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Tikal awoke to find the pale autumn sun shining through their bedroom window; Its soft hues bathing the room in flaxen splendor. As she sat up, she noticed that something -or rather someone- was missing. Shadow was nowhere to be found.
Although it was a common occurrence that he would already be at work by the time she got up, a byproduct of the strict hours of G.U.N. Today, however, was one of the sable hedgehog’s rare days off, and he usually used these rare moments to catch up on sleep.
Realizing she wasn’t going to get anywhere rotting in bed and wondering, the echidna got up and stretched; checking the clock to find out it was 8:30, dramatically early for their days off.
Easing her way out of the room, she took note of how quiet things were upstairs, not that Shadow was particularly loud, but it was a sign that he wasn’t anywhere up there. Taking to the stairs, Tikal took extra care to make as little noise as possible. She enjoyed trying to maintain the quiet peace of morning, free of bustling to and fro.
Upon reaching the bottom floor, she yet again found little trace of the sable hedgehog, save for the lingering aroma of coffee ground wafting in from the kitchen. Crossing the living room and meandering around the armchairs within, she reached the kitchen, a humble thing with just enough space for their needs. A pot of coffee sat unattended in its maker, still steaming and fragrant, yet Shadow was nowhere to be found.
‘His office was empty, and the living room was untouched… where could he be?’ Tikal pondered as she poured herself a cup of coffee; letting the beverage’s deep, earthy scent pour over her as the last vestiges of sleep were shaken from her mind.
It was then that she remembered something they had discussed the other day. Rising from her stool, the echidna made a beeline for the back patio. Upon opening the door, she was rewarded with one of her favorite sights since joining the 21st century: Shadow the Hedgehog, agent and G.U.N and hero of earth sat in quiet contemplation, enjoying a quiet morning alone reading.
As she entered his periphery, Shadow motioned for her to come over.
“~Good morning sunshine”, her sable husband hummed as he welcomed her with a kiss to the crown of her head. “Sorry if I sent you on a wild goose chase. With work as crazy as it’s been, I haven’t had time to read my Bible and today seemed like the perfect opportunity.”
She couldn't help but admire his dedication to his faith, and she may also admire the way his reading glasses sat adorably on his face but that’s neither here nor there.
“It was more of a hedgehog chase but close enough.” she teased “I was definitely confused for a minute. I almost thought I had your days off mixed up!”
Shadow laughed at the prospect of somehow leaving without her knowledge.
“I’d like to think I’m a ~little~ better at sharing my work schedule than that.” He scoffed good naturedly. "Besides, the only way I’m getting to the office that quickly is with Chaos Control, and we both know you can sense when I’m about to use it.”
To prove his point, he materialized the green gem in front of him, causing Tikal’s quills to stand on end, the action drawing a surprised noise out of the orange echidna.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” She posited indignantly while smoothing her dreads, “I just care about my husband’s well-being. Commander Tower does call you in at the most unholy hours.”
“I won’t argue with you there.” the hedgehog nodded sagely, adjusting his readers higher up on his nose.
The action brought Tikal’s attention back to the Bible sitting on the table in front of them.
“So what book are you reading through now?” She questioned.
Shadow picked up the text and flipped to a page rife with notes and underlines.
“I’m going through Matthew at the moment, Matthew 6:25-34 to be precise.”
Tikal’s face seemed to scrunch up as she attempted to remember the passage. Rather than watch his wife struggle to remember, Shadow decided to chime in.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:25-34 NIV)
Tikal snapped her fingers as he finished speaking, “That is a really good one, dear.”
“Matthew 6 was a big help back when I was struggling with understanding and accepting my purpose after the events on the ARK. I felt like it would be a good passage to bring up with the guys this week when we get together, so I was brushing up.”
“I think that’s a fantastic idea. You’ll have to let me know how it goes!”
“You’ll be the first to know.”
Before she could say anything else, Tikal was interrupted by her own stomach growling. The couple stared at each other a moment before bursting on peals of laughter.
“I maaay be a little hungry… but don’t stop your quiet time on my account!” She asserted, frantically waving her hands in front of herself.
Closing his notes, Shadow stood up and turned to face his wife.
“I was actually just finishing up. Besides, I’m getting a little hungry. How do pancakes sound?”
“Third best thing I’ve heard all morning!” She exclaimed, offering him a wide smile.
“What were one and two?” Shadow questioned.
“Number one was Matthew 6 and number two was your voice.”
“I can’t exactly compete with the word of God now, can I?” He chuckled.
Making their way inside, she continued to stare at him intently.
“What are you thinking about this time?” Shadow asked, humor evident in his voice.
“Oh, just how much I love you.” She answered innocently.
“Is that all?” Nothing to do with how I’m still wearing my reading glasses.
“Wh-what I would never!” She sputtered, paused in the doorframe.
Walking past where she stood stopped, he whispered to her as he slipped by.
“I’ve read what you write about me in your diary when I wear these… You know I’ll wear them whenever you want me to, right?”
Tikal turned beet red before as she followed him into the kitchen trying to save face while Shadow just snickered away while making breakfast.