A Gentleman's Introduction To Tickling
A/N: I’m still a fan of the idea that characters - being from a noble family - don’t know about the concept of tickling, never having received that kind of affection. So, these three were perfect for that one. Number 28 - Unknown Sensation - of @vqler's Tickletober prompt list of 2025 ft. Louis, William and Albert from Yuukoku no Moriarty.
Words: 1,065 words under the cut
Albert sat hunched over a desk, eyes narrowed at the neat stack of documents he had been laboring through since morning. His usually immaculate posture was drooping now, shoulders tight and eyebrows drawn with fatigue. Even someone as poised as him could grow weary. He let out a long sigh, leaning back against his chair.
"Brother?" The soft, familiar voice came from the doorway, making him look up for the first time in a while. Louis stood there, hands loosely tucked behind his back, observing him with a gentle smile. Albert glanced up with a tired sigh. "Yes Louis?" “You’ve been sitting like that for hours,” Louis said, stepping in quietly. “You should take a break.”
Albert allowed himself a small smile. “I’d like to, but I still have these reports.” The other was already moving behind him, hands slipping over Albert’s shoulders. “Just a minute. I give these to William all the time. Trust me.” With some hesitation, Albert let his eyes fall shut and allowed Louis’s hands to begin working at the knots in his shoulders.
At first, it was wonderful - the pressure was just right, his fingers felt warm, but then- “Ah!” Albert jolted with a sharp squeak, blinking in surprise. Louis paused mid-press, and though the other couldn’t see his expression, a tiny smirk was already curling on Louis’s lips. "Your hands… feel rather odd," Albert said, clearing his throat with a touch of embarrassment.
"My apologies," the younger said, though his tone didn’t sound apologetic in the slightest. “Maybe it would help if you laid down properly. You’ll be more comfortable that way.” Albert hesitated. “…I suppose that’s reasonable.”
He got up and Louis helped guide him towards the bed, and Albert obediently stretched out face-down across it, sighing with relief at the softness beneath him. He hadn’t realized how stiff he was until now. As he rested, he felt Louis crouch down near his feet, beginning to undo his shoelaces.
"What are you doing now?" he asked as he felt his shoes being tugged off. Louis’s voice was innocent. “You’ll relax better without them.” Before he could respond, the bedroom door creaked open, and William stepped in, looking at the duo. His eyes flicked from Louis to Albert and back, one blonde eyebrow raised.
Louis’s smile widened and he made eye contact with the other. “William,” he said sweetly, “would you mind helping me with something? Our dear brother’s terribly tense and I think he needs... a different kind of release.” Albert propped himself up slightly, sensing something odd in Louis’s tone. “Louis?” But William only smiled, closing the door behind him.
“Of course. I’d be happy to assist.” Albert watched in confusion as William approached and crouched at the foot of the bed. Louis climbed up, straddling his upper back, placing his hands gently against Albert’s ribs. “Wait- What are you-?” Albert began, but then Louis’s fingers wiggled ever so slightly. A strange noise escaped him. “H-Heh- Louis, what-?”
Then William’s fingers descended onto his socked feet and everything went downhill from there. "Wh-What in the world?! AH-HAHA! W-Wait! WILLIAM! L-LOUIS!" Laughter burst out of Albert like water through a cracked dam. His back arched slightly, but Louis shifted with him, keeping him pinned.
William calmly held his ankles down as his fingers skittered up and down the arches of his feet. “Wh-What is this? What are you doing to me?! HAHA S-STOHOP, THAT TICKLES!” Louis laughed softly. “Exactly.” “You’ve never been tickled before, have you Albert?” William asked, his tone unhurried, yet teasing. “I suppose nobles aren’t really raised with things like this.”
“T-TICKLED?! IS THAT- HAHHAHAA IS THAT WHAT THIS IS?!” Louis leaned forward slightly, using his thumbs to press gently into Albert’s sides, drawing loud peals of laughter. “It’s something siblings do when they’re close,” he said, “you should feel honored.”
“I-I DO NOT FEEL H-HOHONORED!” Albert squirmed, red-faced, as William’s fingers sneaked under the arch of his foot again. “YOU DEVILIS!” “Oh, come now,” William teased, his calm voice barely concealing his amusement, “you’re always so dignified. Consider this... as acting like a child for once~”
Louis reached higher, fingers digging lightly into Albert’s ribs, eliciting a sharp squeal. “S-S-STOP IT! I C-CAHAHN’T B-BREATHE!” he laughed all while twenty fingers were scribbling and scratching over his seemingly most-sensitive spots.
His dark hair was tousled now, cheeks flushed pink. The image of the composed nobleman was nowhere to be seen - in its place was their older brother, laughing freely, eyes scrunched and helplessly writhing beneath their combined attack. “I think he likes it,” Louis commented with a grin.
Albert shouted something unintelligible into the pillow, but his laughter betrayed him. William chuckled. “You’re welcome.” After several more moments of relentless tickling - William focusing on toes and arches while Louis wiggled his fingers along Albert’s ribs and underarms - the eldest Moriarty finally collapsed against the mattress, panting.
“E-Enough! That’s... That’s quite enough...” The younger two relented, and for a while, the room was filled with the sound of Albert catching his breath. His hair was a mess, his shirt was wrinkled, and yet, he looked lighter somehow - relaxed in a way neither of them had seen before.
Finally, he pushed himself up, sitting on the edge of the bed with an indignant huff. “You two... you’re so goofy sometimes,” he muttered. But his lips curled slightly, and there was something soft in his eyes. “Still... I do feel rather refreshed.” Louis beamed. “Told you it works.”
Albert’s gaze moved to the pair - both smirking, satisfied, and far too smug for their own good. “I see. Is this how you two spend your time when I’m not around?” “Sometimes,” William replied coolly, “it’s good for bonding.” Albert stood up, straightening his shirt, looking like he might return to his usual refined self - until a glint appeared in his eye.
Slowly, deliberately, he began wiggling his fingers at them. “I suppose… it’s only fair that you two experience this ‘bonding’ now as well.” Louis’s eyes widened. “Wait, Albert-” “Brother, surely you wouldn’t-” William began, taking a step back. “Oh, I absolutely would.”
Without warning, he lunged forward and both brothers let out startled yelps as he chased them around the room, fingers wigging a bit awkwardly in the air. Laughter soon filled the room again, only this time, it wasn’t Albert’s.
