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⏔⏔⏔ ꒰ ᧔ෆ᧓ ꒱ ⏔⏔⏔
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."
⏔⏔⏔ ꒰ ᧔ෆ᧓ ꒱ ⏔⏔⏔