Relationship: Agent Stone/Dr. Eggman | Dr. Ivo Robotnik
Add tags: Established relationship, cooking as love language, domesticity, literal sleeping together
A/N: This is half the previous wordcount but I really liked how it turned out.
Stone's woken up to the smell of baking.
Warm, goo-ey and the distinctly savoury scent of melted parmesan. He buries his face further into the pillows—no dice, especially as it cold it was then, lacking a familiar smell of sharp cologne and mild coconut shampoo as he'd gotten used to over the last couple of months have long since gone. Stone sniffs. At least 30 minutes or so.
From the kitchen; banging, though not so loud it could've otherwise woken him, had he not already been awake. The restrained—but unavoidable—sound of a full baking pan as it hit the marble countertop.
A clatter of cutleries. Plates. Stone exhales through his nose, almost allowing himself back to sleep.
"Hey." Said a familiar—and most beloved—voice. Still just a little raspy from sleep. "Hey. Hey. Wake up."
Stone groans.
Ivo hits him on the back—heel to spine—and Stone jolts, hissing from pain. He flips belly up, which accomplishes Ivo's true goal.
Stone blinks, eyes gamey. "Tdime isdit?"
"It's sahoor."
"What time?" Stone whines.
"I made lasagna." Ivo said, and just as it seems like he isn't likely to answer Stone's question at all, he sighs gustily. "You can check the wall clock in the dining room."
Stone groans again, loudly, childishly, smiling goofily as his lover pulls him to his feet by his wrist, and he laughs and laughs.
Stone does look at the clock, just as Ivo's scooping pasta into individual plates.
"Oh my god." Stone mourns.
"Hush." Said Ivo.
"It's ass o'clock."
Ivo looks up sharply, and some part of Stone—the gay one, the lovestruck one, the one who would burn the world and build it anew in the name of the one man who has ever made it matter—melts instinctively for the dark, sleep deprived undercircles of his eyes, and the flop of his uncombed bangs.
In his semi-asleep state, the warm embrace of safety in the security of his own four walls, Stone reaches out to comb his fingers through Ivo's hair.
The older man sighs again, gustily. Eternally pretending their adoration wasn't mutul, even hunched over a homecooked meal made for one man to enjoy before a day going without.
"It's 4.30." Ivo points out, strained.
Stone suddenly remembers what he was so upset about.
"I could've slept for another hour!"
Ivo stares at him. "Subuh is 5.50."
"I would've made it." Stone insists.
Ivo scrambles for the wooden spatula by the baking pan, and Stone doesn't even give it his all in flinching away as he's hit, over and over and over, his laughter echoing like gold in the warm, dark silence of the morning.
Edit (added some context and cultural explanation):
During ramadhan month, muslims had to wake up early to eat (sahoor/sahur time), and then fast the whole day until iftar (night time). Indonesia is the biggest muslim majority country and had their own unique way of waking people up for sahur. The mosque in front of my house used to sound like the video, but less extreme and no glass were shattered.
Guess whose entire family just missed sahur (I have no idea if there’s an English spelling). Guess who now has to fast on a completely empty stomach bcs yesterday I only broke my fast with a little bit of water and no food until I slept. Today’s going great :)
Bagi kita, kebanyakan orang, sahur sering kali dianggap sebagai beban atau sekadar "prosedur" agar kuat menahan lapar hingga maghrib tiba. Pemahaman awam kita biasanya berputar pada urusan kuantitas, seperti makan sebanyak mungkin, minum sebanyak mungkin, sholat shubuh, lalu tidur lagi.
Namun, setelah menyelami materi Nutrients Dense Sahoor & Iftar kemarin, perspektif ku tentang makna sahur jadi berubah. Sahur ternyata jauh lebih kompleks dan indah dari sekadar ritual makan di dini hari.
1. Restorasi Fisik dan Nutrisi Jiwa
Secara biologis, puasa adalah momen di mana kita tuh mengistirahatkan sistem pencernaan yang sudah bekerja tanpa henti. Namun, ada sisi spiritual yang sering terlupakan. Saat fisik beristirahat dari makanan, aktivitas ibadah di waktu sahur justru menjadi "makanan" bagi tubuh spiritual kita. Materi kemarin menekankan bahwa dengan menguatkan energi hati melalui kedekatan dengan Sang Pencipta, makanan yang kita konsumsi saat sahur justru akan dicerna dengan lebih baik oleh tubuh. Inilah yang disebut dengan kesehatan holistik, dimana jiwa yang kenyang akan membuat fisik lebih sehat.
Satu hal luar biasa yang aku pelajari adalah betapa pentingnya menyelaraskan puasa kita dengan sistem sirkadian, yaitu jam internal tubuh yang mengatur ritme biologis selama 24 jam. Puasa sebenarnya adalah momen terbaik bagi tubuh untuk melakukan kalibrasi ulang. Saat kita mengistirahatkan pencernaan di siang hari, tubuh secara cerdas beralih dari mode mengolah makanan ke mode pembersihan sel dan detoksifikasi alami
Nah, kaitan sirkadian ini juga sangat erat dengan paparan cahaya. Mengawali hari dengan menatap matahari terbit setelah Subuh bukan sekadar kegiatan estetis saja, melainkan cara mengirim sinyal ke otak untuk menekan hormon tidur dan memicu hormon kebahagiaan (serotonin).
2. Menghindari Drama "Hungry Bear"
Mungkin kita sering merasa gampang marah atau cranky saat berpuasa. Bisa jadi kita mengira itu wajar karena lapar. Padahal, secara fisik, rasa cepat marah tersebut dipicu oleh turunnya kadar gula darah secara drastis, terutama jika menu sahur kita masih didominasi oleh gula tinggi dan karbohidrat olahan. Sehingga tubuh menjadi seperti "beruang lapar". Jadi memang pentingnya kita untuk memilih makanan padat nutrisi (nutrient dense) untuk menjaga stabilitas emosi dan kesadaran diri sepanjang hari.
Mindful Eating
Beralih ke kebiasaan sehari-hari, sahur yang ideal bukan berarti makan terburu-buru mengejar imsak. Kita perlu menghargai proses pencernaan yang dimulai sejak di mulut melalui mekanis pengunyahan yang sempurna. Strategi praktis yang bisa kita terapkan adalah mendukung sistem saraf agar tetap tenang (slow down) dan menghindari makanan yang memberatkan kerja tubuh.
Sebagai tambahan tips praktis, kita bisa coba mengganti kurma biasa dengan kurma kering yang dicampur lemak sehat seperti butter atau VCO saat sahur untuk energi yang slow release. Jangan lupa pastikan porsi protein cukup (sekitar 30gr) agar tubuh tidak terus-menerus mengirim sinyal lapar.
Pada akhirnya, sahur adalah bentuk ikhtiar kita untuk berkarya secara maksimal di dunia namun tetap menjaga tujuan akhirat. Dengan niat yang benar dan nutrisi yang tepat, sahur akan berubah dari sekadar rutinitas menjadi pondasi kesehatan jiwa dan raga. InsyaAllah 🍃🌿
Semoga aku, kamu, kita semua bisa menjadi lebih baik lagi memaknai Sahur ini sesungguhnya 🥹
