It'd been a long and partially boring day. Silver the hedgehog, age eighteen, was sat at the foot of the royal bed. There was a book sprawled open in his lap and a cold cup of tea set on the carpet beneath him, both objects that went entirely forgotten as he found himself staring longer and more intently at the door. He shouldn't have been so antsy, he should have been happily waiting in this overly comfortable room, but the young adult had found himself feeling something that he didn't really know how to explain; he must have been reflecting on it for an hour now and he had seen no success whatsoever.
Today was the day of the Sol dimension's Spring Festival, one of the dimension's smaller yearly events but undoubtedly an important one. Much of the day had gone off without a hitch; he'd helped Blaze up early in the morning, bringing her breakfast in bed, before she'd put on her guardian gab and made her way to the heart of Southern Island. She'd given a speech, speaking at length about regrowth and renewal, before using her powers to melt a giant ice-block that represented the winter. There'd been festivities, they'd walked around the stalls of the fair together, trying food and playing carnival games, but their fun had come to a rather sharp end at five o'clock.
Blaze had a banquet to prepare for, a dinner she had been dreading for the past two weeks. The Spring Festival was for everyone and anyone, people would flock from all over her kingdom to experience different food and games and concerts, but that meal was only for the select few. It wasn't a tradition in the same way as the destruction of the ice or the various flower crowns that were sold from the stalls, but it was an event that'd happened for generation upon generation. Key stakeholders from across the islands that made up her kingdom, business owners and those who'd been born into significant wealth, had all gathered in the palace's banquet hall for a meal, presentations and a series of conversations. If it was just the dinner then Blaze could have surely handled it but she'd been grumbling and hissing about this meeting for at least a month before it'd come to fruition.
They were to talk about community investment, social plans, changes in policy and all manner of political factors, she claimed to know that many of them would attempt to buy or sway her with a severe and serious lack of tact. That much the feline could stomach, she knew where she stood on her policies and where the wanted things to end up, even if she had to pretend to listen to these investors for hours on end, she could managed it; it was a rather different docket that was causing her no end of frustration and stress. It hadn't happened yet, she had no idea if it would even happen, but she'd heard murmurs that a few of them were going to attempt to get closer to her with the intent of courting the crown. In short, she was annoyed that she was likely going to have to deflect not one but multiple suitors in a polite and proper manner. Naturally, Silver had found himself annoyed in a not dissimilar manner.
There had been some talk about sneaking the hedgehog into the banquet, having him put on a guard or a waiter's uniform, Blaze had been especially intent on making it happen, but they'd hit a snag. When Gardon asked whether he'd manage to sit stand still and serve, not only without his powers but as others vied for Blaze's attention, and whether she'd be distracted by his appearance, it'd become clear. Though they'd both tried to argue their case, they knew the old Koala had a point; what they wanted from this plan and what they'd actually get were very different indeed, there was no way they'd manage to stay by each other's side. He'd have had to stand and watch as some wealthy person that neither of them had ever really met went on and on about wishing he knew her better and wanting to get closer to her, regardless of how clear her discomfort was. It was inevitable that annoyance would show on his face, it had throughout this entire evening and he wasn't at the dinner.
He really hoped that she was okay and that they weren't harrying her as they'd anticipated. They'd tried to make it look as though they were a couple today, as they had now for months, hoping it would dissuade this kind of thing, but on a day like this where they were forcibly separated, that falsehood could only provide so much protection. They'd anticipated that these people might not care and, judging by the handful of letters Blaze had over the past week, that seemed rather likely.
Silver's eyes briefly fell to his book, the semi-true tale of the Sol Dimension's sky pirates was entirely failing to hold his attention. On any other day, he'd happily sit for hours and read and question what parts were embellished but a strange bubbling in his stomach was keeping him from even turning the page. It was as if a lead ball had manifested in his gut or the entire organ had hardened, he felt a form of discomfort that he couldn't recall ever feeling prior. He couldn't think of anything he wanted more than to storm down there and sit by her side, to distract her or even just act as a barrier between her and these bizarre suitors who she didn't even know… but he knew that would just make problems for her.
He cast his gaze to the glass balcony door of her room, he couldn't see the sun but the sky was a wonderfully warm shade of clementine scarred by peach clouds. The hedgehog should have risen to his feet to take in that view, the sight of the sun setting above the royal gardens was one he knew well and loved to watch, but, again, he couldn't bring himself to. It'd been at least an hour now and he had no idea what could be happening down there now- they could hardly have started eating or be well into dinner, she could be giving a speech or being bothered by a gaggle of nitwits she'd rather not be talking to. Perhaps they'd finally decided to leave her alone but, try as he might, Silver struggled to imagine that.
There was something so strange about all of this too, something he couldn't put his finger on. The feeling in his gut was unlike any he had felt before, it made him restless and want to act though it also made him feel as though he could do nothing. He was energised yet demoralised; longing to act yet entirely unsure how to. In all his days, both living in the Sol dimension and the destroyed futures he'd called home, Silver could only recall feeling this way a handful of times and, even then, only for a few moments at most. It only ever crept up on him when he was at his lowest, when the future was so thoroughly destroyed and devoid of evidence as to the source of tits calamity that he had no idea where to go next or what to do. He'd reflected on his friends, not so much Blaze (as he hadn't especially known her at the time) but the likes of Amy, Sonic and Knuckles; he'd found himself questioning if they were really doing enough, knowing of their lackadaisical natures and lust for fun. When he'd looked to the world around him and the lack of messages left to aid him, he'd (for a moment) considered whether they knew or cared what this all did to him and whether they were just too focused on their happy life. Of course, very quickly, he'd realised he was being stupid- yes, they were happy and comfortable and not planning for the end times every moment, but if he was in their position then he would do exactly the same. This was like that, or at least not unlike that, and Silver couldn't place why or what this feeling actually was.
Well, that wasn't entirely true; he'd had a thought, but he'd vehemently denied it. The word jealousy kept creeping into his mind, no matter how he flagged it away. He wasn't jealous, he knew he wasn't, what was there even to be jealous of?
She couldn't actually be enjoying their company, could she? She wouldn't actually find someone to love and stop their ploy to prevent others' advancements, right?
As Silver caught himself, he flopped backwards and onto her silky sheets. What did it matter if she did, wouldn't that be a good thing? They were only pretending to date; they were pretending to date with the express purpose of buying her time to find someone she actually loved rather than being set upon by suitors. If she so happened to find the right person among that group, then he'd fulfilled his promise to her, then they'd succeeded and she'd get to live peacefully and happily with whoever it was she loved. That was what he wanted; of course, that was what he wanted.
So why did he feel like this? His hands found his face as he unleashed a sound halfway between a growl and a groan. The odds on that happening were ludicrously low, Blaze had spoken in length about hating this and the folks down there, but if it did happen then was supposed to be happy for her, he was supposed to support her. Why was he so nervous about supporting her on this, a front he'd already agreed to help her on? It didn't make any sense.
His hands drifted from his face, sinking up and through his quills only to arrive at his final memento of their time spent together at the fair. He gently pulled it off his head, carefully teasing it over the fan of quills that it'd been laid around. In his hands, Silver held a large flower-crown. Blaze had not simply given him this; Blaze had made this for him.
He had been excited to get one of these before the festivities even started, he'd learned the craft over the past fortnight and used his powers to aid a handful of vendors in constructing their versions. Lilies, daisies, daffodils and more had been used in the creation of crowns in all manner of shapes and sizes. To be honest, he thought he'd got quite good at the craft- he'd made daisy chains with Cream before but nothing this intricate and certainly never anything that required a more artistic eye. The flower crown tradition was truthfully just a bit fun but there was a small thought and an inkling of meaning behind it. You were supposed to give crowns to those you admired, be it for something they'd done or simply who they were. Naturally, for both that reason and a simple want to give her a gift, Silver had made certain that the last, and hopefully the best, crown he made was for her.
After the melting event and her initial speech, the two of them had quickly slipped away from the crowds and towards the festival bazar. The pair had been pretending to date for three quarters of a year now and, although Blaze had found things difficult at first, he thought they'd settled into it. They'd gone from awkwardly stumbling their way through dates to treating them more casually, acting as they had before this plan entered motion, albeit with a couple of embellishments.
She'd quickly led him to a crossroads between the stalls where Marine had been waiting, a small wooden chest in her hand and a broad smirk on her face. The young raccoon was herself wearing a crown though, judging by its composition of seaweed and shells, it seemed likely she'd gifted it to herself. Though she had quickly skipped off after she handed over the box, the exchange wasn't without the shipwright throwing the pair a smirk and insisting that they enjoy their date. They'd never really had the heart to tell her that they weren't actually together.
Without a hint of trepidation, without so much as blinking or dancing around the subject, she opened the trunk and revealed its contents- a flower crown that she had constructed for him. She'd been so busy preparing speeches and presentations for the dinner that he'd assumed she might buy or make one today, but he never could have foreseen her actually taking to prepare it in advance. Immediately flustered, caught entirely off-guard, he pulled the crown he'd constructed from behind his back and presented it to her.
She'd opted to take hers first, not exchanging by hand but gently ducking such that he could crown her. Gingerly, gently, he'd slipped the ring around her ears and over her head, bringing Its rim to sit just above the stone on her forehead and a little closer to the back of her neck. When her eyes flickered open and he saw how perfectly she suited his creation, he couldn't help but freeze in awe. She looked so pretty; she looked beautiful.
He'd tried his hardest to make her wreath something comfortable, drawing inspiration from some of the more regal designs he'd seen. Its small green leaves bent to form the rough shape of a tiara, larger at the front but lined all the way to the back of her head. Purple crocuses neatly adorned it in various, roughly symmetrical, places, to take the form of oversized jewels. In the heart of each crocus lay warm amber stamens that matched her eyes while smaller lilacs sat and mingled between the leaves, unnoticeable from a distance but clear in close proximity. He'd tried to make it simple, feeling as though she'd chastise him if he went too far, but he had ended up going just a little bit overboard.
In place of that chastising though, once her crowning was complete, the feline almost immediately took a step forwards and reached up with his crown. It was far bulkier than hers, built to match and almost blend in with his quills. In a large blooming clump, white star magnolia, intended to go press his forehead and spread among his quills, were attached to a woody band decorated with ivy leaves. Despite its scale, the ornament was light and fit perfectly but Silver's attention was quickly pulled from it. After slipping her creation onto his head, his pyrokinetic partner allowed her hand to slip through his quills and down to cup his muzzle.
With no more than the shortest shift to her tiptoes and a murmur of the words "Thank you" she'd pecked his lips before lowering herself and snatching his hand, leading him deeper still into the festivities. That wasn't their first kiss of course (that'd been a far clumsier event led by him, with some prompting and advice from Amy of course) but it was certainly the most sudden and casual of their kisses yet. No stutter, no hesitation, just the sudden but brief pressure of her lips upon his.
It was just for show, he knew it was meant to be for show, they'd done an endless list of things just for show but, for some reason, this one had caught him just a little differently. He should have known what she was doing- the cupping of a hand on a cheek was the signal they'd used for some time now, alerting the other of a potential inbound kiss. He'd stumbled a little after that contact and even now, as he lay here awaiting her, he could still feel her hand pressed against his cheek and the warmth of her lips pushed against his.
His thumb descended to rub the point of contact, stoking the memory even more vividly. Though he'd enjoyed kissing and being kissed by Blaze, even if it was just part of their guise, he'd never felt like this about it. Did it have something to do with the feeling in his gut and how worried he now was? As he allowed his crown to rest on his chest, he couldn't help but consider that it might.
Jealousy felt like such an ugly word, he couldn't remember ever speaking it but if it felt this gross in his head then he imagined it'd be twice as bad when vocalised. It seemed so stupid to think, naïve as she'd call it, but it refused to leave his head no matter how he tried to think of other things; he always came back to it and the sickly feeling in his stomach. He felt like he was being haunted by a bizarre and unknown guilt, what was there to even feel jealous of?
Rising to sit up again, lowering the crown into his lap, he took his head in his hands. Why would he be jealous of Blaze spending time at a banquet with a bunch of suitors? Why did he think he was jealous of them? Even if she didn't think she would, what was wrong with Blaze finding love there? Why would he have a problem with that; why would he want to stop that? He was making sure she could find someone to date at her own pace, it wasn't as if they were actually dating.
Though they were obscured by his hand, Silver's eyes shot open. A new thought had entered his mind, a thought that painted his cheeks pink and almost brought him to choke on his own tongue. Marine had joked about it so often, Amy seemed to think it was more likely than not; he'd always dismissed them of not understanding, of not knowing how they actually felt. Was it possible? Did he actually love-
The sound of keys clattering within a lock fully roused him from his thoughts, as Silver threw his gaze to the window he found that the vibrant colours the sky had given way to a dark blue backdrop painted for a rising full moon. He'd entirely lost track of the time, trapped debating himself on jealousy and considering the past day's events. It had to be after seven, but he had no idea by what measure!
As he was panicking, the door burst open with all the grace of a landslide. Blaze slowly rounded into the room… at least, he was fairly certain the figure was Blaze. He could tell by Blaze shoes and the hem of her coat, but the feline's entire upper torso was obscured by a ludicrous pile of flower crowns, towering to the point of overflowing in all directions. Acting quickly, knowing what to do, Silver raised his right hand and a pulse of psychic energy shot through the dark room. Glowing with a cyan light, several bouquets worth of flowers lifted from the pyrokinetic's arms and shifted to hover beside her- thus fully revealing the feline.
To say she wasn't in her best shape was perhaps an understatement, Blaze looked rough. He'd initially been distracted by the sheer volume of flowers she'd been gifted, seeing it a representation of how man suitors had been vying for her attention, but the sight of her pushed all thoughts of that away. She looked so tired, more tired than he could recall ever seeing her; there were bags under her eyes, her shoulders had slumped, and he'd caught her mid-yawn as he eased the many florets away. Despite her appearance though, despite the pollen that stained her jacket and the marked her gloves, the crown he'd given her was pristine and still centred on her head.
"Thank you, Silver, but You can just drop them on the floor. Hopefully they won't make too much of a mess," She recommended, struggling through another yawn as she slowly paced towards him.
He used his power to gingerly lay them down, placing them near the balcony window, only to turn and find the relative gentleness with which she was treating his crown. She'd plucked it from her head and, delicately, cleared it a place to sit on her desk. Attempting to match her, he waved his hand again and gently sent his white crown to sit next to hers. By the time that action was completed though, Blaze was upon him. As he sat, cross legged at the foot of her bed, she stared down at him as if he'd forced her to her wit's end, directly contradicting her prior, albeit tired, pleasantness.
"Um, Blaze?" Just as he'd started to question her, the feline had turned away.
In a single, fluid motion, she unzipped her jacket and shrugged it off her shoulders, "Lie down."
Befuddled, he stuttered, "Wh-What?"
Her hands found his shoulder in the blink of an eye she gently, but with considerable intent, pushed him onto his back. Somewhat shocked, he looked up at her only to find she'd shifted onto the bed and was now even more blatantly looming over him. A light white tank top remained on her upper body and she hadn't taken off her golden necklace. The pale article found friction with his fur as she lowered herself half onto him and half across her bed. Immediately, he felt the weight of her head atop the fluffiest patch of his chest and her left arm had snuck its way around his right shoulder.
No explanation was given beyond a mumbled claim of, "I'm tired and I missed you."
For a moment, perhaps even as long as a minute, he just lay there in a stunned silence and stared at her sleepy form. Even despite her show of force, Silver couldn't help but feel his heart melt. This was a position that they'd only ever shared with each other, her resting her head atop the closest spot to his heart while he got to look upon her lilac frame. Even in her pouty, tired, state, there was something almost ethereal about the pyrokinetic. Silver supposed that she was literally otherworldly relative to him but there really was something entirely stupefying about her. He felt so fortunate to be lying here… but that underlying feeling reminded him of what he'd been thinking about prior to her arrival.
Did he love her? Of course he did, but did he love her in that way? Not just as someone he simply cared about, not just as his best friend, but in the romantic way; in the way that Amy would prattle on and on about loving Sonic. He'd never been in love before, at least he didn't know if he'd ever been in love before. Blaze was certainly the closest thing he had ever had to a romantic partner, not just for their current stint literally pretending to date but because of moments like this very one. As far as he had been told, these intimate moments of lounging on one another weren't especially common among those who were just friends… at least, again, according to Miss Rose and Marine. Usually, contact like this was apparently reserved for those in more intimate relationships, the likes of which they were pretending to be but presently had no one to pretend to.
It wasn't as though their fake dating hadn't drifted to have an affect on their quieter, more personal, moments but only so far as Blaze being embarrassed and pensive about the shift between modes. It'd never been him overthinking things, he wasn't the kind of person to overthink these things. He was helping her, that was all there was to this; that was supposed to be all there was to this.
He watched as she sank deeper against him, her arm went limp and a sigh escaped her throat as she came to relax almost fully against his chest. Every movement, no matter how small, completely held his stare; from the slow close of her eyes and the easing of her shoulders to the smaller things like flickering of her ear to the wrinkling of her nose, nothing could avoid his gaze. Or, perhaps, it was more accurate to say, those things fully captured his attention and contributed to the control she held over him.
If anyone else had asked him to pretend as he had, be it Sonic or Amy or anyone between, would he have said yes? Did that mean anything; did that mean nothing? Where was the line between affection and romance; he'd never learned it, he'd never seen it, he'd never even really thought about it. He just did what came naturally to him, to them. He did what was right and what made sense and whatever would make her happiest.
How would he have felt if she had come back having met someone, if she'd planned to end their little scheme and elope with someone he didn't even know? He'd have probably nodded and gone along with it, but he'd have surely worried about moments like this; he'd probably be worrying and pondering what he might lose with this shift while trying his hardest to be supportive. Would he understand his feelings better if he had lost her? Was that the only way to understand them?
Silver supposed he didn't actually know how things had gone; she'd abandoned her flowers to the floor but there was a chance that she'd found someone, he could read her face but he couldn't read her mind. She looked tired, so very tired, but beyond that and the slightest wrinkle of grumpiness, little to nothing could be gleaned.
"So, did everything-
Before he could finish, before he could even really start, she'd pushed her hand over his muzzle. Blaze didn't speak a single work but, to be honest, she didn't really need to; a flash of frustration creased her brow and sparked in her eye, letting him know that his sound wasn't appreciated. She was tired, she just wanted to be comfortable, she didn't want to talk about what she'd endured tonight but the burden of it on her psyche was plain. After a few moments of that stare, her expression softened to one of very slight remorse. As if attempting to compliment that expression, he felt her fingers squidge and ply at his cheeks for a moment before slipping down to hold his shoulder. Gradually, once she was sure he wasn't going to keep talking, her eyes reclosed and a sigh of contentment puffed through her nose.
So she was unwilling to talk and he was thoroughly trapped. It was almost as if they'd taken on the role of their animalistic counterparts; he was a hedgehog, stuck beneath the paw of a cat playing with their meal. On a whim, perhaps only because she found the fur of his underbelly soft, she'd opted to spare him for a while in exchange for a comfortable place to put her head. He couldn't fight her, he stood no chance, the feline was too strong; Blaze's sway over him was simply too great.
So what could he do? She didn't want him to speak, she likely didn't want him to shift too much, but he still had one arm entirely free. While the other was trapped beneath her petite form, this one could do practically whatever it wanted. But what was there to do?
He allowed his eyes to drift across her form, they hitched on the rarely exposed sight of her shoulders. Blaze had kept herself fairly well covered up but over the course of their partnership but recently, usually in an attempt to fit in with their dating persona, that commonality had become far less common. He'd seen her wear shorts, he'd seen her in dungarees and tank-tops of so many sorts; even dresses and swimsuits on rare outings. Silver associated the sight of them with one very particular outing though, their first fake date. When he'd seen her, waiting for him outside Marine's hut, he couldn't help but beam and rush to her side. That amber sundress, he'd said she looked pretty in it without hesitation… could he bring himself to say the same now, even if he thought it?
Realising that he was staring and finding himself unwilling to dwell on that question, Silver tried to turn his attention elsewhere. He could hold her shoulder or awkwardly rub it from this lounging position, but that'd likely only earn him a confused look. His eyes fell upon her face again; she wasn't sleeping, not yet at least, but she looked so serene atop his chest. Life as a pillow wasn't a life he'd expected to live but it seemed to have its perks- this view was better than any sky he could dream of, just seeing her safe and comfortable in his arms should have been more than he could ever ask for; why did he feel like there was something more he wanted?
It was with that thought that Silver noticed something he could do; strands from her ponytail had drifted down to lie just above her brow and obscure the gem on her forehead. They'd slept in the same room rather often and, in all that time, he'd only rarely seen her sleep with her ponytail in. Even then, it only ever seemed to be by mistake- as if she'd been to tired and failed to remember. He brought his hand to the side of her head but didn't dare touch her yet. Moving as gently and slowly as he could, he let his digits graze through the taught fur on the top of her head before his fingertips hitched upon the soft binding that held her ponytail in place.
Silver let his eye flicker to her face only to watch and feel as she nodded against his contact, silently urging him on with that and no more than the softening of her brow. Slowly and gently, he allowed his fingertips to half-slip beneath the band before dragging upwards and free her plume of hair. There was something magical about the transformation she underwent whenever her hair went from up to down or vice versa, something that admitting had earned him ten death's worth of stared daggers many moons ago. Whenever Blaze's hair came down, it became a lot harder for him to see her as the mighty warrior he knew her to be. When he was younger, he hadn't been able to find the words for it, he hadn't been able to properly describe why she looked so much more harmless, but in this second he absolutely knew. As her hair fully slipped free from its bobble, her hair fell messily to the side. Softly, he dared to return his hand to the top of her head and brushed it into place; the long, darkly tipped, strands came to lie just above her shoulders and frame her white muzzle so perfectly.
It was cute, that was the word- whenever Blaze let her hair down, regardless of her intent, she ended up looking so very cute.
A fresh flush of heat spread across his muzzle as he found himself rather unwilling to move his hand from atop her head. Her ears had buckled in response to his contact in an attempt to both move out of the way and show her acceptance. As a pair, it wasn't uncommon for them to get physical with each other but it was tiny displays like that which fed some of Silver's braver actions. His thumb slowly shifted from its place on her head and dared to slip behind her ear. Gingerly, he let the back of his digit caress up and down that velvety triangle, almost feeling forced as there was so little he could do from this position yet so much on his mind. That unclear expression came at a cost however, a cost that he most certainly should have anticipated.
During his second upstroke, just as his mind had started to drift back to the night's events and his worry, a sound tore his thoughts to shreds. It started with a stutter, almost comparable to a hum or a coo, but that quickly gave way to a roar best compared to the crackling of flame. A low, rumbling, sound that he could pick out more than just about any other grew to fill the room even as his contact stalled.
Blaze was purring like a roaring hearth; it was only as he noticed the heat that she was emanating had lowered that he managed to catch himself and resume the gentle action. As he stoked upward the sound would soften but the lower, the more he shifted the louder she grew and the warmer their surroundings became. The sweat on his brow became so undeniable over the next minute that, were it not for his experience in this position, the stuffiness would have surely smothered him into a sleeping state. This sound had been such a rarity in crisis city, a noise that that had only come to his aid in comfortable moments like this. Nowadays, though this song would often fill the air, the sound still held a particular controlling sway over Silver. Whenever she released that rumbling melody he'd feel his heart slow from whatever beat it'd decided to play to better accompany that sound. Whether it was after they fled a battle, having been faced with impossible odds, or simply having slipped free as she slept, it didn't matter. That sound, her sound, brought him back to the here and now from wherever he'd been before.
He allowed a second finger to join the contact and felt himself grin as it prompted other, equally noticeable, shifts. Her tail was twisting and writhing up and down his left thigh and she seemed to shift to even more heavily lean against him. He couldn't take his eyes off her, couldn't help but drink in every ruffle in her fur, every movement of her frame and every sound from her form- it was as though she'd hypnotised him to stare eternally. Something about watching her burry her head into his chest, continued to stoke the flames behind his cheeks. Blaze was powerful, she was brave and she could be so very serious but it was undeniable, the feline was cute- no, she was very cute. Cute in a way he'd never use to describe anything else.
His prior thoughts dared to disturb the peace, drifting into his mind as he heard a contented sigh slip from her. Jealousy wasn't an emotion he had any real experience with, and the hedgehog was certain that he wasn't enjoying it. It was like a creeping paranoia that he couldn't place, like the leaking of a dam allowing what was once hidden to occasionally sputter free. Would someone else take his position someday? Would they be able to do as they had without the excuse of some guise or ruse?
He didn't want anyone else to see her in the same light he did or share in these moments, but Silver also knew they weren't his to keep. They were doing this for her, he was helping her now just as he knew she'd help him if he asked her for protection. This was sensible, this was the right thing to do.
But, if he stayed like this for too long, he was certain these thoughts wouldn't leave him, he'd be stuck with them, but what choice did he have? This was Blaze, his best friend, his partner; there was nowhere he'd rather be than by her side, he didn't belong anywhere else. He'd promised to support her, he'd promised to help her, and that was what he'd do, that was what he was meant to do. He was her partner first and foremost, her comfort and happiness was meant to lead to his- it'd always led to his, only in this delusional, imagined, world did it not.
There was something strange and worrying about the position he'd accepted, something he hadn't realised on the day. He was just waiting for someone else, that's what his role was. This was a job as a placeholder, he was literally just filling space until the time came, but he'd been so happy to do that when it'd all first started. Helping her was enough, of course it was enough, if she found someone and was happy then of course he'd support them, Blaze being happy and safe came above all else for him.
It was strange though, how these unseen feelings had blossomed. They really were like a plant, little things that'd once gone unnoticed had nurtured its growth until his longing for her affection had become vital to his life. Now it seemed this flower she'd unintentionally grown was scared of being obfuscated by the shade of another. Well, perhaps comparing his feelings to a flower was to give them too much credit, he was clearly very green with envy. He'd never felt this exact feeling before, let alone for someone who probably didn't even exist.
Despite all his thoughts, or perhaps because of them, Silver's stare hadn't left her form and, though his fingers had slowed, he hadn't stopped tickling her ear. Gradually, gently, he shifted his palm to rest more comfortably atop her head, letting his remaining digits curl and caress through the back of her hair. Blaze was a paradox, both hard and soft in so many contrasting ways. While her fur was softer and silkier than any he'd felt, he knew just how hard and strong the muscles beneath it were- she could, if she so chose, pick him off the ground and carry him for miles or punch and kick her way through an armada of robots even without her flames. He'd felt the tenseness of her body so many times, both as they held each other and as one would care for the other- even during the tending of wounds or post training workouts, that toughness always remained beneath her skin.
That contrast carried over to her to her personality too, though Blaze tried her hardest to quell many of her emotions and obscure those that drifted to the surface, Silver knew how caring she was behind that façade. He'd experienced it first-hand; she'd bandaged his wounds and treated him with such tenderness whenever he was injured, but he'd also seen how much gentler she was around Cream and how she mothered over Marine in a harsh but deeply affectionate manner. She often acted as though she was made of iron but, under her own heat, that form became soft and pliable. Though he knew she'd scold him if she knew he was doing it, Silver loved to count those contradictions.
His movements had stopped as those thoughts overtook him and, nonverbally displaying her disdain, Silver felt her head push deeper into his palm. Awkwardly, he resumed the gentle show of affection by softly brushing the hair from her face before returning his hand to its prior position, that much seemed to placate her at least. As his gentle rubbing resumed, she unleashed another bout of rumbling purrs. Above that roar though, Silver watched as the feline stretched shifted and stretched out her legs. There were resounding clicks from somewhere down her body as some manner of tension was shed. With it gone, she slumped even more comfortably against him, but an idea had slipped into his head.
"If you want to change position, I could give you a proper massage," It wasn't an entirely out of the blue offer, their care often extended that far but only really after their more intense training bouts.
She hummed a negative, shaking her head ever so slightly.
"W-Well, um," He stuttered as he continued to break the silence, "Do you need anything? Water or-
He was shushed once again, her hand pressed over his lips so very casually and forced him to be silent.
"Just you," She insisted, "I missed you…"
Silver's blush blossomed further still at that contact, he used to be so unphased by that contact. If anything, it'd embarrassed her- his understanding of personal space still wasn't perfect, but she seemed to be breaking all the rules.
"You were down there for a long time," He quickly followed up, unwilling to let silence become the norm again, "I thought that, maybe, something had happened."
"I wouldn't have got away for another hour or so if I hadn't made my position clear," The guardian half-huffed.
"Your position?" Silver muttered back, trying to keep his voice down.
"We finished with business early in the evening, they wanted to lounge around and make idle chitchat. I thanked them all but simply said that I'd like to get back to my boyfriend, I reminded them all that it's the night of the festival and I'd like to be with him," Blaze so very nonchalantly said, still not even opening her eyes "If any of them take issue with that, then they shouldn't have come in the first place. It's not as if this rouse of ours has been a secret, they all must have known, they were simply acting as fools in the hopes of changing my mind..."
Perhaps because she was so tired, perhaps because she had used it for most of the past four or so hours, Blaze was still slipping in and out of how she talked when she acting as princess rather than his partner. Clearly, undeniably, the day's events and dealing with those suitors had entirely drained her. Immediately, he felt a little bad for going to the fair with her rather than simply relaxing in the castle.
"You really did that?" He practically blurted.
"Of course I did, we're pretending to date for that very protection," The surprise in his voice must have carried through, her brow hardened as amber eyes flickered open and began to whittle their way towards his heart, "Why, does that make you uncomfortable?"
"N-No, not at all, I was just…" He frantically searched for the right word, "Curious?"
"Curious…?" She hummed, seeming to dwell on the word. Just as she had been about to fall asleep, he felt her shift and rise but she didn't go far. Her arms straightened, her palms were pressed against his shoulders just as they had been when she first pushed him down, "You're being strange tonight, Silver. What's wrong?"
Now higher, her frame was cast in the cool glow of the moonlight. A strand of her freed hair had slipped into her vision, breaking her serious gaze, "S-Strange how? I don't know what you mean?"
"You feel… tenser than usual, less soft," She was scanning him with her eyes, cutting through the flimsy barriers he'd propped up in front of his nervousness, "Something's on your mind…"
He knew it was only a matter of time before she figured it out but, even if it wasn't, lying to her as those amber eyes bore down on him was entirely impossible. In lieu of such a ruse, he admitted how he felt about those present thoughts, eyes flickering away from hers, "I-It's nothing, I'm just being silly. Naïve, l-like you say."
Without giving an inch, half brought on by her tiredness and half her natural bluntness, Blaze didn't break her stare as she commented, "You're really not a good liar, Silver."
Despite how harsh her stare was and how intently she was trying to probe him, Silver couldn't help feeling his face grow redder still. There was something about the moonlight cascading across her body, he couldn't quite describe it. The way it shined through her fur, giving what was purple a gentle shimmer that culminated in a shining reflection upon her forehead jewel. With the clouds blocking out the sun and moon alike, there'd been no opportunity to see her like this in crisis city… then again, the environment wasn't all that had changed.
Blaze hadn't always been mature but, for most of the time he'd known her, her face and form were now starting to fit that aspect of her personality far better. Even though she was shorter than him, even though her frame looked so light, the strength of will and thought behind each and every one of her actions was plain. He'd never have said Blaze wasn't pretty, in fact he'd said that a lot without really thinking about it, but something had changed recently, but not too recently. Perhaps he'd just taken notice finally, realised what was right in front of him, but a lot of time had passed. He could only imagine she'd grown more beautiful, perhaps it was a combination of factors.
"Lying and staring…" Blaze mused, snapping him out of his stupor as she leaned down. By the time she continued, her head was practically against his, "What a dangerous combination."
"I-I, uhm…" Trapped in his new position, he struggled to grasp for words just as he did air. Knowing she'd see straight through his obfuscation, he opted to at least tell part of the truth, even if it wasn't what he was currently thinking, "Just, you seem tired and uncomfortable and I want to make sure you're okay," As he said it, he understood how much he felt it. While he was feeling that bizarre concoction of envy and admiration, he was still so very concerned for his partner, "You were just down there a long time and I know you weren't looking forward to it. Was everything okay?"
"It was just boring, just what I expected. Lots of people talking without meaning anything, the flaunting of ancient ideas as if they're new, foolish people vying for my attention…" She trailed off, squinting at him even harder, "Is that it? Is that what's worrying you? That they're still around, still trying?"
"Y-Yes," He gulped, sweat sizzling on his brow.
"You're so naïve," She shook her head, "We came up with our ruse specifically so I wouldn't have to be with any of them. I have to see some of them every so often, but they can't truly move; they can't properly act against me. I'll be fine," She sighed, seeming to notice she'd misspoken, shaking her head as she rose just a little, "I am fine."
His intent hadn't carried across, but he'd unearthed something far more important. She was still uncomfortable, perhaps she wasn't even so tired as much as she had been uncomfortable. She'd come to lie with him to forget, to get away from it all, and lose herself in both his fluff and comfort as well as their lie. Should he have been thinking so hard about those two little misplaced words? Probably not, almost certainly not, but they completely captured his attention. Though he was still pinned in place, he raised his head from the mattress and tried to read into her expression. She hadn't quite turned away but the inquisitiveness had left her gaze and been replaced with an internal contemplation of sorts.
"You came back with a lot of flowers, so I just thought maybe…" His grimace manifested, he couldn't hold it back, "Was it bad?"
"It was…" She finally admitted, "Yes. Them not caring about this guise, despite how blatant we've been, did get to me. Even if we were together, I feel as though it'd make no difference. We've held each other, we've kissed, we've been so very public, but they'd still tried to throw their lot in. I doubt they can hold it against me that I'm not returning their advances but…" Her gaze tumbled to his chest fur as she took a moment, thinking, "Even if I'd rather just lie here, forget it all and fall asleep, I think I know what I should do to make this right, for both of us."
Her eyes drifted up to meet his, glowing with a seriousness that'd burned away all trace of tiredness from her face. Panic gripped Silver by the heart, he had no idea of the cunning feline's intent. His first thought had been that she was about to break things off, end their deception, but that was quickly replaced by something inside him practically screaming that she was about to flip the switch and make it real. Take what was fake and make it proper, have their guise more permanently affix. He had no idea if he was ready for that, he wasn't even certain that he wanted it, but the feeling of her weight and warmth leaving his body scattered those thoughts in all directions.
She'd risen from his form and turned but seemed to catch that he wasn't following out of the corner of her eye. Without so much as blinking, the feline turned back around and reached back halfway between them. It took no more than her glance to compel him to follow, his hand found hers and he was effortlessly pulled to his feet. She quickly let go once that was done, leaving his palm to cool, but her attention hadn't wavered from him yet. Almost not looking, she shifted her hand from his only for it to find something on the desk beside them and slip it behind her back.
"Close your eyes," She commanded, taking only a half-step to close the distance between them.
Though he was quite certain he knew what was happening, Silver did as was requested. He felt a gentle weight land atop his head, being slightly shifted once it'd arrived, before one of her hands traced down to cup his cheek. Just as synapses started to snap, just as he began to remember this position and what that touch meant, Silver felt something warm and gentle press against his lips. It was so very brief, but it set his cheeks alight, like the striking of a match igniting a hearth. His eyes flickered open just in time to watch her descend from her tiptoes. Now devoid of her heels, she was even shorter than him but no less frightening.
"B-Blaze?" He couldn't look her in the eye so he threw his gaze across the room, as if searching for someone, "No one else is around."
"I just wanted some more practice, I suppose we'll have to get even more blatant," She turned from him, bending over as she began to collect the various crowns that he'd strewn upon the floor. A stare was thrown back at him as she rose, clearly catching his agape mouth in the moonlight, "Unless that's a problem for you?"
"I-It's not, I…" Seeing how nonchalant she was being and trying his hardest to match it, Silver's gaze broke from her again and drifted to the crown he'd gifted Blaze, "I was just a little surprised."
He stepped away from the edge of the bed, taking the wreathe in his hands. She seemed to notice his movement and, hands more than overfull, stopped to let him return her gesture. He moved close, reaching up to crown her. It was only as the circlet hung above her head that he saw that his hands were shaking. As a result, the whole endeavour took quite a lot longer than it probably should, even if that was a minute rather than a handful of seconds. Eventually, he managed to get the mass of purple flowers around her ears, but his hands lingered upon them for a moment longer. For half of that minute, the half where he was fiddling with her ears, he tried his hardest not to debate what he would do once her crown was in place. Despite his best efforts, he had internally debated but half a minute was hardly long enough to make that decision.
Though he immediately regretted it, Silver's hands left her head without drifting down to touch her cheek. The unphased look on the feline's face told him that he hadn't made a mistake but the forlorn essence that overtook his being implied that he most certainly had. Other opportunities would surely arrive but that wasn't the point; he wasn't supposed to regret missing a kiss, let alone a private one like this. The only reason to regret such a foolish thing was missing an opportunity to further their ruse and further free Blaze from her position. If he wanted to practice then he knew he should just have said or moved to but, for whatever reason, he found himself rather petrified. Perhaps it was knowing he'd enjoy it and equally knowing it'd one day end.
Blaze derailed his train of thought before it could arrive at another ludicrous station, "It shouldn't be long until Gardon starts to force them out, assumedly a few will slip out the back or try to hang around in the garden for longer," She hypothesised, nodding for him to open the balcony door, "Let's give them something to find."
With a wave of his hands, Silver sent a smattering of psychic energy to turn the doors' handles before pushing to swing them open. The spring night air sent a shiver down his spines as he followed Blaze's stride, his feet were soon forced to bear the cold stone of the balcony. At least the wind was light and the sky was undeniably beautiful. The night wasn't quite cloudless, but the moon was fully exposed and twinkling stars traced an endless and incomprehensible pattern through the dark.
It was only as they stood there, bright lights above and the darkness of the royal gardens beneath them, that Silver realised what she had implied, "You're getting rid of them, all those flower crows?"
"No, we're getting rid of them," She turned towards him, tipping her arms and forcing a good half of them into his hands, "I've only got one head and only one of these is from someone who actually matters to me."
He looked down at the circlets in his arms, a stupid question was consuming his mind. It felt like the answer was obvious, but his cheeks were burning all the energy that should've been going to his brain, "I-It's mine, right?"
"You're so naïve," She almost chuckled, teeth gleaming as she beamed into the night and threw the first wreathe, "I'm wearing it, aren't I?"
"I-I just wanted to be sure," He quickly stammered, drawing a small red crown from his pile and tossing it over the edge.
No sound came as they met with the ground, no crash or rustle, they simply seemed to drift into oblivion and vanish entirely. If only it was so easy to remove the problem they represented. Regardless though, he couldn't deny it, there was something almost cathartic about this; he couldn't even begin to imagine how it felt for Blaze. The entrance to the garden was directly beneath them, they were blocking the path. Either someone would try to sneak out the back tonight and discover them all or, tomorrow morning, Gardon or one of the guards would spot this transgression. Either way, it was likely that the princess' dumping of their gifts so soon after the event would travel far. What that meant for her he had no idea, but she seemed to be doing it with absolute confidence.
"This one was especially rude," She mused, drawing a crown formed from twelve sunflower heads, "He seemed to think I should spend the whole evening with him, he interrupted almost every speech," She tossed it into the dark without hesitation, followed in quick succession by three others.
"Were they all that awful?" He couldn't help but ask, letting a few more crowns tumble to the ground.
"Not all of them, most of them have manners and know to hold their tongue, but I can see it in their eyes," Daffodils, roses and lilies dropped from her grasp and vanished into the dark without so much as a word, "Some of them are genuinely good but half of them are just waiting for some kind of opportunity, trying to find the right moment to weasel their way into my good graces."
Silver felt his teeth grind as his brow grew heavy, his blood wasn't far from boiling. He dropped three more headdresses into the abyss, "I… don't get it. They know you're not interested, right? Why don't they stop?"
"Because of what there is to gain, if there's even a one in a million chance then they're more than willing to try," She explained, "They're interested in moving up in the world, regardless of how high they already are. They want status, nothing more, it's like I said when I first came up with our plan. The royal name is seen as a trophy to be won. They certainly fear my flames, but their greed is more powerful."
Without so much as hesitating, though his full arms limited his capacity to comfort her, Silver shuffled right and leant into her, attempting to lock eyes, "You aren't just your title though. You're my best friend, you're wonderful Blaze."
She threw him a glance but, rather quickly, turned away and back to the task, dumping a good six creations into the dark, "I-I know that I'm not just my title, Silver, but it's all they see me as. I'm just stating what's obvious to me."
"Well they shouldn't and, after tonight, I'm even happier that you came up with our plan," Matching her action, Silver began to more rapidly drop the floral creations, "You are free to love whoever you want; no one gets to decide who you love but you."
"Well," Their gazes collided again but this time she held strong, "Whoever I love has a say in it as well, Silver."
Was she implying something? He had no idea.
"R-Right," He stammered, quickly scrambling for some kind of answer, "But they'd be stupid to say no."
Her only response to that was to smile ever so slightly before quickly turning not so much to the darkness beneath but the sparkling sky that spanned out before them.
She could have just been stating a fact, she could have just been being blunt and honest as she so often was, but something about her choice of words was resonating with him. It was entirely possible that Blaze had found love months ago, perhaps even before they started this whole fake dating scheme. Could it be that her feelings either weren't or didn't appear to be reciprocated?
"Have you met someone else yet?" He steeled his courage and dared to ask, "N-Not necessarily tonight, just in general."
"Someone else?" Blaze repeated, "No, no one. Why?"
"O-Oh, no reason," He mumbled, still unable to even look at her, "I was just… curious."
"Curious…" She hummed, parroting him again.
A silence crept between them; his eyes lingered where scattered flowers that'd long faded into the darkness had once been. Throwing his hands up in one final toss, his remaining wreathes took to the air before quickly plunging into the depths. He stole another glance in her direction just in time to watch the final crown fall from her hands, now only the ones they'd gifted each other were left.
Just as when the moonlight had caught her before, Silver couldn't help but think she looked especially beautiful basked in its cool light. While the sun illuminated her better, let him see her finer details, the way the moonlight seemed to gleam in her eyes and made the white of her muzzle glow. She'd looked otherworldly before but, in this light and from this view, it was unreal, he was entirely in awe.
"It's very pretty out here tonight, it's a shame I had to spend so long indoors," She thought aloud.
"Y-Yeah, very pretty," He quickly pulled his eyes from her, casting his gaze to the sky.
It was a wonderful night and it was a shame they hadn't spent more of it together. They could have gone a walk through the post festival town, looked in on those closing up and lived among the floral arrangements that had been made throughout today. Even just by tomorrow, they'd have lost a lot of their lustre.
Still, standing by her side and watching the stars was more than he could ever have even hoped for in his past life.
After a few more minutes of stargazing, without warning, Silver felt her weight press heavier against his shoulder. The surprise forced him to turn to her, just in time to feel a pair of powerful arms wrap around him. She'd slumped against him; tiredness had returned to her bones and magnetised her frame to his. Her eyes had come to close, her purr had begun to rumble again and warmth was spilling from her body.
"You know, I did pin you down because I'm actually tired," She half muttered as his arm found her back, "I sleep better with my favourite pillow."
Gently, summoning a small amount of psychic power to aid in the endeavour, Silver began to kite the feline back towards her bed, "I'm your favourite pillow?"
"You're noisier than the others but, ultimately, that's a small price to pay for divine comfort," She informed him, taking on a tired yet princess like tone again, "You fill your roles very well, Silver."
The use of a plural there hadn't gone unnoticed, Silver felt a knot in his stomach tighten and his blush renew. Even still, he managed to lead the meandering waltz to the side of her bed rather than the foot of it before looking to her. Judging both by what she'd said and the weight she was putting upon him, Blaze didn't want him to leave tonight- she wanted her pillow.
He slowly lowered himself, half kicking the covers out of the way, and she followed, hardly leaving his frame for a second. The position they arrived at was one all too familiar to him- her right cheek on his chest fur while her hands lingered upon his shoulders, the covers pulled over her back and reaching up to the centre of his chest. As she'd grown comfortable her tail had come to wind around his leg and those same purrs refilled the air. A thank you had been murmured at some point but, truth be told, Silver had been too lost in his thoughts to really notice that or recall when it happened. Her warmth engulfed him as her purrs died down, those of conscious comfort ebbed away until only her sleeping murmurs remained.
His eyes managed to close but thoughts plagued his near sleeping mind. She'd said he fit both roles so well, was that an offer? He doubted it, surely that was wishful thinking. Tomorrow was going to be stranger than other mornings they'd woken up together, he could tell that already. She'd probably want to formulate some kind of plan, perhaps there'd be more of that impromptu kissing practice she'd sprung on him or some other action she'd ask if they could take.
He'd say yes regardless of the plan, he struggled to say no to her to be honest. Even as kids, whenever he wanted to run off and fight Iblis she'd fuss and stop him much too easily. Now it was even harder to say no to her and he could only presume it had something to do with the aching she'd occasionally conjure in his chest. He wondered; did she even know home much control she had over him? Would she ever even consider-
"What if there never was someone else…?" Those words cut through the night like a thrown dagger and roused him just as effectively.
His eyes snapped open, but her unconscious form was entirely unchanged. He fully whispered, scared that those words had been the result of some immanent dream, "W-What?"
Her eyes remained closed and her body was unmoving, Blaze seemed to be entirely asleep. A moment passed and then a minute, then a handful more but still no sound came from her save for scant purrs that littered the air. Even though the curtains were closed, she was ever so slightly lit by the symbols on his hands. She looked to be at peace, it really seemed as though she was sleeping- had he really dreamed it? Usually his dreams were long and vivid and irrational, never so close to what was on his mind.
He felt her shift ever so slightly and thought it was a sign, only to soon realise he was waiting for nothing. No further movements came beyond her gentle breathing, He might have lain there for hours, waiting for some movement or change that'd show she'd been awake, but it never came. Only one thing came to him, the answer to the question he'd supposedly dreamed.
Awkwardly, Silver turned away from his partner and felt his embarrassment only grow. Those words weighed so heavily in his mind, too heavily for him to really bear. If he knew that she was asleep, if he was really certain he'd dreamed it, then speaking his mind shouldn't be a problem. Equally, there was no real reason to say anything at all. Well, besides the fact he might never actually work up the nerve to while she was awake…
That thought stuck in his heart like a javelin. Not a moment after it pierced him, his lips began to move.
"I think I'd like that, I-I think I'd like to do this for real," As he dared to glance at her, that partner who'd died for him and he'd been more than willing to die for, he couldn't help but feel foolish that he was sharing this secret with her sleeping form rather than the conscious one. Well, seeing as he was being honest about how he felt, "But I don't know if I'll ever be able to admit that..." He confessed before continuing to think aloud, "More than what I want, I just want whatever will make you happy. That's all that matters."
No response came, of course no response came, but the heat in Silver's chest and on his face had fully reawakened him. Having now said that out loud, having fought internally with jealousy and hyper contemplation, it all seemed so simple. He did love her, but he was scared of losing her; there was no denying either of those facts. He'd put himself in the best and worst position, receiving her affection almost constantly but knowing it was a shell of what was intended. Of course, moments like this were… different than that though.
Silver let his hand graze up her back to hold near her shoulders, feeling the warmth behind her heart. Even if that kiss had really been for practice, which he kept telling himself it was, things outside of their promise were still genuine. While this trick was undeniably exhilarating, he loved these true moments oh so much. Even if his position as boyfriend was false and temporary, even if thinking about all this had gotten him much too sweaty and left him sleepless, he was happy to be her favourite pillow.