Dayton lowered her laptop lid gently. The room got quieter in that specific way it always did when a call ended, like the air had been borrowing other voices to stay warm.
“Finally,” Dayton said, stretching her fingers. “Homework done. Monday complete. What a day, right?”
Ezra was still on her desk, sitting slightly off to the side like he was trying not to take up space in a space he wasn’t allowed to own. Posture too straight. Hands too neat. The last scraps of “teacher” he could still control.
Dayton exhaled and looked at him. “Look. I’ll make sure you don’t get turned into some kind of homework tool. If you want to help, you can, but it’s okay to say no. Hayden can be… a lot.” Her mouth twitched. “I love her though. She’s one of my closest friends.” Then, quieter, because saying it out loud made it real: “But you’re my little now, Ezra. And that means something too.”
Ezra didn’t soften.
“We’re not best friends,” he said plainly.
Dayton blinked, then made a face like she’d just bitten into something sour. “Okay wow. So we’re just going right there then.”
“You created the situation,” Ezra said, and his tone wasn’t cruel. It was worse. It was matter-of-fact. He shifted slightly, collar charms giving a tiny tick. “I don’t mind answering questions. Light tutoring. But it would need to be structured. An academic environment.”
Dayton’s eyebrows rose. “Define ‘structured,’ because if you say syllabus I’m throwing you back in the habitat.”
Ezra looked at her, dead serious. “A syllabus would help.”
Dayton actually stared. “Ezra. Most tutors don’t have a syllabus.”
“They should,” Ezra said, like that was obvious.
“No,” Dayton said, sharper, then softened a fraction. “No. Absolutely not. This is middle school homework help, not… community college.”
Ezra’s mouth tightened like he wanted to argue on principle.
Dayton cut him off before he could. “One subject at a time? Fine. That’s reasonable. We can do that. But you are not turning my bedroom into an ‘academic environment.’ I already have school. I already have my mom breathing down my neck about grades. I’m not doing homework in a fake classroom.”
Ezra blinked, as if he hadn’t considered that her room was the only place she didn’t want to feel like a student.
He tried again, careful. “Then… a routine.”
Dayton’s jaw loosened a little. “Okay. A routine is not a syllabus.”
“It’s adjacent,” Ezra said.
Dayton rolled her eyes. “You’re adjacent.”
He looked mildly offended, which was almost funny.
Dayton leaned back, crossing her arms. “Here’s what we can do. If Hayden wants help, she has to come over. She sits at my desk or on my floor, like a normal person, and she asks questions one at a time. No chaos. No rapid-fire interrogation like you’re Alexa.”
Ezra’s gaze flicked toward the window.
Dayton followed it automatically, pointing without thinking. “She’s literally the house over there. It wouldn’t even be a thing.”
She stopped.
Because the second she said it, a different thought slid into place behind her eyes.
If Hayden came over… Hayden would be in her room. With Ezra. Seeing him as real, not as a voice in a call. Seeing the habitat cube. The supplies. The whole situation laid out like it belonged here.
Dayton’s hand dropped. She stared out the window one beat too long.
Ezra watched her, still, like he could hear the thought she wasn’t saying out loud.
The awkwardness wasn’t loud. It was just there, filling the gap between “normal” and “this.”
Dayton blinked and forced her tone back into place. “But I’m not making it weird. You’re not a teacher again. You’re not in charge. You’re just… helping.”
Ezra’s eyes stayed steady. “And you’re not my friend,” he said, not as a jab this time. More like a correction to keep them both honest.
Dayton’s jaw tightened. “No. I’m not.”
Then, because she hated silence, she added too fast, “I’m your guardian.”
Ezra swallowed. The collar shifted. “Yes.”
Dayton leaned forward, elbows on the desk. “So. Routine. What does that actually look like, Mr. Academic.”
Ezra hesitated, then said, “A designated time. Specific questions. And no… interruptions.”
Dayton snorted. “So you’re never helping Hayden again.”
“Not if she treats it like a game show,” Ezra said.
Dayton’s mouth twitched. “That’s literally her whole personality.”
Ezra nodded like he’d just diagnosed a condition.
Dayton laughed, quick and surprised, and for a second the room softened.
Then she caught herself laughing and turned it back into something controlled. “Okay. Fine. One subject at a time. One question at a time. And you can say no whenever you want.”
Ezra watched her. “You mean you can say no,” he said quietly.
Dayton’s throat tightened, because he’d named the thing she’d been trying not to admit.
She didn’t answer right away.
Outside the window, Hayden’s house sat close and dark, like the world hadn’t changed at all.
Inside, Ezra sat on her desk, small and steady, waiting for Dayton to decide what kind of guardian she was going to be when nobody else was watching.
Called it there relationship at the moment is they are more or less acquaintances at best and that’s putting it lightly
Right now they at level zero in terms of where they at with each other still heated, tense, not the best of terms and some hatred towards each other.
So obviously they’ll probably feel each other out and see how far they can go in maybe a week or two they’ll be more so partners…..maybe that not the right word ( if anyone got the right wording for that then please list it lol)
Then hopefully we get to frenemies, then maybe friends and then best friends if possible. Again will be interesting to see how it evolves over time
Time will definitely help the situation. It will probably take more then a couple weeks but so far they have been discussing things atleast on a level where they both want things to work. They aren’t having full on fights or anyhting.
both were right to put their foot down. All things considered, to me at least, they’re being extremely cordial and open. even if they don’t like each other, talking like this is way better vs in an antagonistic way or some one sided conversation where Dayton dictates and Ezra chokes it down in resentment.
Agreed and honestly a better start than even Sara and Jordan even though there’s no tense experience between each other during that time !
Just being honest feels more important than just trying to cover up more personal feelings about each other which is a good sign
i thinks so too. The intent was they both want to make things work however both like a degree of control and agency so it will be interesting. Sometimes the only way to work things out is to butt heads.
Nice follow-up chapter to yesterday. I feel the tension between Ezra and Dayton with every word spoken between them. They are both trying to wrestle for control in this situation. Ezra strikes me as a bit of a control freak since he was used to having control over what was his classroom.
Also, I think the final line of the post is supposed to say Outside the window, Dayton’s house sat close and dark instead of Hayden’s house, which is how I’m choosing to read it.
But the window was a part of Dayton’s house. How could Dayton’s house be outside its own window?
It is supposed to be Hayden’s house. It was mentioned in an earlier chapter she lives behind and adjacent to Daytons house. So outside Daytons window is Hayden’s house.
Ah, my mistake then, sorry about that.
I appreciate people letting me know about things like this as if its a mistake I would like to get it fixed. Like last week there was an issue with a scene that cut mixed with a paragraph i didnt include in the current chapter at that time which led to confusion of events.
So what you’re saying is there’s possibly a timeline where Jordan did manage to escape from Dayton’s yard, only to end up in Hayden’s clutches?
I do agree with you that they have a little tension between them as they both do like being in control. Which one could argue could have led Ezra into making the choices he made pre and leading into smallara.
1) ““Look. I’ll make sure you don’t get turned into some kind of homework tool. If you want to help, you can, but it’s okay to say no. Hayden can be… a lot.” That’s better than she gave to Jordan (not that that’s a high bar)
2) “But you’re my little now, Ezra. And that means something too.” It does to him as well, but probably not the same thing
3) “We’re not best friends,” – “Okay wow. So we’re just going right there then.” The fuck did she expect? They had a toxic relationship; her owning him doesn’t magically fix that, if anything it’d make it worse
4) “You created the situation, I don’t mind answering questions. Light tutoring. But it would need to be structured. An academic environment.” Holding her accountable is good, but sounds like he tryna be a teacher again
5) “Ezra. Most tutors don’t have a syllabus.” – “They should,” Ezra bluring the lines between tutor and teacher
6) “But you are not turning my bedroom into an ‘academic environment.’ I already have school. I already have my mom breathing down my neck about grades. I’m not doing homework in a fake classroom.” That’s a reasonable boundary
7) “He looked mildly offended, which was almost funny.” Dayton would take amusement at his offence
8.1) “If Hayden came over… Hayden would be in her room. With Ezra. Seeing him as real, not as a voice in a call.” That would likely help Ezra too, seeing her as real and not a question over the net
8/2) “Seeing the habitat cube. The supplies. The whole situation laid out like it belonged here.” something she’s definitely seen before
9) “But I’m not making it weird. You’re not a teacher again. You’re not in charge. You’re just… helping.” Can’t risk him feeling hope or normal
10) “And you’re not my friend.” No, she doesn’t deserve to be
11) “No. I’m not. I’m your guardian.” The best guardians also have friendships wih their Littlea, but it’s not surprising Dayton doesn’t
12) “A designated time. Specific questions. And no… interruptions.” – Dayton snorted. “So you’re never helping Hayden again.” If she can’t follow those very basic boundaries, why should he?
13) “Not if she treats it like a game show,” – “That’s literally her whole personality.” She does treat everything like a game; she’s quite playful
14) “And you can say no whenever you want.” – “You mean you can say no,” I love the way he calls her on her bullshit
15) “Dayton’s throat tightened, because he’d named the thing she’d been trying not to admit.” She was not ready for that one, lol
16) “Inside, Ezra sat on her desk, small and steady, waiting for Dayton to decide what kind of guardian she was going to be when nobody else was watching.” and if she makes the wrong choice again, she can just ‘change’ later without ever addressing or apologising for her mistake, again.