Sonic sat on the park bench, tapping one foot on the grass in front of him in a hyperactive, irritable kind of way. He was not used to having to wait; in the past he usually went wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted, which irritated a lot of people who couldn't keep up and especially those who hadn't expected a blue hedgehog to turn up uninvited. Sonic was waiting for his date to arrive.

Shadow sat in front of the mirror, frowning at his reflection in a bad-tempered, critical kind of way. He wanted to look his best, but his sharp eye saw microscopic flaws everywhere. His nose was three sixteenths of an inch asymmetrical, pointing to the left. His spines would not stay perked the way he wanted them to, and his damn eyeliner was uneven. He was going on a date, and the black hedgehog was already a minute late.

Shadow wasn't panicking, no way, and he wasn't self-conscious, he told himself. He was too cool for that. He was just dedicated to showing up that faker by being the undisputedly superior male. Brushing his spines back one last time to reshape them into the desired position, he stood up from the mirror and turned to get dressed.

The black hedgehog-alien hybrid buckled the leather belt on his tight, black denim pants and zipped up his jacket. He debated wearing the sunglasses too, but glanced out at the setting sun and chose to tuck them into his jacket pocket instead. Wearing sunglasses at night was a look he thought he could pull off, but it might be a bit much with all the black he wore already. He took one last look at himself in the mirror, took a deep breath, and headed out.

The garage door screeched as it rolled up and back and the crisp getting-to-night air flowed in. Shadow's motorcycle, just polished and serviced, gleamed as the light of the sunset hit it. The black hedgehog climbed up onto the seat and hit the ignition pedal. VR-R-r-r-r-rrrrrr… the vehicle revved into life and the pipes puttered and puffed out exhaust. Donning his metallic, black helmet with its red-tinted visor, Shadow zoomed out into the twilit city.

Sonic was tapping both feet on the grass now; he'd sat still for all of three minutes and it was really getting to him. The blue blur had been perfectly punctual for once and now he was feeling a tiny bit cheated for his courtesy. Despite having hyperspeed powers, Sonic was not particularly reliable with appointments; it had more to do with his personality than his capability.

Highly distractible with a dismally short attention span and prone to be a bit selfish and impulsive in the moment, the insanely fast hedgehog was always apologizing for being late. Not super late very often, but enough that he'd gotten a reputation for being reliably unreliable. He didn't do it on purpose, it was just hard to keep track of time when it was so wildly varied in your perception of it. When he was goofing off time zoomed by at fast-forward and when he was stuck doing nothing time dragged like molasses in the arctic. Sonic was almost certainly autistic, with ADHD at least, but no parent had ever taken him in to be diagnosed because, well… he had no parents.

Sonic glanced at the clock tower again; it had to be stopped or broken, it couldn't only be five minutes past 6 PM, which was the agreed-upon time. He gripped the bench between his legs as his shoes continued their antsy, seated tapdance. He was wearing a nice collared shirt, cleaned and ironed. It was way dressier than he usually wore, even though it had a pattern of tropical flowers. Below that were beige slacks, belted around his trim waist where his shirt was only half tucked in. He had thought about borrowing a tie from Vector the crocodile, who he knew owned a collection, but nixed the idea. Neckties weren't at all his style, well, dressy stuff of any sort wasn't his style at all, but he figured a tie was too far to stretch it. Besides, anything owned by Vector would probably go past his knees and be wider than his chest.

Considering that visual in his mind's eye, Sonic chuckled to himself and didn't notice the growing sound of an engine drawing nearer and nearer, not until it was loud enough to send a flock of blue Flickies fluttering and fleeing from the park trees.

Shadow's motorbike screamed up the park path— it was definitely not meant to be driven on these walking and running trails and it was questionable if it was even legal, but there was no denying it made an impressive entrance. The steamy machine puttered and stalled, the wheels still a bit smoky as its leather-clad rider swung himself off and dramatically removed his helmet shaking out his mane of black and red spines.

Sonic crossed his arms as Shadow approached, heeled black and red shoes clicking on the brick walk, looking immaculate to the blue hedgehog's eyes as always.

"Always a slave to the sense of drama, eh, Shadow?" Sonic said, slouching back and crossing one leg over his knee. Now the black hedgehog had arrived all tetchiness and restless leg syndrome symptoms seemed to have vanished as the blue one took on a veneer of snarky calm. "Nice to see you haven't lost your touch, Mr. Jewel Containing The Ultimate Power."

"Sorry I'm late," Shadow said, ignoring the bait and scowling at Sonic's casualness in his usual affectionate way. He tugged at the cuffs of his shiny, black jacket, straightening it after the windy ride. "I couldn't decide what to wear."

"Oh, you're only fashionably late," Sonic's eyes twinkled in the sunset and he stuck out his tongue to distract from the color in his cheeks at looking at Shadow all dolled up for him. Everything Shadow did was fashionable; he had, or appeared to have, an effortless sort of stylishness that Sonic could never manage to replicate. Sonic pretended he didn't care about things like that, but of course he was self-conscious in public and fretted over the right thing to do or say or wear. He thought it was that way with everyone else, but it didn't seem to be with Shadow. But then he didn't know that Shadow had spent ages agonizing over which jacket best matched his boots. "I was only just starting to wonder if you'd stood me up."

"I always fulfill my promises," Shadow said simply with a sniff, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh, I had no doubts," Sonic assured him quickly. He smiled a genuine smile. "I'm glad you came."

Things were awkward for several seconds as the bike stood, stalling behind them and a faint breeze rustled the leaves in the now birdless trees. Neither really knew what to say to one another now. This was their first date after all; they normally just exchanged banter in passing, sometimes seeking each other out when they got the hankering for more competitive teasing. They'd been teammates on the odd mission, and hung out in a group of other friends plenty of times, but choosing, by appointment, to hang out and be in one another's company all by themselves was going to be a new experience.

Neither really knew how it had happened either. Their teasing banter had just escalated one day when talk of relationships came up and both admitted they were single, and then, before they knew it, they were agreeing to meet at 6 PM on Friday. Neither wanted to be the one to back out in case it gave the other even more ammo to make fun of them. Besides, it had been right in front of Rouge the Bat and Tails, a combination that made absolutely sure the news was spread, accidentally or on purpose, to every single acquaintance they had in the city, and probably all of Mobius by the end of the week.

And so they were socially obliged. It was a close thing, but when considering which would be worse: being teased for going on a date or for not going on a date, the former somehow seemed more bearable. Also, even with all the constant second-guessing and doomsday scenario paranoia, between the two teens the circular mental conversations both had in the interim before the date always managed to swing back to "maybe it won't be so bad" in the end.

"Soooooo… Where should we go?" Sonic asked to break the agonizing, sweating silence. "You brought your bike, so maybe we should take it for a… ride? Unless you wanted to race me."

"Oh please, we both can run faster than the bike, you know that," Shadow scoffed.

"I don't know why you even keep it around then, except to show it off," Sonic rebutted, waving a careless hand in the motorcycle's direction.

"It's a useful vehicle, and it accentuates my intimidating presence," Shadow insisted, pursing his lips stiffly.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it: it makes you look cool," Sonic said, rolling his eyes. This was an argument they'd had many times. Sonic didn't actually have a problem with Shadow's bike, but the black hedgehog was so attached to it that needling about it was a surefire way to get his dander up and he loved doing that to the edgy hedgie. Somehow that didn't seem like the right thing to do when on a date though and so he shrugged, smiling a bit more sheepish. "It does look pretty good, I'll admit it."

"It's not…" Shadow said; he was about to raise his ire, quills bristling, ready to continue with the known argument, but was stopped by the unexpected compliment and so he trailed off. "I… well, thanks," he finally said after adjusting his mental gears for a moment.

"Think I could ride it?" Sonic asked with a smirk, hopping down from the bench. "It can't be that hard if you're handling it, old man." The blue hedgehog dug out another of his favorite pressure points, pointing out that Shadow was over 50 years old, even with the body of an eternal teenager.

"Not a chance, you'll just crash it, clumsy oaf," Shadow said, stepping defensively in front of his bike, blocking Sonic from gaining access. "You have no idea how much time and money it takes to properly take care of a vehicle like mine."

"Oooh, overprotective of your pwetty widdle bike, huh?" Sonic said, chuckling and using a babying voice to tease. Shadow scowled, flushing and looked ready to retort scathingly when Sonic continued. "Well, how'sabout I ride along instead? I've never been on one before."

Shadow looked even more taken aback by the suggestion. Even though he'd driven alongside Sonic running on the road countless times, the blue hedgehog had never shown the slightest interest in trying to drive himself, at least not in a motorcycle; he presumed it was a matter of pride. The idea of getting Sonic to appreciate his prized cycle, his pride and joy, in action close up, was more than he bargained for, even if, perhaps, Shadow had been secretly hoping for the possibility when he drove the bike out here in the first place. Once he rode it, Shadow was sure Sonic would finally appreciate the power and beauty behind the mighty motion of the 6-cylinder motor with its custom-designed electronic fuel injection, and the perfect grace of the electronic wheel suspension. A little caveat to the plan occurred to him just then, though.

"I don't have a sidecar," Shadow said, masking his secret disappointment as best he could.

"That's okay, there's enough room on the seat for both of us if we scootch up close," Sonic said with a bit of a sly smirk.

Before Shadow could step in his way again, Sonic zoomed around the black hedgehog to the other side of his bike and ran his hand over the smooth, ergonomic design of the seat. Sonic used his other hand to divide the seat up, estimating the required space for two passengers. It was a pretty long seat, and neither of them had particularly large bodies (or booties) to accommodate in a prospective place to sit.

"We'll fit easily; you'll be in front and I'll be right behind you!" Sonic concluded cheerfully.

"I… don't think that would be very safe," Shadow said hesitantly. Imagining the suggested seating situation brought heat to his face again; he tried not to let it show that it appealed to him or that he may have fantasized about it in the past many times during dark, lonely nights.

"C'mooooon, you're an excellent driver, I've seen you take the triple loop on Radical Highway on this thing; you can't honestly be worried you'll crash or something," Sonic said as he leaned his elbows on the seat, propping his chin on a fist and grinning over at Shadow, who was avoiding his gaze and scowling at the blood-tinged ruby dropping below the trees on the far off western horizon. The red showed on his face a little more than could be excused by the color of the light. "Or are you saying you're scared for widdle ol' me?" Sonic asked with his babying voice again.

"I… of course not! I just meant—" Shadow struggled with his words, getting a little flustered as he tried to frame his objections in a way that didn't leave room for interpretation of weakness on his part. "…Ugh, you just better be careful not to scratch the paintjob," finally he settled on a warning paired with begrudging acceptance. He glared at the blue hedgehog. Sonic was still staring in eager anticipation though, he hadn't picked up the hint and unsaid words. The hedgehog was so clever usually, and so attuned to teasing him, but in other things somehow he could be so dense; it surprised Shadow.

Shadow spoke more plainly: "Well let's go then, get on."

"Cool! And maybe I can drive on the way back," Sonic suggested with a waggle-browed beaming grin.

"Don't. Push it," Shadow warned with a glare as he hoisted himself up onto the motorbike seat with ease and practiced poise. He moved a little bit forward to make space behind.

Sonic was quick to follow, hopping up with a little less grace and matching Shadow's stance on the seat, leaving several inches between himself and the driver. The only thing was that he didn't have were handlebars to hold onto, and just leaving his hands at his sides felt jarringly unstable so he opted instead, after a moment of consideration and an injection of color in his own cheeks again, to wrap his arms around Shadow's waist.

Shadow immediately stiffened as Sonic's fingers interlocked over his tummy. He glanced back and opened his mouth, but then he saw the brief flash of anxiety in Sonic's face. It peeked out briefly behind the usual cool and self-assured expression as he looked down at the growling, two-wheeled machine. The black hedgehog chose not to comment, but readjusted his hips to be more secure and gave the engine a testing rev.

Immediately Sonic tightened his grip and let out a little gasp behind him, closing the gap and pressing his whole body right up against Shadow's back. The black hedgehog's short, pointed tail and back spines were flattened up against Sonic's front. Shadow's eyes widened, his cheeks burned, and he glanced backwards again. He hadn't expected this aspect of his secret fantasy to manifest itself so quickly if at all. And definitely not with little whimpers exuding from Sonic (not at this part of the fantasy anyway).

"You alright, faker?" Shadow asked over the rumble of the engine.

"F-fine, just got startled by the sound, it's…" he winced as more cylinders kicked into gear and the engine revved again, roaring like a hungry beast. "It's very loud, isn't it?" Sonic sounded uncharacteristically timid.

"Yes," Shadow answered. He considered knocking back the kickstand with his heel and starting to drive, but Sonic's trembling behind him made him stop.

"It doesn't seem as loud when you're not sitting on it, like when I was running beside it I don't remember it…" Sonic said and trailed off, gulping loudly.

Sonic's ears were pinned back; the loudness seemed to be really bothering him which confused Shadow. Surely Sonic had seen explosions and deafening, monstrous machinery when he performed his silly heroic antics and fought the villainous Doctor Eggman. Maybe it was because the "monstrous machine" he was "fighting" was beneath him now and would be what he relied on to achieve velocity instead of his own two legs.

That seemed like a possibility, but Shadow didn't think it explained things adequately. He supposed it would have to be another unsolved mystery for him about this uncommonly intriguing hedgehog. For some reason it didn't occur to Shadow to immediately start to tease the cowering, pathetic-looking Sonic about this.

"That would be the wind in your ears masking the noise; don't worry, you'll get used to the sound," Shadow reassured. An idea struck the black hedgehog just then and he hoisted his metallic, visored, black and red helmet. "You can wear my helmet if you like, that'll muffle the sound."

"But… don't you need it?" Sonic asked; Shadow could see his wide, green eyes reflected in his handlebar mirrors and couldn't suppress a small smile.

"I'll be fine. Like you said, it's not like I'm going to crash, is it?" Shadow said, twisting in his seat and proffering the helmet to his close-quartered passenger.

"I-I guess, um… thanks," Sonic said in an odd, choked tone. He winced again as the noise kept growing and took the helmet from Shadow and clumsily put it on his head. It was a good fit, having been made to have room for Shadow's wild, spiny 'do, so Sonic's spines slid in with no problems. Shadow was right; the noise of the engine was muted as if the helmet had noise-cancelling properties.

Sonic refastened his hands around Shadow's waist as he revved the engine one last time. Shadow took a short moment to rest one of his fingerless gloved palms on Sonic's white-knuckled hands, giving it a small pat before he kicked up the kickstand, punched the gas pedal, and zoomed off. The bike did a quick, screeching turnaround in the park square before it shot up the path towards the road. It was going to be a fun night, awkward, most assuredly, but fun.

By the end both Sonic and Shadow felt this 'dating' business wasn't that bad, once you got used to it.