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“I need one iced latte and one coffee Frappuccino with a single pump mocha sauce and a half pump each of caramel, vanilla, toffee-nut and hazelnut syrup along with a shot of espresso affogato, please.”
“Sonic, can’t I just get my usual coffee beans?” Shadow rolled his eyes. “You’re getting your usual.”
“Dude, I swear, you have to try this,” Sonic grinned. “Oh, add one double chocolate brownie, a chocolate chip cookie, and two cake pops – chocolate and birthday cake.”
The barista nodded and typed up their order. “Name for the order?”
“Sonic the Hedgehog,” the hero of Mobius beamed, fishing out his wallet and paying the bill. “We’ll get your coffee beans later,” he added, winking at his boyfriend. The ebony hedgehog sighed and went to find their table. Sonic followed, holding their baked goods.
“Sonic, I don’t see what the big deal is. I like my coffee beans,” Shadow protested. “I don’t want you throwing away rings on a drink I’m not going to like.”
“Shads, in the year and a half we’ve dated, have I ever lied to your face?” Sonic asked.
Shadow opened his mouth to say something, but the barista finished their order. Sonic zipped up and slid a dark brown drink topped with whipped cream and syrup in it. “Try it. Trust me, dude – you’ll love this.”
Shadow’s eyes narrowed before taking a sip. Instantly, coffee, hazelnut, toffee-nut, mocha, caramel, vanilla, and espresso mingled in his mouth, reminding him of something he loved.
Shadow’s eyes widened at the rich, familiar taste. “It tastes like–”
“Tiramisu,” they both stated.
Shadow’s eyes gleamed. He took another big sip. “Sonic, how the hell did you pull this off?”
“There’s a secret menu,” Sonic smirked.
“A secret menu,” Shadow mused. “Indulge me, what else does this secret menu have?”
Sonic grinned wildly. “Wouldn’t you like to find out?”
The next few dates to that coffee shop became a fun experiment.
The night before, both poured over websites highlighting how these secret drinks were made. Then they memorized the recipes before coming to the shop.
Lots of fun drinks were discovered. For instance, Sonic found a drink pinker than Amy (a Vanilla Bean Creme Frappuccino with three pumps of vanilla and dragonfruit inclusion, blended and topped it off with whipped cream and dragonfruit), which was really sweet (even for his sugar-loving brain), but really good. Shadow, on the other hand, found a layered lemonade drink made with a layer of strawberry puree on the bottom and topped with a peach citrus white tea infusion that he greatly enjoyed.
But for as much fun as they had stating their orders, the real fun was scrolling through websites and deciding what to order.
“What are you getting this time?” Sonic asked.
Shadow smirked. “I’m thinking of this strawberry cream refresher. Doesn’t look that hard, either. Just a Venti Strawberry Acai Refresher with no water and adding light strawberry puree and regular sweet cream.”
“Mmmmm.” Sonic scrolled down. “Maybe I should try that Pineapple Dole Whip one. That one looks easy, too. A Grande Paradise Drink Refresher with sweet cold foam on top blended with vanilla bean powder.”
“Guess it’s a refresher day, huh?” Shadow mused.
“Guess so,” Sonic hummed.
“I thought we were baking cookies,” Shadow commented one morning as they stood in line.
“Yeah, but I’m too lazy to make them and we're already here,” Sonic commented.
“Okay, but then why not just purchase the cookies that are already here?” Shadow lifted an eyeridge.
“Because, Shads, this is a lot more fun,” Sonic smirked before turning to the barista, a gray squirrel who looked like she’d faint at the sight of the two heroes. “A venti iced latte made with oat milk with two pumps each of mocha and brown sugar syrup and topped with oat milk foam,” he ordered.
Shadow leaned close. “What’s that?”
“Oatmeal cookie,” Sonic grinned. “What are you trying?”
“You’ll see.” Shadow stepped up to the counter. “A grande cafe vanilla Frappuccino with 2 pumps of hazelnut syrup, whipped cream, and caramel crunch topping on the top and the bottom of the drink.”
Sonic scratched his head. Once Shadow got his order, he passed it to Sonic. “You try.”
Sonic did so, eyes widening at the familiar, buttery-esque flavor. “Tastes like shortbread.”
“Bingo,” Shadow smirked. “And you’re right: this is definitely more fun than baking cookies.”
When Halloween rolled around, Sonic’s favorite secret drink was a Grande Pumpkin Cream Frappuccino with one additional pump of pumpkin sauce and some caramel drizzle, but only at the bottom of the cup and no pumpkin powder on top of the whipped cream (A Candy Corn Frap).
“Here, Shads! You try!” Sonic grinned.
Shadow did and just about spat it out. “Oh, Chaos, that’s so sweet,” He gagged. “Too sweet.”
“I’m sorry,” Sonic apologized, patting Shadow’s back to clear his throat. Then he asked, “What are you getting?”
“A Grande Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino, adding two pumps of funnel cake syrup and finishing off with strawberry drizzle for that blood-red topping,” Shadow smirked.
“What’s that supposed to be from?”
“Fear Street-inspired, you blue idiot,” Shadow replied. “At least that’s what the website said.”
"Gotcha." Sonic examined his drink before grinning devilishly. "Stick that where the trick-or-treaters can see it with a light behind it. Then watch them run."
Shadow flashed a bright grin, showcasing his fangs. "I like that."
For Christmas, Sonic routinely switched between a Grande Toasted White Mocha Cream Frappuccino, with 3 pumps of peppermint syrup, one scoop of java chips, and very light strawberry puree topped off the whole thing with mocha cookie crumble topping and strawberry drizzle and a Grande Strawberry Frappuccino with toffee nut syrup, whipped cream on the top and the bottom, chocolate curls, and that crunchy, red holiday topping (A Peppermint Chip Frap and a Nutcracker Frap, respectfully). Shadow’s holiday drink of choice was a Raspberry Cheesecake Frap (made by ordering a Grande White Mocha Frappuccino with one pump of hazelnut and one pump of raspberry, some caramel crunch topping on the bottom of the cup, some whipped cream, and a light drizzle of strawberry puree.
“You like Raspberry Cheesecake?” Sonic asked after they got their drinks the first time Shadow ordered that.
“Yes,” Shadow replied. “It was the first kind of cake I ever had, so it’s my favorite.”
“The more you know,” Sonic mused.
During this time, Shadow was sent on a mission due to return on Christmas Eve. Sonic prepared for this return by ordering a Grande creme-based Frappuccino with one and a half pumps of peppermint syrup, one and a half pumps of toffee nut, and having it all blended up and topped with whipped cream and a packet of raw sugar (A Christmas Cookie-inspired drink) and dropped off at Shadow’s desk in G.U.N.’s headquarters. Shadow was very surprised by this, given that he didn’t usually eat Christmas Cookies. But the drink was delicious and brought back good memories of his time with Maria.
Shadow saved it to his list of favorite drinks because of that. And when he got home, both of them were content to cuddle next to their glowing Christmas tree with all the lights on and their cups of Christmas Cookie coffee in hand. Neither said anything, but nothing needed to be said. The room and the coffees, ordered in love, did all the talking.
The phone rang during Shadow’s lunch break one date in late January. He picked up, smiling at the icon. “Hello, love. How are you?” He liked Sonic’s calls during their lunch break, even if it was a quick “How are you?” call.
A hoarse cough was his reply.
“Sonic?” He asked, concern flooding him. “Are you okay?”
“Sick.” Followed by a coughing wheeze. “Tails said it’s strep throat.” A hoarse chuckle ensued. “Haven’t had it since the Dark Gaia incident.” At least he was making jokes, but strep was no laughing matter.
“Do you need anything, love?” Shadow asked, prepping a shopping list as he slipped into doting boyfriend mode. “Any medications, cold compresses, electrolyte drinks, fluffy blankets?” He then allowed himself to smirk. “A squishmallow in the shape of my head or a Pusheen in the shape of a hot tea?”
Sonic’s laughing fit dissolved into more wet coughing. “I might take you up on the squishmallow. I know how much you adore your Pusheens.”
Sonic groaned, clearing his throat. “I’ve already taken some medication for it.” Followed by more coughing. “Tails said I should sleep this off and hydrate. But I think I’ve drunk more liquid in the past few hours than there is in the Labyrinth, Water Palace, and Aquarium Park combined.”
“Then why aren’t you sleeping?” Shadow teased.
“Did enough of that. Can you bring me a medicine ball when you come home from work?”
Shadow’s brow pinched in confusion. “A medicine ball?” Did pharmacies actually wrap up medicine into little balls like jawbreakers? Or bubblegum?
“Secret menu,” Sonic explained.
“Ah.” Shadow typed it into his keyboard, easily finding the ingredients. “What size?”
“A small’s fine. It’s got enough sugar.” Sonic coughed again, this time punctuating it with a low groan. “Chaos, I hate this.”
“Okay, okay. Hang in there, love.” Shadow hung up and grabbed his bike keys, reciting the list of ingredients in his head: Steamed lemonade, hot water. Jade Citrus Mint green tea, Peach Tranquility tea, and honey.
It was perfect for strep throat.
Sonic was half-comatose when Shadow warped into the hero’s bedroom. “Shads?”
“Save your voice,” Shadow interrupted. Then his tone softened. “Can you sit up?” Sonic complied, Shadow stacking a few extra pillows behind him to help the blue hedgehog sit up.
“How are you feeling?” Shadow asked. Sonic gave a shrug before his eyes got round at the sight of the drink. He made grabby hands and Shadow obliged, watching Sonic try and chug half of it down. The blue hedgehog smacked his lips together with a contented smile. The grimace in his face said swallowing it was still difficult for him, but that was to be expected.
Shadow delicately touched Sonic’s forehead, the warmth seeping through his gloves. “Still toasty, huh?”
Sonic nodded. “And scratchy.”
“I figured. So I came prepared.” Shadow held up the bag with a smile. “Brought you some hot soup I can whip up downstairs, a couple of electrolyte drinks, some water bottles, and one of those Warmies you like.” He could hardly wait to see Sonic react to the hedgehog Warmie Shadow found.
“You’re so sweet,” Sonic smiled.
“Only the best for you.” Shadow planted a kiss on Sonic’s forehead.
Sonic promptly wiped it off. “Don’t want you getting sick.”
“Did you forget?” Shadow caressed Sonic’s face. “I’m the Ultimate Lifeform. I can’t get sick, remember?”
“Oh, yeah,” Sonic coughed before smiling cheekily. “Forgot.”
“It’s understandable.” Shadow squeezed Sonic’s hand. “You should rest. I won’t be too far away.” He started to get up, but Sonic tightened his grip.
“Can you…uh…maybe….sleep with me?” He asked. “Since you’re the lucky one who can’t get sick? That, and you feel nice and cold. I’m sweating buckets.” He followed this up with a sharp round of coughing.
The medicine was obviously working if Sonic was making pot-shots at Shadow’s biology.
Shadow snorted at the passive-aggressive remark, but then he smiled. “Of course.” He climbed into the bed, slipping under the covers before helping Sonic get comfortable.
Sonic easily rolled into his embrace, sniffling and smiling. “Thanks, Shads. Remind me when I’m all better, I’ll buy you some coffee beans.” It wasn’t long before he was out, his body needing the rest to fight off this infection rather than debate coffee orders.
Shadow chuckled and kissed Sonic’s forehead. “A Tiramisu coffee will do just fine.” With his free hand, he pulled out his phone and pulled up the blog they frequented for their drinks and began searching for the next secret drink for the two of them to try on their next visit.