Shadow opened his eyes and noticed that he was crying. Not only that but Rouge was looking at him with concern on her face.

Before he could say anything, she asked rather loudly. "Shadow, are you alright?!"

The hedgehog sat up and looked at her. His eyes were wide and the tears that were slipping down his cheeks kept going.

There was so much he wanted to say to her, wanted to tell her, wanted to reveal to her. So much that it was kind of overwhelming. So much that it was overbearing on his shoulders. He wanted to release all of his anxieties and fears that he had held in for so long. He had the right to feel vulnerable. A right to innocence and joy that he had never felt before. A right to be emotional and happy.

Like right now.

Before Rouge could ask again, Shadow started to visibly weep. His shoulders shook as he started to sniffle and sob. Soon, those sobs turned to howling wails that only an actual baby could muster.

And this look of sadness looked so unnatural on his face that the bat had no idea what to do. It actually scared her a little.

But she knew that her friend was in desperate need of comfort and so she approached him slowly. She crawled over to his side of the bed and gave him a hug. He immediately latched onto her and sobbed into her shoulder. She blinked at this immense amount of contact but simply shrugged and smiled reassuringly.

"It's alright hun…" she said softly, rocking him back and forth. "It's okay…"

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry…" he sobbed. "I've been keeping secrets from you guys. I'm so sorry…"

"It's alright…"

"I'm sorry…"

There was a knock at the bedroom door. Omega's voice was heard from the other side of it. "Is everything alright? I got back from the store and heard screaming."

"It's fine Megs…" Rouge sighed, gently pushing Shadow back and wiping his face. As she did, she noticed that the hedgehog in front of her didn't look like the Ultimate Lifeform.

He looked like a scared little boy who wanted nothing more than love and affection.

She blushed at the sight of this and hugged him and kissed him until he started smiling and laughing.

Rouge laughed as well and chimed once again to the robot. "Everything's a-okay."

Shadow had told his teammates everything. He told them about the recurring nightmares he had on the ARK, with Maria dying in front of him and there was no way to help her. Then he told them and showed them the pills he was taking to combat the terrors. However, he added, they started to alter his dreams and move things into a different direction.

He started to see different parts of himself that he had hidden away from the world. That he was an curious little kid at heart, still interested in how things work and what the world plans to make out of it. He was also scared about having the past repeat itself, being the monster that the world wanted nothing more than to destroy. He also wanted to break out of that stoic mold he had made for himself. That he was more than just an intimidating person.

However, he only wanted to break that mold among people he knew he could trust.

Shadow told them about his Little side. He told them that he felt he belonged there, in the Little and ABDL communities. That at times, he wants to be treated like a baby. And that they didn't have to be obligated to give it to him. That he was okay if they weren't comfortable about it.

Rouge stopped him. "Why would you think we wouldn't be comfortable?"

The hedgehog blinked, hugging his Maria doll nervously. "Um…"

"Both me and Megs have changed you before."

"Y-yeah but-"

"We do not mind." Omega stated, cutting him off. "I think it is rather...adorable."

Shadow blushed.

Rouge smiled, raising her hand. "Same here."

A huge wave of relief washed over his shoulder and he beamed. He squeezed Maria close and felt the tears slip out of his eyes. "Thank you!"

He then told them about Tails and Vanilla. The two that have been keeping this secret for a while. Omega made a realization once Shadow said this.

"That would explain why Tails came here Saturday night."

Shadow nodded. "He came to get Maria for me!"

"Why didn't you come here to get it?" Rouge asked.

He blushed, innocently shifting from the floor to his teammates from behind Maria's head. His eyes however focused on the two in front of him as he said childishly. "I was too Little to do it by myself~!"

Rouge felt her cheeks get warm and she gushed. "Oh my god, Shadow! Why are you so cute now?!"

Shadow giggled lightly, plopping on the floor and snuggling with his doll. "Dunno…"

And finally, Shadow talked about what they could all get in the future. Especially since they were all on the same page now.

"Okay so, you two are my Mommy and Daddy now." he said with a noticeably shift in tone. No more was he the intimidating Ultimate Lifeform. He was now a demanding little boy. "And I'm Shadow, your baby boy."

Omega and Rouge looked at each other before the bat cracked a wide smile. Saying that she was enjoying this was an understatement. She was living her best life.

"Now, we gots rules to discuss and not a lotta time."

"We still have nine hours until our mission." Omega noted.

"Plenty of time." Rouge added.

Shadow nodded. "Tay!"

Finally, he explained the rules and guidelines to his littlespace. Basically, no one outside of the two of them, Vanilla and Tails needs to know about this. Also that he won't act Little in public places unless there's something there that makes him feel extremely Little (like in the toy store at the mall). And if he acted that way in public, pull him away from whatever is causing it.

"I have self control!" Shadow blurted out as Rouge started laughed. "It's just there's some things that make me feel all happy inside...like toys."

Afterwards, Shadow sighed.

"Anyway, that's it! Any questions?"

Omega raised a hand. "Does this mean you will not be partaking in missions anymore?"

Shadow shook his head. "No! I'm still going to work! It's just that sometimes, I wanna relax and be Little. I would usually feel like that afterwork or on the weekends sometimes. I'm not leaving work, don't worry."

Rouge then asked, a sly smile on her lips. "Can you call me Mommy again?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Cause I think it's cute~!"

Shadow rolled his eyes, took a deep breath and beamed childishly. "Hi Mommy~!"

Rouge squealed. "Gaaah~! So cute~!"

"Anything else?" the hedgehog asked, looking slightly annoyed and amused.

She snickered. "Nah, I'm good."

"Alright."

Team Dark spend the rest of the day getting ready for the mission. They ate food, they talked about nonsense, and they (mainly Shadow) did their best to stay awake until they had to leave to go to HQ.

Soon, it was 10 PM and the trio started heading out. Omega left to start the car and Rouge stood by the doorway. As Shadow approached her, he noticed she was grinning at him in her normally sly manner.

He raised an eyebrow in annoyance. "What?"

She let out a short chuckle. "Nothing hun. Just...just wanted to say thank you."

"What for?"

"Ain't it obvious? For opening yourself up to us. We know it was hard on you but I'm glad you did tell us in the end."

Shadow nodded. "I mean, you and Omega were the first two I really bonded with after being in comatose. I'm kind of upset with myself that I didn't tell you earlier."

The bat shook her head and the two left the house side by side. "Doesn't matter. The fact that you told us at all is wonderful. And I'm also glad you found other people who are fine with this too."

He nodded again before they locked the door to their home and approached the car. As they did this, Shadow let out a yawn.

"Uh oh, our little guy's getting sleepy Omega~!" Rouge cooed, adjusting the rear view mirror. "We better finish this thing quickly."

"Affirmative." the machine nodded.

"Don't worry Shadow." she said as she started driving down the street. "This mission will be over before you know it."

The hedgehog rubbed his eyes before nodding, a smile spreading across his face. Sure, he was tired right now and all he wanted to do was nab his pacifier and get some sleep. But he felt lucky and happy to have such amazing people in his life like Rouge and Omega.

And as he eyed the city lights as night settled in, he was even more excited for the future that lies ahead.

This is the last chapter of the story! I really hoped you all liked reading it as much as I loved writing it! I hope you have a good day and I'll see you in my next update (whatever story it may be)!

Buh-bye!