The world was a jumble of warmth and softness; Blaze the cat lay still, immersed in her bed sheets and her head set atop her favourite pillow. The feel of the pillows gentle rise and fall beneath her, coupled with the consistent thud that filled her ears, would surely return her to the depths of sleep if she allowed it; stoking a lust for bed rest already kindled by the dry taste in her mouth and the heaviness of her eyelids. What a dangerous pillow Silver made another moment of this and she'd surely break her eternal routine; early to rise and late to sleep, the status quo for a guardian and a princess. She'd pass the threshold of her bedroom and the outside world would be awash in responsibilities and duties, yet as she lay here upon him… they seemed to keep sleeping her mind.

Blaze slowly heaved her left eyelid open, the right side of her head pressed firmly into the hedgehog's fluff, and shifted slightly to take in his sleeping form. The world was still cloaked in a subdued cyan, pulsing ever so slightly brighter as his heart throbbed, but it was all the light she needed. His eyes were still closed, mouth hung just slightly open but upon those lips, she could see his resting smile and there wasn't a single crease to his brow. Those quills needed arranging though, the top left one had dropped to hang over his closed eye while the centre and right quills were clumped together; he was awfully good at looking foolish, low purrs began to resonate with her breathing. He wasn't dreaming tonight, as he so often did, no; that would have been characterised by a fitful sleep and a much-amplified expression to his face, be it a broad grin or the deeply furrowed brow of his nightmares.

She let her eye drift closed for a moment, having one last nuzzle at his chest fur, before making the attempt to rise… only to find herself in a rather comprising position. His arms were beneath the duvet and wrapped around her, fingertips couldn't be more than an inch from the hem of her long, grey, nightshirt and his legs were on either side of hers. Pushing the embarrassing aspects of their positioning aside, those hands had surely been on her back last night, this position would make moving difficult. Freeing herself from his clutches could mean awakening him, something she wanted almost as little as to rise in the first place, but it wasn't as though laying here with him was truly an option.

There had been a time when she'd have taken this positioning as a sign from the universe she was destined to stay in bed, that she was destined to lower her head back to his chest and embrace the comfort he brought her, but in this new life, for as many times as they'd lain like this, she hadn't once lingered. How many nights had it been … twenty… thirty now maybe? Inconsistently of course; try as he might sometimes she would burn the midnight oil for too long and the hedgehog would fall asleep and then there were the times they'd be forced apart for a day or so, attend their individual duties, but these periods of absence were strengthening this pillow's sway over her. Did he have to be so soft, so comforting; that patch of overgrown and unkempt white fur was like a siren's call or a honeyed lullaby. The feline's cheek longed for the warmth, though this was a warmth of the heart rather than temperature, and to sink into that patch of cloud. To allow her heavy eyelids to seal once more, for her pillow to absorb all of the world's troubles and fill her mind with dreams. To push her temple into the softness and be rewarded with that sweet thrumming of his heartbeat, she'd become satisfyingly lost in the sound… it wouldn't take very long. A couple seconds, maybe a minute, of lying there and she'd fully return to her sleeping state.

But no, she had to fight this, she wasn't just Blaze the Cat anymore; she was Princess Blaze, she had responsibilities to her kingdom that had to be upheld, there would be no slacking. She held herself above him, arms straightened at his sides, but once again her eyes fell upon his sleeping face. Her purring ceased, she groaned, and closed her eyes tight; trying to ignore that restful smile. Did it have to be so tempting? Another ten minutes of sleep, even just another minute, her head was feeling much too heavy and she could still feel the fatigue of yesterday's business. she only had two true options. She could open her eyes and be swayed by his resting face or close them and allow herself to be dragged back into the depths of sleep.

Who was she trying to fool, if she really wanted to she could open her eyes and simply look away; force herself from him and rise to go about her day. She'd accepted it as inevitable moments earlier, that there was no choice to be made; she was to get up and prepare for work. But then, if it was so simple, why hadn't she? Her head was growing heavier, elbows beginning to buckle. She managed to peel open an eye only to see he'd shifted slightly, quills now jostled to the left; they really did need sorting. Blaze reached out with her left hand to brush them back but her right arm was unwilling to bear the burden alone; as she gently pushed his quills passed his eyes she felt her torso lower to realign with him. Slowly her head started to turn, his fluff began to caress her cheek, and all the while she kept stroking those quills; would they ever sit nicely? Could they not sit still for one moment? Or were they fine, had she just constructed a foolish excuse to lean against him once again? She could hear the sound of his heart, already she could feel her breath softening; eventually, she stopped petting him and lowered her hand to his shoulder. Fingers mingling and entwining with the fur that wrapped around his scruff.

She'd hated mornings here, she always had; getting up early to run around and attend duties she hadn't even chosen for herself. Dragging herself off the pillow from the age of five for tasks that so often could have waited another hour or two, it wasn't as though every day was filled to the brim; today could easily be one of the ones where she'd guard the emeralds on her person and that would be it. Nothing to read, no one to meet, just simple busywork… Gardon would probably worry but then he'd worry even if she were on time. At least now, as often as was possible, her mornings weren't spent alone; awakening alone was very different from doing it alongside someone else. But then; he hadn't awakened yet…

The purring began again, flowing in time with her breathing. She kept that single amber eye open though, just a little bit longer; this was the last opportunity she had to throw back the covers and… oh, what was the point in even considering it now? Really she just wanted to watch his sleeping face a moment longer, those quills she'd only succeeded in messing further and the gentle smile he wore; a good image to sleep on. Her head had fully reunited with his chest, it was only a matter of time; there was no coming back from this. Blaze managed to drag herself a little further up his body, pushing the crown of her head beneath his chin; a pose only achievable in this state, both due to their lying position and the absence of a ponytail atop her head.

The fact of the matter was that she had chosen this, she could have forced herself up, but the deck had always been stacked against her. She was Blaze the cat, the Princess of the sol dimension, responsible and self-sacrificing; but Blaze the cat certainly wasn't a morning person. Having him here wasn't helping that, not in the slightest, but if that was the only detriment to having him here then she supposed she'd endure it. Besides, while he was keeping her trapped here, at least made an excellent pillow. With a yawn, fangs glinting passed her lips, her left eye would close and with it, she was lost from the awakened world.