Disclaimer: I do not own any characters of Sonic the hedgehog. Each franchise belongs to their respective owners (SEGA) and I own nothing!
Secrets of my heart.
The depths of sleep were deeper than the endless abyss of the calm blue sea calming just after a severe storm. It could whisk you off into the land of your own mind, striking either without warning or whenever trying to get to drift off for the night. But sometimes it wouldn't come at all and leave you in a weakened state of mind filled to the brim of fatigue and prone to actually blacking out at a moment's notice.
Dreams were a somewhat different matter.
They would creep up on you like some sort of spectre or phantom, slipping through the eternal barriers you set up in your subconscious undetected and projecting fantasies that feel either too silly to be considered true reality or feel scarily real that one could easily be fooled that it was more of a reality.
Nightmares were not so different from bad memories.
This was proven especially true after what had transpired one night for a certain princess of the distant Sol dimension as she slept on a hard old mattress which could be considered her bed.
The purple cat's tail flicked with agitation when she merely gave a little shudder of discomfort.
Blaze the cat tossed and turned as her face scrunched up and she expelled lengthy choked gasps from within the depths of her lungs. Her lilac fur was damp with sweat and the lower portion of her white muzzle was covered with bite marks due to the fact that she was biting her lower lip way too often.
Her chest was rising up and down hurriedly and she was constantly mumbling incoherent nonsense in her sleep as she clawed at her bed and she carried on shivering softly as though freezing, despite sweating bullets.
"No...No, no, no...p-please don't run away, I didn't mean to..." Blaze murmured in her sleep, clearly distressed.
Fortunately for her, though, her feverish movements weren't going unnoticed.
Silver the hedgehog had awoken a mere minute ago and, despite feeling drowsy, he sleepily got up from his own bed and lumbered over to his partner whom was so clearly having a bad dream. He had shared a small bed next to the cat and they considered each other the very last things that each of them had to hold on to in this devastated time period.
The relentless flames of Ibis the flames of disaster had made the nighttime air sizzle as though to make the duo feel like they were being baked inside a big oven. While the daytime (or what could be considered daytime in such a dark and harsh future) was hotter than an unforgiving desert that had the sun beaming down on it without mercy, the night was even hotter...scalding hot, actually!
The 14 year old hedgie squirmed out from atop his mattress, rubbing his aching back, and looked over at Blaze with worry etching on his tan muzzle. Even though sleeping on that mattress felt like sleeping on a rock, he quickly forgot about his discomfort when he had started hearing the soft mutterings of the usually calm and collected pyrokinetic cat princess.
Silver slowly sunk to sit on the edge of her mattress, hoping she wouldn't mind if he did so, and he examined his friend.
Blaze let out a soft hiss of a noise as her closed eyes tightly squinted with discomfort and she rolled to lay on her stomach with her tail flicking the air with agitation and her ears flattened sullenly against her head when she muttered more, her mutters amplifying into full-blown yells now "No...NO! S-Stop! Stop hurting me, please, I d-did not mean to set that h-house on fire...I r-really didn't-!"
Silver felt his heart hurt and his mind buzz with alarm when he heard those shameless pleas bursting from Blaze's mouth. He hadn't heard her use that tone of voice before, it was a tone that made her sound like the most delicate creature in the universe; the epitome of vulnerability. Actually, she suddenly sounded very young.
Blaze sounded almost like a tiny child begging to be held and this tormented the poor futuristic hedgehog.
I can't sit back and watch this any longer...! Silver's mind cried out before he finally decided to intervene.
"Blaze, it's alright! Its just a nightmare, wake up!"
Silver reached down shook the poor cat back and forth while he yelled in her face. In response to this, she instantly stirred awake as her eyes shot open and she bolted upright into a sitting position. Her claws were out and fire ignited from her palms as she got into a defensive mode, a somewhat crazed animalistic look in her eyes.
The Psychokinetic hedgie looked at the cat with surprise and recoiled.
Blaze let out a shriek of surprise as she instantly conjured up a fireball in the palm of her hand and she didn't think twice before lobbing it right at a nearby car that just so happened to have been parked nearby. Immediately the fireball collided with the broken-down vehicle and combusted with a huge explosion within the short timespan of two seconds, in her terrified state she continued to chuck fireball projectiles at random areas and each bullseye resulted in some sort of small explosion.
Eventually Blaze was stopped when Silver had seized her by the wrist before she could throw anything else and give away their location. There was a stern look in his eyes as he stared her down with a very firm frown plastered against his muzzle and his fingers furled tightly around her wrist.
His hand glowed a bright turquoise in the darkness.
Blaze was shocked when she saw her friend and actually began to calm down. Her ears fell and she shrunk back timidly, she was normally so much more composed and seemed as chilled as an arctic breeze — but now she was acting timid and vulnerable; almost like a child whom was afraid that everything surrounding her would punish her. Her golden honey/amber eyes shimmered while tears welled up inside of them and she was shaking like a leaf.
The cat hugged herself tight and brought her knees to her chest and begun to rock back and forth panickedly.
"S-S-S-Silver! I didn't mean to! I really didn't mean to set the-" Blaze started to hyperventilate as panic took over her face and the fur on the back of her neck stood into hackles and her pupils dilated into near-microscopic dots. Tears started to pour down her muzzle as she broke down into sobs right there on the bed.
But, she gasped aloud when she felt someone hold her arms and she found that her face was buried in something soft and fluffy. Fur, perhaps? Yes it was fur and not just any fur, Silver's chest fur. She then realised that Silver had grabbed hold of her and carefully shifted her so she had her face buried right into his fuzzy chest.
Silver gently rubbed her back in soothing circles as he held her.
"I-It's okay, Blaze...it's fine..." He murmured to her in a low and hushed voice.
The princess didn't move but she practically melted into the hedgehog's arms and broke down into a whimpering and weeping mess. She clung desperately to him and soaked his chest with her own tears, she wasn't acting like that cold yet mature adult he had come to know her as but instead she was behaving like a very small child who needed to be held.
She was so emotionally vulnerable now and it broke Silver's heart.
Blaze whimpered sadly as she kept her grip tight on Silver "P-Please don't leave me...!"
Silver was quick to shush her while he rubbed her back up and down to try and calm her down. His golden/yellow eyes flashed with sympathy while he comforted the lavender pyrokinetic cat princess, his heart had never ached more for her and he never thought that he'd see Blaze break down like this.
He assured her "Don't worry, Blaze, I won't. I'm not letting anything or anyone hurt you,"
If Blaze found comfort in that sentence then she didn't show it. She just carried on weeping with sorrow and fear; Silver was no therapist but he knew that this was a sign of probable childhood trauma.
The two mobians said and done nothing for a whole hour -the pair just held on tight and were relishing in the comfort and companionship of each other, neither of them could deny how much they were feeling the warmth of one another and they felt like no force in the world could force them apart now. It was a most comforting thought.
The hedgehog and the cat both stayed in each other's embrace for what felt like an eternity before Silver softly reopened his bright golden eyes and looked at the Princess cat that he was cuddling right now, his whole muzzle had started to burn intensely and his ears felt just as hot. His heart was pounding in his chest as though begging him to do something, but he didn't know what it was required of him.
Blaze had practically melted into his arms and seemed perfectly content...but then she abruptly peeled herself away from him and attempted to regain that mature and lady-like composure when she cooled herself down.
She fidgeted a bit while she averted her eyes from Silver.
"Ummm," She struggled to speak eloquently. "A-Allow me to offer my sincerest apologies for awakening you and burdening you with my weaknesses..."
Silver glared at her with a brow but couldn't help but smirk wryly at her anyway. His five hairpieces bristled a little bit when he saw how much Blaze was trying to numb herself to the hurt that she was obviously feeling on the inside, she was trying to hide her sadness behind a mask of toughness and regality and the hedgehog only looked at her for a long time.
A silence was shared.
Silver's eyes flashed with reassurance and compassion while he told her in a gentle tone of voice, that was softer than the big patch of fluff on his chest. "Y'know it's okay to cry..."
Blaze frowned with confusion, "What do you mean, Silver?"
Silver clarified what he said with a smile, not backing down but not abandoning the gentle tone he was using either. "You don't have to pretend that your alright just for my sake. I can tell that your hurting and I'm not saying you're not strong or anything...but...err..."
Silver started to hesitate on saying the rest of his sentence. He nervously fidgeted.
"...B-But everybody has a weak point sometimes,"
The princess was silent for several long moments before her expression darkened; her ears pinned back again, her eyes narrowed dangerously, she let out a hiss through clenched teeth and a fireball ignited in the palm of her hand. The hackles on the back of her neck weren't as intense as before but the fur did stand up a bit to make her look a bit more intimidating.
She said in a low tone, her voice dripping with a hissing venom. "I ask that you pick your next words with caution."
Silver's hands flew up into the air with alarm while he quickly fumbled to make amends with his previous statement to prevent him getting a fireball to the face. His eyes were as wide than saucers and he was pretty sure that his muzzle had became a few shades paler.
"I-I-I-I D-DIDN'T M-M-MEAN IT LIKE THAT, BLAZE!"
Blaze's scowl lightened a tad and her fireball died down into nothing, she didn't say anything but urged him to continue with a semi-polite gesture of her head.
Silver swallowed hard and bit his lip nervously while he carefully thought about the next words that would leave his mouth. The ivory telekinetic hedgehog averted his eyes from Blaze and looked to the floor below him with embarrassment.
"Umm...what I meant to say w-was that everyone has good days and b-bad days, just because your a princess and g-guardian doesn't mean th-that you can't have normal emotions or breakdowns every once in awhile."
Silver managed to crack a goofy smile at Blaze when he looked back at her, he was so nervous that he could swear that even his chest fluff was quivering. His exhausted but fearful eyes lit up with relief when he noticed that the cat had calmed herself and seemed to have been satisfied with that reassessment of his choice of words. Silver wiped the back of his hand against a sweaty brow and let all the stifling heavy air out of his lungs.
Phew...bullet dodged.
Blaze exhaled before she noticed that the hedgehog was readjusting his position on her bed so he could lay down beside her. The cat was confused, what was he doing now? Why was he doing all this for her?
Before any of those unvoiced questions could be answered, though, Silver suggested in a gentle and quiet tone. "Why not get some more sleep, eh?"
That done it.
Blaze's fears came back tenfold and she didn't even think before her arms wrapped tightly around the hedgehog's waist. She gasped sharply and she whimpered, much to Silver's surprise and shock, even the cat's tail even bristled.
Blaze was clearly terrified of going back to sleep and she clung to Silver tighter than before, her eyes dilated with fear and her ears pinned back due to the obvious fright that shot through her system; the tears in her widened eyes started to return with a vengeance. Her back stiffened and her tail curled limply around her legs as her palms started to burn Silver's skin due to the overwhelming shaking fear she more than likely felt.
Silver didn't know whether to be amused of his friend acting so childish or squeamish because of the fact that she was starting to burn his arms with her hands. The hedgehog gently let her loosen her grip, wincing as her hands burned, and started to think of a way to get her to calm down.
But then he recalled something.
There were some Mobians, like himself, that loved to have their ears scratched.
He started to wonder if Blaze liked to have her ear itched. He inwardly shrugged to himself.
Only one way to find out.
He reached over to scratch her behind the left ear. The princess' tense posture instantly deflated when the hedgehog started to let his fingers gently but roughly dig through her pretty lilac fur and his fingertip circled around and around while he made sure to keep his finger brushing that little spot behind her ear. It seemed to even calm her down instantly as Blaze became so relaxed and her eyes fought to stay open. She mumbled some incoherent words when her consciousness visibly begun to fade, she continued to hold on to the hedgehog beside her tightly.
Silver smiled adoringly at the sleepy princess cat. He had no idea why but he found this side of the cat to be rather cute, he knew that the stubborn princess of the Sol dimension was just moments away from letting herself fall asleep. He shook his head quick, he had to ignore that strange sensation for now!
Gently, he unhooked her hands and claws off from his body and let her lay down.
"Get some sleep. We have a big day of fighting Iblis tomorrow."
Blaze's eyelids surrendered and dropped down over her eyeballs. Her body became limp and she didn't resist or struggle when the White-furred hedgehog lay her down on the mattress and observed as she softly snored and curled her slender body around. She seemed much more peaceful than she did before, she seemed much calmer.
Silver sighed relaxedly whilst he begun to ponder on what had upset his friend so much. It was plainly obvious that it was a nightmare that had brought on this distress and from what Blaze had been muttering before, it seemed that this dream was more of a bad memory.
To be frank, poor Blaze hadn't had a fantastic childhood because she was tormented as a kitten and didn't have much control of her fire. She would burn stuff down by accident, especially buildings, when she got too emotional and people would throw verbal abuse at her because of it.
It sounded to him like that was continuing to haunt her to this day.
It hurt because Silver had no clue as to what he could do about it.
But then a sudden sound had broken the silence.
It sounded like the sounds of a revving motor boat engine that softly hummed and buzzed along, Blaze's throat vibrated simultaneously with those noises emanating straight from her vocals as she smiled softly in contentment. Her eyes were closed and her ear was pressed up against the hedgehog's fluffy chest, she was probably hearing the palpations of his heartbeat. Silver's muzzle couldn't help but sport a bright red blush when he started to realise what exactly those noises were.
Was Blaze purring In her sleep!?
A grin graced the hedgehog's muzzle when he heard that amusing yet adorable sound and he even felt his heart glow with this nice warmth once again. His eyes lit up softly when he realised that maybe he didn't have the exact solution to help Blaze cope with these nightmares, but he knew that all he would have to do was be there for her.
He could do naught else.
But he was puzzled by the feelings that swirled in his heart, he had never felt anything like it before. He couldn't help but feel his pulse stir and his muzzle blushed furiously for some reason. It was so strange because he hadn't noticed this pumping in his chest before now and he couldn't help but wonder if he always felt this way around Blaze...?
He shook his head.
No. He had to catch up on some sleep, himself.
Silver found Blaze's purring to have been an angelic sound in his ears and soon found it lulling him to sleep too. He laid down beside the cat and made sure to dig his shark fin-quills deep into the bedding to keep the springs at bay beneath him, and he gently rolled to his side to face the unconscious cat whom was most oblivious to his very presence.
His eyes fell and he, too, drifted off into a most peaceful sleep.
A/N: Here's a Silvaze one-shot, guys.
I actually had this one in the works for a long time because I hadn't known how to continue or finish it. But I've finally finished and I hope that it's as good as my other fics and you all like it just the same.
If you guys can then please review and tell me what you think of this fanfic.
-Chloemcg
