WC Fic: LOLCat Henri vs. the True Meaning of Thanksgiving
Title: LOLCat Henri vs. the True Meaning of Thanksgiving
Rating: G
Characters/Pairings: Neal, LOLCat Henri, Elizabeth
Spoilers: None
Content Notice: Hirt/comfor, appreciashons
Word Count: ~1,400
Summary: Henri learns not to take things for granted.
A/N: Happy Thanksgivukkah, everybody!
----
“So what are you thankful for this year, Neal?” Elizabeth asked, accepting another glass of wine from him.
“I’m thankful the anklet’s off, for one thing,” he replied to laughter all around the table, but then he became thoughtful. “Mostly, I’m just thankful to be here, among people I care for and who care for me. I’m thankful for my home.”
“Aww,” Peter said as Elizabeth gave Neal's shoulder a friendly squeeze. “We’re happy you’re here too.”
----
“Nealz?”
Neal opened his eyes - Henri’s kneading of the muscles on his hip had almost lulled him to sleep. “Yes, Henri?”
“Why U say U tankful B4?”
“Are you asking me about the meaning of the holiday?” Neal took Henri’s lack of reply as encouragement and answered, “Thanksgiving is a time to be reflective about the good things and people in our lives, and to remind ourselves not to take them for granted. You know, early in our history, the Puritans celebrated it as a religious holiday, a time to thank God for his blessings and grace.”
“And whippy cream?”
Neal smiled. “Is that a hint?”
As Neal got off the couch to go to the fridge, Henri cocked his head to the side. “Am I tankful?” he murmured to himself, then began to lick at his front paw and rub it against his face thoughtfully. But when Neal returned, he forgot his musings and focused on his treat.
----
“Om nom nom.”
“Done with your dinner, Henri?”
“Om nom nom. Yes, nao.”
“All righty then, let me just grab this.” Neal bent over to take Henri’s empty food dish over to the kitchen, where a dishwasher full of dirty dishes awaited its last inhabitant.
“Nealz?”
“Hmm?”
“Why U always give me de tuna juice on de kibbles?”
“Because it’s your favorite.”
“Iz so tasty. U no want it?”
Neal started the dishwasher and stooped down to rub Henri between his ears. “Of course not - it’s yours.” He went over to the couch and picked up the book he’d been reading earlier in the day. Henri watched him for a minute before getting back to his post-dinner grooming.
----
“I here,” Henri said as he trotted across the back of Neal's couch, walked across his shoulders, down his chest and belly to settle in his lap.
Neal held his iPad to the side, but kept his eyes on what he was reading. Henri burrowed down into Neal's lap, eventually turning over slightly. Neal sank into the couch cushions a little deeper, resting his left elbow on the arm of the couch, then letting his hand drop to rest on Henri’s chest.
“U smile,” Henri observed.
“Yes.” Neal kept his eyes on his reading.
“Book iz funneh?”
“Not particularly.”
Henri licked Neal's hand, signaling that he’d like for Neal to scratch him around his ears; Neal obliged. Henri caught Neal's hand with his paw and Neal increased the pressure. After several minutes, Henri nodded off, but Neal kept his hand where it was, cradling his sleeping head.
----
“Mmm mmm mmph,” Neal groaned as he rolled over on his back in bed.
Henri squirmed beneath him but did not get up. “U iz heaveh.”
“Sorry,” Neal muttered and turned onto his side, so that he was facing the cat. “You’re under the covers,” Neal observed, his voice scratchy from sleep; he rested a hand on Henri’s back and fought to wake up.
“Iz cold.”
Neal pulled the comforter down and poked his head out into the frigid air of his apartment. “Crap, the heat’s out again - gonna go fix it.” He pushed the covers aside and got out of the bed, padding across the freezing floorboards on bare feet.
“Oh!” he said, returning to the bed to cover Henri back up. “Sorry.”
Neal rushed off to get the heat started as Henri snuggled into the dark warmth under the comforter where Neal had been lying.
----
“Henri? You around, honey?”
Henri trotted out from his spot among the shoes in Neal's closet with his tail in the air. When he saw that it was Elizabeth who had called for him, he stopped short in the middle of the apartment.
“Hey,” she said, “there you are. I’m uh -”
“Why U no look at me, Alittlebit?”
“I thought I’d come over and feed you…”
“Iz vereh late. Where Nealz iz?” Henri interrupted her.
Elizabeth knelt down on the floor and sat on her feet. “Neal, he… he might not be coming home tonight, Henri.”
“Where he iz?”
“That’s the thing - they don’t really know. There was a case and Neal was… he was undercover, and they lost track of him.” She held her hands up to him, trying to calm him before he’d even reacted. “Peter and all the FBI are looking for him - he’s going to be found! I just thought I’d come over and feed you, so you wouldn’t be all alone here.”
Henri cocked his head to the side and regarded her for several seconds. “Peter will find heem?”
“Yes, before you know it.” Elizabeth said with conviction.
“Peter will find heem,” Henri repeated to himself
----
Elizabeth was roused by the door opening; Henri lifted his head from where it was curled under his own tail and they both looked over at the same time, blinking sleep out of their eyes.
“Elizabeth?” Neal said, surprised.
“Thank God you’re back!” she said, standing. “What happened to your face?”
Neal touched the black eye he was sporting and smiled wryly. “You should see the other guy”
“You hit him?”
“No, Peter did when the guy hit me. Can I ask what you’re you doing here?”
“I came to feed Henri and, well, I had to stay.”
Neal's eyes flicked over to the cat, who stood on the couch, slightly behind Elizabeth, staring back at him. “Thank you.”
Aware of some tension in the room, Elizabeth decided to leave. “I should be getting home to my own little family, ha-ha.”
“Peter’ll be a bit longer - paperwork,” Neal told her. “Want to stay for some coffee?”
“It’s awfully late, I’d better go.” She walked over and kissed him on the cheek, then left, closing the door quietly behind her.
“Henri -“ Neal began.
“U iz safe.”
“Yes. I always was. Peter, he - he overreacts sometimes.”
But Henri had already hopped down from the couch and a minute later, Neal could hear him scratching in his litter box.
----
“Om nom nom.”
Neal woke knowing two things - there was a cat lying between his shoulder blades, and it was grooming his hair. “Henri?” he muttered into his pillow.
“U iz untideh.”
“I can take a shower,” Neal pointed out.
“I cat. I do.”
“I’m not sure that’s all that efficient, buddy.”
“Om nom nom.”
“Fine.”
Neal lasted all of three minutes before the tugging of the cat tongue at his hair started wigging him out. “That’s enough!” he said, pushing himself up. Henri hopped off of him and then the bed. Neal pushed the covers from himself and sat up, running a hand through his hair. “Henri - what are you doing over there?”
Henri was beside the refrigerator, pawing at the bottom corner of the door. “I get eggs.”
“You want eggs for breakfast?”
“Eggs 4 U.”
“You’re making me breakfast?”
“Eggs iz good.”
“I appreciate it, Henri, but you’re a little short to reach the stove.”
Henri gave up his pawing and sat down, still staring up at the fridge.
“Henri?”
“I tankful 4 U, Nealz.”
“What?”
“U should know dis. I tankfulls.”
Neal got out of bed, walked over to the kitchen and picked up his pet. “What’s this all about?” he asked, flipping Henri over to cradle him against his chest.
“U haf de warm laps.”
“Um…”
“And de tuna juice, U iz always give 2 me.”
“Well, it’s not like I’m going to eat it.”
“Iz delicious. U do dese tings. 4 me.”
“I do them because I love you and want to make you happy. This is what families do, you know?”
“We iz family.”
Neal held him closer and kissed him between his eyes. “You should know that by now, Henri. Anyway, I’m happy that you don’t take that for granted, and I can appreciate that yesterday was a little scary. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
Henri put a paw on each of Neal's ears, effectively hugging him, but the claws he gently unsheathed meant a little more. “U carefull, Nealz.”
“I promise I will take every precaution, Henri, like always. Now - did you really want eggs, or were you just being dramatic?”
“Eggs, yes. Make dem runny.”
“Don’t I always?”
----
Thank you for your time.
Next story: A Very Henri Christmas
Rating: G
Characters/Pairings: Neal, LOLCat Henri, Elizabeth
Spoilers: None
Content Notice: Hirt/comfor, appreciashons
Word Count: ~1,400
Summary: Henri learns not to take things for granted.
A/N: Happy Thanksgivukkah, everybody!
----
“So what are you thankful for this year, Neal?” Elizabeth asked, accepting another glass of wine from him.
“I’m thankful the anklet’s off, for one thing,” he replied to laughter all around the table, but then he became thoughtful. “Mostly, I’m just thankful to be here, among people I care for and who care for me. I’m thankful for my home.”
“Aww,” Peter said as Elizabeth gave Neal's shoulder a friendly squeeze. “We’re happy you’re here too.”
----
“Nealz?”
Neal opened his eyes - Henri’s kneading of the muscles on his hip had almost lulled him to sleep. “Yes, Henri?”
“Why U say U tankful B4?”
“Are you asking me about the meaning of the holiday?” Neal took Henri’s lack of reply as encouragement and answered, “Thanksgiving is a time to be reflective about the good things and people in our lives, and to remind ourselves not to take them for granted. You know, early in our history, the Puritans celebrated it as a religious holiday, a time to thank God for his blessings and grace.”
“And whippy cream?”
Neal smiled. “Is that a hint?”
As Neal got off the couch to go to the fridge, Henri cocked his head to the side. “Am I tankful?” he murmured to himself, then began to lick at his front paw and rub it against his face thoughtfully. But when Neal returned, he forgot his musings and focused on his treat.
----
“Om nom nom.”
“Done with your dinner, Henri?”
“Om nom nom. Yes, nao.”
“All righty then, let me just grab this.” Neal bent over to take Henri’s empty food dish over to the kitchen, where a dishwasher full of dirty dishes awaited its last inhabitant.
“Nealz?”
“Hmm?”
“Why U always give me de tuna juice on de kibbles?”
“Because it’s your favorite.”
“Iz so tasty. U no want it?”
Neal started the dishwasher and stooped down to rub Henri between his ears. “Of course not - it’s yours.” He went over to the couch and picked up the book he’d been reading earlier in the day. Henri watched him for a minute before getting back to his post-dinner grooming.
----
“I here,” Henri said as he trotted across the back of Neal's couch, walked across his shoulders, down his chest and belly to settle in his lap.
Neal held his iPad to the side, but kept his eyes on what he was reading. Henri burrowed down into Neal's lap, eventually turning over slightly. Neal sank into the couch cushions a little deeper, resting his left elbow on the arm of the couch, then letting his hand drop to rest on Henri’s chest.
“U smile,” Henri observed.
“Yes.” Neal kept his eyes on his reading.
“Book iz funneh?”
“Not particularly.”
Henri licked Neal's hand, signaling that he’d like for Neal to scratch him around his ears; Neal obliged. Henri caught Neal's hand with his paw and Neal increased the pressure. After several minutes, Henri nodded off, but Neal kept his hand where it was, cradling his sleeping head.
----
“Mmm mmm mmph,” Neal groaned as he rolled over on his back in bed.
Henri squirmed beneath him but did not get up. “U iz heaveh.”
“Sorry,” Neal muttered and turned onto his side, so that he was facing the cat. “You’re under the covers,” Neal observed, his voice scratchy from sleep; he rested a hand on Henri’s back and fought to wake up.
“Iz cold.”
Neal pulled the comforter down and poked his head out into the frigid air of his apartment. “Crap, the heat’s out again - gonna go fix it.” He pushed the covers aside and got out of the bed, padding across the freezing floorboards on bare feet.
“Oh!” he said, returning to the bed to cover Henri back up. “Sorry.”
Neal rushed off to get the heat started as Henri snuggled into the dark warmth under the comforter where Neal had been lying.
----
“Henri? You around, honey?”
Henri trotted out from his spot among the shoes in Neal's closet with his tail in the air. When he saw that it was Elizabeth who had called for him, he stopped short in the middle of the apartment.
“Hey,” she said, “there you are. I’m uh -”
“Why U no look at me, Alittlebit?”
“I thought I’d come over and feed you…”
“Iz vereh late. Where Nealz iz?” Henri interrupted her.
Elizabeth knelt down on the floor and sat on her feet. “Neal, he… he might not be coming home tonight, Henri.”
“Where he iz?”
“That’s the thing - they don’t really know. There was a case and Neal was… he was undercover, and they lost track of him.” She held her hands up to him, trying to calm him before he’d even reacted. “Peter and all the FBI are looking for him - he’s going to be found! I just thought I’d come over and feed you, so you wouldn’t be all alone here.”
Henri cocked his head to the side and regarded her for several seconds. “Peter will find heem?”
“Yes, before you know it.” Elizabeth said with conviction.
“Peter will find heem,” Henri repeated to himself
----
Elizabeth was roused by the door opening; Henri lifted his head from where it was curled under his own tail and they both looked over at the same time, blinking sleep out of their eyes.
“Elizabeth?” Neal said, surprised.
“Thank God you’re back!” she said, standing. “What happened to your face?”
Neal touched the black eye he was sporting and smiled wryly. “You should see the other guy”
“You hit him?”
“No, Peter did when the guy hit me. Can I ask what you’re you doing here?”
“I came to feed Henri and, well, I had to stay.”
Neal's eyes flicked over to the cat, who stood on the couch, slightly behind Elizabeth, staring back at him. “Thank you.”
Aware of some tension in the room, Elizabeth decided to leave. “I should be getting home to my own little family, ha-ha.”
“Peter’ll be a bit longer - paperwork,” Neal told her. “Want to stay for some coffee?”
“It’s awfully late, I’d better go.” She walked over and kissed him on the cheek, then left, closing the door quietly behind her.
“Henri -“ Neal began.
“U iz safe.”
“Yes. I always was. Peter, he - he overreacts sometimes.”
But Henri had already hopped down from the couch and a minute later, Neal could hear him scratching in his litter box.
----
“Om nom nom.”
Neal woke knowing two things - there was a cat lying between his shoulder blades, and it was grooming his hair. “Henri?” he muttered into his pillow.
“U iz untideh.”
“I can take a shower,” Neal pointed out.
“I cat. I do.”
“I’m not sure that’s all that efficient, buddy.”
“Om nom nom.”
“Fine.”
Neal lasted all of three minutes before the tugging of the cat tongue at his hair started wigging him out. “That’s enough!” he said, pushing himself up. Henri hopped off of him and then the bed. Neal pushed the covers from himself and sat up, running a hand through his hair. “Henri - what are you doing over there?”
Henri was beside the refrigerator, pawing at the bottom corner of the door. “I get eggs.”
“You want eggs for breakfast?”
“Eggs 4 U.”
“You’re making me breakfast?”
“Eggs iz good.”
“I appreciate it, Henri, but you’re a little short to reach the stove.”
Henri gave up his pawing and sat down, still staring up at the fridge.
“Henri?”
“I tankful 4 U, Nealz.”
“What?”
“U should know dis. I tankfulls.”
Neal got out of bed, walked over to the kitchen and picked up his pet. “What’s this all about?” he asked, flipping Henri over to cradle him against his chest.
“U haf de warm laps.”
“Um…”
“And de tuna juice, U iz always give 2 me.”
“Well, it’s not like I’m going to eat it.”
“Iz delicious. U do dese tings. 4 me.”
“I do them because I love you and want to make you happy. This is what families do, you know?”
“We iz family.”
Neal held him closer and kissed him between his eyes. “You should know that by now, Henri. Anyway, I’m happy that you don’t take that for granted, and I can appreciate that yesterday was a little scary. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
Henri put a paw on each of Neal's ears, effectively hugging him, but the claws he gently unsheathed meant a little more. “U carefull, Nealz.”
“I promise I will take every precaution, Henri, like always. Now - did you really want eggs, or were you just being dramatic?”
“Eggs, yes. Make dem runny.”
“Don’t I always?”
----
Thank you for your time.
Next story: A Very Henri Christmas