Sleep is for the Ticklish (SSB Edition) (Super Smash Bros Tickle Fic)
A/N: Wow, I did it again! I wrote another fic!
As you might have seen from my list of potential tickle fics, I couldn’t decide on whether or not I wanted to write this concept with Shulk and Cloud, or Shulk, Fiora, and Reyn, so I wrote both of these ideas down on the list. This fic is the SSB version, A.K.A the Shulk and Cloud version.
I provided a link to the list of tickle fic prompts from which this fic was inspired from, but if you haven’t seen the list of potential fics, here’s the link to the prompt list:
https://notmeblahh.tumblr.com/post/190407288511/tickle-prompts
For your information, this fic will not contain any sort of romance or NSFW content. This fic is just about a blonde swordsman tickling another blonde swordsman until he comes to bed.
I might have forgotten something here, but I’ll worry about that later. For now, onto the fic.
Update 07-10-22: This fic is now on AO3! Here’s the AO3 Link!
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Cloud approached the door to the lab of the Smash Colosseum. He had just woken up from a deep sleep, and would have returned to bed, if it wasn’t for one thing.
Shulk was likely still in there, working on some sort of device or weapon. Either that, or he was doing research on the other Smash fighters.
Normally, Cloud wouldn’t have a problem with this. Having prior knowledge of a person’s fighting style would give someone an advantage in battle. Not to mention how the addition of a new weapon could enable a person to come up with new, effective strategies.
No, the problem was that Shulk would stay up late. VERY late. Sometimes, he wouldn’t get a wink of sleep at any point during the night. It irritates Cloud quite a bit, but he’s more concerned about Shulk’s health than he is annoyed by the younger blonde’s bad sleeping habits.
Luckily for Cloud, he knew just the thing that would get Shulk to sleep.
The light was still on in the lab, confirming his suspicions. He quietly stepped closer towards the door. He could hear the sound of a page being turned in a book, along with the faint sound of someone breathing.
He carefully grabbed the handle, slowly pushed it down, and opened the door as quietly as he could.
The first thing Cloud saw was Shulk sitting in a chair in front of the large desk that was up against the back wall of the room. He couldn’t see what he was doing, but based on the fact that there was a book in his hand, and a couple of papers on the desk, the mercenary assumed that he was taking notes. He didn’t know what those notes could possibly be, but reading those notes wasn’t his goal.
He carefully crept up behind Shulk and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. The visionary jumped at the sudden touch, then turned around to face the older blonde.
“Cloud?” Shulk asked, not understanding why the other was still awake.
“How long have you been in here?” Cloud responded with his own question.
“Uh… I don’t know.”
Cloud let out a sigh.
“You can’t keep doing this. You may not know what time it is right now, but I do.”
Shulk had a confused look on his face. “What time is it?”
“About 1:46 A.M.” Cloud answered, not surprised by the look of shock that came on the boy’s face in response.
“What?! It’s that late?!”
Cloud shook his head. “Yes.”
“Wait, why are YOU awake right now?”
“Well, I was going to go back to bed, but I realized that you were likely still awake doing work or research. I came to check in on you.”
Shulk suddenly became nervous. “I’m sorry, I’ll go to bed soon.”
Cloud saw right through that statement. If there are two words that could describe Shulk right now, they would be “terrible liar”. The younger male was known for being a truthful person, so if he were to tell a lie, people would instantly catch on to the fact that he’s lying.
Cloud gave him a glare. “That’s a lie. You plan on staying up all night doing research, aren’t you?”
“U-um…” Shulk began to shrink into himself. Clould’s glares scared him, even though there was a hint of affection behind them.
“I see... That’s nothing new. No matter, I know how to get you to go to sleep.”
Shulk shrinked into himself even more.
“H-how?” He stammered out. Cloud’s plan was beginning to show some results.
The older male slowly pulled the heir out of his chair before throwing him onto his shoulder. Unfortunately, there was no bed nearby, so he would have to walk down to his room with Shulk on his shoulder. Good thing that Shulk was rather light.
“W-what are you doing?” Shulk asked quietly as Cloud turned the lights off and walked out of the lab.
“Taking you to my room. You know what I’m going to do to you.” Cloud answered as he closed the door.
Shulk knew what that meant, and began to lightly squirm under Cloud’s arm.
“W-wait, no! Don’t y-you dare do it!”
“Do what?” Cloud quickly switched from a slightly disappointed tone to a teasy one.
“I… Don’t…”
Cloud lightly chuckled at Shulk’s stutters. He still couldn’t say the word, how cute.
His room wasn’t that far from the lab. In fact, it was only that close to the lab because he changed rooms with Ryu in order to keep an eye on Shulk. In no time at all, he was at the door.
He noticed that the younger blonde didn’t protest too much, but he figured that he was trying to stay quiet so as to not wake up another fighter. He quietly opened the door, also being cautious to make sure that no one else woke up, and closed it upon entering.
He nearly threw Shulk down onto his bed and pinned him down.
“W-w-wait! Someone will h-hear us!”
He had a good point. Considering Cloud’s plan to get him to sleep, someone might be awoken by the sound of loud laughter from the other room.
Or that would have been an issue, if all of the rooms didn’t have soundproof force fields that could be activated at any time at the press of a button.
“Not if I soundproof the room.”
Cloud went over to the glowing blue button on the wall and pressed it. The force field activated immediately and silently.
He quickly went back over to the other blonde and pinned him down again.
“That’s better. Now tell me. Will. You. Go. To. Sleep?”
At every word, Cloud gave a gentle poke to a random part of Shulk’s body, earning him a few jerks and twitches.
“Nohohoho. W-waihihit, I meahahan’t…!” The visionary realized his mistake.
“No? Very well then. I guess I’ll have to convince you…”
The mercenary decided to throw off Shulk’s expectations by targeting his knees, lightly tickling both the front and the back of his kneecaps.
“Whahahahahaht? Whihihihihihihiy thehehehehehehere?”
“I’m being merciful. If you don’t promise that you will go to bed, I’ll make you suffer.” Cloud’s teasy voice came back towards the end of the second sentence, but it now had a hint of a threatening undertone.
Shulk’s eyes widened at the threat. “Nohohoho! Nohohohoho! Plehehehehese dohohohohon’t!”
“Will you go to bed, then...” Cloud decided to lean down and whisper into the other boy’s ear, “...Brother?”
Shulk nearly lost it as soon as the word “brother” left the other man’s mouth.
“Ohohohokahahahay, Ihihihihi’ll slehehehehehep!”
“Hm…” Cloud gave him a quizzical look. “I don’t believe you.”
Shulk squeaked. “Whihihihihihihihiy?”
“You tried to lie to me earlier in the lab. Why should I trust anything that you have to say now?”
The heir didn’t respond, choosing to remain as silent as he could while he giggled his heart out.
“You’re not going to answer me? Okay then, I guess I need to get serious...”
In a split second, Cloud’s hands darted up to Shulk’s upper body, targeting his rib cage. The move made the other boy shriek, and it broke the laughter dam within him.
“NAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!”
If the soundproof force field wasn’t on right now, Shulk’s laughter would have woken up both Lucas and Bowser Jr.
“This should be easier now. Are you ready to give up?” Cloud taunted.
“NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO, THIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIS IHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHISN’T FAHAHAHAHAIHIHIHIHIR!”
“Too bad.” Cloud continued to tickle Shulk’s ribs with his right hand, while his left hand moved down to his belly.
“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAT’S CHEHEHEHEHEHEHEATIHIHIHIHIHING! BROHOHOHOHOTHEHEHEHEHEHEHR!” Shulk nearly screamed out.
Cloud feigned confusion, but he couldn’t hide the grin spreading across his face. “Huh? How is this cheating?”
“TWOHOHOHOHOHOHO SPOHOHOHOHOHOTS AHAHAHAHAHAHAT ONNNNCE!
A loud screech came out of the blonde as his navel was suddenly being attacked by a single finger that managed to worm its way under his sweater. It nearly interrupted Cloud’s actions.
“Dear Gods, I didn’t know you could make that noise! Surely, you are finally going to admit defeat now, right?” Cloud’s voice was full of amusement as he randomly switched between the giggly blonde’s rib cage, sides, and underarms with his right hand. His left hand never left his stomach.
“YEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHES! IHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHI’LL GOHOHOHOHOHO TOHOHOHO BEHEHEHED!” Shulk had been squirming this whole time, but at this point, he was thrashing.
It didn’t last long, however, as Cloud had decided that he had enough. His hands left his body, and he set Shulk free from his pin.
Cloud watched as Shulk’s chest heaved up and down, giggles and laughs still pouring out of his mouth.
“Too much?” He asked, worried that he went too far.
“N-nohohoho… I think ihihihit was… enough… hehehe…” Shulk struggled to get his words out in between his pants and residual giggles.
He felt the bed shift, and he felt Cloud’s hand on his right side.
“Nohoho more…” He half-whined, half-giggled.
“Don’t worry, it’s over.” The merc’s hand gently rubbed away the tingly sensations, though it solicited a few timid, heart-melting giggles when it moved over the visionary’s belly. These giggles were a typical reaction that Shulk can have when he gets flustered during a particularly tickly belly rub.
“Calm down there, giggles. I’m not trying to tickle you anymore.” Cloud said, booping Shulk’s nose. The action caused the latter’s blush to darken into a shade of red similar to the Monodo’s Smash Art.
“I know… I can’t help it…” His voice gradually went from sounding somewhat sleepy to incredibly sleepy.
“Mission accomplished.” Cloud thought to himself as he saw Shulk close his eyes. He stayed up a bit longer, stroking the other’s hair, before he too succumbed to his exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep, right next to his “brother”.