Chapter Text
Shadow wouldn’t consider himself the promiscuous type. He usually only sought hookups whenever he needed to relieve some heavy stress. It normally was no more than a couple times every few months, and he preferred to stay as anonymous as possible when it came to these sorts of things.
The idea of it all originally came from Rouge when she saw him falling into a worn down pattern of self medication after tough missions. Nicotine and alcohol had become his best friends, as they both were a quick way to relax both his muscles and his brain, but even he couldn’t deny it was a sad and temporary fix.
Being the Ultimate Lifeform didn’t save him from experiencing the joys of hangovers, and his unique biology made the intense buzz last so much shorter than what the average Mobian would experience. Deep down, he knew it was all barely worth the trouble just to feel decent for an hour at most.
So, as he was three bottles in on a drunken night with Rouge, she showed him her recent foray into the world of dating apps. The two critiqued the terrible profiles of men promoting their sexual prowess, and in the midst of their amusement Shadow offhandedly commented about how his profile would do better if he just posted a single picture and nothing else. After some teasing and more drinks, Rouge had somehow easily convinced him to download a hookup app and make an account.
He meant to delete it the next morning when he realized it was still on his phone. Yet, the little red number at the top corner of the app had him curious. Did he really receive that many likes overnight?
As soon as he opened it, he felt his ego being boosted at the confirmation that yes, that many people were interested in him. And he didn’t even show his face. It was just a cropped photo of an outfit he wore once when Rouge dragged him out to the club.
So, after letting the realization fester, and the likes to continue accumulating, he finally updated his profile and began to make matches.
He found he liked how blunt he could be on his profile of what he wanted, and appreciated the filters the app provided when it came to his own pursuing. It was also a lot easier to talk to people as there was no mistake about their intentions and he could be as open as he wanted to the “public eye” since he didn’t show his face in any of his photos and used a fake name in place of his own.
Being a local celebrity made it hard to have any sort of private life without some sort of scandal breaking out, but the app and how he curated his online profile made this sort of thing possible. Because who would ever believe some random stranger telling their story of how they matched with Shadow the Hedgehog on some app when there was no viable evidence that it was actually him.
With a heavy sigh, the hybrid collapses forward onto his bed and pulls his pillow under his chin.
It’s definitely one of those days where he needs a distraction… He should check his account.
Reaching into his quills, Shadow pulls out his phone and taps the screen. He squints a bit as the brightness adjusts to his dark room and types in his mile-long password. After scrolling to the main end of his screen, he clicks on the little icon with red numbers attached to the corner and is brought to the main feed of his account.
Immediately, he rolls his eyes as a pop-up shows that his profile has been super-liked. From his experience, usually that meant the person bought the ability in order to make as many matches as possible for their own gain, or they were just extremely desperate to get laid. Either way, these types were never a good lay to him. They were too selfish and rarely got him off.
He pushes the notif aside for now and taps on his own profile to see if anything needs updating.
Shade, 30
Trans male
He/Him
Hedgehog
3’3
Bio: Only here for stress relief. Not looking for emotional attachments or consistent partners. DNI if you hate cats or any type of animal. I will kick you out and block you if you’re an asshole.
Lifestyle
Frequently Smokes - Moderately Drinks - Likes Animals - Introverted - Physically Active
Position?
Bottom.
Kinks?
Open to suggestions.
Looking For?
Other men. Top. Preferably someone who can take a few scratches and insults.
Tags
Brat - Communication - Muscular - Piercings
The hybrid gives a small shrug to himself, not seeing anything that needs to be added at the moment and returns to his list of likes to sort through. The super-like is the first one he has to decide on, and he almost automatically swipes left until blue fur catches his attention.
There’s no way…
Curiosity gets the better of him and he clicks the profile to get a better look.
There’s three photos in total, all without a facial picture. The first is a basic top down selfie where the hedgehog shows off his usual style. Jeans, a white shirt, and red jacket hang loosely on his body, and at the bottom are trademark red shoes beaten down from constant wear and tear. The second is a bit more risqué, as the image is obviously meant to show off the potential candidate’s physique, and Shadow can’t stop his eyes from trailing down the person’s bare chest, past his stomach, and dwelling on the teasing tuft of blue fur that sticks out of the drooping joggers and blends with the peach color of his abdomen.
Fucking hell, get it together. You know this guy. You’ve been under him plenty of times in a fight. Nothing has changed.
But, it doesn’t stop him from scrolling to the next picture.
He’s met with the view of the hedgehog fresh out of the shower wearing nothing but boxers. The camera angle is much lower this time, obviously highlighting the large bulge between his legs, and that annoying tuft of fur haphazardly peeking out from the low-riding elastic waistband.
How the hell has he not noticed it before?
Shadow continues perusing the profile, deciding to see just how badly the idiot has curated his info to try and stop the wetness that was forming between his own legs.
Mach-10, 30
Male
He/Him
Hedgehog
3’4
Bio: here for a good time, not a long time. talk to me, i don’t bite. much.
Lifestyle
Occasionally Drinks - Extroverted - Physically Active - Foodie - Avid Reader - Traveler
Position?
top/switch
Kinks?
ask and find out ;)
Preferred Type?
other hedgehogs and predators. always had a thing for dark fur.
Looking For?
men and women. i get bored pretty easily, so i’m looking for someone who can keep things interesting. it’s not fun when i constantly give orders, so i would like to match with someone who can bite back. the brattier the better.
Shadow swipes back to his profile and looks at his own photos
He has to know, right? There’s no way he doesn’t know.
There’s a total of five photos on his account. The first two are of outfits he’s worn: a black turtle neck, grey ripped jeans and leather jacket in one, and a grey muscle shirt, black cargo pants, tactical jacket, with a combat boot propped up on a chair in the second. The clothes hid his tell-tale red highlights and inhibitors, so he had to give a bit of a pass for the first two images. However, the next three were far more revealing and honestly brings a blush to the hybrid’s face as he realizes his rival has seen them and liked them.
Rouge had helped Shadow take the third image as the position was a bit tricky for him to do on his own. He was facing away from the camera with his back on full display. His quills were bundled up and his head was tipped down to hide his face, but his arms were poised in a flex that showed the definition of every muscle rippling down his back. He had joggers on that obscured his backside out of modesty, but they dipped down on one of his hips and revealed the red band of his boxers. “Just enough to tease,” Rouge had commented. This picture alone was probably his favorite as it showed his own strength and was normally enough to deter any problematic people from swiping on his profile. But, this one also showed hints of his highlights in his quills and on his arms, and while golden rings on the wrist weren’t a very uncommon fashion choice - Amy had her own weighted pair - his inhibitors were on full display. There’s no way Sonic would miss those details.
Shadow’s embarrassment only gets worse as he looks at the way he took the last two pictures. His fourth one was a top-down selfie where he was wearing no shirt, his jeans were unbuttoned, and his hand was shoved down in his boxers. While it didn’t actually show anything other than the hidden white fluff of fur between his legs, it was enough to spur a lot of dirty talk in his DMs. His inhibitors and trademark red highlight was again on display and more prominent in this one. His fifth was probably what his matches commented the most on, though, in his conversations. It was another picture taken with the help of Rouge - her idea actually during a workout session - and it was again taken from the backside. However, this time he was dressed in spandex shorts and in the downward dog position on a yoga mat. His tail was raised high and with purpose, and his back was arched in a way that showed off not just his flexibility, but his ass as well.
He still needs to thank Rouge for that one.
With a frustrated sigh, the hybrid rolls over onto his back and stares up at his phone.
He could message him through text… It would be kind of fun to tease the cocky bastard about this…
A clawed thumb swipes away the app and taps on the instant messages icon.
Wait. If he does this… How will it change things? Was Sonic always attracted to him or are these feelings new? What if the asshole is just teasing him? How can he turn this back around if he tries to play it up?
Shadow swallows his rising nerves and clicks on his previous conversation with the blue hedgehog.
Fuck it. He’s the one who used a super-like. There’s no returning from that. Just play it cool. See where it goes. A fight or a fuck is a win either way.
[Ultimate Lifeform: You’ve gotta be shitting me]
He expects a delay in response considering it’s probably been a few days since he’s last checked the app. Yet, the resulting ping nearly makes him jump.
[Dumbass: what did I do this time?]
[Ultimate Lifeform: Mach-10?]
[Dumbass: ooooooo]
[Dumbass: yeah, that]
[Dumbass: uh]
[Dumbass: i was drunk]
The hybrid scowls and his ears press flat against his head, both hands now holding onto his phone as he types.
[Ultimate Lifeform: Dumbass. Can’t believe you got the paid version.]
Honestly, he was tempted to get it himself, but he’s not that frequent of a user. Not that it matters to Sonic anyways.
[Dumbass: what? people dig the super likes. makes ‘em feel special.]
[Ultimate Lifeform: Makes you seem desperate.]
[Dumbass: whatever, man. you can’t tell me you didn’t at least get a little excited seeing it pop up.]
[Ultimate Lifeform: I was more surprised than anything. I thought you were actually trying to hook up with me. The dodgy method of it seemed to be in your style.]
[Dumbass: haha.]
[Dumbass: asshole.]
Shadow gives an amused snort and relaxes back against his pillow, glad they’re falling back into their usual pattern of banter.
[Dumbass: i was surprised to see you on there. didn’t take you as the hookup type.]
[Ultimate Lifeform: I’m not really. Just another way to destress. Like kicking your ass during our spars.]
There’s a lull in the conversation and for the minutes that tick by, the hybrid starts to get a bit nervous.
Is he sharing the fact he’s on the app now? Great, his dirty laundry is going to go around their whole friend group. It’s hard enough to keep Rouge from gossiping about it to Knuckles, he can only imagine what-
The next two pings drags him out of his torrent of thoughts and he feels his breath hitch in his throat as he reads the messages.
[Dumbass: yeah, i see that now.]
[Dumbass: bottom too? damn. no wonder i super liked your pf.]
Is he actually going back through his profile? What the hell?
[Ultimate Lifeform: If you’ve got something to say, hedgehog. Say it.]
Another few minutes pass and Shadow starts squirming against his sheets.
[Ultimate Lifeform: What, did I scare you away? Always knew you were a coward.]
It was mindless teasing. Pointless jabs aimed to rile the hero up so they can go back to fighting. And for a moment, it looks like it worked.
[Dumbass: y’know what?]
[Dumbass: fuck it.]
Until it didn’t.
[Dumbass: you interested? cause, honestly, i am. i ain’t ashamed about it.]
Every thought going through Shadow’s mind comes to a screeching halt.
Is he actually suggesting they hookup?
[Ultimate Lifeform: You’re serious?]
[Dumbass: yep.]
[Dumbass: i don’t have any plans tonight. could use a little destressin’ myself. long day.]
The hybrid lays his phone down on his chest and debates for a moment.
Does he really want to do this?
He knows he can’t say that Sonic isn’t attractive. Even against his own standards, the hedgehog matches him on a physical level that most others can’t. Not to mention, he knows he won’t have to hold back anything if they do have a one-night-stand since the idiot has survived fighting him on a regular basis.
It could actually be… fun…
Shadow picks his phone back up and rereads the message.
Like Sonic said… Fuck it.
[Ultimate Lifeform: Rouge is out tonight. I don’t invite my partners to my apartment, but you already know my address. Be here in thirty.]
[Dumbass: bet.]
[Dumbass: do i need to bring anything?]
[Ultimate Lifeform: No.]
[Dumbass: k. see you in a bit.]
The hybrid tosses his phone aside and sits up, running his claws through his quills as he realizes what is about to happen.
Shit. He should probably put some clothes on. Or should he? They’re just going to come right back off… But, then again… He could tease a bit. See how far under that hedgehog’s skin he can get… Screw it. He’s actually going to have some fun with this.
Determined, Shadow pushes off his bed and quickly walks over to his closet.
What to wear..? Maybe he should call Rouge…