Untangle the Cat
[Note: This is a DeltaRune Tickle Fanfic. It also includes a bit of PolyMikes towards the Ending.
Amount of Words: Over 2,6k.
Summary: Taking too long with gathering Materials for the Conspiracy Board, Battat and Jongler set out to search for Pluey - only to find him having gotten himself tangled up in a rather silly Situation quite literally. Now it is up to them to free their feline Friend of the Yarnstrings holding him imprisoned.]
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"Pluey!"
"Plues! Pspspsps!"
The Voices of two Darkners called out inside the long Hallways of the TV Studio which was accompanied by the Noise of Footsteps and hopping. Currently, they both were in Search of their fellow Friend, one who was tasked by the green Pippins to retrieve some Supplies from the Storage Room for the Conspiracy Board in the Mike Room, seeing how Materials for it were starting to run low.
First, 10 Minutes passed, then 15, before finally after the 20 Minute Mark, the smallest of the three Darkners got tired of waiting for the Shadowguy to return, his Impatience driving him to leave the Room and drag his Zapper Pal along with him.
It would be obvious as to were the Shadowguy in Question could most likely be found, but just in case, both Darkners made sure to call out his Name, considering that Pluey was... well, Pluey. With his Mischief, he could be unpredictable at the most random of Times and with that, appear at the most random of Places. Last Time when they needed him for a different kind of Matter and looked for him, he somehow wound up stuck in the Ceiling of the Green Room. They still don't know to this Day how he managed to accomplish that Feat, to be frank.
"Pspspsps! Plues!"
"Why are you "pspsps"ing at him?!", grumbling, Battat pinched the Bridge of his Nose, stopping in his Tracks for a Moment, "He's a grown Shadowguy, not a Pet, for crying out loud!"
At that, Jongler hesitantly rubbed the back of their Neck, glancing towards Battat, "Well, uhh... Plues' a Cat when he's dressed up as Mike, ain't he? So, I's just thought since Cats react to being "pspsps"ed at, Plues woulds too. In Theory.".
Green Eyes focused on the taller Darkner once the Word "Theory" dropped into their Conversation. Then, only after a few Seconds...
"Pspsps, Pluey! Come out!" Yep, that was apparently enough to convince Dice Boy to try out that Method as well.
"Pspspsps! Plues-"
"♪!"
A happy Jazz-like Note suddenly sounded from one of the nearby Rooms, causing Battat and Jongler to swiftly turn towards the Direction from which the Noise came from.
"Pluey?"
"♫!"
Another happy musical Note informed the two Darkners of the Shadowguy's exact Location: The Storage Room. Figures.
Heading towards the Door, the green Pippins wasted no Time with pressing down the Door Handle and entering the Room-
"Pluey, what the Hell is takin' ya so long with-"
- only for his Words to immediately get stuck in his Mouth upon seeing the Reason which explained the Shadowguy's sudden Absence.
On the Floor laid Pluey, a Bunch of pink String tangled around his Body, yet he stayed cheerful as ever. His right Arm was bent and pinned to his Chest, his left Arm pressed against his Side and his Legs were tangled up by the pink Yarn too, the Rest of the Yarnball in Question stationed right next to his left Leg. The only Body Part currently free of this self-made Trap was the Tail of his Mike Costume which energetically wagged from left to right as he casually stared at the Pippins and Zapper Duo.
Battat... was dumbfounded to say the least, the loud Facepalm to his Face reverberating throughout the Storage Room, his Hand slowly dragging down and his Brain already working on creating Theories as to what exactly happened. Once finished piecing the Pieces together, Images played within his Mind: During Pluey's little fetching Quest, he must have spotted a Yarnball on one of the Shelves filled with crafting Materials, thus distracting him from his primary Mission. With a Groan, he glared at the feline Mike.
"Pluey, you Idiot! I gave ya this one simple Task and instead, you go fooling 'round like this! We're losing precious Time figuring out who Mike is 'cause of your Nonsense!"
Pluey didn't seemed phased at Battat's angry yelling, instead electing to innocently blep back at him.
"Cans ya really blame him, Boss? Cats loves playin' with Yarn, ya know?", Jongler stepped in, a sympathetic Tone in their Voice.
Indeed, with Pluey's Cat-like Tendencies, it would be hard to resist the Temptation of playing with a Yarnball once it was placed right in front of him. Plus, it was difficult to stay mad at him when he innocently batted his Eyelashes at the green Pippins like that...
"Uurgh, okay! Fine! Let's just get him outta this Mess, then!"
":-)"
Stepping towards him and sitting down, Battat began to attentively follow along the pink Strings with his Eyes, trying to see if he could spot an Opening somewhere in the tangled Mess. When that didn't work, his Hands carefully traced the soft Yarn, experimentally tugging at them at the Shoulder Area. Doing that, one Thing became apparently clear very quickly:
Whatever Pluey did during his chaotic Playtime caused him to be ensnared rather tightly.
With a Sigh, Battat glanced towards the Shelves, scanning around for some sharp Tools. "Heavens, how'd ya manage to get tangled up this badly? We're gonna need a Pair of Scissors to cut through those Strings-"
"♫♪♬!", a Set of panicked Notes made Battat and Jongler flinch in Surprise, catching them off-guard.
"Whadya mean "Don't cut them!"? It's gonna be way faster this way!"
":-("
"Uuh, Boss?", Jongler hopped over towards the two, now also kneeling down, "I's thinks I know why. Dat's Plues favourite Yarnball."
Pluey's Pout pretty much confirmed that Suspicion, his Puppy (or rather, Kitty) Face aimed directly at Battat, big sad Eyes staring right up at him.
"Alright! Alright! We're not gonna cut 'em! Stop starin' at me like that!"
"♫!" Aaaaand there was that happy Smile again.
"Gonna have to do this the tedious way, then.", the green Die imitated the Motion of rolling up his Sleeves before readjusting his sitting Position, a determined Expression etched onto his Face, "Don't go start complainin' if ya get bored halfway through, though."
Once properly seated, Battat began his first Attempt of digging his Hand into the tangled Mess, aiming right for the Area of Pluey's Torso. He thinks he might have felt a more loose Thread of the Yarnball, so he makes an Attempt to wrap his Fingers around the long Material - only for the feline Mike to suddenly jolt into himself out of nowhere, causing the green Die to retract his Hand as if burned and lose Sight of the String in the process.
"Pluey! Da Hell was that?!"
"I's think youse might have startled him, Boss."
"♪-♪...", some apologetic-sounding Notes jumped into the Air as Pluey slowly uncurled himself, Cat Ears standing straight up.
"Just stay still, okay? I'm trying to help here, Idiot!" Annoyed, the green Pippins dove his Hand back into the pink Strings, trying to get a hold on a loose Thread once more with his nimble Fingers. Yet, the same Thing happened again like before, with Pluey squirming around like a Fish on dry Land.
"Pluey, what did I just say-"
"♫♬♪♪-!"
This Time, Notes sounding akin to surprised giggling danced out of the Mouth of the Shadowguy, Torso continuing to wiggle and squirm around.
With wide Eyes, Battat halted the Movement of his Hand, curled Fingers keeping a steady Grip around a pink Thread he managed to grab onto despite everything just now. Once his green Irises flickered over towards the Area he targeted, he immediately took Note of two peculiar Details: For one, his Fingers which currently lingered against Pluey's right Side were lightly pressing into that Spot, and two, Pluey's sudden squirming appeared to have somewhat loosened the messy Tangle of Threads overall, giving a bit more Room to move and pull them.
If Battat could manifest Lightbulbs out of thin Air, there would definitely be one hovering above his Head right now with the Idea he just got.
"Hey, uhm, Jongler?", he glanced over to his taller Darkner Friend, "Mind if ya sit down by Pluey's Legs and squeeze 'em for me?"
Quizzically, the white Line on their Face raised up. "Uuh, why's exactly, Boss?"
"Just do as I say, ya Knucklehead! I have a Plan, trust me!"
Shrugging their Shoulders, Jongler calmly kneeled down and gently took ahold of Cat Mike's Legs with their gloved Hands. Promptly, Palms began to rhythmically squeeze and knead into the latter's Calves which was quickly followed up by Battat joining in and swiftly scribbling his Fingers against the furry Suit.
"♪♬♫♬~!!"
The Reaction was instantanous, with a harmonic Squeal ripping from Pluey's Throat while his Body twisted and wriggled around on the Floor, Notes resembling giddy Laughter dancing and bouncing through the Air. Simultaneously, the green Pippins tugged on the pink Strings with his free Hand which unraveled some Spots slightly more and more, his other Hand focused with applying Pokes and Prods against the ticklish Ribs of the fake Mike.
"Aha! I knew it!", Battat announced with a victorious Grin to which Jongler turned their Head towards him, "His wriggling is indeed helping with loosening the Strings! My Theory proved to be correct!"
The tall Zapper continued with gently kneading their gloved Palms into Pluey's Shins, slowly and gradually traveling up to target his Knees next which earned them some squeaky and giggly Sounds. "Ooh. So dat's what we're doin'."
"Wh-", being so caught off-guard, Battat actually stopped everything with what he was doing in order to glare at Jongler with an incredulous Expression, "What do ya think we were doing all along, ya Fool?! Tickling Pluey for the Fun of it, huh?!"
"Well-", the blue Darkner nonchalantly tilted their Head at the green Darkner, "- Plues' clearly havin' Fun with it, so dat's what I's assumed. Dat we're alls havin' Fun."
"♬♫♪~!"
Indeed, Pluey seemed to be having the Time of his Life, considering he was currently purring up a Storm like a happy and content Cat would, still giddily laughing and guffawing all the way along too.
Battat quietly observed the Scene in front of him before letting out a Scoff, his Brows furrowing. "W-whatever! Just get back to helping him! 'Cuse that's what we're actually doing! Helping him!", he hastily sputtered out, moreso to distract himself from what Jongler mentioned lastly and force himself to refocus his Attention back onto Pluey. His Cheeks were definitely not gaining a more warm, pinkish Hue from the Zapper's Observation, no siree.
"♫-!!"
A sharp and shrill Note cut loudly through the Air as a Hand dug into Pluey's left Armpit, agile Fingers clawing and tracing against the Hollow there and sending ticklish Jolts through his Nerves.
That Noise set the small Die's Mind back on Track seeing how his free Hand worked on pulling some pink Threads around the Shadowguy's Arm, untangling them more bit by bit. Though, Progress halted once Pluey pressed his left Arm tightly against his Side out of Reflex, trapping the Strings underneath it.
"Pluey!", Battat scoffed again, however he couldn't help the slightly playful Tone in his Voice that slipped out of his Mouth just now, "You gotta work with me here, Buddy! Don't make this any harder on us than it hasta be!" Using his Hand which was not trapped against Pluey's Arm, the green Pippins slipped it under the Feline's Chin and firmly scritched his Fingers against that Spot, soon slipping down towards his Neck.
"♬♫♬♬♪♫~!!" With jumbled and bubbly Laughter-filled Notes, Pluey instinctively scrunched his Shoulder up towards his Neck and thus released Battat's Hand, the latter seizing the Chance to tug at the soft Strings which in turn unraveled the ones snared around the former's left Arm.
Even more disorderly and screechy Notes erupted from the cackling Shadowguy as Jongler planted their gloved Hands onto his Hips, regularly squeezing into them and making him throw his Head back with renewed Laughter everytime their Thumbs pressed into an especially ticklish Spot there.
"♪♪♫♬- ♪♫!!"
Soon, with each Minute that ticked away, Pluey resembled more and more of a fidgety Mermaid, given that Battat appeared to be much more efficient with the Task of untangling him than Jongler was, Strings continuing to hold and bind his Legs together. Noticing this, the tall Zapper slipped their gloved Hands underneath one of the fake Mike's Knees in an Attempt to dislodge a lot of pink Thread there at once.
"♪♫♪~!!", a funny Snort-sounding Noise followed by chaotic cackling ripped from Pluey's Throat as the wriggling behind his Knee caused him to curl inwards.
"Whoops, sorry, Plues. Lemme just...", with a sympathetic Tone, Jongler carried on with digging their Fingers around before eventually managing to properly curl them around the tangly Mess of Strings. Giving them a firm Pull, they gradually gave away enough and opened up enough Room to yank them off, finally freeing the silly Shadowguy of his self-made Trap.
"Dere!", the Zapper proudly declared while holding onto the Rest of the pink Strings, them catching the green Pippin's Attention who now also stopped with administering ticklish Touches.
"♪~!", a giggly yet happy Note was voiced by the feline Mike as he slowly sat up on the Floor with the Help of Battat.
Gathering up the soft Yarn on the Ground and around Pluey together with Jongler, the short Darkner still went out of his way to aim an annoyed Pout at the smiling Shadowguy. "I swear, ya better make this not a Habit! 'Cuse next Time, I surely won't have the Patience to-"
Suddenly, two furry Arms wrapped around the two Darkners each and swiftly pulled them close towards the feline Mike. With their Heads close enough, Pluey proceeded to nuzzle his Cheek against that of Jongler and Battat as a Gesture of Gratitude, a cheerful Expression shown on his own Face while a few happy Notes bounced in the Air.
This little Action caused the Colouration of Battat's and Jongler's Face to change into a much more pinkish Hue, Warmth building up within in.
"Aww, Plues! 'Course we're glads to help.", a bashful Tone made itself present in the Zapper's Voice who scratched the Side of their Head with one Finger as a flustered Gesture.
The small Pippins still processed for a few more Seconds what was happening, his Face having grown the Colour of a Tomato at this point. "A-Alright, Pluey! That's enough, ya Dork!", embarrassed, he hastily shoved Pluey's Face away from his own, the latter blepping mischievously at him afterwards, "You caused enough Chaos for today as is!"
All three lingered on the Floor for a few more Moments, until...
"Oh, Mike~!", an all too familiar Voice called out, making the three jolt up in Alert. Tenna's Voice. "Where are you, my little Pluey~? Those Antennas of mine won't massage themselves, you know~?"
"Crud, the Boss! Pluey, that's your Cue!" In a Panic, Battat, Jongler and Pluey scrambled up from the Ground, the feline Mike in Question ready to hurry off in order to meet the Demands of the large TV Boss.
However, just before leaving, Pluey quickly placed a gentle Kiss on Jongler's and Battat's Face, most likely to show that he was still grateful for them not destroying his favourite Yarnball and taking the Time to untangle him. Then, he hurried out through the Door.
"Whu-", Battat stammered with wide Eyes, his Mind working Overtime to catch up and process the Interaction just now. Green Hands smacked over his flushed Face, a flustered Groan being muffled by them. "This Shadowguy! I swear!"
Jongler, with their own flushed Face, couldn't help but let out an endeared Chuckle. "Yeahs, but he's our Shadowguy."
A small Smile tugged on the Corners of the Pippin's Mouth which he tried to hide by turning his Head away. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's just clean this Mess up and gather the Materials. We still got some theorizing to do."
