SMALL LITTLE DRABBLE (actually, this isn’t that small)
tw: tickles teehee, and implications/mentions of an eating disorder. you have been warned.
A/N: pizzaburger,,, pizza..,,, burger,,, yummm,,, also imagine 7n7 is a bit chubby for this,,, that’s how I typically write him anyways,,, also hi hello this is my first attempt at writing in a very long time, don’t crucify me (this might be ooc, forgive me) [Lee!007n7, Ler!Elliot]
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“7n7, have you been eating properly?”
The sudden question from Elliot startled the poor man out of his frenzied thoughts, blue eyes widening while a startled gasp flew out of his mouth. His fingers gently adjusted his glasses - something he always seemed to do when he was nervous - and quickly waved the question down, as if he was trying to play it off.
“Are you…worried about me?” 7n7 responded with a shake of his voice, clearly not expecting the pizza delivery guy to be concerned. He knew their history with one another. Deep down, he knew he was upset at both him and his kid for burning down the restaurant — rightfully so, he might add. And with the way he seemed to brush him off during the matches didn’t seem to help either.
But this felt different. It felt sincere, which was odd since regularly, Elliot tended to ignore the latter.
“Don’t respond with a question, idiot. You’ve been… slowing down during matches, and I don’t see you in the hall that often. So have you or have you not been eating?”
7n7’s face seemed to drop, giving Elliot the answer he needed. Truth be told, he had been skipping out on eating with the other survivors; there’s been a lot on his mind, after all. His… unfortunate relationships with the other survivors, how he was getting out of this purgatory and of course, the big one:
It was only a few days in when he realized that his son was in this place with him, which meant quite a few things. He had never thought that he’d be the enemy, though, and it’s sent him on multiple spirals downward. He would rather not bother anyone else with this information though so he kept it to himself. There’s no harm in what people don’t know, right?
“It’s no big deal.” He responded weakly, his lips thinning into a straight line. The way his expression dulled sent shivers down Elliot’s spine. It was clear that 7n7’s done this before, though it was unclear if anyone had been able to see through his rather lackluster performance.
“Don’t give me that bullshit excuse, 7!” Elliot snapped back, blue eyes sharply piercing through his soul. With the way the older one flinched, he realized that he may have scared him a little. He didn’t want that; he just… he had a hard time communicating with the memories of their past echoing through his ears.
Shit. Was that a bit too harsh?
“Let me… try this again,” he collected himself with a soft whisper, a hand carding through his blonde hair. 7n7 could only stare — despite the roughness of Elliot’s tone, he knew that he was only trying to do what was best for him. It made his heart beat a little faster considering this was the first time in quite a while that someone had attempted to communicate and care with the ex-hacker.
“Sorry for… snapping at you. I just… you look a lot thinner than you used to.“ 7n7 was a little surprised that the other had paid so much attention to his health despite well, not paying attention to him at all. Sure, he may have expected this out of someone like Guest or Shedletsky. Those two were always very casual with him despite knowing what he’s done, but having someone who he hurt have some sort of forgiveness, even if it wasn’t whole, was a start in the right direction.
“It’s nice to know someone else is keeping an eye on me,” 7n7 nodded slightly as his lips turned up into a soft smile. He then paused for a moment, looking down at his frame; had he lost weight? His eyesight wasn’t as good as it used to, considering he didn’t have his old prescription glasses. “…though it doesn’t look like I’m any different. Unless you’re seeing something I can’t.”
Elliot’s mind wandered, along with his own eyes, at 7n7’s waist. Of course he could see it. Working in the food industry for so long made him very keen to details. His hands absentmindedly advanced toward his middle, fingers curling around the skin there.
“See, right here. I can almost feel your bone if I press down like this.” And with that statement, a high-pitched squeal escaped 7n7’s mouth. It seemed Elliot was a little too worried about his condition to stop and wonder what the hell was happening though. He could feel 007n7’s skin tremble against him. Small titters and squeaks escaped his mouth, as much as he tried to keep it back, and the hacker’s hands went to wrap around Elliot’s own gently.
How gentle he was, 7n7 thought.
“Elliot—“ 7n7 breathed out, his lips curved upward into a wobbly smile. His pale face tinted with a hint of embarrassment, the pink flushing nicely against his complexion. His grip tightened a bit when the delivery boy looked up. It was a sight to behold, really.
He didn’t think someone who had done him so wrong in the past could look so… ah, what’s the word?
“You alright? I’m not hurting you, am I?” An involuntary smile etched across Elliot’s face, and for a split second, he found himself wanting more of 7n7’s own. He was supposed to hate this man — but when he stared at him for a split second longer than he was supposed to, the image of who he once knew never came to mind. Not like this, at least.
“N-No, you’re… fihihine.” 7n7’s words were laced with soft giggles, his body trying its best to stay still in case he accidentally hurt the guy while squirming. A beat of time passed, and Elliot’s eyes widened in realization. A small smirk graced his face; he was definitely going to use this to his advantage.
“Oh? Ticklish, are we?” Elliot purred teasingly, his fingers more deliberate in where they pressed. Right between the soft flesh, right below his ribs, nowhere was safe from his fingers. The pinches were driving 7n7 mad, yet the only thing he could do was just keep giggling. It felt nice, though he wouldn’t ever admit that out loud.
“Y-Yohohou…! E-Elliot, p-plehehase..”
“Nuh-uh-uh,” came the quick response from Elliot, squeezing him only a bit tighter. “I want you to start eating in the hall with all the other survivors, do you understand? I’m not gonna sit here and watch you do this to yourself.”
“Ihihihi— I cahahan’t promise thahahat!” 7n7 retorted back, knees threatening to buckle underneath him. Elliot only took that as a challenge. He was going to get 7n7 to agree to these conditions, even if he had to tickle it out of him.
“Oh? Is that so?” A sly tone crept into Elliot’s words, making 7n7’s face turn a slight darker pink. His fingers never stopped their dance, never more than a feather-like touch gracing the tips. For whatever reason, it seemed to be getting the most out of 7n7 anyways; why fix what isn’t broken?
“Mheheh— hehehHEHE…” 7n7 couldn’t even answer him back. He was too lost in his own giggling to even comprehend what was happening anymore. It had been a while since he let go like this. Last time he could even recall being tickled like this was with Noli.
“Awh,” Elliot cooed, expression softening as his hands dipped underneath 7n7’s shirt, kneading at the soft flesh underneath. He started gently pinching and squeezing the rolls of his torso, making him writhe and squirm hysterically. He noticed the way his hands curled, as if they were unsure of where to go, but didn’t really try to push him away. “Where’s that threatening aura you used to have in your hacking days, huh? Still have that?”
7n7 went to answer him, to tell him that he had found a new purpose besides hacking and had completely lost that ‘threatening aura’ but the shriek that left his mouth left both of them speechless. The other’s hands had wandered a bit too far up, finding themselves underneath 7n7’s arms. A devious chuckle escaped Elliot as he tapped his fingers a few more times. “Oh, look at this… a bad spot?”
“Wahahait— Elliot, plehehease!” Oh, so he was begging deliberately now. Hmm. Elliot pondered, clearly exaggerating in his facial expressions; he was acting as if the one underneath him was a child. His fingers barely moved.
After hearing Elliot’s resignation, 7n7 let out a soft sigh. He watched as the other slowly pulled his hands away. The tint on his cheeks couldn’t get any brighter, and if he continued, he was sure to lose his mind for real. But all that went down the drain when the delivery guy shot his hands back underneath there, poking and prodding away.
“WAHAHAIT!” The poor ex-hacker dissolved into loud laughter, and it shook Elliot to the core.
Stay focused, Elliot, stay focused. You’re only doing this because you need him to eat and stay alive. Not because he’s oddly adorable right in front of you.
Tears pricked at the corner of 7n7’s eyes, and sometimes, if Elliot hit the right spot, his nose would scrunch up too. His hands actively tried to push him away now, despite being too weak to fight back in the first place while his arms clamped his hands shut in his armpits. “C’mon, 7, you know what to do to make this allllll stop.”
“I— ohohoho, mmpfh—“ 7n7 bit his lip. He was about to swear, but he had made it a habit not to swear in front of his kid most days. Even though C00lkid wasn’t really around anymore, old habits die hard as they say. Speaking of dying hard… 7n7 was sure that Elliot was going to straight up murder him if he continued. “I cahahan’t!” he protested again, legs kicking out with futile fervor.
“Yes, you can. And you will. Unless you want to be tickled foreverrrr~” Elliot leaned down closer to him, his breath just gently brushing over his face. His glasses were fogging ever so slightly with how much he was laughing, and he could only barely see the teasing glare of the pizza boy sitting on top of him.
“I’ll give you five more seconds before I tickle you until you give in. You ready?” Elliot watched the panic spread across his face.
“Elliot, plehehehase. I c-can’t take it.” 7n7’s body jerked upward, trying to buck him off but found he could do nothing about his fate.
“Ehehhelliot, I’m serious— you’re gohohonna kihihill me—!”
“Three~” Elliot’s fingers tapped his armpit slightly, making a jolt run through his body. He noted the small snort that left his mouth, one that was waaay too cute not to hear again. Yeah, 7n7 was embarrassed out of his mind but at least it wasn’t too bad. It could’ve been another embarrassing high-pitched squeal.
“I-I’m sohohorry?” 7n7 pleaded, knowing that if didn’t speak up now, he was in for a world full of hurt. Or tickles, rather.
“Hmm… too late for that now. You had your chance. Five!”
Elliot dug into his flesh, showing no mercy… even when the other man started hysterically laughing. He was sure one of the other survivors would eventually hear them making so much noise in the background but he didn’t care. Why world he? This was for his well-being after all. 7n7’s hands gripped him tighter, actually using a bit of force to try and shove him off this time.
“Ah, ah,” he chided, swiftly pinning him back down by digging his digits back into his armpit. The way 7n7 surrendered to the laughter and threw his head back made his chest warm inside. “C’mon, now. Say it~ say, ‘I will eat in the dining hall with everyone else tonight.’”
7n7’s chest heaved up and down, his belly bouncing with each cackle that escaped him. His shirt was riding up a bit with the way Elliot’s arms were snaked underneath it, and he knew from the expression on his face that he was at his limit.
“EHEHELLIOT—! TOO MUHUHUCH! HAHAHAHAHAH-!”
Elliot abruptly stopped when he heard that he had went a bit overboard, his hands stilling immediately. His overbearing healer instincts locked in as he stared down at the sweating, wide-smiled man.
“Shoot… y-you alright, man? I didn’t mean to go overboard.” He asked softly as he gently started to rub at the places he had been tickling, making sure to keep it gentle and smooth.
“Y-Yeah, f-fine,” he panted out a reply, giving him a short thumbs up to signal that he was completely fine. A little spent and exhausted, but still fine.
What was Elliot even thinking, tickling him like this to get him to eat? Oh dear, now he’s gonna think he’s a weirdo. Thoughts rushed through the pizza boy’s mind as he watched 7n7 sit up. He hadn’t realized that he was still sitting on his waist which he quickly got off of upon realizing.
That was fun, 7n7 wanted to say — but kept quiet. He stood up, dusting himself off as the red tint never left his face.
His head turned. “Yea, 7?”
“…I’ll see you at the dining hall.”
And with that, 7n7 turned around to leave, his hands absentmindedly fiddling with each other. Elliot’s expression faded into surprise, then subtle amusement.
Yeah, I’ll see you there buddy.
