Throughout Space and Time

by FlashDriver

A Oneshot-Dump for Silver and Blaze related things, most commonly tending Silvaze. This is primarily for quick and compact stories though there is the potential for sequels. AUs sprinkled throughout, though most entries could slot somewhere into the games/comics. Other ships such as Sonamy appear, often briefly, and continuity between Oneshots will be rare. Please review!

68. Household Magic

An anticipated cacophony filled the room, loud enough to spread tired eyelids. That noise was a ringing, the sound of a hammer striking back and forth across two metal bells and bringing with it vibrations enough to shake a bedside cabinet to the point of almost tumbling. For a moment the room's sole occupant allowed the noise to linger. She hoped it would simply fade into obscurity and her all too brief rest could continue, but that was an impossibility.

The covers were pushed back as Blaze the cat, age twenty, set up straight before turning to fiddle with the infernal awakening contraption at her side. The clock had admittedly proved useful across its now five years of service, it meant she wasn't reliant on wake-up calls delivered by Gardon or another member of the guard as she had been as a child. On the other hand though, Marine had been the one to create the device and, as with most things the raccoon did, she'd gone more than a little overboard. Most alarm clocks of its style were only slightly larger than the princess' palm, but this one was almost as big as her head.

It took no fewer than three attempts to fasten the latch and stop the ludicrous device, but the silence that permeated the aftermath was more than worth it. The princess' eyes flickered across the room, presently lit dull orange by a small slit in her balcony curtains. Beyond the reach of her four-poster bed were indicators of the day's workload. Papers she'd been reading and amending well into the evening were strewn across her desk in an atypically loose manner, her robe loosely hung from the back of her chair and a cup half filled with now ice-cold tea had taken residence between the two messes.

Yesterday had been an especially busy day, with six two-to-three-hour meetings taking up the majority of her time and delivering an excess of paperwork. Each of these conferences were important of course, their subjects ranging from agricultural laws to discussions of energy production, but their combined presence being spread so varied meant more than she'd hoped of it had drifted through her ears without imprinting on her brain. Usually sorting through paperwork could right such issues, but there had simply been too much to handle over her already shortened night.

Either way, it seemed likely it'd all be righted by the days end. Meetings were set for today too of course, it was rare for the guardian to go a day without encountering some sort of stakeholder or advisor, but her schedule wasn't nearly as chaotic. That thought naturally led into another as she heaved a stretch; a small seed of hope hope that, by the evening, she and Silver would have some free time that they could spend toge-

A light knock at the door sprung the felines from her daydreaming. This wasn't an abnormal occurrence, though usually such interruptions came at night or while she was with the hedgehog rather than early in the morning. She presumed this intrusion meant a shift in her schedule, likely to one of her morning meetings was set to be shifted into the evening. Assuming the worst, she immediately disregarded her half-baked daydream.

"Who's there?" She called out, bundling the covers over herself to preemptively reinforce her modesty.

"It's just me," The voice of the very hedgehog she'd been thinking of rang through the door, "Can I come in?"

Immediately, her presumptive wish was back on the table, "Of course, Silver."

The hedgehog had visited the royal bedchamber before, he'd spent the night in here more often than she'd openly admit. It wasn't the first time he'd come to see her in the morning, he had before on occasions she'd spent the prior day cooped up in meetings… but his present state immediately raised her eyebrow. The hedgehog had taken to clothes since he'd first arrived in the Sol dimension, some six years prior, but his present outfit had only been worn on one prior occasion.

Silver the hedgehog, also age twenty, had stepped into her room in full formal dress. A black suit jacket hung unbuttoned over his shoulders, revealing a white dress shirt and teal bowtie. Cufflinks, matching his own metal cuffs, hung off his sleeves with black suit trousers and semi-smart walking boots completing the ensemble... but clothes weren't the only surprise he was bringing. Rather than use his hands, the psychic had opted to use his powers to open the door and maintain all he was carrying. A wooden tea tray stretched between his hands, stacked with what looked and smelled to be various breakfast foods.

Despite the smartness of his outfit in theory, it was clear that the time traveller hadn't fully grasped how to tidy himself up. From when he'd worn this outfit last, a few aspects that the princess herself had seen to fix were out of place. For one, he was plainly new to tying a bowtie and for another his bedhead quills were still spread in their usual manner rather than brushed down.

Regardless, being solely garbed in a deep purple nighty was making the feline feel overdressed.

"Good morning!" He beamed, so casually wandering toward her bedside.

"Good morning," Blaze bit back a stutter, still taking him in.

She had acquired Silver's present outfit almost half a year ago in preparation for a certain event, her twentieth birthday. Usually, the guardian's birthdays were a private affair but, for every ten-year milestone, a more public event was expected. In an attempt to keep things at least somewhat enjoyable for the princess, and mitigate anticipated unfortunate interactions, the hedgehog had offered himself up as a sort of companion for the evening. They hadn't called it a date or claimed to be romantically involved but by hanging off his arm, and dancing more than a little, they'd successfully kept wannabe suitors at bay. With his help, rather than the awkward evening she'd anticipated, it'd been an occasion she was more than happy to look back on.

The princess had reflected on the evening perhaps a little too often, especially the point when they'd escaped the stuffy castle hall and found themselves beneath the stars in the royal garden. All that reflecting was now acting as a double-edged sword as her brain repeatedly misfired. Why had he put on that outfit? Why was he bringing her breakfast in bed?

As he arrived at her side, stood parallel to Marine's haphazard alarm clock, the hedgehog leaned over. Immediately, Blaze caught on to what he was doing and flattened her legs, letting him place the tray into her lap. Though the aroma had been strong, it fully intensified once he placed the platter directly beneath her nose.

Usually the princess ate a scant breakfast, she'd only have time for a piece of fruit plucked from a bowl and plan go hungry until lunch at the earliest. Comparatively, this gift of stacked toast, sausages, bacon, boiled eggs, roasted tomato, and a tall glass of orange juice was undeniably mouth-watering. It would surely be even mouth-watering if confusion wasn't occupying much of her mind.

"Th-Thank you," She cursed the confusion in her voice but quickly bit the bullet and embraced it, "Have I forgotten something, Silver?"

His face twisted adorably for a moment, she could see the cogs turning in his brain, "I don't think so?"

"I see," His understated response only left her with more questions, how could he stand to be so casual while dressed so formally?

"Have I forgotten something?" He interrupted before she could attempt to pry further.

"No, this all looks wonderful," She quickly replied, not wanting to seem ungrateful, but he'd presented another opportunity, "Although, I suppose you have in one sense. You've not explained why you've brought me breakfast and why you're dressed like that?"

"Oh, I thought it was obvious," His confusion faded as a beaming smile returned, the hedgehog stood up straight before giving a small bow, "I'm your butler now."

In Blaze's own opinion, Silver was easy to read. The hedgehog bore his emotions plainly under almost every circumstance and he was the worst liar the princess knew. That all being said, ever since he'd arrived in her world and started to live a life closer to normal, the hedgehog had a tendency to act spontaneously. Some things could be predicted, like the hours he'd spend by the beach or gardening, but he'd catch her off-guard every so often. He'd surprised her with gifts more than once, his interest in cooking had also gone unanticipated, but this all seemed a step more bizarre.

Despite all that, annoying was the first to worm its way into her head, "Did Gardon arrange this? I told him to let you rest…"

"Oh, no. It was all my idea," Finally, he seemed to notice that she was confused by all he was doing, "When you said you'd be busy yesterday I spent the day at the library, going through old fables to see how they compared to the ones from my world. There were a few about the royal family, which I guess makes sense since they were in the royal library, but they usually focused on maids and butlers who looked after them," Blaze putting the pieces together just as quickly as the hedgehog laid them out, "It made me think about how you've been looking after me every time I arrive from the future, even back when we didn't remember each other. It only makes sense that I do the same for you when you're struggling, so I put on the right outfit for the job. Whenever I get back from the future, as soon the calamity is solved and I'm strong enough to stand, I'll be your butler from now on."

"You're so naïve," She tutted, reaching up and catching the side of his head while he was still bowed over, "Silver, while you're here I want you to rest. You work so hard in the future. I want this to be a space you can relax and just be yourself, you don't need to do anything for me."

"But I am rested," He promised, slightly nuzzling into her grasp, "Besides, I'm really good at it, watch."

Still leaned over her, the hedgehog extended his right hand to the far side of the room. Immediately, by his psychic will, her messy papers neatened themselves back into their individual folders. Next her robe rose from the chair, fully masked in a cyan aura. All the creases from its prior use faded as the entire garb was straightened before being neatly folded. The curtains gently parted, orange daylight filled the room more properly and gave her a more thorough view of what came next. From her desk and its surroundings, she watched as pencil shavings, dust and eraser filings amassed in a singular arial point. Once the gathering was complete, the mass softly flew down to land in her discarded mug.

"When I go, I'll take that with me," Her eyes flickered back to his, only to be met with a warm intensity, "I'll do whatever you need and whatever you say."

Something about that last sentence brought heat to the princess' cheeks. Silver was attempting to balance a ledger that didn't require balancing, that much was clear; she wanted to help him, he'd endured such harshness fighting for what was right, but that truth went both ways. It was clear that in her absence the hedgehog had thought long and hard about this, the meal on her lap and his state of dress was proof of that alone, but could she handle this shift? Then again, could she stand to tell him no while he was so earnestly smiling, so honestly and fully trying to help her.

Blaze's eyes dropped to the meal on her lap as her hand slipped from his muzzle, "You'll do whatever I say?"

"Absolutely anything," He swore, as if it was the most important thing in the world.

As she to come to terms with their current situation, looking to buy time in any way possible, his quills offered some inspiration, "Go into the bathroom, there should be a glass in there. Fill it with water and see if you can find a comb in there, bring them both out here."

"As you wish," He said very intensely, as if copying something he'd read, before turning and making for her en suite.

Feeling heat still flagging from her face, Blaze quickly took up the glass of orange juice and gulped it down. Immediately, by its texture and its level of sweetness, Blaze knew he had freshly squeezed it. By the time she'd reached the bottom of the glass, her state was barely any better. Claiming a roasted cherry tomato, immediately identifying the basil and spice that signified his effort only further plunged her into embarrassment. Just how early had he woken up this morning? Had he even slept?

The princess shifted the duvet from her shoulders in yet another failed attempt to escape the heat. Silver's time was still in a state of disaster, once every month or so he'd depart her world in an attempt to set it right only to return ragged and haggard. He'd rarely return without some kind of injury, usually they were minor but that didn't stop her from insisting on weeks spent relaxing and recovering. The idea of him working during that time just filled her with conflicting feelings.

Another aspect Blaze was struggling with was the aesthetic of it all. The idea of Silver referring to her with a royal moniker put a bizarre feeling into her gut. On one hand she frankly detested those associated terms, not only did they make her seem more important than her people but they also reminded her of her isolation from her public. Undeniably however, the conjured thought of those words slipping from Silver's lips as he pleaded and promised in that blunt way he so often did was somehow enticing… and yet simultaneously extremely flustering.

The bathroom door swung open, revealing the hedgehog. In his right hand was a long black comb while the left held the filled glass, he looked much too determined considering how simple his given task had been. Without a word though, he stepped forward and presented the objects she had requested.

"Good," Awkwardly, Blaze shifted the tea tray from her lap to her left side before rising fully from the covers to kneel atop her bed, "Lean down."

As he did, Blaze claimed the comb but left him holding the glass. She dunked the comb with her left hand, wetting it, while she reached up with her right hand, pushing down his quills. She knew this process would take a minute or two, the hedgehog was much too fluffy, but she was certain that the effort would be worthwhile.

"If you're going to wear that outfit, you should wear it properly," She chided, now taking the comb in her right and beginning flatten his quills back, "These are always such a mess."

It was only when she went to dunk the comb again that she caught his eyes, sighting the warmth on his cheeks and the grin on his lips, "Thank you."

"I-I'm only humouring this for a little while," For as serious as her tone was, Blaze knew she could see through her hard façade, "You don't owe me any kind of debt for looking after you. Once you accept that, I'll put a stop to this."

He didn't seem to have a response to that, not that Blaze would have accepted any haggling over this situation. The princess did manage to lose herself in the act of brushing his quills down, lowering her temperature just a little. As long as he didn't overuse his psychic powers, she knew they should keep their brushed back look… but him using such power was an inevitability, especially if he was set on serving her.

When she pulled back, she found him quite changed. His ears now the only think poking up; his still separate quills were laying streamlined and neat against his head. It was unfortunate that the view rekindled the heat in her chest as again his likeness from that day became all the more undeniable. In an attempt to dissuade such thoughts, she distracted herself by buttoning up his jacket.

"There, now you look more proper," She, rather gruffly, insisted. In immediate hindsight any other wording would have been better but her embarrassment wouldn't allow her to say the likes of handsome, at least not this early in the morning.

He seemed to accept her claim without need of a mirror, rising back to his full height, "Is there anything else you want me to do before your meetings start?"

"No, I think you've done more than enough," Her gaze flickered back to the breakfast he'd prepared. She couldn't help but cringe as she realised it'd be getting colder by the second, "Thank you, again, Silver. I don't usually have time for a breakfast like this."

She didn't have the skill to cook it either, but that was better left unsaid.

"Well there's more of that to come, I've already planned out lunch," He jubilantly responded, "Do you think you'll have a lot of time for it this afternoon?"

"I'll probably have a little to spare," Blaze recalled, reminding herself of the day ahead, "But don't go too over the top Silver, I do have meetings up until the evening."

"I won't, I won't," He promised, his eyes glowing even brighter, "Just come out to the gazebo whenever you want it, I'll have it ready."

His mentioning of that glass building, situated at the heart of the royal gardens, again brought to mind the night of her twentieth birthday and stoked blush she'd been so desperately trying to hide. The event wasn't the torrid tryst deserving of the spot it occupied in her mind, the guardian truly knew it wasn't, but that knowledge wasn't enough to prevent her flustering. No one had actually been there to stop them slipping out and into the garden, wandering until the music was faded and the light of the castle was dim behind them, but in the moment it'd felt so liberating and exhilarating. It was them, laying atop a grassy knoll and stargazing, that lingered so plainly in Blaze's mind, how picturesque everything had been. That night she'd caught his gaze slipping to her on more than one occasion, but that was surely because her eyes had kept shifting to him. It wasn't the first time she'd seen him awash in starlight, but something had felt different.

She could picture it in her mind's eye, them lying hand in hand and scantly talking as the stars twinkled overhead. For whatever reason, be it his outfit or nature's lighting, she'd found herself noticing things about the hedgehog she hadn't prior. The calluses on his hands were first identified, the way they marked not only his efforts but how age had changed him. The broadness of his shoulders and the difference in their heights so starkly contrasted the warm excitement in his eyes and the softness that encompassed him, but all those things tightly held her attention. Those observations naturally led to thoughts she was yet to dare confront regarding the status of their partnership and what it might lead to.

"If you must," Shaking thoughts from her head, Blaze found herself wearing a forced frown, "I take it you've planned other things as well?"

"Nothing too big, just little jobs out there," He seemed to have caught onto her worries, "The gazebo needs cleaned, some of the hedges need trimmed," He reached out to her still kneeling form and so casually put his hands on her shoulders, "It's all easy stuff. I'll manage it, don't worry."

"As long as you don't push yourself too hard," Her gaze again broke from him, "As long as you don't overwork, I suppose I can endure all of this," Now she was being too lenient, "For a day so."

"I'll only do what seems easy and whatever you tell me to, I promise," The punctuation of those last words with him squeezing her shoulders was almost enough to make her jump, "Are you really sure there's nothing else you want me to do? Anything Blaze, no matter how small, I'll do it."

"Just go do whatever you think you can manage," She instructed, beginning to bark, "I'll come up with something specific for you to do later, just go do what you think needs done!"

"If that's all you want, then I'll do my best," His hands fell from her frame, "I hope today's not as tough as yesterday…"

"It'll be fine, Silver," She insisted, trying to ignore the sweat on her brow, "I'll see you at lunch."

"As you wish," Again, she could hear the smile in his voice.

Having pulled away, halfway to the door, he seemed to catch himself and freeze. He turned on his heel and gave an overly deep bow. It was another act that, like using the royal monikers he had thankfully chosen not to grasp, would have usually turned her stomach and stoked her ire. Instead, especially as he rose and grin regrew to its widest, the feline felt her heart skip a beat.

Before she could stammer out any more nonsense, to call him naïve or hurry him off, he claimed the mug he'd filled with rubbish and quickly left her room. The near silence that hung in his wake, only broken by the ticking of the clock at her bedside, gave her mind plenty of room to run rampant. In an instant, a thousand of her synapses launched into overdrive as Blaze's hands covered her face.

What had she done? In the wake of his promises her temperature had shot through the roof, she could feel her tail whipping beneath the covers. How was she supposed to focus on work knowing he'd be waiting for her, preparing things for her and set to make even more promises about serving her?! He'd already swept her off her feet those nights ago, now it felt like that could happen at any time!

After some more panicking, her gaze was finally restored; her eyes flickered to her alarm clock before falling back to the meal by her side. Her first meeting was less than an hour away. Steadying herself with a deep breath, she took up her knife and fork and claimed a rasher of bacon before skewering another tomato beneath it.

The moment the morsel slipped past her lips; his form arrived in her mind's eye to accompany the delightful taste. This was going to be even harder than she'd thought.

---

As expected, the morning's work had proven difficult to focus on. High noon now approaching, the guardian of the Sol Emeralds had just concluded the last of her meetings before her scheduled break for lunch. She'd organised a topographical survey of a newly discovered island to the south, decided the locations of new wildflower beds set to be planted across the capital city and set up a meeting between two hunter-gatherer groups from the isle of Blizzard Peaks. Though the work had been successfully completed, imagined forms of a certain psychic time traveller had been vying for her attention.

A folder was clutched against her chest, so she shouldered her way through the door leading to the royal gardens. In truth, the papers she was carrying weren't in need of edits or even reread, but they would hopefully prove to be an acceptable excuse to keep her eyes off Silver. Ideally, they'd also mean that conversation would be scant, but Blaze knew that hope was, at best, foolish.

As the princess' heels met with the stone path that cut across the garden's grass, her eyes were cast across the greenery, in search of both him and his work. The rose bushes flanking her sides looked to have been recently trimmed, but she admittedly hadn't been paying much attention to their state over the past weeks. Nothing looked out of place... but if he'd only done easy jobs, as she'd instructed, his work was set to be more subtle. A sigh slipped her lips as the great glass greenhouse dome came into view, still half obscured by various bushes and large ornamental plants.

It wasn't that she didn't want to talk with him of course, under any other circumstance she'd have happily accepted a lunchtime rendezvous, but the role he'd taken was prodding at the forefront of her mind. While she should have been rehearsing the customs of the two nomadic groups, she'd been plagued by an imagined reality wherein he'd enter to offer her and the scholars she'd gathered tea just in the hopes of seeing her. The thought of the island survey had reminded her of so many not-quite-dates they'd been on, hiking and visiting the natural wonders spread across her kingdom. Considering the flowerbeds had especially sparked her imagination, conjuring images not of him working the garden in his typical manner but presenting her flowers and offering her arm.

Blaze stopped in her tracks, balling her fists. She hadn't even reached the hedgehog yet, but her tail was whipping wildly, and her temperature had skyrocketed. He was just trying to be helpful, simply embodying a foolish idea that had brewed in her absence. She was being just as fanciful and immature as he was; Silver's change of dress wasn't going to induce some shift toward the romantic. If anything, his self-claimed role should have put him in the strictly platonic position of being under her employ rather than an honoured guest. And yet, for a multitude of reasons, it made Blaze feel much the opposite.

She heaved a deep breath before resuming, hearing the resounding clicks of her heels against hard ground. It was only when she was halfway there that she noticed how the greenhouse had changed, its glass panelling was catching the sun in a way unlike it had for years. Had the metal frame that separated the panes been repainted? He hadn't promised to go that far, but Blaze supposed that wouldn't be too difficult of a job for Silver and his powers.

The guardian picked up the pace and quickly arrived at the dome's entrance but opted instead to round its right side. It was as she thought, the thoroughly cracked and glaking paint was gone, and a still slightly wet looking white sheen had taken its place. Despite this change, and though she didn't round the entire dome, the princess couldn't see a single stray droplet of paint on any of the glass. That success suggested he'd used his powers, but she'd never seen them used quite like this. Regardless of how he'd done it though, this was an incredible feat considering the limited time he'd had. He'd been shocking accu-

Blaze's train of thought came to a screeching halt as a movement within the gazebo caught her eye. Various ornamental plants surrounded the dome's edge, both in pots and on tables, most of them requiring a more humid climate and protection from the elements. Through the stalks of a particularly tall flowering bamboo plant, she'd only just managed to see the hedgehog on the far side of the dome. Even though he was out here working, Silver hadn't changed out of his fancy outfit; leading to a view that teased a wiry grin onto her lips.

His hands were raised before him, gently oscillating back and forth as he stretched his fingers. Ahead of him floated a dozen watering cans, each of them pouring into individual pots. Every so often, seemingly at his whim, one or two of the dispensers would upright and float to a different thirsty plant or rush to the flowing faucet at the back end of the half-sphere for refilling. As her gaze was pulled in that direction though, it landed upon an iron wrought table and chair that had been set up at the building's heart. There was silver dome, surely covering a plate, directly in front of where an individual would sit.

Her vision shifted from his works to focus on the hedgehog and, again, heat blossomed on her face. He looked like a conductor, standing tall and straight before a grand orchestra. Poking out through the back of his trousers, just visible through his suit jacket, Blaze could see his tail beating back and forth. Compounding with that expression, emphasised by his brushed down quills, the hedgehog's expressive ears were sticking straight up in excitement.

Though that view, and imaging the grin on his face, warmed her heart comfortably... it did lead to something much more embarrassing. He seemed to have realised that using his powers would force his quills to straighten. To keep his quills as she'd set them, he'd used an accessory to ponytail his quills. Specifically, he'd used one of her red bands.

It was as she noticed the hair-tie that a trio of the watering cans flipped from floating under the faucet to race in Blaze's direction. Before she could step one way or the other, either better into hiding behind the bamboo or toward the entryway, his gaze was cast over his shoulder. Immediately, the grin she'd imagined on his face was replaced by the real thing… only for it to grow even brighter as they locked eyes.

Blaze couldn't help but look away. Her toes and fingers curled as she, rather quickly, turned and made her way to the entryway. The princess caught herself just before she could shoulder check it, realising there was a fresh coat of paint on the entryway too. It seemed to take the hedgehog himself a second to notice this, but the moment he did the watering cans were rushed to the ground as he raced over. With a psychic tug, the door swung inwards, and Blaze was met with the rain-like sound of the pouring faucet.

As she stepped into the room, she couldn't help but notice the worry creasing his face, "I-I'm sorry, were you waiting for me to get the door?"

Her eyes broke from his face to trail down his form, again being drawn to his suit and bowtie. Somehow, even now that she was fully dressed in her royal tailcoat and tights, he still made her feel underdressed. Silver's scruffiness was quintessential, it wasn't something she could verbally explain but there was a sort of balance to the hedgehog's appearance. The soft cuteness of his fluffy appearance was contrasted by a certain inherent prettiness, both of which masked the underlying ruggedness of his lived experience. Dressed as he was now though, his softness was more misplaced while those the latter aspects was on full display.

"Not for long," The stern tone of her voice was born of her own internal conflict, "Don't worry about it."

Ahead of her she saw the iron wrought chair glow cyan before being pulled out for her to sit, "Do you have a lot of time? I-I tried to make something you could eat on the go if you have to."

She hesitated, still feeling the worry in his voice, "I have time, don't worry Silver, but," She held out the folders she was carrying, "I do have quite a lot of reading to do."

"Oh, alright," He quickly moved, making for the side of the table, "Then I'll just present this and leave you to it."

The absence of his smile promoted a different stirring in her chest.

"Silver, relax," Blaze insisted, arriving at the table, "I know you want to fill this role, but try not to take it so seriously. You're just helping me, this isn't nearly as important as your other work," As the princess sat she kept talking, both to keep him from ardently proclaiming anything and herself from getting cold feet, "Regardless of whether you want to say it is," It was around then that she ran out of words, but she couldn't help noticing his expression had softened, "Thank you for painting the gazebo, I didn't think you'd go that far."

"It's no problem, it was easy," He promised, but his eyes had drifted to the table, "A-And I know I'm overdoing it, I'm probably about to show that again, you just work so hard and…" Him smile had returned but there was something new in it, it was as if he was bursting with warmth, "I just really want to help you, in whatever ways I can now."

With that, he raised the large metal dome, and her eyes were drawn to where it'd left. The hedgehog had prepared a spread of club sandwiches far larger than she could ever hope to eat; one row of tuna and cucumber, the next of ham and pickle, then a third of chicken and what looked to be avocado. Each row consisted of six triangular sandwiches, plainly derived from two full sandwiches each cut twice to create three smaller ones.

Immediately, Silver's choice struck a chord with the feline. Coming from a destroyed world where it was sparse, the easy access to food her world offered had first spurred him to try everything and then take to the culinary arts himself. Through both of these pursuits, Blaze had a very clear understanding of Silver's taste. His sweet tooth was most obvious, but the platter before her spoke volumes about the hedgehog's intent.

First and foremost, Silver didn't like pickles. The hedgehog didn't like slimy food in general, that's how he'd refer to it rather than her, but their salty-sour flavour seemed to especially put him off. That former issue however was also present with the tuna and cucumber sandwiches he'd prepared, he wasn't a fan of wet bread especially. Coming from where he had, he was more than willing to eat these things of course... but his preference was easily read on his face.

He'd made these sandwiches specifically for her, not to share. He'd opted to give her variety, even though it went against his own taste. For anyone else such a conclusion could only be born from overthinking, but to Blaze it was as plain as day.

She was shaken from her thoughts by the sound of pouring, She'd been too distracted to notice the glass pitcher of pink lemonade set behind the spread, now being used to fill a tall glass with an almost childish yellow straw poking out of it. Within the jug, and somewhat spread to the glass, she could see lemons, cut strawberries and smatterings of raspberry floating alongside ice.

"Is there anything else you need?" Blaze's mouth felt dry as he leaned over her. Clearly his new position's mannerly traditions hadn't granted him a sense of personal space.

She managed to shake her head and set an open folder down adjacent to the provided meal, "No, this is more than enough, thank you, Silver."

"It's really no problem, it was all fun to make," He smiled through his voice, "I'll try not to be too loud, I've only got a few more plants to water."

"Don't worry about it," She insisted, mostly so that he didn't overextend himself but also because she didn't really need to read, "Just do what you can but don't overwork, I can keep an eye on you now."

"I'll try," He answered, a little more than half-heartedly, but he only made it two paces away, "Um, are you sure you want me to go back to work?

She turned in response, her eyes quickly dropped from his face to his waist. As had happened a few times before, through its flailing, her tail had found its way to curl around his waist. Immediately she grabbed the errant appendage, freeing the hedgehog from her accidental grapple.

"There," She grumbled, "Sorry."

"It seems to really like me lately," He mused aloud, heading to physically pick up a watering can, "I wonder why…"

Blaze wasn't about to answer that. Instead, the princess drew the glass close and put the straw to her mouth. She immediately recognised the flavour of pink lemonade, the mix of red fruits and lemon was obvious, but more than anything it was the sweetness that stood out to her. More specifically, it was how well balanced the sweetness was with flavour; it wasn't as purely sugary as the drinks the hedgehog usually made. Silver would happily take six sugars in his tea, were it for himself the liquid would be closer to syrup than water… but it wasn't for him. It was sweet and refreshing, neither aspect overpowered the other.

Again, Blaze felt warmth amass on her face as her thoughts ran rampant. While this was all lovely, he could have so easily prepared something closer to a neutral ground and shared all this with her. In fact, they'd done that before; sat in this very building during prior breaks between her meetings no less! Had he even eaten today? Between him getting up early to make her breakfast, preparing her lunch, painting the gazebo, tending plants and who knows what else... what time had he had left? The hedgehog might not have done anything especially difficult, but he had worked incredibly hard!

She drew up a tuna and cucumber sandwich, taking a bite as she pried her gaze from him. The freshness of the fish immediately caught her attention, but she tried not to overthink that. There was simply too much here, she stood no chance of eating it all, so immediately she spawned a plan. Of all he'd made, the chicken and avocado were likely the sandwich he'd like best so she'd aim to leave some of them behind.

Her gaze was forced to her binder's pages as she ate, though the wall of words did little to halt her rampaging thoughts. That night, her tail had stayed coiled around his waist for much of the evening. It was only natural her subconsciousness would react to the similar circumstance, or so she told herself.

Mere minutes later, only two pages into her reading and two small sandwiches eaten, her gaze had already returned to him. Keeping to his word, rather than psychically tending the plants he'd taken hold of a single watering can and was filling it manually, turning the faucet off and on rather than letting it run. She'd made it halfway through a third sandwich, finding the avocado perfectly ripe, as he turned to water a growing dracaena tree.

Though she was uncomfortable wearing formal dresses, he'd taken to the suit without the slightest issue. Blaze supposed that made sense, he didn't have the mental baggage associated with dressing up that she did, but did it have to suit him so well? Black clothes went well with his white fur, she'd recognised that when they'd first gone clothes shopping over six years ago, but she hadn't anticipated the impact of tailored formal wear.

It was almost the opposite of his usual clothes, so neatly put together and buttoned up. It contrasted his usual loose-fitting jackets, t-shirts, and baggy jumpers. A wetsuit he'd once worn was the only thing that came remotely close, but (like the suit) that outfit came with its own flustering memories. The lack of exposed chest fur was especially an oddity, usually the hedgehog's chosen garbs had a hole cut, a low neckline or simply didn't cover his chest. Instead, the princess could make out the outline, even through his buttoned jacket, where the fabric was slightly stretched. In that formfitting way especially, the suit truly was like that wetsuit.

She drew her glass close for another sip, just in time for him to depart that plant and move to refill his watering pail. The way she'd been heartily throwing an objectifying gaze in his direction was bringing her stomach to churn. Blaze finished the sip and her current sandwich before locking her eyes on the page, trying to reabsorb details she already understood regarding changes to the local fire station.

Not three minutes later she'd already glanced up at him no fewer than four times. She gritted her teeth and curled her toes as she batted over the page, half-sighting a diagram of an expansion to the facility's water tank and its various ports for refilling fire engines. None of this was her area of expertise, but that was what engineers and advisors were for. She'd listen intently to what they had to say and trust in their decision making, so long as there was nothing that stood out as unwarranted.

That meeting was set to be long, but it'd be followed by a short but relatively intense brainstorming session focused on treating Southern Island's eastern shoreline for erosion. Her notes for it were already written, she was set to vehemently stress that whatever mitigation they selected should have a limited environmental impact and shouldn't disturb local businesses for an extended period... although again, it wasn't her area of expertise. It wasn't traditional defence, management of the otherworldly, or designating aid for her people; those were her speciality.

All in all, that meant she would be listening, asking questions and note taking but wouldn't bring a plan to the table. She knew she didn't really have an excuse not to stare at him, she should have been talking with him in all honesty and being casual like normal, but she was certain that her blush wouldn't allow for that. So, staring, as much as she hated to think it, was all she could truly manage. Another ham sandwich was slowly being eaten.

By now he'd moved to tend a large leafy fern, its name was lost on the guardian. His idea of what a butler did seemed to run the gambit from chef to groundskeeper to being a general servant, she'd have to ask what he'd read to prompt all this later. He'd always been good at following instructions, when she'd take the reins back in Crisis City he'd follow her commands without-

Before she could react, Silver glanced over his shoulder and they locked eyes. Blaze had no idea what had prompted him, whether he'd felt her gaze or it'd been a simple whim, but she was immediately met with his growing smile. Temperature spread across her shoulders and billowed up to heat her muzzle.

"Good job not getting any paint on yourself," She quickly excused her staring, blankly glancing down to her open binder, "I assume you used your psychokinesis?"

"Oh, yeah!" He boisterously responded, "It was really easy; I just shaped the paint to fit the metal."

That mental image was a little confusing. Had he shaped the paint like he could water, lined it up, and then applied it all at once? Or had he formed the paint into the shape of a paintbrush and applied the coat in a more traditional manner but from a distance?

"I see," Was all she managed to respond, but she soon decided it wasn't enough, "Between that and lunch, you're really taking this butler thing seriously. You've perfectly fallen into the role…"

"I-I have?" His stutter magnetized her gaze back to him.

Despite the outfit, despite all he was doing, this was still Silver. He was still the naïve hedgehog he'd always been, overthinking yet underthinking and as easy to read as a fairy-tale. Praise had always been a weakness of his; regardless of his efforts, the hedgehog never expected it. That was something she could use, something she could take advantage of. He wore his emotions openly, that meant they were easy to toy with. If he was just as embarrassed as her, it would show far more clearly. If they were both in the same position, she'd get through today far more easily.

"Absolutely," She gently hummed, attempting to play coy and subtle to gently build him up, "You said it yourself."

"I did?" He half repeated, not catching her drift.

"You really are good at this, Silver," She now more bluntly pressed, "From your powers to your interests, it all matches so perfectly. You've made wonderful food and performed impossibly well. No one else could even come close."

His cheeks puffed pink as his smile grew more bashful still, when he tried to look away and return to his work it only served to reveal his beating tail. It was close to what she'd hoped for, but not the stumbling and stuttering mess that she'd caught glimpse of a little more than a handful of times. Pushing him to that point, from them being on equal footing to her being the more comfortable, would that make this all a different sort of enjoyable?

Blaze bit her lip, glancing back down to her papers just in time to avoid his eyes drifting to her from the chrysanthemum he'd been watering. Her thoughts were scattered and yet they all orbited a central concept. To get the most enjoyment out of his current state, she would have to fluster him more permanently.

Regardless of those thoughts though, feeling his stare was itself stoking Blaze's own blushing. The feline flipped to the next page of her binder, but again the words were but a vacant wall before her. The presence of her own cursive handwriting however did provide some inspiration. After scanning the tabletop and patting her pockets, making sure her plan was solid, she looked across to the time traveller.

"Could you," She hesitated for a moment but managed to steel her nerves, "Do something for me?"

"Anything," Excitement sparkled in his eyes as his gaze snapped back to her.

"There's no need to be so dramatic," She rolled her eyes, "I think I left my pen in the meeting room. Could you go and get it for-

"As you wish, I'll be back with it in a moment, don't worry," He cut her off, not quite like any butler she'd ever read about, before psychically waving the door open and launching into flight.

Blaze couldn't help but snort as the door slammed shut in his wake and he soon vanished from view. Any task he was given, no matter how minor, he'd put his whole heart into it. She could ask him anything short of carrying her back to the meeting room and he'd have done it enthusiastically, without even questioning it. A potential lay there, an opportunity she was still cautious about taking advantage of.

The guardian pulled a pocket watch from her robe; time had flown, she would need to return to the meeting room soon. After that though, after just two more meetings, she would be free to do as she pleased. They would be free to be together without the worry of work. Both options were foolish: to take advantage of this situation bordered on juvenile but to not would be such a waste.

She drew another ham and pickle sandwich to her lips, still thinking. Perhaps she wouldn't feel so bad about it if she gave him a task he enjoyed? Maybe if it ended with some sort of reward for him, she could command him without hesitation or worry? They were set to have an evening all to themselves, a time which they'd usually while away in the library, the gardens, or her bedroom. But she was in charge today, she got to decide where they'd be and, more specifically, what he'd do.

A long sip of pink lemonade was claimed. Of course, she knew that this couldn't go on forever. Not only would the hedgehog inevitably have to return to his world and continue his grander task, but also Blaze knew she couldn't stand this becoming the norm. For a spell it might even be nice, but she valued Silver's headlong capacity to act boldly where she would not. Having him wait after her and only do as she'd ask ran contrary to that want. If she could make the most out of this just once, if she pushed him as far as possible and thanked him, then hopefully he'd see that there was no score to settle. Ideally then, he could help her and receive her help without overthinking if he owed her something. Just what form would the big push take though? That question was proving difficult to answer.

She could make some extravagant request he could never complete, like for him to clean the entire palace, but he'd just stubbornly smash his head against the task until it broke, or he did. Neither of those outcomes were her goal. It had to be something light, something he would enjoy, but would lead him to realise that there wasn't anything to make up for. That he just-

Blaze didn't let the sound of the door flying open surprise her into turning. Instead, she kept her eyes fixed to her pages. She heard psychic whirring quickly rush to her side before, presented from behind, a pen found its way to land at her right side. The princess tried not to snort as she noticed he'd physically placed it, yet surely used his psychokinesis for every step beyond claiming it. She imagined he'd treated it like some sacred relic.

She looked back and up at him but only for a moment, "Thank you," Again, he'd drawn much too close, the outline of his chest fur beneath the fancy garb almost entirely consumed her vision.

Wanting to make it look like his efforts weren't for nought, she pointlessly underlined a section detailing how wooden struts could be used as a wave break.

"You're more than welcome," The impromptu butler happily responded.

He reached over, still stood behind her, and claimed the jug to start refilling her glass without so much as blinking. The hedgehog was getting good at this; suave wasn't a term she'd use to describe him, but if this was the closest he'd ever been to it. It would be a shame when this all came to an end, but it was for the best. If she had too much fun with him, then adapting to when he was away would be impossible.

"Has today been busy like yesterday? You seem kind of distracted," Of course he'd noticed.

"Not especially, I think I'm still just a little tired," She half-lied, "I only have two more meetings."

"Oh, really?" A relieved look crossed his features, "I was getting a little worried."

"I'll make it through," She waved off his fussing, "You're working much harder than me today."

If his outfit was having such a strong effect on her, then would what she wore that night prompt a similar response from him? Though she owned a lot of formalwear, she'd kept that outfit in particular at the back of her closet; pressed and folded but as if it'd been forgotten. She couldn't help but imagine how he'd react if she were to don it and surprise him. He'd be curious about the change, that much was certain, but would it fluster him? It'd draw the memories of her birthday night to the forefront of his mind, that much was a certainty.

As he began to walk away, heading toward his watering pail to resume his work, Blaze once again caught sight of his wagging tail. When her gaze reflectively dropped, this time to the platter of sandwiches rather than her notes, an idea jumped up at her. It met all her criteria, it wouldn't take much work and he'd surely enjoy the work, but could she stand what she had in mind? It took her a few minutes of thought to settle, then five or six more to decide how she'd frame her ask. Surprise would likely increase the odds of her endeavour's success.

"Remember this morning, I said I'd think up something for you to do?" She called across, opting not to look up quite yet, "Well, I've got something in mind," She let those words hang in the air before, finally, meeting his eye, "Only if you feel up to it, of course."

"I told you Blaze, I'll help wherever I can," He was beaming again, entirely oblivious to her machinations.

"Upon rereading my notes, I think my last meeting this evening is going to go a little longer than I anticipated," She lied, "I wonder if, as my butler, you could provide dinner for me and a certain guest?"

"I absolutely could," He quickly nodded, "Would it just be for you and the advisors?"

"Yes," Her toes curled, had she mentioned today's meeting to him already? "Well, just one advisor. The others will surely depart but one is set to stay for a while longer."

"Oh," His inflection soaked up all her attention, did she detect disappointment? Had he himself come up with plans for tonight? "Do you have anything in mind you'd like?"

With his hint of disappointment catching her off guard, Blaze struggled to think for a moment. How much did she wanted to manipulate the situation? It was important to strike a balance. He'd probably enjoy himself the most if he had free reign to cook as he pleased. Not only that but, by presenting him a choice, the hedgehog would likely spend much of his time in the kitchen and not overwork himself elsewhere. She could honestly foresee him making an afternoon of it, her leaving his options open leading him to produce something special for her and this mystery guest.

Allowing herself a small smirk, Blaze opted to give a simple response, "Surprise me."

---

The trap had been laid; Blaze sat in wait. The royal meeting room was windowless and sparsely filled. A circular table, large enough to seat twelve, stood atop the lush mauve carpet of the room's interior. At its centre an unlit three-pronged candelabra had been placed and stocked with fresh candles. A cork board hung on the left wall, littered with the remnants from meetings spanning several months back, but besides that feature the wall was bare. It was very fortunate that the lights had a dimmer function, the room's lowlight state was lending to the ambiance that the feline had sought to create.

Blaze was sat with a book in hand, specifically one of the fables that had likely inspired his efforts today. It hadn't proven difficult to find, he'd left a small pile in wake of his efforts yesterday. The phrase he'd been repeating with such seriousness, as you wish, came from a book that Blaze wasn't certain the hedgehog had fully understood. The character who repeated the phrase was a stable hand, which she supposed wasn't too far removed from being a butler, but the tome was plainly romantic. By the hedgehog's own bookmark, which she had gifted him to stop his dog-earing, he hadn't really reached the romantic highpoints that she'd skimmed to.

That book's presence wasn't her primary tool for teasing him however, neither was the room's set up or the lack of mystery visitor. The princess had taken on the outfit she'd worn on her twentieth birthday. A dark red military style long coat (buttoned all the way down the left side) hid a cream shirt with ruffles at its sleeves and collar. Rather than her usual tights, mauve riding trousers and shin high black boots clothed her lower half.

To be frank Blaze hadn't been the biggest fan of her present outfit, at least prior to her present understanding of its potential. The clothes she wore day to day, her royal robe and tights, perfectly walked the line between formal and practical. Her preference outside of them honestly bordered what the hedgehog himself typically wore, but she couldn't be seen publicly in such garb and so she owned little herself.

Her current outfit was a little heavy, and a little too formal, but she had made peace with it for the time being. The look was intended for travel, it allowed modesty and decorum to be maintained while simultaneously not hindering her movements. It did seem though, based on the padding within the coat, it was intended for someone without her pyrokinetic capabilities. Either way, she'd accepted it rather than the elaborate dresses associated with stereotypical royalty.

The only remaining fixture of the room was an old grandfather clock, stood strong on the opposite side of the room and adjacent to the door. During the aftermath of her claim, she'd instructed him to bring the food at five thirty, knowing her meeting wouldn't drag on past four. That time had only just arrived, Blaze knew he wouldn't keep her and her non-existent mystery guest waiting.

A knock resounded against the door; she gave just a moment's pause to check herself over and make sure everything was in place. Though the sound hadn't quite caught her off-guard, her heart picked up the pace. A last-minute thought prompted her to quickly undo the top button of her jacket, hoping its looseness would somehow cool some of her flustered warmth.

"Enter," She permitted aloud, raising the book to block her view of him.

While it would have been a delight to watch his surprised look evolve, leaving him to hang on his thoughts and break the silence was bring a slower and longer lasting enjoyment. She felt a wiry grin cross her lips as she heard some sort of cart push into the room before coming to a sudden halt, it was easy to imagine the confusion on his face. She heard him take another step, likely reaching the table, before pausing again.

"Hey, Blaze," He greeted, his state of mind plain in his tone, "Is the guest away at the bathroom or something?"

"Guest?" She feigned confusion, "What guest?"

"The one you said would be staying late tonight," He elaborated, questioning still in his tone.

"Oh, them. They decided to leave early," She finally looked up from her book.

They locked eyes and, immediately, the princess could tell that her plan had worked. To say he looked flustered would be an understatement, pinkness capped his cheeks and his eyes quickly bolted for the trolly he'd brought in. Her gaze followed them and arrived at the frankly ludicrous amount he'd prepared. While she had anticipated that he'd go overboard, dishes were stacked on not one but two levels of the luggage trolly and what looked to be an ice box was accompanying them. Just how far had he gone? What all could even be in there?

"Oh, that's a shame," He managed to mumble, awkwardly shifting the trolly to avoid looking at her.

"It appears that they made a rather poor choice," Blaze mused aloud, unable to keep all the surprise from her voice, "You've clearly done a lot of work Silver, I'm sure it's all wonderful."

His blush doubled its spread across his face in pursuit of his smile, in the room's quiet she could hear his tail whacking against the back of his jacket, "Thank you."

She could tell that he'd noticed her outfit, in the same way she was certain he'd recognised her reaction this morning. His eyes kept lingering on little things, like how her gaze had been drawn to his quills and the fabric obscuring his chest fur. The exposed frill just poking from her jacket sleeve, the open buttons along her left side and especially her hair being down were clearly holding his attention. That latter aspect was something she'd almost forgot from that night, that she'd attempted to balance the overly proper outfit with a slightly more casual hairstyle. In hindsight, it mirrored how his quills had been styled; he had been made fully formal, if such a thing was possible for Silver. She had attempted to avoid such a thing.

It was strange when considering their positions in life, but formality suited him better than it did her.

"Regardless of their absence, since you've gone to all this effort, I think I'll still take dinner here," As she made that decision verbally, she began to slip out of her jacket. The coat was only necessary to spark his memory of that day, now it would linger on in his mind, "Would you please set the table?"

He half bowed, fully returning his eyes to her, "As you wi-

He hesitated mid-sentence, eyes wide. It was clear that he'd finally noticed the book she'd been reading as she'd set it down, deciding to shift her garb.

"Is there a problem?" She coyly inquired as she slung the long coat over the back of her chair.

"No," He plainly lied, "J-Just, um, I should probably talk you through all I've made. It's a bit much for one person."

His hands raised and cyan light overtook the weak warmth of the bulb hanging overhead. Immediately, a long white sheet billowed out from the cart before taking to the air like some sort of ghost. The candelabra, book and her binder rose from the wooden table only to return after the sheet slid between them and the wood. As she'd presumed, he had brought placemats and cutlery. Silverware, a metal placemat and a plate soon found its way before her but did not grace his side of the table.

After that however, one by one, a seven rectangular silver dishes with domed tops formed a collective near the table's centre. It took one more wave of his hand to shift the lids from the plates, revealing a veritable smorgasbord of different foods. From right to left there was paella decorated with king prawns, crispy golden spring rolls, stir-fried noodles with beansprouts and green pepper, a cheddar and prosciutto quiche, steaming saffron risotto, clam and spinach linguini, and a pile of knotted garlic bread. A serving spoon found its way to each of the messier foods, while a knife made its way to the quiche and a set of tongs arrived beside the bread.

She'd been confident that she'd manage to avoid him to set her trap, that he'd end up spending most of his time in the kitchen, but it was now clear that he had been in the kitchen ever since she'd departed the gazebo. While it had been unclear if he'd eaten before lunch, Blaze was almost certain he wouldn't have had time to pause while working on all of this. The thought that he'd go to this much effort for her, following what had been a relatively sudden and otherwise simple request, did prompt her heart to skip a beat. There wasn't a ludicrous amount of food, each foodstuff was fairly portioned, but the effort he'd gone to by making so many individual dishes was clear.

"I realised I hadn't really asked if the guest had any allergies or anything, and since you'd asked for a surprise I thought a small buffet would make sense?" He hurriedly explained, still seemingly reeling from noticing the book, "A-As in, you'd probably only expect one option but now there's, um…"

He began to point things out, growing all the more flustered as he did, but his words fell on deaf ears. Blaze drank in the sight of him; he'd put himself together so well but now he was beginning to unravel at the seams. The pink on his cheeks was bordering on red; he looked like he might overheat any second and his, still fully buttoned, jacket certainly wasn't helping. Silver was practically squirming as he explained, his gesticulations were even more over the top than usual and she couldn't help drinking them all in. The hedgehog hadn't noticed yet, but his psychic showings had caused one of his quills to slip free from their ponytail-snare to hang at the side of his muzzle. She was very tempted to demand his approach, just so that she could tuck it back into place, but the embarrassment in that effort's aftermath would surely prove to be more than the guardian could handle.

To complete the set-up, a coaster and tall glass floated their way from the cart to land in front of her. As she came back to reality, she heard him ask, "I've got a few drinks too, some juices, water… wine? Do you want anything?"

"Wine? For a meeting? How scandalous," She mock tutted and watched panic creep into his disposition, "Just water will be more than fine."

"I just wanted to give the most options possible a-and it was one of the only things I could…" He further squirmed beneath her gaze, turning and opening the icebox to allow a large pitcher to float out, "As you wish."

The jug floated through the air, angling itself to pour upon reaching the glass before settling near the table's centre, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," He more gently smiled, "Is there anything I've forgotten? Anything else you want me to do?"

Was he really that oblivious to the current situation? Of course he wasn't, Blaze could see it in his eyes; he was overthinking so much that he was hardly thinking at all. Of course he knew the seat opposite her was meant for him, but he still needed her command.

Blaze hesitated, faux contemplating whether there was. There was something so enjoyable about leaving him with his thoughts, hanging by the lone thread of anticipation. Everything she'd set up, from her initial order to her outfit to the state of this room hand been building to this moment. Her words and mind had been made up hours ago.

"Well, I can't eat all that on my lonesome," She stroked her chin, "Have you had dinner yet?"

"No," She could see the gears spinning behind his eyes.

"And you'll do whatever I say, won't you?" She pushed.

"Y-Yes?" He squeaked, plainly knowing where she was going with this but not daring to bluntly act or ask as he usually would. By tonight's end she'd hopefully have returned him to that prior state.

"Then join me," The princess ordered her butler, gesturing the chair opposite, "I can't leave you hungry after you went to all this effort."

The hedgehog did hesitate, his stare dropping to the chair. She swore she could see sweat on his forehead, that his hands were shaking as he pulled the seat out and his gullet flexed as he heaved a swallow. If he hadn't thought she'd set him up before, the psychic was plainly certain of it now and further trying to predict if she had any other traps laid out. Admittedly, she did have a few choice words in mind but nothing quite so extravagant as what was presently in place. Whether those smaller schemes would have a deeper, yet blunter, impact however was still to be seen.

"Set yourself up," She smothered her grin, "Take whatever you'd like."

The hedgehog reached over his shoulder, turning to psychically draw another set of dining equipment from the cart. Blaze knew fine well that he could have claimed the items without turning, but he was attempting to hide his flustered state. His tail was still beating back and forth, the crinkling of his ears stood out like a stone windmill atop a hill and there was no denying the tenseness in his shoulders.

As he arranged the space before him; Blaze reached across the table. With a simple flex of her fingers, one by one the candles between them were lit. The situation she'd orchestrated bordered on being stereotypically romantic, but it'd been the most apt parallel she could come up with that would both match the romanticism of her twentieth and keep him following her orders. So far, everything had gone exactly to plan.

Lightly, she waved her flaming fingers along the base of each dish he'd set out. A wreath of fire came to trace around the metal containers, guaranteeing they'd stay served at a warm temperature without expending too much of her power. She hadn't exactly done that before, unlike lighting candles, but it'd been hanging in her mind since she was a child, seeing tea lights used to keep hot plates warm. That, and shows of her power tended to light a certain sparkle in his eye.

"What would you recommend starting with?" She asked, fully earnestly.

"Well, um," He hesitated, going to tug at his chest fur (a common nervous habit of his) only to find clothes in the way, "I guess the garlic bread? The plan was to make a few main dishes, those being the pasta, paella, and quiche, with a few side options. I mostly made the garlic bread to be more of a snack, something light or to start or…" His tongue seemed to become tied for a moment, she almost thought he'd bit it, "I'm probably over explaining."

"That outfit has made you dangerously self-aware. You're doing wonderfully," She joked then insisted, "Thank you for the recommendation, Silver."

She took hold of the tongs and drew two of the knots onto her plate before passing them across to the hedgehog. Unfortunately, the gap between them was only just too wide, and so his powers were again used to extend his reach. As he claimed two pieces for himself, leaving one in the basket, the feline drew the gloves from her hands and balled them to sit atop her book. That seemed to catch the hedgehog's eye, for whatever reason his blush seemed to further as he floated the cutlery back to her side and began to fumble with his own gloves.

"You're looking a little hot, is something the matter?" Blaze asked, entirely aware of both her word choice and the origin of said heat.

"I think I just need a drink," He managed to answer with a straight face, but again took the opportunity to fully turn away.

From the large icebox came another pitcher, this one filled with orange juice that looked to be freshly made, like the lemonade this morning. In the wake of its appearance, she did somewhat regret simply asking for water but there was always the opportunity to claim it later. Those thoughts didn't hold her attention for long though as, while he took a long drink, a fresh thought flew into her mind.

"You know you can take your jacket off…" She couldn't help but smirk as the next words fell from her lips, "I give you permission."

In the wake of his stunned response, she drew up a piece of garlic bread and allowed her eyes to be drawn away from him. The taste was wonderful, the bread was perfectly crunchy and buttery, but it couldn't hold her attention for long. A glance taken but a moment later revealed him to still be fumbling with his buttons. By the time she'd finished the savoury mass, he'd only just managed to remove his outerwear and reveal the white shirt beneath.

In shuffling to remove his though jacket, he seemed to have finally noticed the errant quill hanging at the side of his face and some chest fur poking through his shirt buttons. Blaze saw another opportunity, one that was slightly embarrassing but would perhaps push him just a little closer to being his usual self. That, and it should shift him closer to the midpoint between proper and casual state that she often attempted to embody.

"Make yourself comfortable, I insist," She finished the piece bread only to catch his gaze flickering between her and his clothes, internally debating, "Whatever that takes."

The hedgehog again hesitated at her offer, hand still on his stray quill, but quickly seemed to settle into what he wanted to do. The top buttons of his shirt were undone, allowing just a small amount of chest fur the freedom to breathe. Then he slipped loose the red ring that had been holding his ponytail in place. With a wave of his free hand, psychic energy blew his flattened fur back out and into its usual fluffy style. While seeing slight relaxation cross his muzzle did bring her joy, her eyes found themselves pulled to the red ring in his right hand.

"I've been meaning to ask, where did you get that?" Blaze asked, pointing to the hair-tie he'd just pulled loose.

"Oh, I was tidying up the library last night, practicing after I thought this whole butler thing up, and I found it under a couch," He quickly explained, presenting Blaze with the humorous mental image of him tidying and practicing the anachronistic tendencies he'd been embodying on his lonesome. That was interrupted though as the hairband hovered to her side of the table, "I meant to give it back to you this morning but I kind of got caught up in the whirlwind of the whole thing and left it in the kitchen. When I went down, I had the idea to use it."

"Well, it seems almost fated," With a smile, she pushed the hovering object back toward him, "It suits you."

"Thank you," He grinned, plucking the accessory from the air, "You look really pretty today," The hedgehog had been fast to return her compliment, but even quicker to realise what he'd said, "I-I mean, you do every day of course but that outfit just," He continued to stammer, stuffing a piece of garlic bread into his mouth, "It's the one from your twentieth, right? Why did you change into it?"

"Oh, I don't know," Even if he'd spoken with his mouth full, his unintentional flirting was just so endearing. She was stringing him along perfectly, "It just felt right."

She let the silence that came in those words' wake linger, making short work of her second piece of garlic bread. With her plate cleared, she considered what to take next. All of it looked good of course, their combined aroma in their windowless room was truly mouth-watering, but lunch and breakfast today had already been more than she was used to. A little bit of everything seemed like it'd be too much, a blend of too many contrasting tastes and textures as well as honestly just too much food.

Ultimately, having pushed her plate toward the dishes, she opted to take his taste into account. While the hedgehog did eat meat, his preference likely lay in the spring rolls (though their exact contents were unknown) and stir-fried noodles. She opted to take a small portion of everything else: a cut of quiche, a dollop of risotto, and a larger portion of the linguini.

A forkful of the latter immediately proved her decision wise, the red sauce that coated the pasta and soft clam meat had a spicy kick to it. When he'd first taken up cooking he'd struggled to spice food, probably due to his own inability to handle the heat, but with time he'd managed to strike a balance. This pasta was perfectly embodied how far he'd come.

The saffron risotto was similar, it carried a slight kick that suited her pallet but went too far against his own. Again, this food was plainly for her rather than him, he'd plainly hoped that her guest would be able to eat some of the things he'd meant for her. Well, at least he'd made a few things close to his taste. The quiche too, though simpler in taste, was a grander feat of creation. Its pastry was perfectly right, the taste of cheese wasn't overwhelming but didn't hide beneath the egg and the pieces of parmesan, onion and tomato were perfectly sequestered throughout. Never too common but not too rare.

She'd made it a forkful through each aspect of her meal when he reached out to claim his own food. As she'd anticipated, he'd claimed a big pile of the noodles and most of the spring rolls but then he went on to cut a slice of the quiche. She'd known he'd claim a small mountain of food, but not all at once.

He made it a few bites in but redness still clung to his cheeks. She caught him throwing her stares before, finally, piping up again, "There never was a guest set to stay late, was there?"

She chewed and swallowed, taking the opportunity to think ahead, "What makes you think that?"

"W-Well, um," He again went to tug at his chest fur only to meet with fabric, "Just," He gestured to the candles, up to the light and then to the book at her side, "All this stuff?"

"What a devious theory," She crooned, cutting a chunk from her slice of quiche, "Do you really think I'd lie to you?"

"N-No!" His nose wrinkled as she raised her brown, "Well, um, not about anything important?" His voice cracked but he doubled down, "You have before to tease me."

"You think I'd set this all up to tease you?" She could tell by the growing redness of his face, the best he'd manage to answer was a wavering maybe. Before he could answer, she opted to cut him off, "This really is lovely. Did you really cook all this yourself?"

"Yes," Her compliment furthered his bashfulness, she heard his tail strike the back of his chair, but he surprisingly fought on, "J-Just, you had time to change and find a candelabra. You even have that book, that means you at least had some time after they left. Right?"

She chewed and swallowed her forkful, pretending to be in deep thought, "Well, I didn't have to look very far for this," Blaze poked the book's cover, "Someone had left it as part of a pile, near our usual spot. Its contents just so happens to match some of your recent activity quite closely," The feline could feel the cunning in her smirk, "Right down to a certain phrase you've been using."

"You got that far then…" He seemed a little surprised, "That means you did have a lot of time, right?"

"Well, I got further than a certain bookmark I found," Blaze deflected, "I suppose its owner got a smidge too caught up in their own thoughts, must have slowed their reading."

He grew even redder, his gaze collapsed to his plate, "Perhaps."

"It is a nice book," She moved her finger from it, returning to prime her fork with pasta, "But I think I prefer my Silver to that stable hand, if you catch my meaning," He squirmed, but tried to obscure his emotions with a huge mouthful of spring roll, "Though, given the chastising he receives from a certain other character and your thought that I set this up as a trap, perhaps you see another parallel."

He almost choked, so much so that he was forced to psychically reach for a napkin on his trolly, "I didn't really think that much into it, I swear. I-I just saw how polite and helpful he was being, and with the other stuff I'd read it just sort of made sense? I just thought, you know, with my powers and the cooking and tending plants, it sort of made sense for me to fill that role. There was all just-

Blaze couldn't help but laugh, he was speaking so fast, "You're so naïve," She tried hard to smother her outburst, "It's fine Silver, but it's like I said this morning. You don't have to do all this."

He smiled, albeit softly, as his overly expressive hands slipped back to his cutlery, but Blaze could see something lingering in his eyes. He was an over-thinker, he was a hammer with a thousand neurons firing behind its head but not one of them pushing it in the optimal direction to strike the nail. Silver was sweet and soft and genuine, but he hopelessly naïve.

For a while they ate in relative quiet, the ticking of the grandfather clock and her occasional thrown compliments kept the sound from fully vanishing though. Each and every morsel she ate was just so wonderful, the risotto especially kept pulling her in. There was something about the balance of it, how the smoothness of the sauce seemed to contrast yet compliment the kick of the saffron. The pasta was similar in its spice, the fishiness of the clam mingled so well with it to create a perfect duality.

She did go on to claim just one of the spring rolls, finding its filling to be entirely vegetable as she'd predicted but again the crunchiness of the casing so wonderfully matched the tender internals. Beansprouts, bamboo shoots, carrots, onions, lettuce, and mushrooms created a variable internal consistency when mixed with their sauce, but it still managed to contrast the exterior. Everything he'd prepared truly was wonderful, the thought that she could have eaten this with another and not thought of him the entire time was a fool's dream.

But, despite all of her enjoyment, Blaze still found herself lingering on the hedgehog himself. Ever since she had reminded him that he didn't actually have to do any of this, though he had been eating quite ravenously, his disposition had shifted. His ears weren't quite as straight as they had been, his posture was slightly more hunched too. Despite his eating, she could tell that he was deep in thought.

Untimely, she broke the quiet, "What's on your mind?"

"Did I mess up in doing all this?" He cautiously asked, only briefly looking up, "Was it all a stupid idea?"

"Well, everything you've made today has been wonderful," She initially complimented, gauging him, "But I'd call it naïve rather than stupid, Silver. It's been perfectly you, even if you've not embodied your usual self."

"Right, but," His right hand found his back quills, "Have you been okay with it? Did I go too far with things, did I make you uncomfortable?"

She could hear the concern in his voice, "Of course not, you mostly just surprised me. You didn't do anything I thought was too extreme. You were just sweet, like you always are."

For the millionth time in this sitting, a flushed look claimed his muzzle, "It just feels like I've overstepped, and maybe you've tried to show me that by doing all this," He gestured to the lighting and the candelabra, "I was just trying to make up for all you've done here. Letting me stay here, the food, all the time we've shared, these clothes even," The hedgehog seemed to run out of words, his gaze parted from hers, "It's just a lot."

She set down her fork and stood, granting the small amount of extra reach they'd need to hold hands. Almost instinctively, though he didn't stand, the hedgehog reached out and their grasps met. The fingers of her right hand coiled around the portion of hand directly beneath his thumb and along his lower wrist. Immediately, gently, he returned that hold.

"I know it may feel like you've got something to make up for, but I'm telling you that you don't. You are here as my companion, not some renter or even guest. You can do nice things, but don't worry about some sort of non-existent balance of favours," The princess insisted, squeezing his hand, "I don't want a serf to order around, I just want you. I just want to be like this with you; free to be the me I'm not supposed to be otherwise. If I'm to be comfortable and free to be as I want, you should be the same," Though he still looked bashful, he met her eyes, "As fun as it has been teasing and ordering you, I wouldn't have things any other way."

"So, I can do stuff like this for you," He spoke his thoughts aloud, "Just, I shouldn't for that reason?"

"You should do whatever you want to do," She rolled her eyes at their shared over-seriousness, "But I won't have you feeling like you owe me anything."

He squeezed her hand, intensely meeting her stare, "Alright then, as you wish," He immediately realised what he'd said, "I-I mean, I won't do things as your butler or whatever. Just myself."

With that, despite the trappings of the meeting room, things progressed far more normally. Even as they sat and ate, conversation scarcely left the air. They talked of the books he'd read yesterday to inspire the days antics, the pile of work that was awaiting the princess tomorrow and their friends in the other world. It wasn't long though before the feline was full and soon after, though it took much more food, he matched her.

"Right, I'll just take this back to the kitchen then," He rose, beginning to psychically gather the goods and slinging his jacket over his shoulders, "I guess the leftovers will probably keep for tomorrow?"

"Silver," Her serious tone caught him off guard, but he quickly seemed to understand, likely prompted by her punctuating his name by snuffing out the candles.

"I mean, we can take it back," He awkwardly grinned, "Not just me."

"That's more like it," The silliness of his expression prompted a matching one from her as she made her way over and took the cart by its handle.

He went for the door to open it for her, simultaneously casting his psychic power across the room and pulling her coat to fit around her shoulders. Following gentle thanks, she pushed on through, the hedgehog tailing behind her. It wasn't long before they were walking side by side down the hallway, like a very bizarre set of parents pushing an overloaded pram.

Not long after, he used his psychic powers to push open a set of double doors. The kitchen was in a surprisingly clean state, the pots, pans, and trays he'd used were already loaded into one of the palace's two overlarge dishwashers. With a combination of psychic will from him and manual labour from her, what food remained was packaged and the dirty dishes were being automatically cleaned.

In the aftermath of their cleaning efforts, Blaze's eyes drifted one of the kitchen's windows. Her first glance to the outside world in over six hours revealed it to be cast in the light of a summer sunset. As she looked away, she caught his eyes cast in that same direction. Without the red band to keep his quills together, and following his mild displays of psychic powers, his quills had truly returned to their upright, bed-headed, state. She hadn't noticed until now, he'd gone from having the top buttons of his shirt undone to more than half of them and his bowtie had come to loosely hang at his neck.

To be honest, caught in the warm pink hue of the approaching night, he looked more like he had on the night of her twentieth than ever before. It wasn't just the suit from that night which brought her heart to skip beats, but his expression in a tone painted by the sky and messiness born of their freedom. Gingerly, she sidled up beside him and raised herself to sit on the kitchen counter.

The noise brought his eyes racing to her, but they quickly fell to the floor. For as oblivious as he had proven himself to be, surely that much was a sign that he knew he was feeling something. That thought in itself however, did bring Blaze to look away from him.

"I-Is there anything else you want me to do, Blaze?" He asked, only to lock eyes with the incredulous stare she sent his way, "One last thing, just for today as in? Before we go back to normal."

She hummed mockingly but genuinely considered his ask, "Is there?"

An idea did pop into her mind, one she'd had earlier that day. On one hand, it was more foolish and self-indulgent than anything else she'd asked for today. On the other, she'd thought of it specifically as a bridge he wouldn't cross. Ideally, his stumbling here would end this foolish nonsense and they could go back to normal.

"Well, I suppose I do have one last request," She pretended to yawn into her palm, "I am feeling rather tired after our meal. Would you mind carrying me up to my room?"

She'd meant it as a joke, a fact she was certain he'd hear in her tone, but the hedgehog sprang into action. Before she could blink, he'd stepped closer. One hand found her shoulders while the other slipped beneath her legs. In one swift movement she met cheek first with his soft yet unruly chest fur and the crumpled fabric of his shirt. In her usual outfit it would be embarrassing enough just being held in this style, but she softness of her ruffled shirt was so different from the usual thickness of her usual royal garb. If she'd been wearing her jacket properly it might have been manageable, but the strong touch of his fingers on the thin fabric was triggering all her synapses.

"S-Silver, I was joking," She flustered, feeling her tail whip around as she looked up at him, "You don't actually have to-

"W-Well," He was redder now than ever, "Maybe I'm doing this because I decided I want to, not because you asked."

The princess was stunned into silence, but the hedgehog refused to waver. Though his blush intensified in the wake of those words, and he was plainly sweating (likely due to a combination of embarrassment and the heat flagging from her) he pushed forward. She heard the whir of psychic powers, the spreading of a door, and soon it was the hallway rather than the kitchen framing his face.

It took them climbing halfway up the royal stairs, the hedgehog now refusing to use his powers and insistent on performing the act properly, for Blaze's sense to catch up to her. Though they'd cleaned the meeting room of food and paraphernalia, the binder with all her notes for tomorrow had been abandoned alongside the book that'd inspired him. He wasn't her butler anymore, her insisting he go down and get it would run contrary to what she'd just worked into him. That all meant she'd need to get up early and head down there to read up on the day's work, it was lucky she'd had a little extra time to read while waiting for him.

A sigh slipped the guardian's lips, that tiredness she'd lied about was now claiming her. Blaze allowed herself to nestle into the crook of his shoulder and shut her eyes, trying to build up energy for when they inevitably arrived at her bedroom. In her freshly drained state, her mind began to wander without being granted permission.

Today had been a strange day. From his initial arrival and gift of breakfast to him now carrying her back up to that room, the princess had experienced an endless string of high emotions from panic to embarrassment to excitement and glee. The fact of the matter was, whether he'd remained a butler or not, more of that was most certainly in her future.