PROMPT: You're a rookie hero. While a supervillain was preoccupied, rival villains kidnapped his wife. You were the only hero who helped save her. The supervillain now wants to thank you in person.

“LET ME TOUCH YOUR FACE.”

You're not sure how to respond. Galactrix reaches for you with his spindly, triple-jointed fingers.

"IT'S HOW MY PEOPLE SHOW GRATITUDE, BILLY. LET ME TOUCH YOUR FACE."

"Oh--Okay," you finally say. "Sure."

His hands smell like motor oil. They probe your eyes, the soft hollows behind your ears.

"I WASN'T SURE I'D EVER SEE MY MELISSA AGAIN." He pauses, and you hear him breathing. "WOULD YOU LIKE TO TOUCH MY FACE, BILLY?"

Again, lost for words. "Uh... I'm okay, thanks."

"DO YOU REFUSE THE CEREMONIAL TOUCHING OF--"

Before he can finish his question, Melissa comes in from the foyer. She scoffs at her husband. "Honey, are you making people touch your face again?"

Galactrix withdraws his hands. "NO," he says sheepishly.

She puts her hand on his massive shoulder. "It's never not weird," she says, loving but stern.

"IT'S A SACRED RITUAL! YOU KNEW THIS WHEN YOU MARRIED ME!"

She turns to you. "You'll have to excuse him. He's just in one of his moods."

"I AM NOT IN ONE OF MY MOODS! I WAS SIMPLY COMMUNICATING MY GRATITUDE FOR--"

She wraps a cardiganed arm around his waist. "Let's get some emulsified proteins into you, and then it's straight to bed, mister!"

jaywilcoxwriter.net