Ink incident | Kyle Du Vilteon x Joe Heart Rotais
Commissioned by @dirtpie39 | PPYMIA COMCO
A/N: Thank you very much for your kind support one more time! As always, it was a lovely to work together with @ppyspsps again! We hope you enjoy it!
Summary: Kyle has officially become an Emperor, and things aren't as easy as he thought they would. Especially with someone as Joe around him.
Words: 4k
Kyle had always known what becoming emperor entailed. It wasn't just wearing gold-embroidered clothing and waving his quill from side to side, pretending to work when in reality he was thinking about lying on his bed and having someone feed him grapes.
Being emperor meant that his personal problems had taken a back seat, and what he should always worry about was that each and every person in the empire was living well. It was a heavy burden, but one that he had agreed to carry.
However, he couldn't help but overthink. Would he do a good job as emperor? What if something went wrong? What if all the effort, not only his, but of all those who helped him get to where he was, had been in vain? Would he be able to solve even the smallest problem in the empire?
He had to force those thoughts to the back of his brain, for the ink continued to flow as he signed documents that shaped the future. He had imagined himself sitting right there, and now it wasn't his imagination anymore. It was real.
The office was quieter than he had ever thought. Sitting behind that massive desk, Kyle couldn't help but feel strangely small.
He sat up straight in the emperor's chair. His chair. His shoulders squared from tension rather than pride and confidence, his eyes fixed on the parchment placed before him, tracing the same sentence for what seemed like the tenth time. The words blurred together, as if they were suddenly in a language Kyle couldn't understand. A pile of decisions to make. One mistake and it would be the end of everything.
His fingers tightened around the quill. Was this the way an emperor should feel?
Kyle leaned back slightly and exhaled slowly, as if he wanted to expel all the stress in one breath. His fingers, a little stained with dried black ink, pressed against his temples, massaging them with force, perhaps more than necessary.
Across the room, Joe was watching him. Of course she was.
She had claimed a chair against the wall, near Kyle's desk. Her legs dangled casually from one of the armrests, and swung back and forth gently as she played with her sword. She tapped it with her fingernail and the jingle barely managed to fill the deathly silence of the room.
Kyle looked at her without really thinking, like when someone is distracted by a sudden movement—or like when you remember that someone else is with you. His eyes returned to the paper in front of him, trying to understand any of the lines on it.
Joe didn't speak, which would have surprised Kyle if he weren't so focused on that document. In general, Joe knew how to behave when Kyle was reviewing his documents. She just stayed there, accompanying him. She had known him long before anyone called him Your Majesty. She had met him long before, in another universe and in another life.
Kyle's jaw and shoulders tensed even more as he read the document over and over and over again. His fingers drummed against the desk, the soft dull sound almost driving him mad. The ink container rested close to his hand, his fingers pushing against it a little, as if even that was causing him some kind of claustrophobia.
Joe sheathed her sword again, her head tilting to the side a little, her eyes narrowing just a touch as she studied him—not the emperor, not the symbol of the empire's future, but Kyle. Her Kyle. Her little angel, her canary, the person she loved most in the whole world.
She rose from the chair silently, her steps barely making a sound against the polished floor.
Kyle didn't notice her. It was a miracle that he noticed anything besides the document in front of his nose, his eyebrows were furrowed, as if his gaze was daring those words to make a bit of sense.
Joe crossed the room at a slow pace, her hands crossed behind her back, a familiar spark of mischief already beginning to form in her eyes.
Yes, she decided. He's been looking at that document for too long and it still kept winning. Honestly, someone had to do something about it.
She stopped right behind him, a wicked smile curling her lips as she leaned over Kyle's shoulder, just a little, to see what was written on that paper. She squinted, focusing until the words made sense.
"Your Majesty Kyle:
I hope this letter finds you in good health. The reason for this letter is to inform you that the West Wing is in urgent need of repair.
It seems that, somehow, there is a leak in the ceiling during rainy days that is damaging not only the fine wood furniture, but also--"
Joe raised an eyebrow. Seriously? That's what's got Kyle so worried? Goddess Turga… this man really needed a break.
Kyle sighed again, though now it sounded more like a grunt as he leaned his elbows back on the desk and rested his head in his hands.
"A lot of work?" she asked suddenly, but Kyle didn't flinch. He simply answered with a soft grunt. "It's late... have you eaten yet?" Another grunt that sounded like a negative. "And you're not hungry?"
Kyle didn't answer that question. He picked up the document again and held it so close to his face that Joe almost laughed.
Well, it was official. This required her intervention, and no one was better qualified to distract Kyle than herself, of course. That silly document could wait, but her little canary wasn't going to suffer a headache during her surveillance just for no reason.
Joe moved a little closer to Kyle from behind just as Kyle shifted in his chair, rolling his shoulders once, and letting out a long and tired sigh.
She watched him for just a second longer and darted her hands forward, just enough so her fingers could slip under Kyle's arms and wiggle to tickle him gently, just a flutter.
"Hey—!"
Kyle squealed, jolting violently and pressing his arms to his sides, but Joe managed to pull her hands out before they got trapped underneath. He twisted in his chair, shooting her a glare over his shoulder, the fair skin of his cheeks slightly rosy.
Joe had already stepped away, her hands clasped behind her, face perfectly innocent. Too innocent.
Kyle frowned. "… What was that?" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but then turned back to his desk with a huff. "I'm working. Stop playing around."
Stop playing around? Oh, that was just simply impossible for Joe.
He dipped the quill into the ink again, he didn't need to, but he still did. He tried to refocus his attention back onto the document. He read the first line. The second, and half way through the third one, another sudden flutter of fingers brushed the side of his neck.
Kyle sucked in a sharp breath and a startled, high-pitched laugh burst out of him before he could stop it, his shoulders jerking up towards his ears. "J-Johohoe!"
She was gone again when he twisted around, pacing casually towards the window as if she was just checking the room around. "Hmm?" She hummed, looking up at him with a curious glance, as if she did not know what was happening.
Kyle stared at her, not believing her nonchalant acting. "Do not start," he warned, but an emperor with flushed cheeks and trembled lips could barely be taken seriously.
Joe glanced at him, tilting her head to the side like a curious fox. "Start what?" she asked, her voice soft.
"This," he said, gesturing vaguely at his own sides. "Whatever this silly game you're playing is. I. Am. Busy."
She raised her brows, clearly amused, but pretending to be offended. "Silly game? You sure you're not just… too jumpy today, Your Majesty~?"
He huffed again, brushing his hair back in exasperation. "Behave."
"I always behave, Your Majesty," she declared with a grin.
Kyle sighed, shaking his head and turning back to the desk again, trying very, very hard to ignore the way his skin still felt too aware of her proximity. His nerves buzzed where she had touched him. He leaned forward, rolling his shoulders one more time as he exhaled.
Focus, he reminded himself.
And he did… for a whole twelve seconds.
Joe had moved behind him again and her fingers had darted out, this time she squeezed at his ribs quickly, and was gone before he could even process it.
Kyle burst into laughter, a breathless sound, his chair scraping slightly as he jerked to the side. "Joe! I'm seherious! Stop right now!"
She did not. Where was the fun in that? Instead, she circled him like a bored cat cornering a poor, trembling mouse—or in her case—a cute canary. She delivered brief, infuriating attacks: a wiggle of fingers under his arms, a poke at his side, a flutter of fingers at the back of his neck, a squeeze at his hips. Each one lasted no more than a heartbeat, just long enough to break his concentration completely.
Kyle, oh poor Kyle, he tried to keep working through it. He really did, but every time he started to settle, every time his laughter had died down or a squeal had vanished in the room, she struck again with unpredictable motions.
"Joe!" He gasped, arching his back when Joe traced a single finger down his spine. "I mean to—ahaha!" He laughed, words breaking apart as another touch landed under his arms. "I h-hahave to— I'm trying t-to—"
"Trying to what?" she asked, grinning mischievously as she delivered a quick poke to his side.
Kyle jolted with a giggle, his body jerking away from the playful touch. "Rehehead!"
"Oh? Read?" She leaned over his shoulder, peering down on the document with a smirk. "It's the same one you've been reading forever."
Kyle tensed. "That's- That's not—ah!" He let out another laugh as her fingers wiggled against his ribs again. "Thihis is u-unfahair!"
Joe smirked even more. "Oh? Is it now?"
Kyle's shoulders were drawn up tightly, his arms wrapping his torso. The anticipation was almost worse than the actual tickling. Every time he heard her taking a step, or breathing too close, his body would freeze, expecting another tickle.
"Joe," he warned weakly, although it sounded more like a plea, laughter still clinging to his voice. "I am serious."
She hummed thoughtfully, but didn't say anything. Kyle tensed, closing his eyes tightly, expecting another surprise attack, but as seconds ticked by and nothing happened, he exhaled, relaxing just a friction.
"See? That's better. Now, let me finish this and then—"
Joe lunged in again, this time with more intent, both her hands attacking his sides at once with quick squeezes that moved from his hips up to his armpits.
Kyle yelped and doubled over, laughter spilling out of him uncontrollably as his quill slipped from his fingers and clattered onto the desk. "Johohoe! Stahahap!"
She quickly retreated again, laughing too, clearly pleased. "Eh~? Were you really expecting me to stop? Not a chance, Kyle~"
Kyle pressed his arms to his sides, chest heaving as he tried, and failed, to pull himself together. "You… You are impossible!"
"Hmm~ Maybe I am~," she agreed cheerfully.
Kyle sighed, shaking his head as he reached for the quill again, fingers shaking just a little. "I swear, if you do that again, I will have to—AH!"
A light poke to his neck made him squeak. "Thaha- That's it!" He giggled helplessly, shoulders shaking as he tried to glare back at her. "I'm- I'm— You! You'll have to wait for me outside and—AHAHA!" He doubled over again, his forehead almost touching the desk as Joe tickled his hips.
He squirmed in his chair, arms flailing as he twisted and laughed, still half turned towards Joe with breathless protests, until his elbow touched the side of the ink container and knocked it off. The impact was small, of course. A simply hollow sound against the desk. Barely anything, really, but the damage was big.
Time seemed to stop just enough for Kyle to register what had happened. To feel the faint brush of glass against his sleeve and see the ink spilling all over his documents.
Oh no.
It flowed across the desk in a sudden, unstoppable wave, soaking straight into the parchment he'd been hovering over for the last hour. Elegant lettering disappearing under the stains. A few thick drops splashed onto his hand, his cuff, the edge of his sleeve.
Kyle froze, the laughter dying in his throat as abruptly as it had started. For one heartbeat, the room was utterly silent.
He stared down at the desk, eyes wide, mind blank as he took in the damage, before he came to his senses and lifted the container to prevent more ink from spilling out, but when he grabbed it, he felt it was almost empty.
He gritted his teeth and his fingers curled slowly against the edge of the desk, knuckles turning white.
Joe leaned in, peering over his shoulder. "Oh…," she said, letting out a soft whistle.
Kyle did not move. Did not breathe.
Joe tilted her head, studying the messed up document with casual curiosity, as if this were a mildly interesting mess rather than the result of her last five minutes of mischief.
Then, without thinking, without even a hint or remorse or apology in her voice, she added, "well… at least it wasn't an important one."
The words sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Kyle's head lifted slowly, very slowly, and looked at her. Joe blinked, looking almost confused as to what was happening.
Something in his expression finally made her notice, though. Too calm, too still… the laughter gone so completely it was unsettling. The air around him felt different now, his jaw tense.
"… Joe," he said quietly.
Uh-oh. She recognized that face, she recognized that voice. She recognized this… oppressing aura. Joe gulped.
She straightened at once. "I mean…" she waved a hand vaguely. "Important important. Like… Like world-ending important, you know? You know what I mean? I- I know you do… Kyle?"
Kyle stood slowly, the chair scraping loudly against the floor, the sound sharp in the silence, making Joe cringe slightly. Ink dripped from his sleeve onto the carpet, dark spots appearing at his feet.
Joe took an instinctive step back, hands up in some kind of useless shield.
"Wait, wait!" She said quickly. "M-Maybe I didn't use the right words. It came out wrong! U-Uh… y-you- you know how I am, right, Kyle?"
Kyle didn't respond. He looked at the mess of a desk, picking up the ruined document, staring at it for a few seconds, and then setting it down with deliberate care. His shoulders were rigid.
Joe swallowed. "I- I think it's better if I just… go… for now…" she decided and turned on her heels, bolting for the door.
Kyle reacted instantly. "Joe," he said, his voice a low grumble, but Joe could hear him clearly. She didn't stop. Joe opened the wooden door and made it about a foot outside the doorway before strong arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her off the ground.
"Kyle," she squeaked as the floor vanished beneath her feet, her momentum cut off completely. Kyle scooped her up without effort, throwing her unceremoniously over his shoulder like she weighed nothing at all. Like she was a simple sack of potatoes.
"I said—ack! I said I was sorry!" Joe protested, already laughing despite herself as she squirmed, knowing her laughter would only fuel Kyle even more.
Kyle turned back toward the office, terrifyingly calm. He closed the door behind them and even locked it before both his hands moved to Joe's waist and started squeezing the spot.
Joe squeaked again, bright giggles spurting out of her mouth as she squirmed on his shoulder. "I'm- I'm sohohorry! I'm sorry!"
"Oh," Kyle said, carrying her towards the desk with steady steps as he keeps tickling her, "you will be."
His fingers worked into her ribs with ruthless precision, quick and relentless, even as he continued walking. Joe's legs kicked uselessly, boots swinging a few inches above the floor as she wriggled and laughed herself breathless.
"That—ahahaha! That- That wahahas an a-ahahaccident!" she gasped. "I swehehear!"
"Mhmm," Kyle replied calmly.
His tone was even, not matching his actions at all. He adjusted his grip slightly, just enough to keep her from slipping off his shoulder, and dug in again.
Joe laughed louder, fists uselessly banging against Kyle's back as she squirmed. "Plehehease! I sahahaid- I said I w-was- I ahaham sohohorry!"
Kyle hummed. "You also said it wasn't important."
Joe whined mid-laugh. "Okay! Okahahay! I take it back! I dihihidn't mean it lihihike thahat!" Kyle's fingers slid briefly under her arm and she howled. "NAHAHA!" She kicked again, nearly hitting his crotch. "Kyle, plehehease! Your Mahahajesty!"
Kyle suddenly stopped walking, he stilled his tickling hands too. For half a second, Joe dared to hope Kyle was going to show her mercy, but then he tickled her again. Joe shrieked with laughter, the sound bouncing off the walls as Kyle wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her secure over his shoulder, and the other tickled her side and ribs mercilessly.
"Thihihs is nohohot fahahair!" She accused between giggles and laughs.
Kyle's mouth twitched. "Is it not?"
He finally lowered her back on the floor once they were fully inside the office. Joe's boots touched down unsteadily, knees wobbling as she tried to regain her balance. Still laughing, she stumbled backwards, bumping into the edge of the desk with a soft thud. Before she could straighten, Kyle stepped in, hands already reaching for her again.
Joe squealed. "Kyle, wait! Kyle, please, please lihihisten! Listen!" She tried, but Kyle didn't wait nor listen.
He cornered her just enough that retreat was impossible, and his fingers dug into her sides again with renewed determination. Joe collapsed back against the desk, laughter exploding out of her as her hands flew up, pushing Kyle's shoulders as if that could save her from her fate.
"PLEHEHEASE!" she cackled, feeling the fresh ink all over the desk dampening her clothes as she squirmed, looking like nothing less than a rag trying to clean up the mess she herself had caused, even if that wasn't her initial intention. "I wahahas johohoking!"
Kyle leaned in slightly, pressing her even more against the desk, his voice was low and unmistakably amused now. "Your jokes are poor and annoying," he chuckled, his thumbs rubbing maddening circles right beneath Joe's ribs.
Joe shook her head, arching her back as she laughed herself breathless. "I- I tahahake- take bahahack my apolohohogy!"
That was a huge mistake Joe immediately regretted. She really didn't know when to shut that big mouth of hers, did she?
"O-Oh… Oh noho… wahahit!" she wheezed as his hands went everywhere: her ribs, her sides, a brief, devastating wiggle under her arms—it all made her lose what little composure she had left.
She shrieked with laughter, tossing her head back in nearly hysteria as a deep blush spread across her cheeks. "KYLE! KYHAHALE, PLEHEHEASE!" she begged as her hands tried to capture his and she failed to squirm away. "I'M SOHOHORRY! I a-ahaham sohohorry agahahain!"
She laughed so hard she could barely recognize her own voice, especially when Kyle decided to really go for her armpits. His fingers dug right against the creases, wiggling so fast and so ticklishly that Joe thought she was going to pass out.
She wondered if that would have been better than laughing her head off with her clothes ruined with ink, and an revengeful emperor all over her.
"KYHAHALE!" she shrieked, her voice cracking. "Tohoo muhuhuch! It's too muhuhuch—AHAHA! Plehehease, not thehere!"
Kyle chuckled, a bit breathless himself too. "Is it?" he purred with a smirk. "Not here? Oh, but I think this is just the perfect spot, Joe."
His irritation still stung beneath his skin, vividly recalling how the ink had bled across his entire document. One second of carelessness and an official document had been reduced to trash.
As he tickled her, his eyes caught a glimpse of the stain on his sleeve, he remembered Joe was laying on top of the document, practically wiping the desk with her back, and he felt like growling. But, all things considered, if he truly tried to ignore the situation from a few minutes ago, Joe's laughter echoing off the walls was a welcome respite for his body and heart.
She could barely move, her arms uselessly trying to push her up, but failing miserably as she tried to crush Kyle's hands under her arms to stop his fingers from wiggling, of course everything she did was useless. His fingers were ruthless and so very annoyingly ticklish.
"I'm—AHAHA! I'm c-cahahalling thihihis a-ahahaha! Abuse of p-pohohower!" she managed to gasp out. "NO MOHOHORE!"
Kyle snorted despite himself. "Ah, now you recognize my authority?" he asked with a smirk and an arched eyebrow. "I remember you clearly not obeying me earlier. I'm sure you remember too, that's the reason why we are in this situation after all."
Joe shook her head, dissolving into laughter before she could speak up again, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. "Ihihihi- I n-nehehever said I r-rehehecognize yohohour—AHAHAHA! NO! I DOHOHO! I DOHOHO!"
She screamed with laughter as his hands quickly shifted, moving to the back of her ribs to dig his fingers in. "PLEAHAHASE! Thihihis is n-not fahahair!"
Kyle could feel the knot in his chest loosing the more he listened to her laughter. The pressure easing, even if it was just a fraction. The stress slowly dissolving as his fingers made Joe laugh her pretty head off.
"You ruined my document," he reminded her, although his tone has softened.
"I s-sahahaid I wahahas s-sohohorry!" she protested weakly, barely able to form coherent words.
"And then you took it back," he added, hands moving to her stomach, causing her to shriek, "you took it back and said you weren't sorry anymore."
"I LIHIHIED!" she laughed. "Nohot my tuhuhummy!" She clutched at his sleeves, she knew it'd be impossible to stop him right now, but she needed to anchor herself as the tickling overwhelmed her. "KYAHAHALY!" she gasped, her cheeks and sides aching. "I c-cahahan't! AHAHAHA! I c-cahahan't a-anymohohore!"
Kyle stopped as fast as he had started. The sound of her laughter had changed. It was softer now, breathless and weak, nearly turning completely silent as her strength finally gave up and she was overcame by the tickles.
He pulled his hands away from her body slowly, pressing his palms against the desk on each side of Joe's head, caging her as he observed her. Joe went limp, chest rising and falling rapidly, her hair was a mess, and her cheeks were flushed red.
"Okahahay," she giggled breathlessly, smiling up at him with half-lidded eyes. "I am truhuhuly s-sohorry."
Kyle chuckled, leaning down to press a kiss to her slightly damp forehead before he stepped back, giving her space to sit up, his hands went to her waist to steady her.
"You're impossible," he said, but he was smiling warmly at her again. "And you always make big messes."
Joe glanced up at him, eyes bright and unapologetic despite saying she was sorry. "And yet… you keep me around, hmm?"
Kyle rolled his eyes fondly, a soft smile pulling at the corners of his lips. "I might rethink that decision."
Joe giggled as she slid off the desk, her feet finding the floor with a small wobble. Kyle reacted without thinking, reaching out to hug her waist and press her against him. She leaned into him immediately.
"You okay?" she asked suddenly, and he blinked in confusion, but then he understood and smiled with a little nod.
"Yeah… I feel better now." He glanced past her at the desk and the mess left behind. Somehow, it didn't feel as catastrophic anymore.
Joe followed his gaze. "I'll get you a copy of that one," she smirked, looking up at him. "And… I could potentially promise not to cause a mess anymore.
Kyle chuckled, shaking his head. "Potentially…"
Joe's eyes softened and she hugged his waist tightly. "Let's change, Kyle… and ask someone to clean this mess," she said with a soft, mischievous giggle, and this time, he joined her.
"Yeah, let's go."
His responsibilities were still waiting, and his desk was still a mess, but for the moment, Kyle couldn't care less because right now he only needed Joe to feel like himself again.
