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Sonic's nervous. He should have never agreed to let Amy arrange a blind date.
Ever since he confided in her about his profound loneliness, she's tried everything to find him a partner. It's sweet, but also nerve wracking as hell. He's been on several dates now, with strangers and old friends and nearly everything in between. It's been hard - so much rejection and disappointment. Amy had promised that if this date doesn't pan out, then they can take a break until Sonic is ready to try again.
He really hopes this is it. His lonely heart can't take much more of this.
Sonic enters the small cafe, relaxing when he smells something sweet. It reminds him of Amy and her support. He heads to the hostess, a sweet looking human girl, while trying to recall his date's name. He can't remember what it is, but it definitely starts with an S.
“Hey, Miss. Table for two, but I think my other half is here already, another hedgehog. Would you mind pointing the way?”
She looks at her seating chart and Sonic glances around. He sees a hedgehog tucked away in the corner, two drinks on the table but the other seat vacant. Bingo. “Never mind, I found them! Thanks for your help though.”
Sonic makes his way over after giving the hostess his autograph. He strolls over slowly, hyping himself up under his breath. He's a total catch, and dates are supposed to be fun. He's got this!
But as he gets closer to the corner booth he only gets more nervous.
Whoever this person is, they're hot. They have no business looking this good. And that's just from the side view. Where did Amy find this guy? He's not like anyone in their friend group, not even close.
For starters, his just looks dangerous. Obsidian fur shines in the light, with vibrant red streaks. Is that natural, or dyed? What even makes someone think of getting highlights like a human anyway? This person has a quiet power to them - Sonic can tell that this guy is strong with the way his muscles flex when he reaches for his phone.
Sonic sits down, smile widening when he sees his date head on. He's even hotter up close! His frown tells people to back off, his posture says stay away or I'll gut you. This guy seems very unfriendly. But maybe he was charmed by Amy, like everyone else. She has that effect on people.
“Hey! Sorry I'm late.”
His date looks up from their phone with a frown. It's not hostile, but it isn't friendly either. Crimson eyes - woah - look Sonic over with curiosity and something that makes Sonic more than a little proud. His date cocks their head to the side, ears standing tall.
“Who the fuck are you?”
Sonic snorts. Right to the point and rude. This guy would probably be intimidating to anybody else. Luckily for him, Sonic has always liked a little danger.
“Your date, obviously.”
His date's frown deepens in confusion. “My date?” He pulls out his phone again and fiddles with it before staring at Sonic. “Who put you up to this? Rouge?”
Sonic crosses his arms and leans back. Is this guy playing stupid or does he really not know? He wouldn't put past Ames to have set them up without informing both parties. She's done it before. “Amy, obviously.”
That does nothing to alleviate his date's confusion. Sonic taps his foot while he waits.
“Miss Rose? From the cafe?”
Sonic grins. This guy is so formal. He bets Amy loves when she's called Miss Rose by a proper gentleman.
“The one and only.”
The striped hedgehog chews at his lip, and it shouldn't distract Sonic as much as it does. But this guy still isn't relaxing or opening up.
Alright, so Amy must have sprung this on the poor guy. She thought it'd be more romantic to not give Sonic too many details about the other person. It looks like she didn't tell this guy anything at all. Sonic thinks that probably wasn't a good call.
“If it makes you feel better, she didn't tell me much about you either. She just said that you were a hedgehog and that your name started with an S.”
His date eyes him again before introducing himself. “Shadow. My name is Shadow. And I mostly look like a hedgehog.”
“Shadow, huh? Well I'm Sonic, but you probably already knew that.”
“Well, Sonic, you've made a mistake.”
Sonic likes the way Shadow says his name. “Nah, I think I'm exactly where I need to be, hot stuff.”
Shadow raises a brow at that. “I'm here with a friend. I think your date may be elsewhere.”
Sonic rolls his eyes and uncrosses his arms so he can rest his elbows on the table. What's this guys problem? Sonic knows meeting new people is hard, but this guy is shutting down the date before it can begin. But why?
“Do you see any other hedgehogs here? And what are the chances that your name starts with an S?”
Shadow leans back with a huff, annoyance clear as day. “Well that is a rather odd coincidence.”
“I think Amy would call it fate. But she set it up, so does that still count?”
Shadow chuckles and Sonic is enamoured by the sound. His smile is so cute. Are those fangs? They're sharper than hedgehog teeth, so this guy is definitely mixed.
“Well as interesting as this 'fateful' meeting has been, you should be on your way. My companion will be here any minute now.”
“You're not getting rid of me that easy! I'll wait with you until your imaginary friend gets here.”
Shadow checks his phone and then rolls his eyes. “It actually looks like I'm stuck with you now.”
“Oh?” Sonic asks in mock concern. “Did your friend cancel? What are the chances?”
“Shut up, idiot. It's only because she thinks this is funny. She said to 'roll with it' and to let you stay.”
“Sure, Shadow. Don't act as if you haven't been checking me out ” Sonic takes a sip from his water while Shadow snorts. He doesn't deny it, and Sonic is glad for the small victory.
“Hey, do you got a nickname or something?”
Shadow narrows his eyes and shakes his head. “Don't even think about it.”
Sonic laughs. “Don't tell me what to do, Stripes.”
Shadow's face scrunches in disgust, making Sonic laugh again. Sonic feels his phone go off but decides to ignore it. It's probably just Amy, wondering how the date is going.
Their waitress brings them food, and Sonic's surprised. “You already ordered? You must know this 'friend' really well.”
He looks down at his plate and smiles. Shadow has ordered him a burger, with the works and even an egg. On Shadow's plate there's a club sandwich that looks massive.
“I do know her well, actually.”
Again with the short answers. Shadow begins to eat but Sonic isn't going to let him shut him out again. “So tell me more about you! Are those stripes natural?”
Shadow swallows and glares at Sonic. “They are.”
Hm. Touchy subject. But it only makes Sonic more intrigued. “I'm guessing you're a hybrid then? With what you said earlier? I'm sorry if I offended you.”
Shadow sighs and rubs at the gold ring on his wrist. “It's fine. Yes, I'm a hybrid. But I really don't want to talk about it too much with a stranger.”
“Alright! But we don't have to be strangers, ya know.” Sonic takes a bite from his burger and is delighted by how good it is. “Thanks for ordering. I wouldn't have picked something like this normally but its amazing!”
“I didn't order it for you, but you're welcome, fool.”
Sonic rolls his eyes and keeps eating. He gets about halfway done before he phone goes off again. And again. And again.
“Hey, I'm sorry but I've got to take this. I'll be back in a bit, ok?” Shadow simply nods and Sonic heads outside.
He looks at the contact and sure enough it's Amy. It's weird that she's called him so many times. He answers, eager to thank her. “Hey, Ames!”
“Hey! Where are you?”
“I'm on my date?” Sonic doesn't understand why she seems so concerned. “This dude is, like, so hot, Ames. Thanks for setting us up. He's like super crabby but it's kinda cute and it's, like, a challenge to make him smile and I love that. And he is so damn hot.”
Amy is silent on the other end, which is super odd. When she speaks it's a whisper. “Sonic, I don't know who you're with.”
Sonic's ears flick in concern. “Um, what?”
Amy sighs. “I set you up with Silver. From my work, remember?”
Sonic thinks about it. A handsome white hedgehog with amber eyes comes to mind. “Silver? No. You set me up with Shadow. Silver is cute but he's not my type.”
“No I didn't.” Amy sounds like she's about to panic and Sonic feels the same. “I told you to meet Silver for lunch at noon. He was running late and tried to call you but all his calls went to voicemail.”
Sonic smacks his head. That's why he was getting calls from an unsaved number. “Ames, I fucked up.”
“Obviously, but how, exactly? What did you do?”
“I... maybe thought this other guy was my date and I've been with him for the last half hour.”
Her voice is shrill. “How do you just sit down with a stranger?”
“That's what a blind date is! How was I supposed to know?!”
“Oh my goodness, Sonic. I told you everything you needed to know about Silver. How did you forget?”
Sonic glances at the window to check up on Shadow while Amy recites what she told him days ago. Shadow's talking to a bat, it seems. She is very pretty, sitting in Sonic's seat and seems excited. Shes laughing and her wings are noticeably shaking. Shadow looks... softer somehow. He's definitely annoyed, but he laughs with her from time to time. Alright, so this is the close friend. She's real, definitely not imaginary. Sonic looks to the side and sees a white hedgehog sitting in a booth across the restaurant. Fuck.
“Sonic? You there?”
“Huh? Yeah, I'm here. What's up?”
He can practically hear her eye roll. “How did you even get Shadow to agree to that? He's a regular and he's got a reputation of being a total grouch.”
“Oh, he definitely is.” Sonic watches as the bat hugs Shadow and walks away to sit at a table not too far from their's. She's probably been watching this whole time, Sonic realizes with a sinking feeling.
“He was telling me that I was wrong but I thought he was just playing hard to get. It's kinda fun to get under his skin, you know?”
Amy sighs again, but now her voice sounds humored. “Well go and clear things up. I'll let Silver know that you're there.”
“Wait! Can you just... tell him I got caught up in something?”
Amy is quiet before she snorts. “Sure, but you owe me big time. You really like him, huh?”
Sonic doesn't want to admit it to her just yet. “Yeah yeah, I owe ya. Bye, Ames.”
Sonic hangs up and paces for a bit while thinking. How the hell did this happen? Really, what are the chances that he'd meet another hedgehog that has a name that starts with an S who also knows Amy? And Amy is right, he really likes Shadow. It's only been a few minutes, sure, but Sonic knows what he likes. He waits until Silver leaves before he heads back inside.
He takes his seat in the booth and nervously glances at Shadow. What the hell does he say?
“Are you alright?” Shadow sounds like he actually cares and this makes things even harder. He should just tell the truth.
“So... you were maybe right about not being my date.”
“Oh? Really? Who could have guessed?” Shadow's voice is heavy with sarcasm.
“Give me a break! I mean, really, what were the chances that you matched the description of my blind date? Like, perfectly?”
Shadow shrugs. “I'll give you that. It is weird as hell.”
Sonic sighs. “Well I know I fucked up and I'm sorry for ruining your lunch. So I'll just get a box and head out.”
“You don't have to.” Shadow's voice is suddenly soft and it draws all of Sonic's attention. “You could stay, if you'd like.”
Sonic laughs in shock. “You spent all that time trying to get rid of me, but now you'd like me to stay?”
“Well, yeah.” Shadow leans back, fixing Sonic with a look that's... playful? “Some handsome stranger just takes friends seat, insisting that I'm his date, and spends the whole time being infuriatingly charming. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued.”
“You think I'm handsome? And charming?”
Shadow sighs and rolls his eyes before smiling. Oh Chaos. His smile. “Unfortunately. So do you want to make this date official or do you still want to head out?”
“I'll stay.” Sonic is too dazed to say anything else.
“Good. Hurry up then, because I don't have much of a lunch break left.” Shadow finishes up his club sandwhich in a flash, catching Sonic off guard. He's fast.
“Hey, you wanna race after this?”
Shadow flashes a grin that's all teeth and Sonic decides he likes him a lot. “Sure. But can you keep up? For the fastest thing alive you seem rather slow.”
Sonic laughs, showing off his best game face. “I'll make you eat those words.”
“I doubt it, idiot.”