#biolover9

Some speculate that Sonic would get jealous. I don’t, but I do see him as someone who knows how dangerous and rash Shadow is. This goes for a lot of characters. We know Shadow’s gentle around Amy, but we’ve seen their hug and the ARK connection in SA2, the possibility of her turning him around in ShTH, the TMOSTH scene where Shadow gave Amy a sweet gift and agreed to go to a silly concert with her, etc. Sonic hasn’t seen that soft spot. Amy was helpless when Sonic met her and for a long time afterward, so he might hang onto that concern on some level and feel cautious about her spending time with Shadow, especially because of how naïve Amy is. Sonic knows Shadow’s ultimately a good guy, but Amy’s seen a side of him that no one else has. I wouldn’t anticipate open hostility from Sonic, but he might worry on some level.

Rouge didn’t always get along with Amy. She understandably saw Amy as an immature child for a long time, and she looked down on Amy and messed with her. They get along now, but they still have their differences, and Rouge cares a ton about Shadow. I could see her getting protective if she has reason to believe Amy could be frivolous and break his heart.

I think Cream mostly doesn’t like s0namy because of how lopsided Amy and Sonic’s feelings are and because Amy loses her head when it comes to romance. If she doesn’t think Shadow reciprocates and doesn’t register how different the shadamy dynamic is, she might dislike it for the same reason. Cream’s wise for her age, but Shadow’s hard to read.

(For the record, I think all three of them would come around pretty quickly once they actually saw how Shadow and Amy acted as a couple. That’s usually how it goes for Sonic fans in general, after all.)

This is why I actually think Vanilla would ship them the most. I don’t write headcanons about her too often because she’s a minor character, but I honestly can’t see any reason she’d object to shadamy. Vanilla’s probably the closest thing to a mom Amy has, so she has a vested interest in seeing her happy. She has Cream’s gentle supportiveness, but with the wisdom and experience of adulthood, I imagine she could understand the big picture and realize how good the two of them are for each other. The best headcanon I have explaining this is here.

As for who ships them the least, a lot of people put Knuckles in that role as a big brother figure for Amy. I think that’s tenuous, though. He just doesn’t stand up for her in that regard. I don’t know about anyone else, but I can’t think of a single time he’s seriously chewed Sonic out for treating Amy poorly. The closest you’ll get is him sarcastically saying things like, “Are you playing with that girl’s heart again, Sonic?” in Heroes and poking fun at him later. But he’s clearly joking when he says that, and he ran away from her along with Sonic constantly back in the day just like Tails did.

(Side note: this is something that really, really bothers me about his character. You’re the oldest, Knuckles. Do better!)

It is possible he leaves Sonic alone about it because s0namy is a “safe” avenue for Amy’s affections; Sonic is one of his closest friends and Knuckles knows he’s ultimately a solid guy, and given that Sonic hasn’t shown interest in an actual relationship, things wouldn’t go very far between the two. Shadow, on the other hand, has been at odds with Knuckles and the others before, and like Sonic, Knuckles has never seen the soft spot Shadow has for Amy.

I still think it’s more likely that Knuckles would trust Amy’s judgment and stay hands-off, but he could potentially show some hostility. This headcanon is how I explain it.

If you ask me, the biggest opponent to the pairing...would be Doctor Eggman. If Shadow and Amy had kids, Eggman’s chances for world domination would be kaput in ten to fifteen years. Even if they never did or the child didn’t have any of their abilities, the possibility would ruin Eggman’s blood pressure, which is even funnier.

“No,” he snapped immediately. The Chao glanced up at him and cocked its head, and Omega’s exhaust sputtered in amusement. Shadow glared at him.

Rouge crossed her arms. “Oh, really? So what’s its name?”

Shadow growled quietly. “Her name is...”

He paused for a moment, then snapped his mouth shut and looked away. Omega’s exhaust sputtered again, louder this time. Shadow grumbled.

Rouge smirked. Oh, this is gonna be good. “Well...?”

Shadow grimaced and shut his eyes. “She’s...Rosie.”

Rouge tried—and failed—to hold in her laughter. It burst out of her in a loud cackle. “HAH!” Omega joined in.

A plaintive whine came from Rosie’s direction at the loud noise. She was holding her head, and her eyes were squinted shut. Shadow instantly leaned down to whisper some calming words in her ear. He glared at Rouge in silent warning.

Rouge sighed and sat down on the couch, placing her shopping bag on the floor next to her. “So when did the little bundle of joy get here?” she asked, trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. “I knew you liked Chao, but I didn’t know you were adopting one.”

Wouldn’t surprise me if he was waiting until I moved out.

Shadow idly scratched under Rosie’s chin. “About three weeks ago, I was talking with my therapist about some of my...” His nose wrinkled. “...insecurities. I told her about my purpose and how pressured I felt to protect the Earth. She suggested I might feel more fulfilled if I took care of something smaller.” Rosie cuddled up to Shadow and nuzzled his side. He smiled wryly. “Looking back, she was probably thinking of a houseplant, but I stopped by the Chao shelter on my way home and adopted Rosie.”

Rouge’s heart warmed. Thank God I set him up with that therapist. She’s been a godsend for him. “That’s really good advice.”

Shadow’s expression was unusually soft as he gazed down at the Chao. “It’s been...nice.”

Rouge looked down at Rosie. Her face was painted in a perpetual smile, not unlike her namesake. Rouge reluctantly grinned back.

I have to admit she is pretty cute.

Rouge shook off the sentiment. “So why did you drag me down here? Please tell me it’s not to...” Her gaze flicked down to Rosie, then back up. “You know what.” Her eyes narrowed.

Shadow pressed his lips together, then looked away. “G.U.N.’s sending me on a solo mission. You’re the only person I can trust with this.”

Rouge massaged her temples. I can feel a headache coming on already. “Shadow. I. Don’t. Babysit. You know I can’t stand babies, Chao or not.”

Rosie let out a soft noise and tilted her head, almost sounding...sad? Rouge frowned. She didn’t...understand that, did she...? She scoffed. Of course she didn’t. She’s just a Chao. Rouge shook her head. “There has to be someone else. What about Cream? She’s good with Chao.”

Shadow was already shaking his head. “Cream has Cheese. Rosie doesn’t get along well with other Chao.”

“AH?!” Rosie squawked, indignant.

Shadow crossed his arms. “Don’t give me that. You know I’m right.” Rosie pouted.

Rouge glanced between the two, then scoffed. She doesn’t play well with others. Just like her dad. Her face hardened. “What about Omega? He’ll be here. He—”

“...Has knives for hands,” Shadow argued.

“SHADOW. YOU MUST RECONSIDER. I HAVE PREPARATIONS IN PLACE.”

“No.”

“I HAVE DOWNLOADED THE CONTENTS OF OVER ONE THOUSAND PARENTING BLOGS. I AM READY.”

“No.”

Rouge glanced between the two. She pursed her lips. I guess I can’t argue with him there, but... She smirked. “How about Amy? Don’t you two have joint custody yet?”

Shadow scowled, and his ears turned slightly red. He sighed and shook it off. “Rouge, it has to be you. You’re the only one who’ll see through her tricks.”

“Tricks?”

Rouge heard an intrigued noise at her feet. “Huh?”

“Oo!”

Rouge looked down, only to see Rosie had somehow gotten into her bag and extracted one of the bracelets Rouge had just bought. She’d already looped it around one of her tiny wrists, and she was giggling and playing with it.

Rouge choked. “You little—!” She reached down and tried to take the bracelet back, but Rosie proved difficult, holding it behind her back and eluding Rouge’s hands.

“Rosie,” Shadow warned.

The Chao ignored him and hopped into the air to try and get some distance. Rouge lashed her hands out and grabbed her. “Gotcha!”

The moment she did, however, Rosie’s lower lip trembled...and she burst into tears. Rouge flailed and hurriedly placed her down on the couch. Rosie bolted and hid behind Shadow, shivering and whimpering.

Shadow sighed. He turned away from Rouge and bent down to comfort Rosie. “Shh, shhh...it’s okay. You’re alright.”

Confused, Rouge looked up at Omega. His eyes were glowing more brightly than usual. His cooling fans whirred loudly, a sign that he was irritated with her, almost seeming...protective?

Rouge cringed and looked back at Shadow. Instead of picking Rosie up as most people would do with a crying Chao, he was holding her paw and scratching under her chin again. Rouge bit her lip and waited.

After about twenty seconds, Rosie’s sobs had died down to sniffles. Shadow sighed and turned back to Rouge, his eyes a mix of tiredness and disapproval. “I know you didn’t mean it, but Rosie doesn’t like to be held or touched by people she doesn’t know. You need to be careful with her.”

Rouge tried not to grumble. I haven’t even agreed to this, and he’s already telling me what to do. But...

Rosie was peeking back at Rouge past Shadow. Her eyes were still wide and tearful, and there was real fear in her expression. Rouge’s chest tightened, and an emotion that felt a whole lot like guilt crept into her heart.

It’s not like it’s my fault! Everyone knows Chao love to be held, this one’s just...weird.

The thought didn’t make her feel better. Her expression pinched. She deliberated for a moment while the Chao’s tears subsided, then sighed and reluctantly mumbled, “I...won’t do that again, okay? I’m...” She grit her teeth. “I’m sorry.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Rouge could see the little red light on Omega’s chest plate that indicated he was recording audio. She glared at him.

I never apologize. Ever. And now he’s got a recording of it. He’s going to play that back ten times a day, isn’t he?

Rouge’s attention was brought back by a quiet whine from the couch. Rosie stared up at her for a moment, then climbed up over Shadow’s legs. She tentatively crept closer to Rouge. Apparently deciding it was safe, she held up the bracelet for her.

Rouge’s eyes widened. “You’re giving this back to me?” Rosie nodded. Rouge plucked it from her hands. “Oh...thank you.”

The red recording light on Omega’s chest plate was lit once more. Rouge grumbled internally.

I never say ‘thank you,’ either. And now he’s got that, too.

But then the bright smile returned to Rosie’s face, shining through again past her reddened eyes, and it was almost worth it. Rouge’s heart melted, and she just barely held back a fond smile.

Rosie toddled back over to Shadow’s side. He instantly leaned down to scratch under her chin and held her paw again. “Great job, Rosie. Good girl.” She nodded, pride evident on her face. He paused and held up a finger. “But no stealing, alright? That bracelet was hers, and you know it.” Rosie pouted for a moment, then nodded and gave a toothy smile. Shadow’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he scratched under her chin again.

Rouge squinted. It’s always under the chin. I wonder if she doesn’t like being pet normally.

When Shadow sat back up straight, Rosie plopped down next to him. She still held onto one of his hands, but she was sucking on her other paw.

Rouge inclined her head toward Rosie. “I thought adult Chao grew out of sucking their paws. You’re not going to tell her to stop?”

“I’m not going to stop something that isn’t hurting anyone,” Shadow said. “Rosie does some things differently. This is fine. Stealing isn’t.”

Rouge pursed her lips. “She seems...”

“She’s got strengths and weaknesses, just like any other Chao,” he stressed, holding Rouge’s gaze firmly. Rosie looked up at him, and he showed her a rare smile before looking back up at Rouge. He turned serious again. “I don’t know exactly what her first owner was like, but...” His jaw clenched.

Rouge winced. Oh...

“Rosie’s been through a lot,” Shadow continued. “She’s smart and gets herself into a lot of trouble. It’s not just stealing. She’ll run off or hide from you, and she gets into all sorts of places she shouldn’t. She can fly and climb, too.”

As if to reinforce his point, Rosie started climbing up the back of the couch. “Careful, Rosie,” he warned.

“Bah!”

Rouge peeked over her shoulder as the Chao crawled past her, then squinted at Shadow. “This sounds like a lot for one person.”

“THIS TASK WILL BE SIMPLE WITH MY RECENTLY ACQUIRED KNOWLEDGE!” Omega insisted.

Rouge raised a brow.

“He can help you track Rosie down with infrared if she gets away from you,” Shadow explained.

“DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE MY SKILLS AS A PARENT! I HAVE ALREADY RESEARCHED THE MOST ADVANTAGEOUS COLORS TO PAINT A CHILD’S BEDROOM. MINT GREEN IS THE IDEAL CHOICE FOR A CHAO OF ROSIE’S TEMPERAMENT.”

“Anyway,” Shadow muttered, holding a hand to his forehead, “there are some other things to watch out for. Like how she can pick locks.”

Rouge opened her mouth, then stalled out. “Wha...no. Absolutely not. No way.” She paused, then side-eyed him. “...What kinds of locks?”

“For starters, anything with a combination.”

Rouge snorted. “No. You cannot convince me a Chao can read numbers.”

Shadow scratched his chin. “I don’t think she actually reads them,” he mused. “She just waits until the lock’s open and memorizes the shapes and where they are. Like they’re symbols.” Rouge scoffed, and he added, “Anything that opens with a key won’t work, either. She’ll just steal the key.”

Rouge smirked. “Well, I have to respect that, at least.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re no exception.”

Rouge cocked her head, and he nodded past her. She turned around to the armrest behind her and gasped, scandalized.

Rosie sat on the armrest, casually chewing on one of Rouge’s keys. When she saw Rouge was looking at her, she snickered.

“You—how the hell did you get those?!”

“LANGUAGE, ROUGE. A CHILD IS PRESENT.”

Rosie leapt into the air and flew over Rouge’s head. Rouge tried to reach for her, only to whip her hands back and growl when she remembered what happened last time. “You—give those back!”

Rosie ignored her and fluttered past Shadow to hide behind him once more. She peeked at Rouge and hid a giggle behind her paw.

Rouge crossed her arms and clenched her teeth. Shadow looked down at Rosie, and his face turned stern. “Rosie. Those aren’t yours, and you know it.”

Rosie looked between the two of them. She pouted for a moment...and then burst into tears once more.

Rouge held up her hands defensively. “What did I do this time?!”

Shadow held up a finger, then crossed his arms and locked his gaze on Rosie. She quieted down after a moment. He shook his head, then glanced up. “Omega?”

“ANALYZING...” Omega pressed a button on his wrist. After a moment, it turned red. “FALSE TEARS DETECTED.”

Rouge’s eyes widened. Shadow glared down at Rosie, who gave a fake, guilty smile through her tears. Shadow shook his head. “You’re not fooling anyone. That won’t work in this house.”

Rosie shrank back down. She grumbled and wiped away the last of her tears. Rouge stared, baffled, and Shadow sighed. “Rosie can—and will—cry if she thinks it’ll get her what she wants. She has some tells, but until you get the hang of it, Omega can tell you when she’s faking.”

Omega saluted. “NEVER YIELD TO AN ENEMY’S DECEPTION. PERFIDY IS A WAR CRIME AND MUST BE PUNISHED ACCORDINGLY!”

Rouge squinted down at Rosie. That’s actually pretty clever...not that I’ll admit it.

Shadow kept eye contact with Rosie, retaining his look of disapproval. After a few seconds, Rosie gave up and hopped back to her feet. She dragged her feet as she returned to Rouge’s side and held up her keys.

Rouge huffed and took them back. “Honestly, haven’t you heard of ‘honor among thieves?’” she muttered. The keys were slightly wet from where Rosie had been chewing on them, making Rouge’s face twist in disgust.

By the time Rosie sat back down, the “innocent” smile was back on her face. Shadow didn’t let up. “Don’t look so proud of yourself,” he muttered. Rosie scrunched up her face but didn’t object.

Rouge scratched her chin for a moment, then smirked. “Hey...y’know, she’s got real potential. Good mobility, lockpicking, theft, deception...”

“You’re not taking her on a gem heist.”

Rouge clicked her tongue. “Aww, but she’d be so good at it! She’s a natural!”

Shadow let out a sharp exhale. He held a hand to his forehead. “That’s exactly what I’m worried about. I need someone like you to look after her because you’ll pick up on this stuff.”

Rosie was gazing up at Rouge again, still showing her adorable smile. Rouge narrowed her eyes.

Shadow’s right. This Chao would walk all over Amy and Cream.

Omega’s triumphant voice cut in, surprising all three of them. “COMPATIBILITY ANALYSIS COMPLETE. ROSIE’S BEHAVIOR BEARS A CLOSE RESEMBLANCE TO ROUGE’S!”

Rouge choked. “Oh, no. No, no, no, no, NO!” She could hear Shadow trying to hide his own laughter, and Rosie’s emote ball morphed into an exclamation point. Her tiny tail started wagging, just as Amy’s often did, and her smile widened a little, somehow looking more sincere than before.

Rouge scowled at Omega and crossed her arms. “No. Just NO.”

“NEGATIVE. TENDENCIES SHOW SIGNIFICANT OVERLAP. PROPENSITY FOR TRICKERY AND MISCHIEF. CLIMBING AND FLIGHT ABILITIES. COVETING AND THEFT. LOCKPICKING. MANIPULATION. STEALTH. FAMILIAL BOND WITH SHADOW.”

“Oh, come on,” Rouge interrupted, rolling her eyes. “We already agreed she’s a miniature Amy. They’re the spitting image of each other,” she pointed out. “Why do you think he chose her? She’s bright pink!”

“I didn’t adopt her because she’s pink!” Shadow snapped, making Rouge and Omega jump. Rosie whined quietly, and he leaned down to comfort her, whispering words of apology.

Rouge’s heart softened. She waited for Rosie to calm down, then asked, “So why did you choose her?”

Shadow glanced up at Rouge out of the corner of his eye, then returned his gaze to Rosie. His jaw tightened.

“Because she needed me.”

Rouge and Omega remained silent. He continued. “That shelter was—” Shadow’s face darkened. “They couldn’t give her the support she needed. They were...keeping her in a cage.”

Rouge could see the way Shadow was gritting his teeth. His eyes burned with rage, just as they did at any injustice. Her heart ached.

Shadow took in a deep breath, then sighed heavily. “People who didn’t know what they were doing kept adopting her, only to bring her back. Over and over.” Rouge could see his hands shaking. “No one was willing to put in the work and help her.”

Rouge’s eyes drifted down to Rosie, who was gazing up at Shadow. It wasn’t hard to imagine workers just pushing her off to the side, not having any idea what to do with a Chao like her.

Rouge decided not to think about it.

Shadow held his mouth open, then clamped it shut. He looked back up at Rouge at last. “I adopted her immediately. I had to. They...” He shook his head, then choked out in a pained whisper, “I...couldn’t leave her there. I just couldn’t.”

Rosie whimpered. A frown of concern appeared on her face, and she started climbing up Shadow’s torso, only stopping once she was tucked under his chin. She hugged him and nuzzled his chest fur.

Shadow’s face spread into a tiny, genuine smile. He reached up a hand to hold and support her.

This time, Rouge couldn’t hold back her fond smile.

He needs her just as much as she needs him.

Rouge stared for a long while, deliberating. Finally, she let out a long, reluctant sigh. “You’d better start writing, then.” Shadow cocked his head, and Rouge smiled wryly. “I’m guessing this little one comes with instructions.”

Shadow’s eyes lit up. He sighed deeply and half-smiled, letting out a quick laugh. “Thanks, Rouge. I won’t forget this. Omega?”

“AFFIRMATIVE. NOW PRINTING SCHEDULE AND GUIDELINES.”

Rouge’s gaze snapped to Omega. Her eyes bugged out as three full pages emerged one by one from a slot on his chest plate. Shadow immediately launched into an explanation, drawing her attention.

“A few quick things—as you can see, Rosie doesn’t like being held unless she initiates contact. She won’t eat on the floor. She feels more comfortable sitting on a chair instead. Spot her when she climbs up to make sure she doesn’t fall. She eats diced square fruits seasoned with a dash of nutmeg and a dusting of cinnamon. She needs to play outside twice a day, but she doesn’t get along well with the other Chao yet, so you can’t take her to the Chao park. Instead, make sure you...”

Rouge’s eye twitched. Chaos, she’s as finicky as he is!

“Wait,” Rouge cut in, holding a hand to her forehead. “How long is this mission, anyway?”

“Two weeks,” he replied. Rouge’s jaw dropped. Shadow’s nose wrinkled. “Well, closer to thirteen days...and I’ll keep my communicator on at all times,” he continued, oblivious to Rouge’s terror. “I can sneak out at night and teleport home for an hour or so, but I can’t risk more than that.”

As Shadow kept ranting, Rouge’s eyes drifted to Rosie. She was still snuggling under Shadow’s chin, but she’d turned her head to watch Rouge’s expression. Rosie let out a quiet giggle, apparently picking up on her distress.

Rouge narrowed her eyes. I’m already regretting this.

--

((By the end of the two weeks, she adored Rosie anyway. Amy and Cream picked up the slack more once Rosie was properly trained, but Rouge found she didn’t mind filling in every once in a while.

As for how Omega reacted when he first met Rosie, he immediately started scouring the internet for how to raise a small creature, even though he didn’t really understand the ins and outs of parenting. Or Chao. Or anything squishy. But he knew she was important to Shadow, so she became a priority by extension. It started out like this...

...but over time, it grew into sincere fondness:

...especially once Rosie stopped lashing out at other Chao and Shadow raised her power stat. Omega was impressed that something so small could be so strong.

Yeah, that’s pretty accurate for Shadow. Firm. Decisive. Ruthless. Funny how the beginning of this video describes Ares as being without a heart, because I’m sure that’s how Shadow thought of himself until our favorite little cupid showed up. <3

This video also shows Ares’ affair with Aphrodite, who is Hephaestus’ (his brother’s) wife in Greek mythology. I deliberately wrote Ares and Aphrodite to not have any romantic chemistry in my story. It’d be a little awkward for Cole to be Hephaestus’ apprentice amid that kind of family drama, haha.