Well this is a long time coming, but gotta post something of my own, right? You can call me Emma, Em, Emmy, whatever floats your boat. So this is a non-main account to devulge into my love of tickles because Iâm a little socially anxious coming out on main about it. >3< I fell in love with tickles when I was very little by purely accident and it stuck with me now years later.
Yes I am a legal adult, but I donât post anything NSFW (proud aroace). However, I donât wanna get any minors in trouble (and by proxy, I myself donât want to get in trouble) or have them feel uncomfortable in any way. So, if you wanna interact, be sure youâre 18+.
As for me, I just wanna read fun tickle fics and like/reblog cute and/or amazing tickle art, if any of that helps at all. The Internet should be a safe place, where you can find like-minded individuals who make you feel accepted. The last thing I want to do is rub others the wrong way.
Soft tickles are where itâs at. The kind that make you drown in giggles and melt your brain. My favorite spots for tickles is the tummy and navel. Oh my god, the navel is soooo underrated! Itâs so ticklish and itâs often neglected for the more obvious spots, like the feet or ribs. Thatâs not to say I donât like tickles everywhere (thatâs appropriate to tickle, of course; SFW all the way), I just love the tummy and belly button the most. Funnily enough, I was rarely ever tickled growing up, so I do not know if Iâm ticklish myself or not. Hm, maybe thatâs why I love tickles so much⊠To fill a void that was created in my childhood... Ah well, who knows? đž
So if you love tickles, or you just wanna talk, Iâd love to be your friend! My fandom list is vast, from live action to animation to anime, of all ages. I also like aesthetically pleasing posts, so I just hit reblog and the heart on whatever I like, whether itâs tickle related or not. Think of the normal stuff as a dashboard cleanse post. đ I may make OG content but Iâm still a little shy with it (also plagued with executive dysfunction đ„Č), so be patient. đœ
when theyâre tickling you and being silly about it and making silly noises and teasing you and youâre giggling from the tickles but also them being silly goofy and and and
Summary: Husk is just trying to finish up work, when he's suddenly handed a hyperactive little maid to look after, who quickly decides it's playtime
He didn't know exactly what time it was, all he knew was that it was time to close the bar, since business was getting slow and most people were turning in, heading back to their rooms. Husk sighed, letting out pent up stress from the day, stretched his wings, shook them out, then started to wipe down the counter.
It wasn't long before he heard a familiar voice coming down the hall, though instead of the usual crazy rambling, she was heard whimpering, immediately catching his attention and making his ears perk.
Angel walked into the lobby with Niffty in his arms being cradled like a child. He walked over to Husk and unceremoniously plopped her on his head.
"Aw what- *sigh* Come on!" Husk grumbled, looking up at Angel, who put his hands on his hips. "Her favorite side character in a book just died, it's your turn to watch her." "Manga." Niffty corrected, popping back up, wearing Husk's hat. "Manga, sorry sweetie. Anyway, Husk, you watch her, I told her she could play with the kitty." Niffty grinned, nodding. "I wanna play with the kitty."
"Angel are you effin' kidding me? I just got off work, I don't have time to babysit."
"Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't have a soft spot for kids."
"She's twenty two."
".....Look me in the eyes and tell me you honestly see her as an adult."
"..... Fair."
Angel crossed his arms and nodded with an 'Mm-hm!' And made his way back toward the stairs. Husk could feel Niffty tug on his ears, earning an irritated groan from the bartender. "Niff, if you're gonna be up there, at least be gentle, I know to you I look like this big fluffy kitty-cat, but those are actually my ears you're pullin' on."
Niffty stopped for a moment, as if processing this information she's been given. "Okay!" She said, starting to rub his ears again, gentler this time. A bit too gentle. It tickled.
Husk let out a huff before he managed to shut himself up. "N-Niff, why don't you do somethin' ehelse for a while, kay?" He said, reaching up to try and grab her. Unfortunately, she was much faster, evading his hands and crawling down onto his back, between his wings before settling there.
"Nifft- no dont- grr... Alright fine, you can stay there, just let me work, kay kid?" He asked, before returning to work. And that's how it stayed for the next five or so minutes; Husk working, and Niffty behaving aside from the occasional opening of the cat demon's wings to look at them or to make them flap and pretend he was flying.
Husk didn't completely mind this. Angel was right, he did have a soft spot for kids, and as far as he was concerned, Niffty counted.
Unfortunately though, her grip on his wings shifted more toward the base, where they met his back. Not prepared for the sudden shock, Husk wasn't able to hide the sudden grin on his face or stop the surprised chuckles as his wings fluffed up.
"A-Alright, Niff, I thihihink ihit's time t-to gehet dohohown-" He started, trying to reach back to grab her, but his spread wings were blocking his arms from getting to her.
Niffty only started to scritch and pet his wings after this. "But Husk! I'm being gentle see??" Husk snorted and had to lean against the counter to hold himself up, not wanting to drop and accidentally hurt her. He buried his face in his arms and just laughed, his shoulders and wings shaking as he did so.
The more Niffty ran her fingers through his feathers, the more they fluttered and twitched as he snorted and laughed into the counter. He knew he could have stopped her, but he worried in doing so he'd either hurt her or make her start crying again, neither of which he wanted, so he decided to just try and endure it.
"Oooo is this where your wing bones connect??" She asked before gently digging into the spot just under his shoulder blades. Husk let out a loud laugh, standing straight up, his wings involuntarily flapping a little, tempted to fold in, but Niffty was there.
He was quick to snatch her up with his tail before she fell to the floor, and he held her up in front of him. "Alright missy, I'm starting to get the idea that this isn't an accident anymore." He panted. Niffty just smiled at him. And he couldn't help but grin back.
"Hey Niff, why don't we go pay a certain spider a visit, hm?"
"And I'll kill it and make it into a puppet!"
"Haha, no, we're not killing this one. Not literally anyway."
if at any point you guys get a message from this thing, block them. or report as spam. that staticky thing at the top only happens when a blog is fishy
Okay, so now that I got that Starsky & Hutch fic out of my system, it's time for a new Project Hail Mary fic! I already started working on one today đ I have five ideas on the backburner (including the one I started today), and I'm curious to see which one has the most interest! (Will I ever get to writing all five, idk but it's good to have them đ lol) The one I started today will most likely be the first one I finish, buuut I'll still add it to the poll because I want to give a sneak peak, even though it'll be a 20% guess of which one it is hehehe
So! Here are the synopses:
(btw most of these titles are just placeholders for now lol)
Pop Quiz: Second science club pebble fic! Grace is giving a "pop quiz" about human anatomy to the science club pebbles. The pebbles have to point at the part of the human body and one gets too excited about getting the right answer and pokes Grace in the side. Shenanigans ensue.
Megaphone: Grace "invents" a version of a megaphone and is teaching Rocky about it. Surprisingly, when you use a tool that can boost sound waves from a human voice on an Eridian, it has a... "side-effect."
First-aid: Rocky insists about learning about human first-aid in case Grace ever hurts himself, so let's start with the basics, like bandaging an ankle, Grace thinks to himself. Nothing can go wrong... right? Armando is there to 'help.'
Advantages vs. Disadvantages: Grace and Rocky are comparing the advantages and disadvantages of human vs Eridian anatomy and strengths. Before they know it, they're wrestling ("Like Lion King fighting for king!" Rocky chirps), and before they know it, their wrestling match has turned into a tickle fight, with them still comparing advantages and disadvantages.
Cops and Robbers: Rocky and Grace are watching a cop show (*cough cough* totally not Starsky & Hutch), and Rocky wonders why the characters pat down the other humans when they get the bad guy. Grace explains, Rocky wants to try, and they start playing a game of cops and robbers OR Grace acts out being a bad guy so Rocky can try (still figuring that part out lol), and of course Rocky "accidentally" ends up tickling Grace.
Which idea piques your interest?
Pop Quiz (featuring Science Club pebbles)
Megaphone
First-aid
Advantages vs Disadvantages
Cops and Robbers
All of these ideas are bangers (Show me the results)
really scared to do this but uhmmmm hi @amazingmsme i made fanart of your bloodymary fic it was super awesome amazing and cool and im totally super normal about it
(I had this idea bouncing around in my head after watching an Essek comp. He had admitted to Scrying on the Nein occasionally. Im thinking about making a part 2 because itd be pretty cute if this was Esseks awakening/ introduction to the Mighty Nein tickling. How long can he go before he gets rangled in or trys it himself. Anyway anyway! I hope this keeps you fed for a bit. As always, enjoy!)
Essek had a couple duties that were less than ideal when it came to babysitting observing the members of the mighty nein. The bright queen was still wary of this strange group so having Essek to Scry on them wasn't too obtuse of an task.
He didn't mind the action itself, however he also was tasked in writing a report of everything that he saw. Mostly he viewed them doing mundane things. Beau and Fjord getting up early to go on a run, Caleb writing spells into his book, Caduceus making tea, and everyone sitting down for dinner. He even once saw Jester drawing his own face followed by drawing a concerning amount of tiny dicks.
Some moments held importantance where they spoke of they're many travels, and where their motives aligned. He had made close to a dozen reports and was starting to feel closer to this group. There was a tinge of regret that followed after these Scrys, like he was betraying the trust they so willingly threw his way.
When the Bright Queen told him he needed to perform one last Scry, he felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. He just had to get through this last one.
Floating into his work chamber he gathered the proper components and his spell book. He began reciting the spell and looked into the small water well thinking of Jester. The reflection on top of the waters edge shimmered in its familiar way and showed him the Jorhouse. The familiar tile and moody light from the wall sconces set the scene as he willed the image to find the blue teifling. The viewing angle slide across the walls until it landed on the couch they have in the living area.
Essek took a moment to understand what he was looking at, until the image clicked into place and heat crept onto his cheeks. Beau was leaning back against the couch arm and had put Caleb into a full Nelson while Jester was sitting on hip hips poking and proding at his torso.
"Bitte! Ah-h Jehester! Ehh-hahaha I cahant!" Caleb squirmed and squeaked trying to get his arms to come down but Beaus hold was iron tight.
"Sure you can, just admit your little crush and this all can stop" Beau spoke out.
"Beau he doesnt want this to stop, otherwise he would have said the name by now." A voice out of view said, though Essek knew it to be Fjord.
"Omg Caleb, your super enjoying getting tickled right now. Look how big your smile is~" Jester teased, her tail coming out from behind her to pull the hair out of Caleb's face.
Essek saw Caleb's face which was as red as flame and practically split in two from all the laughing. The drow could feel his stomach do little somersaults looking at the scene in front of him. The feeling of dread filled him thinking about the report he'd have to make later. The second hand embarrassment creeping into his mind as his own face was burning. He'd have to watch this scene unfold, as was his duty to his queen, but he felt shame for what felt like another betrayal to his new friends.
Then again.
There was also a bit of excitement. The idea he now knew something so exploitable from about his friend was undeniably satisfying.
A yelp took him out of his own thoughts as he watched Caleb almost buck Jester off his hips. Immediately he saw the reason, the tip of her tail was wiggling and digging into his toes.
"Ahhaa-AAH! JEhester! Ihi lihiehied! I-Ahahah I have feeheehehelings fohor no One! Bihihitte!"
"Caleb! Your lying to your friends? Thats it! You left me no choice" She stops her attack for a moment to give the wizard a moment to breathe. Her eyes brighten slightly as she brings her arms out to both sides and yells "Zooone of Truuuuth!"
The magic extends into the space around her twisting around and into her friends around her. Caleb's eyes go wide as he tries to fight the effects, but to no avail. The laughter and tickling had weekend his mind. Beau behind him smiles and speaks into his ear "Uh oh. You're really in trouble now."
Jester looks at Cakeb with a predator like intensity "Looks like you cant get away, and you cant lie." She holds her hands up and begins to start wiggling into Caleb's direction "Do you want to tell us now, or do i have to tickle you until you admit it?"
His giggles still laced his breathing, and his wobbly smile grew bigger. "Jester, this is unfair! You-you cant be serious"
"I am very serious Caleb, we're your friends and we deserve to know who tickles your fancy" she emphasized by scribbling her fingers along his waist. It looks like Caleb is going to say something but physically can't. "I totally forgot! Now you can't pretend you hate it when we tickle you. "
Interesting.
"Thihis is soho cruel!"
"This can all end, If you say one name"
Wiggling fingers shot to his hips and dug in little circles. Her nails occasionally digging into the soft flesh below. The wizard bucked and tried crunching inwards, not really getting far. "NEHEHEIN! Ihi Dohohont wahant to saaha-Ahahay ihit!"
"That's too bad" Blue hands stopped circling on his hips and reached up towards the top of his body. She reached under his coat and Caleb started to panic.
"Jester! Please, yohou-you know I am t- ah sensitive thehere!"
Essek hears a click from under the cloak and the human man starts babbling before one deft hand skitters on his lower ribs while her other hand slowly digs and explores each divit between each bone. Cackling echos from Caleb as he tries to throw off Beau and Jester.
"Caleb is this where your sensitive? How about here?" Her fingers inched upwards bringing his pitch and volume up with them. Her hand that was skittering changed to pinching and her digging fingers started vibrating in-between ribs. Caleb tried twisting and flailing his arms that were still held in place by Beau.
Essek had never seen Caleb chuckle, let alone laugh. And now he had to bare witness to this normally stoic man reduced to hysteria. If it wasn't for the Queen he would have stopped the spell and given his friend their privacy. Right? That would've been the right thing to do. Even so, he wasnt sure. It's a hard thing to admit that he kept watching not because of orders but because of curiosity. Curious as to what reactions he could cause with his own hands. What he-
Caleb Widowgast screamed as blue fingers dug into the tops of his ribs, thrashing the best he could out of his predicament. You'd think he'd been electrocuted the way he moved.
"Come on Caleb. Who do you like?"
"IHEHEHEHH NEHEIN! CAHAAHANT!"
Essek saw tears roll down Caleb's face. "Just say it" he found himself saying to himself silently.
"EHEHESSEHEK!"
For a moment, he thought he was actually there and Caleb was calling for him to help, or acknowledged he was scrying. Feeling anxiety that he'd been discovered, but it quickly dissolved and surprise graced his features.
"I knew it! You two have been making eyes at each other for months!" She slowed down her fingers, letting him finally get his breath back. Beau took that as her cue and released him. He hunched over and leaned his side into couch cushions. "You did really good Caleb!"
Caleb held his head in his hands letting his titters filter out of him. "Thahat *huff* that, was very cruehel." He practically collapsed forward "Ihi think im going to lie down now."
"No no no no no, you HAVE to tell us more! What do you like about him? Does he get you all fired up? Do you want to get all freaky?"
"Jester pleease, spar me anymore embarrassment for today" Caleb groaned.
Beau hoisted herself up using Caleb's back, chuckling slightly as she walked out of sight. "Its not like he doesnt like you back, we've all seen how you both get when you have your little 'wizard lessons'."
Jester eyes followed Beau as she walked away, and then snapped back to Caleb. "She's right. Oh! And, I'm sure he'd be all over you if he saw how cute you get when your tickled." She lightly traced over his ears and shoulders.
He jumped slightly and twisted and shook with giggles. "Noohohoho"
She leaned into his ear and whispered "I bet you'd lose your little keen mind if he did this to you."
Caleb succumbed to his tickly fate, not denying her remark.
Esseck felt his stomach swoop.
The image before Essek started to swirl and fade until the water well looked as it had before he started to Scry. The chamber felt all too cold and sterile, compared to the warmth of the Jorhouse.
...
Light of the Luxon, what did he just witness?
One million things were running though his head. Caleb had feelings for him?! I mean there was a part of him that had a particular fondness for his human friend. He was often pleasantly surprised by his deftness with dunamancy and his intellect, specifically with the arcane. After sharing notes with each other they're eyes would linger for a second too long and they'd have a whole conversation without saying a word. Even watching him the past 10 minutes had been mesmerizing, and he truly couldnt look away. The first time hearing his laugh, seeing him blush, and confessing his feelings well.... perhaps the Shadow Hand felt similarly.
The image of Caleb's smile was stuck in his head, as well as Jester's words "I bet you'd lose your little keen mind if he did this to you."
Essek put his head in his hands, and immediately felt how hot his face had become.
"I bet you'd lose your little keen mind if he did this to you."
This is a list of tickle dynamics that I just can't get enough of. They're so flustering.
Human!Lee x Alien!Ler - When an alien is poking and prodding at a human to see what they are and not understanding that it tickles them because it's not a concept where they're from. Once they learn that it makes humans happy they won't stop.
Plant!Ler - The concept of a plant being able to move and wrapping around someone, digging it's vine's into sensitive spots. Then a companion comes along and has to rescue them while being very amused at what they're seeing.
Doctor!Ler - A doctor performing a regular check up, asking their patient to lay down on the medical bed and them press their hands on the patients stomach while the patient tries desperately not to react... only for the doctor to notice and point it out.
Voodoo Doll - Where the ler finds a voodoo doll of their lee just thinking it's a cool doll that looks them. Then they begin messing with it while their lee is in the next room over, absolutely loosing their mind. (I have that one Smosh skit to blame for this. please say someone knows what I'm talking about.)
Grumpy!Lee x Sunshine!Ler - Sunshine character accidently finds out when messing with grumpy character. Grumpy character asks them not to tell anyone and of course the sunshine character obliges... after they've tickled them to pieces first.
Gentle Giant!Ler - When a Giant character needs to find a way to make the lee smile or when a Giant companion is playing with their owner and begins nuzzling their neck or belly.
Tickle Shocks - A character having an electrical ability and using it to tickle their lee with little shocks. I also like the concept of them pretending that their lee needs CPR. "Clear!" they'd shout, rubbing their hands together and then planting it down onto their sides, squeezing and activating their power slightly just to enhance the tickle effect.
Fandom: Critical Role - Campaign 2 - The Mighty Nein
Summary: Jester wakes Caleb up in a way that she knows she would love. The wizard does not object.
A/N: TICKLE FIC featuring my beloved lee!Caleb, ler!Jester, and in the next part ler!mollymauk too, sleepy tickles, aftercare, cuddles, breakfast in bed, tickling, teasing, bondage, polynein / widojest / widomauk referenced, soft fluff, Â wake up tickles, kinda dubcon but they have pre-established consent and safewords ok, premise based on this lovely text post
Inspired by these AugTickleTober 2025 daysâŠ
Day 5: Sneak
Day 16: Claws
Day 19: Mischief
Words: 2.1k ⊠[read on ao3] [part 2 tbd]
âŠ
The door just barely creaks as she slips into the room. Lucky for her. Jester tiptoes her way across the unexpectedly modest bedroom in their extradimensional mansion and begins fumbling behind the headboard for something. With success plastered across her face in the darkness, she pulls forth her prize. One set of padded cuffs emerges from below. Jester absolutely beams into the blackness filling Calebâs room.Â
She gets right to work, careful to check repeatedly that she hasn't disturbed the wizardâs slumber just yet. It barely takes any time at all to get his arms into position, as heâs spread out, face-down in his pillows, snoring gently.Â
She just manages to suppress an excited squeak as she finishes; she watches the sleeping wizard cautiously, but heâd be huffing about if heâd awoken. She tugs experimentally at each arm restraint. The straps hold tight, looped under the bedframe and hooked securely to the cuffs around Calebâs wrists, drawing his arms out toward the corners of the headboard.
Jesterâs buzzing with excitement. Everything is in place.Â
âCaaaaaaaay-leb.â She nuzzles in close, whisper-cooing into his ear. âItâs time to wake up, Caleb.â
She starts at the backs of his hands and drags her fingers softly down from his wrists to his shoulders, then begins carding her fingers through his hair and over the back of his neck.Â
âMm..â Caleb stirs, his voice gravely, and lifts his head slightly from the pillow, and Jester brings her hands back to herself with a self-satisfied look of pride.
âYes, yes, yes! PerfectâŠâ She whisper-screams to herself.
â..Jester?â Caleb slurs sleepily but stops before he can say more, trying to wrap his still-loading mind around why he canât turn around and face her. He blinks his eyes, trying to will the exhaustion away. Itâs still dark in his room. âWhat are you doingââ Something in his trained, wizard mind grasps for the familiar â something he can recognize, even if he canât see. Then he registers them, feels the soft, familiar comfort of the well-made, leather cuffs his troublesome tieflings had made for him.Â
When one wanted to play with tieflings, he had learned, wellâit wasnât a terrible idea to have some restraints at the ready. Usually, though, this set of bed cuffs didnât come into play until at least a little while after some kissing, a massage, a little warm-up tickling, foreplay, teasing, someâsomething!Â
âI wanted to wake you up, Caleb.â Jester explains in that soft, sing-songy voice, nuzzling into the back of his neck and making him scrunch his shoulders up weakly. She ghosts her fingers along his back. âIn a nice way.â
âJa, und I am now awake..â Caleb responds tiredly as well as a little hesitant. He tries, albeit unsuccessfully, to will himself not to twitch under soft, teasing fingers, barely there, quite certain even in his semi-conscious state that he can tell where she may be heading with this. Who is he kidding? Itâs Jester. Thatâs exactly where sheâs heading.Â
âSo...?â He tries the restraints, tugs once, twice, deliberately but weak.Â
âWell, I mean, you still seem a little tired.â Jester continues excitedly. âHere, here, Iâll help!â She walks her fingers back up his back, scratching her nails gently on either side of his spine.Â
Caleb shivers, unable to stop himself from squirming under the tiny, electric jolts of ticklish sensation. âOhânehehein, pleheheheaseââ He drops his head and giggles into the pillow, soft and sheepish. âI cahahanât..â
âYou canât what? You donât have to do anything!â Jester insists, pinching at the edges of his shoulder blades. âJust relax and try to wake up nice and easy, okay?âÂ
âIâm awahahake..â Caleb snickers lamely, shaking his head where it lays smushed into his pillow. âItâs too early for thihihis.â
âIâm being thorough!â Jester rebuttals. Then, true to her word, she sets her wicked fingers on a slow crawl from his shoulder blades straight out to the side and right under his arms.Â
Calebâs body jumps beneath her, trying to prop himself up onto his elbows or bring his arms down to no avail. âScheiĂe- Jester! Donât!â His voice is higher pitched this time, definitely awake. She always finds such delight in hearing his pleading become more and more frantic. He rocks slightly from side to side as she continues her attack.
âThereâs nowhere to go.â She teases as he tries squirming from one side to the other, her nails following all the while. âYouâre just gonna have to get tickled until you wake allllllll the way up.âÂ
Caleb makes a desperate noise before crashing his face back into the pillow in a sad attempt to silence the laughter bubbling up inside his chest.Â
âOh no, are you falling back asleep? Do you think I should tickle you somewhere else?âÂ
He turns his head sideways as she brings her scribbling nails slowly down towards his ribs. âWhihihihhy did you decide to-ACK! Why-yEEHEHE?! WAIT! Wait, bitte! Not there! Ahahahaaaââ
âYouâre a good sport most of the time, when I want to tickle you.â She begins to explain, nails spidering sinisterly at the top of his ribs as his laughter increases in desperation. âBut you always try to sneak away or put your arms down when I tickle you all gentle like this, Caleb!â Jester explains with all the confidence of a used-cart salesman, while her blue nails spider relentlessly against each rib. âI think itâs really nice and relaxing to get tickled and I know you do too andâwell, sometimes youâre kinda grumpy in the morning so I had this idea and well isnât this so much better of a way to wake up?âÂ
Caleb doesnât answer, at least not with words. He knows thereâs no arguing with her. Heâs trapped, and Jesterâs fingers are forcibly taking up more than their fair share of his thoughts. He just laughs, whines, and kicks out weakly in a pathetic attempt to dislodge her.
âI know itâs not exactly the time of day we usually use theseâŠâ She tickles quickly back up his arms to tap on the wrist cuffs she has him tied to the bed with before continuing back down with a spider crawl along his arms. ââŠbut I think it works great for wake-ups! Actually, yeah âyou should totally take my idea and try it out some time on like me, or Molly, or ohmygosh Essekââ
âJester!â Caleb anguishes into his pillow, reminding her of his presence. âMercy!âÂ
His arms flex and tug weakly at the restraints on his bed. Heâs trying to orient himself enough to listen and to figure out what to do next. He doesnât even have the strength to hold his hands in a fist yet; his body is tired and tingling and why is he still so god damn ticklish when all of his other senses seem to be taking forever to catch up.Â
Jester keeps talking behind him- above him- next to him- somewhereâwhile Caleb cackles into the pillow.Â
âAre you sure youâre awake now, âSleepy Calebâ?â Jester teases, drawing her fingers in unison from the outside edges of his exposed armpits to the center - over and over again. Slow. Deliberate. âDo you feel those pesky, tickly, âickly spiders crawling all over you?âÂ
 âNnnnnnâ a break! P-plea-mmmmm-aaaahhaha!â He pleads unintelligibly to the bed, words failing him in the face of so much gentle teasing. The spidering tickles move all along his back and down his ribs and sides. Caleb makes another strangled cry into the pillow and kicks his feet out behind him, wanting to rid himself of excess energy. âPlease!â He whines.
Jester lets up just long enough to scoot down his back. She moves back to sit just below his arse. To Calebâs delightful horror she brings her tickling, wiggling spider-fingers to crawl back along the dip of his lower backâa particularly sensitive spot that she and Mollymauk share.Â
Caleb, it seems, does as well. He squirms helplessly, kicking even harder as he cries out against the bed. Everything tickles and tingles and itâs all ricocheting around his nervous system like a couple of loose spells. âJester! Jess- AHAHA JESTER PleeheheheHEHEHEASE! AHH- Ohmeingott no, nonono, that wasnât a breheheheak! JEHEHEHEHESTER!â
âYes, yes, yes, Caleb! You sound so much more awake now!â Jester sings out loudly over his laughter in response, tickling along his spine now. âWhatâs the matter, why are you yelling, you donât like my spider friends?âÂ
âGehehehehehehet away! Ehehehe nonono get-them-awahahahay hehehe! Nein! Hahaha get them offâ off, off plehehehehease!âÂ
âI mean but theyâre like, barely touching you..â Jester pouts, crawling her spidering fingers from his spine out toward the backs of his bottom ribs. âYou really donât like them?â
âSohohoho bad! Pleheheaseââ Caleb jolts, crying out frantically into the pillow beneath him, which sounds like heâs even begging harder now.Â
Jester smiles, delighted.Â
âIâm definitely gonna have to study with you and Essek some time⊠you guys can make so many cool spells and, well, we need to make a real tickle-spiders spell. It would be soooooo much fun. I would use all my spell slots on it.â She latches on to the back of either side of his rib cage and spider-tickles where he usually keeps his books. âThink about it, think about it.âÂ
âNhahahahahahahahot a chahahahance!â Caleb retorts, defiant despite his giggling. âToo bahahahad!âÂ
âAh! Rude!â Jester tskâs at him.Â
The âspidersâ leave the backs of his ribs only to reappear on his sides and begin working their way underneath to his stomach, tickling lightly but deliberately into Calebâs soft belly as they wiggle between him and the mattress.Â
âNONO-OHFAHAHUCK-WAITNO!â Caleb shrieks in surprise, trying to roll as violently as he can from side to side, hindered by the cuffs holding his arms outstretched and by Jesterâs strong, sturdy form straddling him in place. âGETOUTOFTHERE! Ahaha-pleheaseâ no nohoHOHO!â
âI can do this aaaaaaaaaalllllll day.â She teases, reaching further with each hand until one finger reaches his belly button to tease as well. âAnd so can my spiders.â
Jester considers, still tickling ever-gently along his stomach. âMaybe Iâll give you a little break, if you tell my little spiders that you like themâAND if Iâm like 1000% sure that youâre awake for real.âÂ
âIâm awake! Iâm awake! PleheheheHEHEHEASE! I am! EHEHE-ahh haha Jester!â Caleb wails, pleading. âI ahahahaham going to dihihihie!â
âYouâre so cute.â Jester slips her hands out from under him. âAnd, relax, I know you are squishy and all, but I wouldnât let you die from a little tickling, donât worry.â She winks to herself, leaning in to kiss the back of his head. âAnd if you did? I would heal you. And it would be the cutest way to die ever.â
Red-faced and exhausted, Caleb wheezes into the pillow below him, turning his head a bit to the side and deepening his breaths when he can finally stop laughing so hard. He takes in air, drawing it in greedily. âBitte, have some mercy on me⊠it is so early.â He tries, looking up at Jester with one tired, pleading eye. âYouâve made a very effective alarm. Letâs go make some breakfast andââ
âOoh, I am hungry!âÂ
âJa?â He smiles in relief. âSo maybe we couldââ
Jester cuts him off. âOh! I know!âÂ
Caleb eyes her, hopeful.
She takes a deep breath and then begins the familiar quick casting for sending.
âWait- was machst du?ânein! Jester, what are you doing?â Caleb blanches in terror. âWait! Wait! Who are you calling? PleaseââÂ
She begins speaking, ignoring him. âHeyyyyyy, Molly! Could you grab some of those yummy pastries and breakfast sweets and stuff and meet me in Calebâs room? Okay thanks hurry up-â the spell fizzles out but she continues, â-okay? You can reply to this message- wait, was that too many words? Darn it. Did you get that?â
Jester waits a moment, tapping her toes into the mattress behind her.
She prepares to try again before she hears a familiar voice reply. âSounds.. intriguing. Be right there, darling.âÂ
âOkay, breakfast problem solved!â Jester claps her hands together.Â
âAhahahare you going to let me upâŠâ Caleb asks, already giggling in anticipation of Mollymauk joining them, âso I can eat with you all..?â
Jester laughs joyfully. âNope!âÂ
âI âwhy?â He pouts and tries to turn his head to look at her fully. âPlease?âÂ
She brings her hands up to Calebâs forearms, wiggling her fingers like spiders once again. âYou didnât apologize for saying you hated my spiders and theyâre very, very offended. Itâll take Molly a while to get breakfast together. And then we can feed you in between giggle-breaks.â She grins, leaning in to pinch his sides in delight.Â
âWAIT! Iâm sorr-EHEHEHEHE!â Calebâs lanky muscles jump under the touch, and he lets out a high pitched noise into the pillow, choosing to hide his face again rather than argue fruitlessly. Goosebumps raise across the backs of his arms and neck.
âAnyway, we need to make sure youâre nice and hungry when Molly gets here.â
âŠto be continued
âŠ
A/N pt.2: this was originally gonna go a different way and be a shorter thing and then it ended up becoming part of something bigger and then it was gonna be tickletober and broken up into parts and then now its mid 2026 oops but youâre welcome here you go.. also I have like 4K words done but Iâm still working on the end and I was like you know what Iâm publishing it in parts fuck it, also speaking of fuck it lol when is it my turn for someone sadistic and silly to do this to me.
Summary: After discussing the problem of Graceâs fine-motor skills once starvation settles deep into his body on the way to Erid, Rocky has an idea to fix it and keep Grace comfortable and safe. Testing this idea leads to hijinks.
Warnings: Spoilers for Project Hail Mary, mentions of starvation and scarring but nothing too major, theyâre both a little traumatized itâs alright, this is a tickle fic so if thatâs not your thing donât readđââïž
Authorâs note: guys this fic is like two weeks in the making and I had a frickin blast writing it!!! I love them so much Iâm shaking them in my teeth theyâre the platonic soulmates ever
If there was one thing about Rocky that Ryland Grace had learned, it was that he was a planner. As in a years ahead type of planner. Maybe it was because it concerned the overall wellbeing of his best friend, or maybe he was always that way. Granted, said best friend probably should have been thinking that far ahead anyway, but he wasnât.
At first it came from a quiet day of parallel work. Both Grace and Rocky had been in the lab, the former doing calculations on how best to ration his meals for the trip to Erid, and the latter tinkering with some unknown Xenonite contraption. Then Rocky stopped his tinkering altogether. Which was a surprise, considering that even deep in thought he always seemed to be doing something with his claws. With five of them, Eridians were very good at multitasking.
âIf Grace experience muscle weakness and fine motor skill failure from malnutrition on way to Erid, Grace no work Hail Mary when reach orbit and space elevator. Confirm, question?â He asked when he finally spoke.
Grace stopped what he was doing and chewed the tip of his pen. It had only been a few months since Grace had rescued Rocky from the Blip-A floating dead in space, they had a long, long time before they had to really start worrying about that, but Rocky had a great point.
âUhhâŠshoot, yeah. Youâre right.â He leaned back in his chair, stretching his spine with a few satisfying pops and looking up at the stark white ceiling. âI mean, we could probably reprogram the Hail Mary and mess around with her navigation to do it sort of on autopilot, but that might be a bit risky-â
âRocky do it!â
Grace looked over at his friend. Rocky was on his feet now, tapping away with his two front claws as he always did when he was going through calculations in his head.
âRocky I appreciate the thought, but you canât pilot the Hail Mary from a ball. And the controls would fail in your atmosphere.â
âRocky no need ball, I make suit. Suit from Xenonite mesh like panel on ball! Small small small panels for dexterity and maneuverability to properly work controls. And tend to Grace when Grace get sick. That part very important. Rocky want to help Grace. Rocky fix.â
Grace was following along pretty well until that last bit. Rocky had done his research on human malnutrition as soon as Grace mentioned rationing his food for the trip, and man, he was not at all happy about it. Grace assumed it was because with all the sleeping heâd end up doing once his body started running out of energy, it reminded him of his old crewmates, how he had watched them fall asleep one by one and never wake up again. Poor Rocky, alone in that massive ship with no one to watch him sleepâŠthe thought always made Graceâs eyes well up.
Like they did right now.
âRocky, you know weâve got a while until that starts to become a concern, right? You donât gotta worry about me just yet,â Grace said, blinking away the moisture in his eyes. Frankly he was touched that Rocky was looking out for him this far in advance. Who was he kidding, Rocky was always looking out for him.
âYes, but if Rocky make suit now and suit have problem and things go bad bad bad during test, Rocky trust Grace to make sure Rocky safe to try again. Best to test while Grace is healthy.â
Well, he couldnât argue with that logic.
âAlright, deal,â Grace smiled, putting his fist up to the Xenonite in front of Rocky, and Rocky returned the gesture with his claws making a thud on the clear material. âJust be careful, alright?â
It had been a few days since that conversation. Rocky slaved away in his workshop every waking hour of the day. He worked on the suit when he watched Grace sleep, he worked on it as soon as he himself woke up, and every moment in between, only pausing to eat. He wouldnât even take a break to rewatch Star Trek with Grace, which was one of his favorites! You had to hand it to the guy, he was committed.
And then, after a week of hard, tedious, claw-aching work, it was done. Though, Rocky would take a week of this over a week of chain any day.
Grace had taken a quick trip to the dormitory to retrieve his quiltâthe lab got a little chilly sometimes and he was feeling snugglyâbefore he got an announcement from Maryâs intercom.
âSummons from crewmate Rocky.â
âI left for two seconds,â Grace chuckled to himself before folding the quilt under his arms and making his way back up to the lab.
âSummons from crewmate Rocky.â
âIâm coming, buddy, Iâm coming!â
He opened the hatch to a series of excited chirps emanating from behind the Xenonite wall, so high pitched Grace wasnât even sure if Rocky was actually saying words or if he was just squealing with glee.
And now Grace could see what had his friend so excited. On the other side of the barrier, Rocky was stomping happily inside of a near skin-tight Xenonite spacesuit. It was similar in concept to the one he had made Grace so the human could explore the Blip-Aâs interior, but much more maneuverable. Heck, at first it took Grace a moment to notice he was wearing it at all!
Grace beamed as he trotted over, squatting down to get a good look. âHey, you finished it!â
âYes yes yes! Ran through many designs, none very comfortable, this design good good good. Is comfortable, and can move claws to work Hail Mary interface and controls. Very important.â Rocky demonstrated by raising his claws in a fist, then separating them and pressing his âpalmâ against the barrier. âNow just need testing in Grace atmosphere.â
âWell, then what are we waiting for?â Grace asked, grinning at Rockyâs excitement as well as his own. âOh! Actually, me. Wait for me, Iâll be right back!â
âWhere Grace going, question?â
âWhen you come into my space youâll be too hot for me to touch, so Iâm grabbing the EVA gloves.â
âOhh make sense, hurry hurry!â
Grace shot Rocky a thumbs down in his departure, leaving at a swift trot as he made his way to the airlock where the EVA suit resided. It took a few minutes, Rocky stomping back and forth impatiently all the while, before Grace returned.
âAlright bud, Iâm here, letâs do this.â
âYes yes yes, letâs!â
Rocky squeezed his way into the little airlock box that the two of them used to pass items back and forth, similar to the one in the tunnel connecting their respective ships when they first met. It took a bit of maneuvering, but he eventually got all his legs to fit comfortably inside. The air inside hissed as it cycled from Rockyâs atmosphere to Graceâs. As soon as it stopped it slid over to Graceâs side of the wall, and Rocky cautiously stepped out.
Both human and Eridian stood silent and still, not unlike how they did as soon as they re-entered Adrianâs orbit before everything went sideways and spinning. Only this time, nothing went wrong. Rocky flexed his claws, stretched all of his limbs out and up one by one, testing each joint of his suit for weaknesses or leaks. Nothing.
âAll good?â Grace asked, turning his head and looking cautiously at his friend from the side of his eyes.
Rocky did a few more test bounces up and down with his carapace, before he stomped happily back and forth. âAll good! All good good good!â
âHaha! Yes!â Grace whooped, pumping his fists in the air and grinning from ear to ear. Rocky chirped in excitement, spinning in a circle and doing jazz hands. Then Rocky stopped to give an exasperated groan, sounding a bit like a squeaky car brake.
âRocky want to hug Grace but still too hot,â he whined.
Grace threw his head back and laughed. He put on his EVA gloves and walked over to Rocky to rest his protected palms on the top of his body around his vents. To say the Xenonite was scalding hot would be an understatement, and Grace almost had to pull away from the heat that radiated into his forearms, but he got used to it.
âHere, howâs this for starters,â he asked, masking his grimace with a friendly smile.
Rocky chirped in surprise. âOh! Can feel! Can feel Grace through suit!â he said.
Grace chuckled. âYeahah?â
âYes yes yes!â Rocky chittered, shimmying from side to side as if he could barely contain his excitement. âI like!â
Rockyâs reaction was enough to make the near-burning skin worthwhile a hundred times over.
Where Grace went, Rocky went, clunking his way through the halls of the Hail Mary on five legs rather than inside of his ball. Grace had to admit, it was pretty nice having his friend like this. He was a little worried at first that Rocky having full access to the ship would cause some personal space problems and get him a little peeved, but honestly all annoyance was gone.
âIs Rocky cool enough for hug now, question?â
Well, there was that. But Grace couldnât even be mad, the fact that Rocky was so excited for his first real hug but careful to not hurt Grace was beyond heartwarming.
Grace chuckled and hovered his bare hand over the Xenonite, just like he did ten minutes ago. Man, this stuff took ages to cool down.
âNot yet buddy, almost there though.â
They continued their endeavors.
âIs Rocky cool enough for hug now, question?â
âOh my godâŠâ
It took another forty minutes for the xenonite to cool down to a degree where it wouldnât be uncomfortable. Sure, Grace couldâve put his EVA suit on, but selfishly he didnât want to. The suit was bulky and annoying to put on in 1.5gâs, and call him sappy but he wanted to feel Rocky as completely as he could when he held him close after all this time. It was his first hug, after all, it had to be special.
And then, after so much waitingâmonths of it now, really, ever since Grace hugged Rockyâs ball that first timeâit happened. Grace figured it out on accident, simply walking by Rocky in the dormitory and giving his head a gentle pat as he passed, and Rocky leaned into his hand as if they had done it a hundred times.
Then they both paused.
Rocky raised his carapace, practically buzzing with excitement. âGrace?â
Grace looked at his unburned palm, then to Rocky, and smiled. âRocky cool enough for hug now, statement,â he beamed.
Rocky squealed so high pitched Grace thought it would shatter the computer screens, stomping happily with all his legs and wiggling back and forth. Then, with his legs momentarily scuffing along the ground, he launched himself at Grace, his front two arms outstretched.
Grace didnât have half a second to prepare, scrambling backwards to try and cushion the blow, before Rocky had collided with him and he was knocked flat on his back.
âWoah! Woahwoahwoah Rockyâouf!â
The wind was briefly knocked out of him from the impact, but then he laughed. He laughed and laughed as he sat up the best he could and held Rocky close, squeezing the alien against his chest. He didnât even care that his breath was a little restricted from the pressure of Rockyâs arms around his ribcage. Tears of pure joy began to fall from his eyes, which he squeezed closed to just feel Rocky in his arms.
Rocky was singing, the sound almost like a whimper but more joyful. He was trembling a little. The first time Grace had heard this sound from Rocky it was when the Eridian had stepped foot back on the Hail Mary for the first time after his rescue. Keening, he had called it. He had explained it as a behavior akin to human crying, a release of great emotion. Very common in pebbles, but every Eridian did it from time to time.
In short, in their own respects, Grace and Rocky were both crying from joy at just being able to hug the other.
âRockyâŠlike hugâŠâ Rocky said through keens, his voice a little warbled from emotion.
âMe too,â Grace replied, pressing his cheek into the hard surface that gave him more comfort than heâd experienced since he first woke up from his coma. Wow, he didnât realized how starved for affectionate touch he really was.
âRocky love love love Grace.â
Grace sobbed a wet laugh, squeezing his best friend closer still. âI love love love you too, buddy,â he said through his tears. âGod, I love you so much.â
If Rocky and Grace were attached at the hip before, they may as well be one organism now.
The fact that they could properly touch had done wonders to the both of them. Both species were incredibly social, and as such physical contact was important for bonding.
And boy, did the two of them utilize it.
Head pats in passing, brushing against legs, resting against shoulders, you name it. Given Rockyâs reaction to that first hug all that time ago, Grace was shocked to find he was actually a super touchy-feely guy. He was constantly near Grace, brushing a claw or leaning his carapace on Grace as he watched him work.
And the sleeping situation had improved exponentially! Rocky, god bless him, was a snuggler. Perfect for Grace because Grace was also a snuggler. That first night when Grace settled down for bed, Rocky leapt right up onto the cot like an overgrown cat and curled up perfectly in the crook of Graceâs side. When Grace huffed a small chuckle and slung his arm over Rockyâs carapace, it was as if he always belonged there.
Oh! And the science part of it! Oughhhhh the science part!! They could now study the body of the other, take notes, see what made them tick, better than ever!
They set it up in the Donât Go Crazy room, since they didnât need any lab equipment, just a pen and notepad for Grace. Besides, if they did anything with reflexes and one of them ended up kicking the spectrometer or something, it would be a very expensive whoops.
Even though Rocky was an engineer, being around so many scientists before theyâŠyou knowâŠgave him a curiosity around the topic that he didnât have on Erid. Not only that, but he definitely needed to know how Graceâs body worked if he was going to optimize his survival as he ran out of food. If Armando could keep Grace alive, at least Rocky could help keep him comfortable and not alone.
But enough of the melancholy, they had learning to do!
Grace offered to go first, given Rockyâs concern about his body being the topic that led to the invention of the new Xenonite suit. Rocky wiggled happily from side to side in said suit, evidently enjoying his newfound freedom and the offer of getting to explore the alien anatomy. He scuttled right next to Grace, making sure to be cautious of his claws lest he step on and possibly break Graceâs legs.
The Eridian made a move to reach out, curious as ever, before he hesitated. The claws within the xenonite glove tapped against one another in an anxious fidget. Grace furrowed his brow. Rocky didnât have eyes to follow to what had made him stop, but the way the concave face of his carapace was angled at the multitude of burn scars on the flesh of his left arm and the neat little claw-print on his right let Grace know that that was what he was worried about.
He gave his friend a small, sad smile, dipping his head a little to look at him square. âRockyâŠâ
âRocky not want to hurt Grace again.â Rocky crooned, curling in on himself a little. âScarring bad bad bad. Know it was to save Grace, save Rocky, but still hurt.â
âIt wonât hurt me bud,â Grace insisted. âYou know as well as I do how insulated your Xenonite is, itâll be comfortably warm at most. Besides, weâve hugged a good couple of times, remember? And itâs all been fine then.â
âRocky canât forget, but mesh most fragmented and thin at claws. Best design for dexterity.â He flexed said claws as he spoke, clacking them together in his nervous tic. âWhat if mesh break, question?â
Grace snorted, rubbing the top of Rockyâs carapace with his knuckles. That was one of his favorite things about Rockyâs new suit, getting to give him an affectionate noogie every once in a while. Well, one of his favorite things besides the hugs. Rocky gave some really great hugs.
âWith your engineering? Not likely. Youâre overthinking. And if it does, I run to the EVA suit, get you back into your ball, and we figure it out from there. I wonât let anything bad happen, buddy.â
Rocky hesitated for a moment before raising his carapace towards his friend. âPromise, question?â
âPromise, statement.â
With Graceâs assurance, Rocky tentatively reached out a claw once more. Xenonite-covered armor found the skin of Graceâs side, just under where his ribcage ended, and simply rested there for a moment. Rocky was gentle, so much so that Grace almost urged him to use more pressure so he could better hear and feel the human body under his claw. This was a bit of a biology lesson, after all.
Then Rockyâs claws squeezed once, twice, three times in rapid succession as he gave a curious trill, cocking his carapace to the side and clicking to get a better view, and Grace discovered quickly he had something else to add to his âWho Am I?â board.
He, Doctor Captain Ryland Grace, the worldâs leading authority in astrophage biology and one of the saviors of Erid and (hopefully) Earth, was ticklish.
Really, really ticklish.
The reaction was immediate. A bark of shocked laughter leapt from his throat without his permission, and he squirmed away with a wobbly smile.
Rocky, on the other hand, found this no laughing matter. He let out a series of sharp alarmed whistles and scrambled back. âApology! Apology! Apology! Rocky hurt Grace! Suit malfunction! Apology! Bad bad bad!â he rambled in a panic, curling his legs under himself and pressing his two front limbs together, dipping his carapace behind them.
âWoah woah hey, easy there pal, youâre okay!â Grace rushed to assure him, reaching out a hand to usher him back. When Rocky stepped further away, Grace wasted no time in lifting up his shirt so Rocky could see where he had touched him. âLook! Itâs not red, the skin isnât irritated, you didnât hurt me! You just tickled me, thatâs all, no harm no foul. Youâre okay. Weâre okay.â
After several moments hesitation, Rocky crept closer, his body still low to the ground. The sight made Graceâs heart break a little bit. Man, their adventures in Tau Cetiâs system really messed the two of them up, didnât they?
When Rocky was close enough, Grace put a hand on top of his carapace. Rocky leaned into it with low chitters. With his other hand he took Rockyâs claw, the one that Rocky believed had burned him. He shook it back and forth in a silly way to show his anxious alien friend how harmless it was.
âSee? The suit doesnât burn, and you were very gentle. You didnât hurt me, bud,â Grace soothed, curling and relaxing his fingers to gently scratch at Rockyâs vents through his suit. Rocky seemed to like it, taking a step closer still while the tension in his body slowly subsided.
âRocky not want to hurt Grace.â he finally said, his voice low. âGrace very important to Rocky. Rocky not forgive self if cause Grace pain like that again.â
Gosh darn it, Grace was not going to cry right now. He straight up refused.
âOh, buddy, come here,â Grace sighed sadly, scooting close to Rocky and pulling him into his arms. Rocky pressed his carapace against the manâs chest and sang low and soft, wrapping two arms around Graceâs middle.
âYouâre important to me, too. More than Iâll ever be able to put into words.â He pulled away slightly to look at Rocky square, dipping his head as if forcing the eyeless creature to meet his gaze. âThereâs nothing, and I mean nothing, you could do to me that I wouldnât be able to forgive you for. All theseâŠ?â He gestured at his burn scars, âwere gotten out of love. You loved me enough to risk your life to drag me to safety,â he pointed to the raised claw-print, âand I loved you enough to risk my life bringing you to your own atmosphere so you could heal,â he ended by rubbing his fingertips up and down the gnarly skin.
âDonât disservice the both of us by chalking all these up to just pain. We fought hard to keep each other alive, and these are marks of that. Okay?â
Rocky nodded his carapace, a human mannerism he had picked up from his friend. âIf Rocky were human, would probably be leaking right now. Very very leaky.â
Grace laughed, giving Rocky one last squeeze for good measure. âReady to try again?â he asked, tapping Rockyâs carapace twice with the question. An Eridian mannerism he had picked up from his friend.
âYes yes yes, feel better now.â
âGood!â
Rocky put his claw right back where it was, then paused once more. âCan Grace explain new word before continue, question?â
âNew word, new wordâŠâ he wracked his brain, but it came up empty.
âWhat Grace say Rocky do when Grace flinch away from touch. Scare Rocky.â
âOh! Yes, got it. So that was something called tickling. Iâm not sure if you guys have a word for it, but basically itâs my bodyâs response to unexpected external stimuli.â Grace began. âItâs hypothesized that knismesis, which is a lesser, more itchy sensation, was evolved to detect insects or small parasites on the skin, while gargalesis, which is what I just experienced, is a more extreme reaction that elicites laughter and is linked to the fight or flight response. Though, no oneâs really sure why that bit of it evolved. Maybe for social bonding through play, maybe to protect vulnerable parts of the body in combat, thereâs a bunch of theories that no one can really prove for sure,â he finished with a shrug.
Did he know all this from doing a deep dive on ticklishness after learning rats could be ticklish in one of his science classes?
Yes. Yes, he did.
âYou squeezed my side, which is a common ticklish spot, so my body moved away from the stimuli, being your claw, and made me laugh. Does that make sense?â
Rocky hums in acknowledgment. âYes, make sense. Eridians have similar response to stimuli. Speculated to detect parasites and social bonding, same as humans. All Eridians ticklish. All humans ticklish, question?â
Grace filed that information away for later before shaking his head. âNot all of us, but most are.â
âUnderstand. Back to anatomy study now, question?â
âYeah, we got a little sidetracked,â Grace chuckled.
Grace leaned back on his hands, his legs criss-crossed in front of him as he let Rocky do his thing once more, though this time there was a bit of an anticipatory smile pulling at his lips. Instead of resting his claw on Graceâs side like before, Rocky had opted for the chest approach this time, and Grace could only assume he was hearing past his ribcage and into the organs inside.
âInternal muscle pulsing and two others expanding with Grace breath. Heart and lungs, question?â
Grace gave him a thumbs up. âDing ding ding, we got a winner!â he grinned. âOur respiratory systems are completely different from each other, but my heart and circulatory system works similarly to yours, except my heart pumps iron-based blood while yours is mercury, and I only have one while you have five. Make sense?â
âYes yes yes. What bones made of, question?â Rocky asked, his claw trailing down to the humanâs ribcage. It was hard to the touch, but Rocky was still incredibly careful.
The anticipation was back again, but Grace couldnât really pinpoint why. Rocky had barely touched him, he couldnât be that ticklish, could he? Maybe it was a fluke, a kneejerk reaction to his body not being properly touched in so longâ
Squeeze squeeze.
Nope, definitely ticklish.
âCaHAlcium!â Grace yelped, cut off mid-answer by a rather obnoxious cackle. He cleared his throat, giving Rockyâs carapace a reassuring pat with one hand and covering his mouth with the other. âSorry, calcium.â
Rocky didnât retract his claw in fear this time (progress!) but he did still all movement and cocked his carapace. âTickle response, question?â
âYeah, heh. Yeah.â
âHeart rate elevated,â Rocky stated.
Grace gave a small laugh. âPart of said tickle response,â he said. âLike I said, itâs connected to our fight or flight instinct, which makes our body pump out adrenaline, which then increases our heart rate. Itâs really cool actually, sometimes humans can get this crazy rush of adrenaline in life or death situations and get this insane stre-hehaha hehey!â
He was interrupted by his own frantic stammering when Rocky squeezed at his ribs again. Then the little rascal laughed at him, his trilling chirps sneakily squeaking through his vents!
âHey! Are you doing that on purpose?â Grace asked, knitting his brows together and waggling an accusing finger at his friend.
âMmmm. No.â Squeeze squeeze squeeze.
âYou ahahahare you so are!â Grace couldnât help but succumb to his giggles, tilting his head back with a wide grin and swatting at the offending claw. At least it was only one, and it was gentle-
Oh fudge thereâs another one. Thereâs another claw.
Rocky had reached across with a second arm and began squeezing at the same spot on his other side. He gave a series of high pitched giggling chirps as he stepped over Graceâs lap, effectively pinning him to his spot on the walkway of the Donât Go Crazy room. And, given his bulk and Graceâs already suffering abs from laughing, it took very little time for Grace to lie back on the ground as Rocky took him apart.
âW-wahahahahait nohohoho! Rockyhehehehe!â He wriggled and shoved at his friendâs carapace, unable to stop the peals of laughter forced from him at Rockyâs touch.
Rocky ceased his tickle attack and sat back on three of his five legs. âRocky cause discomfort, question?â
Grace pushed himself back to sitting, leaning back on one hand while rubbing at the ghost tickles on his ribs with the other. He shook his head with a smile. âNoho, bud yohouâre oka-â
âThen Rocky continue tickle Grace!â
âW-wait whahaHAHAHAT?!â
Grace considered himself lucky Rocky was conscious of his weight and balance. If he wasnât using his other three legs to keep himself steady and his center of balance secure, Grace wasnât sure if he could handle any more claws sneaking in to tickle him. Rocky was ruthless!
Wriggling claws found their way under his arms, making him clamp his elbows to his sides in a futile attempt to block the attack. One claw relinquished in favor of squeezing at an elbow, which gave Grace a small but appreciated break at least on that side of his body. Rocky must have noticed the lack of reaction and opted to squeeze and pinch at his hips and knees instead. He definitely got his reaction there, Grace shrieked and bucked his hips with such intensity that had Rocky not been so heavy it mightâve thrown him off.
The more logical part of his brain noted the assault focused mainly on his joints, which must be common tickle spots for Eridians. However, the rest of his brain was too focused on being tickled absolutely stupid to care about that little tidbit.
Grace was in absolute hysterics. His brain had all but turned to mush, his eyes squeezed shut and his mouth agape with boisterous laughter. He couldnât remember the last time he had laughed this hard, if ever.
âOkahahahay okay! Rocky time ohohohout pahahahause plehehehease!â He pleaded, swatting Rockyâs claws in a pitiful attempt to fight the Eridian off. Rocky took mercy on him and complied with his request for a âtime outâ without hesitation. Grace pushed himself back up with heavy limbs, leaning back on his elbows and getting out the rest of his titters.
âHumans not have tickle spot like Eridian,â Rocky noted, pointing at Graceâs elbow. âNot ticklish, question? Is common Eridian spot.â
Grace looked at Rocky over his glasses with a raised brow, his head slightly bowed as he recovered from the playful attack. âNoho. No, because we have no vital organs there.â
âThen why is leg joint more ticklish than arm joint, question?â
Grace shrugged. âMy guess is because humans are built for running, so our legs need more âtrainingâ in avoiding injury.â He put the word âtrainingâ in air quotes. âThatâs just my theory though. Everyoneâs got areas that are more ticklish than others, like I said itâs up to a lot of speculation.â
Rocky hummed and wiggled his carapace as he digested the information. âUnderstand.â Then he went still, clicking and chirping away and tapping a claw against the ground. âSoâŠhumans commonly most ticklish where many vital organs are inside.â
âCorrect.â
He pointed a claw at his friendâs stomach. âRocky hear many organs here.â
Immediately Grace felt butterflies go absolutely ballistic in his belly. If that was any indication, he could piece two and two together that he was probably really ticklish there, even if he didnât remember.
If he could, he would have shoved his foot so far in his big mouth itâd be seen where the sun doesnât shine.
His body moved before his brain caught up, scooting back on his hands and his mouth forced into a giddy grin. Again, not a good sign. âR-Rockyhehehehe, câmohon man-â
âRocky learn human anatomy, must touch to hear beneath skin, Grace be still!â Rocky chirped, and Grace didnât miss for a second the amused lilt that was ever present in his friendâs voice. The little bugger was having way too much fun at his expense.
Grace did not, in fact, be still. Grace had preferred to scramble to his feet and put said running legs to use. Well, he would have if Rocky hadnât all but tackled him back to the ground. Grace was on his back again, staring wide eyed at his captor with a goofy smile on his face.
âNohohoho wahait letâs talk we can talk about this Rocky plehehehease!â
Rocky said nothing. Granted, Grace wasnât actually sure if he could speak through his squeaky giggles. He raised his claws in the air and scrunched them in and out. Oh god, that made it so much worse! And he had started to lower them to his stomach!
âNONONONO dohohonât do it! Dohonât doho ihihihit ROCKYHEHEHE-!â
Increasingly desperate pleas fell on impossibly deaf ears (jerk) as Rockyâs claws finally touched down. Well, crashed down was more accurate, for they had made contact on his stomach with such sudden ferocity that Grace honest to god screamed before trailing off into wheezes. Wheezes then turned into cackling belly laughter once he finally got a breath in.
âROCKY!!! RohockyheHEHEHE NOHOT THEHEHEHERE!â Grace howled through his laughter, his flailing arms trying and failing to push Rocky off of him and defend his middle all at once.
He was very briefly reminded of the last time he was pinned to the ground in similar fashion, but instead of desperate sobs to spare his life, all that was driven from his mouth was giddy, carefree laughter as Rocky tickled him to pieces. It was honestly a little refreshing from the horrid memory.
Rocky was a little monster. He was trilling and giggling and whistling in a way that was reminiscent of cooing at something cute. Grace thought might actually die. From embarrassment or from being tickled to death, he wasnât sure. Most likely a mix of the two.
âGrace! Be! Still!â Rocky reiterated, intensifying a squeeze with each whistling word. He was absolutely evil! His technique even more so! He squeezed and pinched and poked and skittered erratically with no rhyme or reason, swapping tactics in a way that drove his cackling victim up a wall.
The final nail in the coffin, though, was when Rocky had discovered the effectiveness of sticking his hands under Graceâs shirt and vibrating his curled claws rapidly back and forth. In all the months theyâd known each other, the last and only time heâd heard Grace this loud was their first real meeting when Grace had shrieked with fear, wielding a wrench.
Now, under much sillier circumstances, Rocky was positively enamored with the joyful noise coming from his squishy companion under his claws. He could hear the surface of his smile, his nose wrinkled and scrunched, his brows furrowed and his eyes screwed shut with mirthful tears pricking at the corners, his glasses crooked on his face as he shook his head back and forth. And best of all, his laughter. Bright and happy and contagious even to a complete different species. Second only to his mateâs song, it was definitely Rockyâs favorite sound.
However, to both Rockyâs dismay and understanding, Grace could only take it for so long. In all seriousness, human adrenaline and stamina was something to be admired, but he was definitely reaching his limit.
âOHOHOHOH MY GOD OKAHAHAY!â he yelled, clutching his stomach and kicking his legs in the air as if trying to run from the ticklish touches. âENOUGHENOUGHENOUGH UHUNCLE! UHUHUHUNCLE HAHAHAHAHA MEHEHERCYHEHEHEHE!!!â
Rocky scuttled off with incredibly fond giggles, perching by Graceâs head to fix his glasses and give him space to breathe. He carded his claws gently through the blond hair as Grace fought to regain his bearings. His chest heaved, his shoulders shaking with leftover breathless giggles.
âYohohohou,â he huffed, pointing a floppy hand at the Eridian, âahahare awfuhul!â
âAnd you are stuck on Hail Mary with Rocky for next four years,â Rocky quipped back through pleased chirrups.
âBite me.â
âRocky cannot bite, not have mouth.â
âIhitâs a joke, bud.â
âAh, understand.â
Jeez, he felt like he had just run a marathon. His abs hurt, his face was sore, his throat was hoarse. Rocky had really did a number on him. But despite all that, he couldnât deny the pleasant buzz of dopamine in his brain from the physical exertion and all the laughter.
âGod, Iâm living with a flipping tickle monster,â he cleared his throat and groaned, rubbing his eyes under his glasses.
âGrace okay, question?â
âOh yeahaha, pal, Iâm all good.â More than all good, actually. Thinking back on the past few days filled with meal prep and rationing math and dread, he needed that. A good tussle was exactly what the doctor ordered. Even if it was pretty one-sided.
Rocky nudged Grace with his carapace once the human finally got his breath back. âRocky turn next, question?â
Grace sat up and looked at Rocky with a quirked brow and crooked smile. âYohou want me to tickle you back?â he asked, a chuckle lacing his voice. In all honesty Grace was planning some thorough revenge anyways, but he wasnât expecting Rocky to ask for it outright!
âYes yes yes,â Rocky chirped, doing his little jazz hands in place. âGrace want to learn Eridian biology, and tickle is bonding between good good good friends! Play, silly, happy happy happy for Grace and Rocky.â
Grace smiled from ear to ear. Oh, this guy had no idea what heâd just unleashed upon himself.
If Ryland Grace was anything, he was competitive. He wouldnât let that moron with a doctorate tell him water was always necessary for life to evolve, he wouldnât back down when Lokkens tried her best to convince him Earth life and astrophage evolved from completely different root species, and now he definitely wasnât letting Rocky get off the hook for tickling him within an inch of his life.
âAre you sure about this, Rock?â He sing-songed. âBecause Iâm not going easy on you.â
âRocky tough, Rocky take it!â the Eridian beside him whistled, sticking out his carapace boldly.
Oohohoh, challenge accepted buddy.
He curled his fingers into wiggly claws and tried his best to make his smile look more predatory, but he knew he just looked like a dork. He could live with that, he was happy to be goofing around with his best friend, dang it. âYour funeral!â
Grace gave Rocky zero buildup. No test squeezes, no pokes or taps, no trying to hide his intentions, just immediately digging aggressively into Rockyâs joints.
The pitch at which Rocky squealed was almost painful to his ears, but Grace was too giddy to care. He grabbed onto one of Rockyâs flailing limbs and pulled himself closer, curling his legs criss-cross-applesauce around his giggling friend.
âSo, you wanna tell me where Eridians are most ticklish?â He asked, as casually as if he was having a normal conversation. He had to raise his voice a little bit over Rockyâs laughter. âYou already told me about riiiiiight here!â He grabbed two of Rockyâs elbow joints and squeezed rapidly through the Xenonite mesh. Rocky did his best to scuttle away through shrill cackles, but only ended up tipping himself backwards onto his side, his legs flopping and flailing and looking for all the world like a mix between a spider and a turtle stuck on its back.
âOhoh no you donât!â Grace growled, getting onto his knees and reaching forward to follow Rockyâs momentum. He stuck his hands flat on Rockyâs sideways carapace, looming over him and grinning. âSpill it! Where else?â
âGraceâŠ.find outâŠ.for yourself!â Rocky challenged through his squeaky tittering.
Graceâs grin got impossibly wider as he curled his fingers, making Rocky squeal and his legs scrunch in anticipation. âOhhhhhkay, youâre asking for it now!â
Caution of getting his fingers pinched to the wind, he clawed at the joints where Rockyâs arms met his body, where his âarmpitâ would be, and Rocky went absolutely berserk. He squirmed and flailed and cackled. It sort of sounded as if someone was shriek-laughing into one of the recorders the Grover-Cleveland music room used to have. Grace used to hate hearing that squeaky sound through the halls when the kids first learned to play the instrument, but now this similar sounding song was music to his ears.
âSoooooo Iâm guessing the elbows and leg joints because thatâs where parasites can get in, right?â Grace asked as he continued to take his friend apart. Said friend couldnât speak through his cackling. Or, maybe he could, but it was so intermingled with his laughter that Grace or the translator couldnât pick it up.
So, he slowed down a bit, letting Rocky get a breather in. His vents were steaming a little bit from the exertion. All that movement and laughter mustâve been a little taxing on his body. Another similarity between humans and Eridians.
Grace huffed an affectionate laugh through his nose, scratching gently at the top of Rockyâs carapace in a soothing way rather than a tickly one. He didnât want to overwhelm the poor guy. Or worse, send him into an unexpected slumber before he ate.
âDid you hear me, bud?â He asked, tapping twice. It was a normal behavior, but those two taps made Rocky squeak and giggle.
âYesâŠRocky hearâŠapologyâŠneed moment,â Rocky huffed, still tittering a little all the while.
âNo worries, pal, take all the time you need,â Grace said, resorting from scratching to just rubbing the flat of his palm and pads of his fingers along the tip of the Xenonite suit. Rocky trilled, leaning as much as he could into it from his lopsided position.
âAlright buddy, on your feet,â Grace chuckled, bracing his feet against the floor and holding Rockyâs claws to pull him right-side up while Rocky pushed with his back legs. Rocky didnât leave his position in Graceâs lap, though, he just curled his legs underneath him and settled right there.
âOkay, recover now,â Rocky announced. âAnswer to Grace question is yes. Eridian joints much much much ticklish because easiest for parasites to enter body. Bad bad bad. But also limbs are place most touched by other Eridians. Sensory input from external stimuli aid in social interaction and bonding between individuals.â
Grace nodded along. âGotcha. Not so different, are we pal?â He smiled fondly, tapping twice once more with his question on the top of Rockyâs carapace.
Once more came the giggling, making Grace smile in his endearment. âWhahat is going on, youâre never this giggly when I do that,â he asked, unable to help the laughter weaving in between his words.
âGrace tickle Rocky within minutes of deep sleep! Still tickle! Vibrations from question tap tickle!â Rocky said indignantly, poking Grace in the stomach and making him yelp and squirm.
âOkahay! OkAHAhahay I gehet it! My bahahad!â He laughed, holding the offending claw with one hand and clutching at his stomach with the other.
Rocky ceased his attack, giggling and swinging Graceâs hand back and forth like Grace had done with him several minutes before while looking rather pleased with himself.
âOne of these days Iâll have to introduce you to the long-standing earth tradition of tickle fights,â Grace said with a smile, tapping Rockyâs carapace a little more to make him squirm. âWeâd have to do it in zero G, though, otherwise youâd win by a long shot.â
âYes yes yes, Rocky win fight. Much stronger than leaky space blob!â
âYeah? Well Iâm faster,â Grace retorted. âI could run you down any day of the week. I gotta teach you about persistence hunting one of these days.â An idea was quickly coming to mind on how thatâs go down, a smile already curling his lips at the prospect.
âFaster not help when Rocky have Grace like this!â
Grace shrieked as Rockyâs claws shoved at his shoulders and pinned him down again, descending upon his belly once more shortly after and immediately eliciting cries for surrender. âAAAHAHAHA OKAY OKAY YOU WIN!!! YOU WIHIHIN GET OHOHOFFA MEHEHEHEHEHE!â
Rocky took mercy on him quick, thankfully, backing off with smug giggles and helping Grace back up.
âNohohoâŠnoho more for today, alright? Iâm beat,â Grace giggled, waving his hand back and forth and shaking his head with a smile still plastered on his face.
âYes yes yes, Grace sleep, Rocky watch!â Rocky chirped happily. They gathered the translator and notebook (the pen had been kicked off of the walkway in the scuffle and was long gone), and made their way to the dormitory.
It was a routine that took very little time to fall into. Grace changed into his pajamas and brushed his teeth with Rocky giving him his privacy as normal, Grace settling into bed and getting cozy under the covers as normal, and then lifting up the quilt so Rocky could hop up and settle down to watch, which was their new normal. Grace even kept the room a little cooler than the rest of the ship, so he wouldnât overheat with Rocky snuggled up next to him.
Rocky curled three of five limbs comfortably underneath his carapace, the other two left free to wander and keep busy as Grace slept. One drifted up to run through Graceâs hair, while the other splayed across his chest.
âYou know,â Grace said after a moment, a yawn following his voice, âI think this is one of your best ideas to date,â he smiled. Sure, the idea to eat the Taumoeba may end up saving his life, hopefully, but he was pretty sure this whole being able to touch thing saved his heart and soul. He couldnât believe he and Rocky had gone so long without a proper hug.
Rocky chirped in amusement, his frequency rumbling deep into Graceâs chest. âGrace stupid from little sleep and too much tickles,â he said, and Grace could recognize his tone as incredibly fond. It made his chest feel fuzzy with affection. Still canât take a compliment. One more thing they had in common. âGrace sleep, I watch.â
