Chapter Text
To be completely honest, Sonic hadn’t really thought it out before he rushed into the base. Not that he was usually a planner, but he’d like to say he wasn’t usually quite so stupidly impulsive. But as soon as he’d caught wind that Rouge had been captured by Eggman, he’d sent an alert off to Shadow, and rushed in headfirst to get her out.
That had ended up very poorly for him.
But to be fair, who would have been able to predict that the mad genius would just straight up shrink Sonic again? Sonic had thought that Eggman had given the shrink ray to Infinite, and then G.U.N. had taken possession of it when Infinite had died. Unless Eggman got it back from G.U.N. somehow… and that was probably exactly what he did. Somehow, the doctor must have stolen it back. And now here Sonic was, a few inches tall and trapped in a jar once again. It was a little humiliating, being put in here yet again- and to be held captive by a fucking jar, no less? Sonic cringed, shoulders slumping. Yeah, definitely embarrassing. He was never going to hear the end of it from Shadow whenever the hybrid showed up to rescue them both.
And to add insult to injury, he hadn’t even gotten close to Rouge’s location- in fact, he had no idea where she even was. She could be shrunk and hidden somewhere in this room, for all he knew. Whatever the case, it was up to Shadow now.
Sonic grimaced, ears flattened in annoyance and embarrassment. He really couldn’t get over just how moronically impulsive he’d been. He should have known better than to go charging in alone, but he’d been so focused on getting to Rouge that he just… didn’t think.
Story of his life at this point. Sonic sighed, adjusting his position. Believe it or not, glass was not comfortable at all to sit on. To make matters worse, Eggman had blocked off his escape route by setting what appeared to be a few books around the jar, likely to keep Sonic from tipping the jar over and breaking it as he’d done last time. Damn that human and his common sense.
Movement across the room caught his gaze, and he scrambled to his feet as the door creaked open. Sonic moved, pressing his back against the glass, and watched the door warily, waiting for who he knew was about to enter. The sadistic asshole himself- Dr. Robotnik, or Eggman as Sonic had nicknamed him.
Eggman strode into the room with a cocky saunter that made Sonic grit his teeth. He glared at the human in a mix of annoyance and resignation. Whatever the man wanted, it couldn’t be good. The human’s long coat fluttered behind him as he crossed the room in several large steps, bypassing a few other counters and tables as he did so. Sonic kept his steady glare on him the whole way, refusing to look away. It felt like a surrender of sorts, a bowing of will, and Sonic wouldn’t be doing any of that.
“Regret setting in yet, rat?” Eggman chuckled, leaning down to peer into the jar. Sonic glared at him silently, refusing to be baited. “No matter. You really should have known better. You have no one to blame but yourself for this one.”
Sonic’s glare hardened, ears pinning in his ire. What did Eggman even want? To gloat? Was this just an ego-stroking session? He wouldn’t be surprised, but he would have assumed that the doctor had a purpose for being here aside from that. Sonic sighed, resolve strong- he wasn’t going to let himself be baited into bantering with the doctor, not this time.
“You’re boring today.” Robotnik commented. “Good thing I have another toy to entertain myself with.”
At that, Sonic’s expression cracked, surprise overcoming the anger for a heartbeat. His ears pricked in interest- was Eggman talking about Rouge?
“Ah, I see that caused a reaction.” Eggman chuckled darkly. “You both are lucky that my plan counts on you being alive… and relatively unharmed. Otherwise, think of the fun I could have!” He sighed wistfully, shaking his head as if it were a real shame. Disgust twisted in Sonic’s stomach, making him bare his teeth. “Whatever. I need to prepare for my final guest! He should be arriving shortly.” With that, he dug around in his pocket, unveiling a jar not unlike the one Sonic was in. Instead of another hedgehog though, this one housed a shrunken bat- the exact bat he’d been looking for, in fact.
Eggman plopped the jar down carelessly next to Sonic’s, glancing between the two of them with a wicked amusement. “Don’t get too comfortable now, the show’s only just getting started!” Before Sonic had even fully processed the sentence, the man was across the room and out the door, hinges creaking as the door closed behind his abrupt exit.
Sonic stared after him in bewilderment. “I swear he’s getting more and more insane as time goes on.” And possibly more bipolar as well.
“You don’t say.” Rouge groused, clambering to her feet with a sour look on her face. “When I get out of this jar, I’m going to kick his teeth in.” The bat growled with a ferocity that took Sonic by surprise.
He laughed, turning to her. “It might be a bit before you have the chance to do that. The machine he built is no joke, it could be awhile before this wears off.” He remembered the time spent with Shadow as they waited for the effects of the machine to fade, of the awkward little dance that followed every time-
“Has this happened to you before, Blue?” Rouge asked, sounding a little startled as she turned to him. “How do you know that?” Incredulity layered her voice, but he kept his tone and expression calm when he replied.
Rouge could know about the shrinking, but the other stuff…
Sonic didn’t particularly want to reflect on how exactly he and Shadow had figured this all out, what they’d been forced to do.
“I have been shrunk before, a few times.” Sonic admitted. “But it always wore off pretty quickly.” Not a concerning amount of time, to be clear, but at least a day. Sonic knew it could have been far worse- or at least, the shrinking could have. The situations… those had been pretty bad. And what had followed, when Shadow had been forced to swallow him, or watch him die… yeah, that had been pretty bad as well. Actually, that had been pretty damn terrible. That level of fear was almost incomprehensible, unless you were experiencing it yourself.
Rouge blinked, seeming to process that, before letting out a huge sigh. “Shadow’s involved as well, isn’t he.” Her tone conveyed a statement rather than a question- she already knew the answer. how she had come to that answer, he didn't know.
Sonic winced a little. “Correct.” He didn’t expound beyond that, and she didn’t ask him to, much to his relief.
“I knew it.” Rouge muttered, leaning back against the glass, before sliding down it and into a sitting position. “That’s why I came here, you know.” The bat sighed, sounding frustrated with herself. “I hacked G.U.N. after everything that happened, and found out that they’d used the shrink ray on Shadow. That was why he needed time after you got him out, right? For it to wear off?”
Sonic blinked, surprised that she’d been able to figure out so much. “… yes, you’re exactly right.” Maybe there was a little more to it than that, but what Rouge didn’t know would hurt her… and it would preserve both his and Shadow’s dignity.
“Anyways, I wanted to destroy it before it could be used against any of us. But when I went after it, I found out that Robotnik had managed to break in and steal it back, making my mission even more complicated.” Rouge continued, looking mollified that her guess about Shadow had been right. “Unfortunately, the doctor was prepared for such a surprise attack. He hit me with the weapon and stuffed me in a jar. He’s been hauling me around with him, trying to kill me with sheer annoyance and boredom, I think.” The ex-agent said, frowning sharply. “I’m surprised you even managed to find me… I didn’t tell anyone what I was doing. I wanted to force G.U.N. to back off, but this backfired in a way I didn’t expect.” Her voice turned incredulous, as if she was still having a hard time believing the situation was real. “I’m four inches tall, and trapped in a jar. Is there a better time to say fuck my life?”
Sonic laughed, surprised by the sudden dry humor. “I think this situation is pretty apt for such a phrase.” He agreed, then sighed, sobering so he could address her story. “And… I understand, what you were trying to do. You didn’t want Shadow to know, did you?”
“Not particularly.” The bat said regretfully. “But not because it would upset him, or because I was trying to hide something from him- I just didn’t want him to feel… guilty, or anything of the sort. I wanted to help, but he’s terrible at accepting help.”
“That he is.” Sonic agreed with a wry smile, glancing over at her. “Ironically, it’s us who need his help now.” It was an unfortunate level of irony, in fact.
Rouge huffed, shaking her head. “Ironically, yes.” There was a moment of silence between them. Tilting her head back against the jar, Rouge suddenly gave a slight, dark laugh. “We’re screwed, aren’t we?” The tone to her voice worried Sonic a little- caustic and flat, like she was accepting their situation as inevitable.
“Not necessarily.” Sonic said, trying to remain positive and encouraging- for her sake, if not his own. “I sent an alert out to Shadow, so he’s likely on his way. He’ll get us out.” At least, that was what Sonic was choosing to believe with an edge of desperate hope. Because if no one was coming… that meant they were stuck, subject to Eggman’s whims until someone finally figured out where they were. Sonic shuddered. That was a worst-case scenario. The doctor was sadistic and cruel- and unpredictable. It would be a very bad thing if they were stuck with him. After all, he had been the one to force Sonic into swallowing Shadow that first time, all in the name of an experiment. Who knew what he would do with not one, but two shrunken victims?
“Then we just have to hope that Shadow’s coming.” Rouge murmured, letting out a sigh. “Otherwise… we’re on our own.” She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she leaned further into the side of the jar.
Sonic shifted, then dropped his gaze to the smooth floor. “Pretty much.” It was hard not to feel discouraged, even as he tried to remain hopeful. Because this situation they were in right now was his fault. If he had just waited for Shadow…
Self-criticism and what-ifs were going to eat him alive if he sat here with his own thoughts for too long. Guilt and annoyance still hung heavy in his chest, chiding him for being so stupid as to charge in without any sort of plan. Now he and Rouge both faced Eggman’s ‘creative’ methods of entertaining himself. All because he’d been impulsive, again. Honestly, he’d deserved Shadow’s disgust, or chiding, or however the hybrid reacted.
Sonic had been sloppy. And it was likely going to cost them all.
Shadow was careful to keep his steps light and silent so that he was undetectable as he crept through the base. He’d received Sonic’s distress call, informing him that he knew where Eggman was holding Rouge, and to come as soon as possible. Shadow had dropped everything to do so. As Rouge had been missing for nearly three weeks, Shadow wasn’t going to risk losing her when they finally had located her. He’d never admit it, but worry had been eating him alive when he’d noticed she’d been gone an abnormal amount of time. It wasn’t unexpected of her to disappear- she often did on her heists, and to visit Angel Island. But she almost always let him know where she was going first, in case an emergency occurred, and she would usually check in when she could.
She hadn’t checked in once in three weeks. That had set alarms off in Shadow’s mind, and when he’d gone out searching for her, he’d found very little of a trace of the bat. Which wasn’t altogether odd- she had been a secret agent for years, and knew how to hide her tracks- but the bare evidence of her presence anywhere had been quite alarming.
He’d tracked her to G.U.N. headquarters (though he’d given the building a wide berth, and had let Sonic investigate there) but her trail had vanished after that, seemingly inexplicably. Shadow hadn’t given up looking, but… it had been hard to know where to look. It was just like his friend had vanished off the planet. Which, considering their lives, wasn’t an altogether crazy idea.
Regardless of all of that, having a location now for Rouge was making him more relieved than he’d been in a long time. In truth, he hadn’t realized just how worried he’d been about her until the relief of her alive status came crashing down on him like a tidal wave.
Now, all he had to do was get her out. He’d tried to meet up with Sonic, but the blue hedgehog had already been gone by the time Shadow had gotten to the base- which was located deep in the middle of the desert, an odd choice of location for the doctor.
Sonic had likely gotten impatient and had gone in after Rouge himself- which was annoying, but altogether not a big deal. If he got her out, it was still a success, and if he didn’t, then Shadow would get them both out, and rub it in Sonic’s face as well. Win-win either way, at least for Shadow. Whatever the case, Shadow was prepared for anything.
He crept down a different hallway, eyes scanning the space ahead of him warily. It would be just like Eggman to have planted some sort of trap for him- especially if Sonic had already tried, and failed, to get Rouge out. Shadow could be walking straight into a trap, honestly.
No matter. Shadow set his shoulders, eyes narrowed. If he had to fight, he would. If he had to take this base down, he would. Whatever he needed to do, he was going to get Rouge -and possibly Sonic- out. Not only was Rouge his best friend, but he owed her more than he could ever pay. She’d been there for him from the very beginning, had given up so much for him, and he’d be absolutely damned if he left her here to be Robotnik’s prisoner.
Shadow found a door, opened it, and found nothing but rows of deactivated badniks behind it. He closed it quickly, then moved along down the hallway, cursing silently to himself. This was taking too long, who knew what Robotnik was up to? The man was a sadist, as so clearly proven by his past actions… and he had Rouge captured. Possibly Sonic as well, as Shadow hadn’t seen any sign of the blue blur. He’d like to think that Sonic was smarter than that, but the hedgehog could be incredibly impulsive. Especially if one of his friends was in danger…
Damn. Sonic had most certainly gotten captured. Shadow realized grimly, opening another door to find piles of scrap metal. He’d likely charged in immediately after sending the message out to Shadow.
Well, Shadow would just have to get them both out then. It might be tricky, but nothing he couldn’t handle.
But first… he had to find them.
Easier said than done, at this rate. The base was ridiculously big, and Shadow had to be meticulous in his search- if he missed them, he wouldn’t realize until he had searched the entire base. And at that point, Eggman would have likely detected his presence here, and would attempt to stop him. Which would make the entire rescue mission that much harder. A sigh leaked from Shadow when he checked another room and found it empty. He picked up the pace a little, exiting the hallway into a great big room, with tall ceilings and a big door. Likely some sort of vehicle storage, if he had to guess. Or badnik storage? It was a possibility. Though, if this great room was what Robotnik planned to fill up with badniks, then he must be planning some sort of large attack. Shadow hoped that wasn’t the case. He’d rather not deal with that, along with avoiding G.U.N. and the problems that came with that.
Shadow chaos snapped across the room, approaching a door that opened into yet another hallway, this one leading to stairs. As he made his way down the hall, he checked the three rooms spaced out down the hall, but found nothing telling or incriminating. Frustration built in his chest, but he did his best to keep it down- no use getting worked up and emotional. That would only cloud his judgment and logic, and he couldn’t risk it. Rouge and Sonic were depending on him. He had to find them, and soon- before Eggman figured out he was here. Or, if the mad doctor already knew of his presence here, then before he got bored and sent some badniks out to play to complicate things. Shadow didn’t have time to play cat and mouse.
Reaching the stairs, he started up, taking two at a time and chaos snapping when he could. Whatever time he could save, he needed to do it. Too much time had passed already, and he still had several floors to search. He was running out of time.
Shadow gritted his teeth, a growl rumbling in his chest. He was faster than the speed of light- fuck that. Time would bend for him, he would make it so. With a deep breath, he chaos snapped the last few feet, landing at the top of the stairs. Fixing his gaze on the hallway ahead of him, he narrowed his eyes, channeling chaos energy and taking a deep breath. With that, he shot off, airshoes lighting up with energy as he flashed down the hall, darting from room to room, checking them all over for any sign of his friends. One after another, he meticulously went through the base at the speed of sound, leaving melted spots in the metal as he pulled more power. In no time, the second floor was cleared, and he was moving onto the third, and final, floor.
Shadow glared, teleporting from room to room, until there was only one left. He stared at the door, hesitating for a moment as he hovered a couple inches off the ground, chaos energy warming his body and singing in his blood.
Throughout his entire search, he’d seen no sign of Robotnik. Shadow was no fool. While some might assume that the inventor was gone from his base, he knew it wasn’t so. Instead, he was almost certain that behind this door waited both his friends… and the mad doctor. Shadow needed to proceed carefully- whatever lied behind that door, it was no doubt a trap of some sorts. Either a literal trap, or Eggman was holding his friends hostage somehow.
Whatever it was… Shadow was ready. He took a deep breath, letting chaos energy build in his chest, feeling the power practically vibrating within him, then opened the door, quills bristling as he glanced about the room.
Shadow froze, staring when he met the gaze of none other than Dr. Robotnik himself.
The villain was leaning against a counter clear across the room, expression boredly amused as he watched Shadow. After a quick glance, Shadow determined the room to be some sort of lab- with counters, tables, and equipment scattered about the area. Bright lights lit up the entire room, and if possible, Shadow tensed even more.
Why, you might wonder?
Because there was no sign of his friends whatsoever. He searched the entire room with his gaze once more, and it only confirmed what he feared. Sonic and Rouge weren’t here. Had he missed them somewhere along the way? Shadow was certain that he was at the correct coordinates, the ones that Sonic had sent him. Had Eggman really had time to move them in the time it took Shadow to get here?
“Robotnik.” Shadow growled, ears pinning. “Where are they?” His eyes narrowed in on the smug man, noting every relaxed line of his posture- whatever the human was planning, he was enjoying this.
“I’m sure I have no idea who you’re talking about.” Eggman returned in a silky-smooth voice. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” His tone left no doubt that he knew who Shadow was looking for. The question was… were they hidden somewhere here, or had they been moved somewhere else? Was Eggman only here as a diversion, to throw Shadow off their trail?
Shadow cursed internally, taking a few steps into the room, scanning for any sign of threat- but oddly enough, he found none. What was the human’s goal here? What was his plan, his purpose?
No use beating around the bush if Robotnik knew who he was looking for. And based on the knowing, crafty gleam in his eye, he knew.
“Where are Sonic and Rouge?” Shadow demanded, eyes and voice hard and cold as ice. His tone was threatening, warning the doctor what would happen if he lied, or played games.
“Ah… yes, those two.” Eggman’s voice was wickedly amused. “My longtime enemy did pay me a visit today… shame it didn’t last long. Whatever it was he was looking for, he gave up rather quickly.”
Shadow watched him, unsure of what to think about that. Was it a lie? Was it the truth? Had Sonic actually left- and if so, had it been on his own terms? But if he hadn’t found Rouge, and had left, then wouldn’t he have contacted Shadow?
No, Eggman had to be lying. Sonic was undoubtedly captured. The only question was whether it was here… or if he had been moved elsewhere. No matter where his friends were being held, Shadow would find them. It was only a matter of time…
“You lie.” Shadow said in a low voice, just to gauge the human’s reaction. Sharp eyes caught every flicker and twitch, reading the way the man unconsciously responded to Shadow’s question.
“Me? Lie?” Eggman gasped, feigning outrage. “I never.” False scandal and hurt layered his voice prettily, as if he could distract Shadow with just that.
“Always.” Shadow corrected him with a glare. “But damn you, and your unhelpfulness. I’ll find them myself.” He turned to move back towards the door, but before he could, the human’s voice caught his attention one last time.
“Shadow, catch.” Eggman called, sounding cruelly amused.
Shadow spun around, concerned that an explosive was being thrown at his back, but it was only a small blue-colored ball. He didn’t move, certain that it was a trap- maybe some sort of touch-activated bomb? At least, he didn’t move until the object uncurled, shrieking with fear, arms flailing as he plummeted.
“Fuck!” Shadow swore, lunging forward as a four-inch-tall Sonic dropped towards the floor. He threw his hand out desperately, and managed to scoop Sonic from the air just a foot or so from the ground. The shrunken hedgehog collapsed in his palm, shaking violently from the close call.
Shadow cupped his hands around his friend and pulled him to his chest protectively, glaring at Eggman as he hid the tiny hedgehog in his closed hands. “What did you do?” Sonic’s heart thrummed frantically against his fingers, but he didn’t even squirm in the slightest, making no protest to Shadow’s actions. If anything, the hedgehog only tucked himself into Shadow’s hands more, as if he was trying to further hide himself.
“G.U.N. isn’t the best at holding onto things, and they had something that I created.” Eggman smirked. “I simply took my property back, and I had to make sure they hadn’t tampered with it somehow… Sonic so graciously volunteered to be a test subject when he broke into my base this morning.” The villain’s grin widened. “We’ve had fun today, haven’t we, Sonic?”
Sonic’s shivering, still encased in his hands, only increased, which made the protective feeling in Shadow’s chest grow stronger. He let a low, warning growl rumble in his chest, which oddly enough seemed to reassure Sonic.
It was then that he put two and two together, and realized what the doctor was saying.
“The shrink ray. Of course.” Shadow sighed, annoyance welling in him. Robotnik said nothing, just smirked at Shadow. “And you’re just… giving him back?” Shadow asked, glancing down at his hands, even though Sonic was hidden away from sight.
Eggman laughed, low and long. “Not quite.” He didn’t expound on what he meant, leaving Shadow to frown in confusion.
Shadow wracked his brain, trying to figure out what the human meant- hadn’t he literally just tossed Sonic at him? He froze when he realized, slowly raising his eyes to meet the smug, gleeful human’s.
“Where’s Rouge?” Shadow said, voice dark and furious. At the question, Sonic pressed a hand against Shadow’s palm, then squirmed a little.
Shadow opened his hands, just the slightest bit, peering down at the shrunken hedgehog. Emerald eyes stared back at him, wide and startled.
Sonic shook his head, then spoke. “He has her. Shrunk her.” His voice was quiet, but didn’t shake. Unlike his body, which was still trembling.
Shadow gave him a slight nod, ears twitching back with anger. Unsurprising that the doctor had shrunk them both, but it was infuriating all the same. Carefully, moving as slowly and gently as he could, he clasped his hands back around Sonic, hiding him from the villain’s sight completely. Overkill? Possibly. But Shadow was taking no chances now that his friend was tiny and vulnerable. He’d be damned if he let Eggman harm the hedgehog in the slightest.
“Don’t worry about your bat friend.” Eggman said in a smarmy voice. “She’s just fine.” A wicked smirk crossed his face, making Shadow narrow his eyes at the malice in his expression. “I was a gracious host, of course, even though she likely came to steal from me.”
“Enough games.” Shadow snapped, letting a few bolts of blood-red chaos energy crackle around him. “Where is she?”
“Right here, of course.” The doctor hissed with glee, brandishing his closed fist at Shadow. He opened his hand partway to reveal a thrashing, cursing Rouge. The bat, like Sonic, was only inches tall, helpless to the hand that surrounded her.
Shadow blinked, a little taken aback by the sight of his best friend reduced to such a size. Her wide turquoise eyes met his, emotions he had no name for flickering quickly across her face. Shadow sucked in a breath, worry and relief twisting into a muddle along with the ever-present anger.
“Shadow-” She tried to say, but Eggman cut her off with a slight shake of his hand, making her yelp.
Shadow snarled, taking a step forward as a protective sort of rage lit up in his chest. “Let her go.” He ordered, voice colder than the north wind.
Sonic began squirming again, pushing against Shadow’s fingers and palms. It was clear he wanted out, wanted to see, but that same fiercely protective urge told him to ignore the hedgehog’s struggles. To keep him hidden, and safe, far from this evil man in front of them.
But he couldn’t do that- regardless of how safe he wanted Sonic to be, he’d never keep him trapped like this against his will. So he carefully shifted his hands, opening them so that Sonic could see and understand the situation they were in. Sonic scrambled to his feet, finding his balance quite easily as Shadow moved him to one hand. Shadow flattened his palm to make it even easier, but curled a few fingers, unable to totally resist the protective instincts at war in his mind. Sonic leaned against those fingers to help keep his footing, shooting Shadow a small smile and grateful glance.
“No, no I don’t think I will just yet.” Robotnik said, sneering at him. “This bat has caused me a lot of trouble, you see. She’s quite valuable.”
The chaos energy grew into a threatening blast, but Eggman had clearly expected that. He squeezed Rouge, tight enough that the bat cried out with pain. Shadow immediately backed down, dismissing the chaos energy with a flick of his free hand, eyes fixed on his best friend.
“That’s what I thought.” Robotnik said coldly. “Remember who has the power here, Shadow. One wrong move, and just think…” His grip on Rouge loosened as his finger slid up to pinch her neck. “Of how easy it would be for me to snap her neck.”
Shadow snapped his teeth together in frustration, wracking his brain for a plan. Sonic was quiet in his palm, watching Robotnik and Rouge with an unreadable expression.
There were several moments of silence as the group faced off. It was a stalemate, and they all knew it. Shadow couldn’t do anything to save Rouge without greatly risking her life, and Eggman was prepared to squish her at any sign of Shadow attacking.
Finally, after a few minutes of this, Eggman spoke again.
“Would you like to hear what I want?” The villain said, smiling smugly. The knowledge that he had the mobians right where he wanted them was clearly exciting him. “I’ll give her back to you, unharmed even… there’s just one thing I want you to do first.”
Shadow narrowed his eyes, noting Sonic’s glance up at him. The two exchanged a wary look, both apprehensive of what the doctor wanted.
“And what would that be?” Shadow asked slowly, suspicion heavy in his voice. His gaze dropped to Rouge, who was watching him intently. When he met her eyes, she deliberately shook her head once.
She was telling him to reject the offer, to go and leave her there.
Hell no.
Shadow frowned at her, communicating just what he thought of that asinine idea. Rouge looked annoyed, but did nothing, likely not wanting to alert Eggman.
The doctor grinned with a level of sadism that made a shiver run down Shadow’s spine. A memory flickered through his mind, of a different grin just like that- a grin of a jackal. Robotnik took a step forward, gaze briefly dropping to Sonic before focusing back on Shadow.
“Swallow Sonic.”
Revulsion gripped Shadow so suddenly he flinched, ears flattening and eyes widening in horror. In his hand, Sonic flinched even harder, stumbling on the hybrid’s gloved palm.
“Fuck no.” Shadow spat viciously, cupping his hand to hide Sonic once again. The hedgehog’s trembling- which had slowly calmed- started anew, making Shadow draw him closer out of instinct. “You can’t be serious.”
“Oh believe me, I am.” Eggman said, grinning widely. “I am serious. That’s the price for your bat friend’s release. Swallow Sonic, and I’ll let her go.” He chuckled lowly. “Easy as that. Seems simple to me.”
Shadow stared at Eggman. “You… you know that it won’t hurt him.” He drawled, trying to understand why Eggman was doing this. “You’ve seen it yourself- it doesn’t do anything to him.” Why on Mobius the doctor would want him to do this was beyond Shadow. Dropping his gaze, he winced away from Rouge’s shocked expression from where was, encased in Robotnik’s fist. This was the last thing he wanted her to know about- the last thing he wanted her to hear.
“Oh, I know.” Robotnik said with a twisted smile. “But I also know you both detest the act. I’m taking a new strategy- psychological warfare.”
So that was his goal? To make them both miserable? Just for his own sick satisfaction?
Shadow’s eyes narrowed, and he puffed his quills a little. “What makes you think that I’ll just listen to you? Like you said, we both hate it.” His eyes strayed to Rouge, who was paler than he’d ever seen her, shocked to the very core. Understandably, but it still made unease twist in his chest. Would she be horrified by him now, knowing this?
“Because if you don’t, the bat will be killed, and pinned to a board like a butterfly.” The doctor sneered, voice growing cold. “Don’t test me, Shadow.” He held up Rouge to demonstrate, but thankfully didn’t do anything to her yet. But that was the keyword- yet. Shadow could tell that the mad doctor was serious. If Shadow didn’t do as he said, then Rouge would…
No. He couldn’t let that happen. Not to anyone, but least of all to his best friend. His sister of sorts.
But if he was to save her, then that would mean…
Shadow’s eyes dropped to Sonic, who was already looking up at him. The shrunken hedgehog’s expression was tense, but not frightened, as he would have expected. Was he… was he not opposed to this? It couldn’t be- this terrified Sonic, had always and would always. Which was logical! But then, why did Sonic appear so… relaxed?
Sonic looked up at him, pursing his lips as he clearly thought over the idea. The blue hedgehog’s ears were pricked, but not tensely so, and he seemed calm overall.
“Are you actually considering this?” Shadow’s voice dropped so low, he knew only Sonic could hear him. Incredulity layered his voice, but he kept his expression carefully neutral so that Robotnik would have no idea what they were speaking about.
“Can you honestly tell me you can get to Rouge before he does anything to her?” Was Sonic’s answer as he held Shadow’s gaze, calm and questioning.
Shadow hesitated, then bit back a growl as he admitted, “No.” He wasn’t certain he could, and if he failed… Eggman could kill her in the blink of an eye, snap her neck with a finger, crush her in his hand. Shadow couldn’t risk it on a maybe. But could he really ask this of Sonic again? When last time, he’d terrified him?
No. He couldn’t. Couldn’t put his friend through that again, especially after last time, when he’d swallowed him to get him away from Infinite. When he’d convinced Sonic that he would die, that Shadow was going to kill him.
“Then it seems to me that we have no choice.” Sonic said evenly. “If we want to keep Rouge safe, it’s the only way, is it not?” His expression was calm, blank in a way. It looked so wrong on the normally expressive hedgehog.
“Stop that.” Shadow hissed down at him, shifting his grip so that Sonic was a little more hidden from view. Was this how people felt when they talked to him? Face to face with a neutral expression, Shadow felt a little bad for them now. “Stop hiding your true thoughts and feelings. You think I can’t handle it?” He challenged, raising an eyebrow.
Sonic looked a little surprised. “I’m not. Well, I’m not trying to hide anything, at least. I am trying to remain calm though, so maybe that’s how it seems. I am scared, but I trust you, Shads. And I’m prepared and expecting it this time.” Quirking a half-smile, he said, “It’s just you. I’m not afraid of you.”
“You might be singing a different tune soon enough.” Shadow muttered, but his tone had gentled, softened at Sonic’s admission. “You don’t have to do this. I can try to figure something else out.” But even as he still thought, he couldn’t figure out what to do that wouldn’t put Rouge in danger- and he couldn’t risk her.
“Nah. It’ll be fine.” Sonic said, huffing a laugh. “We’ll be fine. We’ve been through this before. It’s fine.”
It was most certainly not fine, but he couldn’t think of any other way. Of course, there likely was one- but it escaped him. The options he had before him were both bad, but one was guaranteed to get him and his friends out alive. Whereas the other was… iffy. Iffy enough that he really didn’t want to risk it. If Rouge’s life was in danger, than Shadow was inclined to play along to Robotnik’s wishes, even at the sake of his own discomfort and pride.
He, however, wasn’t the one with the clear trauma of this method. Sonic was. And Shadow would be absolutely damned if he did anything to add to that trauma. No. If they were going to do this… then Shadow would make it as easy and without fear as he could. It would be Sonic’s choice- his decision on what they did.
“What’ll it be, Shadow?” Eggman’s crackly voice interrupted his thoughts. “Decisions, decisions. And your time is running out. I won’t wait forever.”
Shadow gave an annoyed snap of his teeth in answer, the sound mildly threatening. “Asshole.” He muttered at the evil inventor before turning to Sonic as he realized something, dropping his volume once more. “He’s going to want a show.” The horror in his voice was only outmatched by the look on Sonic’s face. “Not that you should pretend to be scared or anything, but this is going to make things worse.”
Sonic let out a sigh that seemed too big for his body. “Of course, Eggman needs to make a bad situation worse.” He shook his head, shoulders slumping.
“Naturally.” Shadow agreed dryly. “Gaia forbid he just cooperate for once.”
“My patience has run out.” Robotnik thundered, interrupting them. “What is your answer? Do as I say, or watch the bat die?” He emphasized his point by squeezing Rouge a little, making pain flicker over her face.
“Fine!” Shadow snarled, irritation and frustration at having to give into the sicko’s wishes making him snappy. “Fine. I’ll do it.”
“No!” Rouge gasped, horror filling her expression. Shadow looked away, unable to face her fear and appall any longer.
“Good choice.” Robotnik grinned, a look that made Shadow feel a little sick inside. “Get on with it then. No sense wasting time.”
Shadow leveled him with a glare that could have melted steel, then sighed, softening the expression as he looked down at Sonic. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be, I suppose.” Sonic said, giving him a wry look. “Who thought we’d have to do this again?”
“Certainly not me.” Shadow muttered, cutting his stomach acid off with an unfortunate familiarity. It was easy to do now, after all the practice. His face twisted with disgust at that thought, making Eggman tut.
“Come now, Shadow, he can’t taste that bad.” The evil genius mocked. “I would have thought that with your… genetics… that this would be fun.”
Shadow looked up, baring his teeth in a furious sort of outrage. “Shut the fuck up, or I’ll take my chances with a fight instead.” He snarled, hatred spilling from his tone.
The Black Arms were cannibalistic, devourers of any living being, with no remorse or morals. Shadow would be damned if he would be compared to them, especially in this way.
Sonic set a gentle hand on one of Shadow’s fingers. “It’s alright, Shads. You’re nothing like them. This is entirely different- and you aren’t doing anything to hurt me, or put me in danger.”
Shadow took a deep breath, pushing down the rage so that he could concentrate. He blew out that breath, than nodded. “Alright.” Disgust for the act made his ears pin as he carefully picked Sonic up with two fingers, being as gentle as he could. Sonic didn’t resist at all, didn’t squirm or thrash. He just watched Shadow, shoulders tense as he refused to look behind him at the doctor.
Shadow was also trying to ignore Robotnik, but it was more difficult since he was facing him. He could see the excitement and eagerness on the human’s face, furthering Shadow’s absolute disgust.
Sonic’s heart pounded frantically, Shadow being able to tell because of the grip he had on the shrunken hero. For all appearances though, he looked calm enough. Shadow didn’t know how to help- how to reassure him in this situation. It sucked, it was humiliating, and he hated this.
Shadow carefully avoided eye contact with Rouge as he let out a breath, then opened his mouth, tilting his head back the slightest bit. Sonic didn’t flinch, though his expression froze for a moment as he went still, hand clenching the fabric of Shadow’s glove. Shadow cursed himself internally, cursed Eggman more, then without dragging it out, carefully lifted Sonic up and dropped him into his mouth.
Shadow closed his eyes, unwilling to look at either Eggman or Rouge while he did this, hating every moment. He’d thought this process was bad on its own? It was so much worse with an audience. So, so much worse. He couldn’t help the slight grimace, attention on the tiny hedgehog on his tongue.
Sonic didn’t move, other than to shift positions slightly. He was still, waiting for Shadow’s next move. Unlike last time, in which he’d been terrified out of his mind, he was remarkably calm. He wasn’t hyperventilating, wasn’t scrambling… just calm. Shadow took a breath through his nose, then tipped his head back, wanting to get this over with as quickly (and carefully) as possible.
“Ah ah ah, Shadow.” Robotnik’s voice stopped him in his tracks, and he opened his eyes to level the man with a suspicious glare, quills bristling. In his mouth, Sonic somehow went even stiller than before, likely having heard the doctor. “I don’t know if you’ve mislead me somehow…”
Shadow glared harder, a slight growl building in his chest, vibrating lowly. What the hell was the human planning? What more did he want?
“Let me see.” Robotnik said, leaning back against the table behind him, raising an eyebrow in challenge. “To make sure that you aren’t tricking me. Open your mouth.”
Shadow froze, heart pounding in his ears, and felt Sonic begin to tremble slightly- from fear? Humiliation? He didn’t know, and couldn’t ask. He didn’t want to do this, absolutely did not want to-
“Don’t make me force you.” Eggman purred in a threatening tone, raising the hand holding Rouge. “I’m beginning to tire of your useless resistance.”
Shadow’s gaze dropped to the bat, who he had been avoiding looking at, for fear of what he’d find on her face. He couldn’t bear to see the revulsion, the condemnation from his best friend.
But when he met her turquoise gaze, all he found was sympathy. There was disgust, yes, but he could find no condemnation or anger there. Rouge met his gaze, chin tilted up as she stared, wide-eyed with shock and a bit of horror. Could he blame her though?
Her expression shifted to pained as Eggman tightened his grip on her again, and Shadow looked back to the human with alarm, knowing he had no choice but to do as the man said.
Slowly, gingerly, he opened his mouth, careful to tilt his head back so that Sonic didn’t fall out. He breathed out slowly through his nose, feeling the way Sonic leaned back, pressing himself into Shadow’s tongue as he tried to avoid their tormentor’s gleeful gaze. Shadow’s chest rose and fell more quickly, panic tight around his heart, saliva building the longer he held Sonic in his mouth.
“Huh, so you weren’t lying to me.” Robotnik said, peering at the two of them. “For once.” He waved Shadow off, no longer interested in the very thing he’d asked for. “Carry on.”
Like I need your fucking permission. Like I want to do this. Shadow thought darkly, carefully closing his mouth once more. Sonic seemed to relax a little, now out of sight of the doctor. How fucked up was this situation, that Sonic would rather be in Shadow’s mouth, instead of facing the doctor when he was acting so unstable.
Shadow carefully nudged Sonic back, the smaller hedgehog obliging him by scooting closer to the throat of his own volition. Shadow almost snorted- clearly Sonic wasn’t afraid, or at least, not as afraid as he’d been in the past. Shadow tilted his head back to help him get the hedgehog down, knowing it was easier. Taking a deep breath, he nudged Sonic back further, feeling him slip and fall all the way back, settling into the dip of his throat. Sonic didn’t squirm, didn’t thrash, he just waited. Shadow fought the urge to gag, instead forcing himself to swallow the obstruction.
The obstruction being Sonic.
Shadow swallowed hard, feeling Sonic get pulled down easy as anything. Sonic didn’t yelp, didn’t scream, didn’t fight. Just let it happen, stiff with the fear he so desperately didn’t want to show. Shadow swallowed again, a cough escaping him at the uncomfortable feeling. His eyes dropped to the floor, staring unseeingly as he felt Sonic’s progress down, down past his collarbone, down into his stomach.
When the shrunken hedgehog finally tumbled into his stomach, Shadow released the breath he was holding, shoulders slumping with a twisted sort of relief and guilt. Slowly, he raised his burning gaze to the sadistic doctor across the room. He simply glared silently for a moment, feeling as Sonic situated himself, moving to the front of Shadow’s stomach with an easy familiarity. Sonic sat, leaning back against Shadow in a move he’d done many times before.
“Happy?” Shadow rasped, throat sore from the too-large object he’d just forced down. He certainly wasn’t happy, and neither was Sonic. Sonic, who was trying too hard to be calm and still, twitching at random intervals, his breathing almost too rhythmic.
“I suppose.” Robotnik decided, sighing. “A somewhat boring show, but you did fufull your end.”
Shadow didn’t respond- he couldn’t, he had to be calm and had to hold his tongue despite the words that wanted to escape, words of insults and the like. With immense patience, he managed to hold them back. If he riled Eggman now, then the doctor might do something to Rouge.
Robotnik grinned wickedly, then tossed Rouge into the air, as he had with Sonic earlier. Rouge shrieked, wings unfurling, but Shadow was faster. He lunged forward, wincing when he felt Sonic get slammed backwards, and flung out a hand to catch the falling bat.
Rouge tumbled into his hand, shriek cutting off as she collapsed in his palm. His fingers curled over her protectively, and Shadow began backing towards the door, eyes on the evil genius for any sign of tricks.
“We’re going now.” Shadow said firmly, voice hard and cold as ice. He was a little distracted by the feeling of Sonic shoving himself upright again, recovering from the sudden moment. Blinking, he tried to refocus from the spacey feeling of someone moving in his stomach.
“Go ahead.” Eggman waved him off, looking bored now that his entertainment was over. He turned back to the table he had been leaning against, pulling out what looked like a blowtorch and taking it to something that Shadow couldn’t see. Sparks danced from whatever Robotnik was welding, and Shadow couldn’t help but stare, dumbfounded.
All that… and now the doctor was going to let them walk out? Simply because he had been entertained? This human really was mad.
Before Eggman could change his mind, Shadow slipped from the room, starting down the hall at a brisk pace, then opened the hand holding Rouge. The bat stared up at him, unreadable, and Shadow wondered just what she was thinking. What was her response to all this? To what she had just witnessed? Would she be disgusted, hate him, shame him?
Shadow held his breath, waiting for the bat to react, to speak, to do something.