They're very light. When Floyd first met him, they were barely there at all, his almost sickly pale skin clear as glass. But tending to Heartslabyul's gardens has gotten him in the sun more, letting him tan a bit, the speckles across his cheeks growing more prominent. There are lots of changes that Floyd has noticed through the almost two years of knowing him; he's a few centimetres taller, his eyes brighter, his smile less hidden. But for some reason, Floyd is captivated by those freckles.
There aren't even that many, confined only to the expanse of his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose, and Floyd has counted them time and time againâby which he means probably no more than twice, because sitting still long enough for that is a rare feat for him, but he's done it, okay, that's what matters!
He thinks the reason he likes them so much is because he's just never seen them before. Sure, Crabby and Seagull-senpai have them, but in all honesty Floyd doesn't care that much about them. Freckles are unheard of down in the Coral Sea, where sunlight barely reaches anywhere, unless you count the bioluminescent speckles on their skin.
"Stop staring at me," says Riddle. His face doesn't turn pink as easily under Floyd's gaze anymore. It's a little disappointing.
Floyd does not stop staring. He's sitting behind Riddle, arms around his waist, head on his shoulderâwhere else is he supposed to look? "Tell me about the stars."
Riddle tilts his head. "The stars?"
"The little shapes."
"Constellations?"
"Yeah, sure. Never seen 'em." Stars were a rare sight growing up, since seeing them meant going to the surface. On land, though, Floyd can look at the night sky all he wants, and even now he's still amazed by all the twinkling lights.
Riddle is already talking. "You probably have. They just require a bit of...creativity to see them. None of them actually look like the things they represent. Capricorn, for example, is supposed to be a goat, but the constellation is really just a triangle."
"That's dumb," says Floyd, face now nestled in Riddle's neck. "I could make way better ones."
Riddle laughs at that, or at least lets out an amused-sounding huff, which is basically the same thing. "Could you?"
"Mhm." Floyd pokes at Riddle's cheek, running his finger lightly over the freckles. "See. This one's a fish. It's tiny, just like you."
Riddle scrunches his nose, leaning away. "Stop that, it feels weird."
Floyd keeps going anyway, putting a little more pressure, just enough for Riddle to feel it, to make him laugh. He's ticklish in the strangest places. It's cute.
Trey makes his way through the ever-changing halls of Heartslabyul, every possible route memorised by now. The third years' room is in the opposite direction today, but right now, his destination is the housewarden's bedroom. He's brought some tea with him, along with a small slice of the pie he'd made yesterday.
With exams coming up, Riddle is sure to be overworking himself. While things have gotten better, Trey still can't help but worry. Riddle doesn't often let himself rest, so Trey has taken it upon himself to more or less force a break on him via snacks. Riddle may be one of the only people at this school who enjoys academics, but even he needs to step back every now and then.
As he approaches, though, it becomes clear that Riddle is not studying â at least, not in any way that Trey knows of. There's laughter leaking out through the gap in the door, a specific sound that Trey hasn't heard in years. Curious, he stops just outside the door, peeking in through the cracked opening.
His view is mostly obstructed, but he can see the upper half of the bed. There he sees Riddle, lying on his stomach, someone's hands crawling up his sides and along his ribcage. His face is buried in the soft blankets, although his pink ears are more than enough evidence of a bright blush. He keeps grasping at the sheets before letting go again, like he's not entirely sure what to do.
"Stahahaâyouâaha! Cut it ohohout!"
"Why?" comes a second voice, playful and carefree. It's certainly not someone from Heartslabyul, but Trey recognises its owner nonetheless. "Goldfishie likes it."
"I dohohon't!" Riddle protests, though it comes off more like a whine. Coming from someone like Riddle, Trey has to admit that it sounds adorable.
Floyd coos. "Aw, it's okay if ya do. 'S cute." The words are accompanied with a little squeeze at the top ribs, a move that elicits a loud squeal from its victim.
There's a whimpering sound between giggles, though whether it's from exhaustion or embarrassment, Trey can't tell. "D-don't say thihihings like thahatâ!"
It's then that Trey manages to look away, not wanting to further intrude on a moment clearly not meant for outside eyes. There's a part of him that wants to stay, to watch, just so he can tease Riddle relentlessly about whatever this new relationship with Floyd is; but this isn't something he's supposed to be seeing, and he'll respect that.
He's sure this won't be the last time he catches them, anyway.
It's a good thing Ramshackle's floors are cleaned so often, because Ace is currently facedown on them.
Not by his own volition, obviously. It's because of Epel, who is perched happily atop his lower back, undeterred by the almost violent squirming and kicking. Ace's hands scrabble desperately against the floor, like he's trying to crawl away, but Epel is stronger than he looks and very, very stubborn.
It's all Ace's own fault, really.
Deuce tosses another couple pieces of popcorn in his mouth, eyes fixed on the grainy television screen. "She's gonna die," he says, regarding the woman on screen. The dialogue is barely audible over Ace's squeals. Thank the Sevens for subtitles.
"H-hehehelp! Mehehercy!"
See, Epel is hard to break, but one of his surprising weaknesses is horror movies â and, of course, during their binge of various horror films, it was bound to be discovered. It was Ace who had figured it out, and, being Ace, he'd made an excuse to leave the room, only to sneak back in and scare the poor Pomefiore boy half to death.
Thus, the current situation.
Sebek huffs in annoyance, arms crossed. "This is stupid. Humans are so foolish," he says, but everyone can see the pink tint to his pale cheeks.
"You don't sound sorry to me," comes Epel's voice.
"I ahaham! I p-prohohomise!" Ace's frantic pleas raise an octave, and as the others look over, they see Epel's fingers crawling over the hypersensitive spot between his shoulder blades.
Jack, ever the merciful one, looks away. "...Should we do something?" he asks, even though his tail has been wagging ever since Ace started laughing.
Ortho scans the situation for a moment before shaking his head. "His vitals are normal. Plus, his heart rate shows he's having fun."
Ace's ears turn bright red at the callout. "I am nohohot! I ha-hahahate yohouâ!"
"You deserve this," Deuce tells him, still watching the movie as the woman from before does, in fact, get killed. "Hey. I was right."
"She obviously faked her death!" Sebek argues. "She's the real killer!"
"Huh? I guess that could be true..."
"Of course it is. These movies are so predictable."
"Hehelp mehehe!" Ace wails at the group, finally giving up on escape and instead falling limp beneath Epel's torturous hands.
Jack's ear twitches. "Maybe you should give him a break," he says, and Epel sighs in disappointment but pulls his hands back anyway. Ace buries his face in his arms, giggling himself stupid.
"This isn't over," Epel tells him, and Ace whines.
i don't know ..... for the ships thing .. .....silkali if you may
"Silver..." Kalim pokes at his companion's side, a pout on his face. "Come on...if you don't wake up, I'll fall asleep too, and then Jamil will be mad at me!" He accompanies this last part by shaking Silver, but still, the boy's eyes remain closed.
Kalim sighs, leaning back on his hands, staring at the ceiling as though it'll give him an idea. Silver is supposed to be tutoring him, but he doesn't mind the excuse to get out of doing his work. The issue is that it's just the two of them, and now that Silver is asleep, he's all alone! He might just die without someone to talk to!
He studies the intricate carvings on the ceiling. They're very pretty, the lines spiraling around each other. He wishes he could get a closer look, but it's so high up, and he can't just appear up there like Lilia could.
Lilia...Lilia! Right, Silver and Lilia have known each other for a long time! Surely Lilia would know how to wake him up. Kalim wracks his brain, trying to remember if Lilia had ever mentioned something like that. It takes a minute, but eventually a memory comes to mind, one club meeting when Lilia had been recounting fond memories of the other Diasomnia students.
Kalim sits up excitedly. So the ceiling had given him an idea, after all!
"Silver," he tries again, leaning in close. Silver's eyelashes flutter slightly, but he stays sound asleep. Kalim reaches out hesitantly. He should probably be gentle, right?
Silver twitches as Kalim begins trailing his fingers around his sides, lightly drawing random shapes and lines. It's something, but clearly it's not enough to wake him up. Apparently, the gentle approach isn't working.
Kalim hums, thinking of his next move. His gaze lands on Silver's legs, his knees pulled up to his chest. Perfect.
"AghâK-Kalim?!" Silver awakes with a start, a laugh spilling out of him before he even knows what's going on. His reflexes are quick, though, grabbing Kalim's wrists right away.
Kalim grins. "You're awake! I was getting so lonely without you!"
"I fell asleep?" Silver blinks a few times. "Sorry. What were we doing?"
"You never told me you were ticklish," Kalim says, ignoring the question. Silver has such a pretty smile!
"Ah..." Silver rubs the back of his neck. "It never came up."
As soon as Kalim's wrists are released, he's right back to crawling his fingers up Silver's sides, drawing out confused giggles. "You're so cute! How did I not know!"
"Kahalim!" Silver protests, curling back in on himself.
This time, though, he makes no attempt to stop it.
Lilia coos, the look in his eyes so soft and adoring. "It's supposed to tickle, silly!" He's moving with such skill that it's as though he has every one of Malleus's ticklish spots memorised; which, after nearly two centuries, he probably does.
Malleus brings a hand to his face to muffle himself, one foot stomping into the floor. "Stohop teasihihing!" He's squirming, but he has enough self-restraint to lie mostly in place stretched across Lilia's lap, head and legs draped on the carpet.
"It's been so long since I've been able to do this," Lilia says, "and it seems like you're still as ticklish as when you were younger." He runs his nails over Malleus's neck, making him giggle and scrunch his shoulders up. It's embarrassing, yes, but at the same time it feels so freeing.
Lilia seems to know all of his ticklish spots, but Malleus himself doesn't; this is a learning experience for him. He's not used to having weaknesses like this. He's quickly finding out all the spots that make him flail, like how his hips get him almost squealing, or that he can't stand when Lilia squeezes right above his knees.
It's all too much, but it's fun.
"S-stohop," he eventually gasps, even though it really hasn't been that long, but Lilia pulls back anyway. He runs his hands through Malleus's hair soothingly, smiling down at him.
"Breathe," he instructs, and Malleus does just that as he melts into his father's affection. He can't recall ever laughing so loud, so much, for so long â but he thinks he could get used to it.
It doesnât seem to be an uncommon occurrence with them, given how no one looks fazed when Sasha suddenly squeals with laughter, Connie digging his fingers into her sides with a smug grin. Levi stares for a second before moving on, because he doesnât have time for thatâbut the sight lingers in his mind for longer than heâd like to admit.
He knows what tickling is, obviously, but itâs just that heâsâheâs never experienced it for himself. He doesnât even think heâs ticklish, anyway, but despite how much he tries to convince himself otherwise, heâs curious. He wants to try it, just once, to see for himself what itâs like.
Simultaneously the worst and best person he can go to about this issue is Hange. On one hand, itâs Hangeâheâll never hear the end of itâŠbut at the same time, he doesnât trust anyone else with this. Heâs not letting himself be vulnerable in front of just anyone, especially not in such an embarrassing manner.
So.
He decides it would be best to bring it up slowly, drop hints until they catch on. Theyâre smart, heâs sure theyâll figure it out easily, and it saves him the humiliation of having to ask outright; because what kind of person just asks to be tickled, especially someone like Levi?
â...I donât know if Iâm ticklish.â
Fuck. Well, so much for subtlety.
Hange blinks at him. âI didnât think youâd be concerned over something like that.â
Levi turns away with a small huff. âIâm not.â Except that he is, and he hasnât been able to stop thinking about it for days.
âDo you want to know?â they ask, kicking their legs back and forth, their heels knocking against the couch every time.
Theyâre clearly expecting a ânoâ. They certainly arenât expecting a hesitant head nod. Their eyes widen and they shoot upright in their seat, looking at him with more excitement than heâs ever seen in themâwhich is really, really saying something.
âLevi,â they begin, in a mischievous tone that almost makes him shudder, âare you asking me to tickle you?â
âNo,â he hisses, glaring. â...Maybe. Itâs not like that.â He knew this would be a bad idea.
âYou can say yes,â they tell him, their smirk softening. âI wonât tell anyone.â
Of course he knows that. Itâs why he went to them in the first place; because no matter how much they may tease him in private, itâll always stay that wayâprivate. But even so, no matter how much he trusts them, itâs still hard. Heâs not used to being vulnerable at all, and here he is about to completely give up controlâit scares him a little.
But part of the reason he trusts Hange so much is because they know this fact, and will accommodate for it. Heâs never seen them tickle someone before, but he can only imagine what it would be like for someone who doesnât shy away from touch the way he does.
They jab a finger into his side suddenly, and he jolts away in surprise.
âThat answers your question,â they say. âYou seem ticklish to me.â
âShut up,â he hisses, but he moves just a little closer to them and says nothing more. So Hange pokes at him again, but this time itâs on the other side and it sends him jerking away into their chest. They wrap their legs around his, and before he can scold them about shoes on the fucking couch, he has ten fingers wriggling into his ribcage and. Shit shit shit. Levi doesnât ever laugh, doesnât even smile, but fuck, that really tickles, and after a moment he canât help but breathe out a few giggles.
Shit, youâd think Hange just managed to communicate with one of their goddamn titans. They light up as if this is the best thing in the world; itâs like they thought Levi was incapable of showing happiness.
âI must be dreaming!â they exclaim, far too dramatically. âYouâre actually laughingâgiggling, even!â While they talk, they continue to massage the spaces between his ribs in a way thatâs so torturous and yet not quite overwhelming. He hates it, he wishes they would be rougher with him so he would at least have a reason to tell them to stop. Itâs tooâŠbearable, which sounds very contradictory, but Levi does not like the fact that heâs actually sort of enjoying this feeling.
âFuck, fuhuhuck, Hangeâplehehease,â he chokes out. Ugh. Smiling feels weird. And just to make things worse, heâs pretty sure heâs blushing, if the heat in his cheeks is anything to go by.
âThis is actually cute,â they coo at him, sort of mockingly, sort of genuine. âDo you think Titans know how to tickle people? Youâre in big trouble if they do.â
Levi cringes at the thought, which makes them laugh.
âI donât get why youâre so grumpy all the time!â Hange complains. âIf you just showed off this smile every so often, Iâm sure the Scouts would be filled with new recruits!â
Levi is laughing too much to tell them to shut the hell up.
inspired by this comic! i have never watched tadc and i have no idea what it's about, but i do love these two a lot <3 apologies if it's ooc. i wouldn't know.
ââă»àš ⊠à§ă»ââ
Pomni can't count the amount of times she's wished to be human againâbut she swears, she really means it this time.
Of course, sheâs said that the last five hundred times, too. Once she gets her actual body back, sheâll never take it for granted again. She had no idea just how difficult a different form would be, and sheâs the most human-like one here. She canât imagine how Kinger must feel without legs, or Zooble with their limbs in complete disarray. Pomni is probably the most fortunate of the bunch, which is really saying something, because this body sucks! Itâs not anything she canât handle, most of the time, but nowâŠ
Itâs.
Well.
This shelf. This stupid shelf in her room. It's in her room, and she can't even reach it! What kind of bullshiâ
"Need some help?" a lazy voice drifts out from behind her before she can finish the thought. She jumps, spinning around to see...well. Who else? Pomni jerks her head over to the door, only to see it still shut, still locked, just as she'd left it. Ugh, she'll never understand how he does these things.
Jax waves, drawing her attention back to him. "You seem to be struggling there." He flashes his stupid, teasing grin. "Too tall a task, huh?"
Pomni glares across the room at him, crossing her arms. "Are you just going to stand there mocking me?"
"Well," Jax muses, "I guess I could help if you need. Only if you say pretty please."
This guy. If it were anyone else, Pomni wouldn't have a problem with asking for help; though, if it were anyone else, they wouldn't be taunting her like this to begin with. With Jax, though? Absolutely not. She refuses to feed his ego, or else he'll hold it over her head (literally) for the rest of time.
"Not a chance." She looks around the room, searching for something she can stand on. "I can get it myself."
Jax laughs, leaning against the wall. "Yeah? Have fun with that." He watches in blatant amusement as she inspects blocks and chairs, testing if theyâre stable enough to hold her. Pomni eventually settles on a stack of books, dropping them in front of the shelf and climbing on top of them. She reaches up, even standing on her tiptoes, both arms stretched high above her head.
But, of course, itâs still not tall enough. Itâs like itâs specifically made to be just out of reach! Caine, you piece of shâ
âYou sure you donât need any help?â Jaxâs singsong tone makes her want to scream.
âIâm fine!â Pomni shoots back, strained as she focuses on her task. The tips of her fingers can reach the edge of the shelf, so maybe, if she stretches just a little moreâŠ
She hears Jax sigh somewhere behind her, but she pays it no mind. She barely even registers his footsteps approaching. Sheâs so close, grasping wildly at the edgeâ
âAGH!â Hands wrap around her waist and lift her into the air. Instinctively, she starts to thrash, kicking her legs out. âWhat are youâ?!â
She turns her head to see Jax grinning, now at eye level. âWhatâs wrong?â he asks, tilting his head with a smirk. âGo on and grab it. You can do it now.â
Pomni pushes at his hands, trying to wiggle her way out of his grasp. Moments later, though, his words set in, and she realises that heâs right; heâs holding her up to the shelf. Deciding to seize the opportunity before Jax snatches it away from her, she reaches out, grabbing the dusty toy that sheâs after. âOkay!â she squeaks out. âNow put me down!â
Jaxâs fingers curl into her sides, making her yelp. âI donât know, this is kinda fun. I could show you other places youâve never seen! You wanna feel tall for once?â
âNo!â Pomni cries, trying to curl up and protect herself. âJ-juhuhust let goho!â
She catches a glimpse of Jaxâs face, his expression changing from confusion to understanding. She hadnât realised she could still be ticklish, and apparently, neither did he. Of course Jax had to be the one to find out. Just her luck.
This is the most embarrassing night of her life.
âSure, Iâll put you down.â Jaxâs eyes gleam with mischief. He squeezes again and again, picking up the speed each time until Pomni is squealing. âBut youâve gotta stop squirming first.â
Pomni tries to protest, but her complaint is washed away by laughter. âIâm seheherious!â she whines, doubling over with the toy still clutched tightly to her chest. Her legs kick wildly, dangling in the air. âYou jeheherk!â
Jax worms his way under her arms, and Pomni can't believe the high-pitched noise that escapes her. âWhatâs that? I canât hear you.â He brings her a bit closer to himself, almost nuzzling her as he tickles her without a care in the world. His proximity to her neck makes her scrunch up her shoulders. If she wasnât halfway to tears, she might be embarrassed about it. âOf course, Iâll be glad to show you some new rooms! Come on, letâs go exploring.â
That is not what she said! âJahahax!â Pomni wails, feeling her face flushing. Itâs humiliating enough that Jax is tickling her, she doesnât need everyone else seeing! Heâs pressing into her ribs, kneading circles on her hips with his thumbs. She can't remember the last time she was ticked, but there's no way it was this bad! Tears are pricking at the corners of her eyes. âI mehehean itââ
Pomni kicks out again, and this time, her foot connects with something solid. She doesnât even realise sheâs falling until she hits the ground.
âOw!â she groans, rubbing away the soreness of the collision. She looks up to see Jax inspecting his lower ribs, clearly the spot where heâd just been kicked.
âDamn, you pack a punch,â he grumbles, dusting himself off.
âYou deserved it,â she shoots back, crossing her arms. Sheâs still breathless. âI told you to let go.â
Jax waves her off with an eye roll. âYeah, whatever.â He grins. âThose sounds you made were just too funny.â
Pomni bristles in annoyance. Sheâs ready to argue back, but suddenly, an idea hits her. If sheâs still ticklish like this, then that meansâŠ
âJax,â she says as she stands, the toy safely on the ground. âAre you ticklish?â
The face he makes is one sheâs never seen from him before. His eyes widen, ears flattening against his head, and Pomni can swear she sees a pink tinge. âAh, well,â he starts, almost stumbling over his words as he tries to seem casual. âGuess Iâd better go now, itâs getting late and all, you know.â Itâs such a pathetic attempt at nonchalance that Pomni wants to laugh. Jax turns away, shielding his expression from her. âHope you donât need anything else until morning, âcause Iâm not helping you again.â
Pomni tries to stop him, but she has no time to move before heâs gone as quickly as he had appeared. She sighs. Despite herself, she couldnât help thinking that talking to Jax was actually fun, but she knows sheâll only get lost if she tries looking for him. Best to wait until tomorrow.
âŠHey, hold on, howâd he leave without using the door?
