TickleTober Day 5: Sneak
~I had to. He’s just so cute, and I didn’t know when I’d be able to sneak him in again. I regret nothing.~
Fandom: Date Everything!
Lee: Gender Neutral Reader
Ler: Hector
Summary: You’re burnt out from projects and wallowing in your misery. Lucky for you, Hector knows just how to boost your spirits.
Warnings: canon-typical interactions, language, and romantical happenings. This is a tickle fic, so if you don’t like that, scroll away!!
In the end, all you had were a handful of finished works, many more WIPs, and a massive headache.
As you cursed your past self’s stubbornness, Hector peered through the grates of your room’s air vent. He frowned at the state you were in—annoyed with yourself, overwhelmed, feeling like you’d failed. He’d have to fix that.
Hector deliberately lowered the temperature of the room, blowing cold air out from the vent. He watched as you shivered, looked up at the vent, and huffed. You knew what he was doing, to some degree.
“You’re an ass for making me get up,” you grumbled, heading for the attic. Whenever the temperature got weird, you knew Hector wanted to see you.
While you were stomping over, Hector hid, awaiting your arrival. He felt only a little bad for sneaking around. You needed to reset, after all; he was simply sweetening the recovery process.
Rubbing your arms to warm up, you pushed open the attack door, cringing at the slight creak. You’d have to work with Dorian to get those hinges oiled soon.
“Hector? You know there are better ways to get my attention, right?” you huffed, looking around for your man. Where is he?
You were not expecting a pair of arms to wrap around you from behind. You jolted, nearly attacking Hector out of shock.
“You— Hector! What the hell?”
“Sorry, my love. I had to get you out of that bedroom somehow,” he hummed, brushing his lips against your ear. You took a moment to appreciate how warm he truly was, your slight annoyance quickly fading.
You grumbled, “Could've just asked,” though there was no true heat behind it. Truly, you’d missed his warm touch since you started your project binge.
“We both know you would’ve fought me, dear.”
He wasn’t wrong. You were horrible about coming out of your room when you were focused on something unless it was important.
“Whatever.” You were getting a bit snippy with him, though it wasn’t because you were upset at him. You were simply stressed, and he had disrupted your routine of wasting away in bed with your horrible feelings.
Hector sighed at your snappy response. He knew it wasn’t anything he did; you were stressed, and you didn't know how to vent your frustrations.
Luckily for you, Hector knew exactly how to solve that problem.
The warm hands resting on your sides began to gently dig in, fingers kneading your sides in rhythmic, teasing motions.
“Mph— Hehehey! Hehehector!”
Ticklish little currents ran through your nervous system as you squirmed, pulling giggles and squeaks from your lips. “Whahahat?!”
“I thought it was clear, love,” he hummed, enjoying the way you flailed in his arms. Very cute. “You need to reset. I’m simply performing some routine maintenance.”
That sparked a memory. A week prior, Hector had been having a hard time providing cool air for you. Thanks to your “labor limbo” salary, you had to check his inner workings yourself. The fix had been relatively easy, but you’d noticed how he twitched and snickered when you touched the right panels and wires. Things had escalated from there, leaving him a giggly wreck.
Your actions had a funny way of coming back to haunt you.
“Ihihi’m sohohorry, ohohokahahay?” you huffed, half-heartedly trying to squirm out of his arms. You really weren’t sorry for tickling him—you both knew that—but it was worth a shot.
“This isn’t out of revenge. I’m helping you, dear.” He pressed a kiss to the side of your head and he continued to tickle you, holding you close. Sure, a bit of it was revenge, but he truly did want to boost your spirits.
Hector’s hands traveled, sliding down to your hips. His touches were smooth and calculated. He’d mapped out your body before, knew every sensitive zone by heart. Your body was a work of art, and he was more than willing to appreciate its craftsmanship.
His skilled fingers stoked and pressed into the divots of your hips, knowing just the right technique to make you squeal.
“GYAHAHahahahoho shihihit! H-Hehehectohor!” Your laughter was whiny as you squirmed in his hold. Your hips weren’t your worst spot, but they were definitely sensitive.
“Just relax. I'm here to take care of you,” he murmured, placing a little kiss beneath your ear. Your thoughts were too crowded; he was putting their channel for you, directing them to a more pleasant place.
While his actions were definitely tickling you, you noticed that he was avoiding your more sensitive spots. He didn’t want to exhaust you any further; he wanted to help you wind down.
Hearing your giggles had Hector feeling rather affectionate. He began peppering your neck with butterfly kisses, his stubble gently scratching your skin.
“BAHAHAhahahabe!” Squeaks punctuated your giggles, cheeks heating with fluster. You’d usually adore his kisses, but he was on your neck, and shit, his stubble tickled.
“What? I’m just showing you how much I love you,” he cooed, purposefully adopting a babying tone. It always flustered you, and he loved that shaky glare you attempted every time.
Sure enough, you groaned through your giggles, stomping one of your feet. It was unintentionally adorable. “Shuhuhut uhuhup!”
Hector smiled, enjoying the cute pitch of your voice. He woild’ve loved to keep tickling you, but the whole point was to help you relax.
His fingers slowed to a stop, but the kisses didn’t end. Instead, they traveled, moving across your cheekbones.
“H-Hehehector, youhu…you jerk,” you huffed, smacking at his chest. He'd turned you around in his arms, leaving you two pressed chest-to-chest.
“I know, but you have to admit that it helped.” Hector stroked your head, his small, awkward smile on full display.
“I…” When you thought about it, he really wasn’t wrong. Your mind felt less crowded, the stress was a bit lighter, and you felt boosted emotionally from the affection. “Shut up.”
“Aww… Would a kiss make it better?”
“…yes. And cuddles.”
“Of course. Anything for you, my love.”