#ler!henry

You’ve been under Henry’s “care” for quite some time now.

His elegant victorian mansion was now your new home, spacious and accommodating for all your needs. It was decorated with charm from a bygone era, reminding you almost of a full-sized dollhouse. You forgot exactly how you ended up on Henry’s front yard, but the details became more and more vague the longer you stayed there. Lucky for you, your mind doesn’t have much time to dwell on it, with Henry fulfilling your every wish and whim. He was a very gracious host, providing you with indulgent distractions such as beautiful clothes, delicious meals, and his own company.

The longer you stayed under his roof, the more attached you became to Henry. His soothing voice and friendly smile always made you feel welcomed and calm, like a security blanket of sorts. Eventually, you find yourself viewing him as a genuine companion, utterly captured by his thoughtful gestures and piercing blue eyes behind his glasses. Henry always promised to keep you safe from evil creatures that lurked in the woods across the way, just as long as you stayed inside the house and never wandered off. He also promised the arrival of your loved ones, but they never came…

In the meantime, you become completely enraptured by Henry, always feeling warm and fuzzy by his generous acts of service and undivided attention. Even when he was away, he always left you notes in the kitchen or living room to remind you of his presence. Like clockwork, Henry presented you with a bouquet of roses whenever he returned, removing his dark brown brimmed hat like a proper gentleman. He filled your life with intimate evenings, slow dancing to crooning love songs after delightful candlelight dinners. Despite all the tender moments, there were rare instances of playful fun where you and Henry stop being adults for a while and just get lost in your mutual affection.

This one time was quite special, as it occurred right after your daily breakfast with Henry. Usually, after the table was cleared, he would put on his hat and leave to do, well, you didn’t really know what. Instead, he extended his hand to help you out of your chair, his blue eyes locking with yours as you rose.

“How about a game, darling? We have some time to spare before I leave.”

Henry offers with that signature smile that never reached his eyes. This took you by surprise, but you nodded anyway, open to the idea of spending more time with your sweetheart.

“What did you have in mind?” You asked, mind already reeling as to what Henry was scheming. He was always so full of surprises…

“I’ve always been fond of hide and seek. You’ll hide and I’ll do my best to find you.”

Henry offers in that low, gentle rasp that you’ve come to love, giving an affectionate pat to your shoulder. His eyes gleam from his glasses, the sunlight from the window streaming in to give him a flattering glow. You couldn’t resist playing along, so with an enthusiastic grin, the game was set.

“Don’t go too far now.”

Henry adds with a wink, turning on his heel to face the wall and start his counting. He gives you 50 generous seconds to find a proper hiding spot, to which you quickly take advantage of. With a spring in your step, you stealthily make your way out of the kitchen and up the grand staircase. Your shoes make the old wooden steps creak under their pressure, much to your chagrin. You had a pretty good spot in mind and was determined not to be thwarted by this aging mansion.

Quick as a flash, you head into your bedroom, closing the door behind you with a soft click. It was the first real gift Henry ever gave you, your own personal space decorated tastefully, yet tailored to your style. You make sure to be very stealthy as you open your closet doors, stepping inside and closing them shut. Even from the second floor, you can hear Henry counting down from the kitchen, his voice muffled yet clearly audible. Once he finished, your heart kicks into overdrive and you have to literally bite back a goofy smile that tugged on your lips. You loved this, the thrill of the chase, and so did Henry.

“Three, two, one. Ready or not, my dear…”

Henry calls out, voice twinged with intention. He was determined to win, and even more confident that he would. Unbeknown to you, Henry used his psionic abilities to find exactly where you were, the same abilities you were blissfully unaware of. You hear his Oxford shoes steadily making their way up the stairs, each step acting like the ticking of a clock. In an effort to keep quiet, you cover your hand over your mouth to stifle any loud breathing. The closet was dark, but provided a bit of light through the louvers so you could peak through.

“Where, oh where could my darling be?”

Henry muses out loud, pretending to play dumb despite knowing damn well where you were hiding. He intentionally walked past your bedroom, instead going to peak inside his room followed by the bathroom. He liked to toy with you, to make you believe you were sneaky enough to outsmart him. Meanwhile, you stay still as a statue in your closet, fighting every childish urge to chortle with glee as you waited impatiently for Henry to find you.

“Y/N, sweetheart…”

Henry calls out in a sing-song voice, his footsteps teasingly getting closer to your bedroom door, which he noticed was open prior to starting this game. The sight makes him chuckle lowly in amusement, knowing he just struck gold. With agonizing slowness, Henry opens the door with a loud squeak to signify his presence, making a chill run up your spine.

“Are you in here, hmm?”

You immediately clamp your hand tighter around your mouth, being as motionless as possible while your heart beats at record speed inside your chest. You can see Henry’s shadow from the bottom of the closet, his tall frame moving around to look by your bed and under the covers. Then, he begins to hum a little melody under his breath, nearly making you squeak in anticipation as the blonde strolls casually to stand in front of the closet…

Before you know it, you’re found. Sniffed out effortlessly like a bunny hunted by a wolf.

“Found you.”

Henry pulls apart the closet doors with a powerful show of force, looking at you like the cat who caught the cream. There he loomed, donning that signature brown vest and button up, but his gentleman attire did not match that mischievous gleam in those blue eyes. You pull back with a smile, believing that was the end of it, but how mistaken you were.

Before you could string another thought, Henry lifts you up with strength that shocks even you. He holds you bridal style, watching with thinly kept pleasure at the utter astonishment written all over your face. You felt so small being pressed against his chest, yet oddly, so safe.

“Henry!” You squeal, chuckling as your legs begin to kick in a vain attempt at escaping. “Put me down!”

“Forgive me, but I forgot to mention the punishment for being found.”

Henry sighs like a disappointed parent, finally setting you down on your bed with a small thud. Your H/C locks fan out against the fluffy sheets, making you look like an angel with a halo. Your eyebrows stitch together as you try to process his unclear intentions, looking up at him with a confused, yet intrigued glance.

“What punishment?”

Henry simply gives you that warm smile despite his wicked intentions, his hands coming up to flex his long fingers in front of your face. His tall frame moves to tower on top of yours, straddling your hips with one hand while the other hovers teasingly above your stomach. His knees straddle your legs, keeping you pinned in a compromising position.

“Don’t worry, I have a hunch you’ll love it.”

And with that, Henry dives in, his hovering hand diving into your stomach in a digging like motion. His fingers claw lightly against your sensitive abdomen, making you instantly squeak out and writhe under his touch. Tickling. Of course the penalty just had to be tickling. It was like Henry had access to all your secrets and weaknesses without even having to try.

“Hehenryhy! Nohohohoho fahahahahair!”

You whine weakly amidst your giggles, your face contorting with a wide smile. All your maturity might as well have vanished completely, as you sounded about as helpless and ticklish as a child. Henry can’t help but drink in the sight of you like this, reduced to begging under his touch. It makes him chuckle himself, shaking his head fondly.

“Oh, but life isn’t fair, my dear.”

Henry tuts gently, continuing to dance his scribbling fingers along your taught stomach. With a particular wicked twist of his wrist, he moves to tickle along the edges of your navel, making a real shriek tear from your throat. You try to squirm away like a rabbit in a snare trap, but Henry’s hand on your hip keeps you pushed flush against your mattress.

“Plehehehehease, I-I cahahahahan’t!”

You plead with all your might, but your bubbly streams of laughter strip you away of all urgency. Through your clenched eyes, you try to pry Henry’s clawing hand away from your poor stomach, but he doesn’t budge. If anything, he ups the ante, squeezing your hip he has pinned down while continuing the ministrations on your tummy.

“Tsk, tsk.” Henry scolds playfully, his devilish smirk growing as your laughter goes up an octave at the double attack. “How on Earth could you hide from the monsters when I found you so easily?” The blonde asks rhetorically with a teasing lilt, not letting up for a minute.

Meanwhile, you couldn’t compose yourself enough to reply, so lost in ticklish euphoria and endless laughter. Your cheeks heat up in a pink glow the longer you’re reduced to giggles by Henry’s meticulous touch, back arching and feet kicking from the ticklish sensations shooting through your body.

“But, I must admit…” Henry trails off, now moving both hand to scribble along the sensitive dip of your sides. “I do enjoy hearing you sing so wonderfully.”

“Stahahahahahap!”

Your blush spreads from the apples of your cheeks to the bridge of your nose at Henry’s compliment, covering your rosy face with your hands. You couldn’t remember the last time you laughed so hard, let alone be so vulnerable to the point of being overwhelmed by tickles. Henry knew that deep within your mind, you ached for this, craved it even. He was just giving you some well needed reprieve. His hands were like an extension of his brain, sharp and precise with every squeeze and scribble against your midsection.

This playful attack goes on for about a few minutes more, with Henry’s hands moving up and down from your ribcage all the way back down to your hips without missing any good spots. He seems to be fueled by your laughter, your giggles quickly becoming his new favorite sound. Minutes pass, each second marked by the way your snorts and squeals hit a new high.

And then, like a stroke of luck, Henry stops.

A quiet buzz of an alarm comes from inside his brown vest, no doubt his pocket watch that he always takes on the go. Reluctantly with a huff, Henry ceases and opens the lid to check the time. 11:00 on the dot. Time to get going. But before he does, Henry gently props you up, wiping away any tears of laughter that rolled down your flushed cheeks. His thumb lingered on your skin for a beat too long, contemplating doing something far more risky, but pulls back.

“Now, what have we learned, Y/N?”

Henry questions expectedly, running his hand through your tussled locks to fix them back to that perfect style you had before. The touch almost makes you freeze, but you stammer a reply anyway, slowly coming down from your giggling fit.

“I hahahave to pick better hiding spots?”

Henry simply chuckles, holding out his hand to help you off the bed and walk you down the stairs. Before he departed for the day, he left a little surprise for you in the mailbox, as he always did. But this little trinket was unlike all the others, as it was a tiny bundle of white feathers tied together with a ribbon, complete with a small note from your sweetheart.

"Dearest, Y/N. Incase you get needy. Love, Henry."

Life for Alex Claremont-Diaz was the best it had ever been. Henry came over almost daily from his Brownstone, and he finally felt like he had a definite idea of where his life was headed. The only downside: he was still in school.

The NYU Law course was a bit more rigorous than he’d expected, but it was definitely what he wanted. Sure, that meant long, painful hours of reviewing for extremely difficult exams, discovering that tort is a real word, and trying to figure out a system for coursework that didn’t make his brain want to explode.

His sleep schedule was already shit, so he didn’t think any of it would be a problem. If he just pulled a few all-nighters and pumped out some late-night essays, he’d be fine. What he didn’t think about, however, was how Henry would take it.

Alex was working late on another essay, running off of coffee and pure determination. He hadn’t meant to put it off, but with the three exams he’d had that week, his mind was a scattered mess.

Henry had put up with it for most of the night, but as two AM rolled around, his understanding had run dry, replaced by concern.

Knocking the “shave and a haircut” pattern on his lover’s door, Henry entered the room. He was immediately greeted with the strong smell of coffee and desperation.

There sat his boyfriend, hunched over a computer with a half-eaten ham sandwich (he couldn’t handle turkey anymore) by his side. The blonde couldn’t help the sad sigh that escaped him.

Alex looked up, his glasses nearly all the way down on his nose. It was unfairly cute, though Henry shoved that feeling down for the moment.

“Uh…hey, Hen. Not done yet; gimme, like, another half-hour.” Alex’s gaze was back on his computer in seconds.

Henry rubbed his temples, already feeling a headache brew. For once, why couldn’t Alex just use common sense?

“Alex, darling. It’s two in the morning. You need to sleep.”

Alex scoffed, not stopping for even a second. “Says you. You stay up later than I do most of the time.” While that wasn’t untrue, Henry’s problems were because of insomnia. Alex was just a stubborn asshole.

“Look, I’m going to be brutally honest here. You look terrible, you seem exhausted, and the bags under your eyes could fit the entirety of the Royal Wardrobe. Go. To. Sleep.”

Henry laid things out bluntly, crossing his arms. It was meant to leave little room for negotiation, but defying Henry’s expectations was Alex’s special talent.

“This is due at eight AM…uh, today. I’ve only got six hours to finish this thing, but I’m almost done. I promise, just a bit longer.” This would have been more comforting if Alex hadn’t already said that three times.

“Alex, please. If you sleep now, I’ll wake you up at six, and we’ll work on it together. It hurts to see you like this, dear.” He used pet names, trying to sway Alex to listen. It was a last-ditch effort; if he still refused, Henry didn’t have much of a plan left. Sure enough, he did.

“It’s fine, Henry. I’m all good, just a little spacy. I promise, the moment I’m done, I’ll eat your face. Okay, baby?” Alex flipped the other man’s strategy back on him, hoping to fully bury the concern. He was fine: end of story.

For Henry, though, the tale was just beginning. He racked his brain, searching for anything to help him get Alex to cooperate. He could only remember one time anyone was successful.

Alex had invited him to the White House for June’s birthday party. As the night dragged on, everyone but Alex was drunk and exhausted. To tire him out, June had employed some rather…unconventional methods.

Methods that would be extremely useful to him at that moment.

Casually approaching his boyfriend, Henry put a hand on the laptop. Then, after making sure the work was saved, he closed it. He pointedly ignored Alex’s scoff and protests, grabbing his chin and pulling him in for a kiss. Alex still squirmed, though a smile was breaking out on his face.

That was all Henry needed to continue. He gripped Alex under his thighs, lifting the man up and plopping him down on his nearby bed.

A surprised sound left him, his cheeks gaining a nearly imperceptible red hue. He was expecting some push-back from Henry, but nothing this active.

“Just couldn’t wait for me, could you~?” Alex weteased, starting to sit up on the bed. Henry was quick to stop that, grabbing Alex’s arms and pinning them above his head.

Before his lover could make another joke, Henry tapped a few fingers on his side. That shut him up, if only for a second.

“Henry, I swear to fucking god, if you try anything-” He was cut off when Henry squeezed his side, resulting in an indignant squeak.

“Sorry, dear, but I’m afraid I already have~” With that, Henry clawed his fingers into Alex’s stomach, straddling him.

The tired man tried to bite his lip, but the coffee wasn’t quite enough to give him that energy. A few giggles slipped out, quickly followed by tiny curses.

“What’s the matter, Alex? Something bothering you?” Henry chuckled, leaning down further to try and hold him still.

Kicking and squirming, Alex tried anything to get away from the evil fingers. He was tired, though; his brain was moving at half-speed and felt like it was running through soup.

“Gehehet ohoff me, youhuhu prihick!” Henry has decided to move up to his ribs, scritching and scratching between each bone.

Even on a good day, it’d be hard for Alex to get out from under him. With no sleep, coffee fumes and pure spite, he had no chance.

“Why on Earth would I do that? I’m quite comfortable here. Besides, you seem to be enjoying yourself, if that blush is any indication,” Henry taunted, jutting his chin out. He didn’t really need to, but it was a sure-fire way to rile Alex.

“Fuhuhuck off! Hehenry, I swehehear- quihit!” Alex tried to bury his face in his shoulder, though he only drew attention to a new target. Henry leaned down, blowing a raspberry on his boyfriend’s neck. Alex would rather die than repeat the squeal that left him.

“Wow, Alex. Perhaps the Barbara Streisand accusation wasn't so far off,” he teased, his voice about as smug than Alex had ever heard it.

The typically witty man was in giggly shambles, trying his best not to sound like a child. He wasn’t very successful.

“SHUHUhut uhup, youhu douche!!” Laughing like a toddler, Alex was still pumping out insults. Henry was about to put a stop to that. Going for the kill, he hooked his thumbs into Alex's hip divots, kneading and squeezing the area.

That seemed to work quite well.

“GAH- HEHENRY! You- YAHAHA! FAHAHACK!” The law student lost his shit, practically cackling under his boyfriend.

Alex arched his back off the bed, only bucking into the ticklish feeling. There was no room in his mind for witt; the best he could do was “fuck fuck fuck it tickles oh my god-”

Hearts practically formed in Henry’s eyes at the adorably hysteric reaction. Still, as cute as it was, he had a mission.

“This all ends the moment you agree to rest. Or…would you like me to continue? I bet I could just tickle you senseless all night. You’d surely be exhausted then, wouldn’t you?”

Alex couldn’t even get a word out, shaking his head as he laughed. His curls went wild, getting in his eyes and puffing up. Henry wanted to brush it from his eyes, but he had to keep his priorities in order. There would be time for fawning over him later.

“HEHENRY! PLEHE- snrk” It took a solid minute, but Alex’s resolve was weakening. He was already tired beforehand, and laughing his ass off wasn’t helping. The squirming had died down almost completely, snorts slipping into the lax cackles.

While it wasn’t an agreement, the Prince could tell that his lover would be out in seconds. Henry stopped, switching to gentle traces down his sides. The first son tried to calm down, a steady stream of giggles pouring from his lips.

“H-hoholy shihihit… Thahat was evil.” He tried taking some deep breaths, rubbing his cheeks. Alex hadn’t laughed that hard in a while. He was close to just passing out right there, pure exhaustion hitting him like a freight train.

“Possibly. You deserved it, though.” Henry leaned down, gently kissing his curved lips. This sight was one of his new favorites: Alex, his toned skin flushed, practically a puddle of giggles beneath him.

Alex flipped him the bird before melting into the kiss. He weakly pulled his boyfriend down, snuggling against him. He’d all but forgotten about his essay, eyes closed the moment he laid still; the poor guy was wiped. It wasn’t terrible by any means, but all his energy was gone.

Carefully grabbing his phone, Henry set an alarm for six AM.

They’d finish that research paper; he was certain of that. With a bit of sleep, Alex would be a writing machine. True, the slightly rushed grammar would be atrocious, but that’s what Henry was there for. Pulling the sheets up over them both, Henry breathed a happy sigh.

Alex was clearly better at keeping secrets from Henry than he was him. He did occasionally slip up and get caught but it wasn't as often as when Henry was the one keeping the secret.

"Alex, this has been going on for two weeks, tell me the truth." Alex side eyed him from his desk, Henry thinks it's been two weeks, it's actually been three months, Alex just accidentally got caught on a phone call two weeks ago.

"I never lied to you, I just didn't tell you something, there's a difference." Alex said with a shrug of his shoulders, turning back to the essay he'd been writing for the last hour. Henry, who had been leaning against the wall, moved up behind Alex's chair, rubbing his shoulders.

"My love~ you do realize how unfair it is that you get to keep your secrets but I do not~?" Henry purred, running his hands down Alex's back, his fingers slipping under his arms, digging in suddenly. Alex jumped with a high pitched yelp, arms slamming down to his sides, trapping Henry's hands where they were.

"HEHEHENRY! WHAHAHAHAT?!" He whined, squirming so much in his chair that it was rocking against the floor.

"You wanna stop lying to me now~?" He teased, using his pinkies to catch his top ribs.

"IHIHIHIHIT'S A GIHIHIHIFT!" He cried out, making Henry pause.

"A gift?" He asked slowly, slowly prying his hands from under Alex's tightly pressed arms.

“Nothing! Shut up!” Alex rushed out, his face bright red. “You heard nothing, and you’re wrong, and also shut up.” The little squeak Alex had let out when Henry’s fingers brushed against his ribs would have been explored more, but the door was opened and the two had to scramble out of the closet. Henry still tucked the encounter away in the back of his mind anyways… just in case. 

Just in case came about much quicker than he thought it would. Just about a week later the two found themselves in one of their usual positions of Henry on top of Alex, the pair making out. Conveniently, Henry remembered their little excursion, and his hands managed to find their way down to Alex’s ribs. Alex broke away from the kiss with a little flinch.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

“You remember the day when we got pushed inside the supply closet?” Henry asked nonchalantly, still not moving his hands. Alex’s eyes widened, and he started to squirm, but Henry just pushed him back into place. The events of the supply closet flashed through Alex’s mind. He was so conflicted, on one hand, it was when he realized that Henry wasn’t just a royal pain in his ass (pun intended), but it was also when Henry found out…

“Yes- yes of course I remember,” he muttered out sheepishly, still kind of trying to squirm away. 

“Good, then you know what’s coming. Now what was it you said? Oh yes… Smile, idiot.” Before Alex even got the chance to respond, Henry was already digging into his ribs. As much as Alex would like to say he remained stone faced, only stopping to chuckle at Henry’s foolish, child-like behavior, he couldn’t. The pure, joyous stream of giggles that came tumbling out of his mouth was the furthest thing from that. 

“God you are so cute,” Henry adorned, “It is absolutely unfair that you have such cute giggles. You’re gonna kill me with how utterly adorable you are.” Alex didn’t think it was possible, and yet, he felt more heat flood into his cheeks as his boyfriend praised him. 

“Shuhut up, yohohou prihihick!” He squealed out, grabbing onto Henry’s wrists, having given up on trying to squirm away. Henry pulled away in a dramatic presentation of offense.

“Me a prick!? Me!?” Alex took the break happily, quickly catching his breath before retorting.

“Yes, you! You may think you’re absolutely perfect, your majes-” Alex suddenly cut himself off as he remembered the position he was currently stuck in. Henry cocked an eyebrow down at his lover, and slowly loomed over the boy. 

“What was that? Did you just call me your majesty, after I’ve told you how many times that is specifically reserved for the king? This is obviously deserving of a punishment.” Alex pursed his lips and squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for the onslaught of tickles he was about to be hit with. 

Henry took his time toying with Alex, relishing in every flinch and twitch that came from even the slightest touch. Every time Henry’s fingers touched him, Alex could feel the electricity shooting through him. The anticipation was the worst part of it. He had absolutely no idea where Henry’s devious fingers were venturing to, and could hardly take it. Finally, much to Alex’s chagrin, Henry’s fingers finally settled in to the dips of his hips. They weren’t there for even a second before Alex began desperately begging. 

“Nononono, Henry please I can’t take that. I’ll be too loud, people are gonna hear-” Alex got cut off by Henry leaning down and kissing along his neck, slowly making his way up to give him a quick peck on his lips before whispering into his ear.

“Guess you better keep quiet then.” Leaving Alex with absolutely no time to react, he started rubbing his thumbs in quick circles, which left Alex a howling mess. There was absolutely no hope of him even maintaining a semblance of quiet. How could he when his absolute worst spot was being tickled by a mad man? Alex squirmed, and screamed, and begged. Anything and everything he could think of to at least get Henry to move spots, and Henry absolutely reveled in it. He loved nothing more than making the hottest man on earth squeal and screech with laughter. 

As much as he did enjoy it, he was honestly worried someone was going to catch them, so he instead opted to lift up Alex’s shirt and begin gently nibbling along his abs. Alex was beyond relieved his hips were being left alone, but it by no means made this new form of torture any better. Henry couldn’t help but smirk at the little buck Alex did every time he hit this one spot just above his left hip. 

“H-Hehen, plehehease,” Alex giggled out, pulling Henry down by his collar. Henry relented, finally, happy falling into a kiss with the younger boy. 

The two continued kissing for a couple minutes before Alex pulled away and looked at him with a smirk. 

“Hey, Henry?” 

“Mhmm?”

“Run.” 

Michael was sitting at the table, looking at Henry as he landed on a blue space. “Vermont Avenue. Guess who’s buying their first blue property?” He said with a smirk. 

Henry chuckled as Michael put two 50’s into the bank. “$100 mundo’s.” Michael said as he took the Vermont card from the deck. 

“What a waste.” Henry muttered with a smirk, looking at the cards he had. He had two brown cards, and a green card so far, and $1080 still. 

“What are you talking about?! You call Vermont Avenue a waste?! What about North Carolina Avenue?!” Michael reacted. “That was $300!” Michael reacted. 

“And it was worth the investment!” Henry reacted. 

“Was it now?” Michael asked. “Now shut up and roll.” Michael told him, giving him the dice. They only had 1 dice, so they were rolling the dice twice to make up for the lack of a second dice piece. “What happened to the second dice for this game, by the way?” Michael asked. 

Henry took the dice and rolled it in his hands. “It was taken out and used for another game, and I ended up giving it away without taking back the dice. So it’s forever missing.” Henry explained. He threw the dice onto the board, and watched as it landed. “Five…” He picked it up and rolled it again. “-and three. Eight.” Henry said as he grabbed his top hat piece. He moved it 8 pieces to the left, making him land on GO. “Yes! I get $200!” Henry declared, taking two $100 bills from the bank. 

Michael chuckled and rolled the dice next. “Three…” Michael picked it up and rolled it again. “and one. Four.” Michael said as he picked up the car piece. Michael moved the car 4 spaces up and over to the right, landing him on the Electric Company space. “Hmmm…” Michael thought for a moment, and looked at the amount of cash he had in his hand. “I think I’ll go for it.” Michael said as he pulled out a $50 bill, and a $100 bill from his hand. “$150 for the Electric Company.” Michael said. 

“What a shock…” Henry joked. 

Michael groaned and hung his head. “Goddammit.” Michael muttered. 

“Watt?” Henry asked with a smirk. 

Michael took out the Electric company card from the deck and showed him the card. “You’re not being very bright.” Michael told him. 

Henry laughed. “Woooow.” He said as he took the dice from Michael. He rolled the dice, surprisingly getting a two. “Is it two late to remind you who the pun master is?” Henry asked. 

Michael took the dice and rolled it. He got a four. “Fun fact: Puns happen to be my four-te.” Michael told him. 

Henry rolled his eyes and moved his top hat piece 6 times up. The spot he landed on, made him smirk widely. “How pissed would you be if I bought Oriental Avenue?” Henry asked, stopping the pun game for a moment. 

Michael widened his eyes. “Don’t.” He warned. 

Henry pulled out a $50 bill. 

“Don’t you dare!” Michael warned. 

He pulled out a $20 bill. 

“I will destroy you if you take my monopoly!” Michael warned. 

He pulled out another $20 bill. “Not if we just trade.” Henry told him. 

Michael gave Henry the biggest, most evil glare he could, trying his absolute best to convince him NOT to buy Oriental Avenue. 

Henry slowly grabbed the yellow $10 bill…

“UNCLE HENRY, I SWEAR TO-” 

Henry put the $10 bill in with the rest of the cash, and placed it into the bank. And just as fast, he grabbed the deck of properties and started shuffling through them. “It’s too late, Michael.” He pulled out the light blue card and slapped it onto the table. “I have Oriental Avenue.” Henry declared. 

Michael looked at Henry with defeat. How DARE he prevent him from getting a monopoly! That’s so unfair! What the hell! 

Michael growled and picked up the dice. “Gimme that, greedy bugger.” Michael muttered. 

Henry laughed, finding Michael’s British language to be both identical to his father’s, and also hilarious. “Ohoho my god you have no idea!” Henry laughed. 

Michael blew into his hand, and threw the dice. “Four.” Michael rolled the dice again, and threw it onto the table. “Three.” Michael said. He grabbed his car piece and started tapping his piece across the board seven spaces over. “New York Avenue.” Michael said. “How stupid would I be to take it?” Michael asked. 

Henry rolled his eyes. “I mean, you’ve wasted a lot of your money already. Minus well keep going.” Henry said. 

Michael gave Henry an annoyed glare. “Says the one who bought Oriental Avenue for NO REASON!” Michael yelled. 

“Do you wanna trade? Cause I’ll gladly trade you.” Henry asked. 

“YES.” Michael yelled back. 

“Alright! Alright, I’ll trade!” Henry grabbed the Oriental Avenue card and placed it in the middle. “But it’s irreversible.” Henry said. “And no counter offers.” Henry told him. 

“No counter offers?” Michael asked. 

“Noooo counter offers.” Henry clarified. “Done. What were you suggesting?” Michael asked, not even realizing what he was doing.

“I’ll give you Oriental Avenue, and $300 for…” Henry placed the $300 onto the table with the card. “5 minutes to tickle you.” Henry told him. 

Michael’s face went from focused, to shock in a matter of seconds. “...I’m sorry, what?” He asked. 

“Oriental Avenue and $300 for 5 minutes to tickle you.” Henry told him. 

Michael sat back. “...You have got to be kidding me.” Michael muttered. 

Henry laughed. “I’m not! I’m not kidding at all.” Henry said. 

Michael closed his eyes as he realized something horrifying: “...And I agreed to no counter offers.” Michael muttered, before rubbing his nose. “Dammit.” He muttered. 

Henry laughed a little more as he crossed his arms. “So:” Henry looked at him with a smirk. “Deal? Or no deal?” Henry asked. 

Michael looked at Oriental Avenue…and the $300. It was not a bad deal, honestly. It was actually more in his own favor than in Henry’s favor. He could’ve done only Oriental Avenue for the 5 minutes of tickles, but no! He threw in $300 more dollars. And that would be enough to put him back in the thousands again. Michael really needed both those things…but he didn’t want to have to be tickled for them…

But…it would seem he had no other choice. 

Michael finally gave in. “Deal.” Michael said. 

“Deal?!” Henry reacted, holding his fists up eagerly. 

“Deal.” Michael said. 

“YES!” Henry got up onto his feet and pushed Michael down onto the carpet. He pulled out his phone, and pulled up the timer. “Alright. 5 minutes starts…” Henry clicked the button. “NOW.” 

Henry put the phone down as quickly as he could, before digging his fingers into the ribs on Michael’s back. Michael widened his eyes and covered his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut as giggles filled his lungs. “aaAACK- Kkkk-” Michael shook his head, refusing to laugh at first. Henry rolled his eyes and sighed. “Well if you’re gonna cheat, I minus well just do my worst.” Henry said before blowing a raspberry onto the right side of his ribs. Michael squealed and squeaked, before losing control of his laughter. “BWAAAAAHAHAHAhahahahahaha! Hehehehenryhyhyhy WAHAIHIHIHIT!” Michael shouted. 

“Nope! No waiting. Just tickling and laughter.” Henry said somewhat quickly. “I only have 10 minutes, so I’d better make every second count.” Henry told himself out loud. “Now how ticklish is your whole rib cage?” Henry asked before skittering on both sides of Michael’s front, lower rib cage first. 

Michael squeaked and cackled helplessly, trying and failing to push Henry off. “THIHIHIS IHIS UNFAHAHAHAIRRRRR!” Michael yelled. 

Henry smirked. “Remember the deal? Oriental Avenue and $300?” Henry told him before moving his hands up to the middle of Michael’s ribcage, right on the abs area. 

Michael threw his head back and giggled a bit more higher-pitched. “EEEEEhehehehehehe! HAhahahahaha! *snort* Leheheheave myhyhy ahabs alohohohone!” Michael ordered. 

Henry chuckled and moved to the middle sides of Michael’s ribs. “But then I’d be wasting my 5 minutes!” Henry argued playfully. “Now: I wonder if I can still play a bit of piano on your ribs.” Henry told him. 

“WAHAIT- NAHAHAHAHA- NOHO PIAHAHANOOHOHOOO!” HAHAHAhahahaha!” Michael yelled. 

Henry laughed. “Didn’t your Mom used to do this?” Henry asked, starting to play chords with his left hand on Michael’s right rib cage, while playing a ‘melody’ with his right hand on Michael’s left rib cage. 

Michael squealed and snorted, clenching his fists as he tried not to hit Henry in the process. “aAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA! AAAHEEEHEEEHEEHEEHEEHEHHEEE!” Michael giggled, dropping his head back onto the ground. 

“Oh yeah! I forgot certain spots make different sounds!” Henry reacted as he moved both his hands up to Michael’s upper ribcage, close to the armpits. 

Michael’s wiggles started right up again, as his laughter changed up completely. He was now snorting every 10 seconds, and cackling through his clenched teeth. “EEEHEHEHEHEHEE! HEHEHEHEHEHEHE- IHIHIT’S TOHOHOO MUHUCH- YOU’REKILLING MEEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!” Michael shouted. 

“Too much, you say?” Henry asked. “Too much to handle?” Henry asked. “Too much to handle for another…” Henry looked at the time. “3 minutes and 7 seconds?” Henry asked. 

Wait, WHAT?! Michael thought. THAT’S HOW LONG IT’S BEEN?! Michael thought more. 

“YOHOHOU’RE BEHEEEING UHUHUNFAHAHAHAIR!” Michael yelled. 

“No I’m not! I’m making this 100% fair!” Henry reacted. “We agreed to Oriental Avenue and $300 so I could tickle you for 5 minutes.” Henry told him. “IHIHI REGREHEHET AGREEHEHEHEHEEING TOHO THIHIHIS!” Michael told him. 

“No no no. You regret agreeing to being tickled for 5 minutes.” Henry said. “And when you receive the money and the property, you’ll see how easy and painless this was.” Henry told him. 

“SHUHUHUHUT UUUUHUHUP!” Michael shouted. 

Henry giggled and moved down to the front, lower ribs, right near the belly button. “Let’s give this spot a few more tickles, shall we?” Henry asked as he played his lower ribs like a piano. 

Michael covered up his face, muffling his laughter in the process and covering up his bright red face. “YOHOHOU SUUUUHUCK!” Michael yelled at him. 

“I know, I know. But isn’t this fun?” Henry asked. 

“WHAHAHAHAHA?!” Michael quickly squeaked as he felt his belly button get poked. OH NO- 

Henry watched as Michael’s belly shrunk down to get away from Henry’s finger. He chuckled. “Belly button still ticklish?” Henry asked. 

Michael squeaked again and uncovered his mouth as deep, long fits of cackles left his mouth. “HAHAHAHAhahahahahahaaaa! EEEHEHEheheheEEEHEE! NOHO BEHEHELLY BUTTOHOHONNNN! PLEEEEHEHEHEHEHEASE!” Michael begged. 

“I will take that as a yes.” Henry replied with a smug grin. “Now, I’m curious:” Henry moved his hands to his hips. “Are your hips still ticklish like your Dad?” Henry asked. 

“WAHAIT- WAAAAHAHAHAHAIT!” Michael shouted. 

Henry dipped his thumbs into both sides of Michael’s hips. 

Michael SCREAMED and cackled wildly. He was an utter mess from all the laughter and tickles. It was exhausting! And yet, it was also…somewhat fun? But at the same time, not. His feelings on this offer were a lot more complicated now. Some parts of it were fun, and other parts of it (like the hips) were AWFUL! The only problem now was…How much time does he have before it’s over?

“Almost 30 seconds!” Henry told him. “You got this, kid!” Henry told him. 

“NOHOHO IHIHI DOHOHON’T!” Michael yelled at him. 

“Yes you do! It’s already been 8 seconds!” Henry reacted, looking at the time: 0:25 seconds left. 

Henry started scratching on the hips, causing Michael to throw his head back and cackle all over again. “Kitchy kitchy kitchy koo~” Henry teased. “Who’s super ticklish? Who’s de super ticklish boy in this room?” Henry teased. “I think it’s Mike!” 

Michael snorted and covered up his face again, hoping and praying that it would all be over soon. 

BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP! 

“There goes the timer!” Henry reacted, removing his hands from Michael’s hips. Henry grabbed his phone, and stopped the notification. “Congrats, Michael!” Henry reacted. “You win Oriental Avenue, and $300!” Henry declared, placing it onto Michael’s side of the board. 

Michael was breathing somewhat heavily as he laid on the ground, utterly exhausted. Even though it had only been 5 minutes, it still felt like it had been longer. Much longer. But…He believed it was only 5 minutes. Henry would never lie to him. 

“Now: I think it’s time you decide if you’re taking New York Avenue, Michael.” Henry told him. 

Michael nodded and got up, sitting at the table again. He grabbed the $200 and put it into the bank, before grabbing the New York card from the deck. “It’s mine now.” Michael said. 

“Sounds good.” Henry replied. 

Michael put the orange card beside his 5 other cards, and smiled a bit. He was getting pretty far into the game already, and was getting properties left and right. He was determined to see what would happen throughout the game, and how long this game would end up going for. So, he held onto his $960, and prepared for a long game of properties, houses and pure luck. 

--------------

Tommy sighed to himself as he kicked the dirt out of his way, taking care not to scuff up the flowers with his boot in passing. He was frustrated, but he’d never hurt flowers, he wasn’t a monster.

He’d been arguing with Wilbur. He didn’t know what started the argument but it ended with Tommy snarling out a harsh insult and storming out of the house, leaving Wilbur alone to cool down. His feet were moving without his awareness, too caught up in his own head as he muttered angrily to himself, kicking any grass that annoyed him and glaring at the ground.

He almost walked into a fencepost with his eyes on the floor and head in the swirling hurricane that was his brain. Tommy’s eyes snapped up, his blue eyes dark with his bitter rage only to meet warm brown irises.

A yelp left Tommy’s lips as he stumbled backwards, falling to the grass he’d been vehemently kicking up in his path on his way. His fall was cushioned by the thick grass, leaving him staring up at the blue sky above. The blonde grumbled to himself as he hefted himself to sit up on his elbows, lifting his gaze back up to the fence again.

A brown cow watched him at the fence’s edge, its gentle gaze staring at Tommy in a way that made the boy soften despite his internal rage.

“Hey Henry” he sighed, pushing himself off of the ground to stand, nabbing the fence to help him rise. He leant heavily against the wooden railing, smiling when the cow moved to butt his head against Tommy’s chest. “Miss me?”

Henry mooed happily, nuzzling his head against Tommy gently with enthusiasm, ears flicking at the quiet huffs of laughter Tommy gave.

“I swear, you’re worse than Tubbo” the boy chuckled, rubbing behind the cow’s ear and laughing again when Henry leaned into it heavily with a pleased sound. “Clingy dork.”

Henry gave a grunt, giving Tommy a look that clearly said “bet” and knocked his nose into Tommy’s cheek, huffing happily at the soft laugh that left his boy from the action. He then took a step away and tossed his head to the side, pawing at the grass with a hoof and a hopeful look on his face. It was a simple message, one Tommy had been told many times by the intelligent animal, and who was he to ignore it?

Tommy vaulted the fence, landing on the opposite side and immediately being attacked by the fluffy monster. It got another laugh from Tommy, quickly wrapping his arms around the cow’s neck and burying his face into the soft coat of fur on Henry, breathing in the familiar scent of dew and flowers.

“Hey bud” he murmured, pressing his face further into the cow’s neck.

Henry mooed again, brushing against Tommy’s back in question.

“Wilbur and I… we had a fight.” Tommy spoke softly, guilt and regret starting to replace the rage that had pulsed throughout his body like a blazing inferno. “He...He was being unfair.”

Henry grunted.

“Okay maybe he wasn’t,” Tommy conceded with a sigh. “I don’t know why we started arguing but…” he swallowed back tears that threatened to rise. “B-But he said some mean things- I did too actually...I didn’t mean any of it I just-”

Tommy clung tighter to Henry who brushed his head against his back soothingly, soft rumbles leaving his chest that always managed to soothe the blonde. Tommy shifted to lean heavily into Henry’s side, knees starting to go weak.

“I get angry easily, you know that Hens, don’t you? Yeah...yeah smart boy…” the praise trailed off as Tommy dropped his cheek into Henry’s back, giving a shaky sigh. “...Wilbur probably hates me.”

Henry caught the quiet fear in Tommy’s voice and lifted his head to knock it against Tommy’s. He gave a low croon, brown eyes boring into the boy’s. A stuttered breath left Tommy as he leaned into the touch, biting his tongue to stop a whine from slipping past his lips at the gentle affection.

"I'm- I'm sorry bud-" Tommy mumbled, his eyes burning with the effort of holding back tears.

The cow's heart ached for his boy, seeing him on the verge of sobbing made him rumble sympathetically and worriedly. He gently took hold of Tommy’s sleeve with his teeth, tugging the boy to follow as he slowly walked towards one of the trees in his paddock. Once under the shade, Henry let go and nudged Tommy’s lower back with a soft chuff. The boy sat down onto the grass, the routine pretty familiar to the pair as Tommy often went to the cow whenever he was upset. Henry lay down by Tommy's side, leaving his back end for the boy to lean on while lowering his head to lie across his lap. Tommy went boneless, letting all his weight sink into Henry's side with a weak sigh. His need to cry had simmered down to soft sniffles, watching Henry's ears flick with glassy eyes.

Henry watched his boy with an empathetic gaze, worried about how regular this was getting. These fights with Wilbur had been more frequent as of late, the man snapping at Tommy for a reason unbeknownst to the pair of them. All Henry had to go on was what Tommy told him, and he was putting it down to Wilbur being stressed, or it was a certain time of month.

But considering Wilbur was a man, he doubted the latter.

Still, the arguments were upsetting Tommy and it wasn't okay. No matter how stressed Wilbur was, he had no right to yell at the kid. Henry decided, there and then, his goal was to make Tommy happy again. He didn't like seeing his favourite boy so sad.

He lifted his head from Tommy's lap and replaced it with a leg, a comfortable weight for the boy. He then pushed his nose into the gap between Tommy's jaw and shoulder, snuffling against his neck.

Tommy squealed, shoulders jumping up at the feeling of Henry’s muzzle against his sensitive skin. “AHahye! Woah Hehenry!” he laughed, attempting to lean away from the contact but with how he was positioned against the cow’s side, escape was futile.

Henry made a pleased noise, pushing his nose further into Tommy’s neck and nuzzling the softness of his nose against him. His ears flicked up happily when he heard the sudden peals of giggles from his boy, encouraging him to blow out a happy chuff. He didn’t expect Tommy to squeak and try to push his face away gently in a fit of high giggles.

“H-Hehehehenry! Thahat- thahahat tihihickles!” he whined, but Henry saw the way his eyes had lit back up already.

Good. He planned to keep it that way.

Henry mooed, an almost mischievous lilt to the sound as he pushed his head back underneath Tommy’s jaw, huffing and puffing gently as he brushed over Tommy’s neck. The boy squealed, hunching in on himself as he tried to duck his head away from the soft touch but simultaneously stay still to bask in it.

Henry seemed to catch on as he moved his leg to rest over Tommy’s waist, further trapping him in a warm hug. He then rubbed his nose over Tommy’s neck and ears gently, blowing soft breaths out to make the boy squeak.

Tommy’s laughter was bubbly and happy, the light tickling on his sensitive neck making him melt into a giggly puddle. While Henry didn’t know everything about humans, he knew laughter was a sound of happiness, and Tommy’s laugh was his favourite, hooves down. There really was no competition anyway.

Tommy squirmed under the sensations, gently holding onto Henry’s leg that was pinning him in a loving embrace, ultimately making him laugh more at the fluffy fur brushing against his hands. A deep rumble of fondness left Henry at the new bout of giggles spilling from his boy, his ears perking up in response.

“H-HeheheHEHENRY-!” Tommy gasped when the cow nuzzled behind his ear, a weak spot only known to a few.

Henry mooed back in response, brushing over the area gently and relaxing at Tommy's squeaky giggles that came from it. Tommy melted into the fluffy fur of the cow, inevitably only getting the back of his neck tickled by Henry’s fur in the process. He squirmed lightly, tossing his head back in his laughter and squealing when Henry took the opportunity to snuffle underneath his jaw as well.

“AHAHahaheyehehe! Y-YohoHOHou-! Nohohohoho!” Tommy cried out in his helpless giggles, shaking his head but unable to push away the persistent nose tickling him.

Henry huffed out a laugh, eyes sparkling when Tommy squeaked at the warm puff of air that brushed over the sensitive skin. He nuzzled the area for a moment longer then pulled back, Tommy immediately pressing his chin down to his chest to prevent the cow from attacking it again.

“Hehehehens- Hehehehenry” he pressed out between bouncy giggles, holding a hand up in a meager defense. “H-Hohohold ohohon buhuhud-”

Henry paused in his actions, brown eyes watching Tommy carefully for any signs of discomfort or if he’d overstepped. He wanted to make Tommy happy, not uncomfortable after all. To his delight however, he saw the sparkle in the blonde’s eye and the happy grin on his face, and those were the signs Henry needed.

He gave a rumbling sound, eyes narrowing mischievously before lunging his head forward to bury his nose into the side of Tommy’s neck. The boy’s shoulders leapt to his ears as he shrieked in laughter, half hearted protests spilling out as he cackled. The joyful sounds melted the cow’s heart and he hummed happily, puffing warm breaths out and grinning when it caused Tommy to hiccup in his stream of hysteric giggles.

Henry then decided to be especially mean and wormed his tail under Tommy's shirt to tickle his belly, simultaneously rubbing his fluffy nose against his neck. Tommy squealed loudly, curling into a ball and squirming against the soft sensations that were attacking him. His eyes were crescent moons with how big his smile was, his laughter growing louder when Henry's tail brushed over a sensitive spot.

"HehEHEhehenry!" He whined, holding onto Henry's leg firmer to bear the ticklish sparks tingling through his system.

Henry mooed gleefully, his tail wagging underneath the boy's shirt and causing Tommy to shriek and laugh hysterically as his belly button was now under assault by the cow's fluffy tail.

"Ohoho goHOHOhod ihit tihihickles sohoho muhuhuch! Hehehenry! YoHOHOhou prihihick!" Tommy scuffed his heels into the grass in his laughter, holding the cow’s leg in a tight hug as he shook his head frantically.

The tickling persisted for a moment more before Henry pulled his head and tail back to observe his handiwork. What met his eyes made his chest warm with fondness.

A pink blush dusted Tommy's cheeks and nose, his ears a faint rosy hue as well. His smile was so wide it showed his dimples, eyes alight again with their usual spark. He looked like himself again.

Henry hummed contently, knocking his forehead against Tommy's own and released a deep chuffing noise. Tommy nuzzled his head into the soft fur of his friend, releasing a happy sigh only slightly interrupted by lingering giggles.

"Thahanks bud," he murmured sincerely, "you're fuckin' amazing."

Henry gave a pleased moo and lifted his face from Tommy to press his nose into his gold hair, starting to fix the messy state it was in. Tommy giggled again, getting comfortable against Henry and leaning his weight fully against him.

This was the usual pattern, after lifting Tommy's spirits, Henry would go about tending to anything he could to help Tommy relax. And while Tommy usually hated anyone hovering around him, he felt at peace with the cow.

Tommy gently patted Henry's leg, getting a questioning grunt from the animal. "Tail, big man, please and thank you."

Henry gave a huff that sounded suspiciously like a laugh as he swept his tail around to lay in Tommy's lap. The boy immediately started to gently rake his fingers through the fluff at the end of it, taking care not to tug at any tangles. Henry softened impossibly more and nuzzled Tommy's hair before going back to grooming it.

Tommy, bless his heart, had started weaving flowers into the fluff of Henry's tail, taking advantage of the abundance of daisies dotting the paddock.

"You deserve to look pretty- or uh, handsome? Poggers, you deserve to look poggers is my point" Tommy spoke quietly, a smile in his voice and on his face. "And while you're already very poggers, the daisies will be a nice addition."

Henry wished he could speak english so he could shower Tommy in adoring words, he was too damn pure for this world. Instead, he dealt with the fullness of his heart differently. He flicked his tail up to brush against Tommy's neck and melted at the soft squeak and giggly whine that left his boy.

"Hehey! That's not fair! I'm trying to make you look poggers and you're trying to attack me again! Rude Henry, so very rude" Tommy tutted but Henry caught the look in his eye that told him Tommy really didn't mind.

The cow was known to be much more intelligent than suspected, as well as being much more mischievous than expected.

Henry gave a complacent moo, giving Tommy an innocent look the boy rolled his eyes at. He settled back into Henry's side, going back to carefully weaving daisies into the fluff of his tail. Henry waited patiently for Tommy to finish before lifting his tail again to brush over Tommy's neck and ears quickly, heart going to mush at the gasp and soft giggles that spilled from Tommy immediately.

"N-Nohoho! Hehenry yohou meheheanie! Dohohon't-!" The rest of Tommy's words were lost in the onslaught of his happy laughter.

Henry only kept up the slightly mean attack for another moment more before settling his tail back on the boy's lap. Tommy's flush was back and so was his sweet smile, his giggles trailing off as he calmed down. He lifted a finger to the cow's face, lightly booping his nose with a faux stern look.

"Thahat was uncalled fohor, why doho you keep trying to kill mehe with your softness?"

Henry only nudged Tommy's hand gently, his big brown eyes watching the blonde fondly. Was Tommy dramatic? Yes. But did he love Tommy? Yes, absolutely. The overdramatics were only more endearing honestly.

Tommy sighed at the gentle motion of Henry brushing against his hand, lifting it up to scratch behind Henry's ear much to the cow's joy. "You're too cute for your own good, you know that? Able to get away with anything."