Prompt 23 with lee Ed and ler Stede
Prompt 23 - "Wait a minute, you're not ticklish, are you?"
A/N: they are too cute omfg
…
“Wait a minute, you’re not ticklish, are you?” Stede asked, smiling incredulously.
“Ticklish?” Ed scoffed. “Yeah, no. I don’t think so, mate.”
“Are you… absolutely sure about that?” Stede raised an eyebrow at him. “Because it sure looked to me like–”
“Pff. Well, try it if you don’t believe me!” Blackbeard held his arms out to the sides, looking at Stede expectantly.
This was certainly a surprise. “Well…” Stede’s smile softened into something that made Ed’s insides tighten. “Alright then.” He stretched his fingers slowly, then brought them around just beside each of Ed’s sides. “How about here?” He prodded gently, watching the spots as Ed’s eyes watched him.
A few pinches, and Ed’s gaze snapped down to where the hands were on his sides. What the hell was this feeling? He squirmed slightly, tensing up.
“You…sure this doesn’t tickle?” Stede asked slowly, poking a finger into the front of his lower ribs and getting a startled intake of breath in response. “It … kind of seems like it does.” He pressed in harder, and Ed’s arms flinched in protectively.
“Well you’re- you’re doing it weird!” Ed responded, grumbling and a bit frazzled.
“What d’ya mean?” Stede asked, softening his touch to try to ensure he wasn’t harming his pirate companion.
Ed hissed. “All light n’ shit like that. Feels weird.” He flinched backwards.
“Ah.” Stede observed. “Well, that is still tickling.” He squeezed Ed’s sides a bit more harshly with forefinger and thumb. He didn’t so much as flinch at that. “Are you more used to harder tickling? Doesn’t work on everyone, I’d say.”
Ed watched him, listening. These lighter, more gentle tracings of fingers were tingling and distracting, nothing like the rare harsh grabs for his ribs that he’d had in his mind whenever someone brought up the idea of tickling. He’d been quick to overcome reacting to those. But this… this was different. Stede’s fingers brushed against the skin peeking out at the bottom of his shirt and Edward nearly leapt backwards from his reach.
“Alright!” He said, higher than usual. “I guess maybe. A little bit. Whatever. Doesn’t matter.”
“It’s quite alright.” Stede smiled at him, steady and gentle, reassuring. “I’m rather sensitive to both, I’m afraid.”
“Oh really?” Ed asked, eyes snapping back to the other captain.
Stede looked away bashfully, and something in Ed’s stomach tightened again. “Well, since I let you try it out on me, I think it’s only fair…”
Stede’s eyes widened, shooting back to Blackbeard. “Wait- but I– oh dear!” He brought up his hands with a wide, nervous grin on his face. “Edward! P-Please take it easy on me! Wait–!”
…
[more sentence starter fic prompts]
[other sentence starter fics]
[read this & further OFMD drabbles on ao3]