Morning
"Morning~~"
Ren shuffled out of his room, still half-asleep, wearing slippers and yawning. He'd stayed up late the previous night playing *Legend of Pokémon: Breath of the Wild* and ended up getting killed by a red-named player. Determined to get revenge, he chased the player well into the night. Even after splashing cold water on his face, he still felt exhausted.
Rubbing his eyes, Ren glanced at the dining table. Breakfast was laid out, with his wife and their youngest child already seated.
"Where's Yueyue?" Ren asked, noticing his daughter wasn't there. "Didn't she wake up yet? I'll go get her."
As he started toward Yueyue's room, Jada quickly stopped him.
"Wait, you should eat first. I'll go wake her up," Jada said, eyeing Ren, who was still groggy. She knew from experience that if Ren went to wake Yueyue in his current state, it might take forever. He might even crawl into bed with her and fall back asleep, using her as a pillow.
This wasn't an uncommon occurrence—it had happened several times before. Jada had suffered enough from these two unreliable sleepyheads.
"Oh, okay..." Ren nodded and sat down at the table, feeling a bit disappointed. His plan for a morning nap had been foiled by his wife.
Jada went upstairs to get Yueyue, while Ren helped himself to breakfast, picking up a piece of fried dough and stuffing it into his mouth.
Before long, Jada returned and sat across from Ren, with Yueyue joining them at the table. Yueyue pouted, clearly unhappy about being woken up so early.
"That was fast," Ren remarked, surprised. It usually took him a long time to wake Yueyue up.
"Mhm," Jada nodded briefly, giving Ren a knowing look but not explaining how she managed it so quickly.
But just because Jada didn't explain didn't mean Yueyue wouldn't. Still half-asleep, Yueyue leaned against Ren and mumbled, "Daddy~~ Mommy bullied me! She yanked my blanket off and almost dragged me out of bed!"
"That's too mean! No heart at all!" Ren teased, rubbing Yueyue's head before gently pushing her away, trying to avoid the drool that was about to drip onto him.
Jada raised an eyebrow but said nothing, focusing on her breakfast. Ren had the nerve to say she had no heart?
Jada glanced at the distance between her and Ren. It was too far to reach him easily, and besides, if she retaliated, Yueyue would likely add another note to her "Daddy vs. Mommy" tally.
But she had her long legs—and the cover of the table.
So, under the table, Jada slipped her foot out of her slipper and began lightly kicking Ren. Perhaps influenced by Ren's fondness for stockings, Jada had switched from bare feet to wearing black tights.
She didn't kick hard—just enough to get his attention, like a gentle pat on the shoulder. Sitting beside Ren, Yueyue didn't notice anything, happily munching on a steamed bun, her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk with a mouthful of food.
Yueyue might not have noticed, but Ren certainly wasn't about to let this go. He shot Jada a warning look, signaling his displeasure at being kicked.
But instead of stopping, Jada only smiled mischievously, enjoying the look of frustration on Ren's face. It was surprisingly fun to mess with him like this.
Seeing that Jada wasn't backing down, Ren decided to take matters into his own hands—literally. While continuing to eat his breakfast with one hand, he reached under the table with the other.
Just as Jada kicked him again, Ren caught her foot in his hand.
Jada's tights were soft to the touch, and Ren found himself absentmindedly stroking her foot with one finger. Jada's foot, small compared to his hand, felt warm and soft through the fabric.
He gave it a gentle squeeze, feeling the bones beneath, and watched with amusement as Jada's face turned red.
Things were getting awkward.
Jada tried to pull her foot back, but Ren held on tightly. She couldn't risk using too much force and alerting Yueyue.
After several failed attempts, Jada gave up, nervously glancing at Yueyue, who was still oblivious and focused on her breakfast. Jada sighed in relief but then glared at Ren, silently pleading with him to let go.
But Ren wasn't about to give up so easily. Not only had Jada kicked him multiple times, but the feel of her foot was too pleasant to simply let go. He figured he deserved to enjoy this for a while longer.
When you really care about someone, it's easy to act a little childish—like how Jada had kicked him earlier, and how Ren was acting now.
In short, this was what people call "being lovey-dovey."
Good thing no one else was watching, or they might have gotten a cavity from the sweetness.
Ren trapped Jada's foot between his legs and brought his hand to his nose, taking a playful sniff with a look of pure satisfaction on his face.
Jada was mortified, her face flushing even deeper. She tried to pull her foot away again, but if she couldn't free it before, she certainly couldn't now.
Jada sighed, defeated.
"...."
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