True to her word, Maria scheduled in more playtime with Little Abe. To her delight, the boy kept his end of the deal, too—no more surprise visits to her room.
One night, the two went to eat dinner in the cafeteria together. They filled their plates at the buffet line, Maria checking to make sure Abe hadn't neglected his vegetables. He glared at the salad and broccoli parts of his meal.
"I know you don't like them, but they're good for you." She showed him the amount of spinach on her plate. It was a bigger pile than the veggies he had, which made him smirk in triumph.
"Ha ha, you have to eat more than me because you're older! Ha ha."
The teasing was how she knew he felt better.
They weaved their way past other hungry visitors and sat down beside each other at one of the long tables. Abraham dug in with glee, ignoring the existence of everything leafy and green.
She ate slowly, watching him. Before he finished the tasty food he preferred, she had an idea. "Bet I can finish my vegetables first, even though I have more," she challenged.
He swung a look at her plate. "No way!"
He shoveled broccoli into his mouth and grimaced. Balling his little hand into a fist, he swallowed and grabbed a cup of water.
He repeated this until all his veggies were gone before hers. "Ha!"
"Good job. And see? You still have some food that you like left over. When I was little, I learned to eat my vegetables first and save the good stuff for last."
They kept eating. Just as Abe finished up, Maria noticed all the crumbs clinging to his chin and cheeks.
"Oh, you're a mess! Here, hold still."
She reached toward a napkin dispenser on the table.
"Maria!" Abe fussed and squirmed, forcing Maria to strengthen her hold on his arm.
"If you move around like that, this will take longer." She wiped his face with a napkin several times over the same spots. It took longer than she expected because the mess was just as stubborn as him. Bits of it still clung to his face after she finished, so she licked her thumb and firmly scrubbed his skin.
Abe growled, eyes narrowed, but held still like she wanted.
She gave him one final swipe. "There, all done." She smiled brightly and added, "Now you can have dessert!"
His face melted into a grin, the polar opposite of the scowl he wore a moment ago. He snorted and laughed, as though what she said about dessert was funny.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing!" he chuckled. "I'm excited that it's time for dessert." He stood up and said, "I can get it by myself; be right back!"
She finished the rest of her dinner while awaiting his return. His chosen sweet treat was a small ice cream cone.
As he licked it, he kept throwing her strange looks with the occasional spurt of mischievous laughter.
She reached for a fresh napkin to wipe her mouth. As she stood up with the dirty dishes, she tried asking one more time what was so funny.
"Nothing," he said, and he gave the ice cream a big lick.
She opted out of dessert and dropped the subject, though his random giggles didn't stop. She walked him back to his room, giving him a curious look when he snorted a gleeful, "Good night!"
It was a while before her curfew, and she didn't feel tired yet. She decided to take a walk around the Ark. No matter how often she explored, there was always a chance to learn something new about the place.
She approached a familiar hall, recognizing it as one that held a room Shadow sometimes did tests and training in. She found him heading away from her, the door nearest him sliding closed. As she got closer, she saw a black smudge on his cheek.
"Good evening, Shadow," she said, pulling up beside him. "Work hard today?"
The sour look on his face softened as he looked up at her. "They really overdid it with the tar and fire pits. Nothing I couldn't handle, though."
"I can tell." She pointed at her own cheek. "There's some soot on your face."
He tried to mirror her, but missed the mark.
"Here, hold on."
They stopped walking. She leaned forward to wipe it off for him. He stood still as she rubbed his cheek with her thumb, but all that did was spread the smudge and made it grow.
She hesitated, then brought her thumb to her mouth. She licked it once, twice, coating it well. She tasted soot, but didn't mind. Shadow's eyes widened marginally when her thumb reconnected with his cheek. She swiped firmly, and the smudge cleared away in a couple of strokes.
"There," she said, and grinned.
Shadow stared. He caught her hand just as she began withdrawing it.
Now it was her turn for her eyes to widen. He pulled, bringing her face down to his so their cheeks brushed against each other as he whispered in her ear. "You have something in your teeth."
She was too stunned to yelp, which was for the best, as a scientist decided to pass them by at that moment. He gave them a swift glance, causing Maria to keep her lips firmly pressed together.
Shadow held her hand gently. He turned away and said, "Follow me."
She flushed pink and covered her mouth with her free hand, but realized it would look suspicious as they started walking. She settled for placing it as a fist by her side.
As they walked, she squeezed his hand every time someone passed them by. They rounded a corner, but stopped at the sound of a voice behind them.
"Project Shadow, a moment."
A researcher with a clipboard approached. His face implied he was here strictly for business, but it relaxed into a warm smile as he noticed Maria. "Miss Robotnik, how are you? Lessons going well?"
Maria gave a fake, closed-lip smile and a small nod as sweat formed along her brow.
Shadow came to her rescue. "What do you want, Traxton?"
"You're to call me Professor Traxton, hedgehog. Understand?" He didn't snap, but spoke with the authority of a teacher telling a student to mind their manners.
Shadow sighed. "Understood."
"He isn't bothering you, is he, Miss Robotnik?"
She shook her head, still smiling nervously, but knew her silence wasn't very convincing.
Shadow pointed at the researcher's clipboard. "Did you want to show me the results from today's training, Professor Traxton?"
"Ah, no." He brought the clipboard up to his face and skimmed it with a finger. "It's about your endurance marathon test. We're bumping it up to the day after tomorrow. Be prepared for it at 4:00 a.m. sharp. Is that understood, Project Shadow?"
The hedgehog nodded and answered, "Understood."
The man looked like he was about to question Maria again, but Shadow made a brisk about-face and led her away.
Her shoulders relaxed as she let out a quiet breath of relief. She squeezed her friend's hand and received a strong, comforting squeeze in return.
They made it to where he wanted to bring her: a hall with public restrooms housing sinks and mirrors for her to use.
She stepped out of his grip and walked quickly through the door marked for women. A small mercy greeted her in the form of privacy; a hurried search indicated she was alone. She stepped up to a sink, leaned in close to the mirror, and opened her mouth.
On the right side of her top row of teeth was a patch of dark green. Spinach from dinner! She wished she had some floss or a toothpick on her, but had to settle with her finger.
It was stubbornly stuck between her teeth. She recalled Little Abe and his fit of mysterious giggles, though the mystery of their origin was now solved.
If Shadow hadn't confided in her, she wouldn't have noticed anything until she brushed her teeth in her room before going to bed.
After removing the offending patch of green, she washed it down the sink and cleaned her hands.
Shadow stood waiting for her outside, arms crossed and eyes closed with his back leaning against the wall. She gave a low, embarrassed thanks and received a "don't mention it" in response.
Still annoyed at Abe for not telling her about her teeth, the look must've stayed on her face, because Shadow asked if she was okay.
"Oh, yes!" she said, recovering quickly. "My smile's back to normal now and that's all that matters. See?" She gave him her biggest, best smile and was happy to see the corners of his mouth shift upward.
"I'm glad I was able to help take care of your smile." He uncrossed his arms and quietly added, "It's one of your best features."
They took a walk together, talking idly, until it was time for Maria to get a good night's rest.
