Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Sonic the hedgehog, especially not Silver or Blaze, they belong to SEGA and not me!
The power within
Silver nor Blaze could believe how fast the time flew by.
It was as if they all blinked and she had grown up into a cute-as-a-button three-year old; she was a spunky yet adorable little one who had an infectious little smile and she knew exactly how to make anybody happy.
But, on this particular evening, things had become rather monotonous.
Silver couldn't help but let out a yawn as he sat at his desk with a pen clasped in one hand.
The futuristic hedgie felt a complete mix of boredom and fatigue as he scrawled on a piece of paper, writing some notes. He had been put up to many tasks after taking on the role of king of the Sol dimension and out of the many jobs he had been put up to, writing down peace treaty on scripture was one of his least favourites out of them all.
Silver, ever since becoming king after marrying Blaze, bad fit into his new position as king like a well-fitting glove.
He was more a hedgehog of action rather than a hedgehog of strategic thinking —he left the thinking to Blaze as she was more calm and collected and could gather her thoughts better in a heated situation; but he couldn't stand writing notes since they bored him out of his skull and it reminded him of how much he had on his shoulders.
He couldn't lie and say that there were some aspects about his position that he strongly disliked
Sometimes this meant he had to write a treaty or two...
He exhumed a sign so deep that it almost completely deflated his lungs, his eyes slowly studying each and every word and paragraph that was scribbled on the piece of parchment that was in front of him. He felt his back harden as he slouched due to a mix of fatigue and frustration —his eyes felt droopy and he looked like a sloth that had been dragged out of bed.
He hated writing taxes...
"Daddy! Daddy!" A small voice hollered sweetly.
Silver's ears pricked up at the adorable high-pitched squeak.
He turned around to see a small lavender/gray-furred creature running up to him wearing a princess dress that was clearly far too big for her with the sleeves flopping about all over the place; Iris loved to play dress up —like every little princess, he guessed— and she also loved to play pretend and get her father in on the fun too with her charming yet irresistible adorability.
The futuristic hedgehog had to admit that the sight made his heart melt a bit.
Iris had grown up to have a fascination with everything princesses, she adored the idea of dressing up in pretty pink things and nice scents and loved hosting tea parties. She was like a slightly different Cream the rabbit but obsessed with everything princess and having a fascination with everything fiery and glowing.
She was a kind little kit who had her bossy moments but adored her parents to a fault.
"What is it?" Silver asked, trying hard not to let his squiggly smile betray the fact that he was totally trying not to squeal from the cuteness.
Iris giggled.
"Daddy, I 'vited to a dance at the ball!" She beamed whilst giving a ceremonious whirl on the spot. "I need a dance p'tner."
Silver couldn't fight back a smirk.
True there were downsides to being king, but at least he could be just what he needed for his little princess. He quirked a playful brow at her, an equally as playful note seeping into his voice as he questioned the giggling little kit.
"Oh really now? Would this dance partner be me, by any chance?"
Iris blinked incredulously for a lengthy few moments, appearing astounded by the inquiry.
"Yeah! Why wouldn't it b'you?" Asked the little hedgecat.
Silver flashed a playful smirk her way but he acted as if he was pointing out something incredibly important as he pointed one finger up and tutted at her. He loved to tease his little Rissy like this, such banter made things more fun for him.
"Well, I wouldn't wanna make Prince Charming jealous."
Iris' befuddled look darkened and she stuck her tongue out.
"Papa! Don't be siwwy!"
Silver chuckled, deciding that his daughter had enough of him taunting her like this, and he started to get out of his chair to oblige to his little girl's wishes...but then he recalled the very important paperwork that was still sat on the desk. He pondered for a moment; if he stopped doing it now, who knows when he'd be able to pick the boring paperwork back up again? Then he looked down at Iris who had the sweetest of smiles and the largest of eyes he had ever seen.
The quivering bottom lip made her look all the more endearing.
Was she trying to pour on the puppy dog look?
Silver tried to reason with his stubborn little three-year-old daughter.
"Weeeeell...you see, Rissy, daddy's got some very important paper work and-"
All his reasoning and resistance crumbled like bits of dried up clay when he saw how pouty his daughter looked. She was giving him the look of a kicked puppy and that was the look that he could never resist no matter how hard he'd try. He tried to steel himself for the guilt trip tactics Rissy knew to pull so well...but he just couldn't.
Silver just gave a defeated sigh.
He knew what he had to do...
The futuristic hedgie proceeded to drop down on one knee to meet his girl on eye level.
"Okay then, milady..." The king hedgehog of the sol dimension said with a chivalrous bow of his head. "May I have this dance?"
Iris clapped her hands (which was difficult to do since they were hidden within the very long sleeves of her clearly oversized princess dress) and giggled joyously as she bounced up and down with excitement.
The futuristic hedgehog gently gripped her back with one hand while the other hand gripped on to both long sleeves of Rissy's gown. Iris smiled joyfully as she and her father began to sway and spin around the room, basking in both the moment and the imaginary music that played in both of their heads.
Silver gently balanced his daughter on his hip as he held the kit in his arms and began to sway her around in the air while he took gliding strides across the floor. The hedgehog looked into his daughter's eyes as her eyelids gave way and flitted open, revealing a pair of bronze/yellow-coloured irises. The little lavender-coated hedgehog/cat hybrid, meanwhile, giggled with delight as she was rocked side-to-side rhythmically in her father's arms.
Silver loved hearing his daughter laugh.
It was the one thing that would never fail to put a smile on his muzzle.
Silver dipped his daughter a bit before swooping her back up and clutching her against his over exaggerated chest fluff, letting her burrow her muzzle into it. Time seemed to slow down for the little princess and her father as they continued to dance around the room without nary a recollection where they were or what time it was.
It wasn't until Silver heard his daughter yawn that he was promptly brought back to his senses.
He didn't know what time it was but, given how dark it was outside the windows, he had to assume it was night and not only that but also Iris' bedtime. Normally she hated her bedtimes and would take drastic measures to evade it with all costs but, tonight it would seem that she would fall right to sleep with ease.
Iris yawned and started to rub at her eyes sleepily.
Silver smiled gingerly.
"C'mon, Rissy, its time for beddy-byes!" Silver chimed merrily as he carried his daughter off towards her bedroom.
Silver nor Blaze wasted no time in putting their little one to bed.
Little Iris, now clad in her little pink nightdress, lay flat on her back with her blankets not yet tucked around her. Her eyes were entirely focused on her parents —full of innocence and full of that sort of sweetness that only a child like her could have.
She didn't look droopy-eyed yet but soon that would hopefully change as it was way passed the small princesses bedtime.
Silver lifted his hand, a brightening turquoise glow surrounding the circular mark adorned on the palm. That same turquoise glow spread straight over to the edges of the blankets of his daughter's bed and proceeded to wrap itself around the small occupant of said bed, enfolding her small body.
Iris smiled as she let the blanket enfold her after she shuffled down into her bed and tilted her head back so it would thump softly against the pillow, minding her small back quills as she did so. She loved watching her father use his powers to make things glow and float, she found it so mesmerising and amazing to watch.
Blaze, in the meantime, directed her gaze to the small torch that was attached to the wall and then she snapped her fingers. Within an instant of doing so, a small but ever-growing flame flickered to life within said torch and burned brightly to give the room a calming ambiance. Her amber-coloured eyes were fixed firmly on the bright and healthy orange flame before she turned her head to glance over at the small kit in the bed.
The little hedgekitten seemed transfixed one the fire now but also had a downcast look on her face.
"Are you all ready for your sleep, Iris?" Asked Blaze, a regal but tender smile curled upon her muzzle.
The child nodded her head with a smile but the trepidation yet troubled look on her face remained.
It didn't go unnoticed by neither Blaze nor Silver; even though she would try and disguise her emotions (even at such a young age), she was very transparent when something was the matter and something was troubling her. Her ears splayed back and were droopy and a frown was threatening to sprout upon her small muzzle. It was a heart-breaking sight to see such worry on a little kitten's expression and it was a look that could shatter even the most hardened of hearts.
Before Blaze or Silver could ask her what the matter was, though, Iris decided to bring up her frets and ask her parents:
"Mama? Papa? Can I ask you something?"
Silver nodded.
"Of course you can, Rissy. What is it?"
Iris frowned and glanced down at her blankets with a forlorn expression.
"...Why can't I do glowy things?"
The saddened note in her tiny voice was quite palpable.
Silver and Blaze stopped what they were doing instantly.
They looked at one another with concern.
When the both of them were young themselves, their psychokinesis and pyrokinesis had set in to a point where (at least in Blaze's case) they could barely control it. They had their powers well in hand by the time they were Iris' age but they thought that, since they both had these powers, that maybe their daughter would have some sort of trait from the both of them regarding this...but she hadn't shown a single sign of supernatural abilities ever since she had been born.
Iris loved the idea of being just like her mother and father and especially loved watching them use their abilities...even though she couldn't do anything no matter how hard she tried.
It was clear that Iris was taking notice of this lack of special abilities and her parents would clearly see the envy on their little girl's face and neither of them liked seeing their daughter look so distraught over something she had no control over. They weren't going to tell Iris about any of this, though, as she was a tad too young to be too concerned about it.
Why didn't Iris have her powers yet?
Was there something wrong?
They didn't know but they refused to let Iris get worried by such things.
Blaze gathered her thoughts.
She didn't say a word as she sauntered over slowly, sat on the edge of her daughters duvet and looked at her with the most reassuring look she could muster. She didn't want her daughter to give up hope of not having something both her parents did and, besides, perhaps Iris' powers were still dormant inside of her and were awaiting the time for their wielder to unlock them.
"I am sure that your powers will come eventually, my sweet. You just need to be patient."
Blaze gently set a hand over the fiery-shaped tuft of "hair" that sprouted from atop her daughter's large cat ears.
"But...But what if I can't do glowy stuff?" Iris mewled, her eyes large and becoming moist with impending tears.
The young hedgecat was shushed by her mother whom started to stroke her baby's hair slowly but gently. Blaze gave her kit one of her most serious expressions as she lowered her vocal volume into a low and calming tone of voice that could quell any fears that one would have. She had mastered the art of motherly advice awhile ago and knew exactly when to utilise her skills and what she'd learned in regards to speaking to children.
"Shhhh. Sweetheart, even if you can't do glowy stuff, that won't mean we'd love you any less. Do you understand?" She asked.
Iris closed her eyes and leaned into her mother's soothing touch.
Silver watched from the doorway, a wistful smile blooming across his tan muzzle. He felt bad that his daughter had been feeling sad and he hadn't noticed sooner —what sort of father was he if he didn't notice his own child feeling down in the dumps? But he supposed that Iris probably had inherited her ability to conceal her emotions from her mother; the platinum-furred hedgie had a hard time reading Blaze's emotions as well...but still this wasn't an excuse for him to not notice when his precious kit was upset!
He hadn't thought much about Iris and what her abilities might be, though...perhaps Iris was just a late bloomer?
Silver blinked to snap himself out of his thoughtful state and watched as Blaze had picked up Iris and started to rock her back and forth in her arms, the kit was now struggling to stay awake as she was lulled by not only her mother's rocking but also by the soft sounds of her purrs.
Blaze didn't purr often, only to soothe and calm her daughter and if she was in a true state of bliss.
It was lovely and heart-warming to watch such a sight.
The queen of the Sol dimension held her daughter tight and close to her chest as she rocked her to sleep whilst she continued to let her throat vibrate, her eyes were soft and half-lidded as she never took her gaze off of her precious kitten until she had fallen completely into a sweet slumber. Iris' eyes closed and she started to breathe slowly but deeply as she finally let herself sink into the depths to the abyssal chasm of sleep.
Blaze's slow rocking came to a slow halt and she finally ceased her loving purrs.
She cradled her young kitten in her arms and proceeded to gently lower her and put her down so she was laying on her back. Her breathing was gentle and soft, otherwise she was unmoving and limp with a (for the most part) peaceful expression etched into her sweet little face.
Iris looked so innocent and adorable, especially when she slept.
After Blaze had put her down on the mattress, Silver once again used his psychokinesis to lift the blankets and then tuck them around the sleeping little girl.
The two watched with baited breath just encase she awoke from the movement but withdrew their breaths after she merely stirred before falling back to complete sleep again.
The hedgehog king and cat queen decided that this would be the time to slip out of the bedroom.
They both departed via the door and Silver and Blaze sauntered out into the hallway, making sure to walk a few steps so they couldn't risk being heard from the occupant within the room they had just exited through and a rather uncomfortable silence set in. A stifling silence brewed between the hedgehog and the cat as they both wondered how to broach the subject that was just brought up with one another.
This was a subject that needed to be discussed between them since it concerned their one and only daughter.
"Blaze..." Silver started, anxiously.
Blaze noticed her husband's nervous expression, she knew what he was trying to say.
"I know. I'm worried too."
Silver's gaze lowered to the ground.
A strong sensation of guilt swam through his veins as he also felt as a pang of that very same guilt hit him in the heart like an arrow in the chest. He didn't like feeling bad or worrying about anything, he just cared about making his daughter happy —especially in times such as these— and making sure that he provided enough for the family he had created for himself.
He knew that his daughter was strong but what if she started to feel inadequate due to her lack of powers?
The king and queen of the Sol dimension started their discussion.
"Since she's the daughter of someone who knows psychokinesis and someone else who can control fire with her mind, I would have expected her to at least have some power or something."
Blaze nodded in agreement.
"I know. Perhaps she is just a bit late and her powers have yet to manifest?"
Silver shrugged his shoulders and looked at his wife grimly.
"...But suppose those powers don't manifest? What're we gonna tell her? That she'll never get to make stuff levitate with her mind or make things catch on fire with a mere thought? What if she takes away from it that she'll be worthless?"
Blaze's face contorted with displeasure at the thought of her daughter's self esteem dropping to an all time low. She felt her gut knot up as she folded her arms tightly across her chest and avoided her husband's eyes, her ears drooping, and she felt her heart sink with despair. She regretted to admit it but she hoped that, if her child did inherit any abilities from her, she would rather she never did.
"But Silver, you know how I struggled with controlling my pyrokinesis when I was a kitten myself. I'd set things aflame with barely a thought. While part of me frets about the same things you do, another feels a shred of relief because maybe she won't have to struggle like I did."
Silver put a comforting hand on Blaze's shoulder.
"Blaze..."
Blaze shook her head as she bucked up, trying to drag herself out of the pit of hopeless despair she had dug herself. She removed Silver's hand from her shoulder and tried to spare him a small smile of assurance that she would be alright and that she wasn't going to slip into a fearful state born from her childhood traumas.
"I'm...I'm alright, dear." She exhaled slowly. "Let's take this one day at a time. Until then, though, she is too young to worry about such things..."
Silver nodded, conceding that this was the best action to take for now.
Blaze smiled softly at him.
"Perhaps it is time we go to bed too?" She suggested.
Silver's frown turned into a small reluctant smile.
"Okay."
Without saying much else, the couple walked down the hall and went to bed.
A/N: Hi, everyone!
I'm sorry it took so long to update this fic, I've just been busy.
In this chapter we get some adorability regarding father moments from Silver and a few motherly moments from Blaze; will Iris get her powers? What will they be? Pyrokinesis, Psychokinesis, maybe a mixture of both?
Stay tuned to find out!
-Chloemcg