#critickle role

[sunstone-smiles]

The Legendary Vox Machina Tickle Fight

Original request (from 🦋 Anon): "LE GASP!!!! UR A FAN OF VOX MACHINA TOO 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱 Omggggg can you PLEEEEEASE do day 18 tickle fight with the Vox Machina group? They're all so cute together and I'd love to see that!"

Author’s note: Omg, this turned into a huge fic, but I have no regrets, Lol. Here’s Day 18 of Tickletober: “Tickle fight” from August’s Prompt List! I hope you enjoy!

Series: The Legend of Vox Machina

Characters: Pike, Grog, Scanlan, Keyleth, Vex, Vax, Percy, and Trinket

Word count: 4,585

Summary: The Vox Machina crew is having a boring day, so Scanlan attempts to lighten the mood, but Grog’s misunderstanding of one of Scanlan’s words soon turns into a playful fight between the party.  Enjoy!

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It’s just that kind of day, where the Vox Machina crew gets to relax with one another, but they’re teetering on the edge of drab boredom. They don’t want to go out. Too much effort. So whatever is available in their current cozy sitting room is what keeps them occupied.

Pike, standing on a chair so she can see better over a wooden table, cups a pair of dice in her hands; the sound of the dice clicking can be heard as she shakes them. Grog sits across from her with the table height at his stomach due to his large size. The muffled collision of dice can be heard in his hands as well.

“Ready, Grog?” Pike asks her friend.

“Ready!”

At the same time, they throw their dice onto the table. Pike counts the two numbers on her dice quickly. “I got a six!”

“A three! I win!” Grog celebrates.

“I hate to break it to you, buddy, but six is higher than three,” Pike says sweetly, understanding that her friend has difficulty with numbers.

“Aww…” Grog deflates a little. 

“It’s okay, buddy! We can try a different game.”

Grog leans back in his chair like all the muscles in his body have gone limp. “But we’ve already tried so many. I’m bored.” 

“Heh,” Pike leans her elbow on the table, “Can’t blame you there, buddy.”

“Don’t worry, everyone! Your savior is here!” Scanlan walks into the room, making a performance out of his entrance. He runs up to the same wooden table Pike and Grog are at, hops up onto a chair and onto the table like it was a stage and he was a vendor. “I saw that it was a little dreary in here today, so I know just how to lighten the mood,” Scanlan moves his eyebrows up and down when he says “mood.”

“Oh goody, more mind numbing dirty jokes,” Vex says from her seat across the room. Trinket’s head is in her lap as she passes the time by brushing his fur. Vax sits in a separate chair next to her, polishing his daggers. Meanwhile, Percy draws in his sketchbook as he sits in a chair up against the front wall near the doorframe, while Keyleth sits next to him in another chair and touches up the leaves of a potted plant.

“No no, nothing dirty,” Scanlan replies. “I have tailored this joke to be pristine and appropriate. Ahem!” Scanlan clears his throat loudly. 

“What do you call a cow that’s good at playing an instrument?” Scanlan asks his crowd of friends. He waits and looks around at each of them to keep them in suspense. Then, he answers. “A Moo-sician! Eh? Eh?” he winks and elbows the air.

All of his friends slowly look at each other before looking back up at Scanlan, unamused and in total silence. If crickets were in the room, they would be chirping.

Scanlan puts his hands on his hips. “What? Nothing? Tough crowd.”

“It sounds like you need to get better material, my friend,” Vax shows a brief smile.

“Yes, I would think you of all people would come up with better material than simple puns, Scanlan,” Percy teases.

“I don’t know. I thought it was a little funny,” Keyleth admits.

Scanlan gestures an appreciative hand to the Ashari. “Thank you, Keyleth! But as for the rest of you! How did you not find it funny?! That was one of my best rib-ticklers!”

Grog places a finger to his chin. “Oooh, wait! No wonder no one laughed, Scanlan!” Grog exclaims. The goliath stands from his seat and walks around the table to be behind Scanlan. “That wasn’t a rib-tickler! You got to use your hands. Like this!” Grog finishes his sentence by swiftly moving his hands under Scanlan’s arms and tickling his ribs. The smaller man jumps with a yelp in surprise and throws his elbows down to his sides. 

“Grohohohog!” Scanlan already begins giggling, “I didn’t mehehehean it literally-hehehe! It’s a figure ohohohof speech!”

Grog tilts his head, genuinely confused, “You’ve lost me.”

Pike perks up, a grin brightening her features like the glow of her divine magic. “Oh, yeah! Now this is something exciting!” She stands up straight like she was preparing to charge into a battle. 

“Tickle fight!!!” Pike calls out with the same ecstatic tone as if she was announcing a tavern brawl for everyone to see. She leaps onto the table and rushes over to Scanlan. 

“Grog, hold him for me!” she exclaims.

“You’ve got it, buddy!” Grog keeps his hands under Scanlan’s arms, easily holding the bard in place as his fingers wiggle against his ribs.

“Nohoho, no, no! Pihihihikehehehe!” Scanlan’s laughter increases when Pike joins in and scribbles at his sides. Scanlan curls himself to the side and tucks his face in his shoulder as Pike and Grog successfully team attack him. Scanlan’s joke may have not lightened the dull mood of the room, but his own laughter certainly does.

“Heh,” Vax chuckles as he watches from the sidelines. “Too bad for you, Scanlan. Looks like you’ve waged a war with Pike and Grog.”

“Remember our scuffles that usually turned into tickle fights?” Vex smiles at her brother.

“Ah, yes. You mean the ones I always won?” Vax returns a smug grin.

“Excuse me?” Vex says, playfully offended. “If I recall, you are more ticklish than I. I’d have you begging for mercy in seconds.” Vex places Trinket’s brush on her seat, keeping her eyes trained on Vax.

Vax places his dagger on the table and leans forward, keeping his grin and his eyes on Vex. “I beg to differ, Stubby.”

“Well, I’ll show you, Scrawny!” Vex exclaims and lunges her hands at Vax, immediately getting a solid scribble to his ribs. Vax yelps as the pulse of ticklishness hits his form, momentarily paralyzing him before he clamps his arms down to his sides, then shifts tactics to try and shove his sister away.

“Vehehehehex!” the male twin leans himself off his chair, then crashes to the floor. Vex pounces down after him and tickles his ribs from behind, causing Vax to release a secondary burst of giggles before he curls up and rolls onto his back to attempt to grapple his sister’s wrists. He leans his head back and kicks his legs behind her.

“See, now what did I tell you, dear brother? You’re still the more ticklish one,” Vex teases and easily slips her hands from Vax’s grasp to continue tickling him. There’s no follow up response from Vax except a continuous stream of giggles and a loud snort. Knowing the sound he just made, he curls himself onto his side and tries to hide his face in his arm.

“Aww, and you still snort too. How adorable,” Vex lays the teases on thick.

“Shuhuhuhut up!” Vax finally responds.

“Hey, that’s not very nice. It seems I just have to tickle you more to change your attitude,” Vex smiles and scribbles a hand towards her brother’s belly, causing him to curl himself up tighter. As the twins scuffle, Trinket happily growls at them before trotting off towards the doorway to lie down.

“Hehe, looks like the twins have already roped themselves into the fight,” Keyleth chuckles from her seat.

“It’s inevitable that siblings will get themselves into little squabbles from time to time,” Percy says beside her, not even taking his eyes off his sketchbook.

Keyleth turns to him with a smile. “Did you usually get into tickle fights with your siblings, Percy?”

He glances up at her. “Me? Oh no, no. I don’t do tickle fights.” He returns to sketching.

Keyleth tilts her head. “Huh? But, it definitely sounded like you were speaking from experience…”

Before Keyleth can ask another question, there’s a Scanlan sized giggly scream from the other side of the room. Grog has grabbed Scanlan’s arms and pulled them to the side to allow Pike to scribble into his underarms.

“A lihihihittle hehehehelp here wohohohould be–hehehe nice!” Scanlan shouts out to whichever one of his party members is willing to listen.

“Hold on, Scanlan! I’m coming!” Keyleth answers the call. She places the plant on her chair, then runs over in the direction of Pike. The Ashari makes it to the edge of the table and tries to swipe at Pike, like she was attempting to catch a rabbit, but Pike jumps back.

“Whoa!” Pike says. “Oh no, Keyleth!” Pike already giggles as she turns to run. She hops off the table and Keyleth chases behind her.

“Oh no you don’t, Keyleth!” Grog immediately puts Scanlan down and rushes to Pike's aid. Before the chase has even begun, Grog snatches Keyleth off the ground in a hug as she passes by the corner of the table. He places Keyleth’s feet back to the floor and scribbles into her sides, earling a squeak from the Ashari.

“Eehehehek! Grohohohog!” Keyleth giggles and squeezes her arms down. “Thihihihis height difference mahahahakes it sohohoho unfair!” she says as she realizes the ticklish predicament Scanlan must have been in.

“Sorry, Keyleth! But if you mess with my best buddy, you mess with me!” Grog grins as he carefully wiggles his fingers to Keyleth’s ribs, keeping her in place as she sways like a leaf in the breeze.

Pike twists on her heels once she hears Keyleth’s laughter. She smiles at her buddy Grog as a thank you. Past Grog’s form, however, Pike sees the wooden table they were just at. The once giggling form of Scanlan is now missing. 

“Huh?” Pike wonders. “Where did he–”

“Sneak attack!” Scanlan loudly announces his presence behind her as he digs his fingers into Pike’s sides.

“AHA!” Pike yelps from being taken off guard. “Hahaha! Scanlahahahan!” Pike darts her hands down in an attempt to pry the bard’s hands latched onto her sides.

“You thought you could just tickle me and get away with it? Oh no, no, no, Pike. You see, now it’s my turn to even the playing field,” Scanlan grins. “Who would have guessed that under all that armor that the mighty Pike is so ticklish?”

“Ohoho, yohohohou’re going to rehehehegret saying thahahahat!” Pike giggles.

“I regret saying a lot of things, but this is not one of them,” Scanlan replies.

Seeing six out of the seven party members get thrown into a tickle fight, Percy places his sketchbook on the side table next to his chair, then stands. “Well, if you all are going to continue fooling around with each other, then I think I should take my leave.”

Percy turns towards the doorway to exit. However, as the big brown bear sees Percy walking in that direction, Trinket trots in front of the doorway and blocks the exit. The bear growls at the white-haired man.

Percy takes a step back. “Wha– Trinket?”

“Good thinking, Trinket!” Vex says, seeing the exchange between her bear and the noble occur. “You’re not going anywhere without first joining the fight, Percy.” Vex glances to her bear, “Trinket, be a dear and get Percy, will you?”

Trinket happily growls at Percy. The noble takes another step back.

“Wait, Trinket!” Percy puts his hands up.

The bear growls again and charges at Percival. Trinket headbutts Percy square in the stomach, with enough force to push him, but not to hurt him. Percy hits the back wall as Trinket charges at him and, being the large bear that he is, Trinket easily traps Percy to the wall by having his head right up against his stomach. With another happy huff from the bear, Trinket begins nuzzling his snout into Percy’s stomach, finding a way under his dress shirt and vest for his snout to be most effective.

Percy flinches and his mouth twitches upwards; he tries to restrain his snickers while he attempts to shove Trinket’s big, playful head out of his shirt. “Trinket! Stand down, boy! I am not a toy for you to cuddle!”

“Good boy, Trinket!” Vex exclaims. She leaves her brother in a crumpled pile of giggles and runs over to help her bear. 

“Let me lend you a hand, Trinket,” she says, now standing beside her furry companion. “Or perhaps, two hands?” she wiggles all of her fingers at Percy.

“V-Vex! Don’t you da–AHare!” Percy closes his mouth shut once Vex lunges her hands at his ribs. A few restrained snickers start to trickle from the man as he turns his face away into his shoulder.

“Percival, you’re holding out on me,” Vex teases. “You do know that it’s a tickle fight, right? So, laugh a little,” she moves her hands up his ribs and into his underarms. Rather quickly, his snickers sputter and turn into full blown giggles.

“Vehehehex!” Percy completely breaks into an outpouring of bubby joy. He bends his arms down for protection, but that doesn’t stop the loveable bear from nuzzling into his belly. He tries to wiggle his way out of his predicament.

“There we go! We got him, Trinket!” Vex glances at the bear before looking back at Percy. “See, Percy? You would have missed out on all this fun had you walked out.”

“I will nohohohot be subjugated to-hohoho thihihihis childish gahahame!” He wiggles to the side and successfully dislodges himself from Trinket and the wall, then wastes no time in sprinting across the room.

“This isn’t over yet, Percy!” Vex exclaims. Right before she takes off for the chase, a woosh of black cloth passes by her.

“I’ll deal with you later!” Vax glances over his shoulder to his sister as he runs by.

“Yeah, right. We’ll see about that,” Vex smiles before following suit and running back into the frey.

Percy, knowing he’s a target, skids behind Grog and Keyleth and takes cover.

“Grog! Let me use your body as a shield!” Percy peeks out from the side of the goliath.

Grog’s view turns towards Percy. “Uh, okay.”

“I’ve gotcha, Keyleth!” Vax says from Grog’s other side and leaps onto the table, then he jumps off towards Grog. He lands on Grog and wraps his arms around the goliath’s neck, piggy-back style.

“Hey!” Grog tries to snatch Vax from over his back, releasing Keyleth from his hold. “Get over here, pipsqueak!” Grog spins from side to side to toss Vax off of him, but Vax keeps his grip. Grog sidesteps one way and nearly crashes into Percy, sending the noble stumbling backwards and onto the floor; when Grog sidesteps to his other side, Vex also stumbles backwards and onto the floor when she tries to dodge.  

Grog halts his movement to try and get a better grip on Vax, but the dagger wielder shows him a smirk and uses one hand to scribble at the goliath’s ribs while Vax’s other arm holds himself up by staying wrapped around Grog’s neck.

Grog jolts and a bigger smile grows on his already large features. “Hehehey! Vahahahax!” he tries to reach up at the half-elf again. “Nohoho fair!”

“No fair? We’re playing a tickle fight with a guy twice our size. Creative strategies have to be used, my friend,” Vax smiles at him. 

“And don’t forget about a little bit of magic!” Keyleth recovers and faces her palm towards Grog. Her hand glows and vines sprout from the floor, wrapping themselves loosely around Grog and brushing up against the rest of his torso.

Grog stops going for Vax and pulls his arm down as deep laughter booms from his chest. “Ohohohokay! Mahahahaybe I earned thihihihis!” Grog says through his giggles.

Vex stands up and leans an arm on Trinket. She sees Percy still on the floor, but she’s quite amused with the sight of their tallest ally being overpowered by tickling. She’ll call off her chase, for now.

“Ohohoho no! Grohohog!” Pike says through her own laughter as she hears Grog being felled by giggles from across from her.

“Oooh. What a shame,” Scanlan says over Pike’s shoulder. “It seems like you and Grog have fallen to the same tragic fate of revenge—WHOA!”

Pike uses a burst of strength to yank one of Scanlan’s arms and fling him to the floor in front of them onto his back. As he lifts his head up to regain his bearings, Pike pounces at him like a wolf and knocks him back to the floor. She dives her hands towards his sides, earning a shriek of laughter from Scanlan.

“Pihihihihike! Yohohou already had yohohour turn tickling mehehehe! Hahahave mercy!”

“I’ll consider it, if you help me help Grog,” Pike negotiates with a smile.

“Nohoho way! Hehehe started it!”

Pike shrugs, “Suit yourself then.” She crawls her fingers back up to his underarms, causing Scanlan to kick his legs out behind her and his giggles to increase.

Pike glances beside her to Percy, who’s still leaning back on the floor as he watches Grog’s current fate. “Percy! Come help me with Scanlan!” she says to him.

The noble shakes his head. “No, thank you. I’ve had my fair share of this fight for one day.”

“Come on, Percy. You’re got to have some fun once in a while.” She puts on a smirk. “Or are you too much of a stick-in-the-mud noble to do so?”

Percy’s stunned. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” Pike’s tone is one that’s begging to be challenged. Percy narrows her eyes at her, but Pike has already turned her attention back to the giggling bard.

“Now Scanlan, are you willing to help me assist Grog?”

“Yehehes! Yes!” Scanlan raises one arm above his head and purple magic begins to swirl around his hand. Pike pulls her hands away from him, allowing Scanlan—breathless and full of residual giggles—to summon his magical purple hand and glide it towards Grog. Scanlan rolls onto his stomach to see the world upright and controls the magic of “Scanlan’s hand” to tap Keyleth on the shoulder.

Falling for one of the oldest tricks in the book, Keyleth turns to look at the hand. “Huh? Hey!” She exclaims when the hand drifts down to tickle her side. When she twists to avoid it, the hand follows her and tickles the rest of her torso. Scanlan and Pike snicker from the sidelines.

As Keyleth giggles, her concentration on the magic vines falter and the vines retract back into the floor.

Now free, Grog swings his hand behind his back and grabs a hold of Vax’s ankle. He yanks the half-elf from his back and holds him upside down in front of him. A mischievous grin across the goliath’s features is what Vax is met with as he dangles from the ankle. 

Vax releases a nervous chuckle. “Any chance that you’ll put me down, big guy?”

Grog shakes his head like a child who’s gotten their way. “Nope. None,” Grog says and plunges a hand into Vax’s belly. The half-elf barks out a surprised laugh and clasps both of his hands to Grog’s singular large one in any attempt to pry it from his giggling belly.

“Well it wahahas wohohorth a shohohohot!” Vax says.

“All right, Grog!” Pike cheers. Scanlan dissipates his magic hand, releasing Keyleth, then plops onto the floor to take a well deserved break. 

“I’m coming to help!” Pike gets up to dash over to Grog.

“Hold on a minute, Pike!” Percy swoops in behind her and scoops her up into his arms, causing Pike to shriek as he lifts her in a hug off her feet. He has his arms wrapped under hers like he was holding a cat.

“Allow me to show you that a noble can indeed have fun,” Percy smirks. He tightens one arm around her while his other hand starts to scribble into her side. Pike jolts with another burst of giggles and attempts pushing on Percy’s arm to squeeze herself free.

“Pehehehercy, wahahait! I was just kihihihidding!” she kicks her feet in the air.

“Of course. I know that, Pike. But I have to protect the reputation of my good name. You understand,” he smiles. Pike’s squirming becomes strong enough to where Percy nearly drops her, but he catches himself and places Pike safely to the ground, though still with one arm wrapped around her and one tickling her to keep her in place. Percy chuckles as he kneels down, takes a seat on the floor, then pulls Pike into his lap to now have the ability to tickle her with both of his hands, sending her giggles even louder. 

Keyleth eventually recovers, arms still wrapped around herself. She processes her surroundings, noticing Vax’s situation.

“Oh no, Vax. Not again,” Keyleth straightens herself out and prepares her hand to summon more vines.

“I’m going to stop you right there, Keyleth!” Vex rams into the Ashari with a giant hug.

“W-What?! Vex, what are you–dohohohoing?!” Keyleth squeaks at the end of her sentence when Vex takes her turn at tickling the Ashari. 

“Well, you were about to help my brother out of his predicament, and I’m quite entertained by his situation. You wouldn’t want to cut that entertainment short, now would you?”

“Buhuhuhut Vax is in trohohohouble!” she giggles in response.

“Nooo, he’s fine. Look at him. He’s smiling, laughing. He doesn’t need our help,” Vex grins. Trinket happily huffs to himself. Seeing that his allies are enjoying themselves, Trinket trots away over to a spot behind a still resting Scanlan to lie down and watch the rest unfold, until his assistance is requested again.

Just then, a giggly scream from Pike catches Grog’s ears. The goliath turns his head to see that Percy is scribbling a hand at Pike’s belly while the gnome kicks and curls her arms around herself.

“Pike! Buddy!” Grog shouts. He drops Vax to the floor like a bag of gold and dashes over to Pike. Percy looks up just in time to see the massive goliath barreling towards him. His eyes go wide and immediately lets go of Pike. He crawls backwards on his arms and lifts himself to his feet as Grog approaches.

“Grog, wait! We can talk about this!” Percy turns to run, but Grog instantly snatches him off the floor and into his arms, holding him very similarly as Percy did to Pike. Grog spins to face his buddy, then wastes no time in digging a set of his fingers into Percy’s side. Percy lets out a startled chortle before his giggles find their way out again. 

“Pick on someone, your own size!” Grog grins behind him.

“Thahahat’s rich cohohoming from yohohohou!” Percy responds. He wiggles and slips his nimble self from Grog’s arms, ducking under them before running. 

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” Grog says before he and Pike take off after him.

Vex witnesses Percy is involved in another chase. She chuckles. “See, Percy! Told you it wasn’t over!”

As she finishes her sentence, Vax suddenly lunges at her and tackles her to the floor. 

“And I told you that I would come back for you later,” Vax smirks above her as he darts his hands towards his sister’s sides. A minor shriek releases from Vex before she slaps a hand to cover her mouth, though Vax can see her smile twitching from under her fingers. Her other hand attempts to shove at Vax while the heels of her boots dig at the floor.

“Ah, ah, ah, sister. We will be having none of that. You saw me giggling my head off, it’s only fair that I see yours,” Vax crawls a hand up to her underarm connected to the hand blocking her smile. Vex yanks her hand down with a shriek that results in the joyful sound of laughter.

“Vahahahahax you a–ahahahaha!” The rest of Vex’s sentence is erased by her giggles. 

“Language, sister,” he playfully scolds her, knowing exactly what she was about to say. He turns to the Ashari. “Keyleth, want to provide some assistance?”

Keyleth nods with a smile, “Okay!” The Ashari makes her way over. She sits on her knees on the floor next to Vex’s other side and joins in, scribbling at Vex’s stomach. The giggles of the female twin grow higher in pitch as she attempts to protect and slap away the two pairs of hands scribbling across her torso.

“Twohoho against ohohone? Well I cahahahan play thahahat gahahame too!” Vex exclaims. “Trinket! Hehehelp me!” she shouts across the room.

The bear growls and lifts himself to his feet. Trinket begins charging forward. Scanlan hears the loud pounding of paws behind him and turns his head to see Trinket running in his direction. Scanlan leaps to his feet and runs straight, keeping his eyes on the bear. Meanwhile, Percy turns the corner on the other side of the room and runs right towards Vex, Vax, and Keyleth, though his eyes are also on his pursuers.

Almost at the same time, Scanlan and Percy look forward, seeing not only are they going to crash into each other, but into Vex, Vax, and Keyleth as well. They try to slow their movement, but Pike and Grog crash into Percy, while Trinket crashes into Scanlan, sending everyone crashing into the twins and Keyleth—which creates a party-sized dogpile with all the Vox Machina members.

As the “dust” settles, Trinket, who was on the edge of the pile, lifts himself up and finds Scanlan lying on the edge next to Grog. The bear nuzzles Scanlan’s neck as an apology, which slowly pulls Scanlan out of his dazed state. 

“Trinket,” Scanlan giggles as the bear gets in one final tickle at his neck. He shoves at the bear’s snout. “Come on, cut it out.” 

The bear growls with glee. As Trinket steps back, everyone else begins to slowly emerge from the pile. Eventually, they untangle themselves and stand to stretch their previously squished bodies.

“Well, that was a fight that I bet none of us were expecting,” Vax says as he stretches out his back.

“To think we were taking a day off and ended up fighting each other instead,” Vex mentions. “But that does seem like something we would do, doesn’t it?”

“I don’t know about you all,” Keyleth chimes in, “but I thought it was fun. I know I said something earlier with Scanlan’s joke and no one agreed, but I can’t be the only one who thought this was fun, right? I mean, it was enjoyable enough for Percy to join in.” She gestures a hand towards the white-haried man.

Percy crosses his arms. “My hand was forced into the fight, thank you. Under no other circumstances would I have joined.”

Pike shrugs. “Eh, all it takes is a few teases and poking fun at his royal title to get him to hop in,” she teases and smiles at Percy. Percy rolls his eyes, though he returns a warm smile to her as well.

“It was unexpected, but at least it brightened the mood,” Scanlan says. He turns to look up at the goliath. “You did good, Grog,” Scanlan compliments.

“Hehe, thank you,” Grog takes the compliment. He blinks a few times and puts a finger to his chin. “Um…what exactly did I do good again?”

Vax pats him on the arm. “You were just being yourself, big guy.” 

“And we love ya for it,” Pike hugs his ankle. 

“Aww, come here, you!” Grog picks her up in a gentle, but firm hug, then places her on his shoulder with a grin.

Some would say that they’re one odd bunch of adventures, but to them, they’re just one big happy family.

[amazingmsme]

Topsy Turvy

AN: Merry Christmas @gladdygirl18 I’m your squealing santa! I had so much fun with this one, & as always a huge thank you to @squealing-santa for running the event! Decided to go with the Scanlan/Pike prompt because our silly lil bard doesn’t get nearly enough love around here. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

"And a low note to finish it off," Scanlan muttered to himself, writing the final chords to his newest piece. He began compiling the scattered pages strewn across the bed, but noticed that he was just two pages short. He looked all over the tangled sheets: no wonder he couldn't find anything.

He noticed a corner of a sheet of paper sticking out from behind the headboard.

"Aha!" he exclaimed, reaching down to grab it, but came up just shy. He strained and forced his arm deeper between the crack, but he could still barely graze the pages. He stretched as much as he could, finally snatching the papers he needed. Right before slipping in between the bed and wall. He was stuck up to his hips, legs kicking in the air wildly.

"No, oh no, this is bad!" He squirmed around to see if he could work himself free, but only made himself fall deeper into the crevice. He let out a panicked shriek when he dropped between a few more inches, thoroughly trapped.

Pride be damned, he needed help, and he didn't care who saw him like this, just as long as they got him out. So he started screaming.

"HELP! SOMEONE! HEEEELP I'M STUCK! he wailed from his upside down position, voice slightly muffled by the thick quilt he was yelling into.

He only had to yell for a minute or two before Pike followed the noise to its source.

"Whoa, hey, are you okay?" she asked upon seeing him and rushed to his side.

"PIKE! Oh thank the Gods! I'm saved!" he exclaimed, letting out a sigh of relief. She had to stifle a laugh as she stepped in the room, taking a closer look at Scanlan's predicament.

"How uh, how'd you get stuck like that?" she asked, a few sputtering chuckles slipping out.

"Wha- are you laughing at me?" he asked incredulously.

"I'm sorry, but have you seen yourself?" she justified, leaning against the bed. She looked around the headboard, trying to decide the best way to free her friend.

"Does it look like I have a mirror on hand?" he sassed, growing more annoyed the longer he was stuck. But he would blame it on all the blood rushing to his head, and the claustrophobia didn't help.

Pike smirked, "I could always just leave..."

"NO! Wait!" he screamed, worried his only chance at freedom was about to walk out the door. "Fuck, it's so cramped back here! Just- will you please help? I can't move," he admitted defeat, body going limp. Pike softened as she listened to his plight, smiling and rolling her eyes fondly.

"Yeah, whatever. You owe me," she said, hopping up onto the bed. "So, remind me how you got stuck?"

"Ugh, I was just trying to grab some sheet music I dropped, and I slipped," he explained.

"Maybe next time try reaching under the bed," she teased. Scanlan scoffed.

"Trust me, there won't be a next time, if I can help it. Now are you gonna help me or not?"

"Relax, will you? I'm helping," she brushed him off, tilting her head as she examined his position. "Okay, I think I can get you out."

"Oh great, you're not even sure?"

"Hey, I'm doin' my best here!" she whined playfully, grabbing ahold of his ankles. She pulled on his legs with all her might, but he barely moved an inch.

"Okay, ow, stop stop stop!" he yelled when he felt his legs pop out of socket for a split second. Pike held her hands up, immediately letting go at the first sign of distress.

"Sorry! But you're like, really stuck," she said in amazement.

"Preachin' to the choir here, Pike," he sassed, growing more annoyed and irritated as the blood continued rushing to his brain, the inkling of a headache beginning to set in.

"I know, I know, just- hold still," she readjusted her grip higher on his legs, just below the knees. "Okay, ready? On three. One, two, three!" she counted off and gave another hard tug, heels digging into the mattress as she pulled.

Scanlan let out an earsplitting shriek, kicking his legs free as she fell backwards from the force of letting go.

"I said hold still!" she scolded, dusting herself off.

"Well maybe you should hold somewhere else!" he countered childishly. Pike huffed and rolled her eyes.

"If you haven't noticed, my options are a bit limited," she deadpanned, smirking just a little as she heard him whine.

"Fine, just do it quick," he ordered.

Pike noticed the way he flinched when she grabbed the same spot, and the gears began turning in her head. Was he hurt? No, he would've been limping. Then what could it- oh. She smirked as realization dawned on her.

"You know, you could've just said it tickled," she mused aloud.

"W-what? I never said that!" Scanlan shrieked defensively, earning an amused chuckle from Pike.

"So... you're not ticklish?" she questioned, arching a skeptical brow despite knowing he couldn't see her.

"Hell no! What even gave you that idea?" he asked, wiggling around trying to free himself.

"Oh nothing, just the fact that you screamed when I did this!" Without warning, she suddenly latched onto his legs, squeezing just below his knees. She was rewarded with an ear piercing shriek as Scanlan thrashed around.

"Pihihike wahahait! T-this ihihisn't fahahair!" he screamed through his laughter.

"That's it, keep moving!" Pike ignored his protest in favor of encouragement. The more he thrashed around, the less stuck he became, so really, she was still helping!

"Dohohon't patronihihize mehehe!" he whined.

"I-I'm not! Honest!" she assured him, even as she pinched along the back of his thighs. Snorts mingled with his shrill laughter, much to his chagrin and Pike's amusement. She couldn't help but to tease, "Sorry, bad spot?"

"You hypohohocrihihite!" he cried out indignantly. He thrashed around, half of his torso now freed. So what if it was working? It was still cruel.

"I'm still helping, aren't I?" she countered smugly, tickling up his sides and ribs. His laughter rose an octave, borderline giggling as he desperately tried to control his reactions.

"Hang in there Scanlan, one more pull oughta do it!" She grabbed him by the hips and he immediately jumped at the touch. When she applied even the slightest bit of pressure, he screamed.

"THIHIS IHIHIS TORTURE!"

"Almost... there..." Pike groaned as she tugged the thrashing, hysterical bard free.

Suddenly, Scanlan felt a release of pressure and saw the room fly around him before landing on his back. His chest heaved as he could finally breathe again, greedily sucking air into his aching lungs.

"See? That wasn't so bad," Pike was panting too, lying next to him. He turned to glare at her, but the lingering smile dulled its effect.

"Easy for you to say."

"How long were you stuck like that?" she asked, making him groan and rub a hand down his tired, flushed face.

"Too long," he huffed.

"Actually, it was closer to five minutes," a sly voice spoke from the doorway.

Scanlan gasped and sat up, locking eyes with a very smug Vax'ildan.

"Wha- Vax? How- how long've you there?" he asked in a panicked, shrill voice, stuttering over his words. Out of everyone, Vax was the last person he trusted with this information.

Vax smirked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Got here just before Pike, but I thought I'd let her do the heavy lifting," he mused, ignoring her muttered, "Gee, thanks a lot."

At this rate, Scanlan's blush would never leave.

"So you've just been there? Like, the whole time?" he demanded, mouth hanging open in shock as Vax nodded.

"Yep. Wouldn't dare miss a performance like that, Scanman" he chuckled and dodged the pillow thrown at him. He waltzed over to the bed, noting the way Scanlan tensed and scooted away.

He knelt down and reached under the bed, fishing for the loose pages on the ground. He pulled back, holding the paper triumphantly in the air.

"I believe this is what you were looking for?" he held them out expectantly, only to yank them back once Scanlan reached for them.

"C'mon Vax, go easy on him," Pike came to his defense, even as she chuckled at the exchange.

"Oh, you mean like how you "went easy on him?"" he asked, using air quotes to help make his point. She gasped and playfully punched his arm as Scanlan flopped back onto the bed, rolling over to hide amongst the pillows.

"I hate you both." His voice was quiet and muffled, but even still, they knew he didn't mean it.

"Sure you do," Pike patted his shoulder with mock sympathy.

"I bet I can make you hate us even more," Vax challenged. Scanlan whipped around, a bewildered expression on his face in contrast to the rogue's mischievous grin.

"You wouldn't d-" he cut himself off when he felt a vice grip around his ankle.

"Try me."

[soft--dragon]

Loosen Up

So recently I finished Vox Machina and if you haven't seen I highly recommend it!! SUCH a good show oh my lord. Can't wait for the third season to drop :D

You can view the relationships however you like, I don't mind ^^ (except Vex and Vax, they're siblings, don't be weird :/)

Word Count: 3,138

Warnings: Kinda spoils a plot line in season one but nothing major ^^

This is a SFW tickle fic, if you don’t like that then don’t read :)

It isn’t a secret that Percy is a bit of a stick in the mud.

Rarely did he let his walls down and simply be. Too caught up in his world of smoking guns and exploding inventions. A lifetime of heartache shutting his heart away in a cast iron keep that very few had a key to access. This also meant emotions such as joy, love, and contentment were rare to be exposed from behind those defensive gates.

That was before Vox Machina. 

A chaotic, rambunctious group of outcast individuals working with the skills they had to make it through another day. A ragtag family doing its best to survive in a world that would spit at their feet and tell them to fuck off. 

However, this family knew how to tell the world right back to fuck off too. 

Percy honestly couldn’t imagine his life with these people a few years ago, but now he simply could not fathom a reality without them. Tight-knit and stupid and loving, never faulting in their care. It was something Percy told himself to never take for granted, no matter how much they tested his patience. 

Much like tonight, where he was being subjected to the most irritating forces known to man: Vex and Vax when they were on the hunt for entertainment.

Percy is sitting near the fire, sketchbook in hand with rough charcoal drawings of new inventions scattering the pages. Vex and Vax have boxed him in by sitting on either side, peering at his notes and asking such incomprehensibly odd questions Percy wanted to know who the hell tutored these two monsters.

Honestly Vax, why would a pistol need a compartment for snacks? 

It took almost fifteen minutes before Percy's patience gave in and the notebook snapped shut with a dull thud. “Are you two quite finished?” Percy demands, staring at the duo with a narrow gaze. 

Vex grins, raising a hand in surrender. “We’re curious about your new inventions, love. Is there something wrong with that?”

Percy huffs, tucking his book into the folds of his jacket that is laid not too far from the flames, warming up for the night ahead. “Only when you keep badgering me to make a glove that turns whatever it touches into gold.”

“It would be quite helpful, dear.”

“And far out of my current capabilities, I’m not a wizard.”

“Oh, give yourself some credit, Freddy,” Vax grins. “Grow a beard and I’d say you’re plenty wizard-like. With your lifespan, you’ll need a cane before you know it, and it could act as your staff.”

Percy glares at him under half-lidded eyes. “Thank you, Vax’ildan,” he says sarcastically. “Remind me that I will die much sooner than the rest of you, just what I needed to hear tonight.”

Vex snickers, gently bumping his shoulder with her own so those green eyes look at her. “Oh come on, we’re just messing with you, Percival. What’s got you so grumpy this time?”

Percy gave her a mildly incredulous look. “I’m not grumpy.”

“He says while glaring, and with a bitter tone of voice,” Vax murmurs with a grin. 

Percy shoots him a dry look which the male elf only laughs at. “See? That’s exactly what I mean, man!”

Vex’ahlia laughs, dropping her arms over her bent legs and cocking her head to the side. “What is it gonna take to make you loosen up, Percy?”

“A good bottle of wine, some peace and quiet, and a book.”

“We have two silver to our name and a bear,” Vax counters. “Can’t quite match your aristocrat taste, but Trinket tells great stories.”

Trinket, nestled comfortably at the edge of the cave where the other party members are conversing, does not indicate that he knows, nor cares that his owners are talking about him. Percy envied that damn bear, able to go to sleep and easily block out the surrounding sounds. What a dream life. 

“Trinket is busy sleeping,” Percy tells them, “his stories will have to wait.”

Vex isn’t dissuaded by Percy’s bristling attitude, instead leaning more into his personal space just because she can. “Darling,” she says, “We just want to help you relax, is this such a big ask?”

“...Yes.”

“Aeugh, the drama of this man,” Vax chuckles through an exasperated breath, elbowing Percy’s side gently. 

The white-haired human flinches away from the contact with a start, his hand shooting down to rub the area. “Yes, yes, you’ve stated I am a dramatic piece of shit more than once, Vax. I believe your point is made.” 

The twins aren’t listening to Percy’s grumbles. The second he flinched, they’d locked eyes, a conversation played out with expression alone.

Vex narrows her gaze. Hurt?

No. Healed by Pike from the last mission.

Just startled, then? 

Seemed more than that. He knew we were right there.

So what are you thinking? 

Perhaps…

Vex perks a brow at her brother when his expression suddenly brightens in some kind of realization. Her eyes flit over to Percy who was unaware of their silent musings, still resolutely crossing his arms with a scowl that the fire did not deserve to be subjected to. She looks back to her sibling who is grinning now. Vax gives a small flex of his fingers, his eyebrows jumping up and down. Understanding hits Vex and her smile turns evil, nodding minutely. They wink at each other, the excitement for a game making them giddy though they contained it. Couldn’t let Percy catch on too early after all. 

“Percy~” Vex coos in her sultry voice, not missing the slight twitch in his face from her tone. The sight makes her all the more eager to extract the plan she and her brother had silently communicated. She lifts her fingernails to her eyes to examine them. “You sure we can’t convince you to loosen up at least a little?”

There was a scoff. “I’d like to see you try,” Percy muttered.

Oh excellent, an invitation. 

“Well, if the man insists, Stubby, who are we to ignore him?” Vax leaps for the opportunity with a grin that’s all charm and Cheshire-like. 

“I agree,” Vex smirks. “Shall we?”

Simultaneously, the two half-elves grab one of Percy’s wrists each and fling him onto his back, his arms being pinned by his head. A startled yelp leaps out of the human, the sudden gravity shift leaving him to stare up at the pair of matching grins. He tugs at his arms. They won’t budge. 

“What the hell are you doing?” Percy asks, bewildered and slightly on edge. 

“You said we could try and loosen you up,” Vex answers.

“By wrestling me to the dirt and pinning me down?” 

“Oh no, we just had to get you in a better position, dear heart,” Vax smirks.

“A better pos- for what?” 

The bemused and exasperated question only delights his captors further, and this is where Percival Fredrickson de Rolo the Third realizes a very fatal error. He had been encouraging the chaotic force that was the Elf Twins. He'd practically been asking for trouble. This realization only sinks in further when Vax’s free hand comes down to rest on Percy’s clothed stomach.

“Percy, you wouldn’t happen to be ticklish would you?” 

Oh.

Oh gods, no.

Memories spring to Percy’s mind of laughing himself hoarse while dogpiled under his siblings from the silly battles. The sensations scuttling everywhere, unstoppable and unbearable. His realization shows up in his face in the form of a pink flush and the beginnings of a wobbly grin that he desperately tries to keep under control.

“Oh, I see a smile trying to come out there!” Vex leers keenly, lowering her own hands to wiggle her fingers close to Percy’s side, delighting in his immediate response to wriggle away despite his efforts to seem indifferent to his dilemma. 

“V-Vex, this is ludicrous-” Percy splutters, his grin becoming wider by the second, his resolution foiled from years of inexperience in this game. 

“So you are ticklish, then?” Vax questions, his fingers gently pressing from where they are resting atop Percy’s lean stomach. 

The flinch and sharp intake of breath was answering enough. Percy’s ears were starting to burn from the attention, torn between wanting to wrench away and escape this playful teasing, or staying and trying to muscle through in a show of defiance. 

“I’m- it’s been a very long time since someone has tried,” Percy answers stiffly. 

The way the twins lit up made him cringe back, instantly knowing that was the worst thing he could’ve said.

“Well now we have to tickle you,” Vex exclaims like her word is law. Though, with her role in the group, it may as well be. 

Percy is most definitely blushing now. It was honestly adorable. “N-No you don’t!” He protests, his boots now shuffling into the dirt in hopes of dislodging his sudden capture. “I’m not even tihicklish!” Damn it.

“Was that a laugh?” Vax coos, delighting in a sound so rare from Percy who barely even grins on a good day. Percy is doing his best to try and become an ostrich with how far he’s turning his flushed face into the ground, stumbling refusals not quite managing to leave his lips coherently. 

“Why my dear brother, I think it was,” Vex chuckles. ‘Shall we see what else we can pull from our resident sour puss?”

“Thought you’d never ask.”

Electricity crackles through Percy’s sides and stomach in a split second, a strangled sound being pulled from a forgotten section of his vocal cords. His whole body instantly jack-knifes, legs trying to pull to his stomach to protect the sensitive areas suddenly under attack. Stubbornness makes him clamp his lips shut and bite his tongue, not wanting to give the twins the satisfaction of hearing him laugh again. He refused.

“Hmm, seems we’ve got a stubborn one in our hands, Vex,” tuts Vax, his fingers probing up and down Percy’s ribcage, noting every flinch and muffled grunt let out by the human. 

“Oh don’t worry, he’ll crack eventually.” Her eyes meet Percy’s and her smile makes his stomach twist in anticipation. She winks. “They all do.”

Her hand starts to slink down to his hip bones and- Nope. Nope. Nope. Not gonna happen, he’d rather get possessed by a demon again. Percy’s struggling kicks up, trying to find momentum with his legs to dislodge the grip pinning his wrists to the cave floor, still fighting not to crack as Vax’s fingers deftly squeeze his sides. He almost manages to heave himself to sit up, but a well-placed scratch at his lower back sends him crashing back down. His legs fly up to his stomach again, desperate to protect some part of his sensitive body while his chest shakes with restrained laughter. 

“Uh uh, not yet mister, we’re not done with you until you laugh~” says Vex, her hand dropping to lightly scuttle behind Percy’s knee that was right beside her.

Percy yelps, immediately kicking his legs back out, and scrunches into himself in a fast motion. The reaction made the twins pause, and he knew he was royally screwed. 

“Interesting, he might be like you. I think the gentler stuff works better on him,” Vex says to her brother, her hand dropping to Percy’s hips once more and scuttling her nails featherlight across the man’s skin.

“NoHAHaha!” Percy protests, his yelp swimming between stolen laughter that tries vainly to escape his throat, his head being tossed back against the floor as his body tries to do an emergency lockdown on his vocal cords. 

“Brilliant, sister,” Vax chuckles, and before Percy can prepare himself, he spiders his claws up along Percy’s stretched torso with a softened touch.  

Immediately, Percy sputters, and the dam finally cracks. “S-Shihihihit! Vehehex! Vahahax! Ohoho gohohod!” Percy gasps out through fits of boyish laughter, a sound so out of character for the gunslinger that it takes the twins aback in surprise.

His cheeks are flushed a rosy pink, standing out against his pale complexion and white hair. A wide, mirthful smile cracked out against his brooding face, nose scrunching in a way that couldn’t be described as anything but endearing. His body didn’t know whether to fight or fold, the long-forgotten instinct of childhood leaving him withering and laughing from the soft fingertips spidering along sensitive skin.

“Well, how about that,” Vax murmured, something gentle in his voice despite the mean wiggling of his nails on a particularly sensitive rib. “He can laugh.”

“Oh much more than that, dear brother,” Vex smiled fondly. “He isn’t grumpy now.”

Experimentally, her fingers swirl up Percy’s unprotected ribs to dance gently under his arm to see if it would have much effect. Oh, and it does. Percy practically squeals. High-pitched and panicked and childlike, his struggles for his pinned arms make a reappearance as the sensitive hollows are attacked by softly brushing nails. 

“Nononononohohoho VEHEehehex!” He pleads, scuffing the heels of his shoes into the floor in a half-baked bid for relief. “Fuhuhucks sahahake!” 

“That is utterly adorable,” Vax laughs, his own hand coming up to stroke deftly down Percy’s arm from wrist to armpit in a maddening pattern of soft touch. The strokes only elicit more half-bitten squeals and squeaks of protest, most noises swallowed up or blended into Percy’s laughter.

He knew he should feel embarrassed, his pride shattered into pieces from a few measly fingers and well-picked words to crack his defenses, but Percy couldn’t recall a time he’d last been in the middle of a play fight such as this. The sensations are foreign but not forgotten, too much and yet not enough at the same time. It was a conflicting state of escape or endure.

However, when Vax slipped a hand under his buttoned shirt to ghost gentle nails on his bare lower back, he was pretty sure his body got struck by lightning. 

“VAHAHAX! OHOHOhoho mihihy gohohod plehehehease! P-PLEHEhehehease!”” 

Vex and Vax pause in their movements and watch with awed amusement as Percy laughs himself mad from the briefest touch to his back, his full-bodied laughter quickly melting down into rich, honey-sweet giggles that shake his entire body. It didn’t seem real, that a sound so adorably childish could come from Percy’s mouth, and yet here he was, half curled on the ground, giggling up a storm. 

Vex and Vax share a fond, endeared smile and let go of Percy’s wrists, leaning away so he could have space to collect himself. The human wheezes through his tumbling giggles, his arms shifting to wrap around his middle as he slowly calms down. His eyes, which had been tightly closed, flutter open to show mirthful tears at the edges.

“F-Fuhucking hehehell,” he gasps, “I thohought I wahas gohohing to dihie.”

“Oh relax, we like you too much to kill you,” Vex snickers, offering her hand to Percy. She has to hold back a snort when he flinches mildly at her fingers, eyeing them distrustfully. “We’re done,” she promises.

After a suspicious look, Percy grasps her hand and allows her to tug him into a sitting position. One of his arms is still wrapped protectively around his stomach, his hand reaching far enough to rub that damn spot Vax had tickled for three seconds which caused him to fall apart. 

“Remind me to never piss you off,” Percy rasps, taking off his glasses to rub the tears in his eyes away.

Vax leans over to his supplies to snatch up his water skin, offering it to Percy who took it gratefully. “So,” Vax starts, watching Percy drink water like he hadn’t had it in years. “Soft touch and bad back, huh?”

Percy almost chokes. With a rough swallow, he recorks the water skin and clears his throat, stubbornly not looking at either of the twins. “Like I said, it’s been a long time. I didn’t think I still even was… well, you know.”

“What? Ticklish?’

Vex’s gentle tease makes Percy’s face burn for what felt like the millionth time that evening. He shoves his glasses back on his face despite the heat in his cheeks making them fog up mildly. The reaction makes the twins chuckle.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed, Percy dear,” Vex soothes, an arm wrapping around his shoulders and rubbing gently at the nape of his neck - tension knotting the area from hours of leaning over a workbench while inventing. Percy winced at the attention, both from the anticipation of another attack and the ache of his tense muscles. 

“It’s embarrassing,” Percy grumbles without much heat, sounding like a petulant kid. “My siblings always ganged up on me because of it.”

“You have a nice laugh, I can see why they would,” Vax hums, tucking his water skin back into his nearby cloak.

The surprised look on Percy’s face almost made Vex tackle him back to the floor and tickle him again just so he could hear how precious his laugh was. She held herself back though, he’d had enough for tonight anyway. He hadn’t been tickled in years, he’d need to be introduced back to the game slowly. Tonight was an excellent first lesson. 

“So, Percy’s ticklish then?”

The sudden voice made the trio jump and look up to the other side of the cave where the rest of Vox Machina were watching them with grins. Scanlan, who’d asked the question, chuckled at the human’s sudden flush. “Yeah no, we saw the whole thing, de Rolo. Don’t expect this to be the last time, that was cute as fuck.”

Grog chuckled deeply. “Very cute,” he agreed in that rumbling voice of his. Pike, who was sat atop his shoulder nodded enthusiastically in agreement. 

“Had no idea you could laugh like that, Perce,” she chirped, glancing at Keyleth who giggled softly. 

“It was quite sweet,” the Air Ashari tacked on.

Percy stared at the group of people he called family, his eyelid twitching slightly and cheeks flushed a rosy pink. His gloved hands come up to press over his face, knocking his head into his bent knees, wishing the floor would just cave in and murder him quickly. 

“Aww, I think we’re embarrassing him,” Vax cooed, his hand resting atop Percy’s head and gently ruffling his hair in a brotherly fashion. “It’s alright, Giggles, you know we do it out of love.”

“F’ck off and die,” came the muffled grumble buried into Percy’s hands.

The twins cackled, pleased that they not only thoroughly shattered Percy’s indifferent demeanor, but got him flustered beyond repair from simple, playful affection and loving words. They were gonna have fun with this new information. It was their right as a family to carry on the de Rolo tradition of making Percival Fredrickson de Rolo the Third laugh, they wouldn’t let Percy’s late siblings down on that front.

[stray-tickles]

Concentration

Read on AO3

Summary: A tickle fight breaks out, but Caleb can't participate because he needs to concentrate on his spell. No, really.

--

Jester hadn’t met any other tieflings before, besides her mama. Hadn’t met many other people, really, until she’d gone off travelling and found her group of friends. She hadn’t known what she’d expected to find out in the big wide world, but Molly was one that she’d never dreamed of.

Her mama had told her how not everyone felt the same as they did about things. How humans and half elves and orcs and goblins were a bit odd about touch in a way that she’d never understand. Jester had never been one to resist the urge to cuddle, to hug, to poke and play with those closest to her.

Molly, apparently, was the same. Jester had barely squeaked out a few giggles at his teasing prods to her belly when she pounced, fingers slipping past the edges of his coat to wriggle at his ribs and draw out delighted snorty laughter.

She giggled at how quickly he folded. “You could have asked, Molly.”

He definitely flushed at her words, illuminated by the edge of Caleb’s dome. “No- pfhaha- no fun!”

Jester could hear the others talking in the background, their voices coloured with amusement. Molly was curled up into a weak ball, twitching at her tickly assault, otherwise not resisting but to hiccup with laughter.

“You have such a good smile Molly, I should tickle you forever, then it would never stop!” Her fingers climbed to burrow into his armpits and earn a loud shriek. “Doesn’t that sound nice?”

Molly was laughing and kicking too hard to speak, but he managed a nod amidst his squirming.

Jester chuckled evilly. “Hehehe, did I find your worst spot, huh?” She continued to wriggle her now trapped fingers in his armpits, loving how dark purple he got. “Is this your tickly tickle spot?”

A soft voice just behind her made her jump. “Try his tail.”

Jester stopped in surprise, looking around to see a somewhat awkward looking Yasha, eyes fixed deliberately on the rain falling just past the edge of their little dome.

Molly wheezed for breath, feeling very warm and buzzy. “Traitor!” He shouted weakly, rolling onto his back for completely unrelated reasons.

“Oh?” That seemed to get Jester’s attention back on him. Presently, Molly wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or not. “Is she right?”

Molly swallowed nervously, that giggly anticipation swelling up in his stomach. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

She giggled. “I’m gonna find out!”

He could feel himself grinning, and made no move to get up. “Best of luck to you!”

Jester glared playfully and made a grab for his tail, which Molly smugly twitched away at the last second. He was chuckling by her third attempt to catch it, and was just about to say something mocking when he felt something that sent a shock up his spine.

Jester’s tail, which had apparently wormed its way under him to the giant weak spot that was his lower back.

His eyes locked on to hers with horror, noting her smug satisfaction. So it had all been a trick. “You little- SHIT!” Molly was interrupted by a loud shriek when Jesters tail started wriggling like a worm against his back, and also, horribly, allowing her to finally catch his tail, which she assaulted with fingers that fluttered so lightly he felt like he’d die.

And okay, Molly could admit that he loved this, loved the play and the laughing and the warmth and the touch, but that didn’t mean he could handle it.

He managed barely a moment of squealing laughter before the thrashing began, twisting and rolling around to escape her tail from poking and wriggling against his back as he cackled wildly, tugging frantically at his own tail if only for the chance to catch his breath.

Then Jester’s tail found the hem of his shirt, and the moment it touched bare skin Molly shot straight out of her grip with a scream, right out the side of the protective dome.

Jester burst out laughing, only laughing harder when Molly returned a moment later, plastered with rain and catching his breath.

“Oh, you think this is funny?” Molly asked playfully, then surprised Jester by pouncing past her, somehow tackling Yasha to the ground.

“No- Molly wait-” She managed, before clasping both hands hard over her face and giggling.

Jester cooed at Yasha’s flushed face and soft laughter, then let her eyes scan over the rest of them for her next target.

And, well. Their wizard’s ears were very red.

She grinned. “Oh Caaay-leb…”

He glanced up from his bedroll, jittery as usual. “J-ja?” Then caught the look in her eye. “Ah- no, no, nein!” He yelped, scrambling backwards away from her. “Nein!”

Jester snickered, following him and wiggling her fingers playfully. “Are you like, super ticklish or something?”

Caleb curled in on himself, locking his arms at his sides. “Nein!” Oh gods, this was bad, he could tell from Jester’s smirk this was bad.

Then a familiar clawed hand squeezed at his side and it became worse. “AHA- noplease!”

Nott snickered. “But Caleb, you just said you’re not ticklish!”

“Yeah!”

He was trapped between them, and Caleb knew, knew he was going to perish. “No- wait! The spell, I need- I cannot lose concentration!”

A lie. One he was honestly quite proud of given the circumstances, but one that they could very well see through.

Instead, Jester shrugged, a disappointed pout on her lips. “Ugh, right.” She paused. “You can recast it though…”

Nott batted her away, clearly cowed by the thought of letting the rain in, and the two backed off, leaving Caleb sitting on the soft base of the dome, watching Jester leap onto Fjords back and dig her fingers into his stomach in a way that had him cackling in seconds.

This was… good. This was what he’d wanted after all. He was not being attacked, not made to laugh like a fool, to shriek and squirm like Nott was after her attempt to get Beau backfired. He didn’t want to feel like that, even if they did look happy and close in a way that made Caleb’s heart ache. This was… better.

It wasn’t like he could bear to look any of them in the eye once they found out how godforsaken ticklish he was anyway. It had never been a trait that had felt like it fit him. Caleb was awkward and stuffy and dry, it- it didn’t suit him to drop to the ground giggling from the littlest wiggle at his stomach.

It was silly.

Besides, it had been years since anyone had felt comfortable and playful enough to tickle him, Caleb wasn’t sure it would even work, if he remembered how he was supposed to react.

He’d never known how to react to things properly. He felt his lips twitch up slightly. That had always been what felt so… easy, about being ti- touched like that. He had no choice in his reactions, no chance of saying the wrong thing when he couldn’t speak for laughing, his self-consciousness unable to bury his smile in the face of that bright sparkling silliness.

Ah, gottsverdammt. He wanted that.

He glanced over to Molly and Yasha, who had now switched places, Yasha’s fingers worrying at Molly’s ribcage enough to have him in fits of giggles, flushing dark violet and grinning so big it looked like it hurt. Caleb’s arms tightened around his sides, his sympathetic smile getting a little wider. He could almost feel it, Yasha’s fingertips softly but persistently plucking at his own ribs, melting away his resolve in a moment, turning his bones into goo.

Caleb cleared his throat in a way that he hoped was just attention-grabbing enough, and unbuckled one of his books from its holster, finding that for once he wasn’t able to concentrate on the words on the page in the way that was normally so distracting for him, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that it was normally distracting. That he couldn’t maintain concentration while reading.

They all knew that.

Which was why it was so disappointing when they were all so distracted by their playful roughhousing to notice. After a few minutes, Caleb half-faked an irritated sigh and summoned his lights. It was getting to dark to read, which would be a problem if he was trying to read. It did have three globules of light circling his head though, and that had to be enough.

It was, to his eternal chagrin, not.

Mollymauk was curled up in a giddy giggly ball by the time Caleb realised that this wasn’t working, and decided to tuck himself into his bedroll and pretend to sleep. At least this way he didn’t have to look at them.

He didn’t quite notice Fjord’s now wheezing giggles come to a halt, nor the soft footsteps creeping over to him. In fact, Caleb didn’t notice anything at all until a hand snuck under the edge of his bedroll and a nail drew a very quick, very ticklish line up his foot.

“Scheisse!” He sat bolt upright, feet curling up to him and a hot flush laying claim to his face. It only grew hotter when he saw the mischievous grin levelled at him.

Jester giggled, hopping onto his knees. “Hiiiii Caleb.”

He swallowed. “Uh- H-hallo, Jester.” Oh dear.

She leaned closer, grin widening, and actually this might have been a mistake.

“So, you like, totally need to focus so the dome stays up, right?”

Caleb cleared his throat. “I-ah… Ja.” He barely resisted the urge to push himself backwards.

Jester pretended to think. “Is it super hard to concentrate when you’re sleeping?”

The question spurred a smug snicker from Molly, who was still giggly and floppy, snuggled up to Yasha.

“U-uh… ja.” Oh dear, he was getting jittery.

Fjord snorted an exhausted laugh. “Quit messing with him and get to it.”

“Ja!” Caleb blurted, then flushed red. “I-I mean nein, no!”

Jester laughed delightedly. She loved the game. “Sooooo… don’t stop messing with you?”

“Jester bitte!”

She grinned widely. “Maybe I should just let you go…”

By the way her eyes glinted, Caleb knew she had noticed his hesitation, his startled silence at her words, his lack of real protests. She knew that he wanted this, and the thought had him shrinking back and squeezing his eyes shut.

Jester held back a giggle. Well, if he was going to leave himself open like that…

Soft hands latched onto Caleb’s sides, followed by surprisingly gentle claws scratching at the fabric of his shirt and skin and he let out a loud squeak, flopping onto his side. He was already smiling, he could feel it, trying desperately to muffle further squeaks and giggles that the niggling, playful feeling elicited, shit.

Jester’s smile grew bigger. “Aww, Caleb you have such a sweet smile!” She cooed. Caleb’s hands came up to cover his reddening face, and her fingers shot up under his arms, getting a loud snort and breaking through what little control he had.

Caleb’s elbows snapped down too late, only trapping Jester’s hands in what was, apparently, a very ticklish spot, though he didn’t have the time to think about that given he was trying and failing to control his stuttering laughter. One eye cracked open and he immediately wished he hadn’t, when he saw the fond, knowing grin that Nott was giving him from her bedroll. She knew, of course she knew, and the thought had him burrowing into his own bedroll.

That playful laugh melded with his own squeaky giggles for a moment. “Where do you think you’re going?” Jester teased, even as Caleb burrowed deeper, away from her delightfully horrible claws. Not to escape, even in his growingly delirious state he didn’t want to get away. But there was nothing quite so delightful as being chased.

Fingertips vibrating under his arms already had Caleb cackling helplessly and writhing like a fish on a line, but when Jester’s littlest fingers started delicately scratching at his top ribs at the same time he screeched.

On the edges of sanity, a chuckle broke through. “Oh, this I gotta see.”

Schiesse.

Caleb wasn’t sure it would be possible to curl up into a tighter ball than the one he was in, but he tried his best, as he heard the footsteps coming closer.

It was a mercy that Mollymauk only moved the blanket aside enough to whisper in his ear. “Doing okay there, Widogast?”

Even his breath tickled, Caleb lamented, keeping his helplessly laughing face as hidden as he possibly could.

Molly laughed quietly. At a guess, none present had seen Caleb laugh before, or smile beyond that wry smirk he sported once in a blue moon. And this, this was something else. Who would have thought their wizard could get so melty? A quick glance to Jester confirmed it, they were definitely doing this again. Regularly, if he had any say in it at all.

He let his claws trace down Caleb’s neck experimentally, eyes widening at the full body shiver that ran through the wizard. Oh. This was too good.

Caleb… wasn’t sure if he was capable of thought, anymore. Jester’s hands had migrated to poking and squeezing at his abominably sensitive ribcage, and Molly, damn him, was tracing and scratching at his ears and neck, laughing just close enough that his warm breath brushed Caleb’s skin as well, and everything was tingles and static and tickles.

He hiccupped. “Please- ehe- ohno please!”

Jester’s hands slowed, Caleb could just about make out her disappointed pout. Mollymauk’s teasing claws only continued to trace and skitter around his neck and ears, wiggling teasingly under his chin as he leaned closer. “Please what?”

Jester caught on quickly. “Oooh, please keep tickling you?” She started gently kneading his stomach, getting wheezing laughter and a fiery blush in response. “Oh my gosh, Caleb, you’re ticklish, like, everywhere.”

Caleb whined, past the point of doing much other than curling up into an utterly ineffective ball. “J-Jehester please, Molly!”

Molly’s claws had migrated to wriggle under his arms. He leaned closer, amid the wizard’s incoherent begging. “Do you want us to stop?” He murmured, to quietly for any but Jester to hear.

Caleb knew the answer to that question. “Nein!” He squealed. “Nein!”

Molly pressed a long kiss to his cheek, smiling. “I thought not.” He grinned, then with a parting pat on the head, leapt away to wrestle one of Caleb’s legs from the blanket.

Knowing now that he was safe to, Caleb kicked playfully, as if he had any chance of deterring Mollymauk whatsoever.

He squeaked unexpectedly when Jester wormed her fingers around him to scratch at his lower back. She laughed. “Molly he’s almost as bad as you here!”

He grinned in return, getting a good grip on Caleb’s ankle. “If he were any worse, I think he’d die.”

Caleb cackled his agreement.

“Now, I hear humans have more toes than we do.”

What?

Caleb looked over at him in confusion, panting for breath. “Nein, I do not think-” Then he caught the evil smirk and flushed bright red.

Molly chuckled. “Well, I should count to be sure.”

Caleb mumbled incoherently into his hands, reaching to pull his pillow over his face and shrieking when Jester made as if to dart her fingers under his arms. She snickered. “Aw, I think he’s almost done, Molly!”

“Hmm.” Molly cocked his head at the blushing, giggling lump known as Caleb Widogast. He did seem pretty far gone. But he also seemed happier than Molly had ever seen him, tickle drunk and all.

Always nice to end these things gradually. “Guess I’ll have to take this slow then.”

He noted that Caleb didn’t protest.

He did giggle uncontrollably with every toe that Molly caught between his fingers, wiggling teasingly and scratching a nail up each. Cute.

Caleb was well past the point of doing even as little as curling up in a ball. His mind had become giggly mush, and all his body could do now was shiver and laugh, burying his face in his thin pillow to hide from the world, from anything that would end this sooner than it absolutely had to.

“Hm, you know, I think I’ve actually forgotten how many toes tieflings have.” Molly said, pretending to think, only to quickly knock Jester onto her back and grab her leg too. He smiled wickedly. “Let me check!”

Jester squealed delightedly, already laughing. “Molly!”

He only grinned back, swiping a nail up her sole and getting a loud laugh and sending Jester flopping back onto the ground, right next to a still giggly Caleb.

Molly quickly sat atop both legs, keeping them both pinned and laughing. “Okay, now count with me, you two!”

Jester snorted and burst into loud laughter the moment Molly started wiggling her toes, as much from the silliness as from the tickles. Caleb wasn’t much better, hiccupping with giggles and unable to even try hiding his wide grin from the world. Cuuute.

His eyes cracked open for a moment, squeezing shut again when he noticed Jester’s affectionate gaze on him, arms coming up to cover that smile again.

Oh, no, definitely not, Jester decided, and rolled as close to him as she could with Molly still tickling her like that. Caleb flinched with a loud laugh when she reached for him, only to melt completely into her embrace once he realised what she was doing, burying his face into her shoulder, unable to get rid of the smile for anything.

Molly stopped a moment later, grinning up at the two of them and barely needing Jester’s grabby motion to convince him to join the cuddle pile.

Jester smiled and pressed a kiss to that mess of red hair. Maybe not every human was as different from her as she’d thought.

[sunstone-smiles]

There's No Working On Winter's Crest!

Author’s note: Happy Holidays everyone! Merry Critmas because a Critical Role fic is here! I absolutely love how this fic turned out and it might be one of my new favorites that I've written. This fic is part of the @squealing-santa event and was made for wrestling!anon! 🎁 Thank you @squealing-santa / @cantsaythetword for all your hard work as host this year! Now on to the fic! Enjoy!

Series: Critical Role (Campaign 1) 

Characters: Percy, Vex, Vax, (and guest starring the Vox Machina crew and Cassandra)

Provided prompts:  “Forever love ‘character A doesn’t think they’re ticklish; character B proves them wrong’” / “…also love the Percy/Vex/Vax combo of ‘Vex & Vax are chaos goblins and Percy is wayyy too serious.’”

Word count: 5,328

Summary: Percival claims he has work to do when the rest of Vox Machina is decorating the castle of Whitestone for Winter’s Crest. Vex and Vax volunteer to persuade (or annoy) him until he caves in; however, their conversation skews slightly off topic when Percy has an unexpected, jumpy reaction to a poke Vax delivered when he was emphasizing his words.

---

The Winter’s Crest festival is just around the corner as citizens across Tal’Dorei prepare for the festivities, especially in the Kingdom of Whitestone. Snow drifts gently to the surface of the walkways and powders the roofs of homes in a coat of white that brings a literal meaning to the name Whitestone. Townsfolk are dressed in thick furs and winter resistant outfits to decorate the city. They put up strings of magic lights hanging across the streets, ribbons adorning homes and merchant stalls, and other handcrafted decorations—like snowflakes and snow-themed creatures that many of the children make—are displayed on the front doors of homes. The Sun Tree, the centerpiece of the Kingdom, has also been dressed with lights and ornaments for the festivities.

The castle of Whitestone is no different. Inside, currently lining the halls and the main foyer of the castle, the heroic group members of Vox Machina are in the process of putting up the decorations. Though unfinished, the area is already teeming with wintery accessories. Like the rest of the town, snowflakes are plastered on the walls or dangling on strings, small bulbs of magic infused light arcs across the edges of the roof, and fluffy cotton is clumped together to line the corners of the walls; it makes the room look like a portrait of a snowfall that breached inside the castle’s halls.

Cassandra, the current youngest heir of Whitestone, enters the wintery landscape. She gasps, glancing about the room with sparkling eyes like a child witnessing the beautiful display of a real snowfall.

“I love what you’ve done with the place, Vox Machina. It looks lovely,” Cassandra says as her sight indulges in every bit of her surroundings.

Keyleth, with a hand-made parchment snowflake in her hands, pipes up beside her. “Thanks! We saw that the rest of Whitestone was decorating, so why not give the inside of the castle the same treatment? At least to get everyone in the spirit of the Winter’s Crest festival.”

Cassandra chuckles. “I don’t disagree. I knew you would all be decorating, but this is already mesmerizing.”

“You can thank me for that,” Scanlan points to himself, speaking with pride. He’s standing on Trinket’s back and using the bear as a platform to reach higher ground. “I know a thing or two about preparing a room for special occasions,” Scanlan boasts. Trinket growls and shakes under his feet in response, nearly causing Scanlan to tip over.

Cassandra giggles again. Glancing about the room, she sees Keyleth choosing a new spot for her parchment snowflake, Vex and Vax stringing colorful orbs together, Pike standing on Grog’s shoulder as they both focus their decorations on the same wall, and Scanlan glaring at Trinket after the bear’s attempt to knock him off. Everyone has given themselves a project to add on to their winter scene. But, hold on… Where’s–

“Wait a minute, where’s Percival?” Cassandra asks, seeing no sign of her brother.

Vex answers. “Percy said that he had more important things to do,” she draws out her words sarcastically, rolling her eyes at the thought of the man’s decision. “If you ask me, I think he’s just being stubborn.”

Vax glances up towards the hallway behind Cassandra. He nudges his twin in the shoulder. “Well, look who decided to show up at the right time,” Vax gestures his head in the direction of the hallway. 

Vex and Cassandra turn. They see Percy walking across the foyer in their direction. He’s carrying a small wooden crate in his hands and his eyes are glancing inside of the box’s contents as he heads towards the other end of the room.

“Percy! There you are!” Cassandra calls his name as he passes by her. “Why aren’t you decorating with everyone else? I’m about to join them as well.”

Percy stops walking to properly speak with his sister. He shifts the box in his hands to get a better grip. “Because Cass, I have a lot of work to do. You all keep on decorating. I’ll join you later if there’s time.”

Vex barks out a laugh. “By the time you’re done tinkering, darling, the whole inside and outside of the castle will be finished.”

Percy narrows his eyes at the ranger’s claim, but pays it no mind as Cassandra pulls his attention with her own concerns. 

“But Percy, this is a time for joy and relaxation. What are you building that’s so important—” Cassandra places a hand on the box to sneak a peek inside. Percy yanks the box to the side and tears it from her view.

“That is none of your business, Cass. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some work that needs to be done.” Percy states before walking away and leaving towards his original destination.

Cassandra, Vex, and Vax watch him exit in silence as his form disappears into the hall and behind the palace walls.

Cassandra crosses her arms and grumbles. A little bit of her childish side shows despite how mature she usually holds herself. 

“You’re right, Vex,” she says while staring at the empty hallway. “My brother is a great, big, stubborn, pain in the–”

“A donkey! I made a donkey!” Grog exclaims from across the room while excitedly showing Pike his hand-made snowflake donkey.

“Nice, Buddies!” Pike complements from her spot on his shoulder.

Cassandra throws her hands down to her side with a huff and smooths out her dress. “You know what? I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.” She daintily stomps a few steps forward.

“Hold on there, Cassandra,” Vex places an arm out to stop her, smiling. “Allow Vax and I to deal with Percy. We know how to be more than enough of an annoyance in order for him to cave in.”

Vax leans over his twin’s shoulder. “Plus, he might put up more of a fight if it’s against his sister,” Vax smirks. Vex responds with a playful elbow to his stomach.

“You do have a point,” Cassandra concedes with a chuckle. “Alright then, I’m entrusting this task to you. Bring him out here and let’s show him how to be in the ‘proper’ Winter’s Crest spirit. I’ll check in a little later to see how things are going.”

“Will do, Cassandra,” Vex places their string of ornaments down with Vax and winks at the young de Rolo.

“We’re on it,” Vax says while already beginning to walk backwards. Vex joins him and they both make their way towards Percy’s direction.

***

Through the marble halls of polished white, Percy’s footsteps and the occasional rustle from his box of materials keeps him company. He passes by a few bedroom doors of his allies before he reaches his own room. As he repositions the wooden crate into one arm to free one of his hands, a third arm suddenly slings over his shoulders.

“Hey there, de Rolo!” Vax exclaims by his side. Percy jumps.

“Vax! Don’t sneak up on me like that,” Percy adjusts his glasses. Over Vax’s shoulder, he sees Vex walking up to join them.

“Sorry, friend. Hard not to when that’s your speciality as a rogue,” Vax shrugs one arm while the other remains around Percy.

“And don’t forget about me,” Vex leans her arm on Percy’s unoccupied shoulder and smiles.

Percy sighs between the two twins barricading him at his sides. “If you’ve come to convince me to decorate with you all, the answer is no,” Percy opens the door to his quarters. He enters, immediately heading straight towards his desk and leaving the twins behind. He places the crate on the surface of his desk with a clatter from the materials inside. 

Vax leans a hand against the doorframe. “Well, the whole point of convincing is to change that answer to yes,” the rogue persists. He watches as Percy reaches into the crate and pulls out onto his desk golden-colored gears, tinkering tools, and a small chest lined in purple velvet that has a similar shape and size of a box that could hold jewelry.

“Exactly,” Vex agrees with her brother. “And I think we’re both pretty skilled when it comes to our tactics of persuasion.”

Vax crosses his arms and switches to leaning his back against the doorframe. “You have struck quite a few bargains here and there, sister.”

“I wouldn’t say a lot, just when it was necessary. Like when I dropped the cost of that book that was thirty-five gold pieces down to twenty-five.”

“Twenty-five? I thought it was thirty?” Vax steps further into the room.

“No. That seems too low of a bargain for me. I think it was twenty-five.” Vex pauses. “Or maybe we met in the middle, like around twenty-seven?”

Percy lets out a long, irritated sigh. Without even looking at the twins, he says, “You’re not going to leave until I say ‘yes’, are you?”

“Ah, looks like Percival’s catching on,” Vax wraps an arm around the noble’s shoulder again, smirking at him. Percy crosses his arms.

The noble shakes his head with an eye roll to the side. “I know this isn’t going to work, but I’m going to try it anyway—is there any chance that you’ll leave me alone and let me work in peace?”

Vex leans on his desk. “Ha! Not a chance.”

“Thought so…” he grumbles.

“You see, Freddy,” Vax says. “You, my friend,” he gently pokes Percy in the side and leaves his finger pointing at him, “need to get into the holiday spirit. So stop. Being. Stubborn!” Vax delivers a poke for each of his final three words, adding slightly more pressure to the third poke for emphasis.

“Aah!” Percy jumps away from the third jab. “Vax! What was that for?” Percy rubs the spot on his side.

Vax puts his hands up to prove his innocence. “Whoa. Sorry, de Rolo. I didn’t think you would be so sensitive. Are you ticklish, maybe?” Vax genuinely asks for clarification; however, a slight hint of amusement curls its way into his voice.

Percy adjusts his vest. “Unfortunately for you and what you’re thinking about, no, I am not ticklish.” Percy flicks his eyes to the side, “Not anymore, at least. You surprised me is all.”

Vex, intrigued by his words, backtracks to his initial response. “So, you were ticklish once before?”

“A long time ago, sure. Cassandra would be an absolute menace with it,” Percy answers. “But I grew out of it,” he looks towards his desk.

The ranger listens to Percy’s words and watches his expression intently, trying to gain any insight towards his claims. She can tell that he’s speaking the truth, as far as he knows. Though, there are traces of uncertainty when Percy glanced away during his last sentence.

“Do you know that for a fact?” Vex exposes the brief blunder in Percy’s words.

The noble freezes. That got his attention.

“Well… I assume so,” Percy replies.

Vax smirks, catching on to his sister’s plan. “Ahh, so it seems Percival’s evidence is outdated.” 

“Meaning that the answer is still unknown,” Vex joins in with a smirk of her own. “You’re a man of science, right Percy? Let’s test our theory.” She wiggles her fingers at him.

Percy returns a glare in Vex’s direction, unfazed by her attempt to taunt him. “I already told you, I’m not ticklish. But you know what? I’ll humor you.” He turns to his work and resumes speaking over his shoulder, “Go ahead and try to tickle me because you won't get the reaction you’re expecting. And once you try, you have to leave me alone to work. Do we have a deal?”

The eyes of the twins widen. They glance at one another with silent expressions of shock before looking back at Percy.

“Did my ears deceive me or is Percy actually giving us permission to tickle him?” Vex gasps.

“We do have to agree to his conditions…” Vax ponders. “But, what the hell? We can’t let this opportunity go to waste.”

The twins excitedly step up to both of his sides as Percy continues his tinkering.

“So, where should we start? There’s so many spots to choose from!” Vex teases like she’s a tourist exploring a new town.

Percy sighs again from their antics, already regretting his decision to let them even try. “Just pick one and move on,” he says without even taking his eyes off his work.

“Well, poking his side got a reaction out of him in the first place. Let’s try there,” Vax suggests to his sister. The rouge presses his fingers into one of Percy’s sides, followed by a gentle wiggling. Percy jolts and bangs into his desk, though more so from the aspect of surprise rather than the attempt at tickling. With a quiet grumble, the noble regains his composure. He has no reaction when Vex presses her fingers into his other side, since he was expecting the attempt this time. He returns his focus towards his tinkering, as if the twins are nothing more than an itch that can be ignored.

For (barely even) a second, that is. Until the corner of his mouth suddenly twitches upwards. 

Percy neutralizes his expression, but every time he tries to refocus, his mouth pops back up into a quivering smile. His fingers subtly flinch as he works. The sensation at his sides grows more and more tingly. There’s a bubbly pressure building in his throat that’s slowly rising like steam in a tea kettle.

It occurs to Percy that, despite his arguments, he is, most definitely, still ticklish.

Percy, being as inconspicuous as he can, leans his head closer to his chest and shoulder to hide his wobbly expression. His arms nearly fall to his sides as a reflex of protection, but he attempts to stay as casual as possible to conceal his ticklishness from the twins.

“Are you sure you’re not ticklish, Percy?” Vax tilts his head with a smirk.

“Because for someone who’s not ticklish, you sure are trembling a lot,” Vex says, having a keen eye for the subtle shifts in his movements.

“It’s just…difficult to concentrate!” Percy steadies his words so he doesn’t stutter. However, one of the twins spiders their fingers up to his ribs, causing Percy to slam a hand on his desk so he doesn’t completely collapse forward. There’s another surge of pressure in his chest. His smile wobbles even higher like it’s a ship being elevated by a wave in a storm. Percy’s in big trouble now.

“Really? Does concentrating involve slamming a hand on your desk and nearly folding yourself in two?” Vex knowingly questions, confirming to Percy that it was her who experimented with a new spot towards his ribs.

“Y-yes! It does!” Percy responds, letting a stutter slip.

“Mmhm,” Vex hums as she reads him.

Technically, it’s not a lie. He really is concentrating…on not bursting out into laughter right in front of the twins. He bites his lip and curls his head closer to his chest and shoulder. He’ll never hear the end of it if he ends up letting the half-elfs hear a giggle or two slip. If he holds out just a little longer, they’ll give up and stop. Right?

“Let’s face it, Vex. Maybe he really isn’t ticklish anymore,” Vax states, although there’s a teasing demeanor that drips from his voice like the poison from one of his daggers when he’s about to strike. Vax slows his fingers down to a stop, giving Percy the slightest sliver of hope that he could prevail.

…Oh, who is he kidding? These twins don’t give up until they get what they came for.

Vax quickly scribbles his fingers into Percy’s stomach using a sneak attack. Although Percy holds back his giggles, a few airy snickers slip from the gunslinger before a loud snort emanates from his person like the echoing blast of an explosive shot. 

Percy immediately slaps a hand across his mouth. Time feels like it stops. A moment of dead silence passes as Percy senses his imminent doom approaching. He can already feel their grins searing a mark at the back of his head.

To his better judgement, Percy lowers his hand and slowly turns his head around. His back hits against his desk when he’s met with the two gleaming grins of the twins.

“Gotcha.” Vax smirks.

“Oh no–” Percy’s eyes are wide behind his glasses. Without further hesitation, the twins lunge at him. Percy lets out a startled scream. He clamps his hands to his sides as the half-elven twins take advantage at poking, tweeking, and scribbling the open spaces of his torso. Percy shimmies between them, protesting and shoving at the two through an occasional bark of laughter when one of the twins gets in a good hit; nevertheless, he still holds back his laughter from fully flooding into the room.

“Percy, you’re so squirmy!” Vex smiles as she tries to get a hit on his nimble form.  

“What else did you expect?!” Percy’s words trail with a giggle as he pushes Vex out of the way and tries to run, but Vax throws his arms around Percy’s waist and tugs him back. 

“He’s a fighter alright!” Vax says as Percy kicks and squirms in his grasp. The noble tries to push down on Vax’s arms and pull himself out of his hold, but Vax tugs his friend back towards him.

With his friend grappled, Vax wiggles his fingers into Percy’s sides, resulting in a surprised giggle from Percy. The gunslinger reels in his laughter, toning it down to a stream of snickers so he doesn’t allow the twins to hear the robust laughter their ears desire from his stubborn self. 

Percy shakes his head. “Noho! I’m not ticklish!” he shouts as an impulsive reaction, hearing the giggle in his own words. He facepalms to hide his flustered features and the embarrassment that comes with a critical failure of a deception attempt behind his hand.

“Gods, I knew you were stubborn but that is just flat out denial,” Vax smiles over his shoulder.

“Come on Percy. There’s no need to hide it any more, so cough up that laughter!” Vex darts her hands towards Percy’s ribs. Percy drops his arms to his sides with a yelp that’s finally followed by a plethora of unrestrained, wheezy giggles pouring out of the noble who refused to smile just a few minutes ago. 

“Ah, there it is,” Vex smiles.

Percy wiggles in Vax’s hold and buries his face in his shoulder for a moment, too overwhelmed to think of a snarky comeback. He forgets what to do with his hands after not being tickled for so long, but when Vax gives a quick squeeze to his side, Percy instantly remembers and latches on to the rouge’s wrists. He pries Vax’s hands from him and holds them hostage from his sides, but Vex suddenly scribbles her fingers at Percy’s stomach, which sends the gunslinger with another shriek of giggles stumbling away from his desk and collapsing forward to the floor. 

“Aaand down he goes,” Vax grins.

Percy lifts himself on his arms. He glances up and sees the open door for freedom, but he also sees Vex dash in front of him to block the exit. As the ranger moves her hands towards him, he springs to sit on his knees and wrestles Vex’s approaching hands, protesting, “Vex, no! No!” 

Percy tilts back to avoid her, allowing Vex the momentum she needs to grab his wrists and shove him over onto his back. Then, she immediately buries her scribbly hands into his torso, causing Percy to resume his giggling. (He should have expected Vex, the ranger with a bear as a companion, to have the advantage when it comes to anything like bear wrestling.) Vax soon rushes over and joins her at Percy’s other side.

“Now, returning to the topic at hand, why won't you decorate with us Percy?” Vex asks as she maneuvers her hands around Percy’s flailing limbs to scratch around his belly, occasionally having to pull away then release his wrist for a few moments to get a good scribble in.

���Hohohow many times dohoho I hahahave to say it! I’m wohohorking!” Percy exclaims while wiggling from left to right. He curls to the side with an enormous smile when Vax gets a scribble at his ribs. 

“Well, you’re not getting much work done like this,” Vax observes as he scratches at Percy’s other pair of ribs and corresponding underarm, making Percy curl up in his giggly ball even tighter.

“Vax has a point, Percy,” Vex agrees. “Either you spend your time decorating with us, or you spend it giggling on the floor. The choice is yours,” she teases. 

Just then, a delicate hand grips the doorframe. Cassandra peeks in. The confusion she first had on her face turns into an understanding smile once she sees her brother laughing with assistance from Vex and Vax. The cheerful sound of the room refreshes her with memories of their childhood, making her smile just an extra bit wider.

Cassandra repositions herself to lean back on the doorframe. “So, how’s the persuasion going?” she raises her voice so it’s heard over Percy’s peels of laughter.

Vex and Vax turn and see Cassandra over their shoulders. They share a smile with her, then return their attention to tickling Percy.

“He’s still being stubborn, as expected, but I think we’re making progress,” Vex scribbles a hand at Percy’s side to prove her point. Percy kicks out his legs with another cluster of giggles.

Cassandra also giggles at the scene. “Percival, I didn’t know you were still ticklish.”

“Neither did he a few minutes ago,” Vax replies for him. 

“Cahahahass! Hehehelp me!” Percy reaches a hand out to her before snapping it back down to for protection against Vax’s hand wiggling at his ribs.

Cassandra glances to the roof and taps her chin. “Hmm. Should I? I am on the side who wants you to come decorate with us…”

“If it helps you decide easier, Cassandra, Percy called you a menace earlier,” Vex mentions.

“Nohoho! I–” Percy shouts before he’s cut off by his own intrusion of laughter. 

“Really?” Cass puts her hands on her hips, playfully taking offense at the remark.

“Yep, a big, mean, menace of a sister. I heard him say it myself,” Vax attests. 

“Percy, did you call me a menace?” Cassandra asks with a lighthearted inflection.

“Nohoho! I mean, yes! But it wahahahas in a different context!” Percy admits. 

“I see. Well, I suppose I will help then.” Cassandra turns her attention to the twins. She places a hand to the side of her mouth like she was about to whisper a secret to them. “Vex. Vax. Make sure to get his hips. That was a spot that always got him laughing up a storm.”

“Whahahat?!” Percy shouts. It only then occurs to him the severity of Cassandra’s statement as the memory of his own ticklishness comes rushing back to him.

“Noted,” Vax nods.

“Cahahass, NO!” Percy tries to sit himself up like he’s about to lunge at Cassandra, but the noble is easily shoved back down to the floor by Vex and Vax.

Cassandra leans on the back of her foot like she’s about to sprint. She speeds through her next words, “Well, I’ll take my leave now. Good luck! I’ll see you out there decorating! Bye!” She springs forward and disappears behind the door frame, as if she is running away before she can get into any more ‘trouble’ with Percy; it’s another reminder of her child-like side coming out despite the mature part she plays.

“Cassandrahaha!” Percy yells towards the empty hallway as if he was cursing her name to the gods.

“Well, you heard her,” Vex says. “Let’s try it!”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait!” Percy objects. He flails his arms to shove and swat away the hands of the twins. Despite his efforts, the half-elven siblings are able to find an opening to push his hands aside and allow Vex to give a squeeze to his hips.

Percy curls forwards with a giggly screech before he crashes back to the floor with an outpouring of laughter. His laugh sounds like a squawking crow that’s learned how to chortle with an additional wheeze. But his laugh is far from being annoying; it’s adorable. His head tilts back and he turns it to the side as he pushes and shoves at the hands latched and digging at his hips, and the other set scribbling at his middle. 

“Wow, Cassandra wasn’t kidding,” Vax smiles, “His laughter really does spike there.” 

“Vehehex! Vahahax! Thahahat tickles!!!” Percy wheezes in a higher pitch, his mind too flooded with his own giggly reaction to think before he just stated the obvious.

“Really?” Vex remarks sarcastically. “Well, at least you’re admitting it now.”

“Sounds like we’re starting to knock some sense into him,” Vax says to his sister. He looks down at his giggling friend, “See, Freddy? Isn’t this so much more fun than working alone in your room all day?”

“I agree, Vax,” Vex says. “I mean, what is so important that you can’t leave your room to decorate and spend some time with us?” Vex teases with a rhetorical question.

“I was making a gift!” Percy shouts.

The twins immediately halt the momentum of their hands. Vex and Vax look at one another in stunned silence. They glance back to their friend, who’s steadying his breathing after expelling his remaining giggles.

“A gift?” Vex asks; her voice leans forward with a sense of curiosity.

The noble takes in a few more breaths of air. “Yes…”

Vex’s expression lifts to one of unbridled elation and she gasps as if she was just given the most exciting news. 

“Who is it for? Is it for me? Tell me! Tell me!” Vex questions him like a giddy child. Vex gives a quick scribble to Percy’s stomach. Percy jolts with another giggle and smacks her hand away. 

“It’s not for you! It’s for Cass,” Percy reveals. “Your gift is already finished.”

Vex shows him a soft, thankful smile.

“Cass? That same Cassandra that you called a menace earlier?” Vax jokes.

Percy rolls his eyes. “Yes, that same Cassandra, who I unfortunately love and care for. If you let me up, I’ll show you the gift.”

The twins each extend a hand out to Percy. They pull him to his feet, and he returns a silent ‘thanks’ to them. He straightens his vest and shirt from their scuffle, then walks towards his desk. When there, he places his hand on the velvet chest.

“This is what I was making for her.” Percy opens the lid. Inside, a small, metal figure pops up—a woman with long bronze hair in a ballroom dress designed for dancing. Reflective glass is the background for her stage as she waltzes from side to side on her platform in the middle of the box, occasionally performing graceful twirls. Her movements are paired with the rhythmic chimes of a bell that plays a lullaby-like version of the jolly Winter’s Crest Festival theme.

“It’s a music box,” Percy finally says.

Vex places her hands on her heart. “Oh, Percy. It’s beautiful.”

Vax wraps a gentle arm around Vex, pulling her close to him. “Cassandra is going to love it.”

“Promise me you wont tell her?” Percy glances at his friends.

“Of course, darling,” Vex nods. “We wouldn’t want to ruin a surprise like this.”

Percy closes the lid. “Now you know why I declined the offer to decorate with you all, and why I was so adamant about working. So if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get back to it.”

Vex nods again. “I understand, Percy. We’re not going to force you, especially since this is the reason.” Her voice is soft. It’s a drastic change from the teasing Vex that he heard just a few minutes ago. “But, we would still love it if you could come out there with us, if you get a moment.”

“Yeah, despite how much of a pain you can be, we enjoy your company,” Vax shows a soft smile.

“Vex…” Percy’s voice sighs ‘I can’t’ when his words don’t.

Vex continues, “All I’m saying is that I already know that you put a lot of time into Cassandra’s gift, and towards your other gifts, I can only assume.” She puts a hand on his shoulder. “We’re grateful of course, but I know that she, as well as all of us, would also be grateful if you could eventually take a short break and provide us with the gift of your presence.” Vex ends her speech with a soft smile. Percy lifts his head, allowing him and Vex to exchange a sympathetic glance. After their eyes speak their thoughts, Vex slides her hand off his shoulder, and she rejoins Vax. The twins make their way to the door.

Percy looks away from them and hovers over his desk. His peripheral vision shows the music box on one side, and Vex and Vax’s shadows disappearing from his sight on the other. He lays his hand on the music box. His thumb glides over the velvet material. He rubs it, staying silent amongst the clatter of gears turning in his mind.

Now Percy has quiet time to work on his gift—that’s what he wanted in the first place. It was a choice to either sacrifice time with his loved ones, or sacrifice time for his loved ones. They’ll understand his decision. Vex and Vax already do.

He looks once more at the music box. He thinks about Cassandra, Vex’s words, and the rest of his family just down the hall. He wants them to be happy. So does he.

Vex was right. She is pretty skilled in persuasion.

A long sigh, like he was expelling all the air from his lungs, releases from Percy. “Alright.” He pauses, relieved by the comfort that he’s making a good choice. “I’ll come.”

Vex and Vax turn around. “You will?” Vex’s eyes twinkle. “Oh, that’s wonderful, Percy!” She runs to him and grabs his arm. “Come on! Let’s not keep everyone waiting!” she starts tugging him from his desk.

“Vex, hold on!” Percy pulls against her and starts wildly placing some of the parts on his desk back into the wooden crate. Vex, too excited to wait, pulls him back and straight out the door before he can finish. Vax strolls right behind with a big, beaming smile on his face.

What remains scattered on the desk is a couple of the golden-colored gears, and the velvet music box resting safely beside, like a flower patiently waiting for rain to bloom. It’ll be right where he left it when he returns. 

***

When Vex and Vax tug him into the room with an announcement, everyone’s smile grows just a little bit wider than it was before. Grog, Pike, and Keyleth even happen to call out his name in unison like a gleeful cheer. It’s a warm welcome within their wintery landscape. 

Cassandra walks up to him, holding two hand-crafted snowflakes. “Glad you could join us, brother,” she says with a thankful smile and hands him one of the snowflakes.

Percy nods. A relaxed smile makes its way onto his features like he is getting cozy near a fireplace. He takes the parchment snowflake, then follows Cassandra to help with the most current wall being adorned by the Winter’s Crest spirit.

Over the course of their decorative snowstorm, lively conversation is held and some tea is brewed and passed around like the group is having their own little holiday party. Laughs are shared, memories are made when Trinket is dolled up in wintery decorations like a tree (to the bear’s reluctance), and their time together is priceless. 

Time is a gift that can’t be wrapped and tinkered with, but it can be cherished as one all the same.

[amazingmsme]

Looking For This?

AN: Aaahh, it’s that time of year again! Tickletober is finally here, so why not get cozy & read some great fics? To kick things off I have a really cute Fjord/Jester fic for y’all to enjoy! Can’t wait to see what this month has in store!

Fjord was going to go crazy. He was currently searching his cabin frantically, turning the room upside down in search of one accessory. A very important accessory. Without it, his whole look was ruined. A captain's hat needed a large feather.

It was regal, it was a status symbol, and it just tied the outfit together. Without it, he'd look fucking stupid.

He didn't even know how he'd lost it! It had been pinned to the hat, and last he had checked it had still been there. They were supposed to be leaving soon, and he refused to leave without it. He was Captain Tusktooth, and he needed to look the part.

Jester watched from the doorway as Fjord grumbled to himself, looking through drawers and pulling back the covers on the bed. She smirked to herself, hiding the source of his frustration behind her back.

"Where the hell did it go?" he finally cried in frustration.

"Looking for this?" she asked in a lilting voice, pulling the feather out from behind her back. Fjord jumped at the sound of her voice and turned around, relief washing over his voice.

"Jester, you're my hero! I've been looking for that everywhere, thank you!" he exclaimed, holding his hand out expectantly. His relieved smile faded when Jester just stood there with a wide, innocent smile, twirling the feather between her fingers. "Um, are you gonna give that back now?" he asked, eyeing her hands nervously.

She giggled and cocked her head to the side. "And why would I do that?" she asked sweetly. She rocked back and forth in her feet, tail lashing behind her mischievously.

"B-because I need it. Because it's mine-"

"Finders keepers though! I just found it sticking off this goofy hat, and thought, "hey, wouldn't it be better if I just took it?" So I did!"

"Goofy? Your mother gave me that hat!"

"Oh relax Fjord, I'm just teasing! I think you look very handsome in your hat," he complimented, mostly to keep him at ease.

"So can I have it back?" he pressed, motioning with two fingers for her to return it. She bit her lip and gripped it closer.

"In a minute."

"Jester-"

"I just wanna play with it first!" she whined, jutting her bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout. Fjord furrowed his brows in confusion.

"Play with-" it suddenly dawned on him and his eyes flew wide and he cut himself off mid-sentence, "No! Jester, don't! We're supposed to meet Caleb and Essek soon, we really don't have time-"

"There's always time for a bit of fun. Don't you think?" she cocked her head and batted her lashes, the picture of fake innocence.

"No. I'm serious, please give it back," he requested yet again, trying not to let his nerves seep into his voice. But she could read him like a book, and knew that he was getting worked up. It was too perfect not to take full advantage of.

"But you're so tense Fjord! You need to loosen up before we go to dinner," he insisted, taking a step forward. He took a step back.

"Absolutely not! Stay away from me!" he threatened, pointing at her accusingly.

"What? I thought you wanted it back. I'm just returning it to you," she was doing a poor job of holding back her grin. He shook his head.

"Mm-mm, I'm not falling for it."

"Falling for what?"

"Jester!"

"Fjord!"

He leaned back, griping fistfuls of hair and groaning in amused frustration. He wore a flustered smile, watching her from the corner of his eye.

"We have to get going, they'll be waiting on us.”

"They can get a table! It won't kill them to wait a few minutes."

Fjord whined, realizing there really was no way out of this.

"You're lucky you're so cute. Alright fine. Five minutes, but no more," he finally caved.

"And no less," she purred, waltzing over to him proudly now that she got her way. She began slowly unbuttoning his shirt.

Fjord opened his mouth to quip back, but a breathy chuckle escaped as she drug the feather down his chest. He twitched away, but she followed the movement, caressing the skin with soft plumes. He snorted when she moved down towards his ribs, throwing his head back when she sawed the feather in the spaces between the bones.

"Jehehes- plehehease!"

"Please what, Fjord? I'm not a mind reader, you know," he teased, sweeping the feather higher towards his armpit. He clamped his arm down with a loud bark of laughter, heat rising to his cheeks.

"Oh come ohon! D-don't behehe mehean!" he snickered as the feather traced his belly.

"Aw, don't you worry, I am being so nice right now."

"Thahahat's debahatable!" She gasped at his words, fluttering the feather a little faster. He shrieked before falling into a fit of giggles. He blushed and latched onto her wrists, but didn't bother pushing away.

He offered her five minutes of fun, and he was a man of his word.

And, well, maybe he was enjoying himself... just a little.

[greenticklerdreams]

Vex vs. The Ticklelock

Fandom: Critical Role - Vox Machina

Characters (lee/ler): Lee!Vex'ahlia, Ler!OC, Ler!rest of VM

Word Count: 2992 words

Summary: Vex is captured by a very strange villain with an even stranger set of powers. Can she hold out until she's rescued?

“FINALLY!! You FUCKING creep!!” Vex’ahlia shouted, finally free of the Hold Person spell. Her mouth was dry and tasted terrible. Her arms were stretched out to either side, locked at the wrists by padded cuffs. She was sitting up against that backboard, back straighter than when Father tried to drill good posture into her and her twin when they were little. Her legs were propped up on a bench, straight out in front of her, her ankles locked in a wooden stocks. Her bare feet felt clammy with fear, despite the roaring fireplace that was the only source of light in this weird underground laboratory. “What’s the big idea, taking my boots off?!” she snarled. “And ONLY my boots?? Not anything else?? Really?!”

“It’s necessary, my dear,” came a voice from the chair by the fire. Vex perceived the hooded man there, though his face was just obscured by the dancing shadows. This same hooded man had dragged her off after successfully casting the Hold Person spell upon her. Dragged her away from the fight, from her friends battling the giant tentacled creature that had risen from the underground lake in this dank dungeon of his. He’d taken her down hallways, stepping around traps, moving past slavering aberrant creatures waiting in the wings, and bringing her here… It certainly looked like every other mad arcane caster’s lab she’d ever seen, and Vex had seen a few at this point in her adventuring career. A shelf full of scrolls, weird instruments on a nearby table, books… and a rather unusual amount of feather quills. They were quills, right? Most humiliating of all was being completely unable to resist as he forced her into this position, removed her boots and socks, shut her wrists and ankles into their bondage, and spoke a command word that sealed the locks with a magical click. Vex had been terrified at the time, but now that she found herself almost fully clothed and otherwise untouched, she was mostly just nonplussed. And pissed off.

The hooded man stepped into the light. He was pudgy in his brown robes, looking a little like a fat monk. Throwing back his hood, his red-brown hair was revealed to be long and lank, and his beard and mustache needed a trim. His eyes looked just a little too large for his face, and a little too black. “You and your friends have something that my master needs, and he has asked me to get it from you.” He grinned a sleazy grin, those black eyes glinting in the firelight. “I must confess, I hoped you would be the one to fall prey to my spell.”

“You would, wouldn’t you? Get in line,” she spat at him. Damned Arcane Locks, she thought, trying and failing to thrash against her restraints. The hooded man advanced to her, stopping just in front of her stocked feet. “At least ravish me like a proper villain. Freak. Pervert.”

“Like I said, lovely Vex’ahlia,” purred the man, his voice low and honeyed. “What I need is information. I need it quickly. And I am going to get it. Although… I am going to enjoy getting it out of you.” Vex felt his soft, pudgy hands caress the soles of her feet. She shuddered in horror - and worse, it tickled!! - and tried to pull her feet away, but her big toes were tied to an unseen hook on the front of the stocks. “You CREEPY fucker,” she snarled, trying not to let him see her reaction.

The hooded man just smiled. “I also would not deprive my pets of the pleasure,” he said. With a flutter of feathers, a pair of doves descended from atop the scroll case. They were the type noble ladies bred, with big, fluffy feather skirts around their ankles. However, Vex recognized that these were not normal pigeons. Their beaks were just a little too long and sharp, the feathers of their wings a little too large and fluffy, those odd spots of exposed flesh on their chests weren’t normal, and their eyes… were too intelligent. These had to be mage constructs of some type. “Lester, Leelee, get to work,” said the hooded man, and the creatures alighted on Vex’s hapless body. The mage-pigeons walked over up and over her chest - she could feel their sharp little claws hooking into the unarmored parts of her clothes, barely poking her quivering skin - and then they started using their sharp beaks to cut holes around her underarms. “Hey!!! What?! Are you serious?!” she snapped, and she tried to thrash, but she could barely move, and the birds hung on anyway. She felt her armpits exposed to the open air. The hooded man smiled. “Start brushing.”

With uncanny intelligence, the birds looked to their master, and then began brushing Vex’s taut, stretched armpits with their fluffy, feathery wingtips. Vex felt an electric sensation course through her body and choked back a cry. Biting her lip, she grunted with exertion.

[MATT: Make me a Constitution saving throw.]

[LAURA: ……17! HA!]

Releasing her lip, Vex gasped as she convinced herself this wasn’t too bad. “You’re gonna have to do better than that,” she said, blowing air out of her nose with a little “hmph” for emphasis. “What do you wanna know so badly anyway, you freak? Who are you?” The bearded man smiled. “I am Gruvo, a servant of K’nizz Mo’lag, a creature from beyond the stars and beyond your mortal comprehension.” Well, at least he’s easy to persuade to talk, Vex thought through the terrible feathery sensations in her armpits. “His many-feathered wings sweep through the universe and will soon alight in this world. None will be able to withstand him, and your kingdom will be reduced to helpless laughter in his ticklish embrace.”

“Lamest Far Realm patron I’ve ever heard of,” Vex taunted. Gods, it never ends. Oh gods. It tickles. “Did the cool eldritch… beings pi-hick you last at recess? You must be so disappoi-hointed.”

Gruvo looked back into Vex’s defiant eyes and raised his hands, wiggling his fingers in her full view. “Form of Feathers,” he said. Suddenly all ten fingers contorted and transformed into long brown feathers, wiggling at the ends of his palms. His beard changed, too, going from unkempt hair to a mass of reddish-brown feathers that surrounded his lips and covered his chin. His eyes seemed to grow larger and blacker, like an owl’s. He lowered those hands, out of view behind the stocks, and suddenly Vex’ahlia felt ten brushy, whispery feathers gliding all along the soles of her feet. “How do you like this, Lady of Whitestone? Do you still doubt my patron’s power?” A strangled squeal escaped Vex’s lips. Her head thrashed back and forth. “Mmhmmph!! Mmmm!!!” The soles of her feet were tingling like crazy. Her knees spasmed and banged against the bench. Then she felt just the tips of the feather-fingers jittering against her soles, ten little points all at once. They quested for the tips of her toes and the spaces between. They danced on every wrinkle. Gruvo chuckled. “You are already succumbing to our power. Now tell me, Lady Vex’ahlia: where is the Tome of Isolation?”

[MATT: That’s another CON save.] [LAURA: … 19.]

[SAM: LET’S GOOOO!!]

“I’ll… never… tell you… ANYTHING!! Eeheeheeheehee!!! Hmmmph!!” Angry that she had let even a few giggles escape, Vex bit her lip again. Her armpits were twitching, her feet were squirming against the toe-tie, but she resisted with all her might. She resolved herself to scrunching her feet as hard as she could, even as those feathers brushed all over her wrinkled, curled soles. “My friends… hhh-are… haha! They’re… going… to kill you… SO hard! Pfffhaha!”

[LAURA: Seriously, how long does it take to kill a stupid tentacle monster?!?!]

[TRAVIS: Ow!! We’re workin’ on it!!!]

“Maybe… heehee!! Maybe if you tell me… hh-why?!” Through scrunched-up eyes, Vex saw Gruvo’s smile fade. He looked oddly serious as his feather-fingers brushed her feet. “My patron attempted to enter this world and brush his feathery wings over it, but he was thwarted… by a goddess called the Dawnflower. That tome of the Knowing Mistress’s is able to banish a god, am I right? Well, my patron will be able to corrupt that tome to drag a divine being into his realm. There shall we bind her, and K’nizz Mo’lag will tickle your meddling goddess into oblivion.”

Seriously easy to persuade, Vex thought through the sensations flooding her body. Would’ve been more appropriate if he’d grabbed Pike. Not that she would’ve fallen to a lousy - hhooooohhhh gods. Oh gods my feet. Don’t let him get between your toes. Focus. “Stu-stupid plahahannn,” she gasped. “Ahahaha. Heeheehmmmph.” 

Gruvo’s face grew uglier. “This is taking too long. I think it’s time we changed it up.” He raised his hands and Vex saw his fingers and beard go back to normal. “Lester. Leelee. The belly.” He walked over to his shelf, but Vex was too busy watching the pigeons walk down her ribs - damn those little claws - so they could start snipping off the middle of her shirt. “Come on! Really? Not my look, you freak. Though I’ve got better abs than you!” It was a lame taunt, but Vex felt woozy from resisting the tickles. 

The chubby warlock walked back over with a bottle in his hands. He uncorked it, poured the glistening yellow contents into one hand, and rubbed them together. It had to be oil of some kind. He then started rubbing it into her feet. Vex gasped. Just rubbing the oil on tickled her poor feathered feet so badly. Suddenly all of his fingers slid between all of her toes to rub it in. “YEEE-hee-heek!!” she squealed, throwing her head back. When she looked at her captor again, he was grinning. The birds had fully exposed her belly by now. Gruvo walked around to where she sat, poured more oil into his hands, and then rubbed down Vex’s pale, quivering belly. Vex smothered another squeal and squirmed for all she was worth. “You do have nice abs,” he murmured, looking her full in the face. “Does it tickle, Lady Vex’ahlia?” 

Vex shook her head violently. “Nuh-uh. Fuck you.” Gruvo just smiled back. “I think our tough ranger has a ticklish tummy…” He curled his fingers and squeezed Vex’s slick midriff. “Mm-hm!! Hmmmm!!” came the strangled cry. The warlock chuckled softly as he rubbed more oil into her armpits. Suddenly his fingers were digging in! “YA-HA! Heeheehmm!!” Vex heard Gruvo chuckle as he walked away, back down to her feet. The oil wasn’t making her cold - if anything, it was too warm. And her sensitive skin was tingling like crazy. Gruvo raised his hands again. “Form of Nodules,” he said. It was hard to see in the firelight, but Vex perceived his palms and fingers sprouting weird, rubbery-looking little nodules, like painful-looking boils, darker-colored than his sallow skin. “Oh, what the fuck,” she said. “Lester! Leelee! Tentacalus!” One of the pigeons hopped up to Vex’s chest while the other perched just above her belly. Their heads reeled back… and two fleshy tentacles emerged from those odd bare spots on their chests, squirming like giant earthworms. “Ohhh WHAT THE FUCK!!” Vex screamed in horror. “Now,” said Gruvo, voice low and dangerous. “We’re going to try this again.”

Suddenly Vex’s feet were being scrubbed, rubbery nodules bouncing and sliding all over her oil-slick soles. The pigeons’ tentacles were in her right armpit and slithering all over her belly, the tips finding purchase in her soft, slippery skin. One tentacle slid into her belly button and vibrated around while the other prodded one side, then the other. “Where is the Tome?” Gruvo called in a raised voice.

[MATT: Make another CON save, this time with disadvantage.] [LAURA: Aw WHAT?!] 

[MATT: It’s magic oil.]

[LAURA: …… 4.]

[the table groans and laughs]

[MATT: There it is! First failure.]

“BAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!! AHAHAHAHAAAA!!!” The laughs Vex’ahlia had been holding back suddenly exploded forth, like a burst dam. She felt herself give in to the sensations as her back arched and stiffened, head hitting the backboard, as tingly fire filled her body. She had taken lightning damage before. This was worse. Her feet were being tortured with endless electric shocks as the nodules scrubbed her arches. That tentacle in her belly button had to be like Percy sticking one finger of his Diplomacy gauntlet in and turning it on. “NOHO!! NOOO!!! WE ALREADY HAVE IIIIIITTT!!! WE HAVE IT!! WE HAVE IIIT!!! AAAAA-HAHAHAHAAAA!!!”

“You see?!” Vex could hear the glee in Gruvo’s voice rising above her laughter, oily as his hands. “Now we’re getting somewhere. Poor Vex here can’t handle the tickles… she’s such a ticklish girl… all will fall before our master.”

[LAURA: Will you hurry the fuck up?!?!]

[LIAM: We’re almost there, we’re almost there! Geez!]

“You're doing so well, my lady,” purred Gruvo. “You like this form better, don’t you? Now you’re going to have to tell me…” He grabbed her left foot, nodules helping him to grip despite the oil. He raised his other hand, showing her his knobby fingers, wiggling them slightly. “Where did you put the tome? Which one of you has it? You will tell me.” He lowered his hand and Vex felt those fingers, noduled on three sides, force their way between her toes and start sawing back and forth.

[MATT: That’s another CON save. With disadvantage.]

[LAURA: I KNOW!! ……… There is a thud as her head hits the table.]

[TRAVIS: barks with laughter]

[LIAM: Yeah, that’s a natural 1.]

[MATT: Hmm. I think that’s Vex’ahlia’s worst spot.]

[the entire table cracks up]

[LIAM: That’s canon now, motherfuckers!!!]

[SAM: Go update the wiki!! Hurry!!]

Vex shrieked as the nodules raked her sensitive toes, her normally sultry voice going full soprano. “NYYAAAAHOOO!!!! NOHO!!! AHA!!! AHA!!! HAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!”

“Tell me, Vex’ahlia!!” Gruvo bellowed triumphantly, and through the horrific tickling on her belly and armpit - the pigeon had switched to her left - she felt that hand grip her toes and bend them back. “NO!!! NO!! NONONONO!!!” Vex cried, but it didn’t matter. Gruvo took one noduled index finger and scrubbed back and forth across the top of the ball of her foot and under her toes. “AAAAAAAGH!!! IT’S SCANLAN!!! SCANLAAAAANN!!! AAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!”

“The little gnome, you say? Then he will be next on our list. My shrieking, laughing beauty, I will drive you mad!!!” howled Gruvo as he continued to saw under her toes.

Just then, the door slammed open from a mighty kick. Gruvo stopped what he was doing and rose with a start. Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III planted his front foot and leveled his pistols at the astonished warlock.

[TALIESIN: Natural 20. 23. And another natural 20.]

[the table cheers as Matt shakes his head ruefully]

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Gruvo’s chest exploded, then his shoulder, then his face. Even as he started to fall backwards, Vax’ildan swept past Percy into the room, swift as a shadow. Dagger, dagger, dagger! One pigeon shot off Vex’s chest, transfixed by a knife, then the other fell upon her belly and slid off. The third dagger buried itself in Gruvo’s ruined chest as he collapsed to the floor. The warlock was stone dead in a matter of seconds.

“Well. That was easy,” said Percy, checking his guns for damage. “I guess the tentacle monster was the real threat… darling! What in heaven’s name happened to you?! Did he hurt you?”

However, Vex’ahlia was not looking at her betrothed. She was glaring daggers right past him at her twin brother. Percy looked to Vax and saw he was wearing his most teasing smirk. 

“Don’t just STAND there!!” yelled Vex, out of breath, sweat coating her brow, braid half undone from thrashing about. “Let me out, ya asshole!!”

“Oh, dear sister,” Vax said smarmily. “What an interesting predicament we find ourselves in.” “WE?!?! Get me out of here, you shi-”

“Percy.” Vax clapped his hand on the human’s shoulder. “Did you know my sister is terribly ticklish?”

“So’re you, ya fucker!!” screamed Vex as Percy blushed scarlet.

“Yes, I am. She always won tickle fights when we were growing up.” Vax’s face was all mock sorrow. “I can’t help but see a golden opportunity… to get even.”

“YOU WOULDN’T!! YOU CAN’T!!”

“Her feet were really bad, the couple times I got them,” Vax said to Percy. “I think there was this one time I got right under her toes, and she shrieked-” 

“NO!! DON’T YOU DARE!! DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE!!!”

The rest of the team started filing in behind Vax and Percy, coming to see what all the commotion was. A slow grin was creeping across Percy’s face, a grin Vex’ahlia did not like to see at all.

“I’ll tell you what, Vax. I see this as a great opportunity for some team bonding. I think everyone should get in on this.”

“WHAT?!?!?!”

“Come on, everyone!” Percy waved all of Vox Machina into the room. Scanlan was already rubbing his hands together as he walked to her stocked feet. Grog started guffawing as he walked behind the backboard and started to reach over for her armpits. Keyleth hung back, watching with wide eyes as Pike joined Vax at Vex’s tummy.

“All right,” declared Percy in his most noble voice, “on my signal. Keyleth, get over here, everyone participates. I get a foot, Scanlan, you don’t get both to yourself. Ready?” “NO!!! FUCK NO!!! FUCK YOU ALL!!!”

“One… two… and begin!”

They would eventually let Vex’ahlia out, far sooner than Gruvo the warlock would have. Until that time, however, the air rang with laughter, and only a few swears - because, as Vex would have to admit to herself later, being tickled by friends was actually pretty special. Or at least better than being held captive by a creep with “nodule” hands.

[soft--dragon]

✨Vox Machina Masterpost✨

Loosen Up Lee!Percy Ler!Vex Ler!Vax Percy's determined to be a stick in the mud, the elf twins take matters into their own hands

[sunlitanon]

hey yall remember marwa?

“Alright, bye now,” she says, and they don’t move. “What?”

“Uhh,” Ashton says, and she steps closer.

“What?” she says again. “Something you wanna tell me?”

There’s this interesting thing happening around his cheeks, something faintly glittery. She thinks he’s blushing, maybe. “Uh, I was gonna—I wanted—”

“C’mon, spit it out.” She pokes them in the belly like a toy that won’t work, and they twitch. She does it again and they fold a little bit.

“Fuck—Wait,” they say, but they’re starting to smile and it’s so lovely. She redoubles her efforts instead, advancing when they back up, and she’s rewarded with a bunch of soft stifled little noises that they make while curling up. They’re clearly exerting a lot of self-control to keep their hands to themselves. It’s cute. “Marwa,” they say, a little desperate.

“I’ll stop when you tell me what you want,” she says, tickling in earnest here and there—a pinch at his side, a scribble at his ribs. A couple snickers start to leak out. She has the home field advantage here, and takes advantage of it to back him into a wall. “C'mon, it can’t be that hard, can it?”

“Okay, okay,” Ashton says, a little breathless and shivery, and the shimmery blush from earlier is painted all the way down their collarbones. They grab her hands then, but it’s almost surprisingly gentle. She doesn’t try to pull her hands away. “I was going to—We’re doing—Arts and crafts, we’re making masks and shit, and I wanted to see if you were interested, alright?”

He looks away, but doesn’t let go of her hands. She wonders if he remembers he’s holding them.

“You know,” Marwa says, “You’re pretty cute, geode man.”

She leans forward, slow, and kisses them.

“When’s arts and crafts?”

“Uh.” It takes him a second to not be completely empty behind the eyes, which is sort of gratifying. She wants to trace the veins of gold along his cheekbone. “This weekend.”

“Mm,” She disentangles herself and flounces back behind the counter, then puts her elbows on it and leans forward. “I’ll think about it.”

[poesparakeet-fics]

Commissions are open for the first time ever!

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Fandoms:

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NADDPOD

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Most star treks

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Got another Fandom? Hit me up, I sometimes know things. You can see other stuff I've written here!

Message me if you are interested!

[sunstone-smiles]

A Serious Case of the Pent-up Giggles

Original request (from @gladdygirl18): "As a fellow Vox Machina fan, how about day 15 "are you ticklish" with Lee Percy and ler(s) the Elven Twins?"

Author’s note: Aaaaah!!! I’m soooo excited to share this because I’m super happy with how it came out! Gosh, I love Percy. Here’s Day 15 of Tickletober: “Are you ticklish?” from August’s Tickletober List! I hope you enjoy!

Series: The Legend of Vox Machina

Characters: Percy, Vax, Vex, and the rest of the Vox Machina crew

Word count: 1,712

Summary: Vex and Vax think that Percy needs to be “cured” of his case of the pent-up giggles. The twins know just how to help. 

---

There’s nothing like a warm fireplace, a comfortable chair, a sketchbook, and some company to fill the air with ambiance—at least to Percy, that is. And currently, he has all four. His quill delicately lines his pages with a draft of one of his newest project ideas, with intricate details of mechanical functionalities and notes on aesthetics if there’s time or resources. Yes, Percy’s productivity is at its peak. Honed in. Focused. Eyes and mind tethered to his work as he pictures the pieces to sketch. Nothing can distract him now.

Except for a sudden jab to his side. That’s distracting.

Percy restrains a yelp and jumps in reaction. He nearly drops his sketchbook from his hands. Pulled back to his surroundings, Percy glares through his glasses to the left of the couch seats. 

“Vax! What was that for?” Percy snaps at his ally.

“Whoa! Easy there, de Rolo,” Vax puts his hands up in defense. “I tried calling your name, but you weren’t answering. We were just reminiscing about the time Vex was using whole cooked chickens as target practice. I thought you wanted to chime in.”

Percy adjusts his glasses. “I know what you were talking about. I was already satisfied by just listening.”

“That was quite a jump there, Percy,” Vex chimes in from his right. She leans forward on the sofa that her, Percy, and Vax are sitting on so that Percy and her brother are both in her view. “I know Vax surprised you, but you nearly leapt off the couch.”

Percy reopens his sketchbook. His head is dipped down and looking away from Vex. “I was taken off guard, is all.”

“Oh, I totally get that,” Keyleth says from her spot on the floor by the fireplace. She’s been braiding Trinket’s fur with flowers as the bear sleeps beside her. “One time, Scanlan snuck up on me while I was tending to the flowers outside. I nearly fell into a pile of mud.”

“I wasn’t sneaking up on you on purpose!” Scanlan pipes up from an armchair. His legs are propped up on the side while he restrings his lute. “Those bushes are my height. I didn’t know you were there!”

Vex returns the group to the topic at hand, still keeping her eyes on Percy. “See, I would believe you Percy…” She pauses for a moment. A smirk crawls onto her face. “If I didn’t know you were faking it.”

“Excuse me?” Percy scoffs. 

“Well, maybe not faking it, per say. You were taken off guard,” Vex shrugs. “But there’s a second reason why you jumped that high. Actually, I have my suspicions.” 

Vex makes eye contact with her brother. She glances in Percy’s direction before looking back at Vax with a smile to inform him of her thoughts. Vax raises a brow, but after looking at his sister’s smirk and briefly observing where he poked Percy, an understanding grin forms on his own features.

“Oh, I know!” Grog raises his hand in excitement from his chair, “Maybe Vax’s jab was so strong that he nearly pushed Percy off the couch!”

“Or maybe it accidently hurt?” Pike guesses from her seat by the coffee table. She stands and approaches Percy. “Because if so, I can try to heal you–”

“No,” Percy says faster than intended, like he is on edge. He reassures Pike. “I’m fine. Thank you, Pike, but that won’t be necessary.”

“Oh no, Pike. Magic won’t help. What Percy has is a far more serious case,” Vex exaggerates her words.

Vax puts his arm on Percy’s soldier. “It’s a case that explains why he scowls all the time.”

“Why he doesn’t laugh as often,” Vex adds.

“An ailment that eats away at his chest!” Vax says.

“Trapped inside, just bursting to come out!”

“Alright! Out with it already!” Percy growls.

Vex leans back in her seat. Calm. Casual. “What you have is one serious case of the pent-up giggles.”

“What?” Percy scowls at them. He leans forward to place his sketchbook and quill on the table in front of their seats.

“Oh no! Percy, you’re sick?” Grog questions.

“I am not sick,” he answers Grog. “Sick of these two maybe,” he mutters while glaring at the twins. “But not physically ill.”

“But there is still a very important question we need to ask you, Percy,” Vax mentions. “And that question is this…”

The dagger wielding twin stares Percy straight in the eye. A mischievous grin curls up on the corner of his mouth.

“Are you ticklish?”

Percy glares back at Vax. His senses are sharp. His expression remains unfazed. “No,” Percy makes his words crystal clear.

“Ah, denial,” Vex shakes her head.

“One of the main symptoms,” Vax sighs as if hearing bad news, though his smile is still wide.

“Don’t worry, Percy,” Vex says. “Vax and I know just how to cure you. You’re in good hands,” Vex grins. She immediately follows up her words with a poke to Percy’s side. 

The man jumps and wraps his arms across his torso, now glaring at the female twin. “Vex–”

Percy jolts again, now whipping his head to the other side to glare at the male twin who poked his other side again. “Vax!”

Vex smiles at her twin. “Shall we brother?”

“We shall, sister.”

The two half-elves turn their smiles in Percy’s direction. Immediately, they pounce at him, tackling him into the back cushions of the sofa.

“Wait!” Percy exclaims as the twins put their mischief into action. He squeezes his arms to his sides and tries to wiggle from side to side to avoid the onslaught of pokes. “This is ludicrous!” he manages to yell out, right before Vex catches a well aimed scribble to his side.

Percy jumps away from her and releases a giggle-filled yelp. He immediately slaps both of his hands to his mouth before moving one hand to push at Vex’s shoulder, while his other hand continues to contain the bubbling sound of joy that lies beneath. 

Big mistake though. He forgot there were two twins.

Vax sneaks his hands from behind and scribbles into Percy’s unguarded ribs. The human instantly clamps his arms down with a shriek and jolts forward, but he’s easily pulled back by Vax as the rogue gleefully digs his fingers between the stubborn noble’s ribs. Vex also launches her hands at Percy’s sides now that his defenses are lowered.

A snort comes from Percy’s restrained snickers, which is soon followed by an outpour of wheezy giggles that continuously spill from Percy. He nearly knocks over Vax through his squirming, but the male twin holds him up and keeps in prime position for their playful method of "healing."

“Vehehehex! Vahahahax!” Percy shouts at them through his laughter.

“Nice going, brother,” Vex smiles to her twin. “See, Percy? Look at how many giggles you had stored up! You must be so relieved to finally let them all out.”

“Yohohou both are sohoho de-EHehehead!” Percy squeaks in the middle of his sentence from Vex finding another ticklish spot above his hip. He drags the heels of his boots into the seat cushions.

“Can’t throw your famous insults at us when you’re like this, huh?” Vax teases from behind.

“Yes, indeed,” Vex agrees. “I kind of like Percy this way though. He’s a lot less sassy, that’s for sure.”

“Whahahahat? Sahahahassy?!” Percy says, trying to defend the title of his good name even through his giggling state. “I am nohohohot sassy!”

“Ah, a shame. That was a sassy response right there,” Vex fakes a sigh. “It looks like the sassiness is still present through the tickling after all.”

“Maybe we have to tickle him more to remove the sassiness out of him,” Vax says, grinning.

“No-HOho!” Percy's voice goes higher in pitch from the sheer speed he said the word. “Nohoho more! Let me gohoho, yohohou menaces!” Percy nearly rolls off the couch, teetering on the edge of the cushions.

“If you say so,” Vax grins and releases his hold on Percy. Percy immediately crashes to the floor, as the only thing keeping him steady was Vax’s grip. 

Percy peels himself from the floor by pushing himself up on his arms. He glares at Vax from below.

The rogue shrugs. “What? You asked me to let you go,” Vax ends his claim with a smile.

Percy shakes his head with a growl. He retrieves his sketchbook and quill from the table as he gets back to his feet. He looks at his spot on the sofa between the still grinning twins.

He narrows his eyes at them both. “If I sit between you again, will there be any more funny business?”

Vex tosses up her hands. “None from me, darling. I’ve had my fun for today.”

“I’ve still got a little more fun left in me,” Vax says before reassuring him, “But I will save that fun for another time.”

Percy rolls his eyes. He returns to his spot on the cushions and immediately opens his sketchbook to bury his face between the pages. No doubt everyone’s conversation will be skewed towards the sight just now. He’s bracing himself for the following humiliation that his ears are going to hear next. 

“So…” Vex speaks first. 

Gods, here it comes. 

“Where were we in the story, Keyleth?” Vex finishes her thought.

Percy’s features suddenly ease to that of pleasant surprise.

“Oh, right!” Keyleth recalls. “So then I held the chicken really high above my head…” Keyleth resumes her story about the time of Vex’s target practice. The rest of the group begins chiming in again, as if the story was never derailed in the first place. 

Percy lifts his head and glances at Vex. Vex glances back and gives him a wink before turning back to the group. Percy looks to the pages of his sketchbook with a thankful smile.

She has his back. They all do, really. They’re the ones that placed him in an embarrassing set of circumstances in the first place, but perhaps it’s not all that bad when the people around him don’t see his embarrassment as a way to judge his character, but see it as a way to love him even more. He really is lucky to have a family like them.

[flames-tstuff]

Don't worry, I'm fine, I'll just be thinking about this for the next few weeks, no big deal

Concentration

Read on AO3

Summary: A tickle fight breaks out, but Caleb can’t participate because he needs to concentrate on his spell. No, really.

–

Jester hadn’t met any other tieflings before, besides her mama. Hadn’t met many other people, really, until she’d gone off travelling and found her group of friends. She hadn’t known what she’d expected to find out in the big wide world, but Molly was one that she’d never dreamed of.

Her mama had told her how not everyone felt the same as they did about things. How humans and half elves and orcs and goblins were a bit odd about touch in a way that she’d never understand. Jester had never been one to resist the urge to cuddle, to hug, to poke and play with those closest to her.

Molly, apparently, was the same. Jester had barely squeaked out a few giggles at his teasing prods to her belly when she pounced, fingers slipping past the edges of his coat to wriggle at his ribs and draw out delighted snorty laughter.

She giggled at how quickly he folded. “You could have asked, Molly.”

He definitely flushed at her words, illuminated by the edge of Caleb’s dome. “No- pfhaha- no fun!”

Keep reading

[bow-of-aros]

I'm thinking of combining Day 13 and 14 (Win and Lose) into a two-parter.

[amazingmsme]

what do you think are the worst tickle spots of all of the mighty nein?

My answers with no rhyme or reason, just solely based on vibes

Jester- tail, neck/ears, thighs & tummy

Fjord- armpits/biceps, belly, hips & thighs

Beauregard- back, ribs, armpits/biceps & feet

Yasha- neck/ears, back, thighs, & hips

Mollymauk- tail, all the eyes, feet, knees, hips & ribs

Caleb- RIBS, tummy, armpits, sides, feet, back, basically anywhere & everywhere

Nott/Veth- feet, tummy, sides, & thighs

Caduceus- ears/neck, back (especially his spine) ribs, feet/ankles, knees & ribs

Essek- ears/neck, feet, palms, sides, tummy & armpits

Kingsley(yes he gets his own)- tail, ribs, belly & thighs

[rosileeduckie]

Half asleep and scheming

Plotting projects, don't mind me ✨🌙 and don't get too excited; y'all know I'm slow 😆🦥 😘💕

[mysticklish]

Do you make CR art?? Omg how did I not know this, is there a tag it’s under? I’d love to see it!!

I don’t / haven’t yet but I draw from time to time… and been thinking about inspiration 🤩🤩