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“Wouldn’t it be fun if we started a Youtube channel?”
The suggestion comes out of nowhere as North and Sonic watch Babe and Way practice. Babe just ascended to a higher league and Alan makes them practice harder and harder for Way to follow him. It hasn’t been long since North and Sonic joined the team, they are still proving their worth to Alan and the rest of the team. So far, there’s just Alan, Way, Babe, a handful of mechanics, and the two of them, yet they have confidence that X-Hunters will be a big name in the industry one day.
It’s no secret that Alan wears himself thin. As the owner of the team he not only organizes the races and finances, he also personally overviews the practice and helps the mechanics out where he can. No matter how curious they are, it is an unspoken rule to never ask him why he gave up racing. Way told them he made the mistake once and Alan had been gloomy and sad for an entire week. He said it made him want to succeed even more. It’s clear that Alan didn’t want to give up racing and now Way and Babe are there to win for him, to continue his legacy. North and Sonic can only hope to be like that one day.
Dreamily they look up to the shelf of trophies Alan won back in the day, hoping to see their name on one of them in the near future. Until then, they cheer for Babe and Way and make sure their trophies shine brightly next to Alan’s.
“A Youtube channel?” Sonic asks, looking slightly confused at North. “Yep”, North cheerily confirms. “I was thinking, we should take care of some of the PR while these two win races. Hence, a youtube channel.” The idea isn’t bad, Sonic has to admit. It definitely would be a way for them to pull their weight even outside of the track and make themselves useful. But still…
“Neither of us have any experience with that”, Sonic points out and it’s true. Sure, Sonic has an Instagram account that does semi-well, but beyond that, neither knows how to manage social media, let alone the official social media accounts of a brand. After all, the team and its name are a brand they are trying to market. In which neither of them has experience either.
“Still, it can’t hurt to ask P’Alan”, North exclaims, “Think about it. Wouldn’t it be so fun? We could film vlogs around the garage, answer questions, really make the name X-Hunters known!” Sonic admittedly has nothing to contradict North and thus agrees to ask Alan. It’s not that he is against the idea per se, he is simply not sure they are qualified to execute North’s idea properly. Then again, North’s personality is bright and loveable, if they manage to show that to the audience they should have no issues.
They approach Alan once the cars are parked and the racers are off to take a shower. To Sonic’s surprise, Alan doesn’t need much convincing before he agrees to the idea. “You’re right, we need better PR”, he says, “I’ll give you the chance. However, I want to see your video before you post them.” They easily agree to the terms, once again amazed by Alan’s kindness. They can hardly imagine another team owner giving two new racers an impeccable chance like that. Determined, they start to think of ideas on how they can use that chance and which videos they should make. What screams X-Hunters, yet doesn’t give away too much information, and showcases each team member from their best side?
“Wouldn’t it be fun if we interviewed P’Babe and P’Way? And maybe P’Alan?”
“You mean as an introduction to the channel?” North asks to confirm and Sonic nods happily. “Think about it. They’re who the people see and care most about. And it would be a compact introduction to our new fans!” North ponders for a few seconds, then nods. “It’s not a bad idea. It’s just”, he pauses, “do you think they’ll agree?” Sonic grins and nods. “Leave that to me.”
Way is his first target. He is the most likely to agree and once he agrees it’ll be easy to convince Alan. Babe is the most difficult but even he can be convinced when the fate of the team is at stake and when both his closest friends agree. So, Sonic makes his way to Way who currently checks his time improvement.
“P’Way?” Sonic starts the conversation, his tone as sweet as possible. “Sonic, hi. Do you need something?” Way, as always, is not unkind but it is clear that he doesn’t exactly desire to spend much time with anyone who isn’t Babe. “Can’t I just want to talk to my favourite phi?” Sonic grins and Way rolls his eyes. “We both know that’s not me. Shoot, what do you want?” Sonic sighs but gives in.
“Alright. North and I want to start a Youtube channel for X-Hunters, P’Alan already approved the idea. And we thought it would be a good idea to start the channel off with interviews. We thought maybe you, P’Babe and P’Alan would be the best to interview, you know, because P’Alan owns the team and you two are the top racers.” Sonic can see the hesitation in Way’s face, the doubt in his expression, so he puts on his best puppy eyes and pleads with the racer. “Please! It would be so fun! And you don’t even have to do much, just answer a few questions and look pretty! Please, phi!”
“You’re a menace, you know that?” Way chuckles and ruffles through Sonic’s hair affectionately. “But alright, I’ll do it.” Sonic grins brightly and hugs Way excitedly. “Thank you, phi! Don’t worry, you won’t regret it!” Way pushes the younger racer off and shakes his head affectionately. “Think of good questions, Ai’Sonic.”
Alan agrees even easier, although he does argue that no one cares about him, only the racers. North needs to stop Sonic halfway through a PowerPoint presentation on the many reasons why Alan is wrong. Way ends up convincing Babe for them, with a few flattering words and gentle touches doing the trick.
“Introduce yourself”, North says as he points a camera at Way who sits on the hood of his car.
“My name is Way, I’m a racer for X-Hunters and 22 years old.” Way smiles kindly, a smile that usually wins over every audience and makes everyone trust him immediately. It’s incredibly helpful to have someone with such a charming personality on the team.
“What do you like best about racing?”
“There’s many things. For one, the speed. It’s thrilling to control such a powerful machine at such high speed, it makes you forget everything else, you focus only on the road ahead of you. Then, of course, the unity with the team. Babe’s been my best friend for years and this sport allows us to shine individually while always working together. Beyond that, all our team members, mechanics, racers and everyone else, are very kind people and it’s great fun to work with everyone.”
“That actually answers my next question already. What’s so great about X-Hunters?”
“Like I mentioned, everyone is really nice and we work well together. When I have a problem, be that related to racing or not, I know I have this great team to rely on. There’s no one who supports me as much as the people in the garage. Everyone here is a good friend to me, be that P’Alan, the owner, my fellow racers or mechanics. Everyone has everyone’s back.”
“I can confirm that”, North grins, even if the people watching can’t see him. “What is one thing you always do before a race?”
“I check my car with the mechanics, go over the strategy with P’Alan and Babe and meditate for a few minutes so that my concentration is perfect.”
“Okay, great! One last question: what do you want to say to people supporting X-Hunters?”
“Thank you. It’s really empowering to see so many people cheering for us every race. I promise we will work hard and not let your efforts go to waste. We win for us as much as we do for our fans.”
“Thank you, that wraps up our interview.” North films for a few seconds longer before he turns off the camera. “You did so well, P’Way”, Sonic compliments him and claps his hands. “That was perfect! The people will love it.” Way grins at them both before getting up. “I’ll bring the car away and find Babe for you.”
They interview Alan next while Way searches for Babe. They film Alan in the middle of the garage while he is still arms deep into the hood of a car, looking more like a mechanic than the owner. Then again, he is both in a way.
“Please introduce yourself”, North starts off with the same question.
“I’m Alan, I founded and own X-Hunters.”
“Why did you found the team?” As much as they both know Alan hates any question related to his past, they know it’s a question every team owner gets asked at one point and it’s best to set the narrative now before he gets asked the question a million times.
“I used to be a racer myself. However, I had to give it up after an injury. I couldn’t give up racing entirely though, so I decided to create my own team. I was lucky enough to find Babe and Way before someone else did.” He laughs, but both North and Sonic can tell it’s a little fake. They decide to quickly ask another question.
“What’s the most rewarding part of owning the team? And the most frustrating?”
“I’d be lying if I said seeing the team win isn’t rewarding. However, there’s something else. Seeing the bonds formed between my team members. Of course, there are Babe and Way, basically attached at the hip and inseparable. You and Sonic as well. I love seeing the friendships within my team, it makes me proud to have created an environment in which everyone feels safe enough to be themselves and find friends. As for most frustrating? Admittedly, my least favourite task is doing all the paperwork involved in owning a team. I’d much rather spend all my days outside with the cars and people, but what has to be done has to be done.”
“You did ban us from helping”, North points out, making Alan chuckle.
“And let you make it worse? I’d rather do it on my own.”
“Your loss. What’s the process behind picking racers?”
“There are two main options: firstly, auditions. Once in a while, we hold open auditions and everyone with a passion for racing can participate. Of course, there are some more requirements, you can find those on our website. But the main thing is passion. That’s how Sonic joined our team. Another option is to be scouted. That means someone on our team sees you racing somewhere and thinks you’re a great addition to the team. That’s how we found Babe, for example. He was a mechanic at first but after seeing him race, I knew I’d have to make him a racer. As for how we pick out of those auditioning? You might think we choose the three fastest or something like that, but that’s not how it works for us. We pick those who we believe have the most potential. Maybe that’s you?” Alan winks at the camera, causing North and Sonic to roll their eyes and fake gag. They leave it in regardless.
“Last question. What would you say to those who want to become racers?”
“It’s never too late to start. If you love racing and think you’re good behind a wheel you should give it a shot. Any experience is a good experience, be that go-cart, driving a normal car, practice machines, or even Mario Kart. As long as you have a genuine love for it, go for it.”
“Thanks for the interview, P’Alan!” Once again, North lets the camera roll for a few seconds before turning it off. “Thanks for helping us, phi”, Sonic says and North nods happily. “No worries. Was it any good?” Immediately, they both nod vigorously. “You were great, phi, don’t worry. Very authentic!”
They let Alan continue his work and venture back outside, where Babe and Way are waiting for them. “I will skip stupid questions, Ai’North”, Babe threatens and North nods immediately. “Don’t worry”, Sonic jumps in, “You don’t have to answer anything you don’t want to.” Babe eyes them both warily but eventually nods once. “Alright, get it on with.”
“Introduce yourself, please.”
“I’m Babe, I’m a racer for X-Hunters.” Babe eyes Way who makes an encouraging gesture. “I’m 22.” Way nods happily and Babe glares at him.
“What do you like about racing?”
“The thrill of going fast. The control. Winning.”
“Alright. What makes X-Hunters so unique?”
“We win. We fight tooth and nail for it and we claw ourselves to the top. We have great racers, great mechanics and great cars. There’s no one like us.”
“Love the confidence, phi! What do you do before a race?”
“You don’t want to know”, Babe grins dangerously and North immediately drops the subject.
“Last question. Is there anything you want to say to your fans?”
“Winning is great. Winning with your support is better. Thank you for cheering for us.” Something resembling a smile plays around Babe’s lips and North tries his best to capture it on camera before turning it off.
They are huddled together in the back room of the garage, looking at the laptop in front of them. They are editing their interviews to make sure they are presentable. Once Babe’s interview comes on, North groans. “How are we supposed to present a positive image like this?” Sonic just shrugs. “We’ll have to make his confidence work, I guess. People like confidence.”
“They do. They don’t like cockiness.” There’s really nothing Sonic can say to oppose North so he just shakes his head and rewinds the video to Way’s interview. “P’Way is charming. We need to use their opposite charms somehow. Kindness and Confidence, smiles and growls. We got this.”
Alan ends up approving the video and they post it soon after. It does perform quite well, many new people show interest in the team. Surprisingly, many people quite enjoy Babe’s abrasiveness, it makes him seem mysterious and cool according to their comment section. North and Sonic decide they can work with that.
“Wouldn’t it be fun if we filmed a vlog?”
North says as he scrolls through the comment section of their third video. “People are asking for it. They want to see the behind-the-scenes of X-Hunters.” Sonic nods hesitantly. “Fun? Sure. But also a lot of work. Not to mention it’s going to be hard to get P’Alan’s permission.” Sonic’s right, of course. It is something entirely different if they interview people, if they explain the different parts of a racing suit, or if they film the innermost works of the team. Nonetheless, they decide to pitch the idea to Alan.
“Don’t disturb anyone from doing their job”, Alan reminds them as they set up the camera to film the approved vlog. They simply nod and salute jokingly to Alan. “You got it, boss.” Alan rolls his eyes but sends them outside to start.
“Hello, everyone! It’s North and Sonic and today we’re showing you what a typical day in the garage looks like!” North cheerily starts the video as he films both of their faces standing in front of the garage. “We saw how many people wished for it and we strive to fulfil your dreams”, Sonic takes over. “It’s currently 9am which means everyone’s getting started. The mechanics are currently setting up so we’ll go visit them in a few minutes! As for the racers, they will start practice at roughly 10:30 am, depending on their schedule. Let’s go visit P’Alan first.”
As they walk into the garage to Alan’s office they are careful not to film anything that’s considered off-limits for the public and to not show the mechanics' faces who wish to stay private. Sonic knocks at Alan’s door and they enter upon his approval.
“P’Alan, what are you doing right now?” Sonic asks as North holds the camera on Alan’s face. “I’m creating the training schedule for next week. I make sure no one’s training times overlap, that everyone gets enough practice and breaks in and that everyone’s prepared as best as possible for the next race.” Alan taps on his paper but, as per prior agreement, the camera doesn’t shift from Alan’s face.
“Why don’t you repeat the same plan every week?” Sonic asks. “Because not every week is the same. For example, if you, Sonic, have a race on the weekend you require different training to let’s say Way. Beyond that, different people have different strengths. Some may need to work more on speed, others on catching curves and so on. That means sometimes they need to focus on one aspect that week.” Alan smiles. “And now you two better go outside before I put you down for extra weight training.” Immediately, both rush out of the office with Alan waving behind them.
They film themselves practicing on the simulator, ask a mechanic about her typical day, and capture Way’s training throughout the day. Of course, it still leaves out many important aspects of the day in the garage but overall they are quite satisfied with the end result.
“Wouldn’t it be fun if we danced together?”
North yells over the pounding bass of the club. The team is out drinking together to celebrate Way ascending to the next league and North is already quite intoxicated. He is quite the lightweight, especially compared to the rest of the team.
Alan, the traitor, laughs and pushes Sonic into North’s arms. North doesn’t waste any second, immediately he pulls Sonic into his arms and they start to jump along to the music. Sonic doesn't recognize the song but it doesn’t matter. The beat is easy enough to dance along to and the song is pretty fast and upbeat, which means Sonic doesn’t have to do much dancing. He was never good at keeping his rhythm but it doesn’t matter here.
They jump up and down, Sonic at least likes to think they’re on beat. It doesn’t matter that they land on each other’s feet quite often, they simply laugh it off and jump even higher. North intertwines their fingers and lifts both their arms in the air, moving them along to the beat. It’s fun, Sonic has to admit.
It’s only when the song changes that Sonic realizes that they’re still holding hands. North’s grip is steady around Sonic’s fingers and he notices he doesn’t exactly want to let go. In a way, they’re warm and comforting, steady and familiar. North’s hands are rough, as expected from someone who spends most of their time using their hands. They contradict Sonic’s soft ones. In the back of his mind, Sonic thinks of hand creams to recommend to North that have softened his hands quite a bit. Then again, he finds he doesn’t really mind the roughness of North’s fingers.
“I need to drink some more”, Sonic screams into North’s ear. It’s true, he doesn’t think he can stand dancing with him any longer if he doesn’t get more intoxicated. He’s close to North every single day, yet something shifts between them at that moment. Never before has Sonic been aware of the state of North’s hands, or the shine in his eyes, or his blinding smile.
North does let Sonic go, yet he keeps one of Sonic’s hands firmly in his. “I’ll drink with you”, he declares. Sonic can’t think of a valid reason to protest so he allows North to pull him along. He downs his drink quickly just to have an excuse to not focus on North’s adams apple as he drinks his own drink.
He doesn’t notice that the song has changed again until North pulls him back on the dancefloor and wraps his arms around Sonic’s waist. He rests his head on Sonic’s shoulder and giggles. It’s cute, Sonic has to admit. North’s cute.
He clumsily lets his arms rest on North’s shoulders and lets North dictate their rhythm. He simply sways along to the song following North’s movements. He feels a bit like a puppet moved around by a puppeteer, except the puppeteer has his arms around Sonic’s waist instead of holding strings attached to Sonic’s limps.
“Wouldn’t it be fun if we called P’Alan uncle?”
North looks entirely too proud of himself as Alan glares at him. “Why?” Babe asks hesitantly. “Someone in our comments suggested it actually. They said P’Alan is like an uncle. Plus, he’s old.” Alan splutters as everyone else breaks into laughter.
“I’m not even ten years older than Babe and Way”, Alan disagrees. “You act like you’re twenty years older, though”, Way jumps onto the teasing. “How many times have you told us to go to sleep early? Or to drink enough water? Or stopped North from doing stupid things? Old man behaviour if you ask me.”
“I’m really not”, Alan declares, his glare redirecting from North to Way. “Uncle. Uncle. Uncle.” Alan groans and downs his water. “I will get gray hair because of you guys.” Immediately, a grin brightens on North’s face. “Like an uncle, you mean?”
“Seriously though, our fans are right. You take care of us in so many ways, not just like an older brother or a garage owner. Alan shakes his head and resigns himself to his fate.
At first, he doesn’t react when they call him uncle but the longer it goes on, the more likely he is to respond to his new name. Sonic suspects he starts to like it at some point, enjoying his role as caretaker. And it is true. Beyond the teasing, Alan is mother henning all of them, takes care of them better than most people did growing up and genuinely supports them in any way he can.
“Wouldn’t it be fun if you did my makeup?”
North suggests and points at his screen. A video titled ‘doing my girlfriend’s makeup<3’ plays, showing two girls laughing. One sits in a chair with her face to the camera, half-finished makeup on her face. The other one stands, her back partly facing the camera while a bit of her laughing face shows.
“You never showed interest in makeup before”, Sonic reminds North as he finishes up his lipstick. “Okay true, but”, North pauses dramatically, “hear me out. You like doing makeup and those videos always get a ton of clicks. It could make for some nice content.” Of course, Sonic thinks to himself, North only cares about the channel once again. Nevertheless, he nods.
“Sure, we can do that. Right now?” North nods, “Why not? I’ll get the equipment.” Over time they accumulated more and more tools for their videos. While they started out with a small camera, they now have bigger, more fancy cameras, microphones, and a ring light. Sometimes Sonic wonders when their small, cozy channel has become so professional.
“Alright, sit here”, Sonic points North to a chair and piles up most of his makeup products next to him. “Do you know what’s even more fun? There’s this concept ‘my boyfriend narrates my makeup. We should do that, but like, ‘my best friend narrates me putting on his makeup.’” North’s eyes light up and he immediately nods, happily agreeing to the idea. “You can’t be mad when I say dumb stuff, though.”
“Welcome back to another video! As you can see, today, North and I aren’t in the garage. Instead, I’m doing his makeup”, Sonic explains to the camera once it’s on. “But there’s a twist. Rather than telling him what I’m doing, he will have to guess for himself and narrate the process. It’s our spin on the ‘my boyfriend narrates my makeup’ trend.”
“Except, of course, we’re not boyfriends”, North quickly adds and Sonic forces a smile. North is right, they are not boyfriends. So why does it still sting? It shouldn’t bug Sonic, not in the slightest. They are not boyfriends.
“As some may know”, he takes over the narration, “I really enjoy doing makeup. North doesn’t know the first thing about it, and, between you and me, he never listens when I tell him about it. So, this should be fun.” Before North can protest, Sonic pulls up the first tube.
“I thought you’re doing normal makeup? Why is this green? Don’t turn me into an alien, Ai’Sonic!” There’s a slight panic in his voice as Sonic squeezes out a small amount of the green primer. “Stay still. Trust me a little here.” Sonic carefully applies the primer on North’s face who pulls grimaces at the cold product.
“Step one: turn into an alien”, North narrates and Sonic smacks him on the shoulder. “You’re an idiot.” North grins. “You love it though.” Sonic tries his best to fight down the blush creeping on his cheeks and shakes his head. “You wish.”
“Step two: turn me back into a human”, North explains as Sonic applies foundation on North’s skin. “I’m starting to seriously regret this. Shut up before it becomes uneven.” Sonic applies a bit more pressure with the beauty blender than required, just to get North to quiet down, and to his surprise, it works. Sonic isn’t quite sure if the harsh blending or his command did the trick in the end.
“Oh, I know this one. Step three: concealer.” Sonic nods, impressed. “Very good. You do listen to me sometimes.” North grins devilishly, “Who says I listen to you? My sister taught me that.” Sonic rolls his eyes and smacks him on the back of his head. “Well then, master of concealer, do it yourself.” Sonic pushes the brush into North’s hand and steps back. North does actually attempt to do it himself which makes Sonic laugh quite a bit as it does not work the way North likely intended. Sonic ends up doing it for him after a very satisfying round of teasing.
“Step four: chocolate and roses. Very romantic” North winks at the camera as Sonic applies contour and blush on North’s face. “Not like you have anyone to romance”, Sonic reminds him as he blends out both products. “I could”, North defends himself but Sonic just shakes his head. “We’ve been best friends for six years, I’d know if there was someone.” North doesn’t say anything after that until Sonic is done with the step.
“Step five: colour.” Sonic points out different palettes and lets North pick. “Do you trust me?” North nods immediately and Sonic hums to himself. “Alright. Close your eyes and don’t open them until I say so.” Rather than saying anything, North closes his eyes and nods as an acknowledgment of Sonic’s instructions. Sonic lays down a blue base colour and blends it out with a darker blue. Then he picks a lighter blue and blends it into the corner of North’s eyes. He picks a dark blue eyeliner and finishes off the look with a subtle liner, it has barely any wing to it.
“Open them and look up”, Sonic instructs and North follows suit. He applies a little of the base shade under North’s eyes and nods approvingly. “Almost done with the eyes. Blink when I tell you to.” Once again, North follows Sonic’s instructions as he carefully applies mascara to both of North’s lashes.
“Last step?” Sonic prompts as North doesn’t say anything. “Lips?” It’s more of a question than an answer but Sonic nods encouragingly. “Yep, lips. The eyeshadow is quite colourful so I’m gonna make the lips more subtle, alright?” North nods and Sonic does as he said.
“Do you like it?” Sonic asks as he puts a mirror in front of North. Immediately, North nods and grins. “You’re good at that.” Then he tugs at Sonic’s ear until he leans down. “And I lied. My sister taught me nothing.” Before Sonic can reply, North moderates the end of the video and turns off the camera.
“Wouldn’t it be fun if we introduced Charlie to our viewers?”
“Leave him out of this nonsense”, Babe threatens as soon as Sonic suggests the idea. “Aww, phi, I thought you liked our channel.” Babe just glares at him, but it is not as vicious as Babe-before-Charlie would’ve glared. “What gave you the impression?” Babe deadpans, still not moving his eyes from Sonic. “You don’t get angry when we film anymore and don’t try to argue.” Sonic knows that Babe knows this is true, whether consciously or not Babe doesn’t mind the channel anymore.
“I think that sounds fun”, Charlie offers, always the peacemaker. “What did you have in mind?” Sonic and North grin at each other before directing all their attention to Charlie. “There are a few options. Of course, the thing that interests everyone most is your relationship with P’Babe.” Charlie blushes a little behind his glasses at the mention of a relationship, but Babe immediately shakes his head. “Not happening.”
“Thought so”, North admits but doesn’t seem all that discouraged, “there’s also the option of focusing on your position in the team.” Way rolls his eyes, annoyed as always when Charlie is mentioned. “What position?”
“How about your perspective as a fan?” Sonic suggests, completely ignoring Way. It’s nothing new. Ever since Charlie started to hang around the team, Way has been nothing but jealous. Sonic really wonders how Babe hasn’t caught on yet, Way is nothing if not obviously in love with him. Not that it’s any of Sonic’s concern.
“Or is there something you want to do?” The question gets Charlie thinking, he seems a little lost in thought as Babe grabs his hand. “If Charlie wants to, do whatever you please. But I swear if-” Sonic rolls his eyes, there goes Babe again. “Nothing will happen, phi. How many years have we run the channel now?” Babe doesn’t give an answer and he doesn’t need to. Everyone at the table knows that the channel has only ever helped the team and its popularity.
“I think the outsider’s perspective would be fun”, Charlie finally decides. Babe doesn't try to argue again, they all know if Charlie decides on something Babe is helpless against fulfilling his wish. Sonic wonders if Charlie knows just how much power he has over Babe.
They are at the garage and North pulls a camera out of his backpack. It is a smaller camera, one he can comfortably carry in his hands. It always reminds Sonic of the first camera they used, although the quality of this one is a lot better. They place Charlie in the middle of them as they decided to have it be a rather casual video rather than an interview.
“Welcome back! Here’s North and Sonic”, North starts the video and Sonic expertly takes over. “And this is Charlie. We thought it’s finally time for you all to meet him! He’s a new addition to the team.”
“Hi everyone”, Charlie smiles sweetly and tugs at his glasses. “I’m Charlie. Oh, P’Sonic already said that.” He scratches the back of his head and looks awkwardly at the camera. “What are you doing in the team?” Sonic prompts to ease his embarrassment. “I do a bit of everything, actually. I try to help out as best as possible, if the racers or mechanics need a hand I’m here to help. I suppose I could be called an intern?”
“Yeah, and one racer in particular, huh?” North jokes and promptly gets smacked across the head by Sonic. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, phi”, Charlie answers sweetly. If one didn’t know him, no one would suspect the menace hiding under the sweet facade. “Before becoming part of the team I was actually a huge fan of X-Hunters”, Charlie follows the script they mapped out earlier.
“Oh yes, tell us about that”, Sonic takes over. “Well, it’s quite fascinating. All those things I used to see only on my screen are now my reality. Like, P’Way! He is such a great racer and it’s spectacular to see him race with my own two eyes. Or P’Babe! He actually teaches me quite a bit, I never expected to sit next to him instead of only watching him race on screen.” North smirks to himself, yet it doesn’t escape Sonic’s careful eyes. “How about us?”
“Well, I obviously watched the channel like any fan! It’s honestly kind of weird to be on the opposite end of the camera. But like, a good weird.” Charlie seems genuinely giddy and pride swells in Sonic’s chest. Of course, he knew that Charlie was a fan and that it was likely he consumed their content but actually hearing confirmation is still something else entirely.
The video continues like that, Charlie compares aspect after aspect as they walk through the garage, always careful to not expose too much, especially not the nature of his and Babe’s relationship. It’s so different from their normal content yet so similar, Charlie really fits right in with all of them.
“Wouldn’t it be fun if we did a boyfriend tag?”
“We’re not dating”, Sonic reminds North. Once again he wonders why the thought aches in his chest. It’s the truth, yet it hurts. Sonic isn’t in love with North, at least he doesn’t think he is. It’s normal as a best friend to want to be special to North, Sonic decides. And what is more special than a boyfriend?
“We can still do it. Just call it best friend tag instead”, North argues and Sonic admittedly can’t argue against that. It’s a fun video idea, something they haven’t done before and they’re always searching for new content after all. “Maybe we can do it as a team thing? Pair us all up and have each duo do it?”
“Yeah, sure”, North agrees yet doesn’t seem entirely convinced. “Let’s film ours first and decide afterward.” Sonic agrees easily although he does wonder why North doesn’t want to include the entire team in the first place. After all, that’s the main purpose of the channel, even after all those years.
“Hi, everyone! You’ve heard of boyfriend tag, now get ready for best friend tag”, North starts the video as always. It’s easy to lose himself in the familiarity of filming and being in front of the camera. Especially alongside North. “Basically, we ask each other questions about ourselves. For example, I ask North a question about me and he has to answer. In the end the person who got more questions right wins. And because we know ourselves, we have to write the answers on those handy boards. We get too competitive, let’s be real.”
“First question”, Sonic starts, “how many siblings do I have?” They both write their answers down and count down from three. Then, they both unveil their answers. Sonic’s board reads ‘0’, while North’s reads ‘only child’.
“In all technicality, that does not answer the question. It asked for a number”, Sonic argues and North rolls his eyes. “It’s still right. Give me the point.” Sonic decides that this question is not worth fighting over, they will do plenty of that later. He agrees and gives North the point, now even more determined to win points later.
“What’s my favourite colour?” North asks and Sonic huffs. This is way too easy. He writes down 'green' and almost falls off his chair when North reveals his answer to be blue. “That is a lie! Ai’North, blue is my favourite colour! Green is yours, do you not understand the game?” North shakes his head and smiles sheepishly. “It changed.”
“When? You can’t change it just to win the game, that’s not fair”, Sonic argues, already infuriated and they just started to play. “A while ago, you just never asked.” Sonic shakes his head furiously. “That does not count. You can’t change your favourite colour to mine years after we became friends, you are such a copycat!” North just smiles and doesn’t reply.
“What’s my least favourite piece of clothing?” Sonic asks, sure that North could never get it. And indeed, North writes down ‘plain white shirt’, while the real answer is ‘bright pink faux fur jacket’. Sonic does understand where the assumption comes from, after all, he hates nothing more than being dressed boringly. Luckily for him, that jacket itches like crazy and does not look good enough to warrant the pain so Sonic could write it down without lying. North, to his credit, doesn’t try to argue and simply admits defeat.
They play like this for almost an hour, pretty much always equal. When Sonic wins a point, North gets it in the next round. When North loses one, Sonic answers another question wrong. It’s impossible to declare a winner like this and Sonic grows more and more frustrated.
“Who is my crush?” The question is North’s last one and it catches Sonic off guard. They rarely ever discuss those topics and he can’t recall North telling him about any crush. And it’s the final question. If he gets it wrong he loses the game. This can not happen. Sonic tries desperately to remember anyone that North mentioned more than others, but there’s none. In the end, he decides to be funny rather than win and writes his own name down.
North takes an excruciatingly long time to flip his board around. Sonic would normally say he is a very patient person, but all his patience is gone when North fakes to flip it once more. He simply grabs the board out of North’s hands and stares at the name.
Sonic
North’s handwriting is messy yet Sonic recognizes his name immediately. He gapes at the board, then at North, and stares at the board once more. There must be a mistake somewhere. Did he misunderstand the question?
When he later checks the upload, Sonic quickly notices that North cut off the end. The viewer can’t see either of their answers, just Sonic’s shocked expression. The video fades to a scoreboard and Sonic can’t even be happy about winning the game. He scrolls through the comments as he always does and gets stuck at one in particular.
‘Bet North’s answer to the last question was Sonic? Best friend tag my ass, they are basically soft launching their relationship as we speak’
“Wouldn’t it be fun if we broke Kim out?”
“It absolutely would not be”, Sonic immediately retaliates. “Okay, but can we do it anyway?” And how is Sonic supposed to say no when North looks so adorable? His desire to always help everyone sometimes crosses the line of safety, like in this moment. Usually, it is Sonic’s job to stop North from sacrificing himself for others, yet at that moment he can’t get himself to do it. He relates to North’s desire, he, too, wants to help the poor racer. So, he nods.
He regrets his decision not even two hours later when they hide behind a wall and listen to Winner degrade Kim. Aren’t they in the same team? Sonic knows that not every team is as friendly with each other as his team, but doesn’t Red Racing have even the slightest bit of solidarity? Are they really so obsessed with their own success that they are willing to put down their teammates like that?
For a split second Sonic wonders if Kim is the same way and what would happen if the roles were reversed. He shakes the thought off immediately, they are here to help, not abandon him like his own teammate clearly did.
Luckily, Winner is as stupid as he is proud and doesn’t close the door properly. They break it open without too much trouble and Sonic has to admit, North is oddly attractive at that moment. As much as he knows where his focus is supposed to lie, he can’t help but notice the muscles in North’s arms as he breaks the door open.
The sight of Kim stops any of his thoughts. The poor man is in absolutely terrible condition, his entire body covered in bruises. They work as quickly as they can to break him out and bring him down, all while Kim is only partly conscious.
The thing neither of them considered was what would happen if they got caught. Unfortunately for them, few things ever happen as they planned. Even their videos. No matter how much they plan them out, something always happens and they go off course. Maybe that is why Alan doesn’t let them race the more important races, even after all those years. Sonic reprimands himself, those are really not the thoughts he needs.
He doesn’t know how long it lasts, there is very little he can focus on other than surviving. And then, North blocks the hits with his own body. Sonic wants to cry out and push North away. He wants to make sure North doesn’t get hurt, not for him at least. But North is stubborn and there’s nothing he can do. North won’t budge.
He tries to protect North as well as he can while North is protecting him. It’s excruciating, it’s painful and it’s jarring, but he needs to hold on, just like North is. He can’t break North’s concentration or they’ll both get hurt even worse.
He doesn’t think he’s ever been so happy to see Alan. Alan and the car he drives that quickly forces their attackers to move out of the way. Alan, who saves them once more. Only when he’s in the car, anxiously clutching onto North he realizes they left Kim behind. Truly, nothing ever follows their plan.
“Wouldn’t it be fun if we kissed under the moonlight?”
“Wait, what?” Sonic asks perplexed, entirely out of his element. He’s not quite sure if he even understood North correctly, there are a million things he could have meant. And yet, Sonic catches himself hoping he understood his best friend correctly.
“Come with me”, North prompts and pulls Sonic along. Alan’s house is obnoxiously large and Sonic has gotten lost in it more than once so when North pulls him up the stairs down a hallway Sonic is sure the same must apply to North. Yet he looks entirely confident in his steps, sure of himself and determined.
He pulls them both into an empty room all the way to a large window. Or no, it’s not a window, Sonic realizes, it’s the entry to a balcony. North opens it and Sonic can’t help but wonder how he knows this place exists. Alan had never shown it to Sonic before.
As they step outside the moon truly shines brightly over them. It’s almost full moon and the balcony is illuminated by its shine. Sonic can’t stop looking around, his eyes wander to Alan’s pool and all the different plans in his garden and on the balcony, all pale under the light. It’s beautiful and Sonic can’t stop staring.
North steps up to him and for a few minutes they stand silently, simply observing the garden. Sonic feels North’s hand sliding first next to his own hand, then on top of it. In a way, it reminds Sonic of a romantic movie and he feels entirely out of place.
He by now has accepted that he has a crush on North. Denying it would’ve been a lie at that point. He doesn’t know if North caught on, he hopes he hasn’t. Wouldn’t that be extremely embarrassing? North surely would tease him relentlessly, just like he has done with any of Sonic’s other crushes.
“Wouldn’t it be fun”, North repeats and suddenly Sonic’s entire attention is focused on his lips, “if we kissed under the moonlight?” Sonic recognizes the tone in North’s voice immediately and shakes his head sadly. North is teasing him, of course, he is.
“You don’t want to kiss me?” North asks and suddenly he looks like a kicked puppy and Sonic feels like the worst human alive. “I do. I just don’t think it would be fun”, Sonic admits. He can deal with many things but he doesn’t think he could deal with North making a joke out of kissing him.
“Why not?” For a second Sonic wonders if North is really that oblivious or if he wants to torture him. Screw it, he thinks, it’s time to rip that band-aid off as well. “Because I don’t want to kiss you as a joke.”
And then, North surges forward and presses his lips on Sonic’s. For a second the world stops spinning. All Sonic can focus on are North’s lips on his. They’re soft against his, unlike everything else on North. North is rough, calloused, and strong, yet his lips are soft and kiss him gently. It takes Sonic a few seconds but then he reciprocates the kiss. If this is his one chance he wants to use it fully. His right hand finds its way to North’s nape and tangles itself in North’s hair, everything to keep him close. North’s arms wrap around Sonic’s waist as if he’s just as inclined to never let him go as Sonic is.
The moon shines on them as they share their first kiss.
“I don’t want to kiss you as a joke either”, North admits as they finally part. “I want to kiss you earnestly and honestly, with everything I have.” Sonic rests his forehead against North’s, still unable to grasp the situation. “But you said it would be fun-”, his words trail into nothing and North connects their lips again.
The second kiss feels almost more urgent than the first one. North kisses him like it’s his last chance, like he needs to let all his unspoken feelings out in the air, like he breathes Sonic’s air. It’s overwhelming and it’s too much and it’s not enough and it’s perfect. Sonic inhales North, his taste, his scent, everything all at once.
North kisses him like it’s an apology and a promise.
“I’m sorry”, North whispers against Sonic’s lips, “I should’ve worded that better. Wouldn’t it be perfect if we kissed under the moonlight?” Sonic breaks into a huge smile. “It would be.” And then he kisses North.
Even if held at gunpoint Sonic wouldn’t have been able to tell how many kisses they shared, or who kissed who more often. All he knows is that he can’t possibly get enough of North. Of North’s lips on his, of North’s hands on his waist, of North’s body pressed against his own.
“I like you”, Sonic whispers. Finally, he allows himself to speak the truth he hid deep in his heart out loud. He doesn’t know how many years he carried the secret around before acknowledging it to anyone, himself included, but now that he opens the cage that his heart had been, he feels free.
In romance novels, this moment always feels like a big moment and Sonic always thought it’s stupid. After all, liking someone as a friend and as a boyfriend is not that far apart. At its core, the feelings are the same. Yet, he understands now. He understands why romance novels lead to this moment and why music swells in movies. He understands because his feelings soar to the sky as they’re let free and entangle with the moonlight.
“I like you, too.” North’s reply shouldn’t come as a surprise, after all, he kissed Sonic first. And yet it catches Sonic off guard. “You do?” Sonic asks, just to make sure. Maybe it’s to convince himself that this is actually real, that he is not just dreaming.
“I think I have for years. Sonic, I like you so much.” Sonic kisses him again, and again, and again. No words could describe how he feels, no words could ever be enough to articulate the warmth engulfing his heart.
“Will you be my boyfriend?” Sonic nods. “If you’ll be mine as well.”
Sonic had been wrong about one thing. No matter how genuine their feelings are, it is great fun to kiss North under the moonlight.