee. For smaller tasks, Silver obeyed without comment like it was a natural habit, and for bigger ones, like helping with the clean-up aftermath of a G.U.N mission, he'd grumble but ultimately did as told.
It kept happening in different contexts, and frankly, having so much power over an individual was freaking Shadow out. So he stopped the experiments, lest it get out of hand, and Silver threw himself off a cliff just because Shadow made a dark suicide joke.
Over the years, it stopped being so subtle. If Silver was in any sort of danger, he was quick to retreat towards Shadow's general location, at times even hiding directly behind him.
Rouge liked to tease him that he was constantly babysitting Silver; even Omega, in his own robotic speech, joked that he was getting soft.
Sonic had the galls to call it cute with a smile that was too fond to be called teasing and, for that, received a punch to the stomach.
***
Shadow, just for the sake of retaining his sanity, decided to put some actual thought into his hypothesis. Surely, he'd find some evidence that would point to the contrary, and he'd finally be able to sleep at night.
Starting with the obvious, their physical attributes.
While similarities between species were common, they were both hedgehogs and all, Silver and Shadow looked completely distinct, with their white and black fur being complete opposites.
Good, he was already making some progress.
But…disregarding their fur color, Shadow supposed there was some resemblance. They both had darker muzzles in a similar shade and white chest fur that was somewhat rare among hedgehogs, but aside from those-ah!
Silver's eyes were the identical sapphire yellow he looked at every morning in the mirror.
fuck.
...it was possible
***
It took him digging under the wretched debris of a collapsed building to confirm the time traveler was his son.
There was no time for Silver to escape the explosion, after he helped some humans evacuate the area, he tried to disable Robotnic's bomb, and the said bomb's explosion collapsed an entire building on him.
Shadow could only watch in horror as Silver used his psychokinesis to form a shield around himself and get buried under concrete.
Knuckles jumped to action first, lifting a large piece of rubble out of the way, and everyone else soon joined in.
Hours. That's how long it took them to find Silver. Shadow honestly couldn't tell the exact number even if he tried, Only his body kept digging alongside his friends.
His mind was in a trance, filled with only the desperate chants and please for Silver to be alive- just please be alive.
Distinctly, he remembered Sonic putting a hand on his shoulder to comfort or calm him. Whatever those sad green eyes were trying to do, he shoved away, demanding the hedgehog to do something instead of standing there like a useless piece of trash.
Knuckles broke their fight apart, rightfully reminding them that they were under a time constraint if they wanted to have any chance of saving Silver.
Everyone went back to lifting and digging.
Finally, Amy shouted.
"FOUND HIM!"
once they confirmed Silver to be alive, Shadow allowed himself to breathe.
They patched Silver up at the resistance HQ and took turns watching over him, and against his better judgment, he decided to volunteer as well.
The teenager just happened to pick his shift to regain consciousness, right when the sun had just started to set in and paint the room orange and red.
He tried to sit on the bed, his eyes unfocused and movements drowsy. Shadow figured his body was pumped with sedatives, so he moved closer to help steady him and gently pushed him back on the bed.
"Be careful; you have several broken ribs, a concussion, and two broken limbs. Don't get up yet."
Silver obeyed, head turned to observe Shadow, his eyes blinked out of synch.
"Please don't yell at me" were the words he managed to choke out.
Shadow raised a brow, confused, “Why would I yell at you?”
“Liar, you always wait until I get better, so I remember every word of your yelling,” Silver grumbled, a pout forming on his lips.
“…right, and what do I usually tell you?” he asked out of pure curiosity, the time traveler rarely spoke of his life, so if he was getting Shadow confused with someone, it was a good opportunity to fish out some information out of him.
…and hopefully, disprove his hypothesis
Silver flayed his arms about dramatically, feeling too overwhelmed and slow at the same time “You know, “Don't do anything rash, Silver,” or “Why do you think you invincible?” or even, “I'm not mad, just disappointed”, and then you glare at me until I apologize” each quote was said with an outlandish annunciation, and silvers eyes still seemed unable to focus on shadows face.
Shadow wasn't sure how to answer, Silver was clearly expecting his parental figure at his bedside, who had already attempted to fix Silver's rash tendencies but was unsuccessful. He could feel his own frustration regarding Silver creeping up on him.
“You know you're in the wrong, so there's nothing more to discuss,” he huffed.
Silver buried his head under the covers in a childish attempt to escape the conversation his anesthesia body told him was completely rational
they stayed in complete silence for a few minutes, and Shadow took the time to enjoy the sunset visible from the large windows he had previously pulled the curtains off.
There was a blissful peace in the room before Shadow heard sniffling noises from under the covers.
“…are you crying? Why are you crying?” Shadow silently panicked. He was never good at comforting people who cried. Whenever Maria was upset, he let her use him as a plushie to cry into until she calmed down. However, using his words to comfort an injured person who nearly died a few hours ago was impossible, evident by the fact that he was the one who made said person cry.
“Cause you- because you're so mad, you weren't holding my hand when I woke up!” Silver choked out between sobs.
“I-I… I'm not mad anymore? It's alright.” Shadow was seriously out of his depths here, and Silver kept sobbing.
He glanced around the room to make sure no one had sneaked in to see the following because, if words didn't suffice, he'd just have to resort to physical tactics.
He tentatively lifted his hand and put it on silvers head. Carefully avoided the bandages to caress the soft fur on Siver's head in slow, and repeated motions so as not to hurt him.
Silver leaned into the touch, and almost immediately, his sobs lessened.
“Thanks, Dad.”
Shadow's hands paused momentarily before resuming the comforting motion, not wanting another tantrum to occur.
“Dad?” he asked with a choked voice.
“Yeah, dad. I hate calling past you, Shadow, it's confusing,” Silver said, nodding off with a small frown forming on his brow.
“… I'm sorry I scared you, I was scared too,” Silver mumbled as he drifted back to sleep
had Shadow been scared? He didn't know, but seeing Silver move and breathe lifted a large weight off his shoulders.
He also most definitely was going to be a father at some point in time.
…what kind of idiot agreed to have a child with him?
***
His answer came on Sonics twenty-first birthday, when the blue blur dragged him away from the party onto the balcony and kissed him.
Sonic gently pulled him close, giving him ample time to dodge, but Shadow was entranced, rooted in place, and exactly where he wanted to be.
His mind was in shambles because Sonic was kissing him, and his lips felt so warm, and it felt right; it felt perfect.
And Shadow couldn't even fathom kissing anyone else ever again.
It simultaneously felt too short, and an eternity had passed by the time Sonic finally pulled away.
His hand stayed cupping Shadow's cheeks, caressing it softly with a thumb. Sonics face was flushed, and his eyes were locked onto Shadow with so much intensity and tenderness like he was the only thing that mattered, and nothing in the world would ever come close to being as significant.
If Shadow hadn't fallen for him years ago, he would have at that moment.
“you know, I half expected you to have punched me by now.” Sonic chuckled and moved a hand downward to Shadow's waist and pulled them even closer. Shadow shuddered, skin feeling extra sensitive wherever Sonics skin touched his.
“Only half?” Shadow, to his dismay, sounded raspy and out of breath and not as sarcastic as he intended.
Sonic grinned, “Well, you were bound to fall for my charms eventually.”
“This is going to inflate your ego even more, isn't it?” Shadow huffed and rolled his eyes but made no effort to move.
Sonic laughed and pecked him on the lips again and snuggled into his neck. His breath sent a tingle down Shadow's spine, and Shadow's body suddenly felt warmer than it had felt moments before.
No one saw either of them at the party that night again.
***
Silver wasn't aging.
The time he spent with them in their timeline, taking his frequent returns to the future, roughly came up to six years. That surely was enough time to change something in the appearance of a teenager, yet Silver still looked and sounded fourteen.
Whether others noticed it or just chalked it up to time travel, shenanigans were beyond him. No one ever commented on it, aside from Tails occasionally reminding everyone that he could now technically be in charge instead of Silver in their duo missions.
It was jarring watching Silver remain like a relic as everyone else around him changed so much over the past decade. Then again, others probably felt the same way towards Shadow as well.
He wondered if it reminded them of their mortality. It certainly reminded him of his limited time with Sonic.
***
The summer of the year Shadow married Sonic, Silver announced he would not return to the past anymore.
According to his information, all the world-ending threats in their era had been defeated, sealed, or dealt with. He was no longer needed here, and his powers could be used elsewhere better.
There was a massive ceremony thrown as a goodbye to the silver hero.
Shadow hadn't even realized he knew so many Mobians, but there he was, chatting with Tangle and Jewel on the latest gossip.
It was bittersweet for everyone else, saying goodbye to Silver, who had been such a large part of their life for so long.
Shadow wasn't sure how he felt. He was never good with self-reflection, but judging by the way Sonic gave him small reassuring touches during the night, he must have looked quite distressed.
As the night continued, his partner disappeared for a part of the hour and returned much quieter and solemn. Looking back, Shadow should have guessed his husband had been crying, but had been too preoccupied with his own thoughts.
There were shed tears, long hugs, and gifts from all the members of their giant found family.
Eventually, Silver opened up the neon portal, and it was time to part ways.
In the last moment, Shadow locked eyes with the boy and mouthed.
See you later
Silver broke into a grin and waved as he leaped into the portal.
***
Sun rays shone directly into his eyes and forced him awake. He drew closer to Sonic, who had moved away during the night with his abysmal sleeping posture.
Sonic was still snoring when Shadow finally managed to forcefully tuck the idiot's head under his chin.
Shadow reached out to caress his husband's quills as he did every morning, slowly separating the ones that had tangled. The sun rays must have been playing tricks because there was a large patch of quills that looked-
Gray, Sonic now had gray quills.
Suddenly, breathing became a chore, and Shadow's body couldn't move from chilling terror. This couldn't be real, it was too soon, way too soon.
In his panic, he must have grabbed Sonic too hard because his husband stirred awake.
“Ow! Shadow, what is it? Was I drooling on you again?” Sonic complained, still half-asleep.
One look at Shadow's expression caused enough alarm to shake away any drowsiness.
“Shadow…love, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare.” he soothed and cupped Shadow's cheeks.
It had been years since Shadow last had nightmares about the arc, but relapse was always a possibility, and physical reassurance always worked best with his husband.
“Babe, can you tell me what's wrong?” he coerced softly and gently rubbed Shadow's back in circular, soothing motions.
Shadow shook his head vehemently; words were too intimidating now.
His hands were shaking as he pulled out a gray quill out of Sonics head and held it in front of him.
Sonic blinked in confusion for some time before realization dawned on his face, and the most tender, affectionate smile took its place.
Shadow was then hugged tightly, with his ears pressed against Sonics chest. The soothing sound of Sonics steady heartbeat filled his ears and slowly, very slowly, calmed his own.
“It's just a little greying; I'm not getting out of your hair anytime soon, love.” Sonics tone was as light as could be, but Shadow knew it was all pretend for his sake.
Despite that, Shadow couldn't help but be selfish in asking for comfort. “…you'll leave me alone.” he managed to choke out.
He heard a chuckle, “not alone. You'll never be alone, love,” Sonics bright voice comforted him.
Shadow just buried his face further into Sonics chest.
***
It was during a G.U.N mission when he and Omega came across an old storehouse previously used mainly for mass production of lab equipment. It was located in a remote and desolate mountain and left abandoned for decades.
Inside were rows of stasis tubes, research papers, and highly advanced equipment he was way too familiar with.
The moment Omega tore down the door, Shadow knew exactly what this place held.
Well, the arc's high-tech equipment had to have been made somewhere other than space, and it looks like this was where they stored the extras.
Shadow put a hand on the glass body of a tube, knowing exactly how it was to be used.
***
Genetic fusion error: incompatible DNA sequence detected
in his twentieth attempt, Shadow came to a realization. The process was too complex, their genes too incompatible and unstable for the procedure to be easy.
He was a half-alien immortal creature, and Sonic was a being of pure chaos energy. Combining their genes to create life was hard enough that even Robotnic never attempted to do so.
Research could theoretically help him, but it was mainly trial and error to answer a question with too many ways to go wrong. he would have to go through all probabilities, but it would take years, decades. It would take time, and time was something Sonic didnt have much of.
He barged into their kitchen, momentarily startling his husband, who had been cooking dinner.
There were fine lines at the corners of his eyes, and faint creases formed along his forehead that frustratingly only served to make Sonic look more handsome. The apron he was wearing never failed to distract Shadow, and neither did the smile he threw at Shadow whenever he was caught staring.
"see something you like, gorgeous?" he said with his uncanny ability to manifest the smirk into his tone.
But Shadow was in too much turmoil to reciprocate.
"you knew." he accused.
"I know a lot of love, be more specific"
"you knew about Silver, you knew long before me," he had started to shout, his voice heavy with grief. "you must have known that-that you won't get to meet him..."
Sonic paused, turned off the oven, and turned to face him with a serious look, giving him all his attention.
"the project- I mean, Silver, can't be made anytime soon." Shadow continued.
It was unfair, it all felt like a cruel trick the world had been playing on him for the last few decades and finally decided to reveal its intentions.
No, it was his own lackings, he was useless and could not even do this one thing correctly.
"Shadow, look at me, ok?" Sonic gently lifted Shadow's chin, forcing him to look into those enchanting emerald eyes.
"There you are," he said, a soft smile forming on his lips."listen to me, ok? I've already met Silver"
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT. ND YOU KNOW IT!" Shadow yelled, slapping Sonics hand away.
Sonic sighed, suddenly looking much more tired and melancholic as he ran a hand through his quills. "I won't pretend I'm not sad, Shadow, but I've had years to come to terms with it."
Sonic tentatively reached out to grab his hand, and Shadow let him squeeze it as he stood there motionless.
"and I have met Silver. I know the person he will become. I fought with him, spent time with him, and know the hero you will raise him to be is stubborn, passionate, and loving. Just knowing that...it's enough for me, Shads."
"...liar." because he was. Sonic could school his expression to look content, but Shadow could read his eyes. That's why he had never said anything, to avoid discussing the inevitable. Because, no matter how much his husband encouraged him to express his emotions, the truth was he also had a habit of hiding behind a smile.
Any more insistence on his part would lead to a screaming match, and Shadow had long learned they were not worth the time they wasted.
He took a deep breath to soothe his nerves and unclenched his fists. He should be the one comforting Sonic, not the other way around.
He crept closer to Sonic and threw a hand over his shoulders. His husband immediately hid his face in Shadow's shoulder and let Shadow stroke his head.
"I just, I wish I could see him grow up," Sonic whispered, holding back tears.
"me too, baby. me too." Shadow held onto him tighter.
***
"Just make sure you enjoy your life, love."
the hand holding his own slowly turned cold and stiff, but Shadow waited patiently for those green eyes to reopen once more.
Sonic passed away on a warm summer day, a few days before his 98th birthday.
And with that, he took the colors in Shadow's life away as well.
***
Shadow didn't speak anymore. He had no need to, after all, everyone he knew and loved was long buried.
The last time he did was to Cream, a few days before her death. Thirty years ago, the girl passed away surrounded by her beloved family and friends. Their last conversation had been nice, light-hearted, and friendly. She never stopped being the compassionate soul she was. She gave him a small handmade blanket and playfully whispered.
“For the little guy.”
Amy's grandson was too much like her for his own good and made sure to drop by sometimes to give him a homemade meal and talk Shadow's ear off without needing any answers.
The horde of offspring Knuckles and Rouge left behind showed up on his doorstep to demand a training session. One look at the turquoise eyes Rouge had, and Shadow could never turn them away either.
Despite those minor distractions, Shadow spent most of his time staring at the tube and running the experiment again and again.
Failing and trying time and time again until all the knocks on his door stopped, the voices left, and decades blended together.
***
Genetic fusion successful: viable embryo detected
Shadow's head snapped toward the memo on the screen, he had grown so used to showing the same message over the past many decades.
It felt like his heart had started to beat after laying dormant for so long. Suddenly, there was a purpose, a need for motion, a goal.
He jumped onto his feet, not allowing the numbness to slow down his path to the incubation chamber.
At first, there was nothing inside the bioluminescent fluid, but soon, a small mass of cells, surrounded by black and blue electricity, began to form and duplicate.
The mass began to take shape as it grew, making a small head, unique quills, and limbs. Shadow couldn't pry his eyes away from the soft, snow-white fur growing on the tiny body and finally resembling a mobian child.
Finally, the screens displaying the creature's biodata began to show small, dented lines indicating a heartbeat.
development phase complete: subject ready for extraction
He was here, Silver was here, his baby was here.
Silver looked small, precious, perfect, and suddenly, Shadow's surroundings looked a lot brighter.
The fluids began to drain from the tube, and Shadow rushed to disable the mechanical extraction system, not wanting them to be the first thing in the world to touch Silver.
A soft hiss sounded as the lid of the tube disengaged, allowing Shadow access to his child.
He took his gloves off, his hands steady as he reached into the warm fluid and cradled the fragile baby into his arm.
Silver was slick with biofluids, his fur soft and new, and he was warm against his hand. His baby stirred awake, letting out a quiet, shuddering breath and whimpering.
The beautiful sapphire eyes opened for the first time and met his own.
"Long time no see," he whispered, voice thick with affection. For the first time in a century, Shadow spoke, voice hoarse.
He nuzzled into Silver's fur and breathed in the smell of the life he had just created.
"nice to meet you, Silver, I'm your dad."
***
“Dad!?” Silver exclaimed.
Silver's powers allowed him to travel in time and remember all prosperous or apocalyptic timelines and their changes.
Because no matter the timelines circumstance, the only constant remaining was Silvers existence, regardless of Shadow having the chance to make him. His whole being wasn't recorded in the universes, and that's why he could freely change it.
Silver was destined to save the future of millions, time, and time again without ever being acknowledged as a hero. He'd already faced and would continue to face countless dangers and obstacles and go through life-threatening events
yet he still couldn't abide by the simple rule of using the front door instead of floating in through the window.
“Silver. Welcome back,” he deadpanned at the young boy caught red-handed sneaking back in, and took a sip of his fresh coffee.
Silver huffed in annoyance, floated inside, and plopped onto his bed, “Why are you always standing exactly where I left when I get back? I might think you just stand here, waiting”
Shadow did, but that was pathetic, and his son didn't need to know that.
Silver's voice was tired, his fur slightly burned and dirty, but thankfully, he didn't seem to have any injuries. Whenever his son returned hurt, he became tempted to tightly hug him to not let him go back to the past.
The world's happiness was fragile, resting on the shoulders of a child to save it by fixing past disastrous, and Shadow couldn't help but find it unfair and his past self inadequate for not dealing with them himself.
Silver would have to live through every apocalyptic present, every possible bad future, and make a future where happily ever afters were possible.
“Are you alright? Were there any complications?” he put his mug down on the table and sat on the bed.
Silver yawned, looking ready to fall asleep. “Nope, the usual Schick. I woke up, and everything was ruined, so I went back to fix it.”
Shadow pressed further, knowing full well his son was downplaying the situation, “What was it this time?”
“…a virus that turned people into robots, we had a hard time beating it. Even you didn't exist when I woke up, so it was a big deal.” Silver answered tentatively, looking dejected.
Ah, Shadow remembered that it had been slightly after Infinate's defeat in the war.
“Well, you did a great job, so that's why I'm still here.” Shadow comforted his son and ruffled the fur on his head roughly. That earned him a yelp and a following chuckle.
“You keep disappearing from the timeline, what would you do without me?” Silver teased, looking much less tense.
“Cease to exist, I guess,” Shadow said with a smile.
He put the blankets on Silver's frame and tucked me in, sensing his impending passing out from exhaustion.
“We gotta find you a hobby, Dad, both so that you get out of my hair and to keep you busy after I die,” Silver mumbled, eyes slipping shut.
Silver aged much slower than the average Mobian, he'd live for hundreds, possibly thousands of years, saving lives, having adventures, and enjoying life.
Yet he was still worried about his immortal father after his death, which wouldn't come anytime soon.
But there was no need to worry.
“Goodnight dad, love you,” Silver said and drifted away to sleep
“I love you too”
Shadow leaned down and kissed the forehead of the most precious thing in the world.
After all, Shadow the Hedgehog never intended to live longer than Silver.