A Moment in the Dark Pt. 2 || The Amazing Digital Circus Tickle Fic ||
A/N: sorry about this taking so long, the hyperfixation died down before i could finish. it's back though! so i was able to complete it! lee kinger is surprisingly hard to write lol
Summary: Ragatha wants to thank Kinger for what he did for her in the Losers Corner
Word Count: 2,516
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It feels like such a long time ago since the Guns adventure.
There's no real way to tell how long it has actually been, since the Circus doesn't mark time with days or nights or months or years. There's nothing tethering you to the timeline; you just keep floating.
It feels like such a long time ago. And also like no time at all.
Speaking of time, it is almost time for breakfast. Kinger had better make his way down to the dining hall and catch up with the others. Breakfast used to be his favorite meal of the day, at least he thinks it was. Memories of breakfast came with memories of dust freckling the air amidst sunbeams, and birds singing merrily as the world awakened anew. The world was still relatively quiet, but it would hum lightly with the sounds of people driving to work or walking their dogs. The smell of hot breakfast would waft through the house and entice anyone nearby with its enchanting aroma. The best part of Kinger's mornings though were when he could share them with...
He has trouble finishing his thought.
Something is incomplete. He didn't live all alone. He had someone there with him, someone that he shared everything with. Who was it? Why couldn't he remember?
Oh! There's Zooble!
"Good morning, Zooble!"
Zooble gives him a sleepy wave in return. This must be one of her better mornings, sometimes she offers little more than an exasperated grunt.
He sits down with the others at the banquet table, instantly warmed by the sight of all of his friends together. They are making small talk, (something something Caine acting strange, something something character awards, something something...) he can't really get a grasp on whatever it is. Just as their meal is coming to a close, Caine appears with a loud pop! levitating above the table. Ah, it must be time for another adventure! How exciting!
Kinger does not notice that the rest of the table does not share his enthusiasm.
They collectively groan. Caine looks unfazed.
"Good morrow, you salt-licking scallywags!" he crows.
"What-" Zooble starts.
"Who's ready for a swashbuckling, hair-raising adventure! Can anyone guess the theme?"
"It's f*%^& pirates-"
"IT'S F- hey- ITS PIRATES!" Caine cheers as he poofs them aboard a pirate ship. They are now currently sailing on crystal blue waters headed towards a distant horizon.
Pomni instantly turns a sickly shade of green.
"Oh god. I'm not too good, herp, out on the water" she groans.
Jax's grin widens. "Whaaaaat? You telling me you don't like the back-and-forth rocking of the boat? The salty sea air? The smell of slimy fish?"
"Jax!" Ragatha scolds as she moves to support Pomni, now looking more nauseated than before.
"Alright my daring adventurers, here's the game! You will all gather into three groups of two. One team will be the prisoners of war of Team A. Team B must hijack Team A's ship and rescue the prisoners. Through any means necessary..." Caine cuts off darkly, eyes wandering out into space. He suddenly snaps back into the present. "Good luck!"
And with that, he's gone.
The players then split off into their own teams. Zooble makes a beeline to partner with Gangle, Jax grabs a hold of a reluctant Pomni, and Ragatha approaches Kinger to ask if he would be her partner. Of course, he accepts happily. It's been a while since the two of them got a chance to team up together. At least, he thinks it has.
In an instant, Jax and Pomni poof into thin air.
"AAGH! JAX! POMNI! WHERE'D THEY GO?!" Kinger screams frantically.
"Over here!" cries a faint voice.
The remaining players follow the sound to see another pirate ship some distance away, Jax and Pomni standing on the deck.
"I guess the game has started," Ragatha chuckles awkwardly. "So, which of us are going to be the prisoners?"
Gangle and Zooble glance at each other.
The next thing Kinger knows, he's sitting in a dark jail cell below the deck of the ship next to Ragatha. The darkness brings him back to his senses within seconds. He can feel his mind clear and his rationale return full force.
"Well, at least we've got some peace and quiet" Ragatha says, although they both know she isn't nearly as happy as she appears.
Kinger smiles cheerfully. "I'm sure they'll come for us in no time. And hey! While we're here, we can find something else to pass the time with!"
The ship groans. Floorboards creak. Rats squeal. Both of them look at each other, neither of them having anything to say.
After a few awkward moments, Ragatha mutters, "Yeah I've got nothing."
Admittedly, neither does Kinger. He supposes there are worse things than boredom. A peaceful moment in the Circus is not something to be taken for granted. He at least is happy to be here with his oldest friend, who, despite her silence, looks troubled with thought. He has learned to recognize that look over the years. Her eye is just a little unfocused, glazed even, like she's watching something very far away. Maybe there's something on her mind she wants to talk about. Although, maybe the fact that she hasn't brought it up means she doesn't want to talk about it. He should ask just in case.
Before Kinger can start talking, Ragatha does first.
"You know, I don't think I ever properly thanked you for what you did the other day."
With startling clarity, Kinger remembers what she's referring to. Their talk in the Loser's Corner.
Gosh, that was only just a few days ago, wasn't it?
Ragatha continues. "I tend to get... trapped in my own head sometimes. It was really nice what you did for me."
Something is warm deep in Kinger's chest. "Oh, it was no problem. I'm always here if you need to talk to a friend."
"Right, of course! But uh... I- I actually was referring to... to the- you know..."
He's not sure what specifically she's referring to if not their talk. Was he thinking of the wrong memory?
His confusion must be written all over his face, because Ragatha tries again to explain.
"You know... the thing... after we talked..." Ragatha says through a clenched smile, exaggeratingly drumming her fingers on her lap.
It hits him. "Ohhhh! You mean the tickling-?"
She explodes with babbles and gibberish like he's just spoken a terrible secret.
"SHH- I- yes," she clears her throat, "that thing."
Ohhhhh that's right. He forgot that she was pretty shy about this kind of stuff. He still doesn't quite get why, but then it doesn't really matter so long as Ragatha is comfortable.
"It's really not as big an ask as you think. I'm glad it made you so happy" he grins warmly, remembering how bright her smile had been. How carefree her laughter. It isn't often that Kinger gets to see her that way. It saddens him a little. She is such a wonderful soul. She should get to be that happy all the time.
He is suddenly pulled from his thoughts by Ragatha's voice.
"Does it make you happy?" she asks.
The attention pointed at him makes him blink owlishly.
"Getting tickled?"
Ragatha nods.
He doesn't have an answer right away, which is odd for him. He turns the question over in his head curiously like a Rubik's cube. He hasn't given it much thought for such a long time. Not since his wife was there.
"I think so? It's been such a long time," he chuckles bashfully, "Queenie used to do it all the time."
"Queenie?"
"My wife," he says wistfully, not noticing Ragatha's perplexed expression, "She'd attack me when I would get on her nerves, or be stupid, or really any reason. She always knew how to make life fun, even when things looked pointless."
He feels himself smiling like a doofus, but thankfully his cartoonish head doesn't show it.
Ragatha is watching him now, something sinister forming at the corners of her lips. It makes him nervous.
"You know, you've been lookin' real glum lately, Kinger," Ragatha notes with a pep in her voice, sounding almost artificial, "And as your friend, I think it's high time I return the favor!"
He catches the meaning in her tone, suddenly realizing that he hasn't been glum lately and she knows it. He's played this game before; that tone means he's about to be in deep trouble.
Soft giggles leave him like they've done this a million times before. His smile almost hurts now with how big it's grown. He tries to talk his way out of this metaphorical corner; tries to negotiate his way out of his sentence, but every word he tries to form gets overpowered by his nervous laughter. He can't help it.
It's kind of adorable seeing Ragatha's sudden display of mischief. It's like watching a kitten pretend to hunt you; you just can't not play along. He feels so much pride for her when she's around, and especially right now, seeing her work up the confidence to challenge him like this. He hopes she's not just doing this because she thinks he wants her to. He doesn't want to be another person she has to take care of.
"You don't have to do this, you know" Kinger laughs.
"Will you fight me if I do?" Ragatha raises her eyebrows at him.
Will he?
He doesn't have to think about it for long. No, he decides, he won't. He can spare a few moments to pal around with his friend. After all, it's only fair that she get a chance to get him back.
He shakes his head.
Smiling, Ragatha starts to scoot closer to him, making him lean back preemptively until he's practically italicized.
"Let's see just how ticklish this king really is," she taunts as she reaches her plush hands out to him and squeezes his side.
"AH!" Kinger yelps, curling in on Ragatha's hands. That motion might have trapped them there were it not for his armless noodle body. He is properly laughing now, the chortles and titters and squeaks just funneling out of him. Unlike his friend, he isn't ashamed of his physiological reactions to tickling. It's all just coding; a neurological mechanism designed to prepare our bodies for danger. In instances like these, neurological quirks could be fun. Does that mean he doesn't feel downright ridiculous laughing like a maniac? Nope.
Ragatha is laughing with him too, or is she laughing at him? He can't quite tell, but the sound of it makes him laugh more. He can only imagine how silly he looks right now.
Her hands are squeezing up and down the length of his trunk in all sorts of little nooks and crannies that he didn't consider would be ticklish. Well, now he knows.
Ragatha says in-between laughs, "How am I only just learning this about you? We've known each other for how many years now?"
"Very mahanhany," he replies with all the spare breath he can muster, his voice wobbly.
"Very many indeed," she agrees. "Where's your worst spot?"
"I dohohon't knohow," Kinger huffs innocently. He does know. He very well does know, but that is particularly sensitive information (if you can excuse the pun) and you don't just hand that information over just like that.
Ragatha hums. "Hmm. I guess I'll just have to find it myself! How abouuuuut over here?"
"Wait!" Kinger shouts before cackling maniacally. She had reached behind him and was now poking sharply at the center of his back, where a spine would have been. His body is thrown backwards, almost falling off the bench. But Ragatha catches him with one hand, effectively holding him in place.
"Oop! Easy does it, there," she chirps playfully, with a sunshine in her tone that could light up a room. "Gotta say, I didn't think this would work this well. I'm glad it did though, you could use a good laugh."
He can't say that he disagrees. This is fun. Maddening, but fun!
Ragatha steadies him back onto the bench, before clawing his front and his back with her hands, trapping him in a sort of ticklish sandwich.
Kinger starts to wheeze as he is lost to ticklish ecstasy. Not that he's not having fun, but he isn't sure how much more of this he can take!
With incredibly fortunate timing, Ragatha says, "Here, I'll just tickle your worst spot for a minute and then I'll stop, where is it again?"
Nice try, Ragatha. He's not falling for that one.
"I'hihihim nohohot telling you thahahat!" He cries.
"So you do know where it is! I can't believe you lied to me!" She gasps, pretending like she's offended.
"Because you're gonna tickle it!"
"Well yeah silly! That's the whole point."
He supposes it would be in good sportsmanship to tell her his spot, since he had agreed to this little game in the first place. He readies himself to speak-
"You know what, let me try up here! Haven't tickled here yet" Ragatha says.
Before he knows what's happening, he feels Ragatha lightly grabbing around his neck, squeezing ever so gently here and there.
Kinger begins to cackle wildly, hands flying around, waving at absolutely nothing.
Damn it, she had ended up finding his bad spot anyway.
As soon as he starts snorting, he can hear Ragatha laughing next to him.
"Found it! Really ticklish up here, huh?"
"YEHEHES!"
"Thank you for the honesty" Ragatha says, putting on a fancy voice. "You have been granted a pardon!"
The tickles stop.
As Kinger straightens himself and tries to work the last of his laughter out, Ragatha grins smugly.
"And now we are even."
"I feel like I got it much worse than you did." Not that he really cares. He just feels like teasing her.
"That's just cause you're more ticklish than me" she retorts.
"Uh huh. You better watch it with the smack talk, missy, or I might try to tickle you again." He threatens playfully, waving a pointed finger at her.
It fulfills its purpose, as Ragatha flinches backward with a nervous giggle.
"Okahay okay truce- truce!"
Suddenly, a thunderous boom scares the two prisoners as they look just in time to see a cannonball tear its way through the hull of the ship.
Blinded by the blaring sunlight, Kinger and Ragatha make out two silhouettes standing in the threshold of the new doorway they just created.
"THEY CAN TAKE OUR MEN, BUT THEY CAN NEVER TAKE OUR FREEDOM! AAAHAHAHAHA!" One of the figures starts cackling frightfully, wasting no time in rushing up the stairs to the deck with guns ablazing.
"Jax wait- what about the pri- oh never mind." Pomni sighs. "You guys okay?"
He's not quite sure. He can't remember all of a sudden. He remembers being up on the deck, and then...
"I... think so. Are we?" He asks Ragatha.
Ragatha smiles at him, something warm with a hint of sadness (he doesn't understand why).
"Yeah. Yeah, we're great."
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This feels like a nothingburger compared to the first part but maybe im just biased idk
