A double bed had never felt so small and yet so giant. The left side of Silver's face was pressed into a single pillow, the covers uncomfortably fit over his right shoulder, and his whole body was much too awake. He could feel every heartbeat pounding in his ears, every breath sounded like a hurricane in motion. He felt like he had to apologise, but that might mean waking her and that would surely only make things worse.

Blaze was mad at him, she had to be. He'd flipped over no fewer than five times already, and now he longed to shift for a sixth! He'd gone from his back to lying on his left each time of course, never daring to turn toward her; not in the state that they were in. He'd never had to try to lie still before; usually he'd get into bed, she'd clamber into position, and they'd fall fast asleep in an instant.

He was being to noisy, wasn't he? His heart was beating eight times to loud, let alone the manual breathing he'd enforced on himself what must have been an hour ago. Every time he tried to quiet his breath he woke up all the more; eventually he'd end up short of breath and surely breathing louder than before. Even just thinking this much, it all felt like he was being loud and stupid! Was he sweating, could she feel him sweating? He should have just slept on the couch! He couldn't get up now though; if she had managed to doze off despite his nonsense, he'd risk waking her up!

Their recent efforts had been fraught with ludicrous lows and highs. The pair of them had dared to delve into his time once more, only to come upon it in a state best described as an inversion on what they'd experienced before. They sky was blotted out by dark clouds yes, but lava did not run through the streets. Though no snow fell through the air, cold wind tore across the continent like rakes clawing through leaves- tearing away at all they made contact with. An ash cloud of some sort was blanketing the sky, blocking out all but the slightest of sunbeams.

No life remained on the planet, be it plant or creature, but thankfully all manner of rations seemed to have been frozen by the icy apocalypse that now gripped the world. They'd had fish, chicken, and so much more. Of the end times they'd been stuck in this was one of the more survivable sort; but that was only thanks to his partner. If he were here alone, he'd surely have died by now.

Blaze had taken charge before he could even start to shiver. She'd wrapped him in flames, practically putting herself in her arms to ensure his warmth as they floated about a destroyed station square. They'd put their plans to investigate on hold in the interest of safety- gathering flammable supplies and settling on a base they'd endeavour to keep warm. They'd made their headquarters a hotel room within a skyscraper which hadn't fallen, opting for one of the few second floor suites in good condition.

Needless to say, what had been a logical choice for health and safety now now only served to make this more awkward. They'd selected this suite six nights prior and not faced a single issue. The fact the suite had but one bedroom and a single bed within it hadn't felt like an issue! They'd spent the six earlier nights lying in this very bed, spending the late hours after exhausting days sharing warmth and comfort without a care. A discovery while salvaging had robbed him of that comfort in a single night. Well, Silver knew he couldn't truly blame the drink she'd found. He was just looking for something besides himself to blame.

They'd found a bottle of muled wine, deep within the cold remains of a long abandoned supermarket. It wasn't often that they visited the drinks section of such locations, usually their focus was food rather than drinking water, but an advertisement had caught the cat's eye. She'd melted free a bottle and added it to their rusty shopping cart. Her logic had been sound; that it was an easy drink for her to warm, and that alcohol already had warming properties. As ever, she had been looking out for him.

As their scouting had so far proven, they were the only living creatures left in the city- there weren't any bugs left, let alone people. Everything was completely unoccupied. Forget the couch, he could have had his own room in this hotel- or any room anywhere in this empty city! The vacancies were endless and every room was free, there was no need for them to stay in the same building let alone the same room.

But that was the norm for them. They always stayed together. There was no reason this time would have been different; if anything the cold meant he was more inclined to stick by her side. Of course they'd ended up sharing a suite.

In theory, the cold should have kept the alcohol from getting any stronger... but evidently its strengthening had only been slowed. The warm drink should have made for a perfect reprieve after a long day of investigation; fruity and warm, tasty. But the alcohol's effects seem to have been exacerbated by their surroundings. Blaze had lit candles throughout their hotel room, hoping to both heat the room and keep her own power use to a minimum.

They'd just eaten after a long day of investigating, clambering over toppled skyscrapers and skating across streets paved thick with ice. As they'd travelled, they'd managed to collect a variety of newspapers after melting and burrowing their way into the subway system, as well as taking notes on the state of the city. It wasn't unusual for them to spend their evening conducting detective work, piecing together the evidence and drawing up theories as to the potential cause of the apocalypse. To do so over wine was a little different however.

Volcanic activity was the leading hypothesis; that some sort of massive eruption had filled the skies with black clouds. For an ash cloud to linger for two hundred years seemed unusual, but no other natural source for the cold dark seemed to make any sense. Of course, there was always the likelihood that Eggman had blacked out the sky using some manner of bizarre science- intentionally or otherwise.

His hand had topped hers, so technically he'd started it. It'd been an accident, they'd reached for a paper at the same time- mild inebriation hadn't kept them from their work- but she had touched the worn newspaper first. Their eyes had clashed in the wake of that contact and in that moment something long buried had risen to the forefront of the hedgehog's head; a series of thoughts he was now failing to disperse. Her face had been framed by the candlelight and he'd found himself unable to look away.

It wasn't the first time he'd sat in awe of the feline, far from it. His heart would race whenever he watched her battle, whilst she commanded attention in her royal tone, and especially when the cat dared to lower her shields to let her soft side show. Something in this moment however had been different, not necessarily rarer but less obvious to him. Maybe it was the wine, perhaps he was feeling the heat, but Silver couldn't deny what he was thinking. Pretty wasn't the first word that he would use to describe Blaze, usually the likes of powerful or smart or skilful would come to his mind first, but in that moment it was all he could think. It was as if he was seeing her again for the first time; how her eyes caught the candlelight to shine like flames of their own.

The hedgehog had leaned in, but she'd reached the goal first; before his mind could process what he was doing, her lips were upon his. He'd felt his grasp over her hand become a hold, he'd practically melted into the warmth she was radiating, but it was over just as quickly as it started. His free hand had reached to touch her shoulder; that surprise contact must have brought the cat back to her senses. The cat had pushed herself off of him, her free hand shoving into his shoulder as she rocketed to stand. It'd all been so fast, it'd began and ended in almost an instant.

Blaze had excused herself before he could muster a single word; she'd left their hotel with a quickness usually reserved for battle. He'd paced back and forth across their hotel room for hours, clawing his quills out and berating himself. Sobriety had tore through him, leaving the psychic's stomach sick and his head ringing. The latter wasn't aided by the synaptic storm tearing through his mind; questioning how drunk he'd really been and whether that was an excuse; going over what had happened a thousand times.
Sleep had seemed like the only possible escape from his overthinking and embarrassment. Eventually he'd sequestered himself in the room they'd foolishly opted to share, blowing out the candles and shutting himself away in the dark. Rather than claiming his regular position in the middle of the mattress, forcing her to confront his splayed form, he'd resigned himself to the far left edge of the bed.

Blaze had returned with more rations; he'd heard her restocking the kitchenette. The cat had lingered in the doorway, he'd heard her standing there. When the door closed he was certain she'd left, but then he'd felt the covers shift. He knew how the mattress shifted on her return, he'd felt the warmth radiating from her... but no sound had come. In hindsight, perhaps she'd thought he was already asleep? Well, since her arrival he'd been much too active. She had to know he was awake now. Well, unless she'd been asleep since her head hit the pillow...

No, the guardian overthought far more than he did. Surely she wouldn't sleep easily tonight. How long had it been? It could have been hours or mere minutes. Regardless, Silver knew this wasn't sustainable. He had to sort this, he had to fix this now. He'd leaned in, he'd lingered when he should have followed- he should have made things right immediately! If he didn't act now, they'd have to wait until morning. Though his tongue felt like lead, if he didn't speak now then he'd surely regret it. If they were both lying here, unsleeping and paranoid, they'd be useless tomorrow. At the very least, he would be.

"Blaze," He swallowed the taste of regret that follows his initial whisper, pushing past the fear that he might awaken her as he asked, "Are you awake?"

The silence is deafening, he shouldn't have spoken up. All a sudden all that anticipation and-

"Yes," His heart skipped a beat as he flinched.

"Did I wake you?" He'd said that too loud.

Another pause, his mind immediately resumed its racing. If she wasn't mad at him before then-

A sigh broke the quiet this time, "No."

He could feel himself grimacing, now more awake than ever, "Do you want to talk?"

A third pause, he couldn't handle this! Why-

"I don't know," Once again she'd been brief.

"Is there something you want to do?" Why couldn't he keep the words inside his mind for half a-

"Can we try to be normal tonight? Instead of doing..." He could practically hear her grimace, "This."

He swallowed hard before finally rolling to instead lie on his right shoulder. Immediately he was met with a set of warm honey coloured eyes cutting through the dark left by snuffed candles. She was facing him, had she been staring into the back of his head this whole time? He hadn't heard her toss and turn as he had; but then again, he'd been too focused on the sounds of his own body to really pay attention to hers. If anything, he'd wished to forget she was even lying behind him.

Well, that much wasn't true. Of course he didn't want to forget her again.

Now face to face, neither of them had dared to make the first move. Why was he struggling to look at her; it wasn't as if he had anywhere else to look! The seconds felt short and long simultaneously, every heartbeat was like a hammer smash against his ribcage. She was looking at him expectantly- why was he holding his breath?! Oh, she was waiting on him to answer!

"O-Of course we can," He spluttered, "Will I..."

She gave a nod and so he was forced to act. The gap between them was wide enough that he could fill the space without touching her. While he had technically made the first move, he would leave first contact to her.

The cat didn't hesitate. The covers slipped free from her shoulders as she dragged herself across the mattress. Her arms like tentpoles at the sides of his ribcage; was that nervousness?. He felt her shift- knees battered over legs until her knees were straddling his waist, her tail flicked and flipped against his shins, all the while her golden eyes were piercing him. It was as if she was struggling to find the right spot to lie. Was he lying differently? Was it just the weirdness of this whole situation making things more difficult? What was he supposed to do with his hands before she lay down? What did he usually do?

"You're cold," Was she complaining or concerned?

"Sorry," He winced.

"You should have said," Both, she was complaining and concerned, "How long have you been awake?"

"This whole time," He cringed, "Sorry..."

"Stop apologising," The cat growled.

He swallowed a third sorry, "I didn't want to ask you to warm me while things are strange between us. After you left, I didn't know what to do with myself. I don't know if what we did means-

Her hand pressed against his cheek, her touch alone made him realise she was more concerned than annoyed. Given just how warm she was, he really was frigid. He'd been far too deep in his own mind to notice. He could feel her warmth pushing into him, melting away at the hardness in his shoulders. Despite the toughness she always put forward, Blaze really was soft.

"I didn't want to make you uncomfortable or to feel like you're trapped here. We're here to do a job, we're here to save the world, but between the drink and that kiss," What was he even saying? Why had he brought that up! "I just want to make sure we're okay, that I haven't ruined anything. I don't want things to be difficult between us. I don't want one moment to end all we've done together."

"Nothing's been ruined, but like I asked before," Despite the direness conversation, she was finally getting comfortable, "We can figure out tomorrow when it comes, but can we just try to be normal tonight?"

"I don't know that we've actually ever been normal," Again, the words just poured out of him without a second thought, "I-I mean, yes, of course. For as long as you want."
"You're so naive," Despite his stupidity, he could hear the smile in her tone.

The warmth only increased as their chests made contact- the feline had finally retaken her place. Her head found its way to rest upon his clavicle, the gem on her forehead crested against his chin. She was so warm, already the hedgehog could feel himself drifting-

"It's your fault anyway," He heard her sleepily huff.

He blinked, panic pushed him back into being awake, "W-What is?"

"It's your fault that this became normal for us, that I've gotten so used to this," Before he could ask, a specific came, "I don't think I can sleep without the sound of your heartbeat."

"Sorry," He flinched, she'd told him to stop apologising, but no reprimand came.

"It's okay," Gladness filled his chest, "Just know that, no matter what happens next or how things have changed," She felt so warm, "I know you're foolish enough to think otherwise, so just know that I need you. That's never going to change," Was her temperature spiking hotter? "Let's leave it at that for tonight."

They were here for his world, he'd dragged her into his mess, and yet she was doing most of the work. From keeping him warm to gathering food, she even had a better mind for strategy! Blaze had done so much and yet she was insisting that she needed him? The best he could offer right now was his use as a pillow...

For all his overthinking, the hedgehog realised he hadn't given her that most obvious and necessary of responses.

"I need you too," It felt good to say that, regardless of the buzzing in his head.

He'd regret it the moment this was over, he was sure of it, but Silver couldn't help himself. Though the hedgehog couldn't match her efforts, he did all that he could from his pinned position. Groggy from her warmth, he reached his psychic will beyond the cat's back to pull the covers up and around her. His true hands found the space beneath the duvet, rounding to cross behind her shoulder blades. Having lain apart for so much of this night, he wanted to hold her as close as he could.

He'd fall asleep soon; despite his racing mind, he felt so much more comfortable with her frame on his. Getting up tomorrow, going about their investigation with all these emotions rumbling under the surface; that would be much harder. Perhaps they'd lie in for a while longer; just as they'd delayed lying like this for far too long.
Well, no matter what, Blaze had to make the next move. After all, she was lying on top of him.