Our little victim has waited long enough. How about a reward for their patience?
Steve agreed to use feather garlands to trace the pentagram, not only to be safe and avoid any potential summoning, but also to provide some cute ticklish bonds for his lovely plaything who's really too squirmy for their own good 💙
Summary: Spectra has been unaccounted for all morning. Gus, being the worry wart he is, panics and goes to check on him. On a whim he remembers the perfect way to cheer up his Master. (WARNING! This is a TICKLE FIC! If that's not something you're interested in, keep scrolling)
3 Hours. Gus had been awake for three hours and there had been no sign of his master. Spectra was never one to sleep in. His entire life was his work, and he always put that above all else, even his health. Gus was never up before the other, so when he entered an empty lab, he was puzzled, to say the least. He figured Spectra must have left to go brawl with Dan Kuso, or maybe he needed some fresh air and was simply out on the ships balcony. As annoyed as he was that he wasn't informed of Spectra's plans, he began working as normal. Now, however, he was worried. Not to say he worried about Spectra often… Okay, that's not true. He worries about him a lot, but he can just talk himself out of it easily. This time is different. Even at the beginning of their partnership (could he call it a friendship now?) Spectra would still shoot him a text if he intended to stay out late without him. Gus still hasn't seen the other all morning! Despite his best efforts, he could not settle the rising panic that threatened to topple him over. He shot up out of his chair and quickly sped to Spectra's bedroom.
Before he could even reach Spectra's door, he saw a black shadow rush out and stop in front of him. To his surprise, it was Helios. So Spectra was still here somewhere? It wasn't like him to just leave his prized Bakugan here, so he had to still be on the ship. So why hasn't he seen him? He got his answer when Helios spoke up. "Gus. You have to check on Spectra. Something is wrong. He's…just not himself." The ball spoke hoarsely. "Helios? What do you mean? Not himself?" "Ugh, just different! He won't get out of bed, and he hasn't said a word to me! At first, I thought he was still asleep, but he's not. He's wide awake." Helios did his best to act indifferent to the situation, but he wouldn't fool even the dullest person. It was clear that whatever Spectra was doing or not doing was enough to worry the apathetic Bakugan. Despite knowing now that Spectra was here, that did nothing to comfort Gus' fear. In fact, he may be even more concerned than before. Clearly, something was wrong, and Spectra decided cooping himself up in his room was the best way to deal with that. "Why didn't you come to me sooner, Helios?" Gus questioned. Helios coughed: "I figured he wouldn't want you to know, so I let it slide. I figured after a while, he'd get over it and get back to work. But…" Helios trailed off. "But? But what?" Gus wasn't even trying to hide the panic in his voice: "Right before I decided to get you, he started…crying. " What? Spectra, crying? That's absurd. No, Spectra was one of, if not THE strongest person Gus had ever known. He had never even seen the man sad before, so how could he picture him crying? "He's still in there?" Gus gestures vaguely toward the room. The Bakugan nods. "Still in bed. Look, I think you're the only one he'd even consider opening up to. Just go talk to him, okay?" Gus doesn't even answer Helios before he's at Spectra's door. "Head to the lab; I'll figure this out." And with that, he enters the room.
Even knowing the gist of what was going on, it didn't prepare him for seeing his master like this. Spectra lay on his bed, curled into a small ball; his frame appeared tiny compared to his king-sized matteress. Even under the covers, Gus could tell Spectra was shaking, and he could hear the faintest sniffles coming from the heap on the bed, as if he knew Gus was now watching him and he didn't want him to know he was crying. Knowing Spectra, that was precisely it. He never faultered; even in defeat, he kept his head held high. Gus slowly approached the bed, as if at any moment Spectra would get up and run. Once there, he gently sat down and scooted closer to Spectra's shaking frame. He really wished he knew what to do in this moment, but he was completely out of his element. He never, not in a million years, believed he'd ever have to comfort the man he'd seen move mountains. What did he even need in this moment? Well, there was only one way to find out…
Gus cleared his throat, gently placing his hand on Spectra's shoulder. Spectra didn't even try to hide it as he flinched away from the touch. Gus figured maybe touching him wasn't the best idea at the moment, so he settled on talking to him. "Master Spectra? Is everything alright? Helios told me you weren't doing so great. Want to talk about it" All Gus got in response was a labored grunt as Spectra curled up even more, which surprised Gus considering how small he looked already. "I suppose you don't have to if you don't want to; I'm not going to force you; just know I'm here for you, if you need me, that is." Gus trailed off; he wasn't exactly sure what to do here. If Spectra didn't want to talk to him, there was really nothing he could do. He figured he'd just let Spectra come to him if or when he's ready. "I'll just leave you be." He went to get up but only made it about an inch off the bed when he felt a hand grab his jacket. He turned around to face the other man, now facing him, his hand clutching his coat like a lifeline, as if he'd disappear the moment he let go. No words were said. Spectra refused to make eye contact, and his face turned down to stare at his bed sheets. Gus eventually broke the silence. "Do… do you want me to stay, Master?" Gus spoke softly. Spectra responded with a small nod as he gently tugged on Gus' coat. The bluenette returned to his position beside Spectra, awkwardly playing with his hands. He was too afraid to touch the other for fear of stepping out of line. But that was tossed out the window when he heard a hiccup. He peered over to see the others hand clamp over his mouth, revealing the oncoming wave of emotion. Gus didn't know what to do other than place his hand on Spectra's. When the blonde didn't flinch, he held on tighter and rubbed his thumb along the back of the shaking hand.
This is all it took to break Spectra.
His whole body curled up, sobs tore from his throat, and he began to shake violently. Gus was taken aback, completely frozen at the sight. This was so foreign to him and so out of character for Spectra that it shook Gus to his core. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't notice he had stopped the comforting motion on his hand, something the other had taken notice of, and he began to pull away from Gus. This pulled him out of his trance, and he quickly pulled Spectra into his arms, engulfing the broken soul in a warm and strong embrace. His hand traced ever so gently up and down Spectra's back, rocking him slightly. Leaning in close, he began whispering words of comfort into his ear. "It's alright. you're alright. I'm here, I've got you, and I'm not letting go. Do you hear me? Let it out." Spectra's sobs increased, but he flung his arms around Gus and held on tightly. He didn't dare say a word; any attempt would surely come out as incoherent babbling anyhow. So he just held on and cried. He cried until his eyes ran out of tears, and his throat refused to make any noise. The shaking eventually calmed down, but his grasp stayed glued to his friend. Gus didn't move; he didn't dare. It didn't matter how long Spectra needed to hold him as long as he was okay. Small hiccups escaped Spectra's lips despite his best efforts. They stayed like this for some time. It was hard to say. It felt as if time stood still; it could've been a fraction of a second or several hours, but eventually, Spectra's grip began to loosen, and he peeled himself off his partner. "s……sorry…" He whispered, rubbing the remaining tears from his face. "That was childish of me. Just, pretend this never happened." He cleared his throat and began to turn away, but this time, Gus grabbed onto him. For the first time since Gus had entered his chambers, they made eye contact. Gus' eyes were glassy; his hands made it down to one of Spectra's, and he held it firmly. "No, no, you're not acting childish. Spectra. You're one of… No, you are the strongest person I know. I've seen you push through the impossible and bend life to your will; your very presence demands respect. Sir, you have overcome everything I've seen thrown at you. But that doesn't mean you don't have limits. That's just a part of life. And despite being knocked down, you're still determined to keep going. If that's not strength, I don't know what is." Gus reached over to cup Spectra's cheek to rub away a few stray tears that were beginning to fall again. "Nothing. I mean it. Nothing will change that. You're my inspiration, and no matter what happens, I will be by your side. If you're ever to break, I will be here to put you back together." He smiled and let his hand fall. Spectra's eyes stayed glued to Gus' for an eternity, and, for the first time today, Spectra smiled back. "Gus, oh Gus, I'm truly grateful. I don't…know what to say." Gus chuckled. "Don't say a word. There's no need." "No. Thank you. Thank you, thank you." He pulled him back into his arms, and Gus quickly followed, wrapping his arms around his waist. He couldn't help but giggle. "Seriously, it's not a problem! Master!" Spectra pulled the other down to lay next to him. "Screw work. We can stay here." He sighed. Gus couldn't help the flush that blossomed on his face. "Are you sure? There's still much we have to…" He stopped himself as he caught a glance at the sad expression in front of him. "Are you alright?" Spectra looked away. "I feel better, I suppose. Today is just…rough. I'd prefer to stay here. With you. If that's alright, of course." Gus couldn't help but notice the pink on Spectra's cheeks, and his quickly changed to match. "I would like that, if that's what you need."
Gus sat up and removed his jacket and boots, trying his best to ignore the small and quiet whimper that escaped Spectra's mouth. He reclaimed his spot, resting his hand atop Spectra's waist. Spectra shuts his eyes, letting out a content sigh. The two lay in comfortable silence, just basking in each other's presence. After some time, Gus starts lightly moving his hand up and down Spectra's side, up to his ribs, then back down to the dip in his waist. He continues the soft pattern until he feels Spectra's body begin to shake once more. But unlike last time, the shaking wasn't accompanied by sniffling and crying. Despite this, Gus was obviously still concerned. "Master? Are you alright?" Spectra nodded quickly. "F-Fine! I'm fine-" He sputtered out a little too quickly. Gus wasn't buying it, of course. "Spectra, you're shaking like a leaf. Please tell me what's wrong." His hand was still lightly gliding along the other's side. Spectra shook his head. "Seriously Gus…I'm o-okAAY!" Spectra jumped as Gus' fingers reached the top of his ribs, and he clamped his hand over his mouth in an attempt to cover the embarrassing noise that slipped out. Gus paused the tracing and stared wide-eyed at the other man, taken aback. "What…was that? Are you sure you're okay? Did you get hurt and not tell me again?" He reached up and caressed the area that got the previous reaction, and, unsuprisingly, Spectra squealed once more. "G-Gus please-! I'm f-f-fiihine! Just watch your hahahand!" He tried to keep his frantic giggles under control. At this point, Gus began to put the pieces together. He recalled the last time Spectra had gotten injured. He came home with a limp, and while treating him, Gus made a rather interesting discovery. Spectra is ticklish. At this, Gus' lips stretched into a sinister smirk; not that Spectra could see him, his eyes were squeezed shut. Gus reached his other hand to the one Spectra had over his mouth and gently pulled it away, causing the other to make eye contact with him. Looking at Gus' face, he knew his cover was blown. "Master Spectra, I seem to have remembered the perfect thing to cheer you up~" He practically growled. Spectra felt a shiver run down his spine. He sucked in a mouthful of air. "I-I don't know what you mean." He squeaked out. Gus merely snickered. "Oh? Perhaps I could jog your memory?" His hand once again made contact with his ribs, pulling a gasp from the blonde. "Oh, um…I d-dohohon't think that's necessarry…" "No? I believe it is, sir~ You're sure to be tickled by it!" The comment made Spectra's whole face turn bright red, something Gus noted was quite cute. Spectra had gone completely silent, but his eyes revealed what he refused to say. They glimmered with anticipation and excitement. He knew as much as Gus, he needed this. His mind was scattered, completely devoid of life. He wanted a distraction from this awful day, and, well, the idea of getting tickled silly? He didn't really mind that. Plus, didn't he deserve just one happy moment on such a horrible day?
Spectra stared straight into Gus' eyes and muttered the softest, "Please?" Gus felt his heart implode. Spectra asked to be tickled! Gosh, how bad was he feeling? Gus shook himself out of his thoughts and smiled. "Why, master, you don't have to ask~" With that, Gus began to skitter his fingers gently against Spectra's side, the movement sending shockwaves through his nerves. He squeaked and curled into himself, giggling the whole way. He jerked his body from left to right, twitching under the soft but torturous touch. "G-Geehehehheheee! Eehehehahahahaaa o-oh my goohohohohosh! EEEEE!! Ehehehahah!" Spectra giggled and squealed. Gus basked in all of it, the way Spectra's whole face scrunched up in a wide, wobbly grin, his little spasms as he reached a particularly sensitive spot, and oh, DEAR those giggles! Spectra was such a force to be reckoned with; his name struck fear into those foolish enough to stand in his way. But now? He looked so carefree, lighthearted, and adorable. Gus couldn't help but giggle along. "Mahahaster! I'm hardly touching you; look how much you're giggling already! Oh, how are you going to make it when I really start tickling~?" At that, Gus moved from gentle scratching to squeezing and massaging all over Spectra's sensitive torso. Spectra's frantic giggles morphed into full-on hysterical laughter. As Gus squished his sides and belly, he cackled and squirmed; when his hands moved down to pinch his hips, he bucked and screeched, and when he moved up to scratch and massage his ribs and underarms, he screamed and thrashed around wildly. Gus tended to linger in these highly sensitive spots. "AAAHAHAHAHHAAAAA!! GUS GUS!!! GUAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAS!!! PLEEEHEHEHEASE OF PLEASE PLEASE NOOHOAHAHAHAA! OH MY GAHAHAHAHASH IT TIHHIHICKLES!!" "Does is? Oh dear, I hadn't noticed." He smirked. "Well, if this tickles, what about here?" His hands slowly squeezed down his sides, past his hips, stopping at his thighs. "Are these ticklish too, Master?" He let his hands hover over the shaking appendages. Spectra's eyes widened. "N-Nohoho Gus, pleeheheease!! Not there, come on! A-Anywhere but the-he-he-he-re!!" Instinctively, he squeezed his legs together in a feeble attempt to protect them. Gus knew, oh, he knew how unbelievably ticklish Spectra's legs were, especially his thighs. Despite Gus being Spectra's subordinate, he always found a way to playfully tease his master. How that has really come to aid him now "Not there? Oh, alright, I understand. You want to work up to that, huh? Alright, we'll start down here then~!" He dragged his finger down from his thigh to the top of his foot. His toes curled on que. "You're so awful…" He mumbled, but he made no attempt to pull away. His feet were not nearly as ticklish as the rest of his body, but make no mistake, they're ticklish! Gus maneuvered atop his legs, sitting on his ankles to keep his feet in place. He stroked two fingers up his socked feet, earning a squeal.
"Ack-! Guuhuhuhus please!"
"Please, what?" he asked, turning to face the stuttering mess behind him.
Spectra didn't bother to answer because he knew begging wasn't going to stop Gus, and of course he didn't actually want it to stop, so he just scrunched up in anticipation. Gus smiled at him and turned back to face his feet, gently pulling off his socks one at a time. Once his bare feet were revealed, he began tickling once more. "YEEEAAAHahahahahaaaaaa!! Nooohohohohohooo no no Guuuhuhus!!! Ehehehehahahahaa!! AAACK!! Not thaahahahat!" Spectra squealed when he pulled his toes back to scratch under them. "Sir, you can't be THIS ticklish. Everywhere I touch seems to be more ticklish than the last!" Gus chuckled and began to claw at the arches of Spectra's feet. Spectra reached out and grabbed the back of Gus' shirt, pulling him in and holding on tightly. He pressed his face into the crook of his neck while continuing to laugh and beg. "Nooohoohoohoo!! Okaay! Okay Gus!! Thehhehehey're t-t-tiihihicklish! Move uuuhuhuhup!!!" His feet shook to get away from Gus' surprising long nails. He started tracing circles on one of the heels of his feet, earning more cackles and pounding on his back. "Oh? Move up? Are you that desperate for your thighs to be tickled~? No no, I believe I'll stay here for a bit longer. I've barely even begun tickling your feet~!" he giggled, continuing the tickly dance over his feet. Spectra didn't have it in him to beg anymore, so he just sat there, clutching onto the fabric of Gus' tight shirt, laughing frantically as Gus explored every sensitive spot on his feet, not leaving a centimeter untickled. Gus began to get bored, though, and moved to tickle the tops before moving back to skitter along his ankles. The sudden movement caught Spectra off guard. "E-EEEHEHE!! I didn't know that would tiihihihickle! Eheheeheheeee!" He bunched up more fabric in his hands, pushing his face further into Gus' neck. "Yeah, me neither! Proves me right, though. You truly are ticklish everywhere." He tickled his ankles for a bit longer before relenting. "I'm going to need you to let go, sir~" Spectra didn't even put up a fight; he immediately released Gus, leaning back to give him more room to maneuver. Gus rearranged himself so he was facing Spectra again. He took in the flushed face of his friend, the tears beginning to prick in the corners of his eyes. His smile was wide, and giggles still poured from his lips. Gus couldn't stop the words from spilling out. "You're so adorable, Sir…" He blushed heavily as Spectra's eyes grew wide. "Wh-Wha-ACK! GUS!!!" In an attempt to distract the other from what he said, he shot his hands down to squeeze Spectra's knees. Before he could even comprehend what Gus had said, he was laughing again.
"GUUUUUHUHUHUHUS!! AAHAHAHAA! YOU SUCK! YOU SUCK, YOU SUUHUHUCK!" He hiccuped and flopped down on his back. Gus was still too embarrassed to speak, so he just tickled the other silently, taking in the beauty of the moment. His nails scribbled all over his knees, occasionally slipping underneath to tickle the pits, earning more squeals from the ticklish brawler. After enough time had passed, Gus felt ready to tease again. "I'm so close to those ticklish thighs of yours~ I'm sure that's going to drive you crazy! Just look at how bad you're laughing now! Are you going to be able to handle it~?" The teasing did nothing but seemingly make Spectra MORE ticklish, if that was even remotely possible. His mind was fuzzy, but he tried his best to think about it. Could he handle it? Gosh, he can't remember the last time he was tickled there, he only remembers that he could barely stand it. And Gus was really, REALLY good at tickling. Well, there was only one way he was going to find out, but he was at least going to pretend to be prepared. "AAHAHAHAAAAHAHA I-I CAN HANDLE ANYHTIIIIHIHIHIHIHING!! DO YOU'RE WOOHO HO HO HORST!!" He challanged. Gus couldn't help but laugh at him. "Oh, NOW you're trying to be assertive? After all this? Master Spectra, you're going to regret that!"
And regret it he did, for as soon as his fingers made contact with the inner part of his thighs, it was over. Spectra SCREAMED. His whole body writhed and thrashed about, he couldn't even manage to form words anymore, just incoherent babbling and screeching laughter. "AAHHAHAHAHHAHAA AHA AHAAA AHAAAAAAA!!! N-NAAHAHA NAT THAAAAHAAHAHAHAAAHAHAA! NO NO NOAHAHAHAHHA!! TIHIHIHIHIHICKAAAHAHAHALES!! snort AAH-AHHAHAHAA!!!" He was being driven mad! All thoughts were completely discarded; his hands pounded helplessly by his sides. Gus himself couldn't believe it. "You have to be joking!! Does this tickle that bad? Oh Spectra I kind of feel bad for you. This must be torture~ Or perhaps, this is what you wanted all along?" He smugly remarked. "NOHOHAOHAHAHAHAHHA SH-SHUDUUHUHUHP!! AAHAHAHAA snort snort OKAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAY!!! YOAHAHAHAHA RIIIIHIHIHIHIIIGHT!! AAAAAAAAAA!!!" At this point, there was no denying it; he literally asked Gus to tickle him; he knew he wanted this. It was clear right away, Spectra loved being tickled. But, despite that, it was beginning to get to be too much. Some part of him wanted to keep going, but he needed a break or he was going to pass out. Reaching his hands down to grab at Gus, he screeched "STAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAP STAHAP PLEEEEHEHEASE NO MOOOORE!!!!" And at that, Gus' hands immediately retracted. "Ah! S-Sorry Master! I may have gotten a bit carried away." He giggled sheepishly. Spectra flopped back down in the bed, panting, giggles still alipping out. "D-Dohohon't. I had f-fuhuhuhun hic I neeheheheheeded that." He wiped away the tears that had escaped and smiled up at Gus, once he had control of his giggling. "Thanks." He mumbled, blush ever present on his cheeks. Gus returned the smile. "Anything for you, sir." He laid down beside Spectra, and to his surprise, he got pulled into a hug. "If it's…alright with you, can we stay like this? At least for now." Gus nodded. "For as long as you need, my love," he pressed his lips to Spectra's cheek and wrapped his arms around him once more.
It didn't take long for Spectra to drift off to sleep, followed shortly by Gus. The day ended without Gus ever finding out what was bothering his dear friend, but in the end, that didn't matter. He was there for him, and that was truly all Spectra needed.
Autem has asked Mill to find her unruly imp babies but it seems like the little troublemakers has found them instead! It appears the cheeky rascals were out collecting feathers and now have someone to test them on 😈
In all seriousness, those little imps are so flipping cute! They were really fun to draw. Hope you enjoy! 💚
Hips, legs, and the shoulder blades/neck/back area will always be my favorite places to tickle, and I have zero idea why my mind has hyperfixated on them but thus is my fate.
