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The afternoon at the park felt almost peaceful. There was no movement at all; most of the Mobians who used to walk around there had already left long ago, leaving the natural environment with the silence and solitude that Surge needed at that moment.
Her footsteps caused a light rustling through the green grass, the green quills tied up by her band swaying with the movement. Her blue eyes scanned the area, searching for a good spot to sit quietly, a moment of peace after yet another crazy day.
Finally finding a spot that would be good enough to sit, the tenrec practically threw herself onto the ground with a huff, clicking her tongue and leaning back against the trunk of a tree, crossing one leg over the other.
In her hand, she held a small box securely, lifting it to examine it more closely.
She had never seen anything like that before, at least not that she could remember after her old memories had been taken from her.
“Pocky...” She read the contents on the packaging, raising an eyebrow, confused about the exact reason Rouge had decided to give her something like that.
But even now, Surge remembered very well the words of the thieving bat: “It’s a very special candy! You won’t believe it when you see it with your own eyes...” followed by a mischievous laugh.
“I hope this at least gives me the ability to fly...” She muttered to herself, opening the box in an awkward way, tearing part of it until her fingers found the sweet stick, pulling it out of the box.
She examined it skeptically, not understanding what was so special about a biscuit stick covered in chocolate.
Shrugging, she brought the first tip to her mouth, placing it between her sharp fangs and snapping off the end of the candy, chewing it as the crunchy sound filled the quiet air of the place.
But as soon as her taste buds made contact with the chocolate, she let out a small sound of satisfaction, almost a purr, appreciating that it was actually very good. Her eyes narrowed with subtle happiness; she couldn’t remember the last time she had tasted something sweet.
“Heh... not bad at all, to be honest...” She declared, her mouth still full as she chewed. “If it doesn’t give me wings to fly, at least it’ll be my dinner...” Murmuring, she quickly chewed the rest of the stick whole.
And everything seemed quite peaceful, until she heard the sound of quick footsteps. Her ears flicked in that direction, picking up the noise and already knowing very well who it belonged to.
She frowned for a second, not wanting to turn around immediately, but then the hedgehog cleared his throat right behind her.
With no choice, Surge slowly turned her face, focusing on Sonic, standing there with his arms crossed, leaning against the tree trunk a bit behind her. He watched her with a slightly crooked smile.
His green eyes focused on the little box in the tenrec’s hands, making him raise an eyebrow.
“Enjoying the sweet, huh?” He said, far too casually. “If at least you were eating it the right way...” He chuckled hoarsely.
Frowning, Surge reached into the package, pulling out another stick.
“The way I’m eating it? What does that have to do with anything?”
“Well...” Sonic leaned forward a little, his green eyes sparkling with amusement. “You’re wasting some pretty interesting opportunities eating it like that...”
She paused for a second before putting the other stick in her mouth. She didn’t understand what she was doing wrong by eating it that way; Rouge hadn’t explained that there was a right way to eat it.
“Are you serious?” She growled softly at the question.
“Of course...” Sonic gave a nasal laugh. “Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of the Pocky game?”
“Game?” She frowned even more, confused. “This is food, hedgehog, not a board game...” She ground her teeth; it made no sense how a piece of candy could become a game. She had truly never seen that in her life.
Chuckling softly, Sonic pushed himself off the tree and casually sat down beside her on the grass.
“Oh, you’ll like it. It’s actually pretty simple.” He nudged her with his elbow. “You just need one of these sticks, two players, and simple rules... whoever backs away loses...” He raised an eyebrow, still keeping that mischievous grin on his muzzle.
Surge’s ears drooped to the side as she processed the game, trying to understand how it worked.
But deep down, she already knew there was no way she would back down, not in a competition against the blue hedgehog. She never refused a competition against him, and it wouldn’t be now.
“Lose, huh?” She opened a small smile, starting to get interested.
“Yeah... I know you like competitions...” Slowly, he reached out, taking the sweet stick from her hand. “And usually... there’s a kiss involved too...” Sonic laughed at the provocation he threw her way.
Surge’s eyes widened almost immediately at his words.
“What?!” She clenched her fists, suddenly unsure about the joke.
“That’s right, a kiss...” The hedgehog repeated, sounding far too innocent to be trustworthy. “It’s part of the game, it’s always been there, but it’s not mandatory...” Sonic shrugged, waiting to see her reaction.
Surge narrowed her eyes, not really believing it. She spent a few seconds analyzing the hedgehog’s face, trying to discern whether he was just messing with her at that moment or if it was truly a rule of the game.
“You’re making this up...” The tenrec muttered.
“No, no...” He raised his hands, palms out, in defense. “You can ask anyone, the game exists!”
She still didn’t seem convinced, her ears still tilted to the sides. For a few long seconds, she remained completely silent, a deafening silence, but Sonic’s attention during that time never shifted elsewhere.
Finally, Surge sighed exasperatedly, looking at the sweet stick in Sonic’s hands.
“Fine, hedgehog...” She murmured, setting the box of pocky aside and turning toward him. “Then show me this game...” She emphasized game.
Sonic immediately broke into a wide grin, letting out a mischievous little chuckle.
“You sure about that, Sparky?”
“If it involves kicking your blue ass, I’m in... but hurry up before I change my mind...” She pointed an accusatory finger at him, poking his collarbone and making Sonic chuckle softly. “And if you’re lying to me... I’ll electrocute you until you glow in the dark!”
She said the last part in a hoarse, threatening tone, her eyes shining in a bright blue glow, electricity coursing through her body for a fraction of a second, just to make the warning very clear.
“Fair enough...” Sonic replied with a shrug. “Sounds like clear rules to me.”
Mutually agreeing to participate, the two sat facing each other, very close, under the shade of the tree.
With the pocky in hand, Sonic held the candy in the middle, offering one end to her.
“Go on, you start...” She gestured toward the candy.
Without hesitation, and determined to win, Surge leaned forward, biting the end of the stick, holding it firmly between her sharp fangs.
“Well... we start... now!” Giving the signal, Sonic bit the other end between his own fangs as well.
And almost simultaneously, the two began breaking off both ends of the biscuit stick with crunchy sounds, chewing and moving forward as fast as possible, advancing little piece by little piece.
For a long time, they stayed silent, the kind of strange and awkward silence, but neither of them was paying attention to that exactly; they were too focused on eating the candy and winning the competition.
However, as their muzzles got closer and closer, Surge noticed one thing above all else: Sonic wasn’t backing away, and it didn’t seem like he was going to.
“Hey...” The green tenrec murmured, still with the pocky between her teeth. “You should stop now...”
“Why?” Sonic raised an eyebrow, his voice low.
“Because...” Surge chewed another piece, still not letting go of the candy. “We’re getting way too close...” She growled softly.
“Well, that’s the game... And I don’t want to let you win...” He chuckled quietly, provoking her, which made Surge growl in irritation.
Finding her reaction amusing, Sonic continued to advance a little more, getting closer and closer to her.
But she wasn’t willing to lose so soon either, proudly imitating his behavior, chewing more and more of the stick, too stubborn to give in and accept defeat.
“... If you think I’m going to lose to you, you can forget it, Blue...” She half-lidded her eyes, growling.
“Same goes for you, Sparky...” The hedgehog replied, amused.
And when neither of them expected it, the pocky was too short. Their muzzles were extremely close, close enough to feel each other’s breath, the warmth of their faces, and the scent of the other’s fur.
Lifting her gaze subtly, Surge noticed his smug smile, that deep look paired with his green irises. And worst of all, he looked calm, very calm, even considering how close they were to rubbing muzzles.
“Sonic...” She whispered irritably. “You’re doing this on purpose...”
“Maybe...” He laughed. “Is it working?”
With a growl, Surge bit down hard on the stick, which snapped right there, making their faces pull slightly apart with the small separation.
Chewing what was left in her mouth, the tenrec kept her brow furrowed at Sonic.
“You’re so unbearable...” She growled at the hedgehog.
In response, he just laughed, still keeping a tiny piece of the stick between his teeth.
“Who lost?” She asked, determined to beat him at all costs.
“Well...” He spoke with a muffled voice due to the remaining pocky between his teeth. “Technically no one backed away, the stick broke...”
“And no kiss...” Surge concluded, faster than she would have liked. That made Sonic smile immediately.
“But it’s not over yet... look, there’s still a little piece...” He pointed to the remaining bit of the stick between his teeth. It was very short, barely enough for two bites.
“You cheater...” She clenched her fists.
“It’s not cheating... it’s the rules! The stick broke before it ended, you saw it. Now we just finish the competition. With this little piece, it’s easier for one of us to back away.”
Snorting, the tenrec leaned closer to his face again, now blinded by the desire to defeat her greatest rival, even if that meant electrocuting him a little.
Opening her mouth, she focused on the stick between his teeth, determined to capture it between her own fangs.
However, faster than she could process and react, Surge was caught off guard when Sonic opened his mouth, letting the stick fall effortlessly.
In the end, he didn’t need to do anything else. Surge couldn’t stop her face from moving closer to his in time, feeling only the fur of his muzzle against hers, his musky scent flooding her nostrils.
At the same time, she felt the warmth of his mouth filling hers, the hot kiss full of meaning that for a second threatened to melt her completely. Her eyelids were already starting to close when she caught herself.
With great effort, Surge pulled away forcefully, breaking the kiss, immediately furrowing her brow.
“I knew it!” She ground her teeth, shifting a bit away on the grass. “It was a trap!” Beneath her fur, the blush was clearly visible, betraying what she truly thought of the surprise kiss.
Laughing loudly, Sonic crossed his arms.
“What matters is that it worked!” He winked subtly at her, making her blush even more.
For a few seconds, she looked furious, despite the redness still present. But gradually, her expression softened, giving way to a small smile.
Surge looked away, sighing exasperatedly, then turned back to Sonic.
“Again.” She said naturally, already reaching for the box and grabbing another stick.
“Huh?” Sonic looked genuinely confused by her action.
“I know the rules now...” She laughed hoarsely. “That one didn’t count, you cheated... let’s go again, I’ll win for sure!” She exclaimed determinedly, already placing the stick between her teeth.
Sonic blinked once, then twice, processing what had just happened. He honestly hadn’t expected her to engage so easily in the game.
“Well... challenge accepted!” He laughed, already moving closer to her again, ready to start the game once more, as many times as necessary.
The only thing Surge knew was that she would definitely need to ask Rouge for another box of those. The effects had really impressed her.