Hear Me Out: Mel Medarda
~Oooo Mel is an interesting one, @amazingmsme! Not sure how strongly I ship these two, but I thought they became quite sweet in the show; Jayce would probably want to help cheer her up, and Mel deserves to smile for the sake of feeling good. A tad angsty at the beginning because I felt like being weird. I hope you Enjoy!~
Lee: Mel Medarda
Ler: Jayce Talis
Summary: Mel has another nightmare, which leads to a panic attack. This time, Jayce is there to comfort her. However, Jayce being Jayce, things get a bit silly once she calms down.
Warnings: canon-typical nightmare descriptions, panic attack. This is a tickle fic, so if you don't like that, scroll away!!
Vines. Thorns. The noxious scent of blood and flower petals. Dim crimson surrounding her, suffocating her alongside the serrated stems. Cries ringing through the space she occupied, though she couldn’t tell whose: some poor innocent, or her own wailing echoing back to her.
An inky black tendril shot at her eyes, red swimming in her vision. It was all red, red, red. A voice echoed alongside the screams, knowing and amused at the suffering around it.
It never truly ends, Mel~
We’ll always be with you. Watching,
Waiting,
Ready for you. You
CAN’T ESCAPE—
Mel’s eyes flew open, her body frozen in place as she took in her surroundings. Cold sweat clung to her body, limbs buzzing with leftover adrenaline. Her chest hurt, and—fuck, she needed to breathe.
“Mmph…Mel?”
Jayce’s voice sounded miles away, drowned out by the piercing ringing in her ears. She vaguely recognized arms around her, hands gripping hers and squeezing in a pattern. Slowly, his words broke through her panic.
“I’m here, Mel, just…try to breathe, yeah? You’re in bed, nobody’s here, and nobody’s coming.” Jayce pressed his forehead against the back of her neck, trying to ground her. She looked like she was having a panic attack.
Jayce’s comfort steadily helped to calm her, the adrenaline-fueled ringing in Mel’s ears slowly fading. The pressure in her throat lightened, allowing her to take deep breaths once again. Once her muscles relaxed, she slumped back on Jayce; Mel was too tired for perfect appearances.
“Nightmare again?” Jayce asked, approaching her candidly; he knew she wouldn’t appreciate him walking on eggshells.
The councilor nodded, sighing wearily. It didn’t matter that she was tired: Mel felt electrified, her nerves buzzing beneath her skin. The after-effects weren’t as intense as they normally were, but she still felt a bit untethered.
The inventor hummed, gently running his hands up and down her arms. He noticed her sinking into his touch, how it seemed to be helping. “Can I keep going?”
Normally, Mel would deny needing any sort of help or comfort. She was a strong woman, a Medarda; Medardas don’t give in to vulnerability. With Jayce, however, being vulnerable felt like a strength within itself. He made her feel protected without patronizing or pitying her. It was…nice. Different. Relieving.
“Please.”
Jayce’s hands slid back up her arms, moving to massage her shoulders. It was a bit painful at first, but once she got used to the feeling of his thumbs, Mel all but melted into the touch. Small sounds of satisfied relief met Jayce’s ears, causing a fond smile to bloom on his face.
The man’s hands languidly wandered her body, stroking cheekbones, rubbing tense muscles, and tracing soft curves as they went. Mel lost herself in his touch, letting the gentle affection wash away her thoughts; she was thoroughly out of it…
…and completely unprepared for the buzzing, tingly feeling that shot across her side.
“KSHHhhehe…” Mel jerked a bit, flinching away from the sudden stimulation. Her little giggle was closer to a hiss than anything, but it was definitely audible—especially to the man holding her, whose fingers still rested on her sides.
He hadn’t meant to do anything other than soothe her; the gentle, swooping brush of his fingers just so happened to light up her nerves. But…well, he wasn’t going to just let it go. As an inventor, Jayce thought it necessary to investigate.
Experimentally, Jayce softly swept his fingers up both of her sides. The man’s grin turned impish as she shuddered and bit her lip, mischief shining in his eyes. He spoke once again, though his tone had taken on a much more playful air.
“Mel…can I keep going?”
Her pride reared his head, screaming at her to shut it down, regain control of the situation. She nearly gave in, but his fingers fluttered against her side once again; giddy endorphins flooded her brain almost immediately. It was so childish, so unbecoming for a Medarda…and she found that, for once, she didn’t really care.
“Fine.”
That got a snort out of her partner. It was nice to see her coming back around after the attack, and he was more than happy to help with that. Finding her hips, he began to gently wiggle his fingers into the soft divots.
Any other spot, and Mel might have been able to hide her reactions; with her hips, however, it was useless. Pitchy, almost childish laughter tumbled past her lips as she squirmed in place, ducking her head and folding. Jayce followed, resting his head on her shoulder.
“I love your laugh, Mel. So beautiful,” he hummed, pressing a little kiss beneath her ear. “Adorable, too.”
Mel groaned in annoyance through her mirth, though she was more flustered than anything. Of course, even when comforting her, Jayce had to be cheesy dork.
“Sh-shuhUHUHush!” Mel pressed back against him, half-heartedly swatting at his hands. She didn’t want him to stop, but she couldn’t just sit there without squirming.
“Why should I, goldie? I’m not wrong.” Jayce chuckled, lightheartedly teasing her. He could tell she was perking up, and he wanted to follow suit.
The woman went to answer, but was cut off as his fingers moved to her navel. Mel squeaked, her hands shooting to grab his wrists. That little shit…
“I love how soft you are here. Perfect to squeeze, and makes a great pillow.” Jayce took his time to explore the area, pinching and scribbling all over her lower stomach. He couldn’t help but wiggle a finger into her navel, chuckling as her back arched.
“JAHAhahayce! Youhu lihittle- shhhIHIT!” The compliments are just unfair, she decided. The tickling was mind-melting enough; there was no good reason to fluster her like that on top of it. She didn’t tell him to stop, however.
Mel couldn’t decide if she wanted to jump out of her skin or lean right into the touch. It was impossible to overthink or worry about anything when she was laughing like that; she loved the freedom of it. Jayce’s touch and full attention wasn’t bad, either. It still tickled like crazy, but…it was good.
Jayce was loving it as well. Mel so rarely let her walls down completely; he couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of it sooner. Every silly, out-of-character sound she made had his heart swelling.
Now, while she was enjoying the touch, she was tired; her sleep beforehand hadn’t exactly been restful. Her sides were starting to get sore, and her squirming was slowing down.
Jayce noticed her exhaustion, realizing it was time to stop. His hands switched from tickling to rubbing, trying to soothe any phantom sensations and help her settle in.
“Uhuhugh…” Mel groaned and leaned into his chest, curling up against him. The loving, yet shit-eating grin on Jayce’s face made her scoff. “I see you enjoyed yourself.”
“Yeah, I did. You're beautiful.” He leaned down, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. That remark, however cliché in the moment, had won him a fond smile. It also made her think about things.
It was nice to know that whenever she needed to break, Jayce would be there to hold the pieces. Then, once the dust settled, he'd help put her back together with a dopey grin and sweet nothings.
But, of course, she wouldn't say that out loud—at least, not until later. He was being enough of a dork as it was.
“Shut up and lie down.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“...I love you, Jayce.”
“Love you too, Mel. Forever and always.”