An unusual day with a very unusual tourist
(Just an attempt to write a quality "tickle fanfic." English isn't my native language, so I'm using a translator. Sorry for any grammatical errors. Enjoy!)
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England, London, the magnificent St. James's Palace, rising majestically above the crowd of tourists. Another day, another guard duty, and, of course, a crowd of tourists.
William, one of the soldiers, was currently standing guard, staring straight ahead. His face was like a stone mask. He stared straight ahead. He was dressed in a uniform and a heavy, tall black cap. Everything was as it should be. Not a muscle should move on his face, not a single emotion should slip through the mask of his duty.
Two hours in these hot clothes, with a three-kilogram cap on his head, without a single word. But then – four hours of rest.
There were especially many tourists today...even too many. William, unnoticed by the tourists, inhaled.
"I hope I don't end up in another stupid YouTube video with the title 'I MADE A KING'S GUARD SMILE!'" - thought William, watching as another woman approached him to take a selfie.
"Okay... Just take a breath... It won't be long now, just a little while longer and my shift will be over," William tried to encourage himself.
Another guy smiled broadly and gave the camera a thumbs-up while a girl took his picture.
"Standing motionless for two hours is hell! I wish the weather were cooler," William continued to think.
At the same time, a Russian family appeared in the crowd. Mom, Dad, a girl about six years old, two twin boys, and a girl about nineteen. The youngest daughter held her mother's hand and looked at the building in amazement. The twins ran around other tourists while their father tried to catch them, cursing. The eldest daughter, however, behaved calmly and decently. She looked around and took pictures, enjoying London. Suddenly, she saw a guard standing at a convenient position. She smiled slyly.
"Мам! Ты не против если я подойду поближе посмотреть на него?" - Спросила Девушка.
"Нет, Лиза, Я не против, можешь подойти поближе, а мы пока с Леной поищем папу и Борю, с Ромой."- Сказала её Мама.
("Mom! Do you mind if I come closer and look at him?" the girl asked.)
("No, Lisa, I don't mind. You can come closer, while Lena and I look for Dad and Borya and Roma," her mother said.)
Lisa approached William. William looked at her.
"Oh... Another tourist, clinging... What's going on today? Do you want another confrontation? Or do you want me to stamp my foot menacingly as a warning?" William thought, feeling irritation boiling within him.
Lisa came closer, smiling sheepishly. She blushed slightly.
"Hello! Sorry to bother you, sir!" Lisa greeted with an accent.
William was surprised but didn't show it.
"Wow! Is there something the tourist wants to ask? Or is this some kind of joke again?" a thought flashed through William's mind.
"I just wanted to say I admire your patience and willpower. To stand like this, so motionless, in such weather, and in such a beautiful uniform..." Lisa continued.
"Beautiful, but damn stuffy," William thought back.
"You must be very hot and uncomfortable; of course, anyone would get tired after standing for so long," Lisa added sympathetically.
William raised his eyebrows and looked into her eyes. A sparkle lit up his eyes.
"Are you reading my mind, or something? Although, it's nice when tourists show sympathy. It's so... unusual... and perhaps even sweet," William couldn't help but ponder this thought.
William nodded quietly and returned his gaze to the front.
Lisa realized he really wanted to say thank you.
Lisa blushed a little more and covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.
"I think you're very thirsty, and maybe hungry," Lisa said.
"Not really, but I could drink... Some water wouldn't be a problem. I swear I'll drink two bottles of cold water as soon as my shift ends!" William swore silently.
"Let me help you," Lisa said.
Before William could respond, her left hand touched his side. She lightly scratched his right side with her fingers.
William flinched slightly. His eyes widened. He should have. He should have stamped his foot and shouted, "Don't touch the King's Life Guard!" He should have stood still, keeping his post. He's a rock, he...
"Mmph!"—that was the sound William exhaled. A sound of surprise, a sound that resembled a snort, a sound that resembled a groan, the sound of someone who was ticklish.
It was like that. William really was a ticklish man.
He immediately panicked. To suppress a smile, much less a laugh, he bit his lip, clenched his fists, and drew his neck slightly into his shoulders.
"No, no, no! Not this! Don't you dare! Stop!" his inner voice screamed desperately, but silently. He felt goosebumps run through his body, and an involuntary chuckle lodged in his throat. "I shouldn't! I can't! It's my duty!"
"Aha... So someone's ticklish!" Lisa chuckled to herself. Watching that mighty rock melt and tremble from a gentle tickle was so sweet.
She gently squeezed his right side. William tried to get away from the unbearable itch, shifting slightly.
"Stop! Please! Not here! I can't! I'm on duty!!!" William's mind raced with pleas.
Suddenly, Lisa raised her hand to his ribs.
"Cooche cooche coo!" Lisa whispered, her eyes dancing with amusement. This childish and innocent teasing usually sounded like a veritable death sentence to William now.
William's enormous hat nearly slipped off his head when a faint but persistent itch crept under his jacket, causing him to flinch slightly. "Nooo, not this!" he panicked. He had trained for years to keep a straight face in any situation, but this... this was his personal hell.
William felt goosebumps crawling over him, his cheeks flushing, and the corners of his lips pulling higher and higher.
Lisa smiled innocently. Her fingers continued to gently scrape, squeeze, and poke the guard's ribs.
William looked into Lisa's eyes with panic.
"PLEASE, STOP! I'LL GET FIRED! OR I WON'T GET FIRED, BUT I'LL DEFINITELY BE DISGRACED!!! WE'RE IN PUBLIC!" he screamed silently.
"WHY DO YOU LOOK LIKE YOU'RE NOT DESTROYING ME RIGHT NOW!? WHY DO YOU HAVE SUCH AN INNOCENT FACE!?" William thought in panic.
He felt the tickling in his ribs and side intensify. He wanted to pull away, giggle, snort, or even laugh! But he couldn't. He felt like grabbing her hand and saying, "ENOUGH! I'M TICKLING!" But he was on duty. And the corners of his lips continued to twitch upward.
"I'm lost! This is definitely the end!" he thought. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling tears welling up.
Suddenly, Lisa's hand moved higher, to his armpit.
William couldn't contain himself and quietly let out a sound that was half groan, half sob, half squeal. His eyes, still slightly watery, widened in horror.
"NO! No, no, no, no, no! Not my armpits! Not there! Please! I beg you! Don't touch me there!" William mentally panicked. He flinched but quickly recovered.
Lisa was delighted. Her fingers began to gently scratch his armpit.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! No! Oh no! Please don't! You'll drive me crazy! It's so ticklish!" William's inner voice screamed.
He winced, his shoulders lifting slightly, his arms pressing closer to his body in a feeble attempt to protect himself. All he could do was desperately restrain himself, praying for the shift to end soon and hoping no one noticed the telltale trembling in his shoulders. He groaned softly.
"Mmm... Madam," William muttered, trying to stop Lisa's persistent fingering. But he cringed again, feeling the finger scratch his right armpit particularly insolently.
"Stop! Please, stop! I'm going to die laughing!" William begged silently.
Lisa, seeing the barely noticeable tremor in his shoulders, the bright blush on his cheeks, and the tears that had returned to his eyes in an apparent attempt to protect herself from the persistent tickling, couldn't help but smile contentedly.
"Please, stop this, I beg you," he croaked, the words barely audible escaping through clenched teeth. This was the first violation of protocol in his entire service.
Hearing this sincere confession, Lisa's fingers froze. Her smile faded. She looked at him in surprise. Their eyes met.
His slightly disheveled appearance, red cheeks, and the small tears in the corners of his beautiful, pleading eyes disarmed Lisa. His image was completed with an embarrassed smile.
Lisa immediately blushed red and took two steps back. Realizing she had clearly caused, to put it mildly, some inconvenience to this guard, she immediately began apologizing.
"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry again! I'm so sorry for bothering you!" Lisa babbled, embarrassed to even look him in the eye.
William nodded again, trying to catch his breath.
"I'm so sorry," Lisa said finally with an awkward smile and almost ran off, disappearing into the crowd.
William sighed, realizing what had just happened to him.
"What a day," he thought, continuing to gaze into the distance. However, whenever his thoughts returned to the incident, he felt a strange warmth in his chest, and a barely noticeable, faint, yet warm smile crept across his face.
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