Today had been a rough day for Blaze.
It wasn't because she had been in a difficult battle against some overwhelming enemy.
It wasn't because she had caught some sort of illness, or because she hadn't slept well the night before.
It wasn't because there had been a string of unfortunate events that had come one after another.
No, it was just work.
Blaze was used to spending hours reading through and signing paperwork, and she was used to spending several hours in meetings about economic and political matters. She had years of experience with these matters under her belt, and she had become adept at her duties and handled them with diligence and determination.
However, today had been particularly busy. Nearly every moment of the day had her stuck in some room of some sort either having important discussions, leaving her with much less time to read through and complete the necessary documents for the day, let alone the luxury of having lunch. Yet, this was still nothing new to her. While not the most common of occurrences, she had been through enough days like this to the point that they were not truly anything to really complain about.
What really got to her, though, was all of the lying.
Blaze prided herself on being true to her occupation and to her people. Honesty was not just a concept to her, it was an ideology. A core and fundamental element to her being that she would be hard pressed to go against. Thus, she found great pride in being truthful in words and action in her work.
However, this came at a cost. For as much as Blaze valued honesty, she equally detested dishonesty. Her role as the leading monarch had made it necessary to develop skills useful for evaluating the true sentiments and motivations of people. Unfortunately, that meant she encountered people either outright lying or hiding their true motivations quite often, and as much as she'd like to let out her frustrations and reprimand those people for being untruthful to their monarch, she had an image to uphold that demanded she grin and bare it, lest she repeat the mistakes she had made earlier in her life that had made others question her ability to lead.
Quite frankly, she was just tired of it all.
In situations like this, it is a standard practice to engage in an activity of some sort to provide some relief and comfort, but reading a book or taking a walk outside at such an hour didn't seem like very appealing choices. No, Blaze needed something more potent and uplifting. Something that could bring a smile to her face regardless of the time or place. Something that could brighten the darkest of her days and bring joy to her saddest of moments. And thankfully, that something, or rather someone, was waiting for her just behind the door to her bedroom.
With all of the strength Blaze could muster, she brought out the set of keys she carried around with her and unlocked the door, the final barrier between her and the endless source of comfort she so desperately sought. At last, her salvation was before her.
Silver looked much better now than he had yesterday, cleaned and properly bandaged unlike his former state of being covered in cuts and bruises. He sat on her bed, a book of some Solian history lay in his hands, one of his favorite genres of literature since he had begun embracing the empire's cultures in an attempt to gradually integrate himself into this world. He wasn't reading the book currently though, as his eyes were cast towards her, likely since he heard her unlocking the door. The mere sight of him already did wonders to lift Blaze's spirits, his naturally handsome face and adorable smile being brilliantly illuminated by the moonlight. His warm, golden eyes magically drew her in, and it only strengthened the feline's growing desire to claim her prize for the day of hard work. After quickly locking the door behind her and kicking off her shoes, she began her final march of the day, silently striding towards him.
"Hey, Blaze. Did you have an okay day at work?" Silver, despite his condition encouraging rest, stood up from her bed, immediately recognizing her tired expression as she walked towards him. He had his own bedchambers a few rooms away, but, at Blaze's request, he (secretly) took refuge in her room instead, so that she could "look after him" as she had put it. However, she had been unusually absent today, not even stopping by to have lunch with him. Even as he left to walk through the palace and gardens, he not once encountered her. He knew not to seek her outright, aware of her duties she had to attend to, but he was still concerned enough to ask Gardon about her situation. Gardon, acquainted enough with the foreign hedgehog, trusted him enough to confirm to Silver that today was a particularly eventful day for Blaze.
He had expected a short yet charged response, something like an exasperated, bordering sarcastic "fine", but Silver was left bemused as Blaze uttered not one sound. Without so much as a peep, she simply walked towards him with that tired expression and slouched shoulders, things that she usually never demonstrated in front of almost anybody else. Recognizing that his body was probably her intended destination, he spread his arms and signaled his willingness to embrace and comfort her, and she accepted this gesture by planting her face right in his soft chest fur without so much as lifting a finger.
Silver, in Blaze's perspective at least, was a wonderfully delightful paradox. Despite living the majority of his life so far in a world of nothing but fire and ash where everyday was a struggle to survive, everything about his being was soft and warm. From his smoothed out quills and fluffy chest fur to his warm, honey eyes and heart of gold, he was a glowing beacon bright enough to light up the entire planet. It was a despicable cruelty that he had to go through a hell so vile and terrible as the one he grew up in, and Blaze had personally seen to it that he could spend as much of his time here in a more peaceful setting. Publicly, it was a simple act of providing sanctuary to a person in need who in turn could provide back to the empire. Privately, it was also so she could keep him and that precious chest fur close by in moments like this.
She exhaled a deep and long sigh as she let herself finally unwind for the day. A book or a cup of tea paled in comparison to the luxury Blaze was indulging in currently. Silver had a naturally calming presence to him, but his chest fur specifically had some bizarre quality to it that seemed to allow Blaze to completely release every bit of stress or other negative emotions that were plaguing her. It was a privilege that, to her knowledge, she was the only one to have free access to it, as Silver didn't seem to like it when anyone else touched it. Whether that was a hedgehog thing or just a Silver thing, she didn't know, but the fact that he only let her touch it was enough to give Blaze a sense of smug satisfaction, like something one would brag about.
She would typically play at it with her fingers or undo the knots in it to help her think. At the moment, though, she felt like she didn't have the energy to do anything beyond using it as a cushion. She simply stood and allowed her muzzle to be pleasantly stimulated by the silky smoothness of Silver's fur.
Silver wasn't quite certain of what to do in this moment, as this was a first for Blaze, but he recognized that she needed a moment and so he decided that he would give Blaze whatever she needed if it would help her get through whatever it was she was dealing with. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and gently held her close, to signal that he was there for her and he cared for her wellbeing. He didn't ask her what was troubling her though, as he knew her well enough to tell that she didn't want to speak about it at the moment and that she would if and when she was ready to. No matter how much he wanted to help her address the root of the problem, he had learned that taking care of Blaze when she needed him was the first priority.
"Would you like to lay down?" He asked in a quiet and soft tone, wanting to show to Blaze that he was here for her and willing to support her. A small rubbing sensation on his chest accompanied by the nod of her head gave him the non-verbal signal he needed. Using his telekinetic powers, he slowly lifted them both up and positioned themselves to lie on her bed, keeping their original position more or less intact.
Silver just laid there for a minute or two, contemplating his next move, as he felt like he wasn't doing quite enough. Finally, he decided to metaphorically roll the dice and bring his left hand up to the back of her head before gently and slowly rubbing a finger up and down her left ear and the base of her head that connected to it. His gamble, even if it really wasn't a risk at all considering how Blaze was feeling right now, seemed to pay off, as immediately Blaze's tail, which had been docile and unmoving so far, began to curl and form a hook as it started to sway back and forth, which Silver noticed tended to happen when he was around her, and he took this as a good sign. She also started to rub her face against his fur instead of keeping it in place.
Eventually, Silver was further rewarded for his endeavors when he started to hear a gentle rumble emanating from Blaze. She was purring, and quite loudly too. This, in Silver's eyes, was the ultimate confirmation that he was doing things right. As far as he was aware, he had never heard her purr when she was in the presence of anyone else and only when the two of them were alone and close did he occasionally hear her make this noise. Whenever he heard it, regardless if it was here in this sanctuary of her room, or in that destroyed and burning city in their last life, it had always managed to relax him, no matter what was going on.
"Thank you, Silver," Blaze said, cutting Silver's train of thought, as he was expecting the relative silence to continue.
"What for?" Silver asked, kind of already knowing the answer but also wanting to hear her talk more.
"For just… being here. You make everything easier," she responded, sounding fully relaxed and at ease. Her head lay slightly on its side, revealing that wonderful smile of hers with her fang poking out of the corner of her mouth. It made Silver in turn smile, knowing he was accomplishing his objective.
"Of course, Blaze. I'll always be here for you." Silver, unlike the many other faces she had to look at today, was an embodiment of honesty, always carrying his heart on his sleeve, always being transparent and open to her, always being himself and not pretending to be someone else. It was something Blaze loved about him, among many other things, and it gave her confidence to be more open herself. Cream, Sonic and Amy all nudged Blaze in the right direction, but Silver was the one to carry her when she got tired.
"Please stay," she requested, even though it was honestly more of a demand that she would not accept a denial for.
"For tonight?"
"Forever."