#lee!wanderer

[rand0m-s1nner]

scara colored sketch, for some reason

[chibimochii]

Wanderer and his little dragon🌱

Commission 1/7 for @wertzunge ✨️

Thank you so so much max for the big bundle of comissions T^T!!!🫶 I hope i made your first one justice. I had such a nice time drawing this ^^ i also got to use my outfit for bby durin~

[wertzunge]

A New Roommate and A Letter

A/N: I came across this thought out of nowhere and before I knew it, the story has been written. I really love to see Wanderer interact with the others and acting like a tsundere.

Summary: Sethos gets a new roommate at the Akademiya but befriending him isn’t as easy as he thought, or isn’t it?

Words: 2,576 words under the cut

Sethos had come to a very important conclusion: His new roommate was weird. Not dangerous weird - he’d met plenty of people in Sumeru who qualified for that - but the quieter kind. The kind that sat on the edge of the room, watched everything, and acted like the world had personally offended him just by existing.

Sethos lay on his bed, one arm tucked behind his head as he stared lazily up at the ceiling, letting his thoughts wander. Day three of sharing a room at the Akademiya, he mused. Name: Wanderer. Or… Hat Guy, apparently. Personality: Grumpy Cat. He snorted softly to himself.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t tried. “Hey, want to grab lunch?” had been met with a flat “No”. “Want to come study with me?” had gotten him a blank stare and a “I don’t waste time”. Even casual conversation had been… difficult.

Wanderer was quiet, sharp, and distant. Always perched somewhere slightly offside - at the back corner of the auditorium or the windowsill in their room - like he didn’t quite belong on the same level as everyone else. Like a cat, Sethos thought again, amused. An unapproachable one. Still… Sethos turned his head slightly, glancing across the room.

Wanderer was sitting on his desk, one leg loosely crossed over the other, a letter held in his hand. His hat rested nearby, abandoned for once, and his expression - usually so cool and composed - looked… different. Softer. There was the faintest curve to his lips. Sethos blinked.

…Wait. What?! He pushed himself up onto his elbows, eyes narrowing. “A smile?” he whispered to himself. That was new. That was very new. Curiosity sparked inside him immediately. Okay, Sethos thought, grinning to himself, what could possibly make Mr. Grumpy Cat smile like that?

He rolled off the bed in one smooth motion, padding quietly across the room. Wanderer didn’t notice at first. He was too focused on the letter, eyes scanning over the page with that same faint, almost absent smile. Sethos leaned in just enough to peek over his shoulder.

“…make friends…” “…friendly…” “…stubborn…”

That was all he managed to catch before, the dark-haired finally noticed him. “Get lost,” he snarled, sounding as if been caught red-handed. Sethos didn’t even flinch. Instead, his grin widened. “Aww, Hat Guy,” he said lightly, leaning closer, “what’s that? Someone writing you love letters?” he teased, trying to get a better look at it.

Wanderer’s expression snapped back to its usual sharp edge, and he folded his arms quickly, hiding the paper. “Mind your own business.” “Oh, come on,” Sethos laughed, “I just saw you smiling. That’s a historic event, I deserve context.” “You deserve to leave,” the dark-haired replied annoyed. “Not happening when you finally show a hint of emotion there~”

Wanderer turned his head slightly, eyes narrowing. “You’re annoying.” “And you’re hiding something,” Sethos shot back, clearly pleased with himself, resisting the urge to poke his nose, and settled to wiggle a hand over the back of his neck instead. The light touch caused his him to flinch, but he kept quiet.

There was a beat of silence, before the brunette smirked, a sudden thought coming to his mind. It might be childish- embarrassing even, if it wouldn't work, but if it did, he might finally be able to get closer to him. There was nothing to, lose anyways, right? The slight reaction he just got gave him the confidence to proceed.

“Alright,” he said, flexing his fingers slightly, “if you won’t show me…” Wanderer raised a brow “…I’ll just have to make you.” Before Wanderer could react, Sethos darted forward and jabbed his fingers straight into his sides. It was a gamble, a complete, reckless guess… and it paid off instantly.

Wanderer squeaked. It was soft, completely unguarded and absolutely priceless. His entire body jolted in surprise, his arms snapping tighter against his sides to protect them, causing the grip on the letter to loose in the process. “WhaH-?!” he sputtered, breath hitching as Sethos’ fingers scribbled lightly along his ribs. Sethos’ eyes lit up. “No way!~”

“StoHop that!” Wanderer snapped, trying to suppress the giggles that wanted to get out, but the command broke halfway into a startled laugh, as he was not able to hold them back. “Oh, you’re ticklish,” Sethos grinned, doubling down immediately, visibly relieved that his intuition was right. He had learned something new about him.

Wanderer tried to twist away, but with his arms pinned close to protect the letter, he had no defense. Sethos took full advantage of that, wiggling his fingers teasingly over the exposed sides. “H-HeHey, gehet your hahAnds out of theEhre!” Wanderer hissed, laughter slipping through despite his best efforts.

“That’s so unfair,” Sethos teased, “you act all cool, and this is what happens?” “ShuHut…uHup!” the navy-blue-haired cursed, but his composure was already cracking. His shoulders trembled and another soft, breathless laugh escaped him as Sethos squeezed lightly at his ribs, making sure to target the sensitive areas in-between.

That was all the opening Sethos needed. With a quick movement, he snatched the letter from Wanderer’s loosened grip. “Got it!~” he cheered, holding it up in the air like a trophy. Wanderer froze for a moment. Then his eyes sharpened. “…Give that back.”

Sethos jumped back, waving the letter triumphantly back and forth, while paying attention not to crumple it by accident, knowing how much it seemed to mean to the other. “Make me~” he challenged. That was a mistake. A very big mistake he realized way too late. A rush of wind surged through the room.

Before Sethos could even react, Wanderer used his anemo power to propel himself forward- fast… very fast, catching up to him in an instant. “Whoa-!” The world tilted as he slammed into him, tackling them both onto the bed in a tangle of limbs. “Oof!”

The impact knocked the breath from Sethos’ lungs, and the letter fluttered from his grasp, drifting uselessly to the floor. For a second, everything stilled. Sethos blinked up. Wanderer was above him, straddling his hips, his dark hair slightly disheveled, his blue eyes sharp- and just faintly flushed. “…You’re fast,” Sethos breathed.

Wanderer smirked. “If you wanted to ‘bond’ so badly,” he said coolly, “I suppose I can humor you.” Sethos barely had time to process that, before the other’s fingers dug into his sides, kneading into them with such a surprised and unexpected gentleness that it broke him instantly. He burst into loud, belly laughter. “HAAHAHAH H-HEY-! NOHOHOHO!”

He couldn’t believe that he was seriously tickled by the other and why was he so good at it? His touch was quick and precise, fingers dancing over Sethos’ ribs and slipping under the edge of his shirt to trace along his stomach, as if had to done it countless times already.

The brunette's interest and wish to get closer to him was triggered even more by that, but right now, he had to get out of this situation, and fast. Sethos squirmed beneath him, laughter spilling out freely. “OhoHohokay- Okay I- Pfft I diHihidn’t mean this kind of bonding!”

“Too late for that~” Wanderer teased, not even realizing what expression was shown on his face. His lips curled into a small, amused smile - different from his usual sharp smirk. Softer. More genuine. And Sethos noticed. “You’re- hahaHa smiling again!” he managed between giggles. Wanderer’s expression faltered for a split second. “Shut up.”

“That’s so uHunfair!” Sethos laughed, twisting under him. “I’ve neHehver seHehen you like this!” “Then stop looking.” “CaHahn’t! AhAHAHHhah!” Sethos gasped as fingers skittered up his sides, dangerously close to his underarms. “Oh no- n-n-noHo doHohn’t… noHohot theEhre!” he laughed, tears of mirth already forming in his eyes.

He was giving him a pleaded look- well, he tried to, considering he looked like a complete mess right now. Wanderer did it anyways, and his fingers found their way into his bare armpits, wiggling into his hollows with gusto.

Sethos yelped, high-pitched laughter spiking as he tried to curl inward, only to be held in place by Wanderer’s weight. “AHhAHahah iHit t-tiHickles!” “Sensitive?” Wanderer asked, almost teasingly. “YoHou’re eHEhvil!” Sethos replied. “And you started it.”

Sethos grinned despite himself, breathless and flushed. “…Worth it~ I like tickling and I’ve never seen you so happy- well, anything besides that kind of face, so totally worth it~” Sethos said, trying to mimic Wanderer’s serious face which got him a chuckle from the other. Wanderer huffed, but the smile lingered.

That was Sethos’ chance. With a quick twist, he shifted his weight and grabbed Wanderer’s sides in return. The other froze. “Oh?~” Sethos panted, still laughing. “You didn’t think I’d fight back?” Wanderer’s eyes widened - just a fraction, but before he could even have a chance to react, Sethos had already squeezed a now well-known weak spot of his.

His composure shattered. A startled laugh broke free, as his shoulders jumped, fingers faltering against Sethos’ sides. “S-SeHehthos! StoHop iHit!” Sethos didn’t stop. “Oh, this is good,” he grinned, digging into his sides more firmly now.

Wanderer tried to push himself up, but Sethos used the momentum to roll them over, reversing their positions in one swift movement. Now he was on top and Wanderer was pinned beneath him. For a second, they both froze again. Wanderer’s face was flushed, his usual sharp expression replaced by something softer, more flustered.

“SeHethos,” he said, his voice tight, “g-get off-” “Nope.” Sethos grinned down at him. “You said it yourself,” he teased, “let’s “bond”~” The navy-blue-haired’s eyes narrowed. “ThaHaht’s- argh noOH- ahAHAHAhahaH!” “That’s the way buddy~” The brunette’s fingers wiggled teasingly over his sides, absorbing each and every reaction from the other.

The other sucked in a breath and Sethos struck, sneaking in something teasing pokes on his stomach as well. Wanderer laughed, his giggles sounding almost childlike. It was softer than Sethos’, more restrained, but no less genuine.

It slipped out in breathless bursts as Sethos’ fingers traced over his stomach, his ribs and the sensitive spots in-between, and up under his arms. “AHaHAHAHAH s-stoHohOHop!” “Not a chance.” Wanderer twisted, trying to escape, but Sethos held him easily, laughing along with him now. “You’re even more ticklish than me,” he teased. “Am noHohot!”

“You totally are and it’s adorable.” Wanderer huffed- and then laughed again when Sethos squeezed his sides. The room filled with overlapping laughter, warm and bright and completely at odds with the quiet distance that had existed between them just minutes ago. Neither of them noticed how close they were anymore, or how natural it felt.

Eventually, their movements slowed, laughter fading into soft, breathless giggles. Sethos collapsed beside Wanderer, still grinning. “…Okay,” he admitted, “that was fun.” Wanderer turned his head slightly, avoiding his gaze. “…As if...” “But you laughed.”

“…That means nothing,” Wanderer mumbled, but the undertone in his voice made it quite obvious that he had enjoyed it too - whether it was just as much as for him, well, he now had enough time to find it out.

Sethos chuckled. His eyes drifted to the floor. To the letter. It lay there, slightly crumpled from the fall, the writing - a bit crooked as if written by a child - still visible from where it had landed. His gaze caught on a line.

Did you already make friends at the Akademiya?

He blinked. His smile softened. He read a little more.

I know you can be stubborn sometimes, but I also know that you’re actually a kind person deep down. If you give it time, I’m sure the people around you will see it too.

Sethos’ eyes flickered back to Wanderer, then back to the letter.

You’ll probably pretend not to care, but I think you’ll make a lot of friends before you even realize it, Hat Guy.

There was a small pause. And then, at the bottom-

-Durin P.S. I miss you. Come visit again soon.

Sethos smiled quietly to himself. “…Hey,” he said after a moment. Wanderer stiffened slightly. “What.” Sethos didn’t tease him this time. “…You’re doing fine, you know.” Wanderer frowned faintly. “What are you talking about.”

Sethos just shrugged, still smiling. “Nothing.” Wanderer narrowed his eyes but didn’t press. And for once, the silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable.

...

Bonus

A few days later, Wanderer sat alone at the desk. The same place where Sethos had first caught him smiling. This time however, there was no one peeking over his shoulder, no sudden attacks, or no annoying voice calling him “Hat Guy” every five minutes. Just silence and a blank sheet of paper. Wanderer stared at it. “…Tch.”

He picked up the pen. Paused. Put it back down. “…Ridiculous,” he mumbled to himself. And yet, after a moment, he picked it up again. The scratching of ink on paper was soft, almost hesitant at first.

Durin, Your timing is as inconvenient as ever. The Akademiya is just as insufferable as you’d expect. Full of scholars who talk too much and think too highly of themselves.

There was a pause. Wanderer tapped the pen lightly against the paper, his eyes narrowing slightly as if debating whether to continue.

…However. It seems I’ve acquired a roommate.

Another pause. His expression shifted- just barely.

He is loud. Persistent. Annoying beyond reason. He lacks any sense of personal space and has a habit of inserting himself into matters that do not concern him.

The navy-blue-haired exhaled quietly through his nose.

He also laughs too much.

The pen stilled again. For a moment, it looked like he might stop there, but instead, he added:

…He is not entirely unbearable.

A faint flicker of something - something softer - crossed his expression and he caught himself smiling, despite himself. He shook his head.

He has a tendency to act before thinking, which is troublesome. However…

Wanderer hesitated, then he slowly continued to write:

…I suppose I understand what you meant.

Another small pause.

About “making friends”.

The word looked almost out of place on the page. He stared at it for a second longer than necessary, then scoffed under his breath.

Don’t misunderstand. I am not confirming anything. But…

The pen hovered- then moved again.

He hasn’t left yet.

That was the closest he was willing to get. For now at least. Wanderer leaned back slightly, glancing at what he had written, as if checking for errors - not in grammar, but in something far more intangible. After a moment, he continued:

As for your other point- I will visit when I have the time.

A brief pause. Then, almost as an afterthought:

…Don’t get used to it.

The pen lifted. Wanderer stared at the letter, expression unreadable. Then, with a quiet huff, he added one final line at the bottom.

-Hat Guy

A moment later, the door creaked open. “Hey, Hat Guy- Oh!” Sethos leaned into the room, blinking in surprise. “You’re writing a letter? That’s rare.” Wanderer’s hand moved instantly, flipping the paper over. “Get out.” Sethos grinned. “No way. Who’s it for?” “None of your business.” Sethos stepped further inside anyway, clearly undeterred.

“…You’re smiling again.” Wanderer’s expression snapped back to neutral. “I am not.” “Totally are.” Sethos laughed, flopping onto his bed like he owned the place. Wanderer clicked his tongue but this time, he didn’t tell him to leave. And if the faintest hint of a smile lingered on his lips, well… no one needed to point it out.

[berrys-hide-out]

.. seems someone got caught studying for too long.. hopefully they wont wake Durin.. (Should I write the fic I had in mind for this?..)

fully sketch-coloured version under cut..

[kaeyasfavonius]

⋆★⋆ Tiny tickly trouble⋆★⋆

Summary: 𝕎𝕙𝕠 𝕨𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔸𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕒𝕣𝕒’𝕤 𝕗𝕒𝕧𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕖 𝕨𝕒𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕒 𝕔𝕖𝕣𝕥𝕒𝕚𝕟 𝕡𝕦𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕥 𝕤𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕜𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕙𝕚𝕞? ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕓𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕪 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕖𝕩𝕔𝕖𝕡𝕥 𝕠𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕠𝕦𝕤 𝔻𝕦𝕣𝕚𝕟…

Genre: 𝔽𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕡/𝕗𝕝𝕦𝕗𝕗/𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕜𝕝𝕖 𝕗𝕚𝕔

(𝕃𝕖𝕖!𝕎𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕣, 𝕝𝕖𝕣!𝔸𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕒𝕣𝕒 + 𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕒 𝔻𝕦𝕣𝕚𝕟)

“Hey, hat guy, you know you can talk to me,” Durin assured his friend for the fifth time, but the latter simply didn’t want to talk. 

Ever since they had woken up in Gandharva Ville that morning and continued their journey, the Wanderer had been more sullen than usual. The corners of his mouth, which were usually straight as a line and showed no emotion, were now slightly turned down. 

There was a dangerous gleam in his eyes that warned everyone from miles away not to talk to him. 

This had not escaped Durin's notice, of course, but he had no idea what could be causing it. Being the stubborn mule that hat guy was, he hadn't even bothered to lie, instead answering every question with useless one-word responses. 

“Why are you so grumpy today?” Durin asked again, his tail twitching in annoyance. 

“I'm not,” Scaramouche immediately denied, without even glancing at the dragon boy behind him. 

“You don't have to tell me the reason, maybe there isn't one. But at least admit that it's true!” whined Durin, pushing his companion's hat up slightly from behind so that it now covered his eyes. 

“Cut the nonsense,” growled the Wanderer, instantly adjusting his oversized hat. 

Sighing, Durin continued to walk behind him, refraining from any further teasing. After about an hour, the two finally reached a clearing where Wanderer decided to take a break. 

Durin, who had also become a tiny bit grumpy in the meantime, quickly grabbed the katsu sandwiches that Collei had made for them that morning. 

She was a good cook, and Durin had naturally become friends with her right away, not least because she had also been fascinated by him and his dragon attributes. 

Tighnari, whom the hat guy probably already knew from the Akademyia, had also been very friendly to him, and his long fennec fox ears looked really fluffy. 

As Durin thought about the two of them, he became a little less grumpy again. He liked having lots of friends, even though he was always a little nervous at first when it came to meeting new people. 

Scaramouche, however, was different. Human contact did not make him happy or excited; no, it seemed to really get on his nerves. At least, that's how he wanted it to appear, but he never seemed to have a problem with Durin's presence.

Perhaps the dragon boy could use that to his advantage...

Without further ado, he rummaged through his bag until he finally found what he was looking for: a small lunch box filled with the remains of his special apple stew. 

“Would you like some?” he asked, helping himself as well. 

“No, thanks,” muttered the puppet, who didn’t eat very often anyway, since he certainly didn’t need to. Despite everything, Durin had hoped he could calm his friend down with food, but he had probably thought too simply. 

“Come on, hat guy! I can give you my sandwich too,” Durin pleaded, reaching for the sandwich he had briefly set aside. 

To his confusion, he realized it was gone. No wrapping paper, no crumbs or traces, nothing at all. But he knew he hadn't eaten it, so where was it?

“Did you eat my sandwich?” he asked, still confused, but Wanderer just shook his head disinterestedly. Until he suddenly turned around jerkily. 

“Durin, did you just tap me on the shoulder?”

Confused, he shook his head. 

“You don't have to lie,” assured hat guy, sounding less annoyed. Nevertheless, Durin shook his head again. 

“I didn't tap you, why would I?”

“How would I know? "

"Maybe you can't think straight anymore from being so grumpy,” said Durin with a shrug, not caring about Scara's strange behavior. 

“You did it again!” he complained once more a few seconds later, staring slightly unsettled at Durin's hands, which hung innocently at his sides and hadn't moved an inch. 

“I didn't,” the dragon pouted, rightly offended.

“You don't have to lie to me... and that means I don't have to lie to you either,” sighed Wanderer, who was firmly convinced that Durin was provoking him just to get an answer out of him.

“It's about the Akademiya. I just finished revising all of their books on historical events, and now they're getting new ones...”

“Is that why you're in such a bad mood today? Seriously?” the other asked incredulously, already holding his stomach with laughter. 

“Stop laughing like that,” Wanderer pouted, crossing his arms in front of his chest in offense. 

“By the way, you can stop nudging me now,” he added grumpily.

“I told you it wasn't me!”

“It really wasn't you?” asked the puppet, puzzled, covering his sides alternately with his hands. Shortly afterwards, a childlike giggle rang out, one that Wanderer knew all too well, but it wasn't his own.

He would never do something as childish as giggling anyway.

Durin, on the other hand, stared cluelessly at the clearing in front of him, while Wanderer had apparently started punching at thin air and staggering back and forth in a comical manner. But he himself neither saw nor heard anything.

So what was his friend seemingly fighting against? His own shadow? Were the books driving him really that crazy?!

“Um... Hat guy, are you okay?” his dragon companion asked immediately, naturally concerned.

“Never felt better,” stammered the older one as he ran backwards like he’d been stung, for no apparent reason. 

“Then... what exactly are you doing?”

“Nothing, obviously!” Scaramouche asserted, not particularly convincingly. This was largely due to the Aranaras, which were getting closer and closer to him. 

Hidden from Durin's eyes, these were small creatures of various colors with large leaves on their heads. They kept jumping up and down and poking Wanderer in the sides or stomach, while the Wanderers desperately tried to brush them off without laughing in the process. 

“Grumpy Nara! Smile a little,” one of them called out, though it was hard to tell which one. 

“No!” protested the so-called grumpy Nara, trying to escape somehow as the little creatures slowly but surely surrounded him.

Durin, however, couldn't see any of this and was therefore very surprised by his friend's strange behavior. 

“Why are you grinning like that?” he asked again. 

“I'm not,” Wanderer insisted, using one of his hands to hide his mouth behind it. 

This turned out to be not a particularly good idea, as he now had one less hand free to defend himself against the little monsters. 

Durin, who had of course noticed by now that something was amiss, approached curiously and squinted his eyes intently, hoping to catch a glimpse of what Wanderer was fleeing from. 

However, he still couldn't see anything. 

“I'm not grumpy at all! And I'm not a Nara or whatever,” Wanderer clarified indignantly.

Durin, who couldn't hear the teasing voices of the Aranara, looked around the seemingly empty clearing, partly concerned, partly confused.

“You haven't been nibbling on any suspiciously poisonous-looking mushrooms, have you?”

“How stupid do you think I am?!” snorted the Scholar.

“I just mean –” Durin began to explain, but stopped short when his friend made a rather unusual noise.

A shrill, high-pitched squeak.

A few moments later, he threw himself to the ground almost as if he was possessed.

The dragon boy watched in bewilderment. Of course, his first reaction was to rush to Scara's aid, but when he realized that the latter was now just laughing himself silly, he froze in place in surprise.

“Hat guy?” he stammered uncertainly, trying to get the puppet's attention.

“Leave me alone,” he replied, rolling convulsively back and forth in the soft grass.

He was aware that Durin couldn't see the many little creatures that had now surrounded him, overwhelmed him, and pinned him to the ground with their combined strength.

However, that only made it even more humiliating than it already was.

“The grumpy Nara laughs!” exclaimed one of the little creatures triumphantly and began to climb up his victims belly, which only tickled him even more.

“Leave me alone, all of you!” giggled Scaramouche, which immediately took away any sense of menace.

“All of you? Who else do you mean?”

Once again, Durin received no answer, and slowly Wanderer’s strange behavior began to really annoy him.

“What's gotten into you, hat guy?” he wondered, stepping a little closer to the action. 

“Nothing! Everything's fine!” Scaramouche assured him as he desperately fought for the freedom of his arms, which the Aranara kept trying to pin down together. 

Durin, who was unaware of all this, decided to put an end to Wanderer's struggle, but not in his favor.

“Stop it, hat guy, you're going to hurt yourself,” he muttered worriedly, holding his friend's hands firmly above his head. 

“No! Durin, let go! You don't understand!” he protested abruptly, of course, and pulled with all his might, only to fail miserably. 

Of course, the little monsters immediately realized that Durin was unknowingly being a great help to them and began excitedly poking Wanderer's now exposed armpits. 

“Durin, please! YOU HAVE TO LET ME GO!” he almost screamed, pulling even harder on his arms. He couldn't believe how someone could look so innocent and behave so heartlessly at the same time.

Did this dragon really have no empathy when he was so obviously suffering here?

“I don't think so, hat guy. I don't know what's going on with you right now, but I like it.”

In disbelief, said hat guy looked up at the face of his so-called friend and was furious to see that he had the nerve to grin!

“Dragon Nara is helping us!” one of the little Aranara realized happily and pointed proudly at Durin, who of course was unaware of any of this. 

Wanderer, meanwhile, felt as if he was losing his mind. Those little hands, no bigger than a toddler's, were everywhere on his sides, hips, stomach, and armpits. They were poking and scratching him everywhere, teasing him and making delighted squeaking noises every time Scaramouche almost choked on his own laughter. 

Durin watched the scene with a blissful smile. He knew what Wanderer's ticklish laugh sounded like and already had a rough idea of what was happening here. 

However, he didn't want to stop it, because his otherwise emotionless traveling companion laughed far too rarely. And anyway, he wouldn't be much help if he couldn't even see what was happening so he had the perfect excuse to do nothing.

“Grumpy Nara is happy now!” whispered the Aranare to each other joyfully, but of course this did not escape Wanderer's alert ears. 

He couldn't really tell if he was truly happy behind the overwhelming feeling of embarrassment. 

“Durin! Let go of me and help me, please!” he pleaded, his usually soft voice already sounding slightly hoarse from laughing so much, or rather from desperately trying to hold it back.

“If you tell me why you're laughing so much, I'll be happy to,” Durin teased, waiting eagerly. 

“That's ridiculous!", the shorter one wanted to argue, but changed his mind in a flash when the little creatures started bombarding the small dip that served as his belly button with little pokes. 

“Okay, okay! These little monsters straight from hell are tickling me!”

Durin, who had already expected something like this, raised an eyebrow in feigned surprise: “Tickling? How, like this?”

Even as he uttered this sentence, he let go of Wanderer's wrists and pressed his thumbs into his hip bones instead. 

“Stop that, you traitor!” laughed Wanderer, rearing up slightly and throwing some of the Aranara off him, for which he actually felt a little bit guilty.

He didn't want to seriously hurt anyone afterall, no matter how much he hated his situation at that moment. 

“But laughing suits you much better than constantly sulking!”

“I don't care!”

Still laughing, Wanderer ,now no longer pinned down, quickly curled up into a protective ball to fend off the Aranara, that were once again rushing towards him.

“All right fine, you've laughed enough for today, as far as I'm concerned,” sighed Durin, helping Wanderer back onto his feet. 

He skillfully ignored the invisible pokes that literally came out of nowhere in the process. 

“That was so unfair,” the puppet chuckled exhaustedly and hastily put his emotionless expression back on. Durin shouldn't even dare getting the idea he enjoyed any of that nonsense!

“But the idea of you being tickled by tiny invisible creatures really is hilarious", the dragon giggled, his tail swishing in amusement.

“Yeah, yeah whatever. Say that again when you become their victim,” Scaramouche grumbled indignantly, crossing his arms in front of his chest and pouting, trying to somehow get rid of the tingling sensation left in his body. 

“Okay", Durin agreed, sounding innocently as ever. 

And so the two travelers left the clearing just as quickly as they had arrived, even though Durin couldn't resist making countless jokes at his friend's expense for the rest of the evening. If only he knew how fast the tables could turn in the future.

Yay I finally managed to post a fic and that with a delay of just 12 days! That‘s a perfect example of getting work done guys. Believe me…

[aticklishpercivalwriter]

🍦 Brats

Art: Fall 2025 Hoyofair (Beyond the Journey by Atokun) and @axstvro on Twitter!

Summary: Scara is working too hard on an assignment, and both Sethos and Durin take notice.

A/N: This started because of a simple mistake on an actual hw assignment I had. And fun fact, I made two simple mistakes that costed me 20 points on my first midterm this Wednesday for a different class and missed out on getting 85% 😔. And I have another midterm coming up on Wednesday. Arghhhhh :( Anyways, this fic was just supposed to be a short one, but I got carried away. SethoScara and Durin are just so fun to write! I hope you enjoy and happy reading!! :)

Word Count: 2638 Also on AO3!

—

"This is ridiculous."

Sethos, who was sitting cross-legged on their bed inside their home in Sumeru, looked up, along with Durin in his human form, who was having his horns trimmed by Sethos. They caught sight of Scara just in time to see him tossing his pencil across the desk he was working at.

"What's wrong?" Durin asked, flapping his wings in concern and making Sethos let out a squeaky giggle, feeling said wings brush against his stomach. Keheheep stihihill!

"I keep making stupid fucking mistakes on such a simple assignment!"

Sethos and Durin exchanged a glance with one another, knowing it must be serious if Scara was cursing instead of trying to use tame language in front of them both.

"Honey, it can't be that bad."

"It's bad, Seth. Tell me, what does 0.0985 round up to?"

"Isn't it 0.1?" Durin chimed in.

"Yes, it is, and you wanna know what I rounded up to?"

"What?"

"A one. A fucking one. One. Point. Zero. I don't know what's gotten into me. And I even prepped all my work last night to plug and chug the numbers, only to find out I screwed up and I have to do everything over again!"

Scara shoved his face into his hands and groaned.

"Take a break for now, babe. You have been busy for a couple of hours."

"It's fine," Scara said, brushing it off. "I'm almost done. I'll take one when I'm finished."

Sethos and Durin exchanged another glance, skeptical of whether he was actually almost done. Sethos patted Durin's head, letting him know he finished with his horns, and they got off the bed, walking towards Scara.

"What's the assignment you're working on anyway?" Durin asked, flanking the right side of Scara's chair as Sethos flanked the other.

"Making a histogram."

"Histo... Can't you just call it a bar graph like a normal person?"

"Sure, for your simple mind, little bee," Scara teased before sighing at something on his paper. "Okay, you two bugs leave me alone so I can finish my work."

Scara picked up his pencil that he had thrown before and leaned forward on his desk, chin in his hand, and a scowl on his face as he stared at the paper in front of him.

A beat passed before Scara huffed, not hearing any indication of them leaving.

"I thought I told you both to leheheheavehehehe!"

Giggles suddenly broke out from his mouth as he dropped his pencil in surprise, feeling them suddenly tickle him.

“Whahahat ahahahare youhuhu bohohoth doihihing!?! Ihihi sahahaid ihihi'm wohohorking!”

He was trapped in his chair between both of them and the desk as he squirmed, trying to fend off their hands.

“Leheheave mehehe alonehehehe!"

“No can do, honey~” Sethos teased, scribbling along his neck.

“Yeah! Isn't this what you do to cheer me up?~” Durin spoke up innocently as he scratched at his belly.

“Ihihi dohohon’t neheheed cheheheerihihing uhuhuHUHUP!”

He screeched when Durin went for his hips, feeling him worm his fingers into his hip windows.

“DURIHIHIHIN! NOHOHOHAHAHAHA! THAHAHAT’S OHOFF LIMI—AHAHAHAHA! SEHETHOS?! NAHAHAHAT THEHEHEREHEHEHEHE!”

Sethos switched to massaging deep circles into the sides of his ribs with his thumb, and Scara cackled, shaking his head from side to side in ticklish mirth.

“YOUHUHU TWOHOHO AREHEHEHE BRAHAHAHATS! STAHAHAHAP!!”

Sethos and Durin simultaneously grinned, keeping up the tickles.

“Promise you'll take a break, honey?”

“I NEHEHEED TO FINIHIHISH THIHIS! BWAHAHAHA! W-WAIT! PLEHEHEHEASE! NONONOHOHOHO!!”

Scara cried out, feeling them double their efforts. He tried to curl into himself and slide under the table to escape those wiggling fingers to no avail.

“The cat is trying to escape!" Durin laughed, grabbing at Scara's hips and pulling him back.

“I’M NOHOHOT A CAHAHAHAT!"

“I don't knowwww. You do act like a cat~ Coochie coochie coo~”

“YOUHUHU DAHAHAHARE TEHEHEHEASE MEHEHEHE DURIHIHI—!? GAHAHAHAHA!"

“What are you going to do about it?" Durin cheekily replied, unfazed by Scara's attempt to scold him, and squeezed his hips in retaliation.

He felt giddy being the ler, flapping his wings in delight as he saw Scara laughing with a big smile on his face. He liked the fact that he was able to get back at Scara for all the times he tickled him, but more importantly, he wanted to bring a smile to his face after seeing him stressed over his work. He looked towards Sethos, who had stopped tickling Scara, opting to let Durin do all the work as he gave him a thumbs up and a grin.

“Try his armpits! Here, I'll lift his arms~"

“DOHOHON’T LIHIHIHISTEN TOHOHO HIHIHIHIM! I’LL TAHAHAHAHAKE A BREHEHEHEAK!"

"I don't believe you~"

Durin stood beside Sethos and delved into Scara's armpits, raking his fingers up and down with vigor, making Scara howl with laughter. He shook in his chair and kicked his feet out, knees banging underneath the table. How the chair didn't topple over or the table flip over was a miracle.

"I knew you were ticklish, but I didn't know you were this ticklish!" Durin said excitedly.

"THIHIHIHIS IHIHHIS! NOHOHOHOTHING! I-IHIHI'M NOHOHOHOT TIHIHIHIHICKLISH EITHEHEHER!"

"So if I tickle your hips..." Durin began drilling into his hips with one hand, a sly smirk starting to set on his face. "...and armpits at the same time~" He continued, using his other hand to vibrate his fingers between the junction of his armpit and upper rib. "You're still not—"

"OKAHAHAY, OHOHOHOKAY! IHIHI AHAHAM TIHIHICKLISH! IHIHI GEHEHET IHIHIT! IHIHHI'LL TAHAHAKEHEHE A BREHEHEAK! IHIHIHI SWEHEHEHEAR! IHIHIHI PROMIHIHISE! PLEAHAHAHASEHEHE!”

Hearing that, Durin slowed to a stop, a satisfied smile on his face, poking Scara's side for good measure before pulling away completely and hugging him. Scara hugged him back, his laughter teetering off into giggles.

Sethos slightly pouted as he watched the two. I would've gotten completely wrecked by him if I even tried to hug him after I tickled him like that. He sighed, sitting on the side of the bed before smiling fondly at the two. At least his love is finally taking a break from his work.

“Since I'm taking a break because of a little someone~” Scara scribbled his fingers over Durin's belly, making him giggle. "Let's go out. We can get ice cream. My treat."

“What's ice cream?"

“It's a sweet, cold treat. You'll see it when we get it. Go get ready so we can head out."

“Okay!"

Durin excitedly got off Scara and rushed to his room, leaving both Sethos and Durin alone.

“You have that communication device that Xiao and Tubby made?” Scara asked, getting up from the chair and stretching as he turned towards him. “I wanna call Albedo."

“Way ahead of ya," he says, already calling Albedo.

He tossed the device over to Scara, who caught it with ease. Said device is called the Adeptalstone, which allows Aether and his lovers to communicate with each other within the Serenitea Pot and outside it, thanks to Xiao’s adeptal abilities alongside the teleportation keys that each of them holds for access to the Serenitea Teapot.

“Hello?" a soft voice spoke, tickling his ears.

“K-Kazuha?!” Scara felt his face warm up and a shiver go down his spine. The ghost tickles of before were still lingering, which was not helping at all.

“Wait, Kazuha!?" Sethos exclaimed in surprise before stealing the Adeptalstone from Scara. "Why are you with Albedo?” He then switched his voice into mock betrayal. "Are you cheating on us with him!?"

Rolling his eyes, Scara snatched the device back from Sethos with one hand and used the other to tickle him. Hehehehey!

“Don't mind him. Are you two done having fucking fun without us?” He drawled out, wanting to tease Kazuha.

Scara heard some choking on the other end and chuckled.

“You two are most peculiar when speaking," an amused voice spoke.

“Well, you should be used to it by now, Bedo.”

“I am, but apparently Kaz isn't, even though he's the one who's always to—”

“Ahem,” Scara cut him off, glaring at the Adeptalstone in his hand, hoping Albedo could feel his gaze through it and at Sethos, who was hiding a laugh behind his hand. Scara then turned Sethos over onto his stomach before scribbling his fingers over his back. Nohohoho!

"What I was going to ask you is if Durin can eat ice cream.”

“Yeah, he can,” Albedo answered, trying to hide his chuckles as he heard Sethos's voice filtering through. "Why? Haven't you fed him ice cream before?”

“Planning to go Plehehehease! get ice cream with him and Sethos. And no, I haven't because Scahahahara!! I wasn't sure if that was safe for him in his little dragon form and didn't want to risk it."

“Oh, well, in both forms, he can eat ice cream. No side effects or anything.”

“Okay, thanks for letting me know. Talk to you later, Albedo. Hehehelp mehehehe! And make sure Kazu has a good time~"

Scara immediately hung up, but not before hearing Kazuha's squeaking voice of protest.

“And now for you."

Scara turned to Sethos, setting the stone aside and smirking as his lover let out sweet giggles.

“Thihihis ihihisn’t fahahair! Whahahat dihihid I doho?!"

“Many things…besides laughing, so laugh my little bee~"

Scara grinned before tackling Sethos onto the bed and immediately drilling into his armpits, leaving no time for Sethos to protect himself, not that it would've helped anyway, according to Scara's inner professional opinion.

“WHY MEHEHEHEHEEEE??"

“Are you really asking me that question?"

“IHIHIT WAHAHAS DURIHIHIN’S IDEAHAHA!"

“You and I both know that's a lie, love. This really must tickle if you're blaming our little dragon~"

Scara then bent down and whispered in his ear.

“Don't worry, I'll make it tickle much more~"

“HONEY! W-WAHAHAHAHAHA! I’M SAHAHAHAREHEHEHEHEYYYY! PL-PLEHEHEHAHAHA—! HAHAHAVE MERCEHEHEY!!!!”

“Mercy? Love, you know me. I don't show mercy~”

Scara proceeded to wreck Sethos, turning him on his stomach and clawing at his back, making Sethos squeal in ticklish laughter. Scara also sat on his waist to keep him in place, but not pinning his hands.

I should just let him struggle. Let him think he can escape, heh~

“YOU'REHEHE SOHOHOHO MEHEHEHEAN!"

“You're the one who tickled me first."

“BEHEHECAHAHAUSEHE YOUHUHU NEHEHEEDEHED IHIHIT!!”

Sethos tried crawling away, doing everything he could with what strength he had in him to push Scara off or even tickle him, but he just couldn't and swore that anything he did, the sensations became more unbearable as his legs kicked out defenselessly.

“BAHAHABEHEHEHE! GAHAHAHAHA!

Sethos felt helpless and did the only thing he could: Bang his fists on the bedsheets in ticklish mirth.

“LEHEHEHET MEHEHE GOHOAHAHAHAHA! HONEHEHEYAHAHAHA!"

Scara just smirked.

“I’m not hearing a safe word or feeling any true resistance from you. Besides, you're still laughing quite loudly. And I do quite love your laughs so... “ He aims a well-placed scribble at the back of his neck. "Keep laughing for me, will you~"

“NAHAHAHA! MmMNahaHeheHE!"

Sethos tried to muffle his voice, betting that Scara would stop, but…

“Oh little bee~ You can't hide your laughter away from me~”

His honey’s voice was suddenly right next to his ear, whispering, and it sent tingles throughout his body; ticklish tingles that somehow made every touch more ticklish than before.

“BWAHAHAHAHA! SCAHAHAHARA! SCARAHAHAHA! NAHAHAHA!"

He burst into frantic laughter as tears streamed down his face. Shaking his head when he felt fingers slide down his spine, wiggling back and forth before going back up and doing the same process over again.

“Tickle tickle tickle my ticklish little bee~"

Sethos desperately wanted to melt into the bed. He was so weak to those whispers and tying that in with being tickled on his worst spot, he had no chance against his lover.

“Your laughter is really cute~”

Oh, he is definitely done for…

—⏳☂️🪽—

Durin heard Sethos’s screaming laughter and begging as it echoed down towards his room, where he was getting ready, and he gulped as he felt goosebumps along his skin and a faint tingling. He shook his head as he concentrated on getting ready instead, trying to ignore the peals of laughter and shrieks filling the house. After a few minutes, the house fell silent once more, and he had just finished changing. He took a peek around the hall before tiptoeing towards Sethos’s and Scara's bedroom, his tail swishing behind him in anticipation and his wings hugging him as a shield.

He found Sethos sprawled out on the bed, completely destroyed. He was giggling as he tried to catch his breath when he caught Durin's eye.

He opened his mouth to try and warn him, but it was too late as Scara scooped Durin’s hands up with one of his own and gently prodded at a patch of skin right below where Durin's wing didn't cover.

“The little dragon comes to save the day, hmm~”

“Nohohoho! Scahahara! Ihihi’m tihihicklish thehehere!”

"Oh, it tickles? Well, that's the point, isn't it~?"

Durin’s wings flapped uncontrollably behind him as Scara dodged them with ease, keeping up his attack. However, he didn't catch a sneaky tail wiggling into his pocket near his hip until it was too late.

“Tahahake thahahat!”

Scara’s actions faltered a little before he redoubled his efforts and moved to the inside of Durin's wing, sliding a finger along them experimentally.

Durin let out a gasp, retracting his tail and wrapping it around Scara’s wrist before choking out a giggle and trying to back away. He didn't want to flap his wings, for fear of hurting the other.

“Dohohon’t tihihickle mehehehe snort thehehere!”

“Aww, you snorted. That’s adorable~ Let me hear it again~”

He crawled his fingers to the base of Durin’s wings, and the latter let out a squeal, his wings folding inwards and unintentionally bringing Scara closer to him.

“YOUHUHU CAHAHAN’T snort AHAHAHAHA! TIHIHICKLE MEHEHE THEHEHERE! snort”

“You’re the one pulling me closer, Durin~”

“NAHAHAT OHOHON PURPOSEHEHE!”

Durin half-heartedly tried to tug Scara’s wrists off of him, but he’s slowly growing weaker by the second.

“Can’t my wittle dragon handle a wittle tickling?”

“SCAHAHAHARA PLEHEHEASE!”

Durin shook his head from side to side, his laughter getting wheezier, and Scara took notice before slowing down to a stop and rubbing the ticklish sensations away.

“Thahank you. You are so good at teheasing! I want to tease as good as you one day!”

Scara smiled at that.

“You will eventually. I know you will, Rin-Rin,” he replied, ruffling his hair. “You have a long way to go before you can reach me, though~” Scara teased, before wiggling his fingers at him. “I will admit, though, you did tease me pretty good today.”

Scara hid his face from him, blushing before letting out a gasp when he felt Durin hug him.

“I did?! Yayyy!!”

“You did, I’m proud of you,” Scara chuckled, tweaking his side.

“Hehehey!”

They embraced each other for a little while until they heard a groan from the bed.

“Can we get ice cream now? I’m hungry and completely tired from being tickled to death,” Sethos whined.

Scara burst out laughing before grabbing his hat from the bedside table and putting it on.

“Shouldn’t Durin be the one wanting ice cream?”

“Well, I want ice cream now, too,” Sethos pouted. “That’s the least you can do for subjecting your helpless boyfriend to tickling.”

“You liked it though~”

“Th-That’s besides the point!” Sethos squeaked, getting off the bed.

“Whatever you say~”

“Let’s get going nowww!” Durin let out impatiently. “I wanna try some ice cream!”

“You heard him, let’s go!” Sethos wrapped his arms around Durin and brought him onto his shoulders, giving him a piggyback ride.

“Ice cream! Ice cream! Ice cream!” Both Sethos and Durin chanted as they left the room.

Scara shook his head fondly, glancing at a photo of the three of them on the dresser and smiling at it.

Family.

“Scara! Let’s go!”

“Okay! I’m coming, you impatient brats!”

[gabe-76]

Tickletober: Day 1-5

Day one: Boo! / Jump scare:

Day 2: Decorating:

Day 3: Hide n' Seek

Day 4: Surprise / Anticipation

Day 5: "I'm not ticklish":

[rachi-roo]

------------{ ☆°•○•°☆ }------------

Pass-The-Lee: Wanderer! Round one~

Here we go, fellas!! What a sassy little thing we've got here, my first time meeting him and, for some reason, he wasn't very polite. 🤭 Let's see if we can break him by the end! With love, of course ☺️💕 I've never played Genshin, did I do a good job getting him right?? XD

Round one: @rachi-roo

Round two: @ghostlee ✨️

Round three: @pinka-wow ✨️

Round four: @fluffyskies ✨️

Round five: @trans-ace-lee (Writing)

Round six: @farfaripol

Round seven: @sp1racle

(Order was randomly generated♡ If anyone needs help when it's their turn, don't be afraid to ask! ❤️)

(No text ver 👇)