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Alex Kidd. Who would have thought. One day he would be proud to be named SEGA’s representative. And the next, replaced, forgotten, and in need of money.
Alex had opened his store several years ago. At first, he had SEGA’s support to pay the rent. Eventually, he managed to pay it himself with his own earnings. But this was the first time the rent exceeded his earnings. 500,000 yen in difference.
That Saturday afternoon, Alex took his Sukopako motorcycle and headed to SEGA’s offices. It was embarrassing for him to come here to ask for money, but he was desperate. He would talk to Sonic, the current boss of everything (his former job), and this was humiliating. He had never dealt with him before, and there was a time when he even hated him out of pure jealousy.
But well, that was in the past. He wasn’t going to beg for money; he was going to find a job. Anything. But he was going to earn it.
Knock knock
“Come in,” said a gentle voice from the other side of the door.
Alex opened the office door, swallowing his nervousness, and took a step forward.
“Well, Kidd, a miracle finding you here,” said the blue hedgehog sitting at the desk. “What brings you here?”
“I need money,” Alex barely managed to say. “500,000 yen to be exact.”
“Ah,” exclaimed the hedgehog. “Well, well, low sales, huh?” Sonic said with a serious expression, which was immediately replaced by a smile. “You came to the right place,” he said, standing up. “I’ll be right back with the money, just stay here, okay?”
“NO!” Alex shouted unconsciously, scaring the blue-furred hedgehog. “I mean… I want to earn it.”
Sonic stared at him for a few seconds. “So you like to complicate things, huh? Alright. If that’s what you want…” Sonic adjusted his glasses and sat back down. “Look, right now we don’t have any vacancies… but if you like, I can pay you to be my… let’s call it ‘companion,’ for lack of a better word.”
“Oh! Uh… sure, but… I don’t think I can charge you that much for just that. It feels like a scam—”
“I’ve seen online girls charging 500 euros a day,” Sonic said as he stood up. “It’ll just be for tonight, and then you can forget about it forever.”
“But—” Before Alex could finish, Sonic ran over and placed a finger on his lips.
“Shh. I won’t make it difficult. I’ll meet you tonight at your favorite bar. If you want, I can pick you up, just send me the location. Sonic winked at him and took his hand, planting a soft and delicate kiss on it. “See you.”
Once at home, Alex got himself ready as best he could. It was just about accompanying Sonic, but he wanted to look as professional as possible. "What am I doing..." he asked himself while looking in the mirror. Who would’ve thought—he was going on a date with the one he once hated, and all for a bit of money.
“It’s not a date. It’s just work. Nothing weird will happen,” he told himself, trying to calm his nerves.
Once at the bar, Kidd sent his location to the hedgehog and sat in a corner away from everyone else. “I’m waiting for someone,” he said when the waiter approached. The bar was always a calm place, and that day was no exception. A jazz band was playing, giving the place a relaxing atmosphere. The dim orange lighting made it perfect for romantic couples. But that wasn’t the case for Alex. He always went there alone to unwind. And today, to do business.
He received a message: “I’m here, where are you?” It was the hedgehog. Alex looked up and saw him at the door, dressed in a suit—it was unusual for him, but it suited him well. “In the back corner,” he replied.
The brunette raised his hand to signal Sonic, making sure he saw him. Eventually, the hedgehog spotted him and quickly approached with agility.
“Hi Alex,” said the hedgehog, sitting next to him. “Do you mind if I hug you?”
That caught the blue-eyed brunette off guard. “Uh…”
“Come on, it’s part of your job,” Sonic said with a laugh. “I’m serious. I was thinking of renting you as a boyfriend.”
That left Alex speechless. He opened his mouth in surprise, unable to stop it. “W-what?” was all he managed to say.
“Just like you heard. Holding hands, having a few drinks, maybe a few kisses, and sleeping together, cuddling—how does that sound?”
Alex couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“Kisses? I-I don’t even know how to—” was the first thing he managed to say. The idea of kissing Sonic, of all people—his replacement.
“If you want, I can teach you,” Sonic replied, leaning in close to Alex, causing the latter to cover his face and look away. “If you don’t want to, it’s fine… but I can’t think of anything better to spend 500,000 yen on…”
“Why do you want this? Do you need a date for a gala or something?”
“Gala? Not at all. I was just thinking we could have a few drinks and then go home to cuddle... unless you have a better suggestion, darling.”
“Don’t you have something less... weird?” asked Alex.
“I told you, I think this is the best way to spend 500,000 yen. Come on, it’ll be strictly professional. Nothing has to change after tonight. What do you say? Do you accept?”
“I… why do you want this?” Alex asked, clearly nervous.
“I want someone to give all my love to. Even if it’s pretend. I’ll make sure you have a nice night, you’ll see,” the blue one replied, moving in to kiss Alex on the cheek. “It’s a win-win. I treat you like a prince and I pay you for it. I wish I had such an easy job. Come on, Alex, it’s 500,000 yen.”
“Alright! But it’s just because I really need the money. Not because the idea of you treating me how I deserve sounds nice or anything like that.”
“Deal, my love,” said Sonic, hugging Alex and wagging his tail happily. “Now, where’s that waiter?”
After a while, Sonic was completely drunk. “It’s my first time with alcohol, hehe,” he said.
Alex shook his head. He, on the other hand, had always had a good tolerance for liquor.
“Hehehe... let’s go home,” said the hedgehog.
“That’d be for the best,” replied Alex. “I’ll drive. I’ll take you to my place since I don’t know where you live.”
“Oooh, how nice,” answered the hedgehog, collapsing into Alex’s arms. “Let’s go to your place, love.” He said that while cuddling into Alex’s arms, who picked him up and carried him out of the bar.
Out in the cold darkness of the night, Alex set Sonic down, grabbed his Sukopako motorcycle, and got on. “Hold on tight,” he asked the hedgehog.
“On my way, my love,” said the green-eyed one, climbing up with some difficulty. Alex sighed and shook his head. This whole situation felt insane.
He started the engine. He could feel Sonic hugging him tightly from behind. He drove in an awkward silence, only broken occasionally by the hedgehog’s giggles, until they reached his home.
Alex got off the motorcycle, helping Sonic down as well.
Once inside (and after locking the door), Alex dropped onto the sofa. This entire situation felt bizarre. But before he could start overthinking everything, Sonic sat beside him and hugged him.
Alex sighed. He wanted to do his job right, so he began to gently stroke the hedgehog’s quills—hesitantly at first, but with growing confidence.
“Alex…” murmured Sonic, laying his head on Alex’s lap. “I like this.”
“I’m glad you do,” replied the brunette. “That means I’m earning my money.”
“The money,” Sonic repeated. “I forgot about that.”
Sonic closed his eyes. “I want to apologize for, you know, taking your spot and all that. This whole situation must be uncomfortable for you.”
Alex stayed silent, swallowed hard, and kept petting the hedgehog. “You have nothing to apologize for. It was SEGA’s decision. It’s not your fault you were my ‘replacement.’”
Sonic sat up and looked into Alex’s eyes. “I’m glad you understand.”
Then, without another word, he leaned in and kissed his predecessor on the lips. It was a quick kiss, nothing more. Alex’s heart was pounding, but he didn’t say anything. He couldn’t deny that it had been a sweet gesture. He had genuinely enjoyed it.
“That was pretty impulsive of me, I know,” Sonic said after a moment. “It was kind of clumsy, wasn’t it? Want to try again?”
That caught Alex off guard—he didn’t know how to respond to that.
He still hadn’t processed the stolen kiss, and now Sonic was offering another one, this time with full awareness of what was happening.
Alex thought for a moment. It made him really nervous, but he decided to do it—almost on impulse.
He placed a hand on Sonic’s cheek and, leaning in slightly, kissed him. The hedgehog responded immediately, holding onto Alex as if his life depended on it.
“Well?” Alex asked after their lips parted. “Did you like it?”
Sonic smiled. “You did really well. Not bad at all for someone who said they didn’t know how to kiss.”
Alex blushed at that. “You need to sleep,” he said, trying to change the subject.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Sonic replied, yawning. “Are we sleeping together?”
“Well, that’s what you asked for,” said Alex with a shrug.
Kidd picked Sonic up in his arms and carried him to the bedroom, laying him down and then lying beside him on the bed.
Sonic immediately snuggled against Alex.
“You’re very cuddly,” he said, half-asleep. “You’re warm and squishy. I like that.”
Alex just kept blushing more and more at the words of the one who had once replaced him.
He was even starting to find the hedgehog’s behavior a little endearing. Maybe Sonic just needed a bit of love—and now it was his responsibility to give that to him. So he hugged him back and planted a kiss on his forehead.
“Mmm…” Sonic murmured, nearly asleep. “Couldn’t it have been on the lips again…?”
Alex blushed even harder, if that was possible, but sighed and gently stroked the hedgehog’s quills.
It was just a little job. Nothing else. Or at least thats what alex wanted to believe