Hi~! My name is Shiloh but you can call me Shi for short! Nice to meet you! I'm lesbian🏳️🌈and non-binary so my pronouns are they/them. I'm 22 years old. A Lee (someone who likes to be tickled). I LOVE kpop, my favorite groups are Ateez ,BTS, Itzy, Dreamcatcher, and Stray Kids.
warnings: hm mentions of stress and being overwhelmed, loneliness, swear words, anxiety/nervousness and perfectionism, Seungmin being shy (yes, that's a warning cuz he's cute)
author's note: I literally rewrote this a hundred billion times because I wasn't pleased with how it went, but I hope you guys enjoy it! also let me know if you wanna be tagged in my future fics!!
this is a tickle fic!! keep scrolling if it's not your thing!!
“Sullyoon is one of our newest employees. She’s also the youngest here. She is very hardworking and gentle, and works in the same shift as our sunshine. His name is actually Felix— he is so kind and always has a bright smile on his face; the nickname really suits him. And lastly, Minho, the guy you’ll be working with. He is very charismatic and sweet. But he likes to tease, so don’t take anything he says personally… And try to be cooperative. He doesn’t get angry often, but no one likes it when he does.” This was the first time Seungmin has ever heard of Minho. Three weeks ago, when his life first started going downhill and he started working in coffee shop/bakery “Mapple”, and his boss gave him a small introduction to his co-workers before they got there.
Three weeks ago, Seungmin locked in on trying as hard as he can to maintain his perfect image, and not make his life harder than it already was. Though, now, as he’s getting ready for morning shift, he is pretty sure that his plan failed, and that he will be forced to face huge confrontation from his co-worker, Minho. He doesn’t know if he would rather blame himself for being so judgemental, his college for giving him so much work that he became sleep deprived, or his landlord for even getting him in this situation.
But, if you are wondering how he got himself into this position, let’s rewind to his first day of work.
Three weeks ago, 27. April; 06:10 AM.
“Hello, I’m Kim Seungmin, the new employee here. I’m looking forward working with you Minho-nim.” If there is one thing his parents have ever taught him, it was how to stay calm and composed even under stressful and scary situation. Now, even though the only real job Seungmin ever worked was babysitting now and then, he never really had to experience how it feels to start working a job like this. So, the only time he has ever felt this anxious was during first days of school, or when his parents were witnessing any of his activities, like school theater plays or his baseball competitions when he still used to play. His palms would get sweaty, and he’d feel his heart hitting hard against his ribcage. Yet, despite that, he knew how to hide it. And he really hopes he knows how to hide it now.
“Pleasure to meet you, Seungmin. But, you can just call me Minho-ssi.” This was Seungmin’s first day working in “Mapple”; a small coffee shop that is also partly a bakery, and his boss, Jeongyeon, was introducing him to a co-worker who would be working in the same shift as Seungmin.
Minho seemed very polite; he had a small smile on his face, and his voice was very soft, yet Seungmin still felt intimidated because of Minho’s charismatic yet sharp character. “Alright, Minho-ssi…” Seungmin only mumbled, and fond giggles that left Jeongyeon and Minho’s lips after made his face heat up.
“Relax, Seungmin! I promise you the atmosphere here is super chill, and we’re all good friends, so no need for all the nervousness.” She patted his shoulder as if to calm him down.
“Of course, seonbaenim. I’m not nervous.”
Minho hummed, and his mouth was curled into a very amused smile. “Well, then, go get ready, Seungminnie. I’ll train you from now on.”
30. April; 06:30 AM
“Hm, try again. You put way too much sugar, Seungminnie, our customers will get a sugar rush,” Minho giggled, reaching over to add more milk into the iced coffee Seungmin made for him.
For the past three days that he has worked here, Seungmin quickly realized that his favorite part of the day were early mornings before their shift starts. When working morning shifts, they were supposed to come at six, and start preparing the cafe for opening. Seungmin would come before Minho, at maybe 5:40; change into his work clothes, and study at the cafe’s counter before Minho came. Then the two would slowly prepare the cafe, and Minho would give Seungmin some drink from the menu to make for him while he went and got their pastries ready. Even though Minho wasn’t heavy on cafeine so early in the morning, he decided it would be the best way to teach Seungmin the menu. Seungmin really enjoyed the atmosphere, and watching the sun rise from inside. It grounded him. Gave him a moment of peace from all of the stressful things happening to him right now.
“I’m sorry, Minho-ssi. I’ll do better next time.” Seungmin bowed a little, moving quickly to clean up the stuff he used to make the coffee. One thing Seungmin really, really disliked was doing something wrong. His older sister always told him he can’t always be perfect, but Seungmin doubted that. ‘Maybe if i tried good enough, I could be perfect’ was the neverending, drowning thought that went through his mind since he was 7 years old. In his mind, being unable to make coffee the way it’s supposed to was so defeating. Humiliating, even.
Minho noticed a pout that subconsciously formed on the younger’s face. He would definitely think Seungmin was being adorable, if it wasn’t for pure disappointment painted across his face.
“Don’t be sorry. Making drinks or pastries at home is fairly different than making them for work, you know?” Minho said, and in an attempt to get the younger to see it wasn’t a big deal and break the awkwardness, he tried poking his arm. Instead, he missed Seungmin’s arm, and his pointy finger poked the back of his ribs.
The last thing he expected from his very composed, serious, and professional co-worker was a loud squeal. Seungmin jumped, and curled to the side to protect his ribs. It was quiet for a few moments as both of them processed what happened.
Oh, no, no, no.
Brown-haired boy looked up at Minho with wide eyes, before covering his face in embarrassment.
How humiliating.
“Oh.” Minho’s lips formed into a big, toothy grin. This might be the best accomplishment he ever did. “Oh, MiniSeungminnie, don’t tell me you’re ticklish?”
Minho couldn’t help himself; he reached over and scribbled his fingers over Seungmin’s tummy. “No! I’m not!” Seungmin pushed his hand away before he lost control over himself and started laughing. “You just surprised me!”
“Did I?”
“Yes!”
Now, Minho wasn’t stupid, and Seungmin knew that. But he couldn’t face more humiliation if he admitted he was ticklish.
“Right… if you say so.” Minho giggled fondly, making Seungmin’s face burn even more. “Just make sure I don’t ‘catch you off guard’ again.”
7. May; 10:27 AM
“Hey, MiniSeungminnie! Take this to the table 6; I gotta go finish the croissants.” Minho simply pushed two smoothies in Seungmin’s hands and disappeared to the back.
Seungmin hated that stupid nickname.
Actually, after working with Minho for, like, two weeks now, he hates most things he does. The more they worked together, the more Minho got comfortable and felt free to annoy Seungmin until he was about to snap. Okay, if we were to look at the situation from the realistic side, a lot of things started bothering Seungmin ever since his landlord started complaining about every small thing. And Minho wasn’t all that bad. He was hardworking, and never exploited Seungmin or made him work more. He drove Seungmin home three days ago when one of those spring storms hit. And he defended Seungmin when a very rude customer came by a few days ago.
But, oh my, he got on Seungmin’s nerves so bad. His constant teasing; calling Seungmin uptight and commenting on small quirks or mistakes. And that stupid nickname ‘MiniSeungminnie’. It doesn’t even make sense! Seungmin is taller!
But what made flustered him the most was Minho’s constant… tickling. Every morning when he’d come to work and see Seungmin studying in the private room, he would never forget to gently tickle Seungmin’s side while saying hi. And during work, Minho would sneak in a little poke to his tummy; no matter if there are customers or not. He also did it when he was driving Seungmin home. The entire time he would reach out and squeeze Seungmin’s knee to hear him squeak and see his cheeks heat up. But the worst thing was that he also did it in front of Felix.
He met both Felix and Sullyoon shortly after he started working, but he they’re in the opposite shift so they rarely work together. Sullyoon especially, because Felix sometimes picks up an extra shift simply because he’s bored, or he missed out a day of work due to health, and he wants to make up for it despite Jeongyeon saying it’s unnecessary. But Felix working with Minho and Seungmin never stopped the older from sneaking in his tickling. In fact, it was more satisfying to see Seungmin’s brain short-circuit, and for his reaction to be freezing and then leaving the room.
Luckily for Seungmin, Felix really was as sweet as Jeongyeon said, and even though it was entertaining to see his professional co-worker get flustered, he never gave a bigger reaction than an amused smile, or sometimes a giggle. He didn’t want Seungmin to feel too embarrassed.
Still, it was humiliating. He wasn’t a kid.
Later that day, it felt weirdly quiet as he helped Felix reorganize the pastry.
“Did you get used to working here yet? I know it was probably overwhelming at first. Service work always is as hard as you’d expect.” When the two first met, Seungmin was actually shocked to hear the contrast between Felix’s looks and voice. When Seungmin first saw him, it was like those cinematic pictures where a charcter stands in front of an angelic person, and light comes out of them like aura, and lights up the entire room. Not only because of his bleached hair, but also his sun-kissed skin that’s covered in freckles, and his shiny eyes. Not to mention his big grin that never seemed to leave his face.
But then he opened his mouth, and the first sentence Seungmin heard was “You must be Seungmin! Minho told me about you! Welcome to Mapple!”. Not that there was anything unusual with what he said. But his voice? It was deep. And low. And definitely not what Seungmin expected from a guy who looks like he wouldn’t hurt a fly.
“Well, yeah. I figured things out, so it’s easier to work with the customers.”
“You’re learning really fast; good job, man.” Seungmin couldn’t help but smile shyly at the praise. If only the blond knew how much praises got to Seungmin. And in Felix’s eyes, Seungmin’s smile was so cute he wanted to jump the younger boy and kiss his cheeks to get him even shyer.
But, their interaction was interrupted with Seungmin’s squeal, as he squeezed the paper bag he tried putting a cupcake in. “Awh, what did you say do get our MiniSeungminnie to blush like this, Lix?” Of course, the one behind ticklish sensation the youngest boy felt on his neck was Minho, and his sneaky fingers that dug underneath Seungmin’s chin.
“Dho-” Seungmin shut him mouth when he heard the giggles almost slipping out. He pushed Minho’s hand away and hunched into himself. “Don’t call me that…”
Now, Seungmin was lucky they were working, and that Felix and him weren’t that close yet, because he was ready to squeeze the shit out of Minnie due to his cute reaction. But, he spared Seungmin the embarrassment. “Hyung! Leave him be. Do you see we’re trying to work.”
“Then maybe I should just bother you?” Minho raised an eyebrow in amusement, seeing Felix’s freckled cheeks warm up. The cafe’s door opened, and new customers came in. “Damn, everyone is interupting my fun time.” Minho mocked disappointment before walking to the counter to serve the customers.
Felix turned to Seungmin again, and giggled as Seungmin return to work, avoiding Felix’s eyes to save himself the embarrassment. “He might be annoying but he does it completely out of love! I promise!”
“Oh, so he does it to you, as well?” Seungmin tried to change the attention of himself.
“No!” Felix lied nervously, before clearing his throat. “I’m not ticklish, unlike someone.”
“Right…”
“Shut it, MiniSeungminnie. Don’t make me sic him on you.”
10. May; 23:10 PM
Seungmin is sick of it. Sick of everything, actually.
Before everything, he’s sick of his stupid landlord. Not only did he make the rent higher, but he also calls almost every day and complains about the smallest things. He’s pretty sure that in the past month, he spoke more to his landlord than he spoke to his parents for the past three months all-together.
He is also so sick of his college. He loves psychology; he really does. Studying the human brain, human reactions, why are they the way they are. It’s where he feels secure. But it’s been killing him lately. Especially one specific professor, who will only now give him his midterm exam because Seungmin missed it when it was actually supposed to be. Not to mention the professor said the exam will be harder for those who miss the first date, so Seungmin has to work extra hard to pass.
And lastly, Lee Fucking Minho. Don’t get Seungmin wrong, Minho is a sweetheart. And if he is being honest, Minho refreshes that feeling of loneliness Seungmin used to feel. But with everything that has been happening, Minho, and his stupid jokes and teases, just made him the target where Seungmin will take out his anger on.
He’s going through hard time. Sue him.
Tonight, he has been studying for 3 hours since, until his sister texted him and they started catching up on everything happening in their lives. She spoke to him about work, promotions, her friends and their trip to Thailand last week, and her love life (Seungmin really didn’t want to hear about that). And Seungmin told her about college, and his new job, and when she asked about his friends, he made up small stories so she wouldn’t think he’s lonely… even if he was. Of course, he also left out all the drama with the landlord, but he definitely made sure to mention his annoying, charismatic co-worker.
And as if he manifested it, Minho texted him. Telling Seungmin he can come later tomorrow because he will be at Mapple earlier and get everything ready. Seungmin felt a little bad for all the stuff he told his sister. So he made sure to polite answer. Before going back to talking trash to his sister. Before he sent the message he sent, he remembers seeing her ask:
Noona 🩷: Why are you so pissed off?
Noona 🩷: Didn’t you say he was nice?
Seungmin: Sure, he is! But he is so annoying! He keeps teasing me, and in front of people too! And he always calls me this stupid nickname MiniSeungminnie or something. It’s embarrassing. And he keeps… you know… poking me and like… you know what I mean! And I don’t really mind it but it’s flustering! He does it in front of other people as well. And his jokes are stupid. I wish I worked in the same shift as Felix. He is so sweet. And silly. Reminds me of kitties. Except he’s like a kitten that is also an angel. Minho is just a meanie.
Seungmin could swear he sent this message to his his sister. He could swear. But he’d be wrong. Because he was sleep deprived. And stressed. And fuelled with annoyance. And he forgot to exit the chat with Minho.
And later, when Minho did see the message, Seungmin was only met with:
Minho-ssi: wrong person, minnie
Minho-ssi: see you at work tomorrow
11. May; 5:40 AM
Three weeks ago, Seungmin locked in one trying as hard as he can to maintain his perfect image, and not make his life harder than it already was. Though, now, as he’s getting ready for afternoon shift, he is pretty sure that his plan failed, and that he will be forced to face huge confrontation from his co-worker, Minho. He doesn’t know if he would rather blame himself for being so judgmental, his college for giving him so much work that he became sleep deprived, or his landlord for even getting him in this situation.
Seungmin didn’t sleep at all last night. He tossed and turned in his bed, practiced his apology speech a hundred times, and meditated to stop himself from crying from being overwhelmed. If someone else were to look at the message, they sure wouldn’t take it as seriously. Everything that Seungmin wrote hinted at him being mildly annoyed and just flustered, and not actually angry at Minho. The meanest thing Seungmin has said in that message was that Minho was annoying and a meanie. But with context, no one would really take Seungmin seriously.
But, at the end of the day, Seungmin really was going through a lot. And this small, stupid decision was his last straw. He was scared. Scared that Minho will completely switch up; maybe even plead Jeongyeon to fire Seungmin. He really couldn’t afford that.
Even though Minho told him he doesn’t need to come early, Seungmin rushed to work before 6 AM. He wanted to prove himself, but also sincerely apologize for that stupid message.
He ran into Mapple to find Minho cleaning the tables with quiet music playing in the background. Minho looked pretty surprised to see Seungmin come in this early. Yet, Seungmin didn’t give him any time before stopping before Minho, and slowly bowing down as he lets it all slip.
“Minho-sii, I am so sorry. The message last night was out of frustration rather than what I actually mean. Even though I know it isn’t an excuse, my actions were entirely caused by stress I’ve been experiencing lately and I let it direct to you. And that’s on me. Please, take my apology. I really didn’t mean any of it!”
Seungmin stayed down in a bow as a few moments of silence passed.
If Minho was being honest, it wasn’t that deep. Seungmin didn’t insult him as badly as he could have, and the older found it sort of endearing to hear Seungmin try to speak trash of someone. Yet, he did feel bad because this was the first time in the past three weeks that he has seen Seungmin genuinely stressed and unable to hide it.
Damn it, he feels bad. “Yah, Minnie, get up. It’s alright.” Minho pulled Seungmin up, trying to catch his avoiding eyes. “Stop being silly. I mean you totally hurt my feelings and called me a meanie but it’s okay, I guess…” Minho just wanted to joke and lighten up the situation (sue him, okay!), he regretted it the moment he saw Seungmin’s face get even sadder. How can someone genuinely look so devastated. It’s almost cartoonish. “I’m joking! I’m joking! Okay, I get it. You were stressed and weren’t thinking. It happens to the best of us. Except me, I’m perfect, of course. But, I promise you, you didn’t say anything too mean. I kinda thought you were just joking around.”
“Okay, Minho-ssi. I apologize, once again.” Seungmin put his head down in shame.
“You can call me hyung,” Minho ruffled his hair before mocking anger. “And didn’t I tell you to stay home and come later?! Tsk, you never listen.”
Minho pulled his hands of Seungmin’s shoulder, and relocated them to the younger’s sides. He didn’t give Seungmin time to react or process what was happening, and instead pushed him down so he was sitting on one of the chairs, and started tickling his sides. Seungmin gasped before shutting his mouth and biting his lips.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. He tried not to laugh, in an attempt to save some dignity and not drop his professional act.
“Come on, let it out. We both know you want to~” Minho crouched down, and switched tactics from squeezing to gently scratching up and down; going from the bottom of his ribs to above his hips. Surprisingly, for someone so sensitive, Seungmin was holding on really well. “Seungmin-ah! You’re being boring!” Minho laughed at the silly face Seungmin was making in attempt not to laugh. He shut his eyes tightly, and pursed his lips; his face was red, and his hands pushed at Minho’s. Though, it was pointless because Minho was noticeably stronger.
“Fine, I guess I just have to find a more ticklish spot~” Minho reached out and started scratching the sides of Seungmin’s neck, and the dam broke. Minho was sure he has never heard sweeter giggles than he has when Seungmin finally stopped holding it in.
“Nahaha! Mihihinhohahah-ssi!” Seungmin curled up into himself. The last time he was tickled was probably when he was sixteen, and his sister still lived with his family, and they had one of their weekly tickle fights. This was so overwhelming. And embarrassing. Minho’s right hand didn’t stop tickling his neck even when he scrunched his shoulders up; while his other hand was focused on the sides of his stomach.
“Didn’t I tell you to call me hyung? How rude.” Minho tsked, and Seungmin felt butterflies fill his stomach as both of Minho’s hands started tickling the sides of his stomach. It was such a sensitive spot that the younger couldn’t help but squeal. “Or would you rather just call me a meanie again?”
“IHIHI DIIHIDN’T MEHEHEAHAHN IT!” Seungmin shook his head, opening his eyes to look at Minho pleadingly. Minho just ignored it, and switched to tickling his armpits. “NO! GHEHET- HAHA! GHEHET OUT HAHAHA!”
“Ohohoh, a bad spot?” Minho giggled proudly. He kinda hoped Seungmin would feel more comfortable around him and not all stiff and professional. “I should just keep going forever! You’re being so chill right now!”
“NOHOHT THEHE WHOHORD I WHOHOULD USE!” Okay, Seungmin, due to the tickling, was still stiff. But he didn’t hold back. He didn’t focus on hiding his reactions, or being professional. He was focused on laughing.
“Hm, really? Okay, let’s try another spot then.” Minho didn’t give him the time to react, and switched from his armpits to his stomach. Minho’s fingers scribbled up and down, slipping into the younger’s belly button every so often.
And Seungmin went crazy.
“NOHOHOH! HAHAHA! STOHOHOP THAHAHAT!” He couldn’t really think straight anymore, and his laugh was so loud, he’s pretty sure it could be heard from outside. It was almost 6 AM. Too damn early for this. Minho didn’t slow down, he just stared up at Seungmin with a proud grin, and he himself kept giggling that Seungmin’s reactions.
“Awh, how cute, Minnie. You have such a pretty smile.” Minho laughed, leaving gentle pinches across Seungmin’s stomach.
“SHUHUT UP! QHUHUIT IT!” Seungmin felt helpless. All he could really do was shake his head and kick his feet against the floor. He knew he couldn’t escape, so eventually his body gave out. He leaned back into his chair, with his head leaned back as he laughed his heart out. He even stopped pushing at Minho, and only help the older’s wrists.
Eventually, Minho decided it was enough, and slowed down before stopping comletely. Still, Seungmin kept giggling softly, feeling all jittery and giddy. It was weird. Unusual. And it left Seungmin feeling happy. And looking down to see Minho’s face all full of fondness didn’t help his case. He only hid his face between his hands.
The action, and the fact that Seungmin’s hands were hidden by his sweater paws, only gave Minho more cutenees aggression. He couldn’t stop himself for squeezing Minnie’s sides once more, making him squeal, before letting him go and standing up. “I was serious when I said it’s okay. I know you didn’t mean it, MiniSeungminnie.”
Seungmin mumbled something and Minho leaned down to hear him better. “What was that?”
“I’m taller,” Seungmin said a little louder, peaking out from behind his hands to stare at Minho with big puppy eyes.
“Yah! Want round two?” Seungmin quickly shook his head. “Then be quiet!” Minho poked his side playfully before going to get him water. When he was back, he let Seungmin finish his water in silence as he petted younger’s head. He could tell Seungmin was embarrassed, but it was a big step that he didn’t push him away.
“I’m gonna guess you didn’t get much sleep last night, so feel free to go back home and get rest. I already called Felix so he’ll take over your shift.”
“What? No. Why did you call him? I am ready for work.” Seungmin pouted.
“Well, original plan was to call him over so I can tease you about liking him more but since I see that you are tired, just go home.” Minho shrugged.
“But-”
“No buts. I’m serious. Go home.” Minho pointed at the door, and picked Seungmin’s bag up.
I immediately thought of the clip where seonghwa said that san and wooyoung always tease him by holding him down and tickling him (I hope you know which one I mean)
(A/N: yes I know the dome isn’t sound proof in canon but shhhhhhhh, let me have this. Also, I had to write this because I sometimes think of this moment and start crying about how much the nein love eachother)
…
Caleb Widowgast wasn’t the best at communicating his feelings. He was the type that rarely talked about them, instead electing to keep them tucked away. That didn’t mean that he loved his friends any less, just that he was never sure how to let them know.
When the nein found themselves on an island that was slowly siphoning away their memories, he knew he had to do something, anything, to prevent them from forgetting. He had the benefit of photographic memory to know if something went missing, but his companions didn’t have any means of keeping track of their memories. And what better way to remember precious moments with friends than a photo collage? With a combination of his magic and perfect memory, he created a floating, living photo album within the confines of the magic dome.
It was amazing what could be done with just a little bit of Jade and magic. He could barely contain his excitement as he showed Veth what he created for them, followed by welcoming in the rest of his companions.
Upon entering the dome, they found themselves surrounded by swirling images of amber, documenting moments throughout their journey together. Images of them all sitting around a bonfire, pictures of a mischievous tiefling tying shoelaces together and drawing dicks on walls, of a goblin snuggled up with a scruffy wizard, of turtles tormenting Fjord, of Caduces brewing tea, of Beau majestically running up trees, of Yasha playing her harp, and of Molly smirking as he twirled his swords. Everywhere they looked, they could spot something different.
They gazed up in amazement at Caleb’s creations. No, Caleb wasn’t very good at telling people how he felt, but with each image lovingly crafted and playing before his friends, these memories that were painstakingly tweaked to perfection, were a testament to how much they meant to him, and they perfectly displayed just how much they all loved each other.
Vilya could see the way each of their eyes lit up at each photo they saw. Clearly, this was a personal moment she didn’t want to intrude on. After the day they had, they deserved a little alone time to simply enjoy each other's company, so she told them she would do one final perimeter check to make sure there was no danger nearby. She would make sure to not venture too far, but far enough that she didn’t feel like she was prying.
Turning in for the night, they sat back to relax, basking in one another's company. They looked up at the dome ceiling, like star gazing on a clear night, reminiscing on each memory that floated by.
“Look, Fjord!” Jester pointed up to a spot at the ceiling, “it's that time Caleb made you look like you were only wearing a robe while we were all walking back from the bathhouse!”
She was laying her head on Fjord's shoulder as they both sat, making it easy to guide him to the glowing orb jetting by.
Fjord sighed as he stared up at the recreation of his humiliation floating above, a frame where he’d been waving to a passerby, unaware of his appearance, while the rest of the nein smirked in the background. “Yes, it’s like it happened just yesterday.” He glared at Caleb, who gave a small shrug and a smile.
“Aw, and that’s the first time we all cuddled up in the dome together.” Another image floated close to her, this one of them all curled up close together, Caduces and Yasha in the center with their arms wrapped around everyone under the safety of the dome's gentle light.
Beau was laying with her arms behind her head next to Fjord and Jester, relaxed until she noticed a particular image floating around.
“Why did you make that one?” She frowned at a picture depicting her being shot in the butt by Nott, who got way too competitive for what was supposed to be a “friendly” race up a tree…
Caleb was seated a couple feet away, just far enough that she couldn’t kick him from there, cuddled up with Veth at his side.
“What?” He chuckled, nudging Veth with his elbow, “it was memorable.”
She snickered in response, only feeling slightly guilty for laughing (and causing) Beau’s misery.
“Pfft, you’re lucky that this was a really sweet gift for us,” Beau huffed as she turned over to take a glance at Yasha, who was seated on the opposite side of the dome, fondly gazing at an image of her and Molly together.
“Oo, look!” Jester excitedly pointed at an image floating by Caleb’s head. “It’s the time we found out Caleb is ticklish!”
The image quickly floated towards her. It showed Caleb sitting in a booth between Molly and Jester, a huge grin on his face as they poked and prodded at his sides. It was from one of their tavern hops that had gone on in the city. After a night of drinking, Jester had been commenting on how silly Caleb got when he was tipsy, followed by him drunkenly trying to argue. Of course Jester had to tease him for it, gently prodding at his sides until a wavering smile appeared on his face while he snickered, swatting away the offending hands. After going so long trying to get either the wand of smiles or hideous laughter to make him laugh, she resorted to the only option left: tickling him silly right then and there. The giggles, of course, got the attention of the rest of the table, and the rest is history. It was the first time any of the nein, everyone but Veth, had heard him laugh before, and fortunately far from the last, as many of the other passing images proved.
After that, tickle fights became a common occurrence in the group. If someone was having a rough day, a few pokes to the side. If someone was feeling particularly playful (usually Jester) they would select a target and let mayhem ensue. They had to be careful when it came to cuddle piles, just a single brush to the side could send someone into tickle fight mode.
Every member had been on the receiving end at one point or another, as evidenced by many of the amber photos, but it was hard to not notice that many of the images depicted were specifically of Caleb getting ganged up on. Though to be fair, he was by far the one most likely to get targeted. Even on a good day the closest thing to laughter he usually gave was a huff or snort of amusement, not to mention how he was prone to moping and retreating into himself. According to Caduses, people needed laughter, and just like medicine to help the body, some people just needed a little help laughing. And help him they did.
Caleb’s face flushed as he noticed the images floating close to him before he willed them to the other side of the dome.
“Aw, Caleb, are those all happy memories for you?” Jester cooed.
“Must be,” Caduses chuckled, glancing over to gauge Caleb’s reaction. He could see his face turning red even from there. “There’s so many of them, and they’re all near him.”
It was no secret that Caleb didn’t mind being on the receiving end of the many tickle outbreaks of the nein, another secret brought out of him under the influence of alcohol. He didn’t talk about it much, but the way his face flushed whenever anyone commented on how he never seemed to struggle against the attacks served as a reminder.
He tried to clear his throat. “Um, yes. I mean, they are all moments I- ah hem, look back on fondly.”
“That’s so cute!” Jester giggled. “And it’s a very good thing that I love ticking you so much!” She wiggled her fingers teasingly at him, and even from that distance he couldn’t stand the sight of them.
Hiding his face in his hands with a groan, Caleb only hoped that no one could see his bashful smile.
Beau tapped Fjord’s shoulder, gesturing to the area Caleb sat. Although he wasn’t paying attention, more and more images seemed to be popping up around him, all of different times he’d been on the receiving end of tickle attacks. One where Caduses had him in his lap, playing his ribs like a harp, another where Beau had him pinned to the ground, sitting on his back as she mercilessly squeezed his sides, and of course more with Veth and Jester prodding his sides in passing.
They snickered to themselves, imagining their poor wizard was probably flustered out of his mind.
Veth looked up and stifled a laugh.
“I think the more he thinks about it, the more pictures start appearing.” She cooed.
Caleb finally tore his face away from his hands and looked up, stunned when he realized that even more images were circling his head. He cursed under his breath as he commanded them to disappear with a wave of the hand.
He had everyone’s attention now.
“Aw, don’t get rid of them.” Yasha said, sitting up as she turned to him. “If they make you happy you should keep them around.”
Caleb fidgeted as he tried to regain his composure. “Ja, they do, but it's just- ah,” he tried to think of a good excuse, anything better than about how they make him a blushing, flustered mess.
“There are plenty more memories with you that I could be showing.”
That’s the best he could come up with at the moment.
“Well, maybe we want to see them,” Jester whined. “They definitely make me happy!”
“I just- I mean- maybe, uh-“ the airtight argument he had in his head was hard to take seriously when he was stuck stammering out his protests.
“Or, maybe we could make some new memories right here?” The twinkle of playfulness in her eyes accompanied by a mischievous smirk sent a shiver down Caleb’s spine. He knew exactly what that look meant.
“N- now hold on, we don’t ha- hahahahaha!” He was cut off when he felt something wriggling against his side. He glanced down to his right, seeing Veth hugged onto him, wiggling her fingers with a wicked grin. He tried to glare, but the wobbly smile was already on his face. He wavered and covered his mouth with his hands again, trying to hold back his snickering.
“Oh no you don’t,” Yasha’s voice suddenly came from his left. For such a large person she was deceptively quiet. She had snuck behind him and in an instant grabbed both of his arms. With an undignified yelp, he nervously chuckled as she shifted him back so he leaned into her lap, holding both arms out to the side. Her grip was both firm yet gentle at the same time, making it so he was comfortable but still thoroughly restrained.
“Neihihihin! Yasha! I cahahant!” He whined, wiggling in her grasp.
“Can’t what?” She asked. “Can’t move? That’s the point.”
He could tell by his friends' smirks that he wasn’t talking his way out of this one. Not that he necessarily wanted to.
That was the chaos crew’s cue to move in. Jester stalked towards him, wiggling her fingers in his direction, while Beau sat up and made a big show of cracking her knuckles before scooting her way over. The anticipation was already getting to him, the excited buzz of butterflies in his belly making him giggle as he squeezed his eyes shut, unable to bear looking at the teasing fingers for another moment.
Before he knew it his friends were towering over him. Though he couldn’t see it, Caleb could picture their shit eating grins in his head perfectly after experiencing countless scenarios just like this. His keen mind could truly be a curse sometimes.
Jester sat at Caleb’s other side while Veth stayed put, still clinging tight. Beau was quick to follow, straddling his hips so he couldn’t move.
“Cahahahan we tahahalk about this?” He begged.
“Okay!” Jester said, “you can talk about it all you want while we tickle you!”
Suddenly, her fingers were skittering along his sides and ribs, queuing Veth and Beau to join by spidering across his belly and brutally squeezing at his hips. The jolt to his system immediately made him squeal.
“AH- NOhohoho! Bihihihitte! Neihihihin!” Struggling against Yasha's grip, he thrashed in place, though he knew it would be useless.
“But Caleb!” Jester exclaimed, poking a single finger between his ribs, “We still need to thank you for your gift! We have to do something extra special for you!”
“Ahahahand this is ihiihihit?”
“Of course, it’s obviously one of your favorite things! Why else would all those memories be floating around?”
He would try to not dwell on it, but every time this happened, every time he was pinned to the ground while laughing until he couldn’t make sounds anymore, every time someone would lightheartedly tease him about how ticklish he was, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. His keen mind certainly didn’t help, only increasing the detail that played on repeat. As much as he wanted to deny it, it was difficult when it was literally spelled out in front of everyone.
“Oh, I especially need to thank you personally,” Beau said, her voice dripping with sass as she smirked, “for sharing such flattering moments of me.”
On the word ‘flattering’, she squeezed his hips, making him buck in place with an unbecoming squeak.
“Beahahahau! I’m sohohohorry!” His feet kicked up and down, squirming like a fish out of water.
“Like hell you are! The only thing you're sorry for is getting caught in a tickle trap.”
It really wasn’t fair. Of all the things monks could get a read on by analyzing the energy of the body, why did it have to reveal where he was most ticklish? Not that it mattered much, as he was essentially one giant tickle spot, but the precision of a monk's hands knowing the EXACT spot and pressure to have the strongest effect possible was borderline sadistic.
It wasn’t doing much, but he kept kicking his feet out in hopes that maybe his knee would hit Beau in the back. Not to escape, just to annoy her that much more.
“Hey!” Beau shouted when he managed to knock his knee into her. “Quit being a pain in the ass. Someone pin him down, I can’t focus with all this kicking.”
“Come on, Fjord!” Jester called from her spot, still scribbling where a part of his shirt had ridden up on his tummy, “Come get his legs!”
Fjord chucked at the display. He always felt just a tad bit bad gaining up on the wizard, empathizing with being less likely to get out of a grapple. However, even he wasn’t immune to getting involved in Jester's hijinks. Especially when he knew the victim was enjoying himself.
“Alright,” he chuckled, “I do suppose I owe you as well. You know, for reminding me about the robe incident.”
“Whahahahait! IHIHIHI AM SOHOHOHOHORRY! I dihihihihidnt meahhahahan too!”
He carefully crawled over to the group and got a hold of the kicking legs. “Oh, now you're sorry.”
Caleb whined as he tried to tuck his legs in, only to gasp as they were yanked with a sudden force as Fjord pulled them down again, quickly pinning his ankles to the ground so they couldn’t be a nuisance. He was far from the strongest of the bunch, but neither was Caleb, so he managed to pin them with relative ease.
When that was under control he reached a hand to scribble under his knees.
“AH!” Caleb nearly screamed in surprise at the sudden sensation joining the already unbearable tickling on his torso, “Nohohot you too!”
Fjord gave a deep, rumbling chuckle as he alternated squeezing his knees.
“It’s certainly not my fault you're ticklish here.”
He could barely move his legs now, but that didn’t stop him from twisting and contorting his body in his captors hands.
“Ihihihihi cahahant! Please! Nohohohot at thehehe same tihihihime!”
Fjord hummed as he considered. After all, none of them wanted to tire him out too quickly. No, he deserved to be taken apart slowly but surely.
He slowed his hands to a halt.
Veth immediately let up, always careful to not over do it when it came to tickling him. Even if she knew he wanted to be tickled until he couldn’t think.
“Oh fine,” Beau finally followed along, stopping her insistent kneading of his hips.
“We don’t want to be mean, Caleb,” Jester explained, quick to follow everyone’s lead. “We can all take turns if you want! We’ll be super nice about it!”
“Nohohohoho!” He cackled as he tried to bury his face into his shoulder.
“No?” Her head tilted to the side. “Should we all just tickle you at once then?”
“Thahahahahahats nohohohoht what ihihih meant!”
If you don’t make up your miiiiiiind,” she sang, threatenly wiggled her fingers dangerously close to his belly, “then we’ll just all have to tickle you willy-nilly!”
A squeak escaped his mouth as he shook his head back and forth.
“You're ridiculous," Beau grinned. “No one’s even touching you right now!”
The combination of teasing and unapologetic remarks were already enough to make Caleb want to curl up in a ball and hide. He wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad thing that Yasha was holding him in place, making any chance of escape near impossible.
“Alright,” Fjord laughed, electing to show some mercy, “we don’t want to break him too soon. Let’s just start slow, shall we?”
“Oh, I can do that!” Jester exclaimed, poking a single finger into his side as he jolted. Then another, and another, each time he flinched as if it were the first.
“H-hey! Thahahahat is not slohohohow!”
“I think she physically can’t help it,” Beau observed.
“It’s not my fault, Caleb,” she complained. “I just love pressing buttons. Especially this one.”
With that she poked his belly, aiming for where she thought his navel was. A look of fear crossed Caleb’s face as his body twitched.
“Jehehehess, nohohohot there!” He bargained.
“Not where? Do you mean here?” She poked at his belly again.
“AHAH, jehehesster, nihihihihien!”
“Or here?” Another jab, slightly more to the right.
More hysterical giggling.
“It’s hard to tell when I can’t actually see the spot I’m poking.” She took the end of his shirt and pulled up a bit, folding it back just above his bellybutton.
Caleb felt the cool air of the dome on his torso, feeling much more exposed and vulnerable.
“Now I can see. Okay, was this where you meant?” She poked just above his navel, sending him into another fit of laughter. “Or did you mean here?” A poke directly underneath, only millimeters away from actually poking his navel.
“Ihihihihi will not fahahahall for thihihis!” He challenged.
“Not fall for what? I’m just trying to figure out where not to poke you.”
“Nohohoho! I knohohohow what you are doing!”
“Oh, really?” Fjord laughed. “And what is it she’s trying to get you to do?”
“I know youououour game! You are trying to get me to say my navel, but it will not- NOHOHOHOHOHO!”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth she hit the dreaded spot. She wiggled her finger just along the rim of his bellybutton, slowly brushing around and around.
“Oh! You meant here!” She finally dipped a single finger in his bellybutton.
Caleb squealed at the touch, wiggling directly on the sensitive spot.
“Jehehehehehehess! Gehehehet ohohohout of there!” His voice strained.
“Alright,” Veth playfully scolded, “give someone else a turn, would ya? He’s already losing his voice.”
Jester looked disappointed, but retracted her hands. “Fiiiiiinnnne, I’ll take turns I guess.”
“Who should go next?” Veth turned to Caleb, still panting as he caught his breath.
“W-why are you asking me?”
“Because you're the one getting tickled, silly.” She tisked as if it should have been obvious.
“Veheheheth! Don’t make me choose!”
She hummed. “Do you want me to choose for you?”
“Ihihihi- I don’t, I can’t- juhuhust choose!”
“Alright,” she smiled, “Oi, Cad! you could probably get his feet from there!”
Though he was sitting further away, his long, lanky arms made it so he was still in reach. It didn’t take much effort for Caduses to reach a hand over and brush a single finger on the sole of his foot, not even having to change his seating position. The touch was more gentle than the bombardment of squeezes to the rest of Caleb's body, but the fluffy fur that now brushed up and down his vulnerable soles was its own kind of cruelty. Perhaps he shouldn’t have taken off his shoes before settling for the night.
“Cahahahanad! Nohohohot there!” He scrunched his toes at the soft, feather-like strokes. “Toohoho much fuhuhur!”
Caduces laughed at that. “Why not there? The fur’s going to tickle like that on any spot, might as well be this one.”
He gently grabbed a toe and started scratching underneath, feeling and seeing Caleb’s foot twitch. Caleb tried to curl his toes in, but each time he did Cad would switch to scratching at his soles to throw him off, each time making him snort without fail.
“Nahahaha- Cad, bitte, plehehehease!”
“Come on now,” he purred, “you’ve taken much worse than this.”
Even so, after a few more brushes up and down, he relieved his attack to give him a moment of reprise.
Huffing as he caught his breath, Caleb shifted in his friend's grip. Yasha realized that the squirming wasn’t an escape attempt, it was more like restless tossing in the night, trying to get in a comfortable spot to rest. She shifted her grip and gently lowered him to settle on the ground, being sure to still firmly keep his hands pinned above his head.
“Caleb!” Jester gasped suddenly, “I know we’ve tickled you WAY more times than this,” she pointed up at the few images that continued to circle the dome. There seemed to be plenty, but there were too many moments of Caleb being ganged up on then he could possibly fit inside the dome. “There totally has to be more than just that! Do we have to remind you of every single time we’ve tickled you?”
His eyes widened in fear. It was flustering enough to play those moments back in his mind, but having his friends tease him by recounting all those memories to him? He might never recover.
“Jehehehehester! Ihihihihi rehehehemember ahahahalready!” He pleaded.
“Ohhhh! I think I know my favorite time we got you,” she smiles excitedly, “it was when me and Molly got you in the hotel room. You were so skittish that he had to grab your arms and use his tail to tickle you! You actually screamed when I got your ribs!”
The memory came flooding back to Caleb. Two mischievous tieflings had followed him up to his room at the inn when he was trying to sneak away. He wasn’t as likely to stick around and celebrate with his friends back then, so they had to find more “creative” ways to convince him to join them. Two against one was truly unfair, as they knocked him onto the bed and pinned him with hardly any struggle. He could practically still feel Molly’s tail wriggling into his sides as Jester managed to worm hands under his shirt to gently knead his ribs. His magic manifested the memory into another floating image, a perfect replica of exactly what Jester had described.
“Aww,” she cooed as she lightly scribbled at his sides, “you do remember!”
“YeheheheHEHEHES I TOHOHOHOLD YOHOHOU!” He cackled as he twisted and turned, trying to buck his hips that were still thoroughly held in place.
Her scribbling suddenly stopped as she turned to meet everyone else. “Who else has one?”
“Oh!” Veth piped up, “I do!”
Caleb groaned through his giggling, resigned to his fate of having to relive every single moment of his ticklish agony that the nein had put him through.
“Mine is from when I found out you were ticklish.”
Quite a while ago, from what he remembered. Veth had been the first to find out, and that had been shortly after he started traveling with her.
“We were camping in the woods for the first time when it started raining. We barely got the tent up in time before it really started pouring. It was so fucking freezing that night that we decided to huddle for extra warmth.” She shivered at the memory, still able to feel the biting cold.
“We were both damp and miserable, but I kept making jokes to try to get you to crack a smile.” Her expression softened as she recalled that moment, dark and dreary but somehow warm and hopeful at the same time.
“You turned over so I couldn’t see your face, and you kept saying that you weren’t laughing, even when I could hear it in your voice and feel your body shaking. Of course I started poking you in the ribs. I was just trying to annoy you, but you yelped!”
She recreated the moment by quickly jabbing at his ribs, making him jolt and squeak in place.
“Yes, exactly like that!” She gently scratched along the top of his ribs for good measure, “And I mean, how could I pass up an opportunity to cheer my friend up?”
Caleb’s face was bright red as another image appeared, the two of them cuddled close together, Nott attempting to be the big spoon as she reached around to tickle his ribs and sides. His head was thrown back in laughter with a grin so wide it could have split his face.
“You're difficult to make laugh.” Veth continued, “You would sometimes chuckle a little, but I’d never heard you like that before. I guess I was just happy I could make you laugh like that.”
He hadn’t realized it at the time, but that was the first time he had truly laughed in over a decade. Even if it was impossible for him to forget anything, it had been so long that he had almost forgotten the feeling of laughing until his sides hurt.
He whined as he tried to hide his face by burrowing it into his shoulder. Sheiße, this was the most flustering experience of his life.
“Aw, Caleb!” Jester said, “Don't hide your smile!” In an instant she brought her fingers to his neck, skittering everywhere they could reach as he desperately tried to block out the cruel touch by scrunching his shoulders.
“Jehehehess! Nohohohohohoho!”
“Are you embarrassed or something?” Jester asked as she finally allowed him a moment to breathe.
“‘Course he is,” Beau spoke up, “anyone would be.”
“There’s really no need to be embarrassed by tickling! I mean, I absolutely love it, and I’m not embarrassed!”
“Yeah, but you’re Jester, I don’t think you can even feel embarrassed.”
“Hey!” She pouted, “I just think you shouldn’t be embarrassed by things that make you happy.”
“She’s right,” Yasha chimed in, still holding Caleb’s wrist down tight. “If something makes you happy, why be ashamed?”
“Oh, it’s not shame,” Caduces chuckled from his spot by Caleb’s feet, giving them a quick scribble and earning himself a squeal. From all his observations, there was a fine line between being flustered and being ashamed, and the lingering smile on Caleb’s face along with the lighter lilt in his voice after being completely taken apart was proof of which side he stood. “He’s just shy.”
“Oh, we all know teasing makes it tickle so much more. And, if memory serves me right, you haven’t asked us to stop teasing.”
At that point Caleb’s laugh was reduced to snickering as he scrunched his face, resisting the urge to kick. Not that he would have been able to.
“Now, I’m not sure if I can pick a favorite moment,” Caduces continued, “it’s great making any one of you laugh. Especially when you really need it.”
“Boo,” Jester heckled from the side, “boring answer.”
“Hey,” He affectionately scolded, “you're going to be next if you keep that up.”
Jester giggled from her spot. “Maybe some other time. We can’t let Caleb think he’s getting out of this any time soon.”
Caleb gave a pitiful noise as he realized the attention was back on him. At least he had gotten a moment to recover from the relentless onslaught, however short lived it was.
“It’s not exactly the same,” Yasha spoke up again, “but it’s fun to tease you while you're polymorphed.”
“Oh yeah!” Jester exclaimed. “Like when he’s a spider and you give him scritches. That’s probably really tickly!”
It wasn’t quite the same as when he was in human form, but the moments when he would transform into some sort of animal was always a relief, a way for his mind to slow down and not have to worry. Tickling felt a bit different when he was transformed, but it still was a pleasant feeling, and even better that he wasn’t nearly as embarrassed about it. Something about being polymorphed helped with that, like he couldn’t even comprehend the concept of embarrassment.
“Have you ever tried giving him scritches as a human?” Jester asked.
“Hm, no actually.” A smile slowly crept on her face. “I could try though.”
“W-wait, what do you mean?” Caleb stammered, already bracing himself for whatever might come next.
As gentle as possible, moved his hands so they were raised above his head. She was able to easily grasp his wrists in a single hand as she brought the other down to his underarm, softly scratching the vulnerable pit.
“Whahahahait wait wait- nohohoho!” Caleb’s laughter returned, squirming helplessly as tears started to line his eyes.
“Looks like he enjoys scritches in human form, too,” she smiled warmly.
“Ihihihi don’t- nahahahahaha!” He was cut off as Yasha suddenly dug her fingers into his armpit, thoroughly kneading into the hollow.
As his laughter turned more into wheezing rather than breathing, she lightened up the touch to help keep him from tapping out too soon, now fluttering her fingers barely against the skin. Boyish, child-like giggles followed.
“Oh, yes,” she chuckled as she shifted his arm to the side while she knelt down. “If you're not careful I might just-“ suddenly her face was near his own, making playful ‘nom’ noises, lightly nibbling near his shoulders and neck.
“Yahahahhahahasha! Nohohohohoho!” He scrunched up his shoulders to block out the maddening, fluttering sensation. He was practically melting at the playful affection, unable to suppress the wide grin on his face while his whole body shook with laughter, halfheartedly tugging his arms to no avail.
Fortunately, everyone’s attention was focused entirely on Caleb, otherwise someone might have noticed Beau’s face turning nearly as red as his while she watched Yasha playfully nibble at him.
Yasha couldn’t help but laugh softly along as she carried on with the game. She amped up the playfulness, giving a growl before suddenly bombarding his neck with a raspberry.
“YAHAHAHASHA! NOHOHOHOHOHO!” His shoulders tried to raise to keep her out, but each time she managed to slip past and deliver devastating blow after blow.
He snorted loudly as he tried to manage his breathing. Yasha decided to switch back to gently fluttering against his underarms, giving a short rest so he could keep up. He did nothing to fight against it, simply relaxing into the ground and letting himself giggle freely, feeling like his whole body was made of jelly.
“Oh, I can’t take it anymore!” Jester pouted, her fingers twitching as she stared at him. “Caleb, can the rest of us tickle you yet? I’m starting to feel left out.”
“Nahahahahaha! Jehehehester, plehehehease!” He begged.
“Did you hear that, Jess?” Fjord interrupted, finding the perfect opportunity to go all in. “He said ‘please’. I think that means we’re good to go.”
“Thahahahat is not what I me-HEHEHEHENT!” Too late. His body jerked as every available hand attacked. They wasted no time torturing every spot they could reach. His ribs were being relentlessly scribbled, belly kneaded, hips and knees squeezed, neck and feet teased, underarms spidered, everywhere that was touched lit his nerves up like fireworks. No matter which way his body shifted, it was met with another pair of grabbing hands that bombarded every ticklish spot he had.
“You still haven’t asked us to stop yet, giggles.” Beau teased, trying to not get distracted by looking over at Yasha working hard at her designated tickling spot.
“AHAHAHAHA BREAK! PLEHEHEHEASE!”
A break. Just a break though.
Everyone stopped in their tracks. It was truly a testament to their bond that they all knew the exact moments to let up and the moments to strike. A maddening, playful game that somehow never went too far.
“You-“ he gasped between breaths, “are all evil!”
“And you are way too ticklish to be human,” Beau scoffed. “Seriously, it’s a miracle you haven’t been tickled to death by now.”
“Yohohohou are a jeheheherk!”
“Careful,” she warned, “I can stop being so nice.”
Caleb squealed just looking at the threatening, mischievous expression on her face. “Ohohokay! I’m sorry!”
It was hard not to be amused, seeing the state their wizard was in, and soon the rest of the group was laughing along.
“I don’t think we’ve ever gotten you this bad before,” Veth snorted. “And you’re still standing?”
“Well, not literally standing,” Caduces hummed, “but I get what you mean. How do we top this?”
The group had to think for a moment, even Caleb himself pondered what more they could possibly do to him.
That was a mistake.
His floating pictures could create any scenario he dreamed up of, and in this state of bliss he didn’t have much control over what he thought about. It wasn’t his fault that his eyes wandered to Caduces, looking at the fur that covered every inch of him. His fingers, that had so delicately teased between his toes, and the fur that grew on his face, similar to Fjord’s short, stubbly beard. That’s when his mind created a new scenario.
Fjord had used that beard to tickle him before, the small hairs the perfect weapon to accompany a raspberry. He couldn’t help but picture what a raspberry from Caduces would feel like.
And that scene he imagined was the very one that manifested itself, floating right above Caleb’s head like a thought bubble.
The glow drew back everyone’s attention, and as they all stared him down he noticed the glow that shined down on him. He slowly turned his head up.
Oh. Oh nein.
In his shock he couldn’t even bring himself to try and hide his face from embarrassment. He just burned bright red as everyone realized what happened.
“Caleb,” Caduces said calmly, trying not to laugh at the expression on his face. “You could have just asked.
Beau didn’t hold back her laughter, though. “There’s no way!”
The noise Caleb made was somewhere between a cry and a groan. If he was only flustered before, he was full on embarrassed now. His expression was different, she realized.
The pictures of the memories of being tickled were all common knowledge, but the image right there was different. It wasn’t a memory, it was a scenario that hadn’t happened. A thought, maybe an invasion of privacy.
“Hey, man,” she reassured him. “I’m not laughing at you, really. I’m sorry.” She got up and off of him, sitting off to the side.
Everyone took a moment to gauge his reaction, reevaluating if he was still having fun or if they should end it. Yasha even loosened her grip to see if he wanted to get away. He chose to stay put, and the image above him slowly started to fade.
“Caleb,” Jester pouted. “It’s okay. I’ve wondered if Caduceus’s fur is tickly, too.”
“I just-“ he wasn’t sure how to describe what he was feeling right now. “I am not used to, you know, asking for things. Especially things like- this. And it’s a bit humiliating to have your thoughts on display for everyone to see.”
“Ah, I see.” Caduces sighed. Not having control over vulnerable information like that, it made sense for Caleb to be uncomfortable.
Veth put a hand on his shoulder. “We don’t have to do anything else. But if it makes you feel any better, I like making you laugh. You don’t have to feel weird about that, or for asking for any of this.”
“Sorry, Caleb,” Jester said, sounding like she was on the verge of tears. “We didn’t mean to look at it.”
His expression lightened a bit. He could never stay in a bad mood for long around his friends.
“It is not your fault,” he reassured her. “Magic is a tricky thing sometimes, ja?”
She sniffled a bit, nodding.
“Well,” Caduces leaned back, “It’s completely understandable. Your thoughts are your own, no one else has the right to creep in and look at them. Having said that, if we can’t read your mind, you're going to have to use your words from here on out.”
Uh oh.
“So,” he continued. “Do you still want me to try it out?”
The flush quickly returned to Caleb’s face, more so how it was before though, back to being bashful.
“I- I wouldn’t mind. I mean, I would…”
This time Caduces couldn’t help but laugh, “alright, baby steps, but I’ll accept that answer.”
The mischievous energy from earlier filled the dome again. Caduces shifted himself over, creeping ever so closer to Caleb’s side.
“But next time you’re going to have to ask for it outright.”
“I- What?” He was back to his old, flustered self. That was a good sign.
“Oh my gosh!” Jester exclaimed. “Have you ever tried giving anyone a raspberry before?”
“Hmm, not in a very, very long time.”
Living with so many siblings, he had gotten himself in a tickle fight or two. Raspberries were inevitable.
“But from what I remember, it’s quite the effective tool.”
Jester turned her head to Caleb with a look of true evil on her face. “Oh Caleb,” she sang sweetly. She suddenly pulled his shirt up, tucking it away so that his soft tummy was exposed to the air, all the while Caduces creeped over to his side.
“C-cahahahad!” He pleaded, the anticipation filling his body all over again, “Yohohohour fur!”
“Oh, you think the fur will make it tickle more?” He grinned, “Well, only one way to find out.”
“Nehehehehehehehein! Bihhihihittie! Chahahahahad!” He practically begged. Caduces only chuckled as he knelt down.
Yasha grinned at him and made sure to keep his hands above his head and out of the way.
“He’s fucking in for it now!” Beau laughed.
“Oh yeah,” Fjord added, “if you thought my beard was bad, just you wait.”
His eyes were glued to Caduses, nervously monitoring his every move. Every motion seemed to cause him to flinch, the butterflies in his tummy fluttering all the more. “Nehehin, bitte, yohohohou will kihill mehehe!”
“Well,” Caduces snorted, "It's a good thing I’m a cleric.”
Frantic, Caleb tugged his arms still in Yasha’s grasp, desperate for something to cover his vulnerable belly.
“I can’t believe you’ve never tried this before!” Jester said as she scanned up and down his torso. “Raspberries always make him squeal!”
Caleb wasn’t sure how much more of this teasing he could take. That on top of the anticipation, waiting for the inevitable, was almost worse than the tickling itself.
“Juhuhuhuhuhuhuhust dohoho it already!” He said with as much gusto as he could build up.
His wish was granted. Caduces inhaled as big a breath as he could, then lowered his head and gave the loudest raspberry right above his navel. As the sound rang out, Caleb felt the vibrations tickle every nerve on his belly, all while the soft fur gently nuzzled into the point of contact.
Caleb’s head tossed back and screeched, thrashing and bucking his hips in an attempt to deter Caduces, but only successfully bringing his belly closer to the tormentor.
“CAHAHAHAHAD! SHIHIHIHIHISSE! NIHIHICH DA!
“So,” Caduces grinned as he let up, “does it tickle more than Fjords’s beard?”
“Neheheheien! D-dhohohohont!”
“It doesn’t? It sounded like it tickled way more.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Fjord piped up. “Not without a fair comparison, that is.”
With that as his only warning, he positioned himself closer to Caleb, gesturing for Cad to make some room for him.
Caduces chuckled as stopped himself from leaning over Caleb, giving him plenty of space to work his own attack.
“W-wait! No- no please, not both of you!” Caleb wheezed between his fits of residual laughter, still reeling from the last attack on his senses.”
“Aren’t you wizards all about fair experiments?” asked Fjord. “It’s only fair to give you a chance to compare the two directly.”
“Fjord! Plehehease- AH!” All Fjord had done was lean closer. He was in a state that any movement sent his nerves into high gear.
He laughed at the hysterical response. “You really are the most ticklish person alive. We don’t even have to do anything and you're giggling up a storm.”
“Nohohohohoho fair! Thahahahahat is nohohohot fair at all!”
Much too late for that, Fjord delivered a devastating attack on his belly, blowing a loud raspberry near his ribs. The hair was much more coarse than Caduces, not nearly as fluffy, but the scratchy texture still added to the unbearable sensation.
“Well, which one tickles more?” Fjord asked.
“Bohohohoth were bahahad!”
“Both?” He teasingly replied. “Well that can’t be right. Here, we’ll try again and you can decide after.”
He smirked at Caduceus before once again leaning his head down to blow a raspberry, this one closer to the middle of the tummy.
Caleb’s squeal of laughter nearly went silent. “F-fjord, bitte! Cad, plehehehEHEHESE!”
Cad was quick to follow up, and Caleb felt a second, horribly ticklish raspberry on his ribs. It was enough to make him scream.
Only for Fjord to follow up with more and more short, quick little ticklish blows going up his stomach.
Back and forth, one after the other, there was no sign of stopping, even when his weak laughter grew silent. He would have to pick one, or the torment might never end. Did he want it to end?
It wasn’t a matter of what he wanted, it was a matter of how much his hypersensitive, extremely ticklish torso could take, and as he gasped between fits of laughter he realized his exhaustion from the day was catching up with him.
“OHOHOHOKAY! PLEHEHEHEASE STAHAHAHAP!”
There was the magic word they had been looking for. The instant they heard it, all hands on him stopped, allowing him to shakily catch his breath again. Yasha unhanded his wrists, allowing him to finally pull his arms down to hug his sides.
“Well,” Caduces said nonchalantly, “I guess mine tickled more.”
“What?” Fjord said incredulously, “Clearly the beard was worse.”
Caleb just curled up into a ball, giggling far too much to respond. His mind was fuzzy, like static was buzzing in his head. It was wonderful.
“Maybe next time we can get him to admit which one is worse.” Caduces smiled, patting him on the shoulder to comfort him as he took deep, greedy breaths.
“Shit,” Beau laughed, staring at the heap of wizard that laid on the ground, “I think that’s the worst he’s ever been got. You’re completely wrecked, man.”
There was no response, only a snort when he tried to inhale again.
“Breath, Caleb, breath,” Veth said softly, amusement accompanied by some level of concern. She rubbed his shoulder, hoping to relieve any phantom tickles that might be plaguing his body.
His laughter calmed, and he blissfully stared up at the ceiling of the dome, smiling at all the passing images. He looked like he could pass out at any moment.
“Well, I think we should call it a night,” Caduces decided, knowing fully well that anyone would be exhausted after that.
He laid down in the center of the dome, just about a foot from Caleb, inviting anyone that wanted to join with open arms.
Jester tried to protest, but the day was clearly catching up to all of them as she yawned. She gave up pretty quickly after that.
Caleb didn’t speak, just tried and failed to scoot his body closer to the source of warmth. Caduces chuckled when he realized he was too tired to even move, so he scooted himself over, wrapping one arm around him so his head would rest on his shoulder.
Caleb happily melted into the touch, reaching an arm himself to hold Veth close to his other side. She didn’t argue, crashing into him in a slump, sighing as she relaxed into his hold.
Even though she claimed to not be sleepy, Jester joined Caduces at his other side, tugging Fjord towards her as she laid down. He laughed as he fell into her open arms.
Beau looked towards Yasha.
“Do you want me to take the first watch?”
“Hm,” she hesitated, tempted by the cuddle pile in front of her. “I don’t mind taking the watch if you're tired.”
“No need,” the sudden voice of Vilya whispered. She was right outside the dome before making her appearance known as she stepped through. “The perimeter is clear. I’d be happy to take the first watch.”
She looked to the rest of the group, nearly already passed out. “It appears you’re all more exhausted than I thought.”
It was then that everyone (especially Caleb) was incredibly grateful that the dome was so good at muffling sound. They held back their amusement as they thanked her.
Vilya took her seat a few feet away, smiling at the images that still floated by. Yasha was quick to join the cuddle pile, finding a spot to nestle near by Veth. Beau tried to hide her blush as she joined her, hopefully not giving anything away as she laid next to her.
Caleb sighed contently, his steady breaths falling in sync with his friends. The last thought that went through his head before falling away into slumber was that he would have to ask them to do this more often.
A/n: I slightly projected but only because I relate with Yuki WAY too much. (We’re both INTPs idk if that explains it)
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Aye this is a tickle fic, scroll if you don wan.
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Yuki swore he would get better at this.
Get better at joining in. Asking for attention. Anything!
So why he sitting on the couch watching the other members tickle each other. Well, like he usually does. But also he wants to join in like he usually does.
Of course he voice this to Yu, and now Geon. So why is it still hard for him to join in?
Well, it’s kind of rooted in him. He came from a home where that wasn’t normal. He loved his family, and he didn’t mind his family dynamic, but because of that, the way the rest of his group is affectionate is such a culture shock.
The most affection he’s gotten was a hug or a playful shove from his siblings. He didn’t mind it since it was the norm in his house.
It most OBVIOUSLY isn’t the norm in the dorm.
“AAAAH IM SORRY IM SORRY-!” The shouting snapped him out of his thoughts.
Ah, So Geon. At the center of it all as usual. And the other usual suspect, Yu.
Christ those two are inseparable aren’t they? Yuki has noticed that. A lot.
He rooms with the two, so he’s a first hand witness to it all. They’re like attached to the hip, always messing around, always touching, always joking. They even share a bed.
Yuki thought it was all weird. Crazy. But…he couldn’t help but want the same.
He watched Tomoya try and help Geon from Yu’s grasp, but he ended up getting caught in the cross fire.
He didn’t want to look like he was ogling but the way Yu’s fingers dug into Moya’s sides was mesmerising.
Obviously, judging by Tomoya’s cackling, it seemed to tickle a lot. Yuki shook his head and got up from the couch. If he couldn’t bring himself to join in, he wasn’t gonna torture himself by watching either.
He dipped into his room, which would be normal if everyone wasn’t in the living room. It’s a silent rule for everyone to be out their room if most of the members are out.
So Geon finally ducked out of Yu’s grip while he was focused on Tomoya. He noticed Yuki’s empty spot on the couch. He sighed.
He had planned to somehow pull Yuki into the commotion. He saw how the younger looked him and the others getting rowdy. He knew even though he had spoken with him Yuki would still need a small push.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Soon enough, everyone disperse to their rooms. Before Yu went into his room, Geon stopped him.
“Yu! Wait. Don’t go in yet.”
Yu’s hand froze around the door knob. He looked at Geoni, “Why? Is Yuki sleeping?”
Geon sighed, looking a bit conflicted, “It’s just- Look. He talked to us both about how he felt about affection and teasing, right?”
Yu nodded, “Yeah, why?”
“I just…I don’t think it’s getting any better. He makes it seem like he doesn’t want to join so we don’t worry, but I can see it in his eyes.”
Yu sighed, “Come on. Let’s go talk to him.”
Geon nodded, he knew what they had to do.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Yuki was on his bed, back facing the door, scrolling through instagram. He kept on seeing clip after clip of Yu and Geon messing around. Or Yu and Haru. Haru and Geon. Hyui and Tomoya. Tomoya and Haru. Seita and Hyui. The list goes on.
He knew why clips of him and the other members were so scarce, but he didn’t like it.
Suddenly, heard the door open.
He slightly turned, trying to see who was entering.
“Ah, hey Geonii, hey Yu-hyung.” He casually threw before turning back to face his phone. His voice sounded tired.
Geon and Yu looked at each other in worry. Yu stepped forward first. He knew he had to address this first.
“Yuki…can we talk? The three of us?”
Yuki turned around to face them completely, a bit thrown off guard by Yu’s unusual seriousness. He sat up against his head board, “Yeah? What’s up?”
Geon noticed Yuki’s startled look. He didn’t want the younger to panic, so he sat on the other side of the bed opposite of Yuki, making the atmosphere seem less serious.
Yu followed suit, sitting next to Geon and faced Yuki.
Geon opened his mouth, “We noticed you’re still a bit hesitant to join in whenever the group messes around.”
Yuki’s face slightly reddened once he realised what the conversation was about, “Oh…”
Yu interjected, “Don’t feel bad! I also apologise. I said I would come to you more. I’m sorry if you still feel pressured to initiate the affection.”
Yuki shook his head, “No! Seriously! It’s fine. I’m just still not used to it. I really do want to join, I just can’t move myself to do it.”
Geon smiled, “That’s why we’re here! If the group is ever having one of those moments, find us and we’ll help.”
Yu nodded, agreeing with the other, “Don’t ever feel awkward, okay?”
Yuki smiled, “Thanks guys…”
Geon quickly jumping in for a hug, slightly tackling Yuki.
Yu joined in on the other side, squeezing the younger in his arms.
A small whine escaped the younger’s lips, “You guys are heavy..!”
Boom. An opportunity.
Yu locked eyes with Geon and they both seemed to know what to do.
Geon gasped, “We’re heavy? Wow. Yu, I believe some punishment is in order, yeah?”
Yu nodded, “Yeah, I agree…”
Yuki looked up to the heavens. “God…thank you…”
Finally. FINALLY. Would he be getting what he wanted.
He was pulled straight out of his thoughts when Yu hoisted him over his shoulder and plopped him on Geon and Yu’s shared bed.
“W-wait! Guys-!” Yuki stammered.
Yu cut him off, “Don’t even try it. I know you like it and this is what you wanted anyways.”
Geoni jumped in too, “Yeah he likes it right!? He always acts like he doesn’t…”
Yuki’s face flushed red. No he didn’t! Actually no he totally does— but he didn’t need to be called out like that!
“Where should we start first?” Yu asked, as if he was assessing his choices.
“Hey! Stop acting like I’m not here!” Yuki squirmed in their grasp.
The two ignored him and continued to plot infront of him, “I don’t know, his sides look pretty ticklish…” Geon grabbed his chin with his index and his thumb.
“Yeah…but look at that tummy! It looks like it would bring out some cute giggles…” Yu trailed off.
Yuki’s face burned with embarrassment. How long until they ACTUALLY do it?
“Guys…” Yuki whined. The two turned to look at him.
“Hm? Whats wrong?” Geon feigned innocence. Yuki sighed and covered his face.
“Just do it…” He mumbled.
Yu contemplated dragging out but honestly he wanted to get to it too, “Awww! Our Yuki is finally asking!”
Geon shifted closer, “Hmm…Since I want his sides, and you want his tummy, we can double team!”
“Wait what??” As much as Yuki was excited, the sound of that filled his stomach with fear. Yu AND Geon? It’s over.
Yu quickly straddled Yuki’s hips while Geon took Yuki’s arms and sat on them. Great, he has nowhere to go.
“Just start already!” Yuki whined, slightly squirming in their hold.
Oh they wasted no time.
Yuki barely had time to brace himself before Yu’s hands dove straight for his tummy, fingers scribbling wildly across the soft fabric of his shirt.
“WAHAIT- Yu- Yu- Nohot thehere!” Yuki squealed, trying to twist away, but Geon’s weight on his arms kept him pinned perfectly.
“Aww, listen to those giggles already,” Geon cooed. He slipped a hand down, poking at Yuki’s sides softly before pinching at his ribs.
Yuki thrashed harder, his legs kicking uselessly against the mattress as Yu switched from scribbling to squeezing the sides of his belly in rhythmic kneads. Each press sent fresh waves of ticklish electricity shooting through him.
“NOHOHOHO-! Yu-! YU-HYUNG- GEONI- PLEASE!” Yuki’s voice cracked into bright, helpless laughter, his face burning hotter than before. He couldn’t even hide behind his hands this time, Geon had that covered.
Yu laughed along with him, low and fond, never slowing down. “Weren’t you the one asking us to ‘Just do it?’”
He leaned forward, spidering his fingers up under Yuki’s shirt to attack bare skin. The direct contact made Yuki arch off the bed with a squeak that melted into full cackles.
“NOHOHOHO-! PLEHEASE!”
“Sides are mine, right?” he reminded Yu cheerfully, and without warning, he started raking his nails up and down Yuki’s left side in long, torturous strokes.
Not only did burst of sensations swarm his sides, but they traveled up his spine and all throughout his body. Goosebumps popped up all over Yuki’s skin.
The two older boys exchanged another look over their victim’s shaking body.
“His laugh is even cuter than I thought,” Yu said, voice full of fake surprise as he focused on the sensitive spot right above Yuki’s hips, digging in with all ten fingers. “He sounds so free!”
Geon nodded, grinning brightly. “Told you. He’s been holding out on us.” He leaned down closer to Yuki’s flushed face, whispering right by his ear while his fingers kept up their relentless attack. “This is what you wanted right? Getting all the attention you wanted from your hyungs?”
Yuki shook his head wildly even as more giggles poured out of him. “Nononono- PLEHEASE! I- I CAHANT-!” But the way his body kept leaning into their touches, the way he wasn’t really fighting to get away, said everything.
Yu’s fingers slowed just enough for Yuki to catch a shaky breath, only to switch to gentle, fluttering traces around his navel that somehow felt even worse. “Liar. You’ve been staring at us doing this to everyone else for weeks.”
Geon’s hands moved up to Yuki’s underarms, lightly scratching there and drawing out a brand new squeal. “Yeah, and now you finally get your turn. How’s it feel, Yuki-yah?”
The happy giggles were enough of an answer for the two. They were finding every single spot. Everytime they moved it was a complete bullseye. It was really too much for Yuki. But he really did love it so much. It really was all he wanted.
Yu’s fingers slowed just enough for Yuki to catch a shaky breath. “You know what this tummy deserves?” Without another word, Yu dipped his head down and blew a huge raspberry right in the center of Yuki’s stomach.
Yuki let out a high-pitched shriek that dissolved into the cutest cackles, his whole body convulsing under them. “NAHAHAHA! NOHOHO! Yu-hyung! Please!”
Geon’s eyes lit up at the sound. “That looks fun! Lemme join!” He quickly shifted higher, still keeping Yuki’s arms pinned, and leaned in right beside Yu.
Before Yuki could even PROCESS what was happening, both of them pressed their lips to his tummy at the same time. Yu on the upper part near his ribs, Geon lower down near his navel. They both blew long, vibrating raspberries in PERFECT sync.
“AAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA! GEHEHEON! YU-HYUHUHUNG-! STOHOHOHOP!!” Yuki’s laughter exploded into something louder, more desperate, and completely breathless.
The dual sensations were overwhelming. He bucked and twisted frantically, but with both of them straddling and pinning him, there was nowhere to go. Tears of mirth streamed down his flushed cheeks as squeaky, hiccupy giggles poured out nonstop.
They didn’t let up right away. Yu lifted his head just long enough to tease, “You hear that? That’s the sound of pure joy,” before diving back in for another raspberry, this time moving around. Geon followed suit, adding playful nibbles between the raspberries that made Yuki’s voice crack into even higher-pitched squeals.
“PLEHEHEHEASE! I cahahan’t breheheathe! Too muhuhuch!” Yuki wailed, his legs kicking wildly behind them, one foot thumping uselessly against the mattress. His mind was a happy, overwhelmed haze. Finally, FINALLY getting the attention he’d craved, even if it was pure torture.
After what felt like an eternity of the double raspberry attack, they finally pulled back, both of them chuckling warmly at the mess they’d made of him.
Yuki lay there panting hard, chest heaving, face bright red and damp with tears, but that wide, goofy smile refused to leave his lips. His body still twitched with leftover giggles every few seconds.
“Mehehercy! Plehehease-!” he gasped out, voice hoarse but full of something lighter, freer.
Geon finally lifted his hands, patting Yuki’s side gently. Yu did the same, though he left one hand resting on Yuki’s stomach, thumb rubbing soothing circles over the still-twitching skin. Geon got off Yuki’s arms, allowing him to finally cover his sides.
“Alright, alright,” Yu chuckled, still straddling him. “You did good, Yuki. Took it like a champ. That laugh though… we’re definitely doing this again.”
Yuki didn’t even try to move at first. He just lay there catching his breath, the tight knot of hesitation that had lived in his chest for so long finally loosening even more.
For the first time, he felt like he could actually ask for this without overthinking.
Geon flopped down beside him on the bed, pulling Yuki into a loose, warm hug and pressing a gentle kiss to his messy hair. “See? No need to hold back anymore. We’ve got you. Anytime.”
Yu joined on the other side, wrapping both of them up in his stronger arms, effectively sandwiching Yuki between the two.
The shared bed creaked a little under their combined weight, but none of them cared. Yu’s hand continued those soft, comforting rubs on Yuki’s tummy, easing the last of the tingles away.
Yuki buried his still-burning face against Geon’s shoulder, mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like “…maybe later,” his voice muffled and shy but undeniably happy.
The other two just laughed softly, holding him tighter. Geon ruffled his hair fondly while Yu squeezed them both. “Whenever you want, Yuki-yah. We’re not going anywhere.”
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Soon enough, it was the next day. Luckily, it was a clear schedule for all of them, so that meant hanging out.
Everyone was in the living room. Except Yuki. Again. Yo I swear we JUST dealt with this.
Yu, noticing Yuki’s absence, quickly got up and went to their room. He burst through the door and made his way to Yuki’s bed.
Yuki barely had enough time to turn around before he was lifted and thrown over Yu’s shoulder, “W-wait! What did I do?”
Yu didn’t even respond before he walked back out the room into the living room where the rest of the members were, “Guys look! I found a new doll!”
He softly plopped Yuki on the middle of the carpet, “Tickle Me Yuki!”
Yuki squirmed, “No! No! What are you doing!?”
Yu whispered in his ear, “I’m just helping you get attention from everyone!” He giggled before turning back to the others, “Guys! Guys! Let’s try it out!”
Soon enough the other members crowded around Yuki, playful faces surrounding him.
Dude. Yuki was cooked.
Did he mind though?
Nope!
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End!!
Dude writers block is kicking my ass so I forced myself to write this so I can get back into the groove lol✌️
The air in the common room was thick with tension. And not the good kind of tension, where adrenaline buzzes under your skin, where you feel ready and charged up. No, this tension was different.
Chan, the leader, the unshakable pillar of their strange little alien family, was currently flat on his back on a wide, padded mat. His wrists and ankles were secured by magnetic cuffs that hummed faintly, pinning him spread-eagle and utterly helpless. Noticeably the same spot where Jeongin had his checkup weeks ago.
Traitors, he thought miserably. I built those cuffs.
His face was the color of a ripe strawberry, the blush crawling down his neck and disappearing beneath the collar of his loose t-shirt.
"You said it yourself, hyung," Jeongin said, settling his weight more firmly across Chan's hips. He was straddling him like it was the most natural thing in the galaxy, his knees bracketing Chan's ribs, his hands hovering in the air just above Chan's heaving chest. "Minho hyung's...torment triggered my powers. Maybe yours are just slow."
"Jeongin, that's nohot how it works." Chan gasped, already breathless and Jeongin hadn't even touched him yet. The anticipation was killing him. His whole body was taut as a wire, every nerve ending screaming, and he could feel the laughter already building in his throat like a trapped animal.
"Aww, look at him," Jisung cooed from somewhere to Chan's left, sprawled across a beanbag with his vines curling lazily against his fingers. His grin was enormous, gummy, and absolutely menacing. "He's already red and Innie hasn't even started."
"His ears are practically florescent," Hyunjin added from a plush armchair, long legs crossed elegantly, chin propped on his hand like he was watching the season finale of his favorite drama. His eyes were bright with barely contained glee. "This is going to be good."
“You’re a traitor, Seungmin.” Chan snarled. It had in fact, been the two maknaes ganging up on him to get him pinned to the table. The eldest would be lying if he were to say he wasn't just a little curious, though.
Jeongin tilted his head, all wide-eyed innocence. "But hyung, if your powers manifest, we need witnesses. For science."
"For science." Jisung repeated, deadpan, and then dissolved into snickers.
Chan had told himself it was fine. He'd told himself it was a logical experiment. He'd told himself he was the leader, the oldest, the one who had held this ragtag family together through asteroid fields and bounty hunters and at least three near-death experiences involving malfunctioning airlocks.
He could handle his baby brother wiggling his fingers.
But Jeongin lowered his hands.
At first, it was just the pads of his fingers—featherlight touches skating up the sides of Chan’s torso, tracing the valleys between each rib with excruciating slowness. Chan’s breath hitched. His stomach muscles fluttered involuntarily. He bit his lip, hard, determined to maintain some shred of dignity.
Jeongin's fingers landed on the lower slopes of Chan’s ribs, just above the waistband of his pants, and scribbled—short, quick, scratching motions that bounced from rib to rib. Chan jerked violently, a startled yelp punching out of him before he could stop it.
“NAHAHAHAHA—JEONGIN!!”
“Oh.” Jeongin said, delighted, “That’s a good sound.”
He didn’t let up. His fingers danced upward, tracing the ridges of Chan’s ribcage with merciless accuracy, dipping into the soft spaces between each bone.
Chan bucked beneath him, but the magnetic cuffs held firm, locking his wrists above his head and his ankles spread wide. All he could do was twist and writhe and laugh—loud, helpless, breathless laughter that filled the room and made Hyunjin clap his hands together in glee.
"Oh my god, he's dying." Minho laughed. "Look at his face!"
Chan’s face was, indeed, a masterpiece of embarrassment. His eyes were squeezed shut, tears already beading at the corners.
His mouth was stretched wide in a helpless grin, cheeks flaming, ears practically glowing red. He was squeaking—full-on, high-pitched, undignified squeaks between cackles, the kind of sound he’d never live down.
Changbin wheezed from the floor. “I’ve never seen him like this.”
“No one has.” Jisung agreed, clutching his pillow like a lifeline. “This is historic.”
Minho tilted his head, cat eyes gleaming. “His worst spot is the sides of his chest, by the way. Just under the armpits. If you want to be thorough.”
Jeongin's face lit up like a Christmas tree, looking away from his red faced, squirming victim towards his hyung. "Remind me to give you one of those weird cat hybrid treats later."
Minho beamed.
"NOHOHOHOHO DOHOHOHON'T—" Chan thrashed, really thrashed now, his whole body twisting in the cuffs. The magnetic bonds held him fast, but his torso was free, and he used every inch of that freedom to squirm and buck and try to dislodge the absolute menace sitting on his hips. "Jeongin, please, not there, not thehehehere—"
"The armpits, huh?" Jeongin repeated, and his fingers dug in deeper, nails now, light scratches that made Chan's nerves light up like a constellation. "You said that was your worst spot, right? A few months ago? During truth or dare? I can't believe I haven't exploited it before."
"Jeongin," Chan said, his voice still raw and breathless, a thin thread of warning wrapped in leftover giggles. "Jeongin, don't. Don't you dare—"
But Jeongin was already moving.
Not slow. Not dramatic. Just casual. Infuriatingly casual.
He let his right hand drift up from Chan's stomach, dragging his fingertips lightly over the hem of his shirt, over the tense ridges of his abs, up toward his chest. His eyes never left Chan's face.
And that was the worst part. The eye contact. The smug, knowing little quirk of his lips. The way he watched Chan's expression crumple in real time.
Chan's breath hitched. His whole body tensed.
"No—" Chan whispered, already squirming, already trying to twist away even though the cuffs held him fast. "No, no, no, no, no—"
Jeongin paused, his hand hovering over the spot. Chan tenses so hard his abs ached.
And then the demon of a maknae pounces, raking his nails over the soft hollow, watching Chan absolutely howl and thrash like crazy.
He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. He could only laugh, loud and helpless and absolutely shameless, thrashing against the cuffs like a fish on a line, while the youngest reduced him to a puddle of helpless, squealing, blushing mess.
"THAHAHAHAHAT'S NOHOHOHOHOT FAHAHAHAHAIR—"
“Aww, hyung,” Jeongin cooed, digging his thumbs into the soft flesh and circling. Chan screamed with laughter, thrashing so hard the entire examination table rattled. The cuffs held fast. “You’re so sensitive. This has to be it. The power’s in there somewhere, just dying to get out.”
"I DONT FEEHEHEHEEL AHAHANYTHING EXCEHEHEPT DEHEHEHEATH!!"
"You're so dramatic." Jeongin laughed. As if Chan thrashing around on a table screaming under him was a daily occurence. "What if I add more hands?"
Chan gasped at that. "NOHO WAHAHAY!! YOUR POWERS AHAHARENT STROHOHONG ENOUGH FOHOR THAT!!"
Jeongin shrugged.
It started as a faint pressure against his stomach, like someone pressing a palm flat against his trembling abs. Then another pressure against his neck. Then his hips. Then the insides of his wrists—spots he didn’t even know were ticklish until that exact moment.
“What—” Chan gasped, but he didn’t get to finish.
The invisible touches moved.
They weren’t hands exactly—Jeongin had described them before as “blobs of sensation,” and that was disturbingly accurate.
They were warm, semi-solid masses that could shape themselves to any surface, and right now, they were shaping themselves into claws. Thin, pointed, nail-like protrusions that scritched and scratched and dragged across every inch of Chan’s exposed skin.
Chan absolutely shrieked. Jeongin’s real hands never stopped their own assault, now targeting Chan’s stomach with a relentless, squirming wiggle.
The invisible hands were the stars of the show, though. They were unpredictable. They moved in patterns no human hands could mimic, attacking from impossible angles, skittering up his sides one moment and then diving back into the hollow of his armpits the next.
Chan tried his hardest to form a coherent sentence. To order Jeongin to stop. Instead, what came out was: "FUHUHUHHUUHUCK—!!"
Jeongin tsked. "Language, hyung. Feel anything? Any powers trying to escape?"
Chan wailed. "NOHOHOHO!!"
Jeongin hummed and let up, poking his tongue in his cheek as Chan panted, gasping for air that never seemed to be enough. "I guess we've gotta try something else then."
Chan's stomach was tingling from Jeongin's swirling fingers, his neck and ears were melting from the invisible touches, and his whole body felt like it was floating in warm, ticklish honey.
"There he is," Jeongin murmured, and there was something reverent in his voice. "There's my hyung."
Jeongin's been tracing for ten minutes and Chan thinks his brain is gonna melt out of his ears.
Chan's giggles turned into full, bubbly laughter—not the desperate cackling from before, but something lighter, brighter, almost musical. His head fell back against the cot, baring his throat to the invisible blobs that were still tracing lazy patterns along his neck.
His eyes were squeezed shut, but tears were leaking from the corners anyway—not from distress, but from sheer, overwhelming sensation.
"Tickle tickle tickle, hyungie~" Jeongin sang under his breath, his fingers wiggling up and down Chan's sides in a steady, hypnotic rhythm.
Chan shook his head weakly, still laughing. "Nohohohoho!!"
"You like that, hyung? You like the tickles?"
Chan's brain was static. "Yehehehehehes!!"
The word came out before he could stop it. The room erupted.
Felix made a sound like a boiling teakettle. Hyunjin literally fell off his chaise lounge, clutching his chest like he'd been shot. Jisung buried his face in his hands and screamed. "SO CUTE OH MY GOD."
Jeongin's face split into the widest, most delighted grin Chan had ever seen. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes sparkling, and he looked for all the world like a child on Christmas morning who'd just received everything he'd ever wished for.
Jeongin's fingers started wiggling again, faster now, bouncing up and down Chan's sides in a flurry of light, teasing touches.
"Tickle tickle tickle for the hyungie who likes it~" Jeongin sang, his voice dripping with affectionate mocking. "Tickle tickle tickle for our sweet, shy leader who just wants gentle tickles on his tummy—"
"STAHAHAP!!" Chan shrieked, but he was grinning, laughing so hard his stomach ached, tears streaming down his temples. "STAHAHAP SAHAHAYING IT!!"
Jeongin laughed and eased up a bit. Chan's chest was heaving. He needed air.
"M' tired," Chan mumbled, voice hoarse and cracked from all the laughing. His head lolled to the side on the cot, curls plastered to his damp forehead. His chest was still heaving, but the movements had lost their frantic edge. "Can't do any more."
Jeongin pulled his hands back immediately, hovering. The invisible telekinetic blobs dissolved into nothing. "Okay," he said softly. "Okay, hyung. I've got you."
Chan blinked up at the ceiling, eyes glassy and unfocused. A few residual giggles bubbled up and died in his throat. His whole body felt like warm jelly—loose and heavy and done.
"Don't feel anything," he whispered. Not accusing. Just tired. Just empty. "Nothing's there. I guess I just… don't have powers."
Minho's expression flickered—something soft and almost sad passing over his features before he smoothed it away.
Jeongin didn't say anything. Not right away.
Instead, he reached down and pressed the release on Chan's wrist cuffs. The magnets disengaged with a soft click, and Chan's arms dropped limply to his sides. Then the ankles—another click, and his legs drew together slightly, knees bending in unconscious relief.
"You are everything." Jeongin said firmly. "You are not less for not having powers."
Chan melts. "Innie—" And he was being tugged into the maknae's arms.
"Just shut up and let me hug you."
The oldest deflates, eyes going soft and fond. "Okay, baby."
"And this video is going in the group chat forever!!"
warnings: public tickling, Felix is sort of unable to move, feet tickles, embarrassment
author's note: hie hie guys !! this is my first fic so im sort of nervous to post it haha. a big thank you to @itzsana-kiddingmenow who encouraged me to post it!! love youuu 🫰🏻 I hope you enjoy this and any sort of feedback is appreciated ^_^
this is a tickle fic!! feel free to keep scrolling if it's not your thing!!
Felix is pretty sure this very needed vacation actually healed a part of him.
Technically, it wasn't a vacation. For the past couple of months, Stray Kids were working non-stop. It was a comeback season, which meant they got little to no breaks before and after the release of their albums. It is all just one big roller coaster, really. During the preparations for the new releases, Felix feels like that is the hardest part of the comeback season. Practicing, working to be better, recording, trying to be as perfect as possible – which meant they spent more than half of their day stuck in their company, practice rooms and recording booths. But then after the release of the album, all cameras were brightly flashing into their faces; performances, interviews, fan meetings, fan calls, and, oh God, the award shows made them sit on the edge of their chairs, waiting to see if their name would get called.
So, during the comeback season, they were on edge for almost the entire time
They released their newest production almost a month ago, and their schedules have been filled to the brim. Not to mention their side quests like promotions and modeling shoots. But, their work paid off, and while this trip to Australia still required work (a couple of interviews and filming for their YouTube content), it almost felt as if they were doing nothing at all.
Felix actually thinks it might be because Australia is his home, and visiting it after so much time of being restricted to it, it feels even sweeter when he does get back. The Kids were staying here for two weeks, and over the weekend, they were allowed to have a day off and enjoy their time there. And they got the best of it.
This Sunday, the kids were spending the entire day at the beach, along with Felix’s sisters, and Chan’s siblings. They got to the beach early, found a spot near the beach bar by the water and Felix is sure this was the best day in the last four months. During comeback seasons, the members actually don’t have a lot of time to hang out, due to all the work. And when they did hang out, they mostly did when filming because all of them took their little breaks as resting opportunities. So, yes, today was pretty special to Felix.
As said before, they got to the beach pretty early, and since then they have not rested once, and it was an utter mess (in a… pleasant way). They were in water for actually a really long time, with Hyunjin having a blast following them around and drowning them (until they all ganged up on him and suddenly it’s ‘bullying’), until Minho, who was on the beach with Seungmin and Olivia playing cards, called them to get out of the water and rest a little. They played footvolley, too, until Seungmin accidentally sent the soft, inflatable beach ball flying to Changbin’s face, which resulted into a long, exhausting, chase around the beach before he eventually got tackled into the hot sand and tickled. Seungmin was a little pouty out of the embarrassment of getting wrecked when there are a few other families on the beach, but the pout quickly got forced away when he received the ice cream from his hyung.
After a few rounds of cards, that Felix obviously won (totally not because of his cheating tactics…), Felix was back in the water, now resting and sunbathing on his ginormous duck floaty that they bought earlier that day. The others stayed back at the beach, while Minho and Hyunjin went to get more cases of beer.
He’s not completely sure how much time he spent in water, but as long as the water didn’t push him too far away from the beach, he was okay resting there, sunglasses protecting his eyes from the sun that was burning his freckled body. Every so often he would stretch further across the floaty so his hands and feet would dip into the water. Surprisingly, the position, with his torso and bottom falling through the hole of the floaty, actually felt pleasing for his usually aching back.
Oh, yeah, he definitely needed this break.
But, Felix’s peace didn’t last long. He isn’t sure what made his muscles spasm more – a sudden ticklish feeling going through his foot, or the fear when he suddenly felt something sliding down his foot. He’s pretty sure that even Minho and Hyunjin, who went to the store, could hear how loud his scream was. His foot kicked up in the air as he jumped at the sudden touch, and his heart felt like it would jump out of his chest.
It made him feel safer the moment those squeaky and recognizable giggles filled the air, but regardless of that, Felix’s body stayed stiff. “Hyung!” Felix scolded, a whine almost breaking out.
Chan – that sneaky wolf – finally appeared from behind the floaty, barely able to keep his head above the water as he laughed at Felix's reaction. “It's not funny,” Felix whined as he hid his red face behind his hands.
“I'm shahorry!” He giggled, one hand on the duck floatie as he held himself up, and the other reaching over to pry the younger hands away from his face. “You just looked too peaceful. I couldn't help myself.”
“You're so annoying.” Now, he's not sure what in his right mind made him splash Chan while he was already in such a vulnerable position, but he did. While Chan wasn't expecting it, Felix's hand dove under the water and dove right back out, sending a bunch of water splashing on Chan's face.
Now it was Felix’s turn to laugh. Felix giggled as Chan blinked away the water as he spat out the water that entered his mouth. Felix's laughter died down as Chan just stared at him blankly, before a very scary smirk appeared on his face.
“Oh, no.” Was all Felix muttered before Chan pulled the goggles back over his eyes and dove back into the water. “C-Chan? Wait, wait, wait! Chan?!” Okay, now, he was panicking.
Chan was always so caring and careful with all of his members, especially Felix – but when provoked? He was one scary ler. Even the thought made Felix's stomach do flips.
A few seconds passed before he felt ticklish shocks shoot through his ribs and to the rest of his body. Felix couldn't hold back the deep giggles caused by Chan's rough fingers digging between his ribs. The blond couldn't do much – he squirmed, kicked his legs out, tried to push the floatie through the water (which also didn't work because Chan's fingers between his ribs kept him in place), wriggled from side to side, but his position, being on a floatie in the middle of the ocean, made him almost completely immobile.
And that made it all much more flustering.
Even though it lasted about half a minute, Chan managed to squeeze the younger's ribs, squeeze them, knuckle in between the bones, and scratch at the spot where his ribs end and sides start. “CHAHAHN! CHAHN!” Felix laughed and called out helplessly. The tickling was just too much, and being so exposed made it much worse.
He was lucky Chan could stay under water for only so long, because eventually the tickling stopped, and Chan dove out. The leader dove back out, and as he was catching his breath, Felix (still giggling) tried to push himself and the floatie away, but he barely moved at all, considering tickling knocked his strength out.
Chan just laughed at the pathetic attempt. “Oh no you won't.” He pulled screaming Felix back, before reaching his hand over and digging his fingers into soft, freckled abs. Felix squealed once more, and his weak attempts of pushing and hitting failed again. Chan just laughed along because somehow, only one hand turned Felix into a squealing, laughing mess.
“Really, Lix? Just a couple of fingers is all it takes to make you lose it?” Chan cooed, pinching and prodding the soft skin.
“SHUHUT HAHUHUP!” Felix's laughter turned squeaky. He barely knew what to do with himself.
“If you weren't so cute, this would be pretty embarrassing considering others at the beach are seeing you get wrecked.” Oh, that just made it so much worse. For a moment, Felix finally remembered his place: in the ocean, by the beach where his sisters and members are, AND where many other families were as well. Though, Chan didn't allow him to focus on that as much because he sneaked his second hand under the water, and started scratching at his lower back, whilst his other hand started circling the blond’s belly button, and occasionally dipping his finger in as well.
Felix was losing it. “PLEHEHEASE! I HAHA CHAHAN'T THAHAKE IT!” Every time he would arch his back, he lean more into the hand on his stomach; and when he did the opposite, he'd lean into the hand on his back. None of his attempts to move away worked, he only looked like a fish on the shore, so eventually his body went limp. He laid there and just took it.
“Aigoo, my baby,” Chan cooed in mock sympathy. “Is this too much for you, Lix?” Felix nodded, holding onto Chan's bicep, but he stopped fighting him off. Chan cooed once again (making it so much worse for his Aussie twin) before finally slowing down and taking one of Felix's hands and softly kissing him.
However, just when Felix thought Chan was done, the older swam behind Felix, and slowly skittered his fingers all over Felix’s neck and jawline. “Chahannhihie!” Felix scrunched up, his giggles going high pitch.
“Aww, sunshine, I missed you giggles so much.” The fondness in Chan's chest grew, I mean, how could it not when Felix was laying here in front of him, reduced to a giggly mess. “We've been so busy lately, we didn't have the time to hang out. You missed this, too, hm?”
Felix couldn't help but nod. Yes, this was extremely embarrassing. Yes, the tickles were almost unbearable. Yes, the rest of the members and his sisters will NEVER let him hear the end of this, and are probably filming. But the group was so busy for such a long time now that he missed being able to just mess around with them.
Chan couldn't help but giggle at his band mate's cute reaction, and slowed down. He leaned on the floatie and brushed his fingers through Felix's wet hair, as the younger calmed down, letting out the extra giggles. “Are you okay? Did I go overboard?”
“Noho… it was kinda nihihce.” He shyly admitted. Chan couldn't help but awe loudly, leaning over and placing a big kiss to the younger's cheek. “Sthohop it, Channie.”
They stayed in silence for a few moments before Chan reached over and tweaked his side, earning a squeal. “We better get back.”
Felix saw the shit eating grin on Chan's face and just groaned, hiding his face once more. The others are gonna tease him so bad.
Hyunjin who gets annoyed and frustrated whenever he’s in a lee mood. He’s new to this whole thing, and he’s not used to relying on other people for his needs. His shy, introverted self much preferring the self sufficient lifestyle that had served him his entire life.
And believe me, he already tried doing the job himself, with a feather and a rather lacking arsenal of techniques his ler had used the last time.
But it was all too unfamiliar, being on the other side of things and his touch only seemed to repel those satisfying tingles that he longed for. The drag of the tip of the feather only managing to elicit a weak shiver and send goosebumps racing across his skin.
His inability to reproduce these tantalizing sensations only served to drive Hyunjin mad. He felt tears pricking his eyes, lips wobbling. Hyunjin was only one tiny flaw away from sobbing.
And that only made them more frustrated. Though he weren't sure what exactly he was frustrated about.
Cue Chan, who's very well versed in lees and catches onto the real reason behind the Hyunjin's grumpy mood almost immediately. A slow smile makes its way onto his handsome face. Oh, this was simply delightful! He wanted to help his newly discovered member, ease their worries…and yet.
He was also curious. What would Hyunjin do about it? Chan hadn't known Hyunjin very long, so he had his reservations. They had only just debuted after all, and the only one Chan felt closest to yet was Felix. Though he was determined to get to know all his babies well soon.
Throughout the day, Chan noticed that Hyunjin was especially grumpy and curt towards him. And maybe that would’ve broken his heart a year ago. But with all his experience as a ler to his members, it only brings a smile to his face.
He had experience with another lee very similar to Hyunjin.
So Hyunjin's target was him? Did he hope he could annoy Chan into tickling him? It made Chan kick his feet in giddiness. He was brimming with excitement and endearment at how adorable Hyunjin looked right now.
So he pretended not to notice, treating Hyunjin with his usual cheery demeanor. That was, until all their schedules for the day were completed.
And Hyunjin looked on the verge of tears. Oh dear. He couldn't have his previous baby crying now, could he?
So as soon as they had changed, Chan grabbed Hyunjin's hand, dragging the protesting boy to the studio. He pinned Hyunjin to the couch easily, the younger blushing already and looking so adorably flustered.
For all his tough exterior, he sure was nothing but a shy mess underneath.
“Okay I just need to know if this is alright with you,” Chan said. “Did you want me to tickle you this whole time Hyunjin-ah?”
There was no teasing, just a genuine question. Because Chan didn’t want to do anything his member was uncomfortable with.
But poor Hyunjin couldn’t help feeling even more shy at the words. Had he really been so obvious? He really thought he’d been hiding it well.
Nonetheless, he really wanted this. He was done being self sufficient today. He’d let himself indulge… just for now.
“Yes. [I’m sorry for how I treated you all day hyung. You didn’t deserve that.] Can you tickle me? Please.” He confessed, feeling a little guilty for all the glares he’d shot at Chan when the older wasn’t looking.
Chan sighed then, a small smile blooming on his lips. Time to give Hyunjin exactly what he was asking for.
"You were so mean to me all day, Hyunjin-ah. It really hurt." Chan said with a pout. But the glint in his eyes told a very different story. "Did you really want me to tickle you that badly?"
Hyunjin whined, hiding his face with the cutest sweater paws and Chan thought his heart just exploded at the sight. Now he wished he’d tickled Hyunjin sooner.
"I know you tried doing it yourself, you know. I saw you, tracing that feather all over your cute belly." Chan murmured, words sweet and poisonous. Hyunjin gasped in shock and mortification. Why oh why had he not shut the bedroom door entirely?
"Did you wish it was me? You could've just asked me nicely, Jinnie. You know I can't say no to any of you. I wanted to burst into that room then and there and show you how a real expert does it."
As he spoke, Chan slipped one hand under Hyunjin’s hoodie, fingers tracing ever so lightly over the quivering expanse of Hyunjin’s belly.
The younger’s lips twitched as he fought back a smile, but the tracing wouldn’t let up, and soon he found himself giggling and squirming under Chan. Happiness bloomed in Hyunjin’s chest, a strange sense of accomplishment only sweetening the experience for me.
“Ihihihit tihihihickles! Ahahahahaha Chahahahannie!” Hyunjin’s cute sounds were music to Chan’s ears. He wanted to keep hearing it.
And Chan wasn’t done with his teases just yet either. Oh, no. He was only getting started.
Chan's smile was a treat and a promise all at once. "Twirl the tip of it riiight into your cute little giggle button here.” He wiggled his pinky gently into the spot and Hyunjin squealed, back arching before it came crashing down.
“And when you’re giggling and squirming in my arms… I would ditch that feather. And I'd get you just like this."
It took a moment for Hyunjin's poor brain to catch up to that. And by the time it did, Chan's hands had already shot down, thumbs digging into his v-line and driving him absolutely nuts.
A helpless scream ripped from his throat, hands tugging and pushing desperately at Chan’s own, trying to dislodge them from the spot that was getting to be unbearable.
Hyunjin's hair flew all over as he shook his head wildly, a maniacal smile on his face as he bucked and thrashed, doing anything he could to escape the very thing he'd been so desperately craving all day long.
But he knew Chan liked a challenge. He wouldn't just let up because Hyunjin was going crazy. Oh no, that reaction only had him trying harder to make Hyunjin literally ascend.
“Jinnie, what’s your favorite spot? Where do you want me to tickle you?” And Chan was so serious and non-teasing about it that it only embarrassed Hyunjin more. It felt like teasing.
“My sides.” He confessed, the admission both heavy and liberating to let out.
Chan grinned. “As your highness wishes then.”
He lifted up Hyunjin’s hoodie slowly, slowly, slowly, dragging out the action to amp up the anticipation. Once it was bunched around Hyunjin’s chest, Chan used the tips of his fingers trace the lightest shapes onto the sensitive skin.
It was obviously not Hyunjin’s worst spot, but it wasn’t bad either. This way, he could tickle Hyunjin for longer.
Chan started from the middle, spidering his way to Hyunjin’s sides, then crawling his fingers up and down. Teasing so much until Hyunjin groaned.
“Ugh juhuhust dohoho it alreahedy hyuhuhung! Stahahp teheheasing!”
“Oh? You want me to dive right in? As you wish, then.” His fingers grabbed onto Hyunjin’s sides, thumbs vibrating into his inner sides while his other four fingers wiggled at his outer sides.
And oh, the sounds it brought out from the lee was incredible. Soft snickers morphed into loud peals of laughter.
His shoes dug into the armrest of the couch, head thrown back and his body jerked and twisted. Chan didn’t let up, watching in undiluted delight at the way Hyunjin was practically melting in his arms.
“AHAHAHAHA FUHUHUCK HYUHUNG YOUHU’RE SOHOHO GOOD AT THIHIHIS!”
The words had Chan’s heart leaping with joy. He was more than pleased to know he was doing a good job.
“You’re doing so well Jinnie. Such a beautiful laugh baby. How long have you been hiding this from me?” He mused, changing tactics, raining pokes all over Hyunjin’s sides.
He giggled along with the younger, content just to be able to make one of his babies so happy.
“Buhuhut ihihisn’t thihis ahahall weird?” Hyunjin suddenly asked though his giggles, seeming to have reached some sort of breaking point to his emotions.
“I mean, doesn't it seem weird to you that I hate most physical contact except for this one particular thing? Like isn’t it discrimination or something?” Hyunjin asked, guilt gnawing at his insides. It didn't feel right that he'd deny everyone's affection all the time, just to turn back around and basically beg for this.
Maybe the members would hate him if they found out. He turned to Chan; eyes wild with anxiety.
“Please don't tell anyone.” He pleaded. And a small smirk formed on Chan's lips, the older interpreting this to be Hyunjin being shy at his love for tickles.
“Aww you don't have to worry Jinnie. All of us enjoy this. Even Minho, but don’t tell him I told you that. He’d have my head for it.” He reassured. But the worried crease on the younger's forehead didn't lessen as he had hoped.
“Hyung they'll hate me if they find out. They'll think I'm selfish and horrible and and— I don't know, they'll just hate me. I can’t take that.”
He was full on panicking now, the thought of the members he loved so much hating him felt like his heart was being ripped out.
“Hyunjin trust me, they love you. With all your quirks and boundaries. You're allowed to deny things that you aren’t comfortable with. We all want you to be comfortable and feel safe with us.”
Chan reached over and pulled the younger into a hug, tucking their face under his chin and rocking them side to side.
“You don't have to engage in skin ship if you don't want to. And you are allowed to like it when it comes to this one thing. If that's how you feel then that's all that matters. We love you baby and we respect you. We're not going to force affection onto you if you're not comfortable with that. Okay?”
He felt Hyunjin nodding into his neck, panicked breathing evening out slowly but steadily.
“Thank you for trusting me today. And remember, you can come to any of us whenever you have a mood. I know a few people who would love to make you giggle.” He teased gently, planting a soft kiss on the side of Hyunjin’s head.
“How about this? You can initiate whenever you want, okay? And we have lee moods too, so maybe you could help us too if you’d like.”
A silence followed, lasting a good few minutes before Hyunjin finally spoke up.
“Thank you hyung. For helping me today and for everything. I think… I would like to tickle you guys too. Especially you.”
A sudden boldness gripped Hyunjin then. “I’ve seen how flustered you get when Minho hyung pokes you. You’re so damn transparent Channie hyung. Your ears get all red and your voice pitches up. I want to be the cause of your happiness too.”
He tightened his arms around a now very shy Chan, basking in the warmth of their love.
If you write for Scream, lee!Stu and Randy with ler!Billy would be nice if you're up to it!
Hide-and-Scream
DISCLAIMER: This is a tickle fic, strictly sfw!! If you feel uncomfortable with that, feel free to scroll! A bunch of cursing and Billy Loomis being a jerk as per usual.
Lee!Stu Matcher
Lee!Randy Meeks
Ler!Billy Loomis
Words: 1592
Summary: Stu and Randy find themselves in a real-life horror movie when a hanging out with Billy goes south.
A/N: Hey anon, So unbelievably sorry this took so long to get out!!! ☹️☹️☹️ I've been busy with personal life things and this fic was really hard to get into for some reason, but, I've pushed through and have hopefully written something worth the wait. Hope everyone enjoys!!
Under the cut :)
"Remind me to never again listen to you, Stu. And I mean NEVER again. Like, NEVER-"
"Oh my SHIT! If you don't SHUT UP!!!"
So how did we get here?
Randy made the bullshit choice of voluntarily hanging out with Billy and Stu. I know, he had a better chance of having a good night if he hung out in a den with a bunch of angry lions.
But don't give him too much crap! It was after his shift at the video store and he was starving. Stu's place was always stacked with good food, what other choice did he have?
And might I daresay that the night was going pretty swell! That was, until Stu talked Randy into messing with Billy one too many times. And that's like poking those angry lions with a stick.
And poke the lion they certainly did.
"C'mon dude, in here! We just gotta wait for this whole thing to blow over!"
Slowly, Stu creaked open the door to his large bedroom, tip-toeing inside.
"Are you joking?!" Randy hissed, rooted at his spot in the doorframe. "This is literally the first place he's gonna look! If this were a horror movie, you'd be dead first!"
"Yeah, well, my dead ass is staying in here!" Stu hissed right back, already climbing under his bed, laying on his tummy.
"So if you're just gonna stand out there and let him find you, make sure you close my door, and don't let it hit your ass on the way out!"
"No way!" Randy practically squeaked, sliding into the room, and clicking the door shut as quietly as he could behind him.
"I was just saying-" Randy wiggled under the bed next to Stu.
"Shh! Quit saying shit at all so he doesn't find us, horror freak!" Stu slapped Randy on the arm and both boys fell into a tense quiet.
Their senses started to go through the roof. Every individual sound was louder than it should be. It vibrated through Stu and Randy's bones and made the hairs on the back of their necks stand up on end.
This feeling was made a billion times worse when they heard the deep drawl of:
"Come out, come out, wherever you are, you assholes..."
Stu rubbed his temples hard enough to blot them red, holding back the heaviest of sighs. Randy puffed out his cheeks and covered his mouth, not wanting to make a single sound.
Not to mention, with the amount of dust piling up in Stu's room, you need to cover your mouth if you don't want to inhale twelve pounds of it.
"I'm not up for playing hide-and-seek with you idiots. Come. Out."
The sound of Billy's voice echoed from right outside the door. Stu gave Randy a wide-eyed look. "We're dead." He mouthed.
Randy shook his head and quickly uncovered his face to mouth back: "Listen."
It took a few agonizingly long seconds, but Billy's footsteps slowly began to ebb away from their hiding space. Of course, this hardly meant they were out of the storm. But at least it would give them some time to come up with a plan.
Stu made a small fist-pumping motion, actually looking impressed by Randy for the first time in his life.
Randy smiled in return, taking in a large calming breath.
He breathed in deep. Too deep.
His nose twitched.
Stu made a cut-throat gesture with such velocity, Randy was sure he would actually get his throat cut if he did what both of them thought he was gonna do.
But it was much too late.
Randy sneezed. Loudly.
Doesn't matter how quickly Randy slapped his hands back over his mouth, the sneeze sounded through the room like a thunder clap.
Billy's footsteps immediately boomed closer to them. Stu groaned. Just as loudly. No point in being quiet. They were dead anyways.
The door slammed open a few seconds later, and the two hiding friends-but-definetly-enemies-after-this still swear to this day they heard the wood snap from the force.
"I thought I told you guys I wasn't playing hide-and-seek with you."
Both Randy and Stu watched as Billy's tennis shoes casted shadows across Stu's bedroom floor. Though Randy, ever the horror fan, knew they weren't caught yet. This is the part where the villain would painstakingly check everywhere but the most obvious place to build up false hope.
And guess what Billy did?
He peeked behind the curtains, in the closet, even in the bedside cabinets no one could possibly fit into.
Billy hummed. Never a good sign.
"Where could those two be...? Well, I guess the only place I haven't checked yet is..."
In no time at all, there was Billy, his bangs partially hiding his face, staring at the two dead-on.
"Under the bed. The most obvious place on earth."
Randy and Stu gave each other hopeless looks as they were dragged out from under the bed together. They were fried.
"Look, dude. You gotta cut me and him sohohome slack!" Randy started, holding his hands out in front of him. If he's the reason he and Stu got caught, he was at least gonna be the reason he and Stu got un-caught. "Sehehee whahahat hahahppened was-"
"It was allll Randy's idea!" Stu blurted out from beside him, deciding he was gonna talk too now.
And that's the last time Randy does anything nice for him ever again.
"Oh... oh no... Oh Randy, is that true?" Billy gave him a wide-eyed look.
Pardon Randy's obnoxious laughing, Billy had just started dancing his fingers over all his ribcage.
"Oh, yes you did, jackass! Don't play stupid with me. You know you look like a genius with Stu right next to you!"
"Hey! Not true you DIHIHICK- AHAHAAA!"
Billy tore one of his hands away from Randy to dance his fingers across Stu's belly instead. Stu couldn't decide if he wanted to snort or hiccup, so he did both at the exact same time, trying to curl up in a ball fruitlessly.
"You're not even smart in your dreams, Matcher! I bet you're even the one that chose this dumb hiding spot."
Stu somehow got even redder, and chose to laugh even more opposed to responding to that.
"Not like Randy is any smarter for actually agreeing to it, huh?" Billy hummed, his voice two octaves higher than normal, and swimming with aggressively fake pity.
He dragged one lone finger up Randy's ribs and dug it into the hollows of his armpit. He chuckled much like a horror movie villain after committing the first of many "deadly" acts.
"Oho yeah?" Billy tilted his head to the side in a way that rivaled the slyness of a fox.
"Yeheheheah duhuhude ihihit wahahahas juhuhust ahaha johohohoke!" Stu hiccuped, NOW deciding to come to Randy's defense (it probably had something to with Billy tracing his ears, the ultimate killer spot)
"Awh, well I didn't think it was that funny!"
Billy gave both guys some scribbles over their sides for that, Randy twisting around as he tried to find some kind of goldilocks zone where things simply didn't tickle as much, and failing to do so.
But Stu? Oh, Stuart Matcher? He was feeling bold now apparently, as he went grabbing for Billy's hand.
Billy stopped short, hands sliding away from his two friends. He was silent. Dead silent. The only indication he was still alive was that his cheeks were a little pink.
He broke into a deadly smirk. "That so?"
Stu looked at Randy. Randy looked at Stu.
"I'm gonna..."
"Yeah."
Stu scrambled up and BOOKED it out of his room.
With Billy right on his tail.
In both of their hastes, Randy was left behind in the room. He quickly got up and went to stand in the doorway, watching Stu slide down the stair banister, Billy close behind.
This would be the perfect time to slip away unnoticed and unscathed. If he was a smart person in a horror movie, that's the most obvious choice.
But this isn't a horror movie, and these idiots were supposed to be his friends.
Okay, now THIS was DEFINITELY going to be the last nice thing Randy was ever doing for Stu.
"WAIT UP, STU! I'M COMING!"
Randy rushed out, not willing to take the banister because he didn't want to break his neck, but still making good time in the hopes of saving Stu from Billy the (tickle) Monster.
He met them downstairs, Billy and Stu wrestling on the couch and Stu definitely not winning. Though, he wasn't really trying! (Because he was having too much fun)
Changbin trudged through the door, tired but satisfied from yet another successful workout.
Walking into the living room, he found Minho lounging on the couch like a cat, watching TV, too distracted to even notice him.
So he dropped his bag onto the hallway floor and face planted into the older's lap. Minho startled, complaints following almost immediately.
"Yah, get off of me! I just showered! Take your sweaty ass to the bathroom right now or so help me god—"
But a pleading sound from the younger cut him off. "Hyung pleaseee, just five minutes."
He whined, nuzzling hsi face even deeper into Minho's thighs.
The older sighed heavily, relenting when faced with the cutest puppy eyes he'd seen from Changbin.
So instead, he let his free hand wander over the younger's broad back, tracing random patterns over his workout t-shirt.
But as he did, he felt Changbin's muscles tense under the ministrations, trembling ever so slightly.
"Oh? What's this?" He mused, tracing turning into pokes as Changbin squirmed, determined not to move from his comfy spot.
"Don't tell me that's all it takes to tickle you Binnie? You're staring to remind me of Innie. So sensitive."
He teased, walking two fingers down Changbin's upper ribs to wiggle into the side of his chest.
At that, poor Binnie couldn't remain so still. He yelped, kicking his feet and starting to get up when Minho pressed him right back down to his lap.
"Hyuhuhung nahaha whahat are you dohohoing?!" He giggled, opting to bury his face into the couch to muffle his laughter.
"It's not my fault you're so ticklish. I wasn't even trying to tickle you and yet here you are, giggling like a baby." Minho cooed, only adding to the younger's embarrassment.
"Ihihim nohot the only one whohoho's tihihicklish."
And before Minho could even think about what he said, Changbin's hands found his thighs, squeezing the soft flesh like his life depended on it.
And poor Minho folded over with a bark of laughter, bucking and kicking as he tried to dislodge the younger's hands.
"Not so tought now, are you hyung?" Changbin smirked up at him.
Only to end up cackling when Minho retaliated, stuffing his hands into the younger's sides and kneading into the spot.
"Stahahap! Shihit ihihit's sohoho bahahAHAHAD!!" Minho squealed, eyes shut tight against the onslaught of sensations.
Yet his own fingers remained fixated on Changbin's sides, never once letting up.
"Youhuhu knohow how tohoho gehehet me to stohop!" Changbin retorted though his giggles, now vibrating his fingers into Minho's hips
The duo kept at it, each trying to get one over the other while never letting up their upper hand.
It was... a mess. Pillows were scattered on the floor, the carpet bunching under Minho's feet, one of which was missing a slipper.
And yet it was a beautiful sight indeed, sweet laughter filling the room as each of them tried to flip the dynamic.
That was... until Changbin suddenly stood up, and quick as lightening, pinned a struggling Minho's hands under his butt.
He smirked down at the older, looming over him with wiggling fingers like the tickle monster he was planning on being.
"Ready for payback hyung?" He asked with a syrupy sweet voice.
"What pahayback? Youhu tihickled me juhust as muhuch as I did you!" Minho griped.
But that was okay. His hyung was about to be in a very good mood for a while.
Changbin didn't waste anymore time. He lifted Minho's shirt upto his chest, tracing over the scar on his stomach, letting the anticipation bubble.
Then he struck. Ten fingers clawed at the Minho's belly, dragging loud shrieks of protest from the lee.
"Ahahahaha nohohoho nohohot myhyhy tuhuhummy!"
His pleas threaded with frantic laughter, hair tousled beyond saving and a pretty pink blush lighting up his face.
He looked downright adorable. The thought only spurred Changbin to quicken his motions, poor Minho's laughter growing deep and throaty.
"You're so cute like this hyung-ah. Maybe we should always keep you giggling like this." He huffed, unable to contain his cuteness aggression.
"Shuhuhut uhuhup! Lihihike youhuhure nohohot eheheven more...sensitive than ihihi am!"
Changbin slowly worked his fingers up Minho's ribs, noticing that the higher he went, the more desperate Minho seems to grow.
His struggles growing whole his laughter bordered on hysterics.
"Give up hyung. I'm stronger than you. You can't escape." Changbin told him when Minho tugged at his pinned arms.
"Does it tickle more here? Are your armpits your worst spot hyung?" He asked curiously, finally moving his fingers to the spot.
"Ahhahahah nohohot there! Chahangbin plehease nohohot thehehehere!" Minho begged, throwing his head back with hysterical laughter.
"Wow I didn't know you were this ticklish Minho hyung. I'd have gotten you much sooner." Changbin crooned, using two fingers to vibrate into the sensitive hollows.
And poor Minho absolutely lost it.
He bucked and twisted, legs kicking helplessly as his hicuppy laughter melted into wheezes and his brain turned to mush.
He couldn't even firm words, mounting frantic pleas at the younger as his body succumbed to the tingly sensations taking over.
Changbin couldn't help but laugh along, simultaneously amused and endeared by the sheer volume of reactions he tickled out of Minho.
He let the older lose his mind and dissolve into a puddle of goo under his fingers for a few more minutes before he let up.
Minho looked ruffled. Like he'd been caught in a tornado. His hair was sticking up in random spots, clothes askew and breathing ragged.
A deep crimson blush adorned his cheeks, eyes teary from laughing so hard.
"Such a mess for me hyung." Binnie chided, fixing him up and feeding him some water and a cup of pudding.
Minho glared at him for just a second, losing his anger born from embarrassment when he saw the pudding.
The duo cuddled, after Changbin had also had a shower, they sat cozied up to watch tv.
So this is my first Tale of the nine tailed tickle fic. I don’t really know if anyone will even read this since I think the fandom is probably almost dead but I had this idea so I just had to write + post it.
But don’t worry, I’ll post the next Squid game tickle fic next week as promised!
Summary: After a failed attempt to intimidate Lee Yeon, Rang suddenly finds himself in an all too familiar, hated position.
“Stupid Lee Yeon,” was the first thing Lee Rang said when he opened his eyes on another ordinary Wednesday morning.
It was bad enough that his useless, heartless brother had abandoned him as a child, but now the bastard dared to appear in Rang's dreams too!
Slowly, it was all really going too far. Ever since Rang had started terrorizing Lee Yeon and that stupid reincarnation of Ah-eum, these annoying flashbacks had been happening more and more often. Memories of Lee Yeon raising him, training him, and caring for him poured over him relentlessly every day and it bothered him.
He hadn't had to think about his older brother for so long, or at least had been able to curse him, so why not now?
Why did he dream of him just when he was about to ruin his brother's life?
To be honest, Rang had no idea. He only knew one thing: he liked these memories more than he would ever admit.
Memories of picnics with Lee Yeon in the middle of the forest, the two of them playing by the river or training together. It was no secret that Lee Yeon had always been the stronger of the two, even if, 600 years later, it still subtly affected Rang's pride.
In any case, the mountain god had made it his mission to transform the small, helpless, and completely frightened half-fox into a skilled fighter who could defend himself. Rang smiled subconsciously as he thought back on this. As much as he wanted to despise his brother, it was thanks to him that he had learned most of his fighting techniques. Even if Yeon's methods for doing so had sometimes been a little...unusual and bizarre. There was one method he had always particularly enjoyed using. He would hold little Rang in a firm back hug and tickle him until he managed to defend himself.
600 years ago, the half-fox had hated this playful segment of their training sessions because it always left him feeling weak and frustrated.
He had often tried to escape unnoticed thanks to his almost perfect shape-shifting ability, but unfortunately, nothing escaped the watchful eye of his hyung.
And whenever he was caught, there was just more tickling and a look from Lee Yeon that said, “Don't do that again, you cheeky rascal.”
Back then, Lee Rang hated the unwanted attention, but today he was admittedly grateful to Lee Yeon, because the many surprise attacks had virtually turned him into a weasel. No matter who tried to grab him these days, he would be able to break free. And speaking of Lee Yeon, today he would finally have to pay the price for raising him. Because fond memories were a double-edged sword.
They could be both beautiful and damn painful. And it was precisely this pain that Lee Rang wanted to inflict on his human-obsessed brother today. He didn't have a concrete plan yet, but a few frightening threats against him and the mortal reincarnation of his beloved would be enough for a start.
And to have Lee Yeon completely to himself, Lee Rang had carefully checked when his brother was in the company of the annoying veterinarian and when he wasn't.
Because the last thing the half-breed wanted was for his brother to be with the annoying veterinarian who was around his brother annoyingly often.
Afterall Rang didn't need an unwanted interruption during a hateful fight between two brothers.
And the vet's absence also provided him with the perfect cover, allowing him to simply stroll into Lee Yeon's house, heaven forbid, perhaps even be let in by the former Mountain God himself.
And once he was inside, he would reveal himself and Lee Yeon would be in for a nasty surprise.
“Just wait, Lee Yeon. We'll see which one of us is stronger,” muttered the black-haired man as he made his way to Lee Yeon's place.
Once there, he didn't even bother to use the doorbell, as he had transformed himself into a perfect copy of Shin-joo a few seconds earlier.
The half-fox confidently knocked on the door and waited patiently for Lee Yeon to let him in.
In fact, Lee Yeon opened the door quite quickly.
“Shin-joo? Why are you still here? Don't you have to work?” asked the full fox, tilting his head in confusion.
“I just forgot something,” Rang replied, hurriedly pushing past his brother.
“If you're worried that I'm eating ice cream for breakfast again, that's completely unnecessary,” the older brother grumbled, crossing his arms in front of his chest and pouting.
For a moment, Rang found it really hard not to burst out laughing, as he had never seen Yeon like this in a long time and definitely didn't know about his ice cream breakfast preferences.
“Ice cream for breakfast? Really? Are you 5 years old?” Rang asked, laughing, dropping his disguise and transforming into his true form.
Lee Yeon just stood there and stared at his brother in justified bewilderment. The latter grinned back smugly and watched the former god's reaction with amusement.
“You really dare to show up here?” he asked, raising an eyebrow defiantly.
“Did I scare you?” Rang replied, still grinning, and took a step toward his counterpart.
“You? Definitely not,” Lee Yeon laughed heartily, much to Rang's annoyance.
“You're laughing at me? Even though you don't even know what I did to your human girlfriend?” Rang threatened, knowing that the mortal woman was unharmed and probably doing boring, harmless human things.
But by now, this girl was really the only one who could elicit any reaction from Lee Yeon. That was useful knowledge for Rang, but it also hurt a little.
“Ji-ah? What did you do to her?” the taller one asked worriedly, glaring menacingly at Lee Rang.
“You think I'm just going to tell you that?”
“I don't expect, I demand.”
“Too bad I'm not going to tell you,” Rang smiled mysteriously and was about to turn on his heel and leave his frustrated brother behind when suddenly a pair of strong arms wrapped around his waist.
“What are you doing, bastard?” he asked irritably, turning around only to look into his brother's stern face. “You'll tell me what you did to Ji-ah!”
“No,” Rang grumbled annoyedly and rolled his eyes. He had forgotten how much Yeon could exaggerate when it came to that pathetic little human.
However, he also couldn't just admit that it had been an empty threat, otherwise he would have to listen to his brother's mockery for atleast the next 400 years.
“Rang, don't force me to do something you won't like,” warned the deity, his dark eyes sparkling dangerously.
“What? You think I can't fend off your attacks?” the younger one asked defiantly.
And indeed, he was right. Of course, there had been frequent fights between the two foxes over the last 600 years, most of them without a winner.
For even though Lee Yeon was significantly stronger than his little brother and could easily kill him with a lightning bolt from above, he never did.
Most of the time, the two fought hand-to-hand and did not use any of their supernatural abilities. But due to the fact that Lee Rang had learned all his fighting techniques from Lee Yeon, the two were now like two robots fighting each other.
Both used exactly the same moves to attack or defend, which made it difficult to wage a real battle that looked truly fierce.
“Do you think I'm talking about violence?” asked the red-brown-haired man incredulously.
Rang fell silent, because obviously the half-fox didn't know any fighting style that was nonviolent. So, he had no choice but to nod and feel foolish in front of his hyung once again.
“You fool,” Lee Yeon laughed, but to Rang's surprise, it wasn't mean but rather teasing, and he playfully ruffled his brothers carefully combed hair.
“Don't you remember this anymore?” asked the Mountain God, poking the younger fox in the side. At that moment, Lee Yeon was no longer thinking about Ji-ah, but only about the fact that he could finally annoy Rang again.
Rang hadn't felt this terrible feeling in centuries, and if Yeon weren't here, he would definitely have curled up into a protective ball.
But unfortunately, Yeon was here, and in front of him, Rang would definitely no longer act like the small, helpless child he knew.
“No, no memory,” he said grumpily, half-heartedly trying to push Lee Yeon away.
“Really? Maybe we should refresh your memory then, so you don't forget again,” the older man grinned maliciously. “And maybe then you'll also remember where Ji-ah is right now.”
“Don't you dare,” growled the half-fox, doubling his desperate attempts to free himself.
He had done this so often as a child so it couldn't be that difficult to free himself from his tormentor's steel grip. However, his childhood was now 600 years ago and his escape skills long forgotten, as he had hardly ever needed them.
“So what if I do? I'm almost twice your age, little brother, you have no right to order me around.”
“It's not fair to play that card,” Rang retorted, struggling even harder against the full fox's unrelenting grip.
He definitely had no desire to relive his childhood today and embarrass himself in front of his brother, whom he had actually wanted to intimidate.
“Lesson number 5, Rang, if you can't win the fight, you'd better retreat while you still can, instead of wasting your energy,” he commented, pressing his brother even closer to him to make it clear how helpless he was at that moment.
“Retreating is for weaklings,” muttered Rang, who couldn't care less about his brother's babbling at that moment.
But suddenly he was interrupted by his own surprised squeak when Lee Yeon gently pinched him again.
“Lesson number 8: Never anger your opponent if you don't want to be taken apart immediately.”
“Taken apart? Oh please, that little pinch was nothing,” Rang grinned, trying to hide his nervousness.
“Lesson number 2: Don't repeat stupid mistakes,” laughed Lee Yeon, who was really surprised at how many important lessons his little brother had already forgotten. Shortly followed by two pinches.
“Just let me go!” whined Lee Rang, who was really struggling not to giggle childishly.
“Then give me a good reason,” said the deity dryly, poking all the way down from Rang's ribs to his hip. Helplessly, Rang bit his lower lip and began to desperately squirm on the spot to somehow get rid of Lee Yeon, but it was no use.
The other's grip was simply too strong, and as much as Rang hated to admit it, he was weak and had clearly underestimated his brother's strength.
“We... I mean, I... I've been grown up for a long time now! I'm not 9 years old anymore!” Rang tried to argue without making any involuntary noises.
“Not a good argument,” Lee Yeon declared, letting his hand trail down Rang’s side while Rang desperately tried to argue without giggling.
“Come on, hyung! That’s silly!” the half-fox grumbled, grabbing his brother’s hands to remove them from his hips.
“Your behavior is.”
“Lee Yeon, I'm warning you! Do that again and I'll...” Rang began, but was interrupted by his own amused snort.
“What was that, little brother?” Lee Yeon asked teasingly and continued what he was doing.
“Nothing!” Rang growled, still struggling, but less intensely than before. He had no chance of escaping anyway, as his muscles were already weakened from constant tension and struggling.
“Don't be so grumpy, Rang. I'll stop as soon as you manage to escape,” the deity assured him, which only frustrated Rang even more. Lee Yeon used to do this all the time.
He would torture him until he managed to free himself or laughed so hard he couldn't stand up straight. Needless to say, Rang hated it.
“Or you could just tell me where Ji-ah is,” his tormentor grinned meanly. That made Rang's ears perk up for a moment. Instead of giving in to the torture and praying that Lee Yeon would eventually get bored, he could just admit that it had been an empty threat.
In his opinion, that would hurt his ego less than having to endure a tickle attack.
“Your human girl is fine. She's probably working right now,” he finally sputtered, rolling his eyes.
“Oh, I already know that, Rang. If you had been with her, I would have smelled it on you. I just wanted to hear you admit it.”
“You stupid jerk!” Rang shouted furiously and tried to take a few steps forward to get away from Lee Yeon. Unfortunately, that didn’t work very well when his legs folded out from under him at a simple brush of Lee Yeon’s hand on his stomach.
To his (bad) luck, his brother was right there, tightened his grip around his waist, and gently placed him on the ground.
But before the half-fox could get up and run away, Lee Yeon had already sat down on his hip.
“Lesson number 7: Always be faster and more alert than your opponent.”
“I'm at least five times more alert than you!” Rang grumbled, trying to roll away to the side. However, Lee Yeon had already successfully immobilized him. His brothergroaled in annoyance.
“Not so cocky anymore, huh, Rang?” Lee Yeon teased, picking up right where he left off: making Lee Rang laugh.
It was surprising enough that Rang seemingly had developed an inhibition over the last 600 years for something he had done constantly as a child. But now he was acting as if it were a crime to laugh in front of his big brother.
“Get off me, you asshole!”
However, this complaint was once again simply ignored, and the deity began to poke various places on Rang's sides with the utmost thoroughness.
“This isn't funny!” Rang grumbled, but still had to bite his lower lip to keep himself from accidentally giggling.
However, he was a little too slow and finally let out a rather strangled and tortured-sounding giggle. And then another one and another one.
Until he was finally caught in a complete fit of giggles.
“Awww, still so ticklish, Rang? And I thought you'd grown out of it,” Yeon commented amusedly and now set about really tickling Rang.
Immediately, his slender fingers began kneading the skin on Rang's stomach. Rang squealed and tried to scare Lee Yeon away with shouted insults, but he couldn't even speak properly.
Then the former mountain god suddenly had an even better idea to playfully torment Rang.
Without further ado, he extended his fox claws, which were just like human fingernails, only more ticklish when you knew how to use them properly. And hell, Yeon knew how. It had taken him a while to find the right amount of pressure to tickle Rang with them without accidentally hurting him, but now he was a master at it.
“No! Lee Yeon, please don't do that!” begged the younger one, who knew all too well what would happen next. He hated this part at least as much as he hated his brother.
“Lesson number 10: Begging won't get you anywhere 99% of the time, so save yourself the embarrassment,” the older one taught, sliding the claw of his index finger across Rang's stomach and sides.
“I'll fuhahacking kill you!” the half-fox screamed hysterically, trying his best to produce a menacing growl, but much to his displeasure, it sounded more like a kitten's purr.
“How cute,” Lee Yeon laughed and repeated his movement, adding a quick pinch to Rang's hip bone.
"Nothing is cute," growled the black-haired one, now trying to use his teeth to free himself, but this did not work very well during another fit of laughter.
“You‘re right. You‘re still as annoying as ever“, Lee Yeon said teasingly and now used two of his fox claws to tickle Rang enough to shut him up.
Latter obviously still tried to protest or do anything that would make his brother stop but no matter what he did, Lee Yeon just made fun of him and continued without a care in the world.
Bad enough, he would also keep trying to teach his younger brother things about escaping just like when they were young. But Rang had no intention of listening at all.
“Thahahat's enough!” Rang shouted with his last ounce of lung capacity and a really squeaky voice crack but Lee Yeon actually stopped.
“You're absolutely right,” he grinned knowingly and let go of his brother, even helping him up.
“You'll regret this!” Rang gasped and pushed away the helping hand as quickly as possible.
“But will I really?” Lee Yeon smiled.
“I only regret lecturing you back then if you still can't free yourself 600 years later,” he continued in a teasing tone.
“Come here, you...” Rang shouted, trying to grab Lee Yeon, who was already trying to escape.
And for a short moment there wasn‘t any real hatred between the two fox brothers.
Helelelelloooo!!! First time checking out your blog and it looks so cool!!! 🩷
I just wanted to ask if you were writing and if you were writing could you make a fic with Lee Seungmin and ler Lee know where Lee know snaps at Seungmin rage baiting him and says something mean but feels bad immediately when Seungmin doesn't continue the ragebait and looks really hurt so later Lee know goes to assure him he didn't do anything and like kinda ragebaits Seungmin back with tickles??? 1
Lee: Seungmin
Ler: Know
a/n: Okay so looking back at the prompt I’m kind of realizing I didn’t follow it exactly so I apologize 😭 however!! I hope you still like it <3 as always, life has gripped me by the neck, so I’m sorry for the wait as well 🥹 enjoy!!
tw: hurt/comfort ish, Lino cried a lil off screen
Heartless
“House cat.” Seungmin sneered, his eyes playful, poking at the older’s cheek. Minho wrinkled his nose, swatting the offending hand away.
“Dog breath.” The dancer shot back, shuffling away.
“Little psycho.”
“Manhandling junkie.”
“Salty bitch.”
“Ear piercing siren.”
Seungmin bristled, his competitive side rearing its head. He was a ragebaiter at heart, and he originally started this feud to simply annoy his hyung. Now, however, it was about getting the last word in. “Heartless, emotionless, stone cold bastard.” He shot back, grinning victoriously when he was met with silence. His joy was…short lived.
Minho opened his mouth, then shut it, clear hurt flashing behind his eyes. He calmly grabbed his phone off the counter, pulled his jacket on, and glided towards the front door; only pausing to throw a clipped “You win.” over his shoulder. The slam of the door shutting was followed by tense, deafening silence.
Fucking dammit.
Every part of Seungmin’s body screamed to follow after the older and apologize, but he knew it would be ineffective. He had a rule of thumb he used whenever any of his bandmates were actually angry: give them thirty minutes to stew, then try again. It let the fiery bits of anger and hurt fizzle out, let them think over the situation, and left them more open to comfort.
So Seungmin waited.
Han was using the Minsung apartment for a 3racha recording/writing session, so the vocalist knew Minho was unlikely to throw himself in that environment when he was so upset. Seungmin’s best course of action was to wait for the older to return, or try to call him after his self-imposed waiting period was over. Just as he was about to open the door to try and see wherever Lino went, the door opened on its own– revealing a puffy eyed and blank faced dancer.
“Hyung.” Seungmin whispered, his throat tightening at the knowledge that he was the cause of such emotions.
“Seungmin-ssi.” Minho replied cooly, brushing past his bandmate and through the door.
Okay…ouch. Deserved, but ouch.
“Hyung, please.” The puppy murmured, trailing after the older with his metaphorical tail between his legs. “You know I didn’t mean it like that.”
“No– I get it.” The cat hummed in a tone of voice that made Seungmin’s stomach twist into knots. “I’m just not like the others. I’m the freak with a cavern where his heart should be.”
Minho had every right to be upset, but the dramatics made him roll his eyes. Seungmin knew the older knew he loved him, and while he was allowed to be hurt by his words, he was completely brushing off any attempt at an apology in favor of further guilting the younger. Seungmin huffed, grabbing his bandmate by his shoulders and spinning him around, too worked up to laugh at the bewildered expression on the dancer’s face.
“Enough with that. You know damn well that’s not true. You are an incredibly sweet, caring, and thoughtful person– you just have a weird way of showing it. You’re weird, but we love you for it. I love you. You hear me? Hm? I, Kim Seungmin, love you, Lee Minho, because you’re my family.” He stated firmly, poking his finger at Minho’s chest. Seungmin himself had no room to talk– even declarations like this were difficult to verbalize, but he needed to get the point across. When silence followed his words, he pulled the older into a tight hug, burying his face in his shoulder.
Please please please…
Slowly, arms wrapped around him in return. Seungmin let out a sigh, nearly collapsing with relief, only tightening his hold on his bandmate. Hands rubbed up and down his back, allowing him to relax further. Traveling up and down, around the expanse of his shoulders, and…around his sides, curling against his ribs. He yelped, pulling his head up to be met with a teasing smirk and mischievous eyes.
Oh good– Minho’s back to normal.
…Oh no. Minho’s back to normal.
“Hm…I might think that was a really sweet and heartfelt apology…” The dancer hummed, one arm tight around the younger’s waist, the other free hand beginning to pinch up and down his side. “But unfortunately, I’m a stone cold bastard, so I don’t really care.”
“H-hyung!” Seungmin whined, his cheeks blooming a lovely shade of red, trying to squirm out of the cat’s grip. The arm held fast, the free hand now slipping beneath his shirt to travel across his stomach.
“Shame, isn’t it?” Lino sighed dramatically, his grin widening as Seungmin coughed and sputtered, desperately trying to fight back his embarrassing reactions. He then abruptly tossed the younger back onto the couch, following suit to straddle his legs and pin his hands above his head. His free hand then moved to massage up and down the vocalist’s thighs, digging into the sensitive muscle.
“Nahahaha! Shihihit! T-That’s sohohoho b-bad you ahahasshole–” Seungmin hissed, trying to jerk away, but his captor held fast, clearly pleased by his descent into giggles.
“Aww, look at that pretty smile.” Minho cooed, moving his hand to flutter teasingly at the younger’s neck, tracing all along his ears and collarbone. “Too bad I’m so heartless. Might’ve enjoyed it.”
“Cheheater!” The vocalist retorted, feeling his cheeks burn with embarrassment. His smile had always been a weak spot, and the older damn well knew that. Seungmin let out a sigh of relief when the hand pulled away, but he quickly tensed up once more as he felt his shirt being pulled up. “No…”
“Yes.” Minho grinned, raising his hand above the puppy and forming a claw with his fingers. He then gave a dramatic gasp, beginning to lower his hand as his fingers wiggled in the air. “Oh no! Minnie! It’s the Claw!”
“D-don’t you fucking dare–” Seungmin sputtered, his eyes going wide, a vibrant blush creeping up his neck. “I s-said I was sorry!”
“Poor thing.” The dancer tsked, shaking his head, his hand steadily lowering. “Another victim of the Claw. I would help, but…unfortunately, I’m heartless.”
“I-I get it, okay? I’m sorry, a-and I’ll never d-do it again, and I already apologized I don’t k-know whatmoreyouwantfromme–” Words were rapidly spilling from his mouth, his eyes going wide as he saw the hand mere inches away from him. He sucked his stomach in, hoping to delay the inevitable while pleas fell endlessly from his lips. “T-this is so childish!”
“Isn’t it just?” Minho mused, his smile softening for a brief moment as he admired his flustered, squirming bandmate. He had gotten over his hurt from the situation, and he could tell the younger was truly deeply remorseful. However, he wouldn’t be Lee Minho if he didn’t get his sweet revenge. “Closer and closer…hungry for sensitive little tummies…”
“B-bastard– I never s-should’ve apologized to– HYUHUHUNG NOHOHO!” Seungmin shrieked, helplessly tugging at his wrists as Minho’s hand descended upon him, clawing playfully at his stomach and vibrating his fingers into the muscle. He tried to arch away from the tortuous feeling, but he only served to press himself further into the older’s hand. “IMSORRYIMSORRYIMSOHOHORRY!”
“Hm…are you really sorry?” Minho teased lowly, raising an eyebrow, swirling his finger in the vocalist’s belly button.
“YEHEHES!”
The dancer finally took mercy, releasing his hold on Seungmin’s wrists and removing his hand, sitting back to admire his work. The vocalist took in heaving breaths, his arms glueing themselves to his stomach, cheeks flushed a cherry red. He tried to glare at Minho, but it only came out as a giddy smile.
“R-remind me to…never t-try to bait you again…” Seungmin wheezed, feeling the residual tingles spark across his body. Minho laughed, nodding along, leaning down to press a kiss to the younger’s cheek, enjoying the way it seemed to only further fluster him.
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