Chapter Text
They had been relaxing and chatting quietly after the run and appreciating the cool breeze from the water as the sun began to dip, when Blaze's gloved hand accidentally brushed against Sonic's. The chatter stopped, and Blaze tensed up.
Why do I want to hold his hand? We've held hands before... Hell, Sonic holds hands with plenty of his friends.... We've only really held hands in combat-oriented situations, it doesn't have to mean anything.
Sonic looked to Blaze with concern, she'd flinched slightly at his touch, was she alright?
"Blaze? You okay?"
Blaze may have been a pyrokinetic, but her face was on a different kind of fire that she had no control of.
"Mhm!" She replied too quickly and turned away from him.
Sonic stared at the back of her head for a moment before putting the pieces together in his brain. Gently, as though tending an injured Flicky, he moved his hand into hers. Even through the glove her hand had a warmth emanating from it and Sonic couldn't help but stare down at it. His normally smug expression relaxing into a small but tender smile.
"Hey... It's alright Blaze."
"..." Blaze didn't respond but she squeezed his hand a little tighter. Sonic's face fell.
"Sorry, It doesn't have to mean anything if you don't want it to..? I'm not normally one for romantic gestures anyways." He looked at her with worry.
"Ah! No! I mean Y-yes? I'm not sure what-" Blaze rolled back over to face him.
The pair stared at each other in an awkward, blushing quiet for a moment. Neither could meet the other's gaze for more than a few moments, but neither wanted to look anywhere else.
"I would never wish to make you uncomfortable Sonic, you have my apologies."
Blaze loosened her grip on his hand and tried to pull it away, attempting to sit back upright.
"That's not what I meant, Blaze."
Sonic tightened his grip on her hand and pulled her back down towards him into a hug. Blaze's eyes widened in surprise as a small "mrrp?" escaped her. Her head met with the soft fur of his chest and she tentatively tucked her arms underneath him, returning the hug.
"Sonic... You're aware there's... probably no stable future for us together, right? How would we even... in the long run..." Blaze's muffled words came out timid, the quiet of them betraying her fear of the commitment.
"That's alright." Sonic whispered back.
"We can take it step by step."
Blaze nodded her head and leaned a little harder into him. As she nuzzled against him, Sonic could hear a soft purr coming from her throat, and he couldn't help but let out a soft clicking purr of his own. With the sun well below the horizon, the pair cuddled closer, Blaze's warmth more than enough for the two of them to comfortably nod off for the night.