✨Lawful Lessons or something✨
requested by anonymous
⚠️This fic focuses mainly on tickling. Please do not read it if that upsets you.⚠️
idk the title doesn’t make sense anymore cus the story took a different turn. My original idea was tickling Itto til he promised to follow the law, but I ended up writing something else lmao 😭
Anyways…
Looks like Itto got into some legal trouble in Fontaine, ending up in the Fortress of Meropide for an unspecified amount of time. Oh, what would it take to qualm his worries and have him behave himself?
Since Wriothesley can’t exactly leave his important post for vacation, I decided to bring Itto to Fontaine instead. How? Business trip with Ayato. Why? Boyfriend shenanigans. Hotel? Trivago. (That joke is still funny, I swear!)
CW/TW: There’s mention of Itto having a meltdown in this fic. It’s NOT caused by tickling, he is just very stressed and overwhelmed from the Fortress of Meropide. Also there’s swearing.
Word count: 4696 (nice)
Ah, Fontaine: the region known for its impressive machinery, beautiful ocean, and strict legal system. Some find the laws ridiculous: one of them forbids people from unleashing any flying objects within three months of visiting or something like that, which is so oddly specific it got Itto in trouble.
Unfortunately for him, that wasn’t the only law he broke. His attire was deemed inappropriate, Ushi was considered an exotic animal and therefore illegal to bring without a permit or something (he’s fine, don’t worry), he accidentally vandalized and destroyed property, and got into a fight with a citizen which lead to another fight with an officer, which lead to resisting arrest. He was also charged with disturbing the peace, and was really angry about his other charges as he argued. Wriothesley was almost impressed at the sheer speed in which the oni racked up all that chaos.
Kamisato Ayato and his sister were on a business trip to Fontaine, see. Itto had practically begged to come with them, and Ayato just couldn’t say no to that puppy-eyed face. The Arataki Gang didn’t come along, though, since that would be too many people. Most of them stayed behind to help Granny Oni, so Shinobu could join the trip. She wanted to get to know Ayaka more, but knew she’d have to keep her boss out of trouble as well…
…which she sadly failed to do since Itto appeared to be a magnet for chaos. After his assault charges, he was sent to trial, which was exhausting to go through. The Oratrice Mechanique D’Analyse Cardinale found him guilty of his crimes. Itto felt really overwhelmed and stresed by such a dramatic and public trial, and worried sick over how long his sentence would be. Before being sent to the Fortress of Meropide to atone, he had emotional goodbyes with his friends, and especially with Ayato.
“You’ll get through this,” he’d said to Itto. “We’ll make sure of it. Don’t worry.” But it was easier said than done, and Itto had only spent a bit more than a week there before having an overstimulated meltdown caused by all the built-up stress. Wriothesley decided enough was enough and brought the oni into his office to calm him down. He knew better than to leave a strong and overwhelmed oni alone in an unfamiliar place such as the Fortress; especially one as emotionally unstable as this one.
Over the week, Wriothesley had tried to make accommodations suitable for Itto, such as letting him swap any lunchbox with beans in to one without for free and giving him an extra pillow for his cell, but the overall environment and uncertainty still lead him to a violent meltdown. Other inmates were mean, his cell smelt weird, the blanket felt scratchy, his new uniform was uncomfortable, he missed his friends; all the little things built up over time just to break him. So, Wriothesley thought a smaller, more controlled area like his office would be the perfect place for Itto to de-stress.
He figured Itto would feel safe there since they knew each other by now, and he hoped the oni would trust him enough to relax. But to say Itto was pissed was an understatement, and also not entirely accurate. He angrily vented his frustrations about wanting to go home, how Fontaine’s laws can kiss his ass, and how he felt lonely and confused. Wriothesley sipped some tea, letting the oni vent and pace around the office, occassionally nodding and responding to show he was listening.
“I just-! I-… I wanna go home…” he said eventually, his anger turning into sadness as his rage faded. Wriothesley sighed slightly and got up from his seat to offer Itto a hug, which wasn’t something he usually did. However, the duke figured Itto needed one by now and liked his vibe, so he didn’t mind. Perhaps they could officially become friends.
Itto burst into tears once he accepted the hug, sniffling and sobbing in the man’s arms. On one hand he felt ashamed to cry so much with someone that wasn’t Ayato, but on the other hand he’d trust Wriothesley with his life if he needed to. Though he kept complaining, gradually calming down from his distress as the two hugged tight. He was always quick to trust people like that, often befriending them earlier than they did him. Most of the time it was awkward, but this time it seemed reciprocated.
Once Itto had stopped sobbing and gotten quieter, Wriothesley spoke up again. “Listen, I can tell you’re not a bad guy. Cus if you were, you wouldn’t feel even an ounce of remorse.” he said.
“I don’t mean to break laws all the time…” Itto mumbled, sniffling while resting his chin on the other’s shoulder.
“Even so, I can’t free you yet even if I wanted to. That’d be an illegal abuse of power, and it’d hurt the trust people have in our law enforcement.”
“Your law enforcement is stupid.” Itto huffed without missing a beat, making Wriothesley chuckle as he patted the other’s back.
“Pff… That may very well be the case. Our system is different to that of Inazuma.”
“Mm…” Itto sniffled and pulled away, wiping his eyes. “I know, but still. It’s stupid… I hate it.”
“Mhm. Now, unfortuantely I can’t tell you when you’ll be freed exactly. Despite your crimes, you’ll be here for less than a year total.”
“Why? I mean, why would it not be more? I thought Fontaine was strict like that.” Itto seemed much calmer now, thankfully…
“It is, but right now we’re having some complications with your cases. It would seem your travel companions want you out as quick as possible, and they’re working on bail negotiations with Monsieur Neuvillette as we speak.” Wriothesley went over to his desk as he spoke, sitting back down to sip his tea.
“Wha- Really?! Why didn’t you just say so??” Bro was positively flabbergasted to say the least, getting excited at the idea of an early release. Shinobu would usually bail him out in Inazuma, but maybe he’d have to rely on Ayato this time…
“I tried to, but you were in the middle of a rant, so it would’ve been rude of me to interrupt.” Wriothesley smirked a little, somewhat amused by the other’s reaction despite everything.
“Oh, ha ha, very funny. Hmph…” Itto sulked, crossing his arms with a glare on his face. Though it didn’t last long since he couldn’t help but smirk as well.
“Haha, I’m serious~! You would’ve only gotten angrier if I had tried to butt in.”
Itto chuckled and rolled his eyes in respone, not wanting to admit the other was right.
“Heh, now come on, take a seat so we can discuss all this properly.”
“Ah, fine, whatever.” Itto huffed and sat down with the man, arms still crossed stubbornly.
Since Itto was mostly calmed, Wriothesley decided to give him a thorough explanation of why he’s in jail and what he should expect from it. He tried his best to answer any questions the oni had, hoping to completely calm his worries and help him understand. None of Itto’s crimes were intentionally harmful or pre-meditated, he’s just very good at getting into trouble.
“Now, are you still worried about how long your sentence will be?”
“Yeah… Didn’t you say some people stay here forever? What’s up with that? I don’t wannaaaa…!” Itto flopped back on his chair like a disgruntled teenager, which made Wriothesley chuckle.
“Pfft, heheh, you don’t have to, y’know. That part is usually optional.”
“Hey! It’s not funny!”
Wriothesley cleared his throat. “Mph- s-sorry, I don’t mean to laugh. It’s been ages since someone with your mannerisms talked to me so casually. It’s refreshing.
“Hmph…” Itto crossed his arms.
“Anyway, like I said, your friends on the surface are negotiating with Monsieur Neuvillette, which will determine whether or not we transfer you from Fontaine to Inazuma.” Wriothesley explained. “Turns out the Kamisatos are willing to pay your bail and whatnot, but you still have to serve time for your crimes regardless. Just less. Perhaps with good behavior you could get out early.” he added, chuckling to himself.
“Tch, you’re not getting any good behavior outta me!” Itto argued stubbornly.
“Oh really now? What a shame~” Wriotheslay teased, chuckling at the other’s reactions.
“Don’t look at me like that! I’m not changing my mind.”
“Hahaha, sure you aren’t…” Wriothesley was amused by Itto’s attitude. He found him rather charming. “Anyway, hm…”
“Yeah?”
“I believe you mentioned sensory issues during your rant earlier. Am I right?”
“Yeah..? What about them?”
“You know you’re free to retreat back to your cell to rest your head, right? I got a document from that shinobi girl that states you’re neurodivergent.”
“Huh?? Shinobu? When did she give you that??”
“What’s more important is letting you know you can rest in your cell, or in my office, when things get too noisy for you. And that includes all senses, ya get it?”
“I think…? But won’t I get in trouble if I’m in the middle of work?”
“Hm, you might, but I could try getting you some noise cancellers to decrease that risk.”
“Is that allowed…?”
“For disabled inmates, all accommodations are allowed. So, yes. I definitely should’ve gotten you more of those earlier…”
Itto looked grumpy instead of responding to that.
“Speaking of which, about your uniform…”
“I hate it. It’s too tight and scratchy and hot and stupid, I can barely breathe!”
“Right. I assume it’s a size too small for you, is that right?”
“Dude, yes! I’ve been trying to tell you over the week, but you’re too damn hard to get a hold of!”
“Hah, sorry about that. Being the admin of this place is a lot of work, you know.”
“Being in this dumb stupid outfit is also a lot of work. These suspenders are shit, the collar is itchy, the sleeves are stupid-”
“Yes yes, I know. Your uniform isn’t the right size, so we’ll simply have to get you a new one.” Wriothesley tried not to laugh at the other’s “work” claim.
“Hmph… Do you even have my size?”
“Boy I sure hope so. Though, I’ll have to take your measurements to be sure.” Wriothesley reached into one of his desk drawers and pulled out a tailor’s measuring tape.
“Huh? How convenient…” Itto wasn’t expecting the duke of all people to have one of those laying around.
“I know, right? Now, first and foremost, you must consent to me touching you for this, alright? I’ll have to wrap it around you and whatnot.” Wriothesley explained as he stood up from his chair, followed by Itto doing the same thing.
“Sure, man! I consent. It can’t be that bad.” he said confidently.
“Right, spread your arms real quick. I’m gonna need to measure around your waist and chest. Probably your hips…” Wriothesley explained, mildly surprised when Itto did as he was told without protest.
“Okay, what else?” he asked.
“Well, you’re a pretty big guy. If you’re too large, you might have to get a custom uniform.” Wriothesley said while he moved to wrap the measuring tape around the other, surprised at the slight jump he got.
“Hmph-! I-Is that so?” Itto jolted a little at the brush against his side and tried to play it off cool, hoping his reaction went unnoticed.
“Mhm. Hold still.” Wriothesley took note of the measurement before moving the tape down to the other’s waist and so on. Itto struggled to stay still though, growing tense. “Heh. Are you ticklish or something? How convenient.” Wriothesley joked, giving Itto a playful poke.
“Pfft- naha-! Sh-Shut up… I’m not ticklish, you just surprised me!” Itto stifled a chuckle and tried to be still. “I’m not used to getting measured, okay??” he said defensively.
“Mhm? I can see that.” Wriothesley chuckled at the other while measuring. He couldn’t help himself noticing the struggle when he measured from Itto’s waist up to his armpit. Itto snickered and yanked his arm down at a mischievous poke to the pit.
“Oops. Hold still now.” Wriothesley could’ve just measured on his back instead since the uniform isn’t supposed to be a tight fit, but he chose that previous area on purpose just to tickle the other.
“Heh! Stop tickling me then!” Itto gave up on T-posing to at least keep his armpits safe.
“Haha, I’m trying!” Wriothesley said, poking the other repeatedly to tickle him.
“Ahaha! No you aren’t!” Itto replied, giggling himself silly while trying to cover himself with his arms.
“Just relax, and let me measure you.” he said, wrapping the tape around his waist again while tickling him all the way around.
“Ahahahahahahaha!!” Itto jumped and laughed, trying to wriggle away to escape.
“I thought you said you weren’t ticklish?” Wriothesley teased, tickling the other’s side for a moment.
“Pfft, hahahaha! Staaahp! You’re doing all that on purpose!” Itto protested with a playful smack to the other’s hand.
“Hm, doing what? I’m just trying to get your measurements.” He rubbed his hand a little before chuckling.
“Like hell you are! Liar…” Itto crossed his arms and scoffed, making Wriotheslay laugh. “It’s not funny! You ass.” Itto turned around and pretended to hit him on the shoulder for the funny.
“Ahaha, sorry! Sorry…” Wriothesley chuckled and composed himself before speaking again. “Now, you did mention the sleeves were too tight and “stupid,” am I right?”
“Yeah, they suck.” Itto nodded.
“What length would you like them to be?” Wriothesley asked while he measured the length Itto’s arms.
“Uh, I dunno? Short? Can’t long sleeves be separate? I really hate how these are- like- half long, half short. It’s so uncomfortable!” Itto responded, having no trouble standing still now. He was very compliant, lifting his arms when needed as the tape was wrapped around his bicep and whatnot.
“Perhaps. Cold inmates usually get an outer shirt so they don’t get sick and such. It might be a little scratchy for you, though. I dunno what fabrics you like.”
“Oh boy, I dunno either… Ask Ayato.”
Wriothesley chuckled at Itto’s response and continued measuring until he was done with the oni’s upper body. “Now, are your pants fitting alright?”
“Eh, not really... Why do I have to wear suspenders? The waist feels weird and these- these *things* are too small.” he said, fidgeting with the suspenders.
“Hm. Eh, we could probably just pick a pair that’s one or two sizes bigger. Might have to cuff the legs though...”
“Huh? Whaddya mean by that?” Itto looked confused while processing what the duke just said.
“Eh, if they’re too long we’ll have to fold the legs up a bit… eh, the fold *is* the cuff, see.”
“Ohh, yeah, that makes more sense! I thought you meant, like, handcuffs?” His misunderstanding made Wriothesley laugh out loud in astonishment.
“Did you really think I’d be cruel enough to cuff your ankles?” Wriothesley asked, in disbelief after such a ridiculous assumption.
“Can you blame me?? It’s been a long day, bro! That’s why I was confused!” Itto replied, laughing as well.
After the two of them had finished laughing and calmed down, they could resume their conversation. Wriothesley noticed Itto seemed a lot happier than when he first came in, so he assumed he’d be fine to return to his cell.
“So, new uniform, noise cancellers, and um… huh, was that all?” he asked.
“I think so? I forgor.” Itto replied.
“Hah, time sure does fly. You should get back to your cell.” Wriothesley tried to usher him to the door.
“Ugh. Do I have to?” Itto huffed and crossed his arms. He didn’t want to leave yet.
“Yes, assuming you’ve recovered. You seem fine, so move along.” Wriothesley tried to coax the oni to follow him, but he refused.
“And what if I don’t wanna, huh? What then, big guy? Gonna toss me out yourself? Ha! I doubt it.” Itto instigated, grinning with mischief.
“That’s-… not a bad idea, actually.” Wriothesley’s expression matched that of Itto as he approached.
“H-Hey, wait! I was kidding~! C’mon, man!” It was at this moment that he knew he’d fucked up.
“Tsk tsk tsk. C’mere, you.” Wriothesley chuckled and made a playful effort to capture the oni, even though he tried to keep the office’s desk and chair between himself and the duke. However, Itto made one small misstep that landed him right in Wriothesley’s grip.
“Ack-! Hey! Let me go!” Having his Vision confiscated had made him weaker (unless that’s not a thing in Fontaine, idk), so wriggling free didn’t work very well.
“Nope. Hold still.” Wriothesley smirked, held him tighter and started tickling his sides, keeping him trapped in a tickle-hug from behind, which instantly made him laugh from surprise.
“Pfft, hahahahahahaha! HehEHEhey!! Whahat gihihives?!” Itto wasn’t expecting tickling, that’s for sure.
“Since you won’t co-operate, I thought of a way to convince you otherwise.” Wriothesley said, also hoping the tickles would calm him like Monsieur Neuv- I mean, uh, whaaaat?
“Thahat- that’s not fair!! Stohohop~! Ahahahahaha!!” Itto wiggled and giggled, protesting playfully every now and then while trying to push the other’s arms away.
“Only if you surrender. Hm, it kinda looks like you’re resisting arrest~” the human teased, poking in different spots whilst holding the oni firmly in place.
“Nohoho! I- heheh- I’m ahalready in jahahail!” Itto snickered, trying to not give away any of his weaker spots.
“Ah, that’s what they all say.” Wriothesley noticed every twitch, smiling as he poked at the other’s ribs repeatedly, earning himself a lot more giggles and playful protests.
“Whohoho do you thihink you ahahahare?!?” Itto was flabbergasted to feel the other already finding out his weakness.
“Oh, I dunno, the duke? Your arresting officer? I’m the boss around here, you know.” Wriothesley chuckled with amusement as he bullied the other.
“Uhunhahahand mehehehe!!” Itto protested, giggling his head off whilst trying to swat the evil pokes away.
“Mm? No, I don’t think I will.” Wriothesley found the situation very funny. He quickly transitioned his pokes to playful flutters and scritches, revoking his office’s status as a quiet place.
“Whaha! WahahaHAHAIT-!!” Itto nearly squaked at the sudden change of pace, his giggles getting louder and more uncontrolled.
“Ticklish, are we?” Wriothesley’s fingers were quick and skillful as if he’d done this regularly, tickling the other’s sensitive ribs despite all the thrashing.
“WAHAHAHAHAHA!! L-LEHEHET GOHOHOHOHO!!” Itto yelped, trying very hard to escape the other’s grip while he laughed helplessly.
“Say “mercy” and I’ll stop.” Wriothesley said, slowing down his tickling to make sure Itto heard him, giving him an easy way out.
“Pfft, never!” Itto retorted, feeling silly having that sensory need fulfilled by the dude that arrested him. He never would’ve guessed…
“Ah, suit yourself, then.” Wriothesley chuckled at the other’s boldness and resumed the quicker tickling, finding the other’s laughter somewhat contagious.
“Pfft! Wahahait! PlehehehEHEHEASE!!” Itto nearly squealed, laughing his ass off once again as he squirmed in the other’s grip. Alas, the tickles had weakened him also; he wasn’t going anywhere.
“Begging already? Oh dear.” Wriothesley chuckled and switched to vibrating his fingers into the other’s ribcage, nearly sending the poor oni to the floor.
“BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!” He was laughing too hard to protest, wriggling and thrashing so much Wriothesley nearly lost his grip.
“Wow, you’re really freakin’ out, huh?” He joked, continuing to tickle the other.
“SHUHUHUT IHIHIHIT!!” Itto replied (barely), indeed flipping his shit over how badly it tickled.
“You ready to give up yet?” Those damn vibrations… How did Wriothesley know to do that? So unfair!
“STAHAHAHAP!! Rehelehehehease mehehehehehe!!” Itto squealed before he wheezed and struggled to breathe. “I’ll take that as a yes.” the other commented, chuckling at the other as he stopped tickling. “Heh, you okay?” He asked, chuckling as the other pretended to go limp in his arms.
“Ehehe… heheh…! You’re evil…” Itto said, giggling while catching his breath.
“I know, but that doesn’t answer my question. Are you okay? … and stand up, you’re not a ragdoll.” Itto chuckled with amusement before a short tickle attack to his armpit jumpstarted him again.
“GAHAHA-!! Gods, don’t do that! Heheh…! I’m fine!” he said, standing normally whilst keeping his arms down to protect himself, giggling slightly between breaths.
Wriothesley was surprised, letting the other catch his breath before he spoke again. “Really? You’re “fine” after all that?” He asked, letting go of him.
“Tch, yeah, it’s not like I’ve never been tickled before!” Itto boasted confidently, throwing shame out the window for a moment.
“Is that so?” Wriothesley chuckled at his admission, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah? I’ve-… I mean-… I guess I’m used to it?” Itto tried to hide his embarrassment, but his ears were slowly turning red despite his efforts. He tended to blush that far when he felt shy and whatnot.
“Right, I’m not surprised considering how goofy you can be. It’s not every day I get to tickle an inmate, haha!” Wriothesley joked, giving Itto a ticklish poke.
“Pff- hey! Hahaha…! I guess you’re lucky?” Itto added, chuckling with the other.
“Heh, I suppose. So are you gonna leave my office and behave yourself, or am I gonna have to start round two?” Wriothesley threatened playfully, making sure to keep a lighthearted expression as he crossed his arms.
“Oh I bet I can take you down this time! Everyone’s ticklish somewhere, ya know!” Itto retorted with equal silliness, cracking his knuckles in an overconfident stance.
“So you’re-?”
“I’m gonna fuck around and find out!” The oni interrupted, knowing there would be consequences, but that he could at least survive them.
“Hm. Try me, you won’t.” Wriothesley challenged, getting ready to wrestle the oni down if he had to.
“You’re gonna get it!” Itto taunted before he made his approach. Wriothesley chuckled and attempted the same desk-between-them strategy Itto had used before when trying go escape him, which proved to be a rather fun game. Eventually, however, the duke got distracted once he bumped his hip into the corner of the desk, wincing slightly in pain before Itto managed to catch him.
“Ah, damn…” he muttered briefly, held like a grumpy cat as Itto lifted him from behind for a moment to celebrate his victory. “Still got some strength left in ya, huh?” he said. It seemed Itto didn’t notice he got hurt.
“Dude, of course! Vision or no, I’m still an oni!” Itto said proudly before setting the man down. “Looks like I win!” he added, keeping the other hugged.
“And who said I gave up?” Wriothesley asked, chuckling to himself. The situation was so unusual and amusing he couldn’t help himself.
“I did, cus I’m about to defeat you!” Itto replied, initiating his silly attack without further warning. With his arms wrapped around the other’s middle, Itto tickled his sides, which caused him to jolt and snicker slightly.
“Mpfft-! A-As if I’ll- *snrk* g-go down so easily…” Wriothesley said, hoping to keep his composure as he tried to break free, but that only caused Itto’s hands to slip a little bit as his grip loosened slightly. “AhahAH-!” The tickles hadn’t stopped, and the slip caused them to move to the sides of Wriothesley’s ribcage instead, which made him jump and laugh with surprise.
“Oh? What was that?” Itto chuckled and kept going, giggling along with amusement.
“Shihihit-! Hahahahahah!” Wriothesley had forgotten how ticklish he could be, and he certainly didn’t expect Itto to find a good spot so quickly.
“Ooh, is the boss a little sensitive there~? Hahahaha! Oh poor you.” Itto teased, mischievous as ever. Wriothesley wheezed and bucked, trying to break free from the ticklish grip.
“Hahahahaha!! Fuhuhuck- stohohohop!” Wriothesley felt embarrassed to make such a fool of himself.
“You givin’ up already?” Itto asked, giggling while he kept tickling, switching spots to the other’s abdomen.
“HahahAHAHAHA!! NOHOHOHO-!!” Wriothesley laughed louder despite his best efforts, his cheeks turning red with embarrassment. He could barely believe he’d gotten himself so ticklish with an inmate of all people.
“Tickle tickle tickle~” Itto teased, tickling the other’s tummy. As luck would have it, Wriothesley finally to break free from Itto’s grasp. He’d love swiftly turn the tables, but he had to breathe first.
“Ah- shit- wait, wahahait! We can talk about this!” Wriothesley glared at him, intimidating the other. Itto tried to bargain his way out, but the duke was having none of it once he approached.
“Oho, I think we’ve talked plenty. Get over here.” Wriothesley replied bluntly, ready for revenge. Itto tried to back away, but Wrio caught him before he could try to escape. “Not so fast.” he said.
“But-! Please! Ihi-!”
“Nope.”
“Ahahahahaha!! Nooo!”
Wriothesley interrupted Itto and tickled him again before he could finish speaking, this time managing to wrestle the other to the floor to really wreck him. Or, well, to defeat him at least. Despite everything, Wriothesley knew better than to overstimulate the oni himself.
“NahAHAHAHahah-!! C’mohohon~!! Ihi was just plahayihihing!!” Itto kept laughing and squirming on the floor, his legs kicking as Wriothesley held his wrists with one hand while tickling him silly with the other.
“I’d have cuffed you for real if I wasn’t feeling merciful…” Wriothesley muttered, acting all grumpy after the tickles he’d faced just moments ago. “You surrendering yet?” he asked.
“NEVERR!!” Itto shook his head.
“You sure about that?” Wriothesley smirked and tickled his way up to Itto’s armpits, switching between them with his one hand.
“Pfft~ ahahAAH!! NAHAHAHAHAHA!!” Itto screeched and tried to get away somehow, making the other chuckle.
“Heh. Didn’t know you could sound like that.” Wriothesley commented. Itto managed to free his arms, but at the cost of his ribs as Wriothesley switched spots, once again tickling his ribcage with vibrating fingers like he had done before. “Do you yield?”
“FFAHAHAHAHAHA!! FIHIHINE-!! YOHOHOU WIHIHIN!!” With his head thrown back, the poor, ticklish oni didn’t last very long before surrendering. Wriothesley finally stopped and pulled his hands away.
“Heheh, you sure put up quite the fight.” Wriothesley was sort of impressed with the other’s endurance.
“Hah… eheh… hehe *hic* heh…! I hate you~ haha…!” Itto struggled to reply while catching his breath, still covering his ribs with his arms just in case.
“Heh, hate’s a strong word. I didn’t kill ya, did I?” Wriothesley joked, reaching out to help Itto get up with him.
“Hahah…! You almost did…” Itto replied, still giggly while he was helped up.
“I didn’t think you could handle all that. I’m impressed.” Wriothesley admitted, smiling at the other.
“Heheh, shut up! You’re cruel!” Itto gently punched him in the shoulder as a playful gesture.
“Hahahaha! I know I am. Still, you’re quite the fighter, huh? Have I told you about the pankration ring yet?” he asked, crossing his arms as he spoke.
“Heheh… huh? The whuh?” Itto chuckled, finally recovered from their tickle fight.
“I’m sure I showed you the area when you got here. Didn’t I?”
Itto lagged for a moment while his brain processed before he remembered. “Oh! Yeah the uh, that boxing arena thingy, right?”
“Yes, that one.”
“What about it?”
“Heh, you could be a pretty good fighter in there y’know. It’s a great way for energetic inmates to blow off steam.”
“Is that so?” Itto was interested already.
“Yes. You should check it out sometime… after your accommodations and whatnot, of course. Just be sure not to hit your opponents too hard, alright?”
“Right, yeah…! I’ll kick your ass for sure!”
“Oh? Is that a challenge?”
“You bet it is!!”
“Haha, I’ll let you know when my schedule’s free for that. You’d best not underestimate me.”
“And you’d better not tickle me! I’d rather lose in real combat than be humiliated like that!”
“Hahahaha! Fine, no dirty tricks from me.”
Although Itto was confused by how quickly their tickle war had ended and how casual conversation had started again, he stuck around to keep discussing with Wriothesley before he felt satisfied enough to return to his cell. He hoped he’d be able to get out soon, but he also wanted to spar with the duke someday.
Who knows how fun that would be?
