Brooding
Oh a little mini fic from me!! Teehee I just had the writing bug and specifically my friends wanted to see Mortem getting got and I could NOT say no to sad dad tickles. His QPP Alacritas is the ler in this one, those two have been around together a very long time, and no one knows when Mortem needs cheering up more than Al lol.
Summary: Mortem is brooding again in his pocket dimension and Alacritas pays him a visit. Cuteness ensues.
This is a ticklefic! :3c
The sun rose high over the farm as a man stood in his field, pushing his plow through the soil, his only companion a lone, but excitable yellow lab. The heat was a little subdued for the morning, but still bore down on the man as he worked. He was none the wiser to the very dark crow that watched him from his own fence, its eyes a very odd shade of steely gray. In an instant, the bird was off, flying off into the distance and disappearing, but to the trained eye one would see it had flown through what appeared to be a portal.
Back between the realms the crow flew, avoiding pocket dimensions that belonged to other gods as it swiftly landed into a portal that was all its own. In a poof of black smoke, the crow dissipated and turned into a man, well, what would semi-qualify for a man at least. Antlers sprung out of his mop of black hair and a long cloak adorned his figure. His skin was gray as ash and a skull like pattern adorned his face as he sat down, letting out a sigh in his own room.
Mortem, the Grim Reaper sat in his own dimension, away from the hustle and bustle of Purgatory and the living realm, away form his reapers and even his family as the room came into being. It was a beautiful but cozy little room, tucked away from other beings where the Death God could relax and take his time feeling like a person and not like he ruled the dead. A giant oak desk sat in the corner of the room as did an old leather couch and a leather recliner that he was currently sitting on. Many a books lined the walls and it was clear he studied alchemy by the tools and writings left on the desk.
He let out a small huff as he thumbed through a book, his leg crossed over the other as he sat in silence, loving his very little alone time. The book would have been quite enjoyed in that moment had a voice not cut through the silence.
"Someone's brooding again," a voice from the corner of the room said. Instead of jumping in surprise, Mortem simply closed the book and sighed, putting it down and swiveling the chair to look behind him at his 'guest.'
"I have to give you credit, Alacritas," he said, a small smirk playing on his lips despite his annoyance. "You seem to always know when I'm here and how ot find this place."
"I have this dimension memorized," the God of Life said, appearing in a white puff of smoke on the couch, legs also crossed as his arms hung over the back of the couch. "But it's also not like you made it hard to find."
"I didn't," Mortem said, tapping the sides of his chair impatiently. "I just made it to hide away when I need alone time. Like now."
The Green Sower did not take the hint, or if he did he didn't bite, for his smirk only grew and he moved to lean his chin in his hand as he looked him over.
"Or you go here when you need to brood, I've seen it many a times," he chuckled, running a hand though his long hair. "I just figured you could use some cheering up, and as my oh-so charitable self I decided to lend my oldest friend a hand!"
"I'm not brooding," Mortem huffed out his own laugh, a low sound that almost didn't register as a laugh. "I'm thinking. I'm lost in thought. I do this, you've seen me do this."
"Yes, and I also see you when you're sad and broody," the Life God told him. "And this is definitely one of those times. Your kids even see it too, but they usually avoid you in this time, don't they?"
He didn't know how to answer that one, even though he knew it to be true. Instead he turned back to his desk, fumbling around with some papers.
"Mort," Alacritas started, leaning back on the couch. "When was the last time you smiled? Laughed even?"
"Just now, you just heard it," Mortem replied, not even bothering to turn around. He was growing wary of these games Alacritas liked to play with him, although sometimes he was happy for the company. Thousands upon thousands of years of being alive, if one could even call what the creation gods had as being 'alive', and it was bound to get lonely at times. Alacritas, being the oldest, knew this better than anyone. They only really had each other in all the realms, and it was something only gods even older than them could understand.
"No I mean like really smile," the other god sat up straight, pouting cutely. "I haven't seen it in so long."
"Nothing to smile about in my life currently," Mortem sighed, rolling his eyes at his own 'joke'.
"Oh he's a funny man!" Alacritas barked out a laugh, finding an idea. "OK, jokes it is. Why did the crow cross the road?"
"Al, please," Mortem let out a groan, once again opening a book to hopefully drown his friend out with.
"Say it, Mort, you know you want to." He could hear the grin in the other man's voice as he tried to force him to take the bait, and just to shut the Life God up he sighed and did just that.
"To get to the other side. So funny I forgot to laugh." He huffed, running a hand down his face. "Al I adore you, but your jokes need so much work."
"Alright tough guy, plan B then."
"What's plan B- Ah!" He was not prepared to Plan B, for what it seemed to entail was a small portal that Alacritas had opened on his side of the room, stuck his hand through, and had opened another small portal right next to Mortem's side with his own hand reaching through to pinch at said body part. The Death God didn't even see it coming, and a wobbly grin already made its way onto his face as he tried to push the offending hand away. "Al, please! Don't, don't no please you know I'm deathly ticklish!"
"Of course I know," Alacritas smirked, and Mortem was sure if he could turn around and see his face it would be an absolutely devious look. "That's why I'm resorting to tickling you to get you to smile."
"I'm fihihihine!" He gasped, feeling another hand reach for his arm, a portal right above his head. "You little-You've mastered portals I seehehee!"
"Thank you for noticing!" The other god retorted, two portals opened in front of him with his arms through them. Like an maestro orchestrating Mortem's own demise, one hand held his arm above his head as the other free one attacked under his arm, finally fully breaking him and making him collapse in his chair in mirth.
"This isn't fair!" he choked out, giggling madly as he tried to weakly bat at the other's hands. "Al, no please!"
"Oh come on now, it's a good look on you ya know," he laughed. "Laughing de-ages you. You're always so sad looking all the time, like a lost puppy. I'm tired of it, and if I have to sneak in here to tickle you to tears to fix it from time to time I'm going to do it!"
Mortem couldn't even find words to answer that as he tried too curl away, the offending hand finally stopping its attack on his underarm. Yet, it didn't seem over yet as both hands now went to attack his hips, making him nearly squeal with laughter and buck in his chair. Alacritas couldn't help but find the display endearing.
"Who knew Death Gods were so ticklish, hm?"
From off the desk, a suspiciously black quill feather started floating, flittering right over to the side of his head and flicking along his jawline and stopping at his ears.
"Aahahehehehe! Oh, oh, Al, please not the ears you knohohohow better!" his laugh felt raspy and breathless as he cackled, almost like it hadn't been used in so long. Alacritas wanted to hear nothing but the sound. He tried in vain to get away, and yet part of him didn't ever want this to stop. He was right, it had been much too long since he had laughed and smiled.
'My smile died the day with Unus…'
"Oops I guess forgot, silly me!" He giggled, skittering his hands up his sides and into his ribs. Mortem's laugh went silent at a few points, and the Life God knew when a good thing was probably too much. He eventually pulled his hands away from the portals, and they disappeared with his removal. However the feather kept at his ears, switching sides for a few more moments while Mortem scrunched up his neck and tried and very much failed to capture the sneaky thing. When the attack was finally finished, he leaned back in his chair with a loud huff and panted, trying to catch his breath. He finally rolled it around to face a very smug Alacritas on his couch.
"Was that…really necessary…" he breathed out.
"Judging by the actual color in your face, I say yes!" That only added more of a blue blush to all the way to his ears, and he coughed sheepishly into his hand as he looked away, but he couldn't keep the small smile off his face.
After a moment Alacritas was about to say something, but a vacant look on Mortem's face gave him pause as his eyes turned black. It was done in a flash, and his eyes returned to their normal state as he looked up, a small, thoughtful look on his face.
"See something?" The Green Sower said, tilting his head to the side.
"My farmer was supposed to kill himself today," he said, tapping his fingers to his lips. "But something stopped him. I think it was his dog. I was going to make him a reaper. Oh well, I guess fate has other plans. Maybe he'll live to old age now."
"How wonderful," Alacritas beamed, his hands twisting in a hugging motion. "See, good things can happen! There's plenty to smile about in these realms. We should celebrate the life of the farmer."
"One life?" Mortem actually laughed, hiding his mouth behind a hand. "I guess…you're right. To the farmer that lived."
"That's better," Alacritas smiled genuinely, his expression softening as he saw the smile on Mortem's face. "That's the Mortem I love and miss."
The words hit like a freight train, making the Death God turn to the other, a deep blush on his face as a sheepish look overtook him, but the quiet adoration radiating off him was palpable. Finally getting up from his seat, Mortem got up and sat next to Alacritas on the couch, taking one his hands in his own and giving it a gentle squeeze.
"Thank you," he said quietly. The other nodded, a big grin on his face. Mortem was about to say more when he felt a squeeze at his side, making him yelp again in laughter. "Al!"
"I think that's enough of a break, right?" A resounding round of laughter began between the two of them as it seemed a 'round two' had started, and Mortem couldn't have been happier in that moment.
