Period 1: Homeroom
Theme 4: Homework
Words: 375
Author: Lillie Bell
"Mamo-chaaaaaan," Usagi drawled.
Mamoru froze, knowing the dangerous side of her super sweet tone. He had been insistent with her for much of the day that she start her homework, and now that he'd finally convinced her—which, in case you were wondering, involved strapping her to the leg of a table, splaying out all of her materials in orderly piles with pens and pencils and notebooks and even his laptop at the ready, and then providing a pile of healthy, mind-motivating snacks for her to dip into, before he removed one hand from the strappings to allow her enough movement to ONLY do her homework. He had promptly left the room so as not to serve as yet another distraction. Now it was just her and the books… or so he'd thought.
He waited on the couch, even thought about turning up the weather that he wasn't watching to drown her out in case she called again. But then, the sound might distract her, so he thought better of it. Instead, he chalked it up to his imagination. Until she cooed once again from her spot in the bedroom.
His fists clenched as he stayed perfectly still. Maybe she wouldn't hear him. Maybe she'd think he'd gone to the store. If he went in there, nothing would get done. She'd make some excuse and, before he knew it, it would be Monday and she'd be crying because her project partners were angry because she hadn't done anything. He didn't want to see her tears anymore than he wanted her to fail out of her last year in high school.
"OUCH!" Crash.
He was up like a light, instantly wondering what kind of brute he was to actually tie his wife a table. Homework wasn't so important that it was worth risking her life.
"Usa—" Every apology ever imagined was on his tongue as he rounded the corner only to stop immediately. There was his Usako, table overturned, skirt hiked up to her hips, shirt button undone and the ropes pulling tightly in all the right areas. Her finger was in her mouth, sucking on her bleeding appendage. Her hair slid over her shoulders and her other hand twirled a piece.
Screw the tears.