Thinking about a lee with a major fawn response who thinks they've messed up. Maybe they've broken a glass or a mug. Maybe they've spilled some food on the carpet. And they're panicking. Their eyes get all wide immediately and the only words they can manage to force out are "I'm sorry."
I reassure them, of course. "It's okay, darling, accidents happen! It's just stuff, it's fixable. You're more important to me than anything I own." I see them soften, but they still look sad. Worried. A little tense. They're overthinking again.
I clear up the mess, and go and sit with them on the sofa. They're quiet. They won't look at me. They're biting their lip or picking at their nails.
"Hey. Eyes on me." I guide, a gentle hand on their shoulder or knee. They look over at me like a deer in the headlights. I continue, "It's alright, darling. I'm not angry, I'm not upset. Come here, you need a cuddle."
I'd gently pull them into me, and they don't resist, gratefully collapsing into my lap for some much needed comfort. I'd stroke their hair, kiss their forehead, and they melt into me. But there's still a sadness in their eyes.
"Sweetheart, I can see those cogs turning in that beautiful brain of yours. Let's turn them off, shall we?" I reassure. The hand that's resting on their side starts to move, my fingers gently gliding, tickling. They twitch and whine, hiding their face in my shoulder.
"Aww darling, I wanna see that pretty smile." I reassure, fingers gently scribbling against their sides. They're squirming under my touch now, trying to fight back giggles. But as my hand creeps under their shirt and my nails spider across their tummy, they finally let out a yelp and start to giggle.
"There is is, there's that smile," I tease gently, "can't overthink when the only thing you can concentrate on are the tickles. Such a tickly tummy, and there's those pretty giggles." I praise, making them flush red in my arms.
"So blushy, is someone flustered?" I ask, tickling higher and higher, taking their poor shirt with me. My nails dance over their ribs, grazing between each one as they continue their ascent, coaxing little squeals out of my adorable little Lee. I trap them, one of their arms behind me, the other held gently above their head. My nails creep up into that sensitive armpit, making them start to plead.
I alternate between pits, asking which one tickles more. I keep going, around 20 seconds on each, over and over. "Aww, are they both tickly, sweetheart? Do they both tickle?" My lee can barely giggle out a "yes", their feet kicking desperately on the sofa. "Uh oh. Do someone's pretty feet want to get in on the action, hmm?"
Suddenly, I move to the thighs, not giving my squirmy lee the chance to process the change. I squeeze and spider down their legs, outer thighs, inner thighs, paying special spidery attention to their knees. They squirm, but they don't try to escape. They're right where they want to be. I tease their twitching, tensing legs, all the way down, until my nails meet their ankles.
Sitting on their shins, I slowly rake my nails up and down their socked feet. Their toes scrunching in desperation, giggles pouring from their mouth. "It tickles! It tickles so badly!" They barely manage to giggle out. Little do they know its about to get worse.
Slowly, I start to remove their socks, exposing the heels first and dancing my nails over the exposed skin. "No, no, no, no!" The begging starts up. "Such pretty begging for me, you've got this, darling. And I've got you." I sooth, exposing and tickling at the arches, making my lee arch their back in response. "It's okay, sweetheart, you're doing so well." My gentle encouragement and praise pacifes them enough for me to peel the socks completely off, and begin spidering all the way up and down those sensitive soles.
"So squirmy and adorable for me! Look at these pretty toes scrunching! Are you gonna be brave and let me in there, hmm?" I smile fondly up at my lee, who's hiding their face in their hands. I'd usually make them look at me, but I'll let them regulate this time for what's about to come.
I carefully peel the toes back on one foot, and count down from 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... then start to scribble right underneath their helpless toes. I keep this up for a few seconds, before spidering over the whole taut foot, making them squeal and thrash under my ticklish touch.
"I know, darling. It tickles so much, doesn't it? You're being so good for me, nearly there." I praise, before repeating the process on the other foot.
Suddenly, I stand, grabbing my lee's ankles and dragging them down the sofa, so they're laying flat. I straddle them, pinning their wrists under my knees and exposing their tummy once more. They look at me, face red and eyes sparkling, a giggly smile still plastered on their face. I reach up and cup their cheek, stroking some hair out of their face. "There's that gorgeous smile. So pretty for me." I coo, one hand stroking their face as the other hand starts to stroke their tummy, making it quiver under the gentle touch.
They suck in as my nails trace round and round, starting to spider. The giggles begin to bubble out again and I add the other hand, ten spidering fingers on their cute tummy, scribbling down to the hips, up to the ribs. I take a second to pay special attention to their bellybutton, one hand scribbling over it while the other spiders across the sensitive lower tummy.
I'd lower down, mouth descending on their ticklish tummy. They squeal and wriggle under my grasp, but they're held tight. "So cute, darling. Such a pretty, ticklish tummy, I can't help myself." I tease, planting tickly kisses on their skin, peppering them all across the tummy as my fingers spider up and down the sides.
My lee writhes in my hold, I start to add nibbles against their tummy, and they arch their back into me, almost as if giving me themselves even more. I pull their pants down ever so sightly to expose those ticklish hips. I blow the odd raspberry, on the ribs... down the sides... over the bellybutton. I nibble their hips and tickle just above the waistband, and gently lick their bellybutton until they're a giggling, babbling mess.
I gaze up at them in adoration. They're bright red, laughter turning hoarse, and I notice a single ticklish tear roll down their cheek. I slow my fingers to a gentle caress across their tummy, just enough to keep them twitching.
"You're so beautiful like this, darling. You did so good for me." Gently, I brush that tear from their face and slow my fingers to a stop. I sit up, pulling them up with me and settling them back in my lap, placing their drink in their hands. They gulp it down and lean into me, catching their breath.
"I've got you, sweetheart. You did so well, I'm so proud of you." I soothe, rubbing their back and playing with their hair, "how we feeling now, hmm? We feeling a little less worried?"
They nod, cuddling into me. "Good. You never have to be scared with me. You matter to me more than any object ever could. Nothing can hurt you when you're here, especially never me. You're safe, okay? Safe and loved, no matter what."
All tickled out, my lee leans into me as I wrap them up in a blanket, and sighs out a long breath, content in my arms. I hold them, bringing them back to earth, rubbing their back and stroking their hair as we watch their favourite show
