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Snow fell heavily upon Mobius, it was a perfect day to relax and spend time with your loved ones as it was Valentines day. Or you can spend it alone at home and build new advanced gadgets, which is what Tails is doing this afternoon.
While focusing on his tech and sipping hot chocolate, he heard a knock and the next thing he felt was a rush of cold wind.
“Brr.. Oh, Sonic what's up?” said the young fox to his brother who just came back from a run.
“I wanted to tell you that this hedgehog’s got a date tonight” The smug looking Sonic pointed at himself.
Tails snickered, he knows him well enough that the Sonic the hedgehog never pays mind to this day EVERY year, in fact he avoids it. “Hah! Good joke”
As his attention went back to his gadget, his view got blocked when Sonic showed a poster close to his face. He grabbed it and read what it was promoting.
‘Unli self-service buffet tonight at Chao Garden! Bring your significant other to avail a super low Valentines Day discount!’
Huh, he was being serious? Tails thought.
“Andd this right here, is my date.” The blue hedgehog pointed at the bottom of the paper, which showed the foods included in the buffet. His index finger was placed on the picture of a.. chili dog.
The realization that he wasn’t talking about an actual person made Tails mentally face palmed. “You have a date with chili dogs everyday, Sonic."
"But if you’re really going tonight it says you need to bring someone, so who are you inviting?”
It took a second for Sonic to respond, he doesn’t have a SO after all but he doesn’t mind pretending to have one for the night. “Hm, well there’s one hedgehog who would never refuse a date with me, I think we both know who that is”
“Watch this” The blue hedgehog confidently said while bringing out his communicator, he called his friend Amy and she answered right away.
“Hi Sonic!”
“Hey Ames! Got a question for ya, you free tonight?” said Sonic, he figured he didn’t even need to ask because obviously she’s free-
“Oh tonight? I already have plans, why do you ask?” Her reply shocked the duo, especially Sonic.
There was awkward silence for a bit until Amy spoke again. “Wait, were you gonna ask me o-” “..Gotta go bye Amy!” And he quickly ended the call.
Behind Sonic, he heard a small laugh.. A mocking one. “What was that about ‘who would never refuse a date with you?’”
“Yeah yeah laugh all you want” Sonic chuckled as well while rolling his eyes, he got a bit embarrassed for assuming things.
And now that he thinks about it, Amy has really matured over the years. Before she would beg to spend Valentines (and everyday) with Sonic then all he would do was run away. But things have changed, in fact now Amy made plans on Valentine's day with someone else... no she didn’t exactly say what she was gonna do or if she was gonna spend it with someone else.
Sonic snapped out of his thoughts and went back to the buffet situation.
“That doesn’t mean I’m giving up on those unli chili dogs, ..but who else could I ask?” Sonic impatiently tapped his foot while thinking about other female friends he had other than Amy.
Tails could see the blue hedgehog was in deep thought and decided to help him. “Hmm, Blaze isn’t here and Rouge surely has her own date tonight, you can cross them out”
Actually Knuckles was a better option but looks like he already has a date with the bat. Sonic thought. “..So, who else?”
“Uh.. yeah goodluck finding whoever’s willing to go with you, I’m already busy with my own date- which is this new device I’m working on” Tails dismissed him and went back to whatever he was doing before Sonic came.
The hedgehog headed to the living room and dived on the couch, he still hasn't given up on the idea of finding a “fake” partner for the night. He was determined to have those ridiculously cheap unlimited chili dogs.
Speaking of fake… Shadow? Hah, I bet he’s alone tonight. Sonic snickered at the thought. If he dared to even ask his rival out, it's either he’ll be ignored or punched in the gut.
Thinking back to female friends.. There’s Tangle. Wait no she already has Whisper-
His thoughts were interrupted when the doorbell rang.
“Sonic could you get that!!” the younger fox yelled from his room, Sonic lazily got up and dashed to the front door, opening to reveal…
Silver?
“Hey Sonic! Is Tails home? He promised to hand me some seeds I could plant when I get back in my timeline” said Silver, who's wrapped in a cyan scarf.
That’s right, aside from his brother being a tech-geek he also had a green thumb.
“Yeah come in”
…A few moments later, the white hedgehog got what he came for and thanked the fox.
“Thanks for the Cosmos! I’ll be sure to grow lots of them!” He was about to head to the front door but was stopped by Sonic.
“Wait up! By any chance, have you ever tried a buffet?”
“..Whats that?”
Hours later, The two hedgehogs stood in front of the busy restaurant in the middle of town. Both were wrapped in scarves as it was a snowy night.
“This is the place? Chao Garden?” the curious white hedgehog asked.
“Yeah, Its freezing so we better head inside and start e-”
“Wait, are you sure about this? Aren’t we obviously lying?” Silver pointed to the A-frame sign in front of them which has the menu and a written note: COUPLES ONLY FOR TONIGHT. With some lovey-dovey heart designs.
“Nah Silv, we’re fine. I bet half of the so-called ‘couples’ inside are just friends who're there for the food too.” The blue hedgehog reassured him.
“I get that but.. I don’t know about fooling around in this timeline. I can just eat back at home”
Sonic sighed, they literally already talked about this earlier when he invited him, and Silver even agreed right away but now he has doubts.
“Would you rather have your first buffet alone in the future or with a friend now?”
Silver knew the answer was obvious, and so they went in.
The place was packed. It was filled with heart decorations and chao’s, since it's a restaurant run by chao’s and some mobian staff. A waiter greeted the hedgehogs by the entrance and they began asking about the buffet.
“Ah, the self-service buffet is only for couples,” said the waiter.
“Yeah, we’re a couple” Sonic corrected, and beside him was a nervous-grinning Silver.
The waiter looked at them closely, and yeah seems legit. “Oh! In that case, we need a picture of you to put here. You guys don’t mind?” he kindly asked and referred to the wall by the counter, …it's a wall filled with photographs. Of actual couples. And they’re all doing some kind of matching heart-shaped poses.
The blue hedgehog was quick to agree and didn’t see a problem with it.
Wait what? Silver thought. Next thing he knew a chao was in front of them with a camera, the pic was ready to be snapped in 3… 2....
He mentally panicked with how he's gonna pose, he just copied the ones he saw and did a half heart with his hand, expecting Sonic would complete the other half.
But instead, Sonic did a thumbs up.
And then the photo was taped to the wall. The waiter and chao’s were a bit suspicious but led them to their table anyway…
As they sat down, Sonic seemed excited. He hasn’t eaten chili dogs or anything at all the whole afternoon just so he can stuff himself tonight.
While Silver was happy for another reason, it's his first buffet and he’s gonna enjoy it with a friend. In fact he never even knew unlimited food was a thing restaurants had. “Well I’m gonna check out what to eat f…”
Silver looked to his side to see he’s talking to no one because Sonic already dashed to the chili dog station.
The blue hedgehog’s mouth was watering at the mountain of chilidogs, he started grabbing a bunch and placed it on his large plate.
The place was really popular as it had a variety of other stations as well, on his left were pasta’s and on his right were different kinds of desserts. There’s muffins, cookies, strawberry shortcakes, Shadow, donuts, c..
Shadow the hedgehog?!
Sonic was so focused at the food around him that he realized just now Shadow is in front of the dessert section, which is right next to him. The black hedgehog seemed to have the same realization now that they’re holding eye contact.
“You’re here?!” said both hedgehogs.
Then beside Shadow, was a familiar older rabbit who’s also surprised. “Oh my! You’re here too Sonic?”
“..Hold up.. Shadow and Vanilla… are you two-” Sonic didn’t finish what he was asking and chuckled. “Pfft, I didn’t know you were into-”
He was suddenly grabbed by the collar by a pissed black hedgehog, good thing the plate of chilidogs didn’t fall off his hand. “What are you accusing me of just now? I came with-”
“--Dude relax! Your secrets safe with-” They were interrupted by a voice calling out for Sonic, which sounded like Silver. He spotted Sonic and approached them with…
Amy Rose?!
“Sonic look who I found in the crowd! Amy’s h- Shadow too?? ” said the stunned Silver. The black hedgehog quickly let go of Sonic the moment Amy came.
The 5 of them were surprised to find each other in a place like this, Silver hasn’t even realized the situation’s a lil awkward now…
Amy was the first to speak, “Uh! I guess you’re here for the chili dogs? I should’ve known haha” She nervously laughed it off.
Looking at faker and Amy, Sonic finally put the pieces of the puzzle together. “Wait I think I get it now.. Don’t tell me by “plans” you meant a date here with Shadow??”
he knew the two became friends lately but since when did they start having dinner together?! Did Amy force him to come? Or could it be that they're an actual couple?!
All the pink hedgehog did was blush, she didn’t exactly agree nor deny.
“Tch, I’m going back to the table” The black hedgehog uttered to Amy and teleported back to where they’re seated. He didn’t feel like dealing with faker tonight.
…“So-” Silver got interrupted by Shadow who suddenly appeared at the same spot, because he forgot to bring his plate of tiramisu… then teleported again.
…
Vanilla, who’s still there and was getting a slice of carrot cake the whole time, broke the silence. “It's ah.. Nice to see my favorite hedgehogs in one place, I hope we all eat well tonight!”
“Thanks Ms Vanilla!” Said the optimistic white hedgehog, he’s met her and Cream a few times before that’s why he recognizes her.
“Haha.. hold on Ms Vanilla, who did you come with then?” Sonic asks.
“Vector of course” She pointed at the corner to where her table is at, and they could see the crocodile stuffing himself with a lot of food. Of course that guy wouldn’t miss the opportunity of a cheap buffet, and a date with Vanilla.
The 4 of them parted ways moments later and went back to their tables to finally start eating. Sonic sighed in relief that the ladies didn’t bother asking about his date, it’d be funny to admit he pretended to be a couple with Silver.
Speaking of Silver… he can see he’s on cloud nine. Is it his first time eating stuff other than apples?
Their table was filled with different foods, but of course in the middle was the mountain of chili dogs for Sonic. The other meals belonged to Silver who’s happily munching it all.
As the duo ate non-stop, they began to hear music and wondered where it came from. It was a band of chao’s playing instruments! They were surprisingly good at playing jazz music.
Everyone was awestruck, especially Silver and a certain rabbit who’s currently enjoying the good food, music, and her date tonight.
“Huh? Sonic and the others are here too?” said Vector. When Vanilla came back she immediately shared what had just happened.
“It actually reminded me of when Cream unexpectedly saw her classmates the other day in town” she giggled and ate some spaghetti. Vector laughed too, he always loved it when Vanilla shared stories whether it's about her or her daughter.
“Hah, anyways.. Do you really think Cream and Charmy are okay at home?” The crocodile couldn’t help but worry. He’s got a 6th sense everytime the kids cause trouble.
“They’ll be fine dear, They’ve got Gemerl. Although I do hope Espio doesn’t mind helping babysit them for the night…”
“Nah It's all good! I’m sure he’s got them handled. Let's not worry about it and enjoy our night!”
Meanwhile at Vanilla’s home….
“Yikes, that one wasn’t me!” The bee yelled, he may be a troublemaker but the current problem at home wasn’t caused by him for once.
“Oh no.. it was mama’s favorite vase…” Cream trembled, they were playing and flying around the house while Espio cooked them dinner–which he already warned them to stop flying– then she accidentally knocked down a vase. Gemerl is now cleaning up the broken pieces.
“Uh, how about we call Tails to fix it!” Charmy suggested
The purple chameleon saw the situation and face palmed “He fixes gadgets, Charmy. Not vases.”
Definitely got them handled…
2 hours passed, Sonic and Silver were still eating. They had breaks in between and would chat about anything and everything.
The crowd had lessened now that it's getting late, then a waiter approached the hedgehogs who looked like they’re about to fall asleep, or rather about to get food coma.
Ahem “Are you done with your meal?” he asked.
“Nope! Almost but nope, heh.” Sonic played it cool until the waiter left.
Their table clearly still had unfinished meals. there was pasta, a slice of pizza, chicken, different kinds of drinks and desserts, and even some chili dogs. “Sonic.. Uh.. can you finish that?” Silver pointed to the bowl of carbonara.
“As if! Why’d you get that much anyways” He whisper-yelled so no staff around could hear them. And Sonic was just as stuffed as him.
“I’m sorry okay! I thought I could finish it! ..ugh I can barely move..” he complained.
“We’re dead meat if we don’t finish this y’know? The penalty’s pretty huge” said the blue hedgehog. Pun intended. And yeah the penalty would cost them a lot of rings. Chao Garden was pretty strict when it came to leftover food.
“Oh I don’t wanna waste all this..” Silver hesitated but started eating again.
Just then, A black and pink hedgehog approached their table.
“Hey Sonic, Silver! Just wanted to say goodnight since me and Shadow are gonna head out first”
Sonic was still curious about their relationship but figured he should just ask next time. “Oh alright, see you then”
“Bye Amy! Bye Shadow.” said the companion of Sonic.
Before leaving, Shadow looked at the duo’s table and saw they still had a lot to eat left… even if they clearly can’t take it anymore. He couldn’t help but judge. “Tsk, get what you can handle next time.”
“Shadow! Uh, bye guys!” The two of them left before Sonic could think of a comeback.
As offending as it sounded, Shadow’s advice was right. Sonic couldn’t believe he’s agreeing with that guy.
“I- I think I might…” Silver didn’t look well, and because of that Sonic stopped him from eating before he could throw up his whole dinner right there. Good thing the white hedgehog controlled himself from doing so.
“Alright we need to think of something…” said Sonic. When he glanced at the empty plates and cups, a bright idea formed in his head.
Valentines day means a busy day for restaurants and shops, it's always crowded by either couples or those who take advantage of the discounts. The busy day is over now that Chao Garden has closed, some chao’s and the staff are now cleaning up.
Sonic and Silver were one of the last customers to leave, and they even left a table without leftover food. The waiter was impressed and began picking up the mountain of empty plates.
“Those hedgehogs sure ate a lot. Now that I think about it, wasn’t that the hero of Mobius? Sonic the hedgehog?” The waiter thought but then he noticed something…
Under the plates and insides of the cups were.. Hidden leftover food.
It wasn’t that much but the place had strict rules, no matter the amount of leftovers you’ll have to pay up.
And the waiter just remembered, The blue hero definitely answered some of the questions of his fans before in some kind of interview after saving the world saying ‘Dating isn’t his thing, he’s not interested’.
So he lied about the whole couple thing.
Pant pant, “Phew! That run burned down some calories, I could use another chili dog!” said Sonic after fleeing from the restaurant.
“Seriously?! I don’t think I can eat the next day! And I don’t think we can ever eat in Chao Garden after what we did!” Silver was still stuffed and now he felt guilty.
But then again, it was one of the best dinners he’s had. He tried a lot of new food and had a fun experience. He even thought about inviting Blaze the next time he eats at a buffet. And he’s definitely learned his lesson, to get what he can only handle.
Silver's not the only one who enjoyed the night though, Sonic was more than satisfied with the unlimited tasty chili dogs.
All the two hedgehogs could do was laughed it off and went their separate ways, It was midnight after all and Silver needed to return to his own timeline.
The very next day, Vanilla was strolling in town with a companion,
“Its so sweet of you to join me, Amy” said the older rabbit.
“No worries! I’ll help you find a new vase in no time”
The two were out shopping for a new vase since the one Vanilla had broke… Then they happened to pass by the restaurant they ate at last night, and it looks like a new poster was put up.
Except It wasn’t a poster… both looked closely and saw a photograph of Sonic and Silver in unmatching poses, below it says: “FORBIDDEN ENTRY FOR THESE HEDGEHOGS”
“Oh my…”