consensual psychological experimentation word count: 552
"The most important part of an experiment is that the participant needs to give informed consent," Eli says, and she's smiling in the warm way that she does, that always makes Honoka want to make her proud. "So we'll go over the basics again, and you can ask me questions if you're not sure about anything, okay?"
"Okay," Honoka nods.
"I'm going to use this clicker here," Eli explains, holding it up for Honoka to see, and then clicking it once. "We're going to see if I can manage to shape your behaviour into something specific. It's just going to follow the basic rules of operant conditioning. Do you remember what that is?"
Eli explained it to her when she first had the idea; Honoka remembers learning about positive reinforcement and the way it can encourage certain behaviour. She nods eagerly, curious to see if it's going to work.
"If you want to stop at any time," Eli reminds her, "you just have to say so, and we'll call the whole thing off. As interesting as this is going to be for both of us, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."
"Of course," Honoka replies, and Eli smiles warmly.
Pressing the clicker, Eli leans forward and kisses Honoka.
She does it all throughout the day, catching Honoka in breaks. Honoka finds herself smiling whenever she hears the clicker, because it's always followed by a quick kiss, or Eli's hands stroking through her hair, or murmured praise be fore she's on her way again.
Before she even realises it, hearing the click itself makes her happy. It makes her even happier than it's always followed by a quick kiss or, if there are other people around, a fond smile that makes Honoka feel warm inside.
"Honoka," Umi says, as they change into their practice clothes after class. "We should do our homework after we finish practice, so we have time tomorrow morning for practice before class."
"Yeah, that's a good idea!" Honoka replies, and hears a click.
"Excuse me," Eli murmurs, leaning in to press a kiss to Honoka's cheek before moving on.
Umi, who has politely averted her eyes, smiles a little, and continues changing. "Come on, Honoka."
She doesn't realise what's going on for another few weeks. She's been trying to figure out what Eli has been using the clicker to encourage, but it's not until her teacher points out that she's been handing her homework in on time for the past two weeks that it all falls into place.
"Are you using your clicker," Honoka asks Eli, "to make me do my homework?"
"I'm encouraging you to do it," Eli corrects gently. "And rewarding you for it. I can't actually make you do anything, with this."
"Still," Honoka says. "You could have taught me to do any kind of behaviour in the world, and you picked getting me to do my homework. Umi-chan helped you, didn't she?"
Eli smiles. "She worries about you. I was trying to think of what I could do to help when I had the idea. I hope you're not upset—"
"It's pretty great," Honoka replies. "Sensei hasn't yelled at me for two whole weeks. You're the best, you know that?"
Chuckling softly, Eli pulls Honoka into a kiss. "You're pretty amazing too, you know."
FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, G
word count: 552
"The most important part of an experiment is that the participant needs to give informed consent," Eli says, and she's smiling in the warm way that she does, that always makes Honoka want to make her proud. "So we'll go over the basics again, and you can ask me questions if you're not sure about anything, okay?"
"Okay," Honoka nods.
"I'm going to use this clicker here," Eli explains, holding it up for Honoka to see, and then clicking it once. "We're going to see if I can manage to shape your behaviour into something specific. It's just going to follow the basic rules of operant conditioning. Do you remember what that is?"
Eli explained it to her when she first had the idea; Honoka remembers learning about positive reinforcement and the way it can encourage certain behaviour. She nods eagerly, curious to see if it's going to work.
"If you want to stop at any time," Eli reminds her, "you just have to say so, and we'll call the whole thing off. As interesting as this is going to be for both of us, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."
"Of course," Honoka replies, and Eli smiles warmly.
Pressing the clicker, Eli leans forward and kisses Honoka.
She does it all throughout the day, catching Honoka in breaks. Honoka finds herself smiling whenever she hears the clicker, because it's always followed by a quick kiss, or Eli's hands stroking through her hair, or murmured praise be fore she's on her way again.
Before she even realises it, hearing the click itself makes her happy. It makes her even happier than it's always followed by a quick kiss or, if there are other people around, a fond smile that makes Honoka feel warm inside.
"Honoka," Umi says, as they change into their practice clothes after class. "We should do our homework after we finish practice, so we have time tomorrow morning for practice before class."
"Yeah, that's a good idea!" Honoka replies, and hears a click.
"Excuse me," Eli murmurs, leaning in to press a kiss to Honoka's cheek before moving on.
Umi, who has politely averted her eyes, smiles a little, and continues changing. "Come on, Honoka."
She doesn't realise what's going on for another few weeks. She's been trying to figure out what Eli has been using the clicker to encourage, but it's not until her teacher points out that she's been handing her homework in on time for the past two weeks that it all falls into place.
"Are you using your clicker," Honoka asks Eli, "to make me do my homework?"
"I'm encouraging you to do it," Eli corrects gently. "And rewarding you for it. I can't actually make you do anything, with this."
"Still," Honoka says. "You could have taught me to do any kind of behaviour in the world, and you picked getting me to do my homework. Umi-chan helped you, didn't she?"
Eli smiles. "She worries about you. I was trying to think of what I could do to help when I had the idea. I hope you're not upset—"
"It's pretty great," Honoka replies. "Sensei hasn't yelled at me for two whole weeks. You're the best, you know that?"
Chuckling softly, Eli pulls Honoka into a kiss. "You're pretty amazing too, you know."