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The amber sun melted across the horizon, glistening like liquid gold as the blue hedgehog walked up to the homey cafe on the east side of Station Square. He wore a weathered, yet hopeful expression, clear evidence of the long day of good-doing that came before this moment.
He wasn’t one to be too concerned with matters of the heart. Often, he considers himself too hopelessly invested in the helter-skelter insanity of his unique yet no less important obligations to even consider a romantic partner. Eggman wasn’t concerned with the frequency of Sonic’s downtime when attempting to take over the world after all.
He was Sonic, as free as the wind and as open as the clear blue sky he believed he embodied. He wasn’t enticed by something as structured as dating, but as Tails continued to harp that his bachelor lifestyle was getting out of hand with open packages of Chinese food scattered about the house and his propensity to bother friends at all hours of the day, he decided to give it a begrudging shot. Just to prove that anything above innocent flirting wouldn’t suit him.
He stopped to gaze upon the establishment which would occupy the few, yet potentially decisive hours ahead; A cozy-looking cafe, with imagery of coffee cup cling-ons in the windows and ornate metal furniture set outside. From what he could see from where he stood, the place was rather busy. He chose speed dating for the name, speed, but he was surprised to find it appealed to so many others as well.
He confidently strutted up to the place, a cheery spring in his step and a charismatic smile on his face. This place was cute, it had that authentic coffee shop feel unlike those chain places with the overpriced drinks. Though, he supposed fairy lights could make just about anyplace have that cozy atmosphere.
He licked his thumb, slicked back his quills, and said to the lady at the front “Hey. I’m here for the speed dating,” with a wink to boot. She couldn’t help but blush, he was a world-famous hero acclaimed for both his charisma and looks along with his abundant heroism. Really, it was a bit of an oxymoron to have him at an event like this, teaming with desperate singles. She figured it was some sort of charity.
After receiving his nametag, he sat waiting at a table among the other bachelors. The crowd was too large to capture in its entirety, but from what he could see there were no familiar faces. He idly sipped on his drink, waiting for the event to start. Luckily for him, it wasn’t long until the hostess made her way to the front of the room. “Hello everyone! I’m so happy to have you here this Saturday evening, you know..” Though he couldn’t help but tune her out as he looked at his dating card.
He was number 23 according to the table. So people were supposed to just check off if they liked him or not? He found it a bit dehumanizing, dehedgehogizing? Whatever the case may be, he was too wrapped up in his musings to realize the ‘game’ was about to begin.
He was interrupted, however, by the sound of a bell. By the time he looked up someone was sitting across from him. Sonic closed his eyes as a display of unwavering confidence and spoke. “Hey! The name’s Sonic, Sonic the-”
“I already know your name.”
He opened his eyes. It was the one and only Shadow the Hedgehog.
Sonic couldn’t help but stutter. Out of everyone he may have expected to see here today he would never have suspected him. It was Shadow for Chaos’ sake! He was next to allergic to socialization, it was rare to get more than a couple of lines out of him in one sitting, despite how hard Sonic had tried in the past. And now here he was before him, his speed date. “H-hey! What are you doing here, faker? I didn’t know you were into dudes, Shadow.” He smirked at this revelation, never would he picture Shadow in this situation. He couldn't help but imagine how fun it would be to reveal it to his friends.
“Don’t get cocky, hedgehog. I could say just the same about you,” Shadow responded with an almost equal level of smug, eliminating Sonic’s grin as quickly as it arrived.
Okay, ten minutes, Sonic could survive ten minutes. But it was certainly painful as they quickly fell into a palpable, awkward, heavy silence. “So, uh… Nice number you got there.”
A smirk found its way onto Shadow’s face. He crossed his legs, leaning back into his chair. “Thanks. It’s number one because I’m always number one.”
Sonic rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. Wasn’t it I who kicked your butt back on the ARK when you were trying to activate the cannon?” From his brief interactions with his rival, he knew him to be an arrogant one. It’s what made him so fun to mess in the first place.
A pang of fury visibly shot through Shadow’s body, his pupils narrowing and his teeth gritting. “I was going easy on you then! Besides, you needed my help when the Biolizard showed up. You’re lucky I had remembered Maria’s true wish at the last moment.”
“Whatever you say, man. I still beat you fair and square...” Sonic was tempted to say it. He knew he shouldn’t but it was oh so entertaining to mess with Shadow. In the end, as it always did, his innate impulsivity got the better of his logic and he said it. “Loser.”
“You know what a loser is? A loser is someone who doesn’t get a character arc in Sonic Adventure 2!”
“A loser is someone whose name isn’t in the title of Sonic Adventure 2!”
Shadow scoffed, “You’re the one diverting to something as petty as breaking the fourth wall. It’s embarrassing that I’m even willing to communicate with you.”
Sonic cracked the most smug smile he possibly could. “It’s embarrassing that you can’t beat me in a race.”
“Is that a challenge?”
“It’s an insult, dummy.”
They were at a stalemate once again, Shadow’s teeth tightly locked in a bitter scowl and Sonic with his ever-present overconfident smirk. But he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t invigorated by this little confrontation with Shadow. The latter was the first to break the silence, “Well, if insults are what we’ve come to, I’d like to say that your fur is the most irritating color I’ve ever seen.”
It was surprising even to him but the hero found he was thankful for the change of pace. He liked this new playful atmosphere. “Heh, you’re just jealous. You wish you were me.”
“Well yes, but that’s beside the point-” Shadow started but he lost the words in his throat. He was much too enthralled with Sonic’s stark switch in expression to continue. “What’s with your face?”
Sonic’s face was of pure bemusement. He had to question if his ears were working, maybe it was time for a doctor’s visit. “Me? Wait.. what did you mean when you said you wished you were me?”
That statement wasn’t meant for public consumption, Shadow had intended for his thoughts to stay thoughts but apparently he had gotten too wrapped up in the banter to properly moderate his speech. He glanced away, “Don’t overthink it, faker.”
The grin on Sonic’s face only grew with that iconic insult. “No, no. Now you’ve got my attention.”
There weren't many ways out from it, it seems as though Shadow had dug himself into a hole. He decided fighting fire with fire was the way to go about things. Or rather, fighting an idiot with idiocy. “I’m better at skating than you.”
“Well, I’m better at running. But that’s not what we’re talking about!”
Shadow sighed, he wouldn’t take the bait. If Sonic was one thing, besides fast, it was persistent. It was best to nip this in the bud before he got a headache. “It’s nothing that concerns you.”
“Dude, listen, I won’t make fun of ‘ya. I’m just kidding around, but now I’m curious.” He waited a moment to see if Shadow would respond, but when he didn’t the hero continued, “Alright, alright. I’m not gonna force you. Keep your secrets.”
“If I tell you, you can’t laugh.”
Like flipping a light switch, Sonic’s face lit up with excitement. “Really?”
“Did you not hear me the first time?” Shadow barked before relaxing seeing as this reaction was unjustified. The black hedgehog sighed and looked down. “Look, you’re- I’ll admit it, I- You’re better than me, alright? Everyone adores you, thinks you're so cool, and then there’s me.”
Sonic couldn’t stop his face from contorting into a look of incredulity, “What? You’re the mysterious, cool, badass hot guy type. If anything, you're the cool one.”
Shadow cocked a brow, “Did you just call me hot?”
Sonic couldn’t help but to chuckle lightly, “So what if I did?”
Before Shadow could offer a retort, the bell signaling for a switch in partners rang, and fate had presented Sonic with an ultimatum: Was he to follow how he believed he truly felt and give Shadow a “yes”, or answer the opposite as a protection of his pride? Before allowing himself to put any more thought into the matter, he quickly marked “no” and tidied himself up for the next suitor as if nothing had ever happened.
Despite his outward facade, however, something definitely had happened. He tried his best to focus on his partners, but the decision lingered in his mind. It pestered him, forever a nuisance but never in his reach, like a fly he simply could not rid himself of. Throughout his stay at the cafe it weighed him down, it pained him.
The crowd standing from their chairs called Shadow up and out of his seat. Before he was gone to his new potential suitor, he quickly marked down his answer on the card as he was instructed to do before sauntering off.
As he walked away, he neglected to notice Sonic’s prying eyes lingering on the card in his fingers. With a blink of an eye he could’ve missed it, but the split second that he did manage to spot it’s existence held all the significance. Shadow had marked the box next to where he penned in his name, meaning a “yes” to seeing him again.
The next few hours dragged on for longer than need be. Sonic attempted to engage with his dates, but he never felt as though he could fully immerse himself. The exchange of questions droned on from person to person. By far he had the most fun with Shadow, even when considering their silly little arguments.
The time to go was upon him, he got out of the seat he had been sitting in for entirely too long and made a beeline for the door. If he was lucky, the hot dog stand would still be open.
He was only a moment away from taking off before he caught the sight of a motorcycle out of the corner of his eye. He had assumed that Shadow would’ve already left. Socializing never was his specialty, but where there was a motorcycle there was an alien-hedgehog hybrid so he decided to linger around for a couple of unnecessary seconds longer.
And as he predicted a worn Shadow made his way through the doors with an iced coffee in hand toward the vehicle. With a newfound vigor in his step, Sonic bounced his way over the offending hedgehog. “Hey!”
Shadow picked up his head, his tired eyes meeting Sonic’s. He looked a bit downtrodden, a far cry from his lively self from before. Sonic couldn’t help, but to ask “What's wrong, dude?”
Normally, he wouldn’t give in to Sonic’s questions, but he caught him at a good time and his willingness to concede earlier, he supposed he should. “It gets a bit exhausting being reminded of your limited social skills. I was hoping an event like this would educate me on what I’m lacking but I doubt I was able to get a single yes beside my name.”
That small confession only made Sonic feel worse. He decided that he needed to atone for his actions in this very moment, but his mouth moved faster than his brain. “How ‘bout we grab some ice cream or something? I know a place not far from here.”
Sonic found himself disappointed when Shadow turned away to hop on his bike. Though he hadn’t been neglected, the hybrid whipped his head around and patted the back of his bike. And despite himself, Shadow smiled. “Hop on.”
It was only when Sonic was on his way home, clinging onto Shadow’s back for dear life as he did on the way there did he think to ask himself Was this a date?