Doors
Harley screws with Leith for the last time (2509 words)
tw: for revenge tickles and intense tickles. There are some really sweet tickles in here too though.
Could be a ship, could not be, up to the reader :)
The head of innovations sipped his little mug of coffee, mindlessly skimming some documents on one of the signature Playtime co clipboards. Really, he was zoned out as he walked through the maze that was this toy factory.
He could do it with his eyes closed by now. He knew every door, every turn, every beam in this place. There wasn't a single thing in this place that could surprise him.
He put on a practiced smile as some kids ran by him, giggling with their catbee plushies. If it was up to him, he'd move the coffee machine closer to his office. He had to walk half a mile just for coffee! Not only that, but he had to walk through playcare as well! He had debated talking to someone about it but...that would mean fighting stella over the machine. She was a freaking nut, he didn't wanna even think about that. Maybe he should just buy his own. That would solve this whole problem for both parties.
He walked through a large doorway, eyes seeming to look past this very plane of reality when they caught a hint of moving color coming from the side of the doorway.
"GAH!" He flinched back, dropping both his clipboard and his still half full coffee mug
Preston jumped back, not having expected that reaction from the head of innovations. He didn't say anything, seeing that the head of innovations looked positively PISSED.
"Preston! what in the...why I outta throw your biologist butt out here!" He snapped at the man while running a hand over his face, hands shaking slightly. Not only was he now on edge but also embarrassed he had reacted with such animation. "Clean this up" he muttered and gestured to the scattered papers and spilled coffee.
Preston stood there, still trying to understand what he had even done wrong. He opened his mouth to respond but Pierre was already walking towards his office, quick to get out of the situation. He huffed and bent down to pick up the papers. His logs would be hearing about this.
As Leith left, he failed to notice the second scientist not far from the scene of the crime. The grin that split the usually stoic head of the bigger bodies initiative's face was one of pure childish mischief. So, Pierre was jump scare sensitive? Oh, how delightful.
...
The next few days were dedicated to studying and memorizing Leith's routine. Of course, Harley wasn't wasting perfectly good research time, he was so far ahead of schedule he could simply not do anything for weeks and still be ahead.
Technically, he wasn't supposed to be able to get into the security system but...well...
Okay, no need to think about that, he was Harley freaking Sawyer, he'd do what he wanted.
...
After two days, Harley knew everything about Leith's schedule. Even down to his bathroom schedule. Oh, this was gonna be good! The scientist found himself feeling almost giddy at the thought of screwing with Leith. It was...weird. But not entirely unwelcome at the moment.
Harley stationed himself behind a door in the hallway leading to Leith's favorite coffee machine. 3:12, perfect timing.
Leith hummed to himself as he walked through the doorway. His day was going great, which made Harley even more excited. Just as Leith's foot went through the door, Harley moved to stand in front of him.
Leith jumped back with a high-pitched screech, "HaRleY! " He clutched his chest while he tried to steady his breathing "what...what the hell" he panted.
Harley smirked, walking past Leith, "afternoon Pierre." He muttered with the most innocent tone he could muster, holding back uncharacteristic chuckles.
At 4:15, Harley positioned himself behind an open door heading into the break room where Leith had his lunch. When he heard footsteps approaching the room, he snickered and had to cover his mouth to stop them. Oh, this was too fun.
When he caught glimpse of Leith's shoulder, he reached out and tapped it. Leith yelped and tried to wack at the hand fearfully.
Harley walked out and gave Leith a look of mock sympathy, "Oh? Pierre, did I frighten you? I apologize." Leith could feel the smirk in Harley's words when he walked out with his sandwich, glaring at the head of the bigger bodies initiative.
Then at 5:21, Harley stood behind the door leading to Leith's office. The man's break was MEANT to start at 5:25, but Leith would leave for it early.
The door opened and Harley moved to scare Leith once again but this time, instead of getting a pleasing yell of fear from the jumpy man, he got a firm shoulder grab and was drug into the office. Harley yelled, grabbing Leith's arm with both of his hands to dislodge the hold, but he wasn't as strong as his captor.
"Hey! Leith, wait, what are you-you insolent-LET ME GO" Harley yelled. Listening to him, Leith pushed him into a chair, letting him go to sit behind his desk, arms folded.
"Sawyer...I have quite the bone to pick with you." The older man muttered bitterly, "I've noticed you've developed quite the bad habit as of late."
The scientist narrowed his eyes as if he was the one who should be mad, "what the hell, Leith? You've likely broken hundreds of capillaries beneath my skin." He scoffed and checked his shoulder for bruises.
Leith rolled his eyes at Harley's dramatics, "care to explain the sudden rise in..." He glanced away and cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed, "disruptive behaviors?"
Harley suddenly smirked and leaned back in the wooden chair he had been forced into, "disruptive behaviors? I partake in no such activities."
Despite his usual professionalism, Harley seemed quite...playful? No, no, it had to be something else. Right?
Leith eyed the man in the lab coat for a long moment in utter disbelief. He had never seen Harley act this unprofessional. "Sawyer, I know you know what you've been doing. And I don't appreciate it. I would like it if you'd cease the behavior entirely."
Harley smirked wider, playing coy. "What have I done again? I cannot seem to recall." He held back a chuckle at the angry red that spread across Leith's face.
"Harley...I swear to playtime..." He stood up slowly. He let out an angry scoff when Harley STUCK OUT HIS TOUNGE at him.
The younger man stood up, looking like he was ready to bolt to screw with Leith even more. However, before he could even get two steps towards the door, he was yanked backwards by his lab coat and fell flat on his back onto the wooden floor of Leith's office.
"I'll do what I should've done to you the first time you pulled that dirty trick." Leith told the younger man with a...was that a smile? Harley almost gagged at the sight of it.
"You! I'll make you wish you were never boROHOHO LEITH!" Harley began to cackle as Leith's fingers assaulted his sensitive underarms. He tried to twist away, but Leith followed him wherever he went.
Leith may have hated this man with every fiber in his being...but he had to admit, he laughed like a little kid. Deeper, for sure, but with the same senseless energy and giddiness.
"You're gonna do WHAT to me, Sawyer? I'm sorry, I didn't catch the end of your threat." Leith told him with obvious tease in his voice. His fingers began to work together, moving in the same patterns even in different armpits and it had Harley in stiches.
Even though there was no way Harley was gonna make a coherent sentence come out of his mouth through his cackles, he tried to force one. "LEIEHEHEHEHEHTH! IHI'LL K-K-K-HEHHAHA! WAITWAITWAIHAHAHT!" His back arched and his right foot began to stomp on the tiled floor beneath them "GAHAHA NO NOHOHO PITS GETOUTOFTHEPITS PFHT"
Leith chuckled, enjoying the sight of his revenge working exactly as he planned it to. "No pits? But Sawyer, I love the pits! I can't just leave them." He leaned closer to Harley's face and gave him a mock sympathetic smile, "do you really want no more pits?"
Normally, Harley wouldn't even entertain something such as this, but he was desperate. He could handle some tickling if it was ANYWHERE BUT THERE. So, he nodded profusely, "NOHAHAHAOW!"
The older man clicked his tongue in mock disappointment. "Now Sawyer, that isn't a very polite way to ask for no pitties. Try again." He told him, having to talk slightly louder to be heard over the cackles.
Harley grunted...well, really, it was more of a whine, through his laughter. His head shook. "GEHETOUT!" He yelled and tried to bite Leith's arms to get his fingers out of his armpits. Those stupid fingers were driving him insane. One moment they were skittering, the next pinching the sensitive skin, the next tapping so lightly it almost felt goo-NO, no, we do NOT like this, this is BAD. TORTURE. TERRIBLE.
Leith shook his head with the largest grin the man had ever worn. He really was an evil man. "Maybe try using the word 'please'? Maybe even a 'pretty please'?" He pretended to contemplate for a moment, a detail Harley didn't even notice because the fingers had begun to knead and his cackles had started to be littered with high pitched giggles. "Actually...yes. Say 'pretty please' and I'll move spots. Deal?" Oh, he was sadistic, even according to Harley's standards.
It took about 30 seconds for Harley to give into the demand. The reason it took so long was because he physically couldn't get it out of his mouth. There was zero mental resistance. "PLEASE HAHAAH PREHEHEAHAETTYplease MOHOHOHOOHOVE"
Leith took his dear sweet time moving, but soon, he was skittering his fingers gently along the younger man's neck.
Harley couldn't help the high-pitched giggles that spilled out. This spot was much better than his pits. He still couldn't think, but he thrashed much less and the giggles hurt his throat much less than cackling did. For a moment, he almost enjoyed it. He relaxed into the floor, his head tilted back, his eyes closed, and his lips twitched upwards just a hint.
Leith used every tickle technique in the book for this spot. Gentle wiggles that made Harley scrunch up his shoulders, little pokes that earned him a snort (oh he loved that), tracing that made Harley melt and close his eyes. If he had a feather, this would be when he pulled it out.
Wait-why had he been mad again? He almost forgot he was meant to be mad at this man. Well...it was hard to be mad at a giggly guy such as himself, even if he had scared him.
Leith let his grin warm up into a smile at the scientist's giggles, his eyebrow arching when he squeaked. "Better?" He asked softly.
Harley didn't respond. He was too far gone. His eyes were either closed or glazed over with tears that never fell, his lips were parted just enough to let the lightest giggles slip through, and his brain was just so enjoyably jumbled, he couldn't think about anything, it was only this, only tickles. Yes, that sounded right. Nothing in this world but tickling. Tickle tickle tickle tickling tickles it tickles so much tickly tickly ticklish Harley.
He was brought back to his CORRECT state of mind when he no longer felt fingers tickling him. What? Where did they go? He opened his eyes to see Leith crouching above him, looking halfway worried.
"Hey, Sawyer, you're not dying right?" He asked with genuine concern for the giggling man on the floor.
Harley was silent for a moment, his brain starting back up. He pushed the euphoria away to sneer, "you're an idiot. I am not even close to death. If my body was so weak that it would die from TICKLING, I'd have fixed that flaw years before you even knew my name." Yeah, he was okay. Okay enough to insult others' intelligence that is.
The reaction Harley got from that was not what he had expected. Leith grinned and BOOPED the GROWN MAN'S nose.
"Good, I don't wanna kill yah. Gotta keep you alive for the finale." Wait-what did that
He didn't even get the luxury to finish the thought. Leith had already grabbed his white undershirt, untucked it, and had his face in Harley's belly.
Who knew air could tickle? Certainly not Sawyer.
"pFtFheHeHEHEAhahaHA" the younger man laughed, shocked by the feeling. It wasn't a normal tickle, it felt like little vibrations on his stomach. What tickled more was Leiths excuse for stubble.
Leith blew five little raspberries on the flat tummy before he realized...this didn't tickle him. At all. He lifted his head, looking like a child denied candy. "What the hell..."
Harley looked up at him with a scowl, "you shouldn't have even tried that you moron. You should have just stuck with what you already knew, and that is coming from a scientist." He snapped
Leith scowled back at him. In the cuteness of Harley giggling, he had forgotten why he had even hated him. Now he remembered. He was a class A ass. He shook his head, ready to just kick the man out of his office when his eyes drifted to his desk. He did have a feather. A crappy seagull feather he found in the factory parking lot, but still a feather. Maybe one more tickle. For revenge of course.
He leaned forward and snatched the feather, now holding it above Harley's stupid face with a smirk. "Then I will stick to what I know."
The feather landed on Harley's neck softly. It fluttered around, dancing on his skin oh so beautifully. His hands came up the grab the feather and get it away, but Leith caught his wrists and kept them out of the way.
"No fighting Sawyer. This neck is mine and you won't stop me." He muttered triumphantly.
Once again, Harley found himself at the mercy of tickles for minutes on end. The feather was his demise. His nerves made a point to show him just how much they hated him by making him so ticklish.
Minutes later, when Harley had finally stopped giggling and started wheezing, Leith stopped. He didn't make Harley get up right away, he just let him lay there for a moment to catch his breath.
Leith had never saw Harley as anything more than a brain to use. He was smart. That was all he had seen. But right now...he saw a TICKLISH brain. One that seemed to enjoy having his head in a lap.
That is right folks, the great Harley Sawyer was half asleep with his head resting in Leith's lap. Leith couldn't help but smile at the scene. It was, after all, adorable. The perfect aftercare for a man just tickled half to death.
Man, he really hoped Harley would get mischievous again.
