His Prize

Chapter 31: Trust

The bed is warm. I'm pressed up against Alex's middle. He's tracing circles on my back.

"Welcome back." He tightens his arm around me for a moment, squeezing me against him.

I look up at him. He's slouched against the headboard with his phone in hand.

I push myself up so I can see what he's doing. My head is tucked under his arm. "What are you looking at?" I ask.

"I've been reading about humans and all the biological differences between us."

"Did you learn anything?" I'm curious. I used to think parbeings were just perfect humans. I never really saw any when I was a kid. Even before the war, parbeings and humans were already segregated. I didn't know the little things like needing less sleep.

"I'll show you." He sits up and pulls me further down the bed so I'm lying flat. He leans over me with his arms on either side of my shoulders. It's strange having him above me in such an aggressive position. I know this would have freaked me out a few weeks ago.

"It turns out, it's possible to force humans to laugh uncontrollably," he says with a smirk.

Oh no. "Don't you dare."

He sits on my legs, trapping me between his. "It's known as... tickling!" He moves his hands up and down my sides, tickling me as he goes.

"No!" I squeal. The tickles cause me to burst out laughing. I squirm uncontrollably, trying to get away from his hands. He has me locked in place. "Stop!" I squeak between my giggles. I try to swat his hands away, but it's no use.

"But look how happy it makes you." He runs his fingers up and down my sides. "What kind of owner would I be if I didn't want my pet to laugh?"

I try throwing the pillow at his face, but the tickling causes me to clamp my arms down, messing up my throw. "Wait." I can't take anymore.

He pauses. "Tell you what. If you can say 'Alex, I don't like tickling' without laughing, then I'll stop-"

"Alex, I don't-" I interrupt him trying to say the phrase, but I'm cut off by my own laughter as he starts again. "Like! Tickling!"

"See, I knew you liked it," he says, making fun of my failed attempt.

"No," I squeak, followed by more laughing, squirming and hand swatting. "Alex I-!" I'm interrupted again by my own giggling. This is hopeless, I'll never be able to say the phrase without laughing.

I give up fighting and look up at him. He has a small smile. There's an affectionate look in his eyes. And he's looking at me, with my uncontrollable laughter.

It warms my heart. While I don't like being a pet, I can't deny that I love having someone who looks at me like that, someone who cares.

After a few more minutes of his tickling and my laughter, he finally stops. My breathing is heavy, and I have a big smile left over.

He stares at me for a little, and eventually lies down, holding me close with his huge arm.

I take the opportunity for revenge. I run my fingers along his side, but he doesn't react. "You really don't feel ticklish?"

"I don't. Laughing in response to tickling is rare, only certain hominid species do it. Parbeings aren't one of them. The trait was edited out."

"Huh." I lean into him.

"This'll be a regular thing," he remarks.

"Wait what?"

"You heard me."