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Sonic could admit that he and Shadow could be a little too competitive at times.
Most of the time.
Okay, all the time.
Whether it was about who was faster, stronger, a better fighter, etc. Anything that could possibly become a competition usually did. Even once they started dating, that competitive streak lived on.
But now, they also competed to see who could plan better dates, who was more romantic, who could surprise whom more, etc.
Lately, Sonic had been wondering about making a new competition between the two of them, like coming up with nicknames.
Don’t get him wrong, he loved the one Shadow had for him, the one he’d started calling Sonic the day they got together; Bluebell, his favorite flower. It was sweet and corny, and Sonic adored it. And Shadow seemed to like the one the hero had come up for him, Shooting Star.
Yet, the only times they ever used these particular nicknames were when it was just the two of them. If Sonic had ever dared to call the hybrid that in public, Shadow would have killed him if the blue blur didn’t die of embarrassment first.
So, they had an unspoken agreement to never use them in front of others.
The problem was, Sonic didn’t have anything special to call his partners. Shads and Faker just didn’t fit as well anymore, didn’t convey how much Shadow meant to him. And anyone could call their boyfriend ‘babe’ or ‘baby’. It wasn’t unique.
No, Sonic needed something he could call Shadow that wouldn’t get him murdered.
He had some ideas, but it’d take some convincing to get his stoic partner to agree to any of them. But if he turned it into a competition…well, Shadow was never one to back down from a challenge.
Sonic just needed a way to bring it up, and that opportunity came one day when they were at Shadow and Rouge’s shared apartment, watching the end of a movie that, ironically, had a bunch of witty nicknames between the protagonists.
“What kind of competition?” Shadow asked warily while Sonic not so subtly cuddled into his side as the movie credits played.
“Nothing too difficult. Just gotta see who can come up with the best nickname that isn’t lovey-dovey. Like one we can use in front of people,” Sonic replied as he gave Shadow his best ‘I’m so innocent’ face, watching as the hybrid’s eyes narrowed.
“Hedgehog. What are you up to?” Shadow stared at him knowingly, earning a pout from Sonic. Curse his boyfriend’s ability to see through all his schemes. Shadow snorted a laugh as he affectionately nuzzled the top of Sonic’s head. “I just wanna know where this is coming from, Bluebell.”
“See, it’s that! I want to have something special to call you when it’s not just us, but not something embarrassing either,” Sonic gave his best puppy dog eyes that he may or may not have learned from Tails, then went for the kill. “Maybe it’ll help my fans back off~”
“Fine,” Shadow grumbled, then looked at his blue counterpart sternly. “But you better have something worthwhile for the prize.”
“Duh,” Sonic grinned, feeling his tail begin to wag against the couch in his excitement. He was so glad Shadow had agreed. “I win, you finally dance with me at Rouge’s club. You win, and we go to that pastry place on the other side of the island that you like without any complaints from me about the lack of chili dogs. And the winner gets to choose what nicknames we use. Deal?”
“Deal,” Shadow said after a beat, then smirked as he abruptly stood up, causing Sonic to fall face-first into the couch cushion.
“Hey!” Sonic looked up to glare at Shadow, only to pause as he saw Shadow speed over to the record player to put on some smooth jazz song, then the hybrid rushed back and held his hand out towards Sonic.
Sonic grabbed his hand, letting Shadow help him up before being pulled in close, feeling Shadow’s other arm snake around his waist.
“Since I’ll be the one winning, the only place you’ll see me dancing is here, Sonic,” Shadow emphasized the hero’s name, and Sonic felt his face heat up.
“We’ll see about that. You don’t stand a chance, Shooting Star,” Sonic shot back as Shadow began waltzing him around the room, avoiding the coffee table and couch as best they could.
As they danced, the speedster felt his determination growing. He would not let Shadow win this competition. He’d get a dance at the club and have a new nickname for his boyfriend. Maybe the whole thing was a little silly, but at least the hybrid was willing to indulge him.
Shadow dipped Sonic with a wink, and Sonic decided he’d focus on beating his former rival tomorrow, when Shadow wasn’t staring at him with adoration in his eyes, leaning down for a kiss.
While Shadow may have initially agreed to this nickname competition for Sonic’s sake, he couldn’t deny feeling a little excited at the anticipation of what his boyfriend would come up with.
He had a few ideas himself, but Shadow wanted to test the waters first before plunging right in.
And he got the chance during their next race.
The two hedgehogs were neck-and-neck, racing to see who would be the first to the top of the nearest mountain.
“Old age finally catching up to you?” Sonic shouted as he pulled ahead. The hybrid smirked, then exerted more Chaos energy into his air shoes to catch up.
“Hah! Just making sure you don’t get left behind,” Shadow shot back.
“Sure thing, Shads. Be prepared to eat my dust!”
“If you weren’t such a Quillhead, you’d see that I’m about to win this race,” Shadow pushed ahead, glancing back to see Sonic falter for a moment, sporting an incredulous look on his face before grinning sharply.
“That’s the best you got?” Sonic weaved between trees, zipping forward as he ran ahead, just out of reach. Shadow huffed as he began to veer to the right, aiming for a shorter path through the woods.
Unfortunately, Sonic stayed hot on his trail, right behind him. Had this been the old days, Shadow would’ve pulled on a tree branch so it’d hit Sonic in the face and slow the hero down.
But the last time Shadow did that, his partner had refused to kiss him for a week. Revoking certain boyfriend privileges hadn’t seemed fair, but the hybrid had caved and agreed not to do that again.
“Come on, speed is my middle name. We both know I’m winning this,” Sonic exclaimed. Shadow rolled his eyes.
“Thought it was danger,” Shadow quipped.
“Guess that makes you a Danger Chaser,” Sonic winked as he once again took the lead. To his horror, Shadow stumbled for a split second, giving the blue blur just enough time to reach the mountains, effectively winning the race.
Once Shadow had made it there, they both dropped to the ground, panting heavily.
He raised his hand slightly, reaching for his partner’s hand, smiling softly when Sonic entwined their fingers.
This was Shadow’s favorite part of racing with Sonic, though he’d deny it till the end of his days if anyone ever asked.
Sonic tugged Shadow’s hand toward him, planting a kiss on his knuckles as the hybrid looked away, feeling his face heat up.
“Quillhead, huh? Never heard that one before.”
“Just wanted to try it out,” Shadow admitted, glancing back to see emerald eyes staring back at him fondly. “Danger Chaser isn’t half bad.”
“Not my favorite, but thought it was fitting,” Sonic shrugged. “This round seems to be a tie. Unlike our race.”
“Shut up,” Shadow muttered as Sonic curled up beside him.
“Make me.”
Sonic closed his eyes, clearly expecting a kiss. With a roll of his eyes, Shadow flicked Sonic’s forehead with his free hand, earning a disgruntled groan as the ebony hedgehog chuckled.
Sonic wasn’t the only one who could withhold certain privileges.
Riding with Shadow on his motorcycle could be…tricky.
Shadow’s quills poked Sonic in the chest unless they were positioned just right, and even then, they ran the risk of getting their quills tangled together.
As much as they both enjoyed feeling the wind, if they wanted to ride together, Sonic and Shadow would have to wear helmets and riding jackets.
Jokingly, Sonic had suggested they get something that matched, completely shocked when Shadow showed up one day with two similar-looking leather jackets and helmets.
Shadow’s jacket had gold studs and a red Chaos emerald on the back, surrounded by a golden ring similar to his Chaos inhibitors. His sleek helmet was black with red stripes and a visor that matched the color of his eyes.
Meanwhile, Sonic’s had silver studs, and his Chaos emerald was green surrounded by feather wings similar to the ones on his shoes. The stripes on his helmet were blue and his visor was bright green.
Sonic loved his jacket, the lining of it felt super soft and it was big enough that his back quills didn’t feel squished when he wore it.
And it kept him warm what with all the chilly air that he was faced when he stepped outside of his and Tails’ shared home to wait for Shadow to come pick him up for a nightly ride.
Eventually, he heard the rumbling of an engine and watched as Shadow rode up to the small porch. Though Sonic wished he could see his boyfriend’s face properly, he had to admit the other hedgehog looked hot with all his gear.
“Took you long enough. You’re half an hour late,” Sonic said as he jumped onto the back of the seat.
“Sorry, Rouge was talking my ear off about Knuckles and wouldn’t let me leave till she finished,” Shadow grumbled as he revved up the bike, waiting until Sonic’s arms were securely wrapped around his torso before taking off.
Sonic chuckled, knowing all too well how long the bat could go on and on about her Echidna warrior. Little did she know that Knuckles did the exact same thing with Sonic. They really were perfect together.
Speaking of perfect…Sonic looked at Shadow, seeing a few dark quills sticking out of his helmet, lit up in the moonlight.
One of the perks of these rides was that Sonic got to admire Shadow in the soft glow of the moon, riding without a care in the world. It was one of the few things that got the hybrid to relax and enjoy life without missions to go on or people to save.
And while the motorcycle couldn’t go nearly as fast as they could, it was nice to let the vehicle do all the heavy lifting while the couple got to sit back and enjoy the ride.
“I love riding with you,” Sonic sighed contentedly, nuzzling as best he could with the bulky helmet on.
“I certainly hope so with how often you ask to do this,” Shadow replied, and while the hero couldn’t see his eyes, he just knew the hybrid had rolled his eyes.
“Hey, don’t act like you don’t love our midnight rides, Mr. Midnight Rider,” Sonic grinned, his smile growing wider as Shadow barked a laugh.
“That was awful,” Shadow said, though Sonic shook his head in response.
“It made you laugh, though.”
Shadow sighed as he pulled back up to Sonic’s house. The speedster blinked, as he hadn’t realized they had headed back already. He looked down at his watch and realized they’d been driving for two hours.
“Aw, don’t tell me the night’s already over,” Sonic whined, even as he got off the bike and removed his helmet. He watched as Shadow did the same, leaning against his bike, and Sonic swooned a little.
His partner looked so beautiful with the stars behind him, even with all his quills messed up.
Sonic didn’t want to stop looking at him, didn’t want to part ways. Not yet
“What about a race? Me vs you on your bike,” Sonic suggested, biting his lip as he prayed Shadow would say yes.
Shadow huffed fondly and nodded his head.
“Alright. But you can’t go over 75mph. I win, we go to bed. You win, we stay up,” Shadow stated firmly. Sonic nodded his head eagerly.
The hybrid put his helmet back on, then winked through the visor.
“Show me what you got, Hotshot.”
Sonic felt his turn red as he ducked his head.
The Ultimate Lifeform had definitely won this round.
Battling Robotnik was never pleasant, even if Shadow knew he and Team Sonic would most likely win.
Amy had returned to the team after a long conversation with the duo. She admitted her mistakes, apologizing for the boundaries she had crossed with Sonic and for nearly hitting Shadow.
It had taken time, but Sonic and Amy’s friendship was pretty much how it had been before, except she kept her hands to herself and even started to encourage group hangouts, including Shadow.
The hybrid doubted he’d ever be close with the pink hedgehog, but he was willing to be civil with her, especially after seeing how down Sonic had been when she’d taken a break from the team.
Now that Team Sonic was whole once more, Shadow found himself slowly getting better at working with the group instead of by himself or with the occasional help from Sonic.
This time, however, Shadow had been separated from everyone else, facing Robotnik alone with his latest robot. It was actually sort of impressive, delivering powerful blows that didn’t follow any sort of pattern, which left Shadow guessing when the next attack would occur.
Eventually, he figured out where the robot’s weak point was, a slot underneath its head that had a series of wires that were most likely connected to the remote Robotnik was using to control it. A well-timed punch gave Shadow enough time to rip the wires, powering down the robot. The machine toppled down, Shadow landing right behind it as Robotnik ran away.
He brushed off his fur and accidentally grazed the robot’s arm, which shocked him enough to make his fur and quills stick up from the electrical shock.
“Ahh!” Shadow winced, waiting for the pain to subside. His ears perked up when he heard the sound of running, and he spotted a blur of blue appear.
“Shadow! Are you okay!?” Sonic asked frantically before stopping to stare at Shadow with wide eyes.
Shadow saw his reflection in the metal of the robot and realized his quills were all over the place, making his head look like a spiny mess while his fur made his thin frame look more circular.
He looked ridiculous.
Sonic still looked worried, despite the obvious amusement written all over his face, so Shadow reassured him that he was fine. That was apparently the blue blur’s cue to start guffawing.
Shadow crossed his arms and glared as Sonic laughed, the hero holding his stomach as he wheezed.
“I hate you,” Shadow huffed as he looked away. Eventually, Sonic’s giggles faded, and the speedster walked around so he could face Shadow.
“I’m sorry, you just look so cute right now,” Sonic smiled sheepishly. “Like a Storm Cloud. Ooh! That’s your next nickname.”
Unfortunately, Sonic was kind of right. With the way his fur was poofed out, he did look like a dark storm cloud, with his red streaks looking like lightning amongst black quills.
“Hmph,” Shadow paused for a moment before he smiled wickedly and stepped forward, tapping Sonic’s shoulder and zapping him with static.
Sonic shrieked as his fur puffed out, his quills bending to look like little bolts of lightning.
“Come on, man,” Sonic sighed, looking at Shadow with narrowed eyes. “Not cool.”
“I think it suits you, Static Blur,” Shadow grinned, thinking that he looked like the personification of static electricity. “You are like static, after all. Loud, constant, impossible to ignore.”
“Aw, you do care,” Sonic snarked as he brushed his fur down, trying to get it to flatten. Shadow straightened out his head quills first, then reached out to comb his fingers through Sonic’s quills so he could do the same. “Thanks.”
“Of course. Can’t have you looking ridiculous,” Shadow smirked as he tugged a little too hard, earning a whine from his boyfriend. “I think my name was more creative.”
“Was not,” Sonic grumbled. Shadow finished his task, leaning back to see Sonic looking freshly groomed. He went to mess with his chest fluff only to get stopped by Sonic’s hands. “My turn.”
Shadow waited patiently as Sonic ran his gloved hand through his white fur, smoothing it out. As soon as the hero was done, Shadow leaned in for a quick peck, making Sonic’s cheeks flush red.
“I’m still mad at you,” Sonic said, though his glare seemed softer now.
“Alright, how about we say you win this time, then? To make up for it,” Shadow suggested, earning a small smile and a nod. “Alright. Let’s go meet up with the rest of our team.”
He winced as he realized he’d insinuated that he was part of the team, part of Sonic’s team, but the blue hedgehog either didn’t catch it or was nice enough not to call him out on it.
Shadow supposed he should be grateful for small mercies as they ran towards the valley where Amy and Tails were waiting, both of hedgehogs sporting grins even as they taunted one another.
Sonic really didn’t want to lose the competition, especially since it was his idea. He needed at least one more great nickname, but the problem was he couldn’t think of anything else.
He’d briefly pondered Edgelord, but had a feeling that wouldn’t go over well. And everything else felt so cliché, or didn’t seem to suit Shadow at all.
As much as he hated to admit it, Shadow was probably going to win if he came up with one more nickname.
He had one final chance to win, though. Tonight, he and Shadow were about to embark on a nice dinner date.
The hybrid had gotten back from a long GUN mission the day before, and Sonic had been thrilled when Shadow returned. He’d missed his boyfriend, who had been gone for nearly three weeks!
So when Shadow suggested going out for a date to celebrate his return, Sonic jumped at the chance to spend a little quality time together.
Rouge helped them get a reservation at a really fancy place, which meant Sonic got to see Shadow all dressed up.
The hero himself had on a white button-up shirt with rolled up sleeves and a dark red vest, and even got a little black bowtie despite the fact that he’d most definitely be tugging it off later the second it got uncomfortable.
When he picked up Shadow, he got to see the hybrid in a navy blue button-up shirt with long sleeves and a gray jacket. He looked stunning.
“Looking good, handsome,” Sonic whistled, laughing as Shadow flushed and elbowed him gently. “Shall we?”
They made it to the restaurant easily, and a waitress came to take them to their seats. Sonic noticed how she kept her gaze on Shadow as she handed them menus, and only looked at the hybrid whenever she took their drink orders.
Sonic resisted the urge to let his quills bristle in response and took a slow breath. Shadow nudged his foot, drawing the hero’s attention.
“You alright?” Shadow asked in concern, making Sonic feel bad for bringing down the mood so quickly.
“Yeah, I’m fine. So…whatcha wanna do now that GUN is oh so mercifully giving you a vacation?” Sonic asked. The commander had told Shadow that he had more than earned a break for all the work he did on his missions and that the hybrid had the next couple of weeks off from work.
“I was thinking that maybe we could go on a trip,” Shadow replied, looking at the menu as he spoke. Sonic did the same, only slightly disappointed that a place like this didn’t have chili dogs. “I remembered you talked about wanting to watch the Northern lights, and it’s about that time of the year up North where they’re easy to see.”
“Really? We can go, just you and me, together?” Sonic felt his tail begin to wag. He’d mentioned wanting to see them ages ago, before Shadow and he had started dating.
It was back when Rouge and Shadow had a mission up North and got to see the lights. Sonic had been a tiny bit jealous that they’d gotten to see them.
He didn’t think Shadow had been paying attention when he said that. Sonic smiled softly.
“Rather go with you than Rouge again. She talked about bringing Knuckles the entire time.” Shadow rolled his eyes, then reached a hand towards him, and Sonic entwined their fingers, enjoying the warmth and closeness.
Someone cleared their throat, and Sonic felt a twinge of annoyance as he looked up at the waitress, who glanced down at the couple’s hands before fixing her gaze on Shadow.
“Are you ready to order yet?” She practically purred, her face flushed.
“I certainly am,” Sonic stated, squeezing Shadow’s hand absently. The waitress looked over at him with a bored expression, then got her notepad out to jot his order down.
“What can I get you?” She asked in a monotone voice, and Sonic had to bite his tongue at the blatant difference in how she was treating him compared to Shadow.
After taking Sonic’s order, she batted her eyelashes while Shadow rattled off what he wanted. To Sonic’s delight, he didn’t even look at the waitress, causing her to pout as she walked off.
Sonic tried to push down the bubbling jealousy, talking with Shadow and doing his best to enjoy the date. She came back with their food, slamming Sonic’s plate to the table while she gently presented Shadow’s.
The hero felt relieved when she walked off, wondering how Shadow hadn’t picked up on her flirty attitude.
Their peace didn’t last, though, as she kept coming back to “check on them”.
“Certainly have attentive workers here,” Shadow remarked as he ate. Sonic resisted the urge to roll his eyes and quietly agreed, missing the worried expression on Shadow’s face.
Sonic made an excuse to go to the restroom, taking a few minutes to compose himself. It wasn’t Shadow’s fault that this was happening, and Sonic knew that the hybrid had gone through this plenty of times with all of Sonic’s fans, some of whom still hadn’t picked up on the fact that the hero wasn’t interested in anyone except his Shadow.
He returned only to find the waitress sitting in his spot, talking to Shadow, who looked more confused than anything else.
Sonic walked over as calmly as he could, coughing loudly until the waitress turned to look up at him with a frown.
“My apologies, I was just keeping him company,” she said as she stood up, and Sonic sat down in his seat quickly, glancing over at Shadow. “Well, if you need anything, just flag me down. And I mean anything~”
“Uh-huh, sure,” Sonic waved her off, hoping she’d walk away. Yet she chose to keep standing there, her attention fixed on Shadow. “We’re good, thanks.”
“Mmhmm,” She winked at Shadow, who furrowed his eyes and tilted his head, then realization seemed to finally dawn on the hybrid. “I like a little danger in my life, you know?”
Something snapped in Sonic as he leaned to put an arm casually behind Shadow’s chair.
“Oh, then you’ll love this one. He’s dangerously mine,” Sonic flashed a cocky grin as he watched her face turn bright red as she tried to stammer in response only for Sonic to cut her off. “Can’t blame you for trying, though. I know he’s the Ultimate Heartstopper.”
Shadow side-eyed him briefly, then turned to face the waitress once more.
“I think we’re ready for the check,” Shadow said coldly, glaring at her as she flinched.
He didn’t say anything else, remaining quiet for most of the walk back to his place.
Unlike Sonic, who had plenty to say.
“I was sitting right there,” Sonic muttered to himself, whispering even though he knew Shadow’s ears could pick up on every word he said. “I left for like two seconds…sat in my seat….stupid…who does she think she is?”
Shadow’s voice broke through his mumbled ramblings.
“Come on, where’s my ray of sunshine?”
Sonic froze in place for a minute before groaning and reaching his hand out towards Shadow begrudgingly.
“You like that one, huh?” Shadow asked with a smug grin on his face. Sonic huffed, pointedly looking away from the ebony hedgehog.
“Whatever. It’s not that great,” Sonic grumbled, ignoring the way his face heated up before he spoke under his breath again. “Hmph. ‘Ray of Sunshine’. Who even says that?”
His oh so loving boyfriend said nothing, and Sonic could practically feel the smugness radiating off of him.
“I had two nicknames. Two! You can’t just swoop in with one romantic one-liner and think you’ve won.”
“I think I can,” Shadow finally responded as they arrived at the apartment complex. “I think you really liked it, and I think that you hate how much you love it.”
“Mine were good too!” Sonic argued, earning a laugh from his counterpart.
“They were,” Shadow said, his smile growing softer. “Sorry, I didn’t pick up on the flirting thing earlier.”
“It’s fine. Was just annoying,” Sonic smiled despite himself, looking into crimson eyes. “But next time that happens and you don’t notice, I’m pulling out all the stops. I’m gonna call you— I don’t know—something ridiculous like ‘Snuggleblade.’ See how you like it.”
“Don’t you dare,” Shadow growled, and Sonic chuckled. “Hedgehog, I’m serious.”
“Relax,” Sonic bumped his shoulder playfully, smiling as Shadow began to lead the way upstairs. “I wouldn’t do that to you. And…you won. Which means you get to choose what nicknames we use and go to the pastry shop.”
Shadow unlocked the door and opened it for Sonic to walk in, still holding Sonic’s hand throughout the process.
“I liked the ones from tonight,” Shadow admitted softly once they were settled on the couch. “Storm Cloud was a little silly, but also something you would definitely say.”
“Static Blur was pretty cool, and Hotshot wasn’t too bad. Quillhead sounds like you,” Sonic said. “I liked all the ones you used for me.”
“This competition was fun,” Shadow wrapped an arm around Sonic, bringing him in close to press a kiss to his forehead. “And if it’s that important, I’ll dance with you too. But just this once!”
“Awesome! Thanks, Heartstopper,” Sonic shrieked as Shadow picked him up, lifting him over his shoulders like a bag of potatoes. “Hey!”
“Don’t make me regret this, Sunshine,” Shadow said as he tossed Sonic back onto the couch with a grin.
“You love it.”
“...I suppose so.”