014. Second thinking
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She knew she was going to have an arranged marriage, marrying a stranger and expect herself to be with them for the rest of her life.
She just didn't think it'd be this soon.
The man whom she was marrying, did not look at her once. Even when both of their families introduced them to one another, their feelings were not mutual. Especially his. He showed that by not even noticing her when they walked passed each other during hallways, when their families came together for dinner. No word was spoken amongst them. No contact was felt against them. No love was connecting towards them.
There was nothing.
It was like she was trapped in this cage with him. She could be scared, screaming her lungs out or crying so hard that her eyes would swollen. And he'd just sit there... completely ignoring her with his back turned with deafened ears.
That's what it felt like. And it was all so toxic to her.
The night before the wedding, she locked herself in the bathroom and let the tears finally fall. Uncontrollable sobs followed. She didn't want to disappoint her family, bring shame to her mother and father. Neither did she want to disappoint his parents either. Marriage was suppose to be a blessing, being with someone who you loved and stay with them for eternity.
She could never hate a person, that wasn't in her nature. She couldn't hate the man. It wasn't his fault. But, she could hate him for being so careless. Not even acknowledging her as a person. No, it seemed he'd rather acknowledge her as a mere women who he'd have to marry for the sake of his reputation and his own family.
She felt angry. Her emotions were already over the place. She was never the one to get angry. But all of this was killing her and she had every right to let out a hoarse scream of agony.
Though, she could never let herself do such a thing. She was a calm person, quiet and timid. Shy and introverted. Letting everything loose would probably damage her heart and her own self. It wouldn't be healthy for her. Or so she would think.
Quietening down her sniffing, she closed her eyes as she comforted her face against her knees.
...
Tikal faked a smile when her mother was standing behind her in front of the mirror. She was in her wedding gown. It was a puffy one at that. It hugged her torso perfectly with the rest of it shimmering down like a snow fall. Her bride veil fell in front of her face and her hands were readily accompanied by a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
"Ready to go?" her mother asked as she adjusted her dress.
She wasn't ready to go. She wasn't ready to go out there and see him and then having to stand there opposite him. Because they'd have to look at each other dead in the eye while the vows were being said. It made her stomach churn.
"Yes," she replied quietly, trying to hide her frown underneath her veil.
Tikal was escorted down and entered the aisle. The guests stood up when she arrived. When all the stares were on her, the hand around her father's arm grew slightly tighter.
Through her veil, she caught his eyes with her own. They locked. But she averted them away when she walked up the steps to the front. She felt her father let go and take the flowers as she stood next to the man. When they were to face each other, they did. When they were told to hold their hands together, they did.
The vows were read.
And it all seemed like a blur.
"Shadow, do you take Tikal the Echdina to be your wife?"
"I do."
It sounded so emotionless.
"Tikal, do you take Shadow the Hedgehog to be your husband?"
"I do..."
Her voice was strained.
"You may now kiss the bride."
He lifted her bridal veil out of her face and stared at her, those ruby red eyes piercing against her frame. She shook lightly and almost resisted. He leaned in and their eyes closed together. Their lips touched for a few mere seconds. She was saddened that her first kiss was taken by a stranger. She was saddened that there was no love behind the kiss. Her heart ached and she tried her best to stay calm.
They pulled away and claps were heard.
He leaned away, disconnecting one hand from her while the other stayed latched on as they turned to face their audience.
She didn't look at anyone. Not even her parents. She smiled, only a little but it could've easily dropped if she had taken another glance at him.
She was hurting. Everything hurt...
...
Tikal wondered around the house as she set herself a cup of coffee down onto the coffee table. Seating herself onto the couch, she leaned over to get her book and opened her marked page.
The sound of the front door opening and closing came after.
She lifted her head up to see Shadow toeing off his shoes and walked into the kitchen without a word. She caught a glimpse of the dark circles underneath his eyes when he came back out. The echidna said nothing of it and trained her mind on the page.
His footsteps sounded up the stairs and it wasn't too long before the shower ran. It stopped after a few minutes and his footsteps came back down and she felt a dip on the couch from the other side. The T.V was soon turned on after, though the volume was put down since he knew she was reading.
"Would you like me to make you a cup of coffee?" she dared to ask him.
She would always ask him this after he'd come back from work. Their marriage might have been out of the ordinary, but it didn't stop Tikal from being concerned about the people around her.
His eyes teared away from the screen to pay his attention to her. "I'm fine."
It was the same answer he'd give.
"Did you eat?" Tikal pressed on.
"Yes," he answered, his head turning to the T.V again.
"Okay," she simply said, dipping back into her book.
Time had passed and she was getting tired. Marking her page, the echidna stood up with her mug and walked into the kitchen. Rinsing off the other dishes, she dried off before heading back to the living room.
"I'm going to bed now," she stated with a small smile, "Goodnight."
Shadow didn't look at her. "Goodnight."
Tikal turned away as her smile dropped, walking to the stairs and then up the steps. She washed herself off in the bathroom before dressing into her night gown. Taking a deep struggled breath, she laid down onto their bed as she pulled the covers over her.
The moon was out and it was the only thing she was looking at until her weariness took over.
...
Tikal was in the bakery to pick up a few treats. When paying, she felt an uncomfortable presence behind her. Turning her head to the side, she could only make out the being to be a tall grey wolf.
A spike of anxiety crept up on her.
She smiled at the worker before taking her things and walked out of the building. As she was walking, she could hear another pair of footsteps from behind. Tikal suddenly felt alert. Gripping onto her bag, she walked faster and what jumped her skin was that the footsteps also became faster and louder.
He was following her.
Letting out a shaken gasp, she turned a corner and made a run for it. Tikal didn't dare to look back as she let her legs do the work. Oh, why did she think it was a good idea to go out late in the night?! She should've known better!
She cut another corner and hid behind a brick wall, finally catching her breath. Peaking her head out from the wall, she caught the grey wolf slowly walking towards the wall and he caught her eyes.
Jumping her head back, Tikal made another brake for it. She was tired, her legs were becoming sore but that still didn't stop her from getting as far away possible.
When she ran, she caught a glimpse of red and black coming out of a building. Realising who it was, she ran faster. The hedgehog's eyes widened when he saw her but Tikal thought nothing of it and didn't think twice when she dropped her bags and ran into his arms.
She didn't care if she looked or sounded pathetic. She was so inexperienced to these situations, so immune.
Tikal shook against his chest as she stammered out her words. "S-Someone's following me..."
Shadow stared at her, his hands holding her jittery arms. When he slowly looked forward down the street, he noticed the grey figure coming out of the corner she came from. The wolf stopped his walking when he saw the echidna but then his eyes travelled across to the black hedgehog. Shadow shot him an icy glare and the wolf immediately backed up, his hands in defence.
"Leave," the hedgehog scowled at him.
The wolf snarled back at him, sucking in his teeth as he turned the other away and sauntered off.
Shadow's glare eventually disappeared. He flickered his eyes down at the echidna. "Are you okay?"
Tikal didn't reply. She was too busy shamelessly staining his shirt with her new formed tears. She was obviously still so shaken with what had just happened. If he wasn't there, who knew what would've gone on. The echidna eventually leaned away from him, wiping off her eyes. "I'm sorry..."
His lips hardened into a line before he knelt down to take a hold of her dropped bags. "What are you doing out here this late?"
She averted her watery eyes. "I-I had a late shift and stopped by at the bakery..."
He frowned. "You should've called me. I would've picked you up from there."
"I know," she replied, slightly surprised by his concern, "I-I'll remember that for next time."
Shadow squinted his gaze at her but it didn't stop him from taking her hand. "Let's go home."
He turned away and began walking, pulling her along. Tikal blinked at the sudden gesture from the hedgehog and glanced down at their hands.
Her eyes softened.
...
Nightmares were sometimes frequent. This was no exception.
Tikal quickly sat up on her bed breathing heavily. She trembled against her covers as small beads of sweat ran down the side of her face. She sighed softly, rubbing her temples in order to calm herself down.
"What's wrong?"
She should've been scared when she heard him. "N-Nothing..."
The echidna slowly turned her head to see his tired eyes through the dark as he sat up. "You've been fidgeting lately," he uttered, "What is it?"
Tikal didn't realise she was gripping onto the sheets. "Please Shadow," his name sounded so foreign against her tongue, "Go back to sleep."
Something in her head told her that she didn't want his comfort. That she didn't need his sympathy. It wasn't like he'd be doing it for her sake anyway. Probably for the sake of their marriage and to keep their parents happy. He didn't even want to look at her at their wedding. So that said something.
So why was he being concerned? The stalker incident was just one thing. But this was becoming another? She didn't understand.
Tikal lifted the covers off of her and got up from the bed. Padding her way downstairs, she entered the kitchen and filled up a glass of water. Her lips touched the rim of the glass as she slowly gulped down the water. With some nearby wipes, she dabbed them on her face to remove the sweat.
Feeling weary, she couldn't help but collapse onto the couch. She would have rather made her way back up to their room again but she was just so sick and tired. It wasn't too long before her eyes shut.
She wasn't sure if she was still dreaming, but she did feel a pair of arms lift her up.
...
They were both going out of the house at the same time.
"Where are you going?" Shadow asked her, sat on the staircase when putting on his shoes.
Her hand paused on the doorknob. Quite frankly, she was getting tired of the sudden constant questions and concerns. Couldn't he go back to being the person who saw her as just a woman and not his wife? Why did he think all this small talk would get them anywhere? Was he trying to make this marriage seem like it was normal?
"Stop," she whispered, closing her eyes, "Just stop..."
He stood up. "What?"
"Stop!" she yelled as she turned around to face him, "You don't care about me! So stop acting like you do! I just-!"
Tikal stalled on her words, her blue irises widening. Now wasn't the time to be doing this. Now wasn't the time to get emotional, in front of him.
But she couldn't stop.
"You don't even want me!" she cried, her breathing quickening, "You never did!"
Her outburst surprised him as she saw he was taken aback by her angered tone. But she didn't care. She tried. She tried her hardest to make him notice her as Tikal. But all he did was push her away and went on about his own life.
She saw him walk towards her and she immediately stammered back. "D-Don't come near me..."
"You're overreacting, Tikal," he stated bluntly.
Her stomach twisted into knots. He hadn't said her name since their wedding. If she had the time to be surprised by it, her heart would've at least fluttered.
He reached out for her arms but she only resisted against his hold.
"L-Let go of me!" Tikal whimpered.
Shadow didn't and his look was stern. She should've been afraid, knowing how daunting he could really be but thought nothing of it.
She sobbed, gritting her teeth as she glared up at him.
His frown deepened and she could've sworn she saw a flash of hurt in his eyes. But she didn't care, thinking it was just her imagination. She was the one who had been hurting the most. She was the one who had to put up with his cold behaviour. She was the one who had to put up with his disinterest of her.
She was the one who accidentally caught feelings for him.
He leaned in, but Tikal only leaned back. Shadow then took hold of her waist, an action that froze her into place. Her eyes steadied against his chest before they slowly dragged up to his lips.
The echidna didn't know what to think. His eyes were daunting her, almost commanding her to do something. But she dared to stay still. His face leaned in again, even closer.
And it wasn't too long before she felt his lips intoxicating hers.
...
When Tikal sat down next to him, she immediately apologised. "I'm sorry."
He was reading. She wouldn't interrupt him when he was reading. But she did anyway this time.
"It's fine," he said.
But his attention wasn't on her.
The echidna's lips quivered. "Please look at me..."
Her soft plead surprised him, just the slightest. Shadow slowly shut his book, putting it aside before he finally travelled his eyes to her.
"I'm... really sorry for the way I acted," she said sincerely, "I... I-I shouldn't have said any of that."
He stared at her, his lips thinning. "I deserved it."
Tikal shook her head. "You didn't..."
They looked at each other, a moment of silence in the living room. She couldn't help but fidget in her position, twiddling her thumbs as her unwanted bashfulness tingled through her body.
She saw his hand reach out to her, his thumb carefully brushing against her lips. Tikal's eyes widened, a vivid red blush tinting her cheeks.
Her mind went back to their kiss. She wondered why he had done that. Presumably to calm her down. But she felt as if there was more to it. As if he felt remorseful or sympathetic.
Flustered, she leaned away and stood up, trying her best to ignore his powerful stare. "I-I'm going to get started on dinner..."
She scurried off to the kitchen, her heart racing more than she would've liked.
...
After Tikal dried off her dreads, she wrapped a white towel around her naked body. Padding her bare feet to the door, she made her way out of the bathroom.
Just when she turned the corner to their bedroom, she abruptly made a halt when she saw Shadow tiredly walking towards her direction. He hadn't noticed her yet for he was rubbing his eyes, but when he did, she stiffened on the spot.
His black orbs shot over to her before they steadily roamed down the rest of her body.
Tikal clutched part of the towel that covered her chest as she squeaked.
"S-Sorry!"
She dipped her head down and quickly walked past him. But his hand gripped on her arm. Her eyes widened but before she had the time to panic, she was pinned against the wall. Tikal winced at the impact, her teeth grit as she looked at him with the slightest fear clogging in her stomach.
"Sh-Shadow?" Tikal stammered.
His eyes were flickered with longing lust and they glistened when they travelled to her lips. She didn't have the strength against her other palm, and she could feel her grip loosen on the closure she made with her towel.
The black hedgehog uttered a curse against his breath and crushed his lips onto hers. A gasp flew out of her mouth at his roughness and the temptations filled her mind. Did he know what he was doing? She didn't know if he was in the right state of mind, but she knew Shadow wouldn't do something without reason.
Their chest clamped together and Tikal took the risk to let go of her towel and hesitantly wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in even closer so it wouldn't slip off.
She heard him growl lowly, and it almost made her pull away in worry but he held her arms and locked them above her head, taking full advantage.
The echidna felt weak and her eyes turned hazy. He nipped on her bottom lip, ravishing down her neck. She shivered when he pecked soft kisses on her skin, taking in the warmth of his tongue on her cold body. His half-lidded eyes trailed back up onto her lips and then took them in his once more. Tikal immediately kissed him back this time, their lips passionately dancing with each other's.
When he finally pulled away, she forgot about her towel. So when she panicked again, and realised that it was slipping off, Shadow's hand stopped it from doing so. Tikal pursued her lips and she was sure her cheeks betrayed her, feeling the heat coming off of them.
She gripped on her towel again as he let go of it. The echidna nervously glanced up at him when his hand played with her dreads.
When he noticed that she was looking at him, she smiled lightly, unsure of what else to do. To her surprise, she saw his lips twitch upwards before he really did smile back. He leaned off of her and walked away into the bathroom without a word.
She bit her lip, feeling giddy yet happy as she stepped into their room.
...
It was her birthday.
She did have a girl's outing with Amy and Blaze. The two of them showering her with gifts, even though she said she didn't want anything more than to just hang out with them.
Knuckles and Rouge stopped by to give her their gift and they stayed around for about an hour to give her some company, which she was grateful for. Rouge had tendency to tease her about Shadow and Knuckles would have to tell her off. The two did bicker from time to time but Tikal didn't mind. It was actually laughable how they even got together in the first place.
Her parents were on holiday but she did manage to video chat with them as they sang her a happy birthday. She had a few laughs before they told her they had to go, saying that a present for her would be delivered in the coming week.
Chao were something she loved dearly.
So when Shadow came back from work, he offered to take her to the Chao Garden for the rest of the day.
It was a beautiful place, the happy chao gathering up together to present her a flower-made crown. She giggled as she sat down on her knees, the cute blue creatures flying up to place the crown on her head.
"Thank you," she told the small group with a bright smile.
"Chao!" they all happily beamed before they flew off to play in the small pond.
Tikal smiled again after them. Seeing how late it was already, she stood up, dusting the dirt off her skirt and trailed her gaze over to Shadow.
He had kept his distance, to say the least. She thought perhaps that he wasn't very fond of the adorable blue creatures. The echidna probably saw why though. The man was very introverted when it came to these sorts of things.
She gently shook his shoulder. "Shadow, it's getting late..."
Shadow slowly opened his eyes, rubbing them before he trailed his gaze to her. "It is?"
"Yes," Tikal nodded.
He turned his head to the chao. "Did you play with them?"
Tikal only nodded again. "Thank you for bringing me here..."
The hedgehog stood up, adjusting her flower crown as he shook his head. "It's fine."
She gave him a small smile when he started to walk. He stopped though and looked back at her, lending out his hand.
Tikal blinked at the gesture. They had never walked hand-in-hand so casually before. She reached out for his hand and their fingers intertwined immediately.
"Happy Birthday," he muttered underneath his breath when they started walking.
She blushed, smiling as she leaned forward onto his back.
...
"My, my Tikal darling, you look absolutely stunning!" her mother-in-law complimented when they were sat onto the dinner table.
They were having dinner at his parents' house.
"Th-Thank you," Tikal replied bashfully, sitting beside Shadow.
Mrs. Hedgehog smiled. "Has Shadow been treating you well?"
She went back to a couple of days ago. After going to the Chao Garden, he treated her with a cake he bought from the bakery she'd usually go to. He then actually stayed up with her to watch some of her favourite Disney films. She didn't think he'd particularly like those sorts of films but she was mildly surprised and happy that they talked about them after watching each of them.
Their relationship suddenly became an improvement. Perhaps if she hadn't lashed out on him a few weeks ago, none of it would've happened. Still, she felt bad with what she had said to him. And she could still remember the hurt in his eyes. There was always a pool of regret in her stomach whenever she'd talk to him.
"Yes," Tikal said softly, taking a quick glance at Shadow before looking back at her mother-in-law.
"Of course he has!" another female voice chimed in as she set two glasses of water down in front of the couple.
The echidna lifted her head up to see a blonde girl grinning and sat down next to her. "I'd kill him if he wasn't!"
Tikal couldn't help but smile at that. Maria was Shadow's childhood friend and when their families were introduced to each other, her and Tikal quickly became friends. She was a lovely spirit, kind and energetic. Maria was much like her own in many ways.
Mr. Hedgehog took a seat next to his wife. "Let's not ask such questions like that, dear," he told her and smiled at Tikal, "They're obviously happy together."
Tikal shyly smiled back at him as they began to eat. Shadow hadn't said anything over the course of any of it, probably because his parents were asking her the questions. Her leg shook nervously. She wasn't good at these things and having people ask her questions directly opposite her was really pressuring.
She felt Shadow's hand squeeze her thigh underneath the table and she instantly calmed down. The echidna gave him a side glance, but he wasn't looking at her. Instead, he kept rubbing her thigh when she spoke to them.
It was such a sudden intimate gesture that Tikal had to refrain from blushing too hard.
"Okay," Maria started out as she dragged Tikal upstairs into her room after the dinner, "I know your birthday was last week, but I managed to get you something anyway!"
"You didn't have to..." Tikal said quietly, watching the girl getting out a gift bag from her closet.
"Don't be ridiculous, Tikal!" she waved off as she handed her the bag.
The echidna steadily took it from her and peaked inside. "Is this is the perfume set I said I was going to get?"
Maria just winked at her. "Yup!"
"Thank you so much," Tikal said smiling and gave her a hug, "Still, I could've bought it with my own money..."
The blonde girl shook her head before her face softened. "So, how are things...?"
There was concern in her voice because she knew about her feelings. Tikal couldn't ever hide them from her. Maria was the first person to check on her when she went to the lady's bathroom on their wedding day. She cried on her shoulder for what seemed like forever.
"G-Good," the echidna blundered but Maria gave her a look saying that she didn't buy it. She sighed softly. "I shouted at him."
Maria was surprised at this. "You did?"
Tikal nodded, feeling somewhat ashamed. "I didn't understand why he wanted to care about me going out," she explained, "The first few weeks, he barely spoke to me."
She tilted her head. "Oh."
"I-I didn't want to say those things to him," Tikal averted her eyes away, "But I couldn't stop and he told me I was overreacting and..."
"And?"
Tikal blushed, putting a strand of her dreads behind her ear. "H-He just kissed me..."
"Oh wow!" Maria let out, clutching her shoulders, "He kissed you?!"
"Y-Yes," she replied, embarrassed.
The blonde girl grinned. "Maybe he's opening up to you," Maria rubbed her shoulders, "And actually sees you as his wife."
"You think so?" the echidna queried, her stomach doing backflips.
"I know so!" she said confidently, "Shadow's stubborn as hell when it comes to that sort of stuff anyway! You should talk to him about it."
Her mind wondered to his recent intimacy with her. "I guess," she said, "But I still feel bad for it..."
"Oh, Tikal," Maria playfully rolled her eyes and giggled, pulling her along the bed. "Let's have some girl slash prep talk!"
...
Tikal yelped when the knife slipped off her fingers. She hissed when she realised the blood coming out of her fingers. Getting drown in your own thoughts while cutting vegetables was not the greatest idea.
"What?" Shadow's voice echoed near her. He turned around from the sink and saw her fingers, "Oh."
She helplessly grabbed some tissue from the box so that the bleeding wouldn't spill onto the counter.
"Hold on," he said, walking around the counter to get the first aid kit out of the cabinet. Shadow nodded off to the staircase. "Come."
Tikal obediently followed him along and sat down onto the staircase. "It's not that bad..."
He ignored her and knelt down, bringing out the ointment. He squeezed some out onto his finger before taking a hold of her hand, gently dabbing the cream on her skin. She pressed her lips together, blocking out the potential winces she didn't want herself to make in front of him. Once the cream was applied, Shadow teared a long piece from the band aid roll and carefully bandaged her fingers, the stain of the blood just seeping through it after.
Tikal stared at it before looking at him. "Thank you."
Shadow started to put everything away. "Just get some rest. I'll handle the cooking."
She bit the side of her bottom lip and watched him stand up. Just when he was about to walk away, she reached for his arm with her free hand. "W-Wait."
He stopped and turned around. "Yes?"
"I want to talk to you," Tikal said, a hint of plead in her voice. She didn't bother asking. Maria told her to be straight forward and that was exactly what she wanted to do. "Please?"
Shadow dragged his gaze down her hand until he let out a sigh, putting down the kit as he sat down next to her. "What is it?"
Tikal pushed away the barriers in her thoughts, gulping as she did so. "Are you happy with me?"
He stared at her, his face not shifting. But it almost looked like he was struck across the face. It made the echidna rethink her choice of words. Shadow frowned. "Why are you asking me this?"
She blushed. "B-Because I want to know," Tikal stammered, locking their eyes, "If you're not, then-"
"You'll just deal with it?" he finished off for her, abruptly cutting her off.
"N-No!" she blundered now panicking, "I'll just-!"
"Tikal," Shadow interrupted her once again, "I am happy with you."
Tikal lost her words and stiffened. "You are?"
"I learned to be," the black hedgehog explained, completely nonchalant, "I didn't want to get married. I was never in a relationship prior to everything either."
This was news to her. "Really?"
"Yes," he nodded, "But my parents didn't want me to be alone for the rest of my life so I just agreed to marry you to get it over and done with."
"Oh," she let out, taking in the new information, "So... you don't hate me?"
"I can't hate you if none of this was your fault," Shadow stated before raising an eye, "I thought us kissing would've explained that anyway."
Tikal turned red again and looked away. "You barely spoke to me before," she said quietly, "So I had that assumption."
He shook his head. "That was because I thought you hated me."
She quickly faced him. "You thought that?"
"Marrying a man who glues a frown onto his face everyday?" he nodded. "Yes, I did."
She couldn't help but giggle at that. He was funny when he wanted to be.
"I wouldn't have gotten the message if you didn't say it," he then said and Tikal knew he was talking about that day, "I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry too," Tikal shrugged a shoulder, "I never knew you felt that way."
"I'm just new to this sort of thing," he gave her a small smile back, lifting up her injured hand see her fingers.
She look softened at him, glancing down at their hands. "Have you... ever thought about having children?"
"Children?" he queried gazing back up at her.
"Y-Yes," the echidna stammered shyly, "Have you ever thought about becoming a parent one day?"
"Sometimes," Shadow answered truthfully, "...How many would you like to have?"
Tikal smiled. "I-I don't mind," she leaned into his chest, "As long as I become a mother, numbers won't matter."
"I can see you being one," he said, his chin resting on her head, "I can't really see myself as a father. Raising children is hard work, you know."
"No, I can see you becoming a father," she found the confidence in saying before looking up at him, "A loving one at that."
She saw his muzzle slowly go red at her words and laughed.
"We'll discuss this later," he muttered, embarrassed and got up, "Go and rest."
When he was about to make his way back to the kitchen, she spoke. "Shadow."
He sighed and turned to her again.
She smiled, standing up so she could hold both of his hands. "Do you take me as your wife?"
Shadow blinked. "What do you-"
He stopped when her smile only widened, her blue eyes beaming. When realising what she was doing, he smiled down at her. "Yes," he lifted her bandaged hand and brushed his lips along her knuckles, "Do you... take me as your husband?"
Tikal wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in closer. "Yes."
He smirked before his thumb brushed her lip. "I may kiss the bride?"
"You may," she said, grinning when his lips toppled over hers.
...
"Dad! Dad!" two young muffled voices were heard from the corridor of Shadow's office.
His attention dissolved from his computer as the door busted open. The black hedgehog spun around his chair as he readily caught the two figures onto his lap.
"Hello," he said to them before giving them a frown, "What are you two doing here? You know you're not suppose to-"
"Crystal! Ark!" a worried voice rushed into the room. Shadow looked up to see Tikal, hands on her knees as she breathed heavily. The echidna thanked the female officer beside her before she said it was fine. The officer nodded and walked off, leaving Tikal to look at her children.
"What did I tell you two about sneaking in here?" she exasperated with a disappointed look, "It's not safe!"
"But mommy, you said that daddy would hang out with us today," Ark said innocently, leaning against his father's chest.
Tikal's face dropped into a soft one. "I know, but I said he could play with you after he comes back from work."
"Mama, that's no fun!" Crystal pouted, "We wanna play with papa now!"
The puppy dog eyes they were giving her was something to not be fought against. Giving up on trying to make them understand, Tikal sent a hopeful gaze to Shadow.
Obviously Shadow couldn't get out of this one. It was so unfair. He sighed. "Come on, let's go."
"Really?!" Crystal and Ark said simultaneously.
He had to let out a little laugh because of that. "Yes," he stood up as he put them down, "You guys said you wanted to go to the arcade right? Well, let's go then."
"Yay!" they bounced up and down whilst holding his hand and began to drag him out of his office.
He and Tikal exchanged looks and they smiled at each other before Ark grabbed her hand and pulled her along too.