#dadow time

"Good morning. You have something scheduled today." Silver slowly blinked as Stone's voice stirred him awake. He nuzzled more into Eclipse's fur with a soft huff. He still felt sleepy...

"This event is saved as 'Drag him over and do the special day thing'. I was set to remind you in the morning."

... that didn't make any sense. And Silver didn't feel like he wanted to care with how tired he was...

"Already? Huh." Eclipse said and he started to poke Silvers head. "Hey, get off."

Silver let out a soft whine and held onto Eclipse tighter. It was cosy! And he was really tired...

"I said, get off." Eclipse grabbed the back of Silvers fluff and lifted him up. He let out another whine, reaching out for that comfy warmth of snuggles but Eclipse held him up too high. "Stop whining or I'm dumping you on the floor."

Silver opened his eyes to stare at Eclipse, his cheeks puffed out in a pout. It only made Eclipse grin as Silver was dropped among the pile of blankets instead.

"Who knew the little thing who doesn't stop smiling can get so grumpy in the morning~." Eclipse's grin grew when Silver continued to stare at Eclipse. The older hedgehog poked at his ear. "What? Is it the training? Or not getting those cuddles? You needy thing."

"I'm tired... it's cosy..." Silver said with a huff and nuzzled down into the blankets. It wasn't as cosy and warm like Eclipse's fur... but it smelled like them both and that was comfortable. It'd be better if Shadow could be here too... He managed to find the Shadow plush among the blankets and gently hugged the plush toy against his chest.

"Being tired shows progress." Eclipse stood up and stretched out his arms. "Headache or only tired?"

"Tired..." Silver closed his eyes, slowly relaxing and feeling ready to fall asleep again.

"Good." But instead of going back to sleep, Silver was picked up by his neck fluff again and set more gently on the floor. The floor felt cold on his bare feet... "Do your daily movement. I got something to do."

Then, with a light ruffle on Silvers head, he was alone... Eclipse wasn't here. And Silver was tired... So Silver crawled back into bed and under the blankets with the Shadow plush toy. He could do the daily movements later... it was just lifting some things and making some stretches, it was getting easy with how often he'd done it now...

Silver had just started to fall asleep when there was a strange "chooinnng" sound in the room. It was enough to make him notice it, but not really react-.

"I am required to remind you to not use rings to enter this central space directly. With spatial travel, you risk damaging the treasures that are kept inside. Or bring those we don't want to follow, here."

Who was Stone talking to...? Ring?

"These items would get contaminated by the outside air."

The voice made Silver wake up, immediately. He scrambled to sit up and push blankets aside, to see who was-.

"Shadow!!" Silver's face lit up in a bright smile as he quickly escaped the blanket pile, flopped onto the floor and ran over to the older hedgehog. The boxes Shadow held were put aside and he crouched down to meet Silver.

He jumped to hug the older hedgehog, his arms wrapping around Shadow's neck and holding him close.

"You're here!! I've missed you!"

Shadow was tense, but he still hugged Silver in return, gently patting the back of Silver's head. "Of course. Did Eclipse not tell you?"

"He didn't! You're here!" Silver's tail was wagging super fast as he indulged in Shadow's familiar scent just a few seconds. Then pulled back to show Shadow his wide grin. "I've gotten much better with my energy now!! I can lift two things!"

"That is a good improvement." Shadows smile was soft and warm as he gently set Silver down on the ground with his hands on Silvers shoulders. "I hope Eclipse hasn't been too hard on you."

"Pain shows progress! I'm okay!" He clenched his hands into fists, lifting himself up and down on his toes repeatedly. "What are you doing here!? Do you have treasures you wanna store?"

Shadow blinked and tilted his head slightly. "Did Eclipse really not tell you anything?"

A familiar "blip" sound came from Silvers left. And there was Eclipse! Shadow was here and Eclipse was here, both were here!

"I didn't think you'd come this early. I told you what we needed just a few moments ago." Eclipse said with a huff and picked up one of the boxes Shadow had brought with him. He then gave to Tidy to carry somewhere. "Did you count the days or something? I had Stone remind me."

"There are such things as calendars." Shadow noted as he stood up and started to remove his cloak. "You should use them."

"Eh, overrated." Eclipse shrugged, then he looked at Silver with his hands settled on his hips. "You didn't do your daily movement."

Silver twitched and pressed his ears back against his head at the reprimand. He muttered a soft 'sorry' to Eclipse, went over to Shadow and indulged in just ooooooone more hug. Then went towards his weights to lift them with his energy, going from smallest to largest, just lifting them up and down a few times.

His ears twitched as he listened in on what the older hedgehogs were saying. The morning movements were easy enough that he didn't have to super focused any more.

Or, well, he tried his best to listen cause he still needed to focus on lifting the things and doing his stretches.

Shadow had brought food, cause Eclipse didn't have enough. Shadow was also on another hunt against "Crimson claw" and apparently Eclipse made them? But then they started to talk about Crimson claw being framed cause what Shadow was hunting wasn't what Eclipse made them for. So it was a bit confusing.

He ran back to the two hedgehogs when he was done and put on his shoes so his feet wouldn't be as cold. "I'm done! Did you see, Shadow? I lifted to weight 5!" He pointed towards his weights with his tail wagging.

"I saw. Good job." Shadow nodded and his hand was light and gentle as he pet Silver's head.

"Right, little thing. Today is a special day. Do you know why?" Eclipse grinned at him while crossing his arms.

"Shadow's here to visit?" Silver tilted his head slightly to the side, then looked at Shadow. "Will we be travelling together again?"

"No, not yet." Shadow crouched down to be more level eyed with Silver. "One year ago, Eclipse and I took down an organisation who kidnapped children chaos users. And today, one year ago, is the day we found you."

One year ago...? It's already been a year? Silvers eyes widened slightly, looking between the two hedgehogs and thinking-. No, hoping that it didn't mean his time was up. Because they still wanted him, right? They still-.

"We don't know when you were born. So Shadow want this day to be your annual celebration day." Eclipse said with a small shrug. "Cause that's what mortals like to do. Celebrate they're still alive and all."

Silvers quills immediately relaxed when Eclipse said this. So... his time wasn't up...? Today was a special day cause they wanted to celebrate keeping Silver...?

"Like-... Like a birthday...?" There was a strange lump in Silvers throat. Shadow grabbed hold of Silver's hand.

"Like a birthday... have you celebrated your birthday before?" Shadow's words were gentle. Just as gentle as his grip on Silvers hand-.

"I-... Yeah but-... But they didn't since my p-powers-..." It was getting hard to see and Silver quickly wiped at his eyes. "I-... I can have a birthday...?"

"Yes, yes, birthday, celebration that you're alive, all that stuff." Eclipse's hand settled on Silvers head and rubbed his quills back and forth. "You're ours now. We want you here. So this celebration thing fits. Now stop getting emotional over it."

"Eclipse..." Shadow glared at Eclipse, which only made the other old hedgehog huff.

"Fine, sure, just continue to cry and get it over with." Eclipse leaned down in front of Silver too, both older hedgehogs looking at him. "What? Do you want a hug or something?"

Silver nodded with a soft sniff and Eclipse picked him up to hold him close.

"There. Clingy little thing..." Eclipse's voice was soft so he didn't truly mind. Silver nuzzled into Eclipse's fur and held him around his neck.

"It's alright, Silver." Shadow said and another, warmer hand lightly patted Silvers back. "You're horrible at nurturing his emotions, Eclipse. Do you really have no interest in understanding why he reacts like he does?"

"Doesn't matter. Besides, we already agreed. You do the emotional growth stuff and I do the physical growth." Eclipse said with a small shrug.

"Question:" Stone called out through the speakers. Silver kept on hugging Eclipse, not ready to let go yet... "Shall I change todays event into an annual event and change it's title to 'Birthday of Silver'?"

Silver let out a soft sniff when Stone said that, held Eclipse even tighter and nodded against Eclipse's neck.

"Yeah, sure. Do that." Silver had a birthday... He had a birthday and he was wanted and he'd get to keep them and they wanted to celebrate. "If you're trying to choke me, you're doing a horrible job, little thing."

"S-Sorry." Silver sniffed as he let up on his hold. "D-Didn't think... You wanna k-keep me...? B-Birthday...? I h-have a-...?" His voice got cut off by a sob. That then grew into more.

Shadows hand disappeared, then he was gently coaxed away from Eclipse and was lifted into Shadows arms instead. Silver felt warm, safe, overwhelmed and he only cried more. He could hear Eclipse and Shadow argue over something, but he couldn't pay attention to it.

He had a birthday. He had two dads who wanted him and wanted to keep him. He had a birthday and he was wanted and they were both here and Shadow was hugging him and it felt so nice and warm and- and-.

He had two dads...

Silver cried until his eyes got sore, and Shadow didn't complain one bit. Just hugging him close, gently telling him that it was okay and rubbing his back. Only when Silvers sniffles had died down did Shadow gently nuzzle the side of his head.

"Feeling better...?"

"Mmn..." Silver mumbled in soft agreement. His chest wasn't in pain... even if he was more tired than before.

Shadow let out a soft hum and nuzzled him more. "You have presets to open. Would you like to have them now or after breakfast?"

"P-Presents...? Really?" Silver pulled back from Shadows hug, wiping away tears and his smile felt a bit shaky.

"Yes. Presents. From both of us." Shadow helped to wipe off Silvers tears with a small smile of his own. He then set Silver down next to him. They were on the couch and Silver hadn't even noticed.

"So? When would you like to open them?"

Silver was about to answer now, but was the distracted. Cause Shadow was twitching... and he was still touching Silver with a hand on his back. Silver knew Shadow didn't like touching, but he'd hugged Silver a lot... His smile was less shaky this time as he shifted away from Shadow.

"I can wait. I'm a little hungry." He let out a sniff and rubbed at his eyes again. They felt sore, ugh... "And thirsty... where's Eclipse?" Silver couldn't spot Eclipse immediately from where they were.

"He got uncomfortable and escaped to put the presents in boxes." Shadow said this while he gestured to somewhere up. "Has he been feeding you properly? Three meals a day?"

Silver blinked as he tried to think about that... he looked up towards the huuuuge roof. "I get something after morning movement. And... a large meal."

"Not three meals?" Shadow started to frown. "Is he training you physically?"

"No, just stretches. I mostly just do energy exercises." Silver tilted his head slightly to the side. "Why? Its not different from before."

"Stone." Shadow looked towards the closest camera. "Set in reminders for Eclipse."

"Note: you do not have the authority to input reminders in my system without approval or sufficient reason." Stone said in return.

"I have a sufficient reasons. Silvers health and nutritional growth." Shadow crossed his arms with a huff. "Children's growth are dependant on their nutrition intake. If a child is not supplied with sufficient nutrients, they grow tired a lot faster than they should. I want to set in reminders for Eclipse to feed Silver three meals a day, especially important while Silver is being trained. Breakfast, lunch and dinner."

Silver listened to this and was a little confused. Because this hadn't really been a problem before had it? Silver got as much food as he was given. He told Eclipse when he was feeling hungry and he got food then. And sometimes Eclipse remembered he hadn't eaten and Silver got hungry when he smelled the food.

As long as he wasn't hungry it was ok, right?

"An acceptable reasoning. Silver the hedgehogs physical growth is important to Eclipse in order to make him the best chaos user in the universe for its young age. Research backs your claim as well. Implementing reminders for three separate occasions during the day dedicated to meal time. Problem: supplies of food will run out faster with this schedule of meals. Reminders put on hold to consult with Eclipse if this should be implemented."

"But I feel okay. I only got sick once." Silver lightly tugged on Shadow's fur then let go. "I don't wanna cause trouble by making Eclipse make food for me more often. I always tell Eclipse when I feel hungry."

"No fault rests with you. If Eclipse is so determined to train you, he should learn how to feed you properly." Shadow's frown grew as he looked back at Silver. "Are you sure you haven't done any physical training?"

"No. Just stretches. I wanna get good enough with my energy so I can fly! Then I can see Eclipse's treasures." Silvers tail wagged at the thought of flying. He made sure to not touch Shadow when he leaned closer to the hedgehog. "Did you know I can learn to fly? It sounds so cool! Once I can control how my weights move, Eclipse says I can control how I move too!"

Shadow tilted his head with a soft hum. "That's a good motivator. I'm sure you'll be able to fly with time."

A soft 'blip' came from their left as Eclipse appeared with two boxes that he set down on the table in front of them. They were colourful boxes with bows on top of them, one with a black bow and one with a dark blue bow.

"Hey! I'm feeding the little thing just fine!"

"Doubtful. Only breakfast and one large meal isn't good enough. He needs two large meals after breakfast, not one." Shadow countered with a scoff. Silver was looking over the colourful boxes, they were pretty... did Eclipse really make those?

"If it's not hungry, its fine." Eclipse waved it off before crossing his arms. "The point isn't to build muscles or whatever. It doesn't need more."

"Nutrients is used for growth overall, not only to build muscles."

Silver got off the couch to approach the two boxes, staring at the pretty bows on top. The black one must be from Shadow and the blue one from Eclipse... he reached out to gently stroke the black bow. It was soft... Shadows gift box was smaller than Eclipse's.

"I doubt you're any better. You eat as little as I do! I bet you've forgotten to feed the little thing, so don't come after me for forgetting about it. If it's not hungry, it's fine!"

Silver looked between the two older hedgehogs and he saw Shadow's hand twitch. Shadow then looked away from Eclipse. "Fine. If you do train him physically, I expect you to feed him more."

"Yeah yeah. Later." This was when Tidy flew over with Silvers breakfast, porridge Eclipse called it. And Silver brightened up when he saw fruit pieces in it.

"Fruits!? But I thought we didn't have more!" He smiled up towards Eclipse. Eclipse gestured towards Shadow as an answer. So he thanked Shadow for bringing it and took his first bite. Apples! Fresh apples!! Silver thought porridge was okay but this made it even better!!

He heard Shadow let out a soft hum as Silver continued to eat. "If that is his breakfast, it makes your neglect a little more acceptable..."

"Oh be quiet. I'm handling it just fine." Eclipse sat down on the sofa on other side if Silver and patted his head. "You better not start crying again."

"I won't! Promise!" Silver was careful when he crawled up in the sofa so he wouldn't spill his porridge. He was very happy to sit between his two favourite people as he ate, with Eclipse helping straighten out Silver's quills.

They were talking about some "Doom Readings" and how Silver was progressing with his powers. And Silver felt warm and proud when Eclipse said he worked hard and Shadow was impressed by it. Silver will for sure be the best little thing in the universe!

"Since it's your birthday, you get to decide what we do." Shadow told Silver after he'd finished his breakfast.

"I wanna play! Play tag! Or Castles!" Silver felt bright and warm and happy and his tail thumped loudly against the couch cushion with it wagging. "And presents! Can I open them?" He pointed at the two boxes that rested on the coffee table.

Shadow let out a soft chuckle and nodded. "Of course. They're yours. You can open them whenever you like."

Eager to see what they'd given him, Silver stood up to reach the boxes. Shadow's box was small, a little larger than his hand. While Eclipse's box was as large as Silver's head! So he started with Eclipse's box and opened the top lid.

There were two machines inside. One that was a small square box with a screen on one side and a circle glass on the other. It had a bunch of buttons by the screen and a button on the top. The second machine was something Silver recognised. A holo screen! It had been in his- uh, those hedgehog's house to show pictures of his mom and dad! Or, uh, those... hedgehogs!

"A holo screen!" Silver showed it to Eclipse. "What pictures does it have?"

"None. For now." Eclipse pointed towards the box Silver held in his other hand. "That camera is used to capture pictures. You mortals have horrible memory. So if you see something you like, take a picture of it and you can see it again on the holo screen. You can keep the holo screen in my ship or here or wherever and the camera's battery can be charged with quills."

Silver let out a soft sound of awe as he looked over the camera, managing to find the power button. He could then see the floor on the screen, so he lifted the camera up towards Shadow and Eclipse. And it now showed the two of them on the screen!

With a few pointers from Shadow, Silver managed to take a picture of the two hedgehogs. Eclipse then showed him how it could be put onto the holo screen and now Silver had a picture of Shadow and Eclipse on the holo screen! He gave Eclipse a tight hug as thanks, because that was a great gift! He'd use the camera a lot to remember all the wonderful sights! He couldn't see the pictures he took on the camera itself, but that was ok. He'd get to see it on the holo screen later!

He then opened the box from Shadow. And he pulled out two gifts just like he did with Eclipse's box. First was a thin chain necklace with a small circle pendant. Barely larger than his thumb. The second was a pair of gloves his size! The gloves fabric was nice and soft and his natural blue glowy rings on his hands shone through the fabric. It felt really comfortable to wear so he thanked Shadow with a wide grin.

"Tell us when they are getting too small." Shadow said with a small smile. "And that necklace is special. I know that the kidnapping attempt scared all of us. But most of all, you."

Silver looked at the necklace, his ears folding back at the reminder. That... that had been scary... He'd felt so helpless and scared...

"It might not be the most happy present... but it will help keep you safe. When you press that necklace, Eclipse and I will know you're in danger. And it will make it easier for us to find you." Shadow took out something from his quills and handed it over to Eclipse. Eclipse looked it over for a second before he put it inside his own quills. "You're training hard to defend yourself. But if that's not enough, I wanted to give you a way to call on us easier if we're not there."

Silver smiled widely at Shadow and walked up to the older hedgehog while holding out the necklace. "Help me put it on."

Shadow accepted it with a nod, unclasped it and then fastened it around Silvers neck. "So you've already gotten used to demanding instead of asking."

"Oh, uhm." Silvers cheeks heated slightly. "Sorry..."

"It's fine. I don't mind." Shadow shifted the necklace so it would be hidden in Silver's fluff, but Silver could still feel the small pendant resting against his chest. "There. Is it okay?"

"Yeah!" He nodded and shifted closer to give Shadow a light hug. "Thank you, Shadow! I feel super safe now. I'll get stronger too!"

"I'm sure you will." Shadow let out a soft hum as he patted the back of Silver's head. Then pulled away from the hug. "You will need to remind us how to play games. We're at your disposal."

"As long it's not stupid pretend..." Eclipse grumbled softly, only for Shadow to jab him in the side. It made Silver let out a soft giggle.

"Let's play tag first! No powers!" Silver declared as he ran to the middle of the large room.

And so, their play started. Eclipse and Shadow were really fast even without their powers, so when Silver got tagged for the third time, Eclipse told him to tag them using his powers instead. And that was a lot easier than trying to catch them! And when he used his powers he could even catch Eclipse and not just Shadow! Eclipse was a little bad at playing games, but Silver still had fun.

And he'd missed Shadow's cooking a looooot. It was super yummy and had fresh ingredients and everything!!