Black Butler (Book of Circus) - ler!Beast, lee!Joker
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Beast awoke with the unmistakable feeling that something was wrong. It was like her sixth sense was tingling and she couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she couldn’t just go back to sleep without at least making sure that there were no intruders or anything. With a sigh of defeat, she got up and wrapped herself in the dressing gown she had carelessly discarded onto the floor just a few hours earlier. Until then, sweet warm bed.
The night air was chilly and she could smell the nearing winter. They would have to dig out the extra blankets soon and she was really not looking forward to running around in her show outfit all day. Oh well, what are you gonna do.
Beast felt her heartbeat quicken when she heard the sound of steps coming in her direction, the grass rustling quietly, but she relaxed almost immediately. Those steps sounded familiar. She quickly made her way around Jumbo’s tent. “Joker?”
Said man froze on the spot, looking at her as if she had caught him doing something forbidden. “God, Beast, don’t scare me like that… shouldn’t you be asleep?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” She examined his face a little closer. He had taken off his makeup. She had always thought that it made him seem younger and older at the same time; younger because him taking off the makeup and letting down his hair, to her, was somehow symbolic for taking off the showman mask he wore every day and older because she always forgot how pale he actually was, how he looked when he hadn’t eaten properly for a while and how deep his eye bags were. Goodness, his eye bags…
Joker lowered his eyes as if he had seen her gaze fixate on the dark circles under them (he probably had, he was too observant to miss it) and Beast only hesitated for a brief moment before she walked over and softly took his hand. His actual hand, not the prosthetic, although even that felt oddly cold. Or maybe it was hers, she couldn’t tell. “Let’s go.”
“What are you-”
“I’ll keep them at bay.”
That made him shut his mouth. He knew that he was a good liar, but he also knew that she was really good at catching him off guard. And he knew that she knew. About the late night anxiety, about what the nearing winter did to him, did to both of them, she knew about the nightmares. She didn’t fully understand, couldn’t fully understand, but she knew and they both knew that sometimes, that was enough.
Joker’s bed was cold and Beast briefly wondered for how long he had been wandering around when she pulled the blanket over both of them and wrapped her arms around him, softly caressing his back and hoping it would make the tension in his shoulders fade. It didn’t.
“What is it?” Is it me?
“I’m so tired.” It’s not you, it’s me.
Beast swallowed down the lump in her throat. Not now. Not when they’ve had different versions of that same conversation a thousand times before. “Just close your eyes, okay? I’ll stay here. Sleep will come eventually.”
“It won’t.” The exhaustion in his voice broke her heart. “I tried, I… it just won’t.”
“Hm, have you tried this?” She softly dragged her nail along his spine and couldn’t hold back a smile at the quiet giggle he let out. “Maybe that’ll tire you out.”
“Beheast, I- nohot thahat…”
“Oh, yes that.” She kept her voice as quiet as possible, barely a whisper, as she scribbled her nails over Joker’s shoulder blades. Partly to make falling asleep easier for him, partly to be able to listen to his breathy giggles better. On the rare occasion they managed to gang up on and properly tickle him, he was usually more the type to cackle and snort his way through and to witness this soft and, frankly, adorable side of him was a privilege. Not that his snorts weren’t adorable. Everything about him was at least somewhat adorable. She quickly returned her focus to his shoulder blades, carefully drilling her fingers into the bones and scratching at the spaces in between, making him squirm in her arms.
Beast chuckled softly and gave his neck one last pinch before stopping her attack and putting her hand on his back to steady him as he slumped into her arms. “Have I tired you out already?”
No answer, just quiet, even breaths. She smiled and pressed a careful kiss to his forehead before closing her own eyes. Deep down she knew that there wouldn’t be any more nightmares tonight.
I said I wanted to do another Animal Crossing or Dreamlight Valley fic, and ended up with Persona 5 🙃 It’s okay though, I love these two 💕
Warnings: None, other than tickles. But I’m guessing that’s at least one reason you’re here.
“Ryuhohohojiheheh! Stoaoahahpp, I am yoohohohor leader!” Ren tried to scold, but it was awfully hard to appear threatening in a giggle fit like this. The atomic blonde currently had his Joker pinned, using one hand to drill his thumb into a hip and the other hand to scurry across his shaking belly.
“Yeah, leader, all right,” he replied, “leader of cheating! A leader cheater, if you will.” Ren’s giggles reluctantly picked up at the stupidity of the comment.
“What the hell is going on up here?” Sojiro yelled, briskly climbing the stairs to his tenant/adopted son/part-timer’s room. It was quite the sight, and to someone outside of the Phantom Thieves’ circle, might have appeared a bit risque. There was a “GAME OVER: PLAYER ONE WINS!” message across the TV, and a little 3 - 0 counter underneath the text. Two controllers lay forgotten next to the couch where an almost predatorial Ryuji was hunched over a red-faced and giggling Ren.
They hardly acknowledged Sojiro’s appearance, but once Ren saw his frame come into view from the staircase his blush deepened. Ryuji noticed his eyes shift and followed them, immediately upon realization jumping off of Ren and started rambling.
“S-Sojiro-san! This isn’t what it looks like, I swear, I-”
“Cool it, kid, I know exactly what’s going on up here.” Both teens were mortified, but for different reasons. Sojiro’s mischievous smirk was not helping, either.
“On paper, it’s my job to keep that one safe and out of trouble,” Sojiro started, pointing at the raven-haired boy. “But just keep it down while I have customers, and I can allow for trouble of the “revenge of a sore loser” variety.”
“Whew, okay, thanks-HEY!?”
“And I’m sure he still has a few secrets we haven’t found yet.”
Ren and Ryuji’s hearts leaped simultaneously, and the latter glared back at the former. “Oh yeah?”
Sojiro looked at Ren’s betrayed eyes. He sometimes forgets Ren was just a teenager, still very much a kid in some ways. But he took on so much more responsibility; a responsibility that most adults couldn’t handle. If they could, the Phantom Thieves may not exist in the first place. Then he remembered how hard of a time he gave the boy after coming to Le Blanc and not believing his story. He could go on a guilt trip about it, but he’d rather see Ren’s tension replaced with mirth at the moment.
“We haven’t tried his knees or feet yet. Do with that what you will, I’m going to shut the door to the staircase, though,” Sojiro told Ryuji as he made his way back downstairs. Ren, having never seized the opportunity to stand, released an “Oomph!” as Ryuji pounced on his waist, facing away from him.
“Ryuji, please, doohohon’t, NOHOHO AHHAHAHA!” Mercilessly and with a wicked cackle, Ryuji squeezed the soft area above Ren’s knees, causing an absolute explosion of laughter. He reflexively brought up his knees, which did nothing to deter Ryuji’s ticklish grip, and brought his hands to grab futilely at his assailant’s shirt, unable to move much more than that.
“Ryhehehujihehe!” Joker cried, attempting to twist out from underneath his teammate.
“Nuh uh uh!” Ryuji scolded, pinching his calves. As it turns out, Ryuji found a not-quite-ticklish spot. Ren, still giggling, took the opportunity to hook his fingers into Ryuji’s hips, a recently discovered weak point of his.
“WaitwahehetWAHAHEHET NOHOHO! I KNEHEHEW YOU WERE A CHEHEHEATER!”
“You wound me, Ryuji,” Ren started, “I’m defending myself! Why would I need to cheat?” He asked as if he was truly hurt by the accusation. He continued to knead and tease his friend's hips, holding strong against every attempt Ryuji made to try to stand.
“Toohoo beheehat meehehehe!” Ryuji cried out, desperately trying to free his hips from Ren’s hands. Ren, swiftly and cruelly, wormed his fingers under Ryuji’s waistline, just enough to contact the taught skin covering the hip bones. Trading kneading for scratches with his dull fingernails nearly sent Ryuji into hysterics. His cackle jumped up to a full-blown, unhindered belly laugh.
“Clearly, I don’t need to cheat to beat you. I’m just a natural at most things, it seems,” he teased. He didn’t know exactly why, but he enjoyed antagonizing his friend this way, especially while he was coaxing out the most unabashed giggles from him.
“Imagine if Shadows fought this way. You wouldn’t have a chance,” Ren started, “All they would have to do is this,” and spidered his fingers along not just the hip bones, but up his sides and across is belly. Ryuji screeched, trying to grab the offending hands while enduring a barrage of ticklish jolts that were turning his mind and muscles to mush.
“YOHOHOU’RE ASKING FOHOHOR IT!”
“Even if I was, you aren’t so scary right now. You’d think someone with the name Skull would be more of a threat.”
That did it. Ryuji, mind still fuzzy, lunged forward, breaking out of Ren’s “lethal” grip. He grabbed one of Ren’s ankles. He scribbled all along his socked sole, hoping to throw his leader off guard. Sure enough, Ren’s head was thrown back in a surprised yelp before devolving into bubbling, boyish giggles.
“Dohohohon’t! Quihihihit, Ryeeehehehujii!” Ren spat through his cackles, hoping not to hurt his friend with his spastic kicking. Ryuji, on the other hand, was glad to be catching his breath. And while he regained breath, he also regained his deviousness.
“Don’t quit? Didn’t plan to, chuckles.”
“Nohoho nahahame calling!” Ren retorted. He couldn’t reach Ryuji’s hips again from where he scooted forward to sit closer to his ankles. Smart, so now he wouldn’t get kicked in the head, but it put Ren in a position without many options.
“You want scary? I’ll give you scary!” Ryuji, fired up now that he had the upper hand again, shifted slightly so his wiggling fingers were in plain view, slowly descending toward Ren’s captured foot. Despite himself knowing this tactic, he couldn’t stop himself from giggling at such anticipation. He yelped when Ryuji just barely grazed the tops of his toes, and the blonde assailant shot his hand back up to repeat the maddening process.
“And you want to talk about me! The Shadows would only have to think about tickling you and you’d be a mess!”
“Ryeehehehujihehe, pleeheheease!”
“Please what, fearless leader?”
“Geehehet on wiheheth it!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, dude. I’m not even touching you.” Though he tried, Ryuji couldn’t keep a straight face through the whole interaction.
Ren groaned, and ultimately resigned to his fate, however long that would take. But then he found his assailant’s own socked foot and grabbed his ankle. Ryuji paused, and Ren took in several breaths, keeping his other hand poised for attack on Ryuji’s sole.
“Ihi’ll make your life reheally hard, don’t you dare,” Ren smirked, noting the preliminary giggles lacing the threat. He twitched his fingers and Ryuji jumped.
“Another bad spot? You make a lot of threats for someone with so many weak points.”
“HA! You’re one to talk. At least I don’t deny it as it’s happening.” Ren only rolled his eyes and felt the blush that finally started to settle come back.
“Don’t be embarrassed or anything, dude. I’m not. Makes us human, ya know?” Ren met his eyes and smiled genuinely, but twitched his fingers again on Ryuji’s sole, causing another jolt.
“Okay, bro moment’s over, you’re deHEHEHAHAHAD!” Ren, knowing he was instigating and still pinned, made sure to get the first move in.
“Don’t you mean a bro-ment?” Ryuji’s cackles, like Ren’s earlier, picked up at the pun.
“Yooohoohou deheheserve this!” Skull claimed, haphazardly tearing off Ren’s sock, skittering lightly from heel to toe. He immediately relented his own attack and squealed before his giggles came bubbling over.
“You like that, huh?”
“NOOOHOOHOO I DOHOHON’T!” he denied, a little too vehemently. He didn’t understand how just a few well-placed swipes on such a small part of the body could render him to such a state. Whether Ryuji was aware or not, Ren wasn’t sure, but every time those malicious fingers wandered too close to his toes, his laughter kicked up an octave. Ryuji snickered.
“Dude, yoohoou make the best noises. I could do this aaaaallllll day!”
“PLEHEHEASE DOHOHON’T!” Ren spat, tapping the couch, trying to signal he had enough. Ryuji obliged immediately, finally removing himself from on top of his friend and sat on the floor to allow him to recover. Ren, still catching his breath, shot up and put his sock back on, catching Ryuji’s glance. Chuckling, Ryuji reached and patted Ren’s back reassuringly.
“*pant*... asshole... *pant*,”
“Ready for another round?” Ryuji asked.
“NO!” Ren boomed, already curling in on himself. Ryuji was startled, but then laughed at his poor friend.
Here's some persona 5 brainrot 'cause a friend wont shut up about Ryuji/pos uwu
Joker with ticklish hands. And very ticklish neck.
He'd probably be good at hiding his reactions to tickling until Ryuji accidentally brushes his neck or smth and he just SQUEALS so high-pitched and gets so embarrassed and Ryuji is like... "what was that?~😏"
Also Joker with ticklish tum tum 'cause yes~ He just *dies* whenever he gets a raspberry to the stomach.
He's usually so calm and composed so when the others find out he's ticklish they just have a field day with him xD
Also, Joker and Akechi having tk fights over the silliest arguments? I say yes. Who would win? It'd probably always end in a draw 'cause they're both so stubborn and so so ticklish hehe~
Ticklish Akechi gives me the will to live 💖
Now I wanna write a crack fick of Joker and Akechi having a tickle fight over pancakes vs waffels xd
Would anyone read that? Probably not. Does it sound fun to write? Absolutely!
Pls there has to be some other p5 fan out there xD
Ain't enough tickle love for the Joker so let's go for it!!
~The joker gets a bit to cocky during a fight and let's his guard down around batman..big mistake!~
"Just admit it batsy I am better than you and hotter-" The joker grinned "you can never defeat me!!!"
"he let us guard down.." thought batman getting and uncharacteristically playful idea he reached his hand over and poked the joker "aHAHAND!?" Screamed the joker barking out a laugh "W-what the!?" Stuttered the joker and Batman tackled him to the ground, it had been years since he has been tickled by anyone YEARS!! He had forgotten how ticklish he was.. but despite everything he had no time to fight back before Batman went in for the killer and began to tickle and poke each rib "W-what are YOUAHAHAHAHA!?" Joker laughed like a mad man unable to defend himself "NO HAHAHAHAHA" squealed Joker, this continued until joker gave in and Batman left to continue his true identity as Bruce Wayne meanwhile, joker was left there humiliated but... somehow knowing that he enjoyed it.. he couldn't WAIT for round 2! "I'll get revenge Batman.." Joker groaned
This has been so long overdue and I really have no excuse other than work and studies. But it’s here now and I hope you enjoy ❤️
Ryuji was expecting some training with his usually calm and collected leader. Though he happened upon some rather sensitive information that he just couldn’t waste. A bright smile was plastered on the blonde’s face as he strode down the street. There was no school today, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the Phantom Thieves were recently able to inch closer to the depths of Mementos. Though he and Morgana didn’t always get along, Ryuji was happy to help his friend, as well as the souls that needed it in the cognitive abyss.
Upon reaching his destination, he opened the door to Le Blanc. The smell of curry and coffee greeted him; they went surprisingly well together. Or maybe it was just becoming familiar. Either way, he always felt a sense of comfort with it.
“Welcome to Le Blan- Oh, it’s just you,” Sojiro turned and commented, no malice in his tone. He offered a father-like grin.
“The kid’s upstairs getting ready, I think. I can get you a cup of coffee or something, on the house for keeping him out of trouble.”
“Not today, Sojiro-san, but thanks! I don’t wanna have your coffee sloshing around during a run, it’s too good for that.” Ryuji replied thankfully. He’d never cared too much for coffee until he had Sojiro’s.
“Eww! A simple “no thank you” would have done the job!” Futaba exclaimed in disgust, emerging from the kitchen, hands wet from washing dishes.
“What do you mean? I’m just sayin’!” Ryuji defended, caught off guard momentarily. He forgot Futaba would work with Sojiro on mornings he and Ren trained together. Ryuji developed a wicked grin. “You’re lucky anyway if the sloshing only happens on the inside!”
Futaba groaned and flicked the water from her hands at him, causing a chuckle from Sojiro.
“Arrgh, hey!”
“Typical for a Numb Skull to be so vulgar!”
“I am not!”
“Ren! Come down here, you have company waiting! And I’m getting a migraine..” Sojiro called, mumbling the last bit as everyone heard shuffling and the sound of someone descending stairs. Futaba, unworried suddenly about her and Ryuji’s debate, shuffled behind the bar and snickered, ducking as Ren appeared, gym bag slung over his shoulder.
“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, I was going over notes from the last meeting with Morgana-AAHAH!” Ren jumped and firmly brought his arms to his sides, already feeling a light dust of pink creep on his cheeks as Futaba had successfully snuck behind and tazed the sides of her older brother figure, giggling in amusement as she scampered back to the kitchen. She and Sojiro had promised not to broadcast Ren’s *sensitive* information after the eventful morning not too long ago. So either this was Futaba’s loophole in telling Ryuji, or she was just being her mischievous self, it was hard to tell.
Ren growled and rolled his eyes, walking quickly towards Ryuji, and the door.
“Come on, we should get to training.” Ryuji grinned his energetic grin.
“Right! Later, Sojiro-san, Futaba-chan!” Ryuji didn’t think anything of what happened at first, until he noticed Ren actively trying to hide his face while it returned to its usual color. He grew worried.
“Dude, you okay?” Ryuji was used to his leader’s usual quiet demeanor; it was most often a sign that some scheme was being concocted in that mind of his. But something seemed off, like his leader was shaken instead of contemplative.
“Yeah, I’m good. Just thinking a bit.” Ren assured with a smile as the pair made it to Shujin Academy, where they would be able to use the track and field. They stretched as they watched the track team leave, giving the pair the area to themselves, save for if any other students or faculty decided to use the track, which in their experience was rare.
Once they’ve properly stretched, the two took off on a light jog to warm up. Ren relaxed, allowing himself to loosen and clear his head. The sun felt warm in the cool morning air and, speaking of, the air smelled pure: trees and grass and free of any smoke or other unpleasant city smells. His mental tranquility came to an abrupt shatter as he felt a poke to his side. Though it didn’t cause quite the reaction as Futaba’s tazing did, he still turned quickly to face Ryuji. Ren swore he saw a glint of something in his eyes before he spoke.
“Hey, you looked like you were on another planet. I asked what the plan was for today. You sure everything’s good?” They stopped their jog to take a brief break. Ren smiled at his friend’s concern. “I must just be paranoid.”
“Yeah, everything’s good. Just a little distracted today, I guess. I’m sorry to worry you.”
“Don’t apologize, man. Just checkin’ in, that’s what bros do. Gotta keep you on top of your game, ya know?” Ryuji said with a nudge. In that moment Ren was glad he ran into the “bad influence” at Shujin.
“I planned on sparring a bit for combat practice, then some short sprints for building strength and stamina.” Ryuji beamed, clearly pumped.
“All right! Let’s do it!” They assumed their regular fighting stances: Ryuji’s more geared for the offensive, Ren’s geared to adapt to his opponent, in this case, more defensive.
“Ready or not leader, here I come!” Ryuji charged, seemingly without a plan, which didn’t surprise Ren as he successfully dodged and blocked the blonde’s blows. Ryuji, growing frustrated, backed off of Ren to think.
“Oh, is it my turn?” Ren taunted, smirking as he does when he has a Shadow cornered. This time he charged, aiming for the spots Ryuji habitually left open, adding to the blonde’s frustration. Though he caught on, and was able to match Ren in blocking and dodging. Albeit not as graceful, but effective. Ren smiled at the progress, but wasn’t about to let up. In fact, he took the opportunity to feign a punch, and when Ryuji’s attention was on his fist, Ren swept his feet out from under him. The offensive blonde fell to his backside and cursed loudly, not in pain, but in defeat.
“Dammit! How do you do that? Get me to your level, dude!” Ryuji groaned, accepting the outreached hand to help him up.
“You’re already on my level. We just have different fighting styles. The only advice I can really give you is to be more adaptable: it’s all in observation and timing. Brute force works with a lot of Shadows, but it won’t work with every match.” Ryuji took this advice in and mulled it over. Ren was right; they had started training around the same time and seldom did so without the other. They both learned about the Personas and Metaverse together through Morgana and they’ve fought at each other’s side since day one. He just needed to be open to different methods, as Ren has been able to do thus far.
“Yeah, I think you’re right. Just need to add a bit of yin to my yang, yeah?”
“Right!” Ryuji was grateful for his friend’s help and guidance, but still couldn’t shake the disappointment of losing, and so quickly. That is, until he recalled today’s events and concocted a devious battle strategy.
“Are you ready for sprints? We can cool off after and go back to Le Blanc, Sojiro’s been showing me how to make curry, I think I could make a good lunch.”
“Actually dude, could we go for another round? I wanna practice your “adapt to your opponent” and “observation and timing” stuff.”
Ren chuckled light-heartedly, both at the comment and in delight that Ryuji was so eager to learn.
“Sure, we can go again.”
The boys assumed stances once more, Ryuji’s looking a bit tighter and more prepared to block open areas. Ren adjusted accordingly, opting to go more in the offensive. It was defense and caution he thought Ryuji wanted to grasp, so he would have to be the one to make the first move. And so he did, but not throwing caution to the wind as his opponent had earlier. He struck slower than normal, becoming more of a teacher than an adversary, and his pupil was doing far better at dodging and blocking.
“What are you smilin’ at?” Ryuji asked.
“I knew you were capable as long as your head was in the right place.” Ren praised, then taunted, “Maybe now our spars will be challenging.” Ryuji knew he was teasing, but if he had any doubts about his plan before, they were thrown out the window as he grinned wickedly.
“Is that so, fearless leader? We’ll see how long you feel that way!” Before Ren could counter, Ryuji managed to grab an oncoming blow and knock Ren off balance, effectively turning him around with his wrist pinned to his back. Ren chuckled.
“You got me, that wasn’t bad!” Ren commended, though grew confused and started panicking as Ryuji took his other wrist, pinning both to Ren’s back with one hand.
“Ryuji, what are you-HHMPH!” Ren gasped at Ryuji’s hand resting on his side, trying and failing to seem unphased.
“Dude, what’s wrong? You were all high and mighty just a second ago…” Ryuji started, lightly kneading his fingers into Ren’s side, already tense in an attempt to keep his giggling at bay.
“Ryuhujiiheh, dohon’t!” Ren managed, not convincing in the slightest that he was unaffected by his friend’s torment. Judging by his encounter with Futaba and Sojiro, and knowing how Ryuji is, he sensed he was in some trouble.
“Don’t what, dude? I’m not doing anything!” Ryuji claimed, adding more pressure, and skittering his hands over to Ren’s belly. The ravenette gritted his teeth, but muffled giggles were still heard, and he was trying harder to break out of Ryuji’s hold.
“Yoohoohoo know whahaht you’re doing-NO! Naaaahahaha!” Ren threw his head back onto his friend’s shoulder and dissolved, unable to fight back cackles anymore as Ryuji’s hand wandered up to his ribs, tickling and teasing in between each one. Ryuji mock gasped.
“No way! Could it be? I didn’t think it was possible!” The blonde continued to tease. He noticed Ren’s knees beginning to give, so rather than expend his energy holding him up, Ryuji swiftly pinned Ren to the ground, straddling his back. Sadistically, Ryuji leaned close to Ren’s ear.
“Dude, are you ticklish or something?” Before even giving Ren a chance to respond, he latched his hands onto Ren’s ribs again, this time with more vigor and purpose as his fingers prodded and scurried unpredictably. Ren’s reaction was instant: his laughter boomed, boisterous and unfiltered, the moment Ryuji made contact.
“Well? Are you?” Ryuji provoked. Ren shook his head, both at the menace tickling him silly and the unbearable sensation itself, as if a “no” would lessen the feeling. Ren, being unable to reach Ryuji in his position, folded his arms and buried his head there, if anything to hide his face and muffle his laughter, ultimately resigning to his fate. Even if there was a way out, he couldn’t think straight enough to figure it out.
“Oh, Reeeenn~ You’re not answering me,” Ryuji sang slowly, softly yet cruelly tracing light circles in the hollow region of Ren’s underarms. Ren calmed slightly at the somewhat bearable feeling, though still unable to stop giggling like a child.
“Nooohooho! Eeeeheheehee!”
“No, what?”
“Ihaha’m nooohhooot!”
“Dude, are you for real right now?” Ryuji halted his ticklish onslaught briefly. Ren relaxed, but not too much; he knew Ryuji wasn’t finished. Residual giggles came as he spoke.
“Aahaall right, Ryuji, you wihehn.” Ren was ignored as Ryuji continued.
“You lied to me this morning when you said nothing was wrong. You were obviously thinking about something. I have a feeling I know what, now.” Ryuji sported the same wicked grin as earlier, softly kneading again into Ren’s sides and any part of his belly he could reach. Ren began giggling again, though kept his burning face buried in his arms.
“I gave you the benefit of the doubt, and asked you again. You lied, again.” The blonde suddenly pinched at Ren’s hips, earning a squeal. Ryuji chuckled, not knowing Ren was able to produce a sound like that as his friend finally brought his arms down to grab his wrists. Ryuji then saw Ren’s lightened face and forming tears. He was giggling like a little boy; it was honestly adorable. But still, Ryuji continued.
“Now, I ask you a simple question. A question you had no business lying about. And you have the balls to LIE!” His hands shot back up to Ren’s ribs, causing a jolt.
“AHAAHA! RYUJIIHEEHEE!”
“You LIED! TO! MY! FACE!” Ryuji mock-scolded as he squirmed his fingers into Ren’s underarms. Ticklish sensations seemed to send waves through Ren’s body. His legs kicked out behind the two and he squirmed as hard as he could, but was trapped under his friend, who seemed to be rather enjoying this.
“I’m soohoohorryheehee! Ryyheeheeujii!” Ren cackled, barely able to make out the apology. Then Ryuji stopped again.
“That’s three strikes. I know we’re bros and all Ren, but I can’t allow three strikes without consequence.” Ryuji shifted quickly, now sitting on his calves, turned away from Ren. Ren’s eyes widened in fear as he felt Ryuji try to work off a running shoe, now thrashing to try to get away.
“Nuh uh uuuuuh~” Ryuji sang, reaching around and delivering spidery tickles to the backs of Ren’s knees. It was like little ticklish shocks were delivered to his body at once, and he elicited the same boyish giggle from earlier. This was bearable though, and since Ryuji was now on his calves, Ren had enough leverage to turn on his side, going straight for Ryuji’s calf, hoping it would have some effect.
“AH! He-HEEHEY!” Ryuji, caught off-guard, giggled and toppled over, giving his captive that inch he needed to free himself and take off.
“It’s time for sprints!” Ren yelled back, running as fast as he could.
“You get back here, you coward!” Ryuji shouted and took off after him. Ren was usually a decent runner, but he was drained from having laughed so long and so hard. Not to mention… butterflies? It seemed he was actually enjoying the chase. He let a giggle escape when he turned and saw his wily teammate gaining ground.
“Come on, come on…” Ren prompted himself, trying to think of a way out of this. He can’t run forever and there’s nowhere to hide so… Time to give Ryuji a taste of his own medicine.
“Time to go offensive,” Ren prompted, quickly and without warning stopped and turned toward Ryuji.
“SHIT!” he exclaimed, trying to slow himself down, but couldn’t quickly enough. Ren swerved, grabbing Ryuji around the middle in a tackle to the ground. Both boys were fighting for the upper hand, but neither could suppress their grins.
“What’s wrong, leader? Too ticklish for your own good?” Ryuji teased. Ren groaned, but refused to be pinned again.
“I might be a little.”
“A LITTLE? Do you call begging for mercy a LITTLE?” Ren ignored the question, and took an open opportunity to drill his thumb into Ryuji’s hip bone. The eccentric blonde shrieked and tried to jerk away, but Ren now had his chance: he took both Ryuji’s wrists in one hand, pinning them above his head, and smirked at the surprise that took over his friend’s features.
“H-Hey, come on, man… W-We can talk about this, right?” Ryuji asked, wobbly smile willing itself on his face. “I was taking your advice! Adapting and being observant and stuff, that counts for something, right?!”
Ren suppressed a chuckle to keep his menacing smirk from fading. While what Ryuji is saying is true, he’d already been tickled mercilessly by Sojiro, Futaba, and now Ryuji: he believed it was finally his turn to dish out a punishment.
“You did take my advice, and I commend you for your quick thinking and improvement,” Ren began, testing the waters by tracing feathery light circles on Ryuji’s hips. Immediately he jerked at the sensation and bit his lip. “It was a bit unorthodox though, don’t you think?” Ren sensed he’d already found one of Ryuji’s more sensitive spots, and moved to pinch at his sides instead: he’d save that for later. Ryuji screwed his eyes shut, determined not to give his friend the satisfaction of breaking him so quickly.
“It wohorked, though, aahaand don’t think Ihehe won’t reheemember to uhuhse it against you-EEP! SHIHIHT, NOHOHOHO! Stahahaap!” Ren smirked at the boldness his friend had for making such comments in his position, and without warning brought his free hand to his ribs, teasing his fingers over and in between them. In hindsight, Ryuji supposed he asked for that, now cackling wildly and trying to throw Ren off of his waist.
“That’s a lot of tough talk for someone who can’t take what he dishes,” Ren teased spidering his way into the hollow of Ryuji’s underarm. The atomic blonde’s madman-like cackle seemed to be traded in for a happier, bubblier giggle, not too unlike the boyish giggles Ren made earlier.
“Whohoho said I couldn’t tahahake ihihit? Eeeh hee hehe! Dohoho yohour WOHOHORST! AAHH Heeheheehe!”
“My worst?” The ravenette was quite enjoying the reactions he was eliciting from his eccentric partner, and began to see why it might have been fun for his friends and caregiver to tickle him silly. He relented, allowing Ryuji a moment to catch his breath-he was gonna need it.
“Just remember, you asked for this. Here lies Ryuji Sokamoto…” Ren started.
“Dude, did you just start my eulogEEHEEE! REEHEHEN! BWAAHAHAHA!” Ryuji absolutely screeched when Ren’s hands darted at lightning speed and latched onto Ryuji’s hips. One hand kneaded and drilled for all it was worth, while the other skittered and teased the taught skin on the bone. It was maddening: If Ryuji could think straight in that moment, he wouldn’t be able to tell you which sensation was worse, not to mention the unpredictable pokes and prods at his belly and sides to keep him guessing.
“REEHEHEN, I CAHAHAN’T!” He pleaded, pounding at the ground under him and flailing his legs out behind them. Ren finally broke his façade and laughed at his friend unraveling in front of him.
“You can’t what?” Ren halted, but left his hands on Ryuji’s hips: just the threat had Ryuji giggling and squirming still. Ren chuckled at the realization.
“I’m not doing anything to you!”
“Yehehes you aaaare hehehe!”
“Then answer me, you can’t what?” Ren pressed, curling his fingers once as a warning, sending a jolt through the blonde. He gripped Ren’s wrists and cackled, shaking his head.
“Tahahake it! Ihihihi can’t tahahake this! Eehehehe! I gihihive man, you wihihin!”
Sensing he was truly reaching a limit, Ren detached his hands from Ryuji’s hips. Ryuji sighed, and some residual giggles poured out as he caught his breath.
“Remind me… NOT… to piss you off anymore…” He said light heartedly. Ren laughed, climbing off his friend and sitting on the grass next to him.
“I was never mad, I… I don’t know really, I was excited, nervous, then I felt like I might have gotten carried away. I’m sorry about that,” Ren apologized, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Ryuji smiled, patting the grass next to him, suggesting Ren lay back on the grass too. He obliged.
“You’re good, dude. You’ve got a lot going on, in the real world and the Metaverse. I can’t believe I have to be the one to tell you you’re allowed to have fun sometimes, ya know? Even if I almost died.”
“Don’t act like you didn’t try to kill me earlier, you started it!” Ren retaliated, probably sounding much more immature than he ever had, and the two laughed. The whole air around them was positive and light, and both felt their bond deepen.
“Just watch yourself, Joker. You got lucky today. Next time I’ll wreck you.”
Bruce was breathing sharply as he entered the room, trying not to feel anxious about meeting the Joker. Anxiety was one of Joker's favorite looks on Batman and he refused to give him the satisfaction of playing into his games. He swung open the door to see Joker sitting cross legged on the floor, a smug grin on his face that told Bruce everything he needed to know for how this interrogation would go.
"Oh hi, Batman!" Joker waved, his shark-like grin disappearing into one of innocence, "how are you feeling about the little surprise I left for you?"
Bruce's face was practically aflame after all the stress and annoyance Joker had caused, going through all that trouble of placing a bomb in the center of Gotham City. Over the years, Bruce had managed to come up with a system to categorize the crimes Joker commits. This one fell into the petty attention seeking side of the system.
With a dramatic wave of his cape, he appeared behind Joker and pinned him to the floor with ease. The Joker remained calm, that infuriating lazy smile still glued to his face even after being straddled and taken down with force. "Cut the baloney, Joker. You'd better give me the code to diffuse the bomb or- "
"Or what? You'll hit me?" Joker grinned sadistically, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "Ugh! I hate that you like this." Bruce growled as he shook the Joker with pent up frustration.
Joker merely laughed at this and rolled his eyes, "You're so simple, Bats. I love that about you." He bit his lip flirtatiously. Bruce ignored the heat rising in his cheeks and twisted Joker's arm around his back and vented his anger by punching the Joker's jaw.
Joker made a quick recovery, easily managing a sly smile. "I guess it's true what they say, huh? You just can't teach an old bat new tricks!" he cackled, "don't you get it, genius? The old tactics of pain don't work on wittle ol' me! You'd better find some other way to entertain me, I'm getting bored, darling."
Normally, the Joker's babbling would throw Bruce off, but he caught a word in the monolouge that intruiged him. Pain? Is that the problem? He eyed the Joker, frowning at the self-injurious behavior written all over him. Pain wouldn't solve anything when it came to this man. So, the question remained, what would be torturous to the Joker that wouldn't hurt him? Joker must've taken Bruce's silence as tolerance and he grew upset, he wanted Batman to engage. He wanted anger, or anything related to the feeling of passion.
"Can't you just play with me a LITTE?! What's stopping you from tickling my funny bone occasionally?" Joker pouted. The dark slits of Bruce's eyes widened a little bit at this.
"Now that you mention it..." His deep voice rumbled out, adjusting his grip on Joker so that his hands were pinned above his head and his lower body straddled by Bruce's legs. "Maybe that's just what you need." Bruce quipped, flexing his gloved fingers threateningly. To Bruce's pleasant surprise, the action elicited a small squeak.
He couldn't help but smirk and draw his hands slowly closer...The closer the wiggling fingers got, the higher in pitch Joker's voice became.
"Okay- Wait. No no no, BATMAN WAIT!" Joker gasped, the claw like hand just inches away from the Joker's ribs. Bruce raised a brow, "You were saying?" He stopped drawing his hand closer, but remained right next to where he was about to tickle. Joker's breathing shallowed as he nervously eyed the hand that his body was twitching away from.
"I-I was saying what??" Joker squeaked out, resisting raising his voice at Bruce in fear of the hand finally landing onto his electrofied nerves.
"The code to the bomb, I believe." Bruce said indifferently, copying the same lazy smile tne Joker had taunted him with just a few minutes ago. Joker's brow furrowed and cheeks puffed out slightly like a child getting scolded. When he remained silent, Bruce made his hand jump closer to Joker, swallowing a smile when Joker let out a shrieky giggle and hid his face in his restrained arms.
"Oh, screw you!" Joker yelled, but it didn't have the desired effect when his voice was laced with restrained laughter.
"I know, I know. Aren't I just so terrible for not letting you blow up the city?" Bruce mocked sarcastically, "now come on Joker. Unless you...want to be tickled." His voice dropped low again when he added the last part. Joker's usually pale face turned a rare shade of red, gulping as he muttered out, "I'd rather not."
Bruce couldn't help a triumphant smile from spreading across his face at making Joker blush, a task which required a great amount of skillful teasing. He knew this was exactly what Joker wanted, and he was happy to give it to him. "Don't clam up. We don't have all day." Bruce urged, sounding sterner. The familiarity of the roughness in Bruce's tone seemed to relax Joker enough to make one of his bold observations. "That's exactly what I was about to say to you, bats. You'd better hurry this thing up before the whole city goes BOOM!" He mimicked the sound of an explosion. Bruce paid no attention to the threat, what caught his attention was a hidden desire behind Joker's words, one much more innocent than anything he'd ever sought.
"Joker, do you actually...want to be tickled?" Bruce asked, alluding to what he'd said earlier, but with a more genuine tone. This seemed to be all it took to clear out the last bit of venom in Joker's voice, because he started babbling like an idiot and giggling nervously. "I-I mean...I could handle it...but it's not like I- ahaha.. want you to or anything..."
Bruce rolled his eyes, although behind the mask you might be able to see the fondness behind the eyeroll. "Oh, just shut up and get tickled, you clown." He finally placed his fingers onto Joker's stimulated ribs and resisted a smile at the huge jerk of Joker's body as he burst into laughter after yelping in surprise. A stream of swears followed soon after as he arched his back and kicked his legs out from behind Bruce.
"O-OHOKKAY! OKAY!!" Joker shrieked out the plea with such desperation thst Bruce quickly felt compelled to retreat his hand from Joker's apparently deathly ticklish ribs. "God. That's new.." Bruce whispered to himself, looking a little exasperated at how well the new tactic had worked.
Joker stammered out the code through half formed giggles, "H-Ha...you're gonna laugh. The c-code is 69."
Bruce stared at Joker, looking unimpressed at his immature attempt at humor. "I don't think I will." He lets go of Joker and the man immediately scrambles out from under the bat. Bruce took a step forward, "What? You don't want a round two?" Joker took a step away and gave Bruce a provoking sneer, "Don't you have an entire bomb to diffuse or something?!" Bruce smiled knowingly, "I checked the time frame on the bomb. It isn't set to explode for another 24 hours. Looks like someone wanted to give me all the time in the world to come and tickle the code out of him."
Joker's breath hitched at this and his face slowly grew warm. Bruce found the Joker's reaction amusing and decided to go for one last snide remark, "Now get in the Batmobile so you can help me clean up your mess."
Joker glared at Bruce. "And it looks like someone would rather have me than anyone else in the world to help you with something. I believe we're at a stalemate." He quipped coldy, but his eyes were filled with playfulness as he got into the passenger seat on the Batmobile.
There was an unusual feeling of warmness as the two worked together to diffuse the bomb, Bruce would tell you it was due to the extreme heat warning.
Joker would tell you it's because they wanted to soak each other up before returning to opponents...
_______________________
A/N: whew that was my first batjokes fic in forever! hope i got the characters right<3
A: Aftercare | What is their aftercare like after a heavy round of tickling?:)
If he's feeling nice, he'll crack a joke and give their shoulder a squeeze
B: Bondage | How do they react to bondage, do they enjoy it and if yes, what is their favorite pose?
He gets all nervous and giggly, but who's to say he doesn't enjoy it? His favorite pose is probably on his back and arms up. Basic, but it gets the job done hehe.
C: Chase | What are their chances in a chase, both as a lee and ler?
He LOVES being chased. He's pretty agile so if he really wanted to get away he could but...Most of the time he doesn't lmao, as a lee he'd totally just purposefully corner himself.
As a ler he shows no fucking mercy. He's using his laughter to intimidate you and running at full speed.
D: Death Spot | What is their most ticklish spot?
He's giving tickish hips vibes. I actually think that's so cute, I read someones elses headcanons and they said Joker's hips would be his death spot and I actually got butterflies might as well make it canon like please.
E: Expression | How do they express their wish to tickle/be tickled?
He is NOT subtle at all he will give you this very predatory-like grin and ask if you "happen to be ticklish"
He doesn't often just want to be tickled spontaniously but he would stretch and use the word tickle a lot LOL
F: Fight | What is their behavior in a tickle fight like?
He has very strong intentions to win and if he doesn't he's gonna be fucking pissed. He definitely stalls by teasing the ler and squeals if the ler tickles him in the middle of his sentance.
G: Gentle | How do they react to gentle tickles?
Probably the one thing that can fluster him. He's used to rough tickling, not soft loving tickling.
H: Habits | As a lee/ler or both, do they have specific habits when it comes to tickling?
He covers his face when he's tickled, like it's just his automatic response.
As a ler I feel like the sadistic bitch would cackle while tickling the lee.
I: Interrogation | How well would they handle a tickle interrogation?
Usually I'd say just fine but I read a fic where Batman interrogated Joker with tickles and the guy broke after like 5 minutes so for the sake of that fic I'm saying: He'd do an awful job.
Listen, he's spent years building up his ability to handle pain but he's definitely not prepared for tickle torture.
J: Joy | Their absolute favorite thing about tickling?
Everything dude. Mostly the laughter though.
K: Killer Move | As a ler, do they have special skills to use against their lees and drive them crazy with?
He has very long boney skelly-like hands that are very quick and can s k i t t e r.
L: Laughter | What does their laughter sound like when they are tickled?
It's very childish and squealy, it makes you wanna stop and ask "what the fuck are you okay" because its so wild😭 (but he giggles and snorts from soft tickles👀)
M: Mornings | Their tickle behavior during mornings?
He's NOT a morning person so he'll be very sleepy and the dude won't even squirm he just lays there and takes it like a fucking champ.
N: Nights | Their tickle behavior during nights?
Very awake, probably downing coffee. Long story short, he goes nuts. Tickles can wear him out a little but good luck with the revenge afterwards.
O: Online | Text messaging and social media, do they have some kind of online tickly behavior to tease their lee or ler with?
Omg yes, he overuses the word tickle so much it's like he's doing it on purpose. (he is)
P: Partner In Crime | If they were to go after a lee and accept the aid of a tickle partner, who do they prefer to join hands with and why?
Harley. I don't like their relationship anywhere except the lego batman movie, but together they'd make a pretty badass tickle team.
Q: Question | Their response to the question ‘are you ticklish?'
I'd say it depends on the person. He'd probably say fuck off to most people, if Batman had asked he'd have a fucking stroke and tell him to repeat the question and then never answer it😭
R: Role | Lee or ler, what is generally their main role?
It's a 50/50 split, he don't care either way.
S: Safeword | If they were to suggest the safeword for a tickle session, which word will it be?
Probably something stupid and embarrassing to say.
T: Teasing | Their most favorite methods of teasing their lee/ler?
He loves teasing the lee about their laugh or smile it's actually adorable like "Theres that smile!"
Although...he'd probably make sex jokes to his ler 💀
U: Unusual | Do they have some unusual tickle spots? Where?
Honestly he's ticklish everywhere. He's the character to most likely say, "Stop that tickles." about literally everything. His worst unusual spots are the tops of his feet, his neck, and his shoulders.
V: Victim | As a ler, who is their favorite lee and what makes this person their ultimate victim
Batman, obviously. He doesn't get much chances to do so, and a reaction other than getting punched is rare but he loves it anyways because he loves Batman lmaoo💀
W: Word | What is their reaction to the T-word? Can they say it out loud or do they get embarrassed?
He can totally say it doesn't matter if he or someone else uses it in anyway.
X: X-Over | In a crossover AU, which other fandom character would be a fitting tickle fight opponent for them and why?
i don't like crossovers😔
Y: YOU | Any personal self- or reader-insert tickle fantasy / headcanon to share with this character?
I got none man, but as a kid I always wanted to see an episode of the animated batman show thing where Jokers plot involved tickles and in the end he got stuck in his own tickle trap (i still do)
