Rain was falling thick and heavy, coming down in cold sheets to batter against a thick green cloak and obscure a radius cut by weak yellow lantern-light. Silver the hedgehog, age nineteen, had been on the road for much too long. His feet were raw and soaked, his quills and fur were matted, shivers wracked his body and nought but grumbles filled his stomach. The thick bag on his back was crushing his shoulders and weakening his knees but discomfort was almost at its end. Dirt trails through uneven bogs were a mere mile behind him, a treacherous but ultimately foe-less stretch. His boots had just met with the mossy cobbles of a small village, the first true trappings of civilisation he'd seen in weeks.
It was well beyond the witching hour, the night was moonless and clouds cluttered the sky. Buildings constructed of wood with thatched or board roofs surrounded him and, though they were in the evening, sings of life were scattered. His lantern scoped out store signs, farmer's tools set on doorsteps, freshly chopped lumber and well maintained gardens.
The tiny town of Grey Larch didn't see many tourists and those who did visit typically walked straight through the town and unto the wild lands beyond it. For that reason, Silver was rather worried about finding a spot to rest for the night; if no one was using the inn then the staff likely wouldn't linger. He didn't know the town well, alike others he normally passed through with little more than a gander in the shop windows, so when a signpost caught his eye it became his first port of call.
It was difficult in the dark but raising his lantern granted a slightly clearer view. He ignored most of the pointers, they seemed to indicate local amenities and landmarks, until he found the one he was looking for. Six hundred yards ahead was a tavern and inn called The Wanderer's Haven, it was a name that Silver vaguely recognised.
As he turned, the path ahead of him suddenly seemed a lot darker. The box's light was flickering; the range of its cast light had shrunk! Silver glanced back to the sign; words he'd struggled to read were now unreadable! The flame was fading! He'd already felt desperate but that small change sent a shiver down his spine and forced speed into his step.
"Stay with me, we're almost there!" Following the rudimentary signage, Silver soon went from running to hovering; cyan magic flickered before surrounding his body and rending him from the ground, carrying him faster towards his desired destination.
Famished as he was, Silver was willing to burn what little energy he had left to spare his lantern's faded flame. The hedgehog tore across the city, gaze thrown in all directions as he sought out an inn. He struggled to slow as he caught sight of a larger building with a swinging sign, stumbling as he returned to the ground and pushed his way towards its door. A glance to the window proved that there was candlelight inside but when he went to try the door he found it locked. Teeth grit, another glance was thrown to his fading lantern before he began to pound on the door with his free hand.
"I need a room for the night, I'm willing to pay!" He yelled, desperation turning to panic.
There was no response, only the battering of rain against cobbles and wood. Silver started to panic more, pulling the lantern deeper still into his cloak, when he heard something shift inside; a chair had dragged along the ground. A few more moments past and stress continued to eat away at him but, finally, the jingling of keys and the clicking of a latch heralded his respite.
The half opened, a bright blue eye and a tuft of brown-cream fur came into view. After a moment's scanning, a voice accompanied it, "Pay you said?"
"I have money, I have goods for trade, whatever you take I'm willing to give," He pleaded, half reaching for his gold.
"Money's good enough for me, hurry inside and out of the rain. You'll die a death of cold," The door was flung fully open and a tiny yet rotund ferret came into view. Despite owning the establishment and being the only staff around, she looked both old and frail.
The promise of coin had clearly put a spring into her step though and the moment Silver was inside she'd redone the latch and bolted back behind an old wooden counter. This tavern wasn't in the best state, there wasn't a single patron in sight yet dirty glasses littered the tables and the floor was thick with dirt. Still, he was relieved to finally have a roof over his head. The floorboards groaned beneath him as he quickly followed the crone.
"Room for," He tripped on his tongue, "One?"
"I'm afraid I'll have to charge you for a double dearie, that's the smallest we've got," She apologised, drawing out a small leather-bound book and scribbling in it.
"That will be fine, thank you," Silver reached into his cloak, intent on pulling out his coin pouch, when his stomach growled. That feeling and noise served as a reminder, he'd exhausted his supplies, "Do you have any food going? I know it's late but I'm famished."
Pausing whatever note taking she was doing, the old woman ducked backwards into a door behind the deck, "Hang on. I can make no promises but I'll have a rummage in the back!"
Seconds were ticking by like hours but he didn't regret his query. Silver drew the lantern up to sit on the desk to give it a thorough inspection. The entirety of its bronze-work was in good condition, there weren't any dents that needing pushed out, and he couldn't identify any cracks in its glass. He went to wipe its outside with his cloak's interior but found it no drier than the exterior, the streaking droplets of water and general wetness of the container would have to linger for a little longer.
As the woman re-emerged Silver quickly lowered his light from the desk, the woman dropped a battered tin tray in its place. He'd been presented with two rather pitiful looking rolls (without butter, meat or cheese to go with them), a dark green bottle and a sturdy metal tankard. Despite how meagre this meal would look to most, Silver knew that it was more than enough.
"Afraid that's all we've got in at the moment, I'll be gettin' groceries tomorrow morning," She explained, "You didn't ask but I figured I'd throw in a bottle of wine, on the house, you look like you need it."
"Thank you, how much do I owe you?" Silver asked, already drawing his purse.
"For just that? Only three gold but I've got so much more I could sell you," She smirked as she boasted.
Without even blinking, Silver drew three coins and set them on the bar, "Alright, where is my room?"
"Just up there, you're the first door on the left," She explained, pointing to a set of stairs, "Washrooms are at the end of the hall, breakfast runs from nine till twelve," She continued, though the words quickly fell from Silver's ears. As she set a rusty key on the tray Silver quickly grabbed it, "Anything else you'll be needing? Extra blankets, further drink, I could wash your cloak if you want…"
"No, thank you, that will be all," Silver quickly replied.
"Are ya sure? If you want some paraffin I've got that too, won't set you back much more," The innkeeper offered, clearly trying to squeeze more profit out of her single customer, "There's a light in the room, course there is, but that lantern's looking awfully dark."
That reminder added fuel to the flame beneath Silver. Shaking his head, he rushed for the stairwell, "I have all the fuel I need, goodnight."
"G'night," The old woman croaked, surely giving him a stare for his rudeness. That was the least of Silver's concerns though; there wasn't time to be polite.
The mouldy stairs creaked and buckled beneath him, surprising considering his frail frame, but they managed to carry him safely. The second floor was dimly lit, likely to obscure filth, but a frantic glance to his lantern proved that he didn't have time to care. With no more than a moment's concentration, the gentle orange of Silver's surroundings was overwhelmed by cyan. The key slipped free from his grasp and rocketed to the door, turning in the lock before pushing open the door. The hedgehog barged into the room without hesitation, the door slammed shut and locked behind him. There was a window on the far side of the room, with no more than a thought Silver forced closed the heavy beige curtains.
"O-Okay, okay…" His mouth was dry, his soles were raw and his eyelids were heavy. The hedgehog quickly shrugged off his bag and hung his cloak on the door handle. A dingy bed in the right corner of the room, slightly better made than the one in the left, immediately caught his eye. He dared to sit but refused to relax; the meal was set beside him, everything was prepared.
Silver set the lantern down a full pace away from his bed and, quickly, popped its lid. What couldn't have been half a minute of patiently waiting felt like a full five hours of waiting, his eyes trained on the lantern's lip. Silver picked up one of the stale rolls; his stomach growled again but he didn't dare busy himself with eating, not until his duty was done. He watched intently as the lights continued to dance behind the frosted glass, shifting and shaping before, finally, emerging to sit on the lantern's rim.
Sitting beneath him, staring up at him, was a flame no more than five inches tall and half an inch wide. The fire had taken the shape of a bipedal feline; she was cast in a bright candlelight yellow and a long ponytail crowned her head. In her current state it was difficult to make out the finer details of her appearance, her expression entirely alluded him, but her form was intact; things weren't as bad as he'd worried. Still, it wasn't as though her current condition was healthy.
A sigh of relief slipped his throat and a small smile worked its way onto his face, "Hey, sorry about the rough ride towards the end there, I saw the sign and just couldn't help myself. Figured it was best to get us out of the cold and wet," To anyone else this would look insane but being able to sit with her like this, talk with her like this, was relieving him so much, "How're you feeling?"
Her response was no more than a fizzle, entirely indistinct, but the tiny figure's body language told him more than enough. Blaze's hands were clasped in her lap, the flickering tips of her ears were slightly bent and a faded orange tail kept lashing behind her back. She was concerned, about him no doubt, but she didn't look uncomfortable. A quick glance to himself, catching sight of his gloves and boots, reminded him why she was worried. He'd been cleaning and trying to maintain his clothes but he hadn't had the time or money to replace them in six months. Things had been so difficult since she'd changed; he hadn't let himself stop, not even for a moment.
"I know, I know, I look awful," He admitted, pushing back his quills in an attempt to return them to their usual formation, "I'll see what I can do about that. This town isn't very big but he inn's cheap so, if you're okay with it, we could stay for a few days?"
Blaze's ears flickered upright and her tail ceased its waving, what'd once been tense shoulders immediately relaxed. A thorough nod followed that change, making her answer clear as though it already wasn't. Well, he supposed others wouldn't have been able to read that much into her shifts; they'd been together so long, even before she was like this, it was all so plain to him. He knew fine well that shifts in his demeanour were similarly obvious to her, Blaze always knew when he was lying, but he'd often been told that his heart was affixed to his sleeve.
Silver's smile warmed again, "Alright, I'll take a look around tomorrow and see if it's worthwhile. But first…" Silver leant down, extending the roll to Blaze, "Let's get you back to your usual size."
Despite her state, his partner immediately shot him an icy cold stare; she didn't even touch the roll.
Her tiny, nigh unreadable, expression clearly read, "I know you could have bought fuel for me and had both of those rolls for yourself."
He awkwardly swallowed. This wasn't going to be easy, "Come on Blaze, you know what paraffin does to you. You wouldn't have been able to maintain your proper form and you'd be too chaotic to fit in the lamp," Silver's explanation didn't seem to have much impact, despite the concern in his voice and truth to his words. Whenever she took in wood, coal or other more typical fuels it'd return her body to size but she'd lose partial control over her form. By using real food they'd learned to increase her size more incrementally, resulting in a smoother flame, "You need to eat properly."
The flame turned away from him, now her arms were fully folded and assumedly her eyes were shut. Seeing no other option, Silver lowered himself to kneel on the grubby wooden floor. He held the bread closer still, not daring to prod her lest he disrupted her form but making the mass unavoidable for her. She paid him a glance but, almost immediately, turned away again.
Her body language read, "There are only two rolls and you haven't eaten in over a day. I can endure until breakfast in the morning or consume something else; I'll burn up some linens or a rag if I must but you need to eat."
They were fair arguments, she probably would last beyond breakfast, but his worry worked against her kind-hearted endeavour. He uncorked the wine he'd thought useless and, without so much as hesitating, doused the mass. Usually wine wouldn't burn that well but the unique nature of Blaze's spiritual flames meant they'd burn just about anything; he wasn't making the meal inedible for her, he was making it inedible for himself.
Blaze quickly realised this of course, much louder sizzles began to explode from the small figure. As he corked the bottle, Silver couldn't bring himself to meet the small woman's burning eyes. Instead, he simply held the roll out to her again, "You wouldn't eat so I had to…"
The hissing only grew louder in response to that but, a few moments later, it finally ended. Silver felt the roll start to grow lighter in his grasp, the scent of burning entered the air. He dared to glance down and found that she had indeed started to eat, her tiny mouth would close over a section and the mass would burn before being absorbed into her form. Even after only a couple of bites she was already a far healthier colour.
"Thank you, Blaze," He said, beaming down at his tiny friend.
Another fiery grumble sounded but her feasting didn't stop. She didn't eat like ordinary fire rather she bit like any normal person. When her mouth passed over an area it would burn away the mass and deliver power back to her. This meant the, as she worked further through her meal, Silver had to twist and turn his grip in order to accommodate her eating. When she was this small, this low on power, wrapping the foodstuff in his psychic aura wasn't an option; she'd never break through. Even while she was in this state, even while he felt so worried, Silver couldn't help but admire her magic.
Their combined powers made them a ferocious team, capable of competing quests that far better travelled adventurers would shirk. They'd both been born with a high degree of magical aptitude, capable of performing powerful arcane feats even during their infancy, and had thus been sent in the mage's academy in the capital city. It was there, little more than infants, that they'd collided for the first time. Blaze, a scholarly student who struggled to control her power, and Silver, a naturally gifted student who failed at all but practical work, had found themselves lost and alone in their new home. The destructive nature of Blaze's power had drawn both fear and thus ridicule from her peers but her flames had always fascinated Silver and soon, following a few scuffles with the other students, they became a duo. It was this bond more than the combination of their powers that'd made their partnership last beyond graduation; they quested as a team, working together to vanquish the world's evils and make a living.
Travel and time had left him weary, he shook the reminiscing from his head. Energy had pooled in her tiny form, eating the bread had refuelled her. Two thirds of the wine-soaked roll had been consumed; Silver knew she'd eaten enough to, at the bare minimum, return to normal. Recognising this and no long feeling the flame's touch on the foodstuff, he shifted up and onto the bed. He was giving her some distance, knowing what was about to happen.
The flame feline dropped back into the lantern, pulsing light was magnified to fill the room's entity. A moment passed, as the cacophonous crackling of flames filled the room and Silver's gaze flickered to the door. He hadn't heard anyone on this floor, perhaps the rooms were empty, but being allocated room three rather than room one was worrying him.
A twisting pillar of flame, as tall as him, exploded from the lantern's depths. The light had weakened as the flames expanded; he could watch freely. Trepidation quickly forgotten, Silver settled in; this was always wonderful to watch. The blaze was constantly warping and reshaping, growing and shrinking, exploding and imploding. Slowly but surely the energy was condensing and what many would have seen as uncontrolled and erratic mutations was actualised into her elegant regrowth. First he saw her head in the flames, eyeless and featureless, then an arm, a leg, her tail and, finally, her torso. The pieces came into alignment, connecting and congealing into a single form as the excess flames shrunk into her body and applied detail. It was almost a dance, as she fully formed his partner was practically pirouetting. Finally, clothes made from that same fire grew and granted her a degree of further personification.
Blaze the cat was fully realised; Silver's fellow sorcerer and companion had fully manifested. The flames that made up her body were sleek, warm yellow and well contained, save for a slight flickering atop her ears and ponytail. She wore the same outfit every time; it was the garb she'd worn when her body was transformed to this state. What'd once been a cropped woollen mantle hung from her shoulders to her midriff, beneath it was once a robe-like shirt with hanging sleeves that was always tucked into a set of leather trousers. Completing the outfit was a pendant around her neck, its chain was hardly visible against her body's matching colouration but what had once been a circular timepiece still hung outside her robes. He'd gifted her that just a little under seven months ago, he'd wanted to thank her for saving his life but she was livid that he'd spent so much on her. Of course, now it, alike all her clothes, had lost its colouration to the flame; her outfit was essentially her body now rather than trappings.
Having caught himself staring, Silver psychically floated the remainder of the roll towards her. Because she was made of fire, Blaze couldn't really interact with material objects so he had to be her hands. Despite the rolling of her eyes, the feline opened her mouth and reached to simulate holding the mass. With her power restored she could break through his aura as she willed and easily consume the remaining mass. It'd taken them so long to figure this all out, how to keep her housed and safely refuel her and so much more. He'd come so close to losing her so many times.
In a matter of moments the roll vanished and Blaze was cast a healthy yellow, "I could have lasted until tomorrow," Her voice, to match with her current form, took on the tone of a crackling heart. Others would struggle to decipher her words even while they were this loud but Silver was used to it, "Hunger hurts you far more than it hurts me."
"I'm sorry, I just wanted to make you a safer size. Any stray wind or water would be dangerous. That and," His gaze broke from her and his hand found the back of his neck, "Well, we've been traveling in silence for a few days. I just wanted to talk with you again."
The sighing of fire was a sound that Silver had grown all too familiar with, "You're so naïve."
In an attempt to placate her, he reached over and took the remaining roll. It was like eating a small bolder but, to be frank, it just felt good to finally be eating something. The last day and a half of travel had been performed on an empty stomach; he'd pushed her to consume the last of his hardtack following a long and particularly wet day. It wasn't that they weren't well off, their jobs provided enough coin to sustain them, but things rarely went as planned on the road.
"How are you feeling?" He piped up, forcing himself to swallow the final bite.
"A lot better," It took a moment but she managed to admit that much, "Thank you, Silver, but you know I'd much rather you tend yourself first."
"I know you would it's just… difficult, you know?" He sighed, "When there's so little of you left it scares me."
"I know it is but you're doing the bulk of the work, you deserve aid first," She'd leant in a little closer and, thus, the heat had grown a lot more intense, "Are you okay? Have you been hurt?"
"I'm fine, don't worry. Just a little damp around the edges and slightly more blistered, nothing time and rest won't fix," He promised, unleashing a small smile, "Your situation took priority."
"Well, I suppose you were being less foolhardy than I thought," She reached forward; burning fingers cupped centimetres from his muzzle but he didn't flinch. The brush of her warmth, not the lick of flames but the heat they radiated, began to eat away at the worst of his wetness, "It was still more than a little foolish though, I'm holding you to the offer you made earlier. I want you to spend five nights sleeping in a proper bed."
Her concern warmed him more than her flames ever could, "Alright, five days in Grey Larch before we hit the road again. That should be plenty of time to heal and stock up. Do you want anything?"
"The lantern's still watertight so there's really nothing to worry about," She waved him off, reaching out with her other hand to aid in the warming process, "You should get your cloak stitched properly, it's not keeping out the rain anymore. You're soaked to the bone, aren't you freezing?"
"Blaze," He closed his eyes, relaxing into on her gifted warmth more than he probably should, "I asked if you wanted anything, not if you needed anything."
There was a short pause; Silver found himself almost falling within her false grasp. A wispy sigh slipped from her throat, "Well… do you remember the little bookshop in this town? I suppose, if you're going to insist…"
His eyes flickered open and her gaze broke from him, "Anything in particular? Did you spot something last time?"
"No, no; I've not nothing in mind really. Just some new stories, something relaxing to help pass the time," She half-elaborated, still refusing to meet his stare.
"Yeah, we've only got that one romance novel left," He mused, "Maybe we should finally start it?"
Eyeballs of flame rolled within her fiery head and landed back upon his face, "We've been putting it off for a reason Silver, it's trite. By the blurb alone I know it's far too embarrassing to share."
"We won't know that till we try it though, right?" He offered again, pulling away from her touch and reaching into his bag's side pocket. The book was a little damp but still in good nick, its hard cover had protected it well.
She looked at him incredulously, her tail slowly swished to curl around her waist, "If you're so interested then you know you can read it yourself, I'll sit right here and happily watch you turn pink."
"What? I don't want to read it alone, we always read on the road together," He whined, trying not to fall for her teasing. They'd been putting off reading this one since before Blaze had been bewitched. That thought, coupled with the sight of the book's deep green cover, forced the groggy Silver back into a state of absentminded reflection.
Six months ago they'd been recommended for a quest by one of their past lecturers. A peasant town to the south had been scorched to the ground, all of its citizens mysteriously vanishing as their homes went up in flame. There had been no further attacks but repeated sightings of strange lights and will-o-wisps dancing from the depths of the town's mineshaft. The task had been proposed as a simple way to move up in the world, an easy way to get a good reference and thus access to better quests, but the fire's origin had been far more dangerous than the expert had anticipated. Minor demons weren't an uncommon sight, menageries held them and they were key to various studies, but more significant demonic entities were only to be dealt with by the most powerful of sorcerers; certainly not two new graduates.
They'd fought for their lives in that mine, first thinking they stood a chance before collapsing it as they fled. No matter how much dirt or stone fell into the monster's path it managed to push through, it managed to lay a hand on Blaze's shoulder. In a flash of red light, faster than Silver could react, purple fur and clothes alike immolated to leave only a burning silhouette. With its single attack dealt, the entity allowed itself to be swallowed by the soil and vanished from sight. Bewildered and terrified, they couldn't even consider giving chase; they'd ran free from the shaft and bolted all the way back to the academy. Cursed they'd said, the only way to undo it was to kill the demon they'd said. Having had control over fire her entire life, Blaze was in a better position than most to manage her new form than most but, regardless, a life changing, blow had still been dealt to her. No more touching; she was left unable to feel and, equally, unable to touch without causing destruction. The creature had probably assumed that she'd accidently kill him before burning out, just as the village had destroyed itself. It'd gravely underestimated her.
Catching himself spacing out again and frowning at his own tiredness, he sat the book atop the tray and set them both on the ground, "I suppose it can wait a little longer."
"A little longer might well be a lifetime," He hands had moved to clasp in front of her but her warmth was still reaching him, "I'm sure we'll find something worth reading tomorrow, you should focus on resting tonight."
She wasn't wrong, there was still a fair journey ahead, "We're still five days travel from the capital, assuming good weather. Hopefully our next job will give us some better leads on where to try next," Of course, ever since her transformation, all of their quests had been picked with their ulterior motive in mind. Whether they were saving civilians or hunting monsters, their eyes and ears were permanently searching for that demon, "I'll try to ask around again too, a couple of places said they'd keep an ear open and it'd be worth visiting the college I think. Even if it only proves what we already know it'll be worthwhile, right?"
"Its been six months, Silver. If there were alternate methods we'd have heard by now," As far as they knew, tracking down and killing the demon was the only way to break the spell. The scholar who'd assigned the mission was deep in research but all this time it'd turned up no results, "Its wise to keep an ear to the ground but try not to get your hopes up again."
"I won't I just… I don't like you being so uncomfortable," They'd had this talk so many times but the wound still stung like it was fresh, "If there was anything I could do, anything, you know I'd do it."
"I know you would," She responded, her right hand cupping the air mere centimetres from his shoulder, "You've been doing all you can this whole time."
Distress was plain on her face, he so desperately wanted to take her hand, "And I'm not going to stop trying."
She paused for a moment, her eyes flickered shut and her head leant just a little closer, "I know, I know, it's okay Silver. As long as we're together it'll be okay. As long as I'm with you, I'll be okay."
"And the same goes for me," He swore.
Silence briefly engulfed them again, his partner returned to her full height but refused to meet his eye. Another sigh slipped her throat; she was clearly mulling something over. Just when he'd started to consider prying, her gaze finally returned to him.
"Stand up," Her insistence was plain but her eyes flickered away from him, "Put up your aura."
Silver did as he was told without hesitation; a cyan hue, fainter and thinner than it'd usually be, manifested around him and pulled him to his feet. They were eye-to-eye now, no more looking down to her nor being looked down upon. He knew what she was going to do and, admittedly, he longed for it.
She started with her right hand, gently pushing into the aura atop his chest. This was the only way she could touch him, the only way she could touch anything without burning it. By wrapping himself in psychic energy, effectively sealing himself off from the outside world, he allowed her to come the closest she could to touching anything. He still couldn't touch her, fire could handle spreading but not being intruded, so she had to lead in all of their physical interaction. Of course, this wasn't touch as he actually knew it; Blaze was touching the barrier between them and he could merely feel the reverberations. It was a tease of a touch; he felt the licking of her heat and crackling against his psychokinetic barrier but no more than that.
Her hand traced up to his shoulder, the closer she shifted the more he was blinded but Silver was more than willing to indulge in this. He felt her free hand crackle against the back of his head and then, not more than five seconds later, her forehead was pressing against his. Memories of touches they'd shared played in his mind; they'd held this position more times than he could ever hope to count. Every time they reunited and whenever exhaustion claimed them, they'd find comfort in each other's arms. Silver hadn't realised until she'd changed but he'd always been a rather physical person. Where once he'd take her hand without hesitation or pull her into a hug, he now had to await her contact and cherish what little they had.
He felt her fingers curl and toil just above his shoulders and her tail slinked its way around his hips. There was something different in the air tonight though; at first he thought it was due to his tiredness but soon he noticed a difference in her contact. Blaze was usually soft, scared of puncturing his aura and burning the skin beneath, but tonight she was being more heavy handed; she was seeking out his touch more than ever before.
"Thoughts swirl in my head sometimes, questions that I know I shouldn't ask," He tried to meet her eyes but the light was just too bright, "What if we can't break the curse, what if we never find that demon?" Before he could answer, more words crackled from her fiery frame, "I know you're certain we will but what will you do if we can't, what if we never find that demon? We can't search forever. It's not realistic, you can't keep pushing yourself like this."
He resisted the want to hold her close, he struggled for words, "I'm not going to stop trying, I promise."
"I know you don't want to Silver, but look at the state you're in. You have to take breaks, I don't want you to lose yourself trying to save me," Her next words set his blood to boil, "Or, well, what's left of me."
"You're still Blaze, you're still you. It's not a matter of what's left of you, you're still right here; holding me," Those words came out faster and louder than he'd really intended but he stood by them, "I'll never leave your side; I didn't leave when you first turned, did I? I'm used to this life now and, even if I wasn't, I'm not going to give you up. I care too much about you."
"No not like that, I meant," She took a moment, struggling to gather the right words, "You spend so much time tending to me, you have to be so careful and I can't even hug you in return. Is that not wearing you down, is it not wearying you?" Her hands left his frame but her head remained, pushing and rubbing against his, "I've accidently hurt you before and I could fade so easily but, even with that in mind, you won't want to leave me for some scholar to deal with?"
"Of course I won't, I've never even considered it," His response was immediate, not a second wasted thinking, "I'll never leave you behind, you're my partner, Blaze. When I say I'd do anything to give you your body back I mean it; I don't care what it takes to help you, I'll do it. I want to free you from this curse," He was certain that tiredness was limiting him, making it difficult to make his point, but Silver pressed on, "No matter how hard the road is, no matter what form you take, it's easier to walk it with you. I'd miss you too much if I left you behind, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. I might need to stop searching from time to time, we can take breaks, but we won't stop for good until it's done. I won't stop until I can hold you again but I don't mind being like this; as long as I'm with you and you're safe, I am happy."
The feeling of contact, the fuzziness of their power's overlap, suddenly faded. Silver tried to look at her, eyes narrowing as he tried to stare beyond her radiance, but Blaze hadn't truly pulled back. His aura remained, the cyan hue obscuring details that were already difficult to make out, but he could tell that her ears had tilted. All of a sudden contact resumed but the site of her touch was significantly different.
Her burning muzzle was pressed against his; Blaze was kissing him. They'd never done this before; his touch-starved state had led him to consider this, led him to long for this, but he'd never dared to dwell on it. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, he longed to lean into her touch but Silver knew how dangerous the unprompted contact could be. His hands hovered a mere inch from her body and his eyes came to close as he focused on the feeling of her touch. Physically, there wasn't much different from her other touches; as her burning form met with his magic, Silver felt the touch echo through his very being and her heat ebbed through to grace his lips. It was all so very real, it felt more genuine than any touched they'd shared this past six months.
Before he could even question what this was or what it all meant, Blaze had fully pulled away. His fingers rose to touch his lips, he could still feel her warmth.
"I planned to do that after that mission, the day I'd turned, but…" She seemed to lose her words. No longer focused on the endeavour, only on her, the hedgehog's aura faded away, "I'm sorry it's like this rather than physical but… I couldn't really help myself," Her hands found her tail and her gaze drifted to the floor, "Thank you, Silver."
Her yellow muzzle, all of a sudden, shifted to a hot red colouration. It was a sight Silver had seen before but, either due to his naivety or obliviousness, hadn't fully understood. She was embarrassed; his stoic companion was flustered? Touches like the prior were nothing new to them but kissing was a step further. Even if he could barely feel physically, she'd awoken something deep within him.
"I-It's," He was stuttering? Was he burning up? Had he caught fire? "C-Can we…" Words continued to fail him but he couldn't act, he didn't want to risk quelling her form even slightly. She had to lead, which, to be honest, was fortunate because he was shaking, "Again?"
That fiery blush continued to spread further, "You're so naïve…"
Silver allowed his aura to flare as Blaze leaned in again, sparks of cyan and yellow resumed their chaotic entanglement. Crackling like new wood piled on a roaring flame filled his ears, it was the closest that her new form could come to purring. Despite the difference between it and the sound he knew, Silver loved to hear it so very much.
His lips longed for a friction they could only imagine, their closest representation the crackling of psychic energy against burgeoning flames. He could feel her heat burying against his muzzle, desperately trying to make some kind of meaningful contact. His eyes closed as he attempted to focus on her touch; ears scrunched and toes curled. He just wanted to hold her again; he missed nights spent huddling in their tent, how her hand would find his shoulder whenever he needed reassurance and the way that her tail would absentmindedly brush against him. Despite how long had past, Silver could still imagine the feeling of their fur hitching against each other as they shared grumbles about travel and work. Silver couldn't help but feel a little greedy but he'd been so starved of her touch; having her close like this yet still beyond being tactile was a little maddening.
He felt her licking flames trace across his shielded back and her head tilted further still in an attempt to deepen the kiss. She was longing for more too; no matter how touch starved he felt, Blaze was surely struggling more. At least he could taste and touch other things; the feline had no skin, no nerves, she was fully without feeling. It was amazing that she could even see and talk to him in her current state, they should have been thankful for that but it was just so difficult.
"Blaze…" The heat had risen, he could feel the sweat on his brow and her warmth was sinking deep into his fur, "No matter how long it takes, we'll fix this," Her kissing shifted lower on his muzzle, she was tracing along his jaw. As the contact finally concluded, her arms remaining on the small of his back, his eyes reopened and fell upon her glowing form. Her blush had cooled slightly but crimson heat still very much lingered. Using his powers had drained him further still but her contact had energised him; he found the strength reinforced his promise, "I'll do whatever it takes, I'm not going to stop trying, but you're still you. If it doesn't work then I'll still be here with you, you'll always be my partner…"
"I know, I know," Despite the cooling of her blush, a lack of eye contact proved that she was still embarrassed, "You should rest Silver, you hardly slept last night."
"You just came back though," He protested, "I want to talk with you more, I want to stay up with you. Even if we don't touch that book, we haven't read together in ages."
Silver thought that was a compelling argument, he was required to turn pages for her after all, but, alas, "It's not like I'm going anywhere; I'll be right here when you wake up, we can talk in the morning and we'll have plenty of time to read tomorrow," Her touch faded from his form, her small smile came back into view, "You've been looking after me all this time, let me look after you again. Its been too long."
She was right, this was so different from how things had been, prior to her transformation Blaze had taken charge most of the time. Whenever they had been lost or deciding to set up where to set up camp, she'd point him in the right direction and only rarely lead them wrong. Even when she'd been mistaken and had grown frustrated at herself, Silver had felt entirely comfortable following her lead. Thus, in the few cases it was now applicable, Silver would fully concede control to her, knowing that he'd have to plan the next day and manage all of their business.
A yawn finally pushed free from his mouth, the warmth of the room was aiding her argument. He knew they'd need time to understand the step they'd just taken but he offered one last time, "Are you sure? I know you don't sleep and you're just free from containment; it has to be boring in there.
"Watching over you will more than hold my attention, don't worry," Her embarrassment had almost fully cooled but she was still insistent on him resting, "Besides, you mumble in your sleep."
Silver's brow quirked, he bent down to untie his boots, "I do?"
"Oh, quite a lot," Was she teasing him? The slow swishing of her tail suggested so but that didn't mean she was lying, "Sometimes we'll have whole conversations."
"About what?" He didn't want to look like he was worrying but, equally, Silver knew his dreams could be quite vivid. Trying to maintain a guise, he dropped to sit on the bed.
"Just sweet and silly things," She mused, refusing to look at him directly, "You make a lot of promises, talk about what you want. Most of it is nonsense…"
"M-Most of it?" He cringed at his stutter, she was just riling him up… right?
Her legs crossed in the air, Silver doubted her position changed much but she looked far more comfortable. Perhaps it was the knowing smile on her glowing lips, "If it happens tonight it'll give us something to talk about it in the morning. For now, just rest."
It was a well-planned stratagem, she wanted him to rest so she'd suck a deal. Another yawn slipped free from his throat. She was intentionally making the room stuffy, he knew she was, "Fine, but you'd better tell me everything in the morning."
He didn't bother to slip beneath the blankets; he'd swelter under there with the heat she was generating. The wooden frame buckled beneath him, the pillow was practically a board, but it was better than what he'd known on the road. He'd take a bath in the morning, tidy himself up a bit and have a proper meal; for now, he just wanted to rest and stay by her side.
"I will," She went from sitting in the air to lying on her side.
This was the closest they could come to laying together, it was either this or him simply cuddling her lantern. They'd been living out of a tiny tent for so long, the former just hadn't been an option. Even though she wasn't actually touching him, being enveloped in her warmth brought him no end of comfort. It was her way of holding him without holding him, evaporating what little remained of day's rain and pushing warmth into its place. Taking the place of bodily touch, her heat caressed and tended the entirety of his form. If they had to lie like this forever then that was more than good enough for him.
As his eyes came to close, crackling like that of a well-stocked hearth popped and snapped from her form; she was purring again, "Goodnight, Silver."
A smile slipped onto his lips again, if she could hear his dreams then he hoped he'd dream her a good tale tonight, "Goodnight, Blaze."