Meet the Percys [Modern AU]

[adivasheadvoices]

 

 

What it comes down to is that the current tax structure is untenable. We throw good money after bad in the Middle East in the hopes o

Kate Percy pauses, frowning at the blog post she's drafting. Nobody has come to her office to ask for a snack or a Band-Aid or any of the other interruptions a stay-at-home mother is accustomed to.

Which means someone, somewhere, is probably getting in trouble.

She clicks "Save draft" -- it's not going anywhere interesting, anyway; she needs more coffee -- pushes back from her desk, and pokes her head into the hallway to listen for things breaking.

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[newredmuses]

"No! No no no no no!" Henry, of course, is not issuing very convincing protestations, considering how much he's squirming and giggling.

"I think I remember!" Harry waits for an opening and prods at Henry's stomach. "Is it here?"

Henry pauses, then grins. "Bloop bloop bloop!"

"Not the robot button! More tickling it is, then."

[adivasheadvoices]

"No, wait!"

She flips Henry's shirt up and blows a zerbert on his stomach, to further giggles.

[newredmuses]

"Human after all!" Harry leans close. "Have we got him? Is he back to normal?"

Henry has gone limp, but is still laughing in between gasps. "I'm not normal!" he wheezes.

Harry ruffles his hair and smirks at Kate. "We'd never accuse you of that."

[adivasheadvoices]

Kate finally cracks up.

[newredmuses]

"By heaven! Is she a plant, Henry? Do we have to tickle her too?"

Henry answers by plowing headfirst into Kate's stomach. Not hard, just close enough to get in on the tickling before Dad can.

[adivasheadvoices]

"I've been rumbled!" Kate cries. "Abort, abort!"

[newredmuses]

"Villain, thou'rt caught! But soft, I'll have thee turned." And with a tackle she gets a big smooch on the cheek.

[adivasheadvoices]

"Noooo," she wails, slowly crumpling. "All our plans, thwarted!"

[newredmuses]

"Haha!" Henry makes one final charge at her, which mostly ends up being an excuse to sit on her lap. "She should clean up, if she's a double agent!"

"Where do you learn all these terms?" Harry looks from Henry to Kate. "I don't think she'd be amenable to that, anyway."

[adivasheadvoices]

"Don't look at me."

She wraps her arms around Henry. "But you are the one who went all weapons of mass destruction on the fortifications, my lad."

[newredmuses]

"Which brought a tear to his old dad's eye, if I may say so."

He sits down beside them, though in an unfortunate twist, not before realizing, with a grimace, there's a pile of deceased Marvel action figures underneath.

"Cleaning up builds character, you know. We could have a race to see who does it fastest."

Henry gives him a withering look. He's not a baby, he's not going to fall for that.

[adivasheadvoices]

"Or," Kate suggests, "you could have double-chocolate chocolate milk when you finish up."

[newredmuses]

"...This is why I married you."

[adivasheadvoices]

"I wasn't bribing you."

[newredmuses]

"Wait, why not?"

[adivasheadvoices]

Sweetly: "Because I know you don't need bribing, husband of mine."

[newredmuses]

"I'm quite fond of rewards, though."

[adivasheadvoices]

"And rewarded you shall be, in good time."

A beat.

"Unless you want to just settle for the chocolate milk . . ."

[newredmuses]

"Me? Settle? Who did you marry?"

He takes Henry by the hand and stands up. "Come on, my lad. We've got some bins to fill."

[adivasheadvoices]

Henry lets out a gusty, pouty sigh. "Do I have to?"

[newredmuses]

He picks him up, keeping his eye on Kate. "You'll understand when you're older."

[adivasheadvoices]

Kate is the victim of an abrupt coughing fit.

[newredmuses]

Henry disappears into the kitchen, and returns with a glass of water. "Dad said you'd need this," he says, very solemnly.

Harry very industriously hums as he drops toys into their storage containers.

[adivasheadvoices]

"Your dad's very clever," she says with a grin, and gives Henry a kiss on the cheek. "Now go help him out."

[newredmuses]

As they've raised a good child (for the most part), Henry has the majority of the mess put away in less time than your average little boy.

Harry sends him off into the kitchen, where a treat will be his shortly. At that, he sidles up behind Kate and wraps his arms around her waist. "You had better not be telling tales. You know what a big fan of chocolate milk I am."