#esther maisel

"Hold still." Esther scolds him with a paint brush in hand.

"Sorry."

“Everything.” Joel answers him.

“C’mon ‘s part of the dress code!” Lenny argues before being scolded by the 7 year old again.

Midge stepped closer to him with a glue tipped paint brush in one hand and a bottle of silver glitter in the other, “No! No! Midge!” Joel backs away, holding his arms up.

“C’mon stop being such a killjoy.” Midge voiced her annoyance.

“Esther! Stop your mother!” He tried to call for backup but Esther just shrugged and continued working on painting a cat face shape on Lenny's cheek.

“Ethan!” Joel called for his son.

“Yeah?” Ethan peaked his head around the door.

This is what Ethan saw: his father trying, mainly failing to escape his mother's paint brush(?) and his mother's friend whispering something into his little sister's ear as he continued to act as her canvas.

“Help!” His father pleaded.

So after that said peak, Ethan pretended he didn't see anything and went back to his room.

“Traitor!" Joel called as Midge finally cornered him.

"Midge- You don’t have to do this."

Esther sneaked up behind her mother and nudged her a 'little' causing her to spill the silver glitter all over him.

He's absolutely mortified and pissed, his face quickly growing red.

There was a silence.

“Whoops.”

Esther looked away cutely, which made Lenny snort and Midge laugh at his reaction and the look on Joel's face.

“You look like a disco ball.” Lenny chimed as he got up.

“ESTHER!” Joel yelled.

“Anddd that’s our cue.” Lenny picked up the little girl, slung her over his shoulder and made a run for it.

“You really do.” Midge laughed when she saw her little girl wave from behind Lenny's shoulder.

"We'll see you at the party!" Lenny yelled over his shoulder before hearing the door slam shut.

“Hey! Come back here with my daughter!” Joel yelled through the open window, but it's Joel so he didn't really care.

"He's a bad influence." The disco ball complained, “Your boyfriend just kidnapped our daughter! And you’re not doing anything about it!”

Midge is working, and Lenny is working on his book, watching the kids while Midge and her parents are all out for the evening. He thought he might hate this. Not being out there, working. Living.

But it feels good to just...take care of everybody. Be the dependable one.

"I think you might be," Lenny says gently, rocking her and rubbing her back.

"It doesn't matter if I sleep," Esther tells him. "What if the world blows up while I'm sleeping?"

"I promise," he says gently. "If I notice the world starting to blow up after you fall asleep, I will wake you."

"Pinky swear?" Esther asks, lifting her head and her hand.

He hooks his pinky with hers. "Pinky swear."

She huffs and slumps against him. "I...might be tired."

"Yes, I know," Lenny nods. He settles her down in her bed and helps her get under the covers. "How about this? You go to sleep now, and if the world remains intact overnight, you and I will hit the bakery for breakfast, and be the heroes of everyone's morning."

Esther considers that for a moment before nodding. "Deal."

"Good," he grins, leaning in to kiss her forehead. "Goodnight, darling. Sweet dreams. I'll be in the office if you need me."

"Night, Lenny," the little girl mutters, her eyes drooping.

The tug on his hand gets his attention, and Lenny looks down at his step-daughter curiously.

Esther looks nervous. Her little six-year-old face troubled.

He kneels down in front of her. "What is it, Darling?"

She takes a deep breath. "Lenny, Papa and Uncle Noah and Pop are talking about tying my tooth to a doorknob and then shutting the door and I'm scared."

Lenny frets along with her. "That is cause for concern, isn't it?"

Esther nods aggressively. "And Mama is working tonight on the show, and Softa is out, and Bubbe and Zeyde aren't here."

"Okay," he sooths, rubbing her arms comfortingly, kissing her forehead. "It's all going to be alright. How's the tooth feeling?"

"It's wiggly and it hurts," she pouts softly.

"Okay," he nods. "So here's what you do. I want you to wiggle it really, really hard with your tongue a few times, and then give it a good push, and do not swallow it when it falls out, okay?"

Esther nods firmly, does as she's told, and a few moments later, she spits out the tooth (and a little blood).

"There it is!" Lenny crows, grabbing a tissue from his desk and snagging the tooth from her. "The tooth fairy's gonna see this and be very impressed."

Esther beams at him. "It doesn't hurt anymore! It just feels funny!"

"That's normal," Lenny chuckles. "Let's get you some juice, and we'll show the brain trust in the living room so they can stop plotting your tooth's demise."

Esther smiles wider and hugs him. "Thank you. I was scared of the door slamming and hurting."