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Blaze didn't pretend to understand what Silver did or how he did it. Timetravel was a complex and tiring subject to try to understand. She wasn't even sure Silver fully understood how it worked. He once told her that 'Timetravel in itself was breaking the rules. The more you timetravel, the less the rules apply to you.' That was as much as her brain could comprehend form that conversation. He didn't speak often about his timetraveling escapades, never wanted to worry her with threats he faced or with the existential dread the duty made him face on a near day to day basis. Fixing the future, futures - was difficult, and it weighed heavily on his mind. But never his heart. He always returned the same naïve goofy Silver. Always came back to her, for her. So when Silver told her off handily that he began to cultivate a garden at the end of time she just kinda dismissed it as another part of background white noise, another unimaginable feat too big for moral minds to comprehend, that sort of stuff, heard it all the time. She didn't think much of it - until, her birthday.
It was a long day for the cat, the morning filled with mundane, mind-numbing meetings and mountains of paperwork. The rest of the day was arguably worse. The Princess' birthday was officially categorised as a national holiday. Which meant massive preparations, parades, parties, festivals in the streets, firework shows, and Blaze was forced to attend all of it. She didn't mind the holiday part, she was glad to see her people enjoying themselves and celebrating each other's company. But it was all made to be about her, people were obliged to come up to her and wish her health and fortune and bow before her. Rich benefactors from across the isles sent gifts and riches all to sleaze their way into her good graces. Occasionally even asking for her hand in marriage. She scoffed every time. She just threw the presents away. It all made her feel so uncomfortable. She'd usually manage to stomach it all with Silver at her side to distract her. But Silver was unfortunately busy, away in some distant timeline stopping five different timestreams from colliding into each other, whatever that meant. The day dragged on, it was the longest day of her life, quite literally as Blaze was born on the longest day of summer. But eventually, she was let go and ventured back to her bed chambers, exhausted, all that was on her mind was the softness of her bed and a good night's sleep. But a different type of softness met her as she opened the door to her room.
A quilled figure framed against moonlight, with their fur shimmering beautifully stood in her room. Silver had returned, and barely in one piece. She quickly rushed to him, cupping his face in her hands as she looked over him. A plaster across his nose. A scar running across his lips. A black eye, he could barely open. His whole body covered in bandages, cuts and bruises everywhere. He was even missing a tooth on his upper right side! Blaze was horrified. But Silver just smiled sheepishly, fully presenting his missing tooth. "Happy Birthday, Blazey." He said deep and low, almost a murmur, the feline noticed a bruise around his neck.
"Silvy, by The Sol Emeralds what happened to you?!"
"I'm not too late am I? For your birthday? I'd feel horrible if I was." He seemingly ignored the question. "I tried to get back sooner, but the chronometer in my suit must've malfunctioned in the quantum storm, I lost the track of time, literally, ha ha." He laughed as he realised he accidently made a pun.
"No, what happened to you, you're hurt! Who hurt y- Are those arrows sticking out of your back?!" Yes they were.
"Oh, yeah, that last sun-eater came out of nowhere. Anyways," He remarked matter-of-factly, "I got you something." Only then did Blaze realise Silver was holding a long white box in his hands. He brought her a present.
"Silver, you-- you didn't have to. Just set it aside and let me look you over." She began to drag him by his shoulders towards her bed.
"Please, at least open it first, I worked really hard on it." She turned back to face him. His face was still smiling sheepishly. It set her heart a flutter, for a split second her irises lit up in a fiery orange glow before being subdued by Blaze's willpower.
She gently took hold of the rectangular lid of the box and lifted it. Inside the box, laying on a golden silk pillow, was a rose. But not like any kind of rose Blaze had ever seen. It was beautiful. She stared at it a moment. "Can I?" What was she asking, of course she could, it was her present. Silver nodded happily. Blaze carefully took the rose by the stem and brought it closer to her face, she twirled it, examining it from all angles. She was mesmerised. In all honesty Blaze couldn't quite comprehend what she was seeing. The stem of the rose was a dark purple with crystalline thorns at its sides. The petals were as if she was looking out into outerspace through a telescope. They were moving, something was moving, and shimmering. The closest thing she could have compared it to was a nebula, the remains of a supernova, like The Pillars of Creation, which she only saw in her study books when she was younger. The petals looked almost like glass, like a window through which she was viewing the nebula. But there was something else moving. Little specks of dust circling around the petals. Their movements choreographed as they followed the path of thin circles surrounding the flower. Blaze squinted. She looked closer. And she was shocked at what she saw! They were orbital cycles! And those weren't specks of dust, or pollen, they were planets! Blaze pulled back. She was holding a solar system in her hands.
"Do you like it? It's a replica of our solar system."
"It's beautiful, Silver. But how-"
"Well, remember when I said I was cultivating a garden at the end of time? It's one of those! It's what I've been working on for the past few... wwwweeks? Time is funny sometimes. I know you don't like presents or your birthday, but it just felt wrong not celebrating it. You're the most important person in my life. I feel like I always have to show you how much I really appreciate everything you've done for me. I was going to get you something small, because I know you don't like big gifts, but when I get started and I get an idea, you know, I give it 110%. And I thought, hey, you like to help me out in the garden sometimes so maybe-- I'm rambling, sorry. Point: it's a new breed of rose..." His markings began to light up, his equivalent of a blush, "I was going to call it The Blaze. But that might be too... sappy."
She simply smiled and softly nudged him with her shoulder, "I think that's what you excel at." Her golden eyes returned to the flower, "Honestly, Silver, you do too much." She said with a giddy smile.
Silver's own smile disappeared for a moment as his mind flashed to a dream he half remembered, a nightmare that haunted him for years now, it was so vivid and realistic, like a memory of something he once lived. But it couldn't be. Fire. Ruin. Her leaving him. An ultimate sacrifice. "... I feel like I don't do enough." The joy in his eyes dulled and his head bowed down, looking at the floor. Another intrusive thought. He hated those. Maybe his pills were wearing off, he should've probably taken some more by now. He forgot again. Idiot. Idiot.
A soft yet strong hand lifted his chin up, her thumb running across the scar on his lips. She made sure their eyes locked again.
She spoke softly and husky, the way he liked, "Thank you, Silvy."
He shook a little. But he mustered up the strength to respond, "Thank you, for giving me a life worth coming back to."
"Alright, alright, you're using hyperbole again. You know I can't take complements. Let's get you looked at, and... let's get those arrows out of you. And I'll find a nice vase for this rose."
"Thank you, Blaze, I mean it."
"I know. Well, to let you know, no, you're not late, it's 11:52. It's still my birthday. And it's alright if you did miss it, I know you're busy too. Though it is nice to have you back so soon. I hate it when you leave for months on end. I always worry, that you might get lost out there, that you won't find your way back to me."
"Aww, but, I'll always come back to you, Jalapeno." He remarked cutely. Blaze immediately turned away from him and began to drag him to the bed again. She had a first aid kit in her nightstand, that was just her life. That pet name. It drove her crazy. So stupid. So naïve. It filled her with embarrassment, her body heat skyrocketing, her willpower barely holding back the flames from bursting from her fur. Yet she never told him to stop calling her that. If anyone else ever dared to call her that they'd be dead in seconds. But hearing that come from him... She'd allow it. "Ugh, shut up, and sit down. You're so naïve."