Chapter Text
Winter: a beautiful time of the year in Silver’s opinion. Even though this was his first time ever experiencing it, the fact remained the same. White flakes floated from the sky and piled high on the ground. Smoke pillared into the sky from every building, evidence of a warm and welcoming fire from inside. Snow crunched beneath footsteps, and children had daily snowball fights at the park. Everyone broke out their winter gear whether it be for walking from place to place or participating in winter activities. Warm soup and hot chocolate became staples in every cafe and restaurant one could lay their eyes on. Lights hung outside buildings, turning every village into a beautiful display of colors at night. Holiday specials and festivities were constantly being planned from small parties to village-wide gatherings.
And Silver loved it.
Until he found himself eating a lot and feeling rather sluggish to say the least. It grew harder to wake up some mornings with Blaze having to shake him awake sometimes, much to Silver’s embarrassment. He also found himself seeking the warmth of the fireplace very often. He swore he fell asleep in his and Blaze’s shared living room more than his bed. He could never remember feeling like this before, but maybe it was just getting used to different weather. He figured he would be fine.
That is until he had a party to attend. Silver loved parties; he could never deny that. Everyone gathering together just to be around each other was very much unheard of in his time. Spending every waking moment avoiding flames and death didn’t leave much time for such luxuries.
Amy decided to throw a winter party at the Restoration HQ, even managing to rope Knuckles into attending. Everyone was to bring a dish of some sort, and Silver currently found himself empty handed with only half an hour before the party started. He had chosen to take a short nap, but it turned into five hours. The spite he felt to find himself still tired was palpable.
Silver walked out of his bedroom and into the living room. Just like before, he felt himself drawn to the fireplace. He scanned the living room, noting how plainly decorated it was with only a rug in front of the couch and a plant in the corner. It wasn’t a shock to him. Him and Blaze were rarely there, having dimensions and timelines of their own to live in. After having so many adventures that tended to last months, they decided to rent a small hut for a place to stay until they were no longer needed. Constantly crashing on everyone else’s couches was uncomfortable overtime.
His eyes drifted back to the warm fireplace and soft couch, noting the blanket he had left from the night before. From the looks of it, Blaze had folded it that morning. He hardly even remembered leaving the couch that morning, but he could barely remember the past few days anyways.
He continued his way to the kitchen, a pleasant aroma reaching his nose. He poked his head inside. There was Blaze, pulling a couple trays out of the oven.
“What’s that?” He asked, sleep still lacing his voice.
Blaze turned around and smiled. “Oh, you’re up.” She set the trays down on the counter. “I made some lavender muffins. I figured they would be good for the party.”
Silver nodded with a hum. “You think I have time to make something too?”
Blaze raised a brow. “Unless you know a simple recipe, I do not. The base is ten minutes from here, and the party is in twenty minutes.”
He looked down at the ground, wracking his brain for anything, but his mind was still foggy from sleep. He looked up when Blaze spoke.
“How about we just say this is from both of us?” She said as she began removing the muffins from a tray. “With how many people are attending, I’m sure there will be more than enough food.”
Silver thought for a moment before nodding with a smile. “Sounds like a plan to me. If that’s the case, let me take care of the rest,” he said as he approached a tray. Using his psychokinesis, he began lifting the muffins from the trays, each one covered in the light blue aura. “I’ll put all of these in the container and clean up so I can contribute!”
Blaze smiled and stepped away from the muffins. “I can agree with that. While you do that, I’m going to finish getting ready.” With that, she turned and left the kitchen.
Within a few minutes, Blaze was ready to go, and Silver had finished packing up the muffins. Blaze patiently waited by the door with muffins in hand while Silver pulled on his boots. As Silver was tugging on the second boot, the heat from the fireplace was soaking deep into his bones. The sleepiness from earlier was quickly returning. His body and eyelids felt heavy. The couch he was sitting on was already so soft. The blanket was right there too. Maybe he could just get a couple minutes of-
“Silver!”
His eyes snapped open as he sat up straight, his head swiveling around for the source of the sound. His gaze fell on his friend.
Blaze was still standing by the door, a slight frown on her face and her tail lightly flicking. “I’ve said your name five times now.”
Silver blinked the sleepiness away as he stood up, quickly shuffling to the door. “Oh, yeah, sorry. Want me to carry those?” Without waiting for an answer, he took the muffins from her arms and reached for the door handle.
Blaze sighed. “Silver, your coat.”
“Oh yeah.” He grabbed his coat from the rack, slipping it on. “There! Let’s go!”
Blaze stared at him skeptically as he walked out the door. She put out the fire using her pyrokinesis and followed him out the door.
“Silver?” She started as they walked down the road. “Are you alright?”
Silver turned to her. “Huh? Oh yeah! I’m fine!”
Her ears turned back as she scanned him. Dark circles were forming under his eyes. His quills were slightly disheveled, only looking decent from the two seconds Silver put into smoothing them out. “But something is clearly up with you. You’ve been… distant and sleeping often. Are you sure you’re alright?”
He gave her a smile. “Yeah, I’m sure. I would tell you if I wasn’t, okay?”
Seeming somewhat satisfied with the answer, she let out a small sigh, her ears returning to their neutral position. She reached over, smoothing a few quills Silver had missed. “Alright. I’ll take your word for it.”
His smile widened, and they continued their trek to the Restoration Base.
❃ ❃ ❃
If there was one way to describe the Restoration Base, it would be lively. A long table at the end of the room was covered in a variety of foods. There were a few drinks at the end, the options being holiday classics such as eggnog and hot chocolate. Jolly music played over the speakers. People chattered amongst themselves, and some would dance or sing to the music, especially the children. There were numerous tables set up with games that many were participating in.
Silver found himself sitting in a chair away from everyone. For the first time in his life, he couldn’t bring himself to talk to anyone. He was still tired, and his mind couldn’t clear the fog. Rather than dwell on that fact, he busied himself with eating and drinking hot chocolate.
Once he was finished with his food, he found himself more tired but still hungry. He let out a sigh, running a hand down his face. He hoped he would wake up soon so he could enjoy the party with everyone else. In the meantime, he was going to eat some more.
~
Blaze watched Silver from her seat next to Amy. Her, Rouge, and Amy had decided to chat, talking about anything from current political situations to chao races. Regardless of the topic, her eyes kept drifting to him. She couldn’t shake the feeling of something being wrong.
“Blaze?”
Her ears pricked up as she turned to Amy, who was staring at her.
“Are you okay?” Amy asked. “You keep staring off in the middle of our conversation.”
Blaze stiffened. Had she really been that obvious?
“Yeah, hon. What’s up?” Rouge added, leaning forward on the table.
Blaze let out a soft sigh. “It’s Silver. Something is going on, and I’m not sure what.”
“Is he sick?” Amy asked, following Blaze’s gaze back to Silver.
“No, I don’t think so. He’s been tired a lot though.”
Amy perked up as she turned back to Blaze. “Oh, has he been eating a lot too?”
Rouge grimaced, her gaze also fixed on Silver. “Clearly. I think that’s his third plate.”
Amy couldn’t help but chuckle. “Oh, then I know what’s going on.”
~
Silver stared at his cup of hot chocolate, using all of his energy to just stay awake. The sounds around him slowly drowned out as more of his focus was used up, trying to stuff down his exhaustion as much as possible. Maybe if he stared at the cup long enough, his body would finally decide to cooperate with him. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t remember the world suddenly getting so blurry.
He jumped as something touched his shoulder. His quills puffed up. His head snapped towards the sensation. A small hiss sounded in the back of his throat as he blinked to clear his vision.
There stood Sonic, his hands up in a sign of surrender. “Hey, woah, dude. You good? You look like you had one too many chili dogs.”
Silver blinked a couple more times, slowly registering what was happening. His quills smoothed out, and his body slouched as his face fell back into exhaustion. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired.”
“What, didn’t get any sleep last night?” Sonic asked, placing his hands on his hips.
“No, I- Well, I did sleep last night… and this morning… and before we got here…”
Sonic nodded in understanding. “Sounds like hibernation time for you, bud.”
Silver blinked and looked up at him. “Hibernation?”
Now Sonic blinked at him. “Yeah? You know, things hedgehogs do during winter?” When the only response Sonic got was a stare, he asked, “Have you ever hibernated before?”
Silver slowly shook his head. “No. Mobians hibernate?”
Sonic glanced to the side before looking back at the tired hedgehog in front of him. “Uh, yeah. Kinda. Except it’s more like a week or two for us rather than the whole season.”
Silver continued to stare in bafflement. “If we hibernate, aren’t you tired too?”
Sonic shrugged. “Nah, not really. Hibernation tends to hit me towards the end of winter. Amy already went through hers two weeks ago. Shads out right now. I think Rouge-“ He frowned. “You’ve seriously never hibernated?”
Silver shook his head. “No, we don’t really have winter in the future. Everything is always on fire.”
Sonic nodded with a hum. “Then that explains it. Well, if that’s the case, you should probably go home. The longer you push it off, the longer it tends to last, and trust me, it sucks when it lasts. You miss out on so many things!”
Silver stared at Sonic for a moment longer before turning his gaze back to his cup. The mere thought of hibernation was oddly terrifying, being so vulnerable for so long, but at least now things made sense.
“So how long have you been tired?”
Silver groaned, his shoulders slouching. “I don’t even remember at this point.”
Sonic nodded. “Alright. Whenever you get home, just be prepared to go out like a light and don’t try to force yourself to wake back up. Does Blaze know?”
Silver shook his head. “Probably not. She asked me what was wrong on our way here.”
Sonic scanned the room before setting his eyes on Blaze, who seemed to be listening intently to what Amy had to say. “I’m gonna go talk to her. Be right back. Try not to fall asleep in the chair,” he said with a grin and a wink. He turned and made his way over to the girls.
“Oh, and give him any extra blankets you can find,” Amy said, counting the second instruction in her fingers.
“Hey, guys!” Sonic greeted, stopping next to Amy. “What’s going on over here?”
Amy turned her head to face him. “Oh, Sonic! I’m telling Blaze how she can help Silver through his hibernation.”
The blue hedgehog chuckled. “Wow, you beat me to it, and I thought I was the fastest thing alive.”
Amy laughed as she rolled her eyes. “Well a lady can catch signs of things pretty fast.”
Sonic turned to Blaze. “So what all do you know so far?”
“That he might be asleep for a couple weeks and to give him extra blankets.”
“Absolutely to those blankets. Just don’t expect to see him.”
Blaze frowned in confusion. “Why?”
Sonic grinned. “Hedgehog. Noun. A burrowing animal.”
She nodded. “I suppose that makes sense. What else should I know?”
“He’ll wake up from time to time for about five to ten minutes,” Amy continued. “Those periods are usually for food and bathroom.”
“Yeah, so if you ever feel like making Silver something, watch for extra movement,” Sonic added.
Blaze continued to pay attention and nod along as more was said to her. “Alright, I will keep all of this in mind. Should I take him home?”
Amy shrugged. “It would be for the best, but leaving is ultimately up to Silver.”
Everyone’s gaze shifted over the white hedgehog, who was slouching halfway out of his chair. Blaze hummed. “I think taking him home would be best.”
“Yeah, same.” Sonic turned to her. “Does he have a sweater?”
Blaze thought for a moment before nodding. “Yes, I remember him getting one during the fall.”
“Awesome. Try to get him to put it on. It’ll help with general comfort.”
“Alright. I will do that.” She turned back to the hedgehogs. “I cannot thank you two enough for the clarification and advice you have provided.”
Amy smiled. “It’s no problem! Just get him home because I don’t think he can get back on his own.”
“Will do. I will see you all later.”
The trio waved to her as she walked off and continued with conversation.
Blaze approached and stared down at her friend, who hadn’t even noticed her yet. She crouched down to get a look at his face. His gaze was so distant she wondered if he was sleeping with his eyes open.
Silver lifted his head, slowly blinking at the lavender cat.
Blaze offered him a smile. “Let’s get you home, Silver.”
“But the party,” Silver mumbled.
“Yes, but we have contributed so we are no longer obligated to stay.” She held a hand out to him. “Don’t you want to go home and rest?”
Silver stared at the hand and nodded before taking it. Blaze pulled him up to his feet, only for Silver to stumble into her. She helped him steady himself before leading him out the door.
❃ ❃ ❃
The second they walked in through the door, the fireplace was set ablaze, and the hut quickly began to warm up. Blaze helped Silver remove his coat and led him to the couch. He took off his boots as Blaze gathered extra blankets and pillows from around the house, along with Silver’s sweater from his room.
When she returned to the living room, Silver was already laid down and quickly falling asleep. Blaze set the blankets and pillows on the other end of the couch.
“I spoke to Sonic and Amy about hibernation earlier. They both said they preferred the floor compared to the couch but said the couch is a viable option as well. Or even your bed. Where would you like to sleep?”
When all she got was a sleepy stare from Silver, she sighed. “Would you like to sleep on the floor, the couch, or your bed?”
Silver eyed the blankets and then glanced at the rug. He slowly pushed himself up. “I think-“ He was cut off by a yawn. “I think the floor sounds nice.”
Blaze nodded. “Very well then. But first, I’m sure you would like to put on your sweater,” she said, holding it out to him.
He blindly took it and slipped it over his head. As he did that, Blaze unfolded the blankets, spreading them out neatly on the floor. Each time she turned to unfold a new blanket, the blanket she just laid out was already bunched up around the sleepy hedgehog.
By the time she was done, she couldn’t see Silver underneath the blankets, just as Sonic had said. “Are you comfortable in there?”
She waited for a response but got nothing. She could faintly hear soft breathing. A small smile graced her lips. “Sleep well, my friend.”
❃ ❃ ❃
Throughout the week, Blaze kept an eye on the hoard of blankets, preparing a decent meal whenever she noticed he was starting to wake up. She also checked that there was water ready for him if he were ever to wake up without her around. She always made sure to adjust blankets in any way Silver deemed fit and would fluff any pillows that had gone flat. There were times she wished her friend would wake up, but she would not deny that she enjoyed the quiet.
❃ ❃ ❃
Blaze rapidly knocked on Amy’s door, refusing to stop until the door opened. In the doorway was a confused yet concerned Amy.
“Blaze? Is everything okay?”
“Silver’s not waking up.”
Amy blinked. “What?”
Blaze wrung her hands. Her ears were pinned back, and her tail flicked anxiously. “It’s been three weeks since he started hibernating, and you said it would only be two weeks at most.”
Amy stared for a moment before smiling awkwardly. “Oh, no, he’s fine. First hibernations can last up to a month. I kinda forgot about that fact when telling you about it.”
Blaze let out a sigh of relief, her tail stilling. “Thank goodness. So he’s alright?”
Amy gave her a comforting smile. “Yeah, he is. When we’re kids, we can be out for a month and a half sometimes. Even though Silver isn’t little, he still pushed it off for a while, and his body never had to do this before. It’s not a shock to me that he’s still asleep.”
Blaze smiled softly, her ears rising back up. “Well that’s good to hear. I was afraid something was terribly wrong.”
Amy shook her head. “Yeah, things don’t usually happen when we hibernate. Would you like to come in? You look cold.”
It was at that moment Blaze noticed the chill of winter creeping beneath her fur. She shivered. “Yes, that would be nice.”
~
Silver’s eyes slowly blinked open. Like several times before, the first thing he noticed was the darkness surrounding him. He groaned as he pushed himself out from underneath the blanket. The fire was almost out, and the hut was dead silent. The next thing he noticed was how sweaty he was. He grimaced as he pulled the sweater off and tossed it to the side. He glanced around the room for any sign of Blaze but found nothing. He looked to the side, spotting the water that was usually set out for him. Noticing how dry his mouth was, he took it, nearly chugging it down. He stood and stretched, feeling well rested for the first time in weeks. He smiled to himself and immediately headed for a shower.
~
Blaze took a sip of hot chocolate as she listened to Amy’s story, nodding along.
“And then the chao-“ Amy’s eyes widened. “Silver?!”
Blaze raised an eyebrow. “What?” She turned around, and her eyes widened. Floating outside the window was Silver, who was waving to them.
Amy got up and rushed to the door. Within seconds, Silver was joining them at the table, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
“I am assuming you’re done hibernating?” Blaze asked as she watched Silver down some hot chocolate.
“Yeah, and I’m glad I am! I feel great! I bet I could race Sonic and win!”
Amy laughed. “Okay, slow down there. You don’t want to push yourself too much.” She poured him some more hot chocolate, which he happily took. “So what did you think of your first hibernation?”
Silver shrugged as he blew on his drink. “It was weird. I’ve never slept for that long before, but I must admit, it was nice being buried in so many blankets.”
Amy chuckled. “Yeah, it is nice. That’s why I keep so many here.”
Blaze scanned Silver, a small frown forming in her face. “Are you wet?”
“Yep! Shower.”
Amy sighed as she stood, retrieving a towel from a cupboard. “You know that’s how you get sick, right? Why didn’t you dry off properly?”
Silver took the towel, rubbing it across his head. “I thought I did until I got outside, but I really wanted to find Blaze.”
Amy sat back down and mumbled, “Wow, you’re just like Sonic when he finishes hibernation.” She took a sip of hot chocolate, a smile returning to her face. “You came in the middle of my story. Want to hear about the two chaos that are in love at a nearby Chao Garden?”
Silver’s ears perked up, and a smile came to his face, more than ready to finally socialize. “Absolutely!”
For his first hibernation, he honestly didn't think it was too terrible. The whole idea was uncomfortable at first, but with friends to help him sort it out, he learned he didn’t mind it too much. Now he was ready for what was to come when the next winter rolled around!