Blaze sat down on the rocky shoreline of the Emerald Coast and watched as the waves crashed gently against the jagged stones, lit only by moonlight. She had jolted awake and was unable to go back to sleep, so she had decided to go for a walk. Blaze hadn't come to the beach very often; During the day time, it didn't appeal to her very much. It was warm, too warm even. She was around heat far too often as it was. But at night, the moons reflection shimmering across the wavey ocean, not a sound but the wind and the water, she felt relaxed, even peaceful. As much as she wanted to draw into herself and get away from everything, she felt no need to here. She pulled her knees into her chest and sighed, idly producing little flames from her fingertips until she heard the sound of footsteps in the sand behind her. She turned to look, and found Sonic walking towards her.
"Hello." She said, meekly.
"Hey. Didn't know you were out here," he chuckled, sitting beside her. They sat and watched the ocean for a few moments. "You know, I used to come out here a lot." He said. "I'd play on the beach as a kid, see how far I could swim out. Seemed like miles, but it was probably only a few feet." Sonic chuckled. "One time, I got out pretty far. I decided to head back, but after a few minutes, I wasn't getting any closer. I was geting further and further away, no matter how hard I swam. I started to sink down, water started to cover me up, and I could barely call out for help." He paused and looked down. "I guess Tails was already coming to the beach, but by some miracle, he was there. He flew out to me and pulled me to the shore. Almost." He chuckled. "We had to swim the rest of the way... I haven't swam since then." He said. Blaze silently thought about what he was saying. "To be less subtle - I'm not good at subtle" he chuckled. "Sometimes we need help. Sometimes we got ourselves into a mess, sometimes the mess finds us, but when you feel hopeless like that... Sometimes you just need someone else to help you. Even if it still sticks with you for the rest of your life."
"We don't all have a Tails." Blaze chuckled.
"Nah, isn't that a shame?" Sonic smiled. He took Blaze's hand into his own, looking at it and gently stroking it with his thumb. A small flame formed on her cheek as she blushed slightly. She leaned into his shoulder and the two of them sat in silence for a few minutes more, with Sonic finally speaking. "Come on, I wanna show you something." He said, getting up and helping her stand, not letting go of her hand. He led her along the beach, finally arriving at a small cave, barely large enough for them to walk through at its opening but much larger inside, lit by moonlight from the ceiling of the cave, where a stream from the surface makes its way into the cave and back out at the mouth where they entered. The stone, wet with mist from the stream, glistened in the moonlight and resonated the gentle sound of flowing water.
"It's beautiful..." Blaze spoke. Sonic turned to face her, taking her head in his hands as she tried to avoid eye contact, prompting Sonic to gently lift her chin to meet his eyes. A thin veneer of flame danced across her cheeks. Sonic smiled, gently brushing it away.
"Not as beautiful as you." He whispered, and the flames returned to her face. He chuckled at how cheesy that sounded before he gently pulled her close to him and leaned forward, bringing his lips to hers. Blaze lost all control of her powers, engulfing the two of them in a harmless flame as they kissed. He pulled away slightly, gently, resting his forehead against hers and bringing a hand to her cheek. The flames around them extinguished while Blaze's face continued to burn.
"I love you, Blaze." Sonic said, brushing away the flames on her cheek again, only for them to return. "Always have."
"I -" Blaze stammered, feeling a little uneasy. He leaned in once more and kissed her again, and Blaze, though still burning, leaned forward into his kiss, tilting her head and closing her eyes, a muffled sound of contentment trying to escape her lips. As he pulled away again, he gently picked her up off her feet, prompting her to let out a small yelp. He carried her outside, where rain was just beginning to fall. Deciding they'd better get back home before the rain caught them, he began running the way back home, but not too fast, with Blaze reaching her hand up and leaving a trail of flame behind them and holding tightly to Sonic.
Finally, as they entered Sonic's house, Sonic closed the door behind him and Blaze, her feet never touching the ground, turned herself upright in Sonic's arms, putting her arms around his neck and wrapping her legs around his waist, kissing him as he moved them through the bedroom door and turned around, closing the door behind them and pressing Blaze against it as they kissed. He pulled back and gently placed her down on the bed, quickly taking his place on top of her. The two of them looked into eachothers eyes for a moment, and Sonic began taking off her jacket. She raised her arms to make it easy for him, but after a few moments, she hesitated.
"Wait-" she whispered, and Sonic stopped to listen. "I don't... I-" She stammered. "I don't want to ruin this..."
"Neither do I." Sonic replied. "You're the only one I've ever really... loved this way."
"And I, you... but-" she paused. Her thoughts raced in her mind as she thought of what could go wrong. "I don't want to lose you..." she blushed, a tear extinguishing the flame that formed on her cheek. Sonic pulled her chin up and looked her in the eyes.
"I'm not going anywhere. Not without you.", he said with a kiss. Blaze gazed back at him for a few moments, finally pulling him down to return his kiss. She laid back down, wrapping her legs around his waist again.
"I love you, Sonic."
