Work Text:
Day Thirteen
New Hobby
The light to the bedroom flickered on, waking the teenage girls spread across the queen-sized bed suddenly. They both groaned loudly in protest and covered their eyes with the crooks of their arms.
Shepard chanced a glance toward the doorway and let out another groan of protest as she saw her father standing in the threshold, his hand resting against the wall above the light switch as he leaned into the room with an amused smirk on his face.
"Up and at 'em, girls! It's time for our run!" Kristofer called in a cheerful tone as he entered the room and walked over to Shepard's dresser. He pulled out two pairs of identical shorts and tank tops and tossed them onto the bed.
"I'm pretty sure it's illegal to wake up this early, Dad," Shepard said as she covered her eyes again. Thought she knew the effort was wasted.
"Yeah, come on, Papa Shep! This is just cruel and unusual punishment," Evelyn cried groggily as she grabbed the blanket beneath her and attempted to drag it over her head. It didn't move far enough with both girls' weight holding it in place, however.
"Nope! We all agreed that this would be our new hobby, so let's do this!" he responded with an enthusiastic clap of his hands.
"Seriously, Dad, the sun isn't even awake yet," Shepard grumbled as she sat up and rubbed at her tired eyes.
"Hey, Kiddo, need I remind you that this was your idea in the first place? Besides, if you and Evie want to join the Alliance in two years, this will help prepare you for those early wake ups for duty," Kristofer said with a chuckle. "So, up you get!"
Kristofer walked to the side of the bed where Shepard lay, offering his hand to her with an expectant expression. She reluctantly took it, letting her father pull her to her feet and returning his hug as he wrapped his arms around her, giving her a quick hug before stepping back.
"Fine, I give up. Come on, Evie. Let's get this torture over with," Shepard sighed as she reached for the clothes Kristofer had laid out for them. He nodded his head approvingly and walked toward the door so the girls could have privacy as they dressed themselves.
"Oh, and your mom signed both of you up for cooking classes with her. So you have that to look forward to as well," he added quickly before the door swished closed behind him.
Shepard and Evelyn looked at each other with identical expressions of dread and groaned loudly, smiling as they heard Kristofer's chuckle all the way down the hallway.