((This an AU I'm making of the metal virus, if Silver was the last hero alive. This is before that. So you're the Hero from the future!))

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And if I could take it all back, I swear that I... would pull you from the tide..

After what felt like an eternity of rushing through collapsing streets, shielding civilians, and dragging as many survivors as possible away from the creeping Metal Virus, Silver finally let himself collapse onto the thin mattress the Restoration had given him. His body ached down to the bone, the kind of exhaustion that hollowed him out from the inside, and the dim quiet of the room swallowed him whole. For the first time in days, he slept.

Hours later, the silence shifted.

The door creaked open, spilling a thin band of hallway light across the floor and up the wall. Silver stirred with a sharp inhale, instincts snapping awake long before his thoughts did. His eyes darted to the door, tension rising—

Only to find Tails standing there.

The fox’s smile was tired, soft, and strangely knowing. “Someone’s here for you, Silver,” he said gently, and Silver could only hum in response, still half-swallowed by sleep but trusting the words completely.

Five minutes later, after steadying his senses, he stepped out into the hall, the hum of the headquarters buzzing faintly around him. And there — standing at the end of the corridor — was Blaze.

She looked travel-worn but steady, her expression breaking into the slightest breath of relief the moment their eyes met. She approached with quiet steps, her composure slipping just enough to show how worried she’d been.

“Hello, Silver,” she said softly, warmth threading through her voice. “It’s good to see you well…”

Silver felt the heaviness of exhaustion settle deeper into him, but it didn’t matter. Those hours of lost sleep faded into nothing.

Because she was here.

And suddenly, staying awake felt worth it.

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