#praying to the tickle gods that 4k gets some revenge tickles
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wishitweresummer · 5 days ago
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Love thissss 😵‍💫😵‍💫
4 - The Heart Grows Fonder
The date is approaching for HD's time away from the mountain, and he's shocked to learn that he feels...sad to leave. For two weeks he'll be travelling alone, and he'll miss 4K. But it seems 4K will miss him too.
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Sorry this was late tumblr would not let me post anything for days but it seems to be fixed now. Anyway, here is my favourite chapter so far. Please enjoy.
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The closer and closer the date came for HD’s time away, the more nervous he became. He had only been with 4K for such a short while, but he was already adjusted to life on the mountain. He could say he and the demon were friends, or at least they were heading towards it. Really, it was hard to put a name to a relationship that began with a deal to be tickled for eternity. But HD thought – hoped – that their time together was making them closer.
4K never seemed to notice the time approaching, or he never showed that he did. It was hard to tell the mood of the demon sometimes. In the quiet moments, HD couldn’t tell if he was just enjoying the comfortable silence or he was restless. When he’d tease and smile at HD, he couldn’t be sure if it was just the demons usual flirting to make him blush or if 4K actually meant those words.
Even the tickling HD had become accustom to. He would absolutely not admit that he liked it but it was a sort of settled in routine for the two. HD was getting enough questions answered to get an idea on demonology.
He had asked what the signs were for a demon taking territory and his payment for the answer of ‘none’ was to have 4K kneeling on his arms raised above his head, and his armpits and ribs absolutely wrecked.
He had asked if there was any reasons for demons to attack humans. The answer was complicated because of course it would be different for every demon. Some demons avoided humans to live undetected while others could despise having to share the world with mortals and do something about it. They were similar to fae in a sense where if a human trespassed or took something from a demon, they would be haunted until the item was returned, or the mortal made up for it in some other way.
HD’s payment for that answer were to be tickled with feathers. All different kinds of terrible feathers. 4K had came up to him excited to show them off. Some were long, fluffy and light, others short and firm and a few others in a mix or in-between. They had solved the rope issue by using silk to tie HD’s hands together, so the fae found himself with his arms tied behind his back, at the mercy of those feathers.
4K loved exploring HD’s tickle spots with each feather, seeing which ones would make him laugh and giggle and snort. They did not tickle as badly as the brushes. The worst one of them all was the stiff white feather that 4K brought to his feet. He pulled back HD’s toes, flicking it just at the very top of the ball of his foot and watched with a grin as HD struggled and laughed and pleaded.
All of his spots were mapped out and noted on, with each kind of feather. Also turns out his chest was ticklish. A new fun discovery 4K absolutely enjoyed giving quick tickles to during the day.
Still in all the tickling sessions, HD had never uttered the safeword. He couldn’t even remember a time he was close to saying it, though when he was pushed to the edge of his sanity with tickles he couldn’t remember much. He’d pondered if that was a bad thing to let himself get to that point, but quickly disagreed with himself. He was never uncomfortable and he never felt weird or bad when he’d regain his senses again or woke up. He just felt that warm soft feeling that wanted to be coddled and taken care of which 4K was always happy to do.
In their head, HD knew they should keep some sense of distance between themselves and 4K but that was sort of hard to do. They had so willingly agreed to be his tickle toy, it was hard to not form a bond.
But bonds are dangerous for faes. HD reminded themselves.
Fae’s are creatures of feelings. They want comfort, safety and merriment. They seek out companionship of others. They would love hard and when the love wasn’t returned, or betrayed, they’d destroy.
HD was confident in himself he wouldn’t succumb to the excuses his kin had. All of his actions would be his own, not blamed on his nature. He was friends with 4K, and while it might not have been what others could consider a friendship, it didn’t matter because it worked for them. He had agreed to be with 4K for eternity, but eternity was a long long time. In the worrying nights HD couldn’t help but wonder if 4K would ever grow bored of him. He was bound to the deal as well but 4K could just as easily ask for the deal to be broken. HD surprised himself as his concern wasn’t for if 4K would go after someone else. His concern was in his sadness from losing 4K. He’d miss the demon.
They were just thoughts of “what-ifs” that did nothing but make HD worry. If 4K got bored or wanted the deal broken in the future, that was for them to deal with in the future. They were not the same fae and demon they were the night they met. They’d grown close and they could talk things out. HD was sure of it.
Instead of focusing on useless what-ifs, HD busied himself packing for his time away. He never needed a lot when travelling before and he wouldn’t need anything more now. Clothes and a map really, which he was looking over now.
HD lay on his front, over the moss bed in his thicket. The map of the land lay in front of him, marked in ways only he knew. Towns, cities and villages marked down that he had visited before. The circled ones were marking fae activity. Either a group or one lone fae was active but not yet causing trouble. Just causing fear. The places with a single strike through them were fae marked, were the activity was strong but HD had dealt with it to drive them out.
Now he’d need to expand his marking method. He had demons he could look out for now, though even with 4K’s information he wasn’t confident if he could really take one on or drive out out. Still, having the knowledge for it already helped out more than enough.
He was trying to plan out his travels for the two weeks when the thicket bush rustled and 4K was leaning down, looking through.
“I knew you’d be out here.” 4K said as he laid down.
“There’s not many places for me to go.” HD pointed out, but he was smiling as 4K shuffled in. “And I thought you knew everything going on, on the mountain.”
“If it’s something new on the mountain.” 4K corrected and settled in. He was crawled in to his waist, his head close to HD’s. “You are a regular on this mountain now.”
HD’s heart warmed to the words. He distracted himself with looking over the map again, which 4K was also interested in.
“What’s all this?” He asked. “Are these places you’re planning to go?”
“No, not exactly.” HD shook his head. “At least not in these two weeks. These are places of interest. I’ve already been to the places marked, but some I will go back to.”
“You’re quite the traveller.” 4K commented, his eyes never leaving the map. He was looking over each mark like he was studying them.
“I used to travel before I settled here.” HD pointed out. “Though settling is quite nice. A home to nest in is comforting.”
4K hummed in thought. His eyes flicked over the map but his attention seemed to drift off.
“What?” HD asked.
“I’m...going to miss you.” The demon admitted and looked up to HD. “And not just for tickling you. I’m going to miss you.”
If HD’s heart had warmed from 4K’s words before, now it was on fire. It thumped so loudly in his chest he was sure 4K could hear it. “I won’t be gone for long.”
“Two weeks will seem like a lifetime without you.” 4K sighed. He sunk his head down to rest in his folded arms. “Though I suppose, I can use all that time to plan all the tickles you’ll be getting when you get home.”
That thought had crossed 4K’s mind as well. Two weeks for 4K to plan, for his mind to run wild with a ll kinds of ideas. And HD would be stuck with two weeks of imagining all the ways he’d be getting wrecked when he get home.
“The time will fly by.” HD quickly excused. “You won’t even know I’m gone.”
“Of course I will! Who am I going to talk with over breakfast? Who’s humming am I going to listen to while you read?”
“I hum when I read?”
“Yes. The softest hums when you read. My favourite thing to listen to.”
The flutter in HD’s heart only settled as he forced himself to focus on 4K’s words.
“I mean, next to your laughs of course.”
“You’ve survived without me before. You will again.”
“It won’t be as fun…”
The conversation felt too close and HD quickly came up with the excuse he needed to pack. He asked 4K if he could take some of the bandages and ointment on his travels for a just in case and luckily 4K offered to help him pack the last of his stuff, leading them both to shuffle out of the thicket.
HD honestly expected he’d be tickled the night before he left. He expected 4K to come at him, asking him to get a question ready and he’d be wrecked. But that moment never came. They ate dinner together, HD assuring 4K he could be home in the two week time frame and 4K reminded him about the extension to the deal. They went to bed separately and in the morning HD was off.
He had done well to ignore the pang of loneliness in his heart on his last night, but now it would be a challenge. HD only hoped he could keep himself busy to ignore it.
And busy he was.
HD planned for his first week to check up on the villages he had been to before. He had warned them of fae activity, giving them iron and telling them to avoid the forests close to them. Especially the large lake. It seemed in his absence the fae grew bolder, and the villagers ignored his warnings. Each night human after human walked to the forest and only half of them were found alive. Babbling horrors but alive.
Somehow that was HD’s fault. Somehow the humans blamed him for not dealing with their problem. Somehow no matter how much HD helped and kept them safe for as long as he could, one wrong move on their part and he was just like all the other fae.
A huge part of HD wanted to leave them to their fate, but his hate for his own kin outweighed his pettiness. It helped when he drowned out the villagers yelling, instead imaging he was relaying the story to 4K. They had never spoken much on 4K’s opinion of humans, and HD had not even tried to ask why 4K was doing what he did, but he could guess from the few conversations he had he wasn’t fond of them. He could imagine 4K scoffing over the humans blame and cursing them. HD knew the demon would absolutely be trying to talk him out of walking into the woods at night and helping these people, but HD would persist and push on. He could not let a fae’s actions go unpunished.
The walk through the forest was made much harder by the iron HD carried out with him. It was heavy and even wrapped in two layers of thick cloth, he could still feel it burning his hands ever so slightly. It was nothing like the warmth of 4K. This heat stung, like tiny bites against his skin.
The lake was not hard to find as a clearly well used path had been worn into the forest floor, bringing HD to the lake’s edge. It was sad how beautiful the lake was. The trees thinned out the closer it got to the lakes edge. The patches of grass were long and soft and the water was so still and calm. So inviting. The only thing ruining it was the smell. The rotten smell of death hung over the water, clinging to it.
How many humans had this fae taken? How many bodies were still drowning down at the bottom of the lake?
The smell was going to make him throw up, so HD quickly tried to untie the cloth for the iron. He tried to imagine the pond on the mountain. How calm it was. How it smelt so sweet. He would be back there soon, away from this horror. But something pulled HD out of those thoughts. A voice. A raspy, dead voice.
“Kin killer…”
Somehow having the fae know him made HD feel better. The could skip all the boring ‘why’ and ‘how’.
“Heard you were dead.” The fae continued. HD looked around, finally spotting them. They were perched on a branch on a tree around HD’s right. The tree was close to the water’s edge, the branch low. Their skin was the colour of swamp water, a murky green. Their hair was like grass water, slimy looking and wet. They looked completely drenched, like they’d just come out the water. Their hair covered most of their body and hung over the branch. Their eyes were pure black and looking dead at HD.
“Well I’m not.” HD spoke carefully. He could fight, but he never liked to. It was a risk he’d rather not take. He very slowly moved his arm holding the iron, trying to keep it out of view. He studied the fae a little more. A water nymph perhaps? Or some sort of selkie? “Which Court do you belong to?”
“It doesn’t matter.” The fae’s voice warbled angrily. “Are you here for the humans?”
“If you mean the ones you’ve no doubt drowned. No. If you mean I’m here on behalf of the humans...maybe.”
The fae hissed, climbing onto another branch of the tree as if to come closer. “Kin killer… Human lover! Have you no shame for what you do?!”
“You’re killing humans.” HD said calmly. His hand out of sight was trying to untie the cloth slowly, but it was hard when the iron was burning his skin and shaking his bones. “This is their world.”
“It was ours!” It almost sounded like the fae was weeping. Maybe they were. Their face was already wet it was hard to tell if it was from tears or water. “This place was ours! We had dances here. Parties. Then humans came and took it. They trampled all of our rings. They dumped their filth into the water. Ruined it!”
“We already have a world. We have our forests. Our lakes and ponds more beautiful than anything here. You came to their land.”
It was no use trying to talk sense into them but it kept him distracted long enough. HD had almost undone the cloths. He’d have to move fast and throw the iron in before it could burn him too badly.
The water fae sniffed. HD first thought it was in some sort of huff, until they did it again. And then again. HD worried they had smelt the iron, until they spoke. “You stink…”
He was relieved, though insulted. It was a common thing he was told. “Yes. Being around humans would—”
“No. Demon. You stink of demons.”
HD froze. It was unexpected and yet seemed to obvious. HD had been around 4K so often he never noticed the demon scent anymore. Of course it would be his own now.
“Do you love humans so much you’d protect them from even demons?” Their voice a mix between a taunting hiss and a genuine question. “Or…do you hate your kin so much you’d jump into a demon’s bed?”
He took in a sharp breath through his nose, which probably gave the fae their answer. Or what they believed was the answer. HD felt it rather pointless if he tried to explain himself and how could it really be explained.
‘No, I’m not sleeping with a demon. But I did make a deal with one to be his tickle toy to learn more about them.’
“Traitor! Traitor! Traitor!” The fae sneered. “How many of us have you killed with no remorse, while the humans kill and take our land! How many demons have you lain with to spite us!”
That irked HD more than the fae thinking he and 4K were sleeping together. “I don’t do anything for you!” HD hissed back. He felt the last tie of the cloth pull free. The iron almost fell out of it, but he caught it with his hand. Only one cloth lay between him and the iron. It burned only for a second because in the next second HD used all his strength and threw it into the lake. As soon as the iron touched it, the water bubbled like a boiling cauldron and the iron sank down to the bottom.
The shriek from the fae almost deafened HD. It shook the birds from the trees and probably woke up the village, if they weren’t awake already. The fae crawled to the end of a branch to pounce but they weren’t going for HD. Instead they pounced out the tree and crashed into the water. Their body disappeared into the bubbling water and HD was too stunned to move. He had not expected it and couldn’t imagine a scenario in which they lived from it.
The water bubbled over, simmering as though the entire lake was about to burst and then the water calmed. The bubbling all dispersed at once, leaving the waters calm and still again. The smell of death was gone, leaving behind a rich earthly scent. HD knew then the fae was dead. Perhaps they could have crossed over to the Otherworld but if they had they’d be on the edge of death and most likely wouldn’t have survived.
There was no way the fae would have left peacefully with the lake’s connection destroyed. It was best this way, HD convinced himself. Though he had already made the choice not to return to the village. They could live in fear for a bit until they were brave enough to investigate. That would be his revenge.
HD walked passed the lake and deeper into the forest. He walked until the sky was just about to burst with the morning sunrise and then he found a bed of grass to settle in under a tree and slept.
The start of his week had already soured HD’s mood for the rest of it. He visited the other villages marked on his map but he kept his distance this time and tried to sneak in to pick up gossip or anyone talking about fae activity. Nothing as bad as the first village. It would need looked into later but it seems people here were keeping themselves safer.
His first week passed by and HD had so far killed one fae and warned off three others. He knew the warned off faes would be back later but he had done his part for now. HD forced himself not to care for now. However, he did learn that the rumour had spread around that he was dead. Apparently a three week absence was enough for the faes to assume he was gone for good. That put a small dent in the power he once had. Before the faes feared him for daring to kill one of their own, but now they assumed he had some kind of weakness. HD convinced himself it didn’t matter. The news of the fae he killed would reach the others soon and he’d be treated cautiously again.
For the second week, HD put 4K’s information to good use. He had a few hidden spots around the place, just outside of towns or deep in marshes. The one was hidden under a pile of rocks by a stony hill. Spare clothes, some money he had ‘just happened’ to come into possession of and importantly of all his grass cloak.
It was one of HD’s most prized possession, even though it absolutely gave away he was a fae. Sometimes he could pass himself off as just a traveller, but people were more suspicious. He had hidden it before going to the town under the mountain to give him the best chance and it was too far out to retrieve before.
It was like a comfort blanket to put it on again. Cool but warming. His tension for the week before was already melting off his shoulders, and HD was off to make a plan.
There were a few shops HD knew of that could sell him what he needed. Magic shops with talismans, trinkets and crystals that could ward of evil. With the money he collected, HD had enough for a few talisman papers. There was a book on different demons and the blessing that could ward them off, which HD got as well. The last one HD didn’t think he’d be able to get for a while, but his search through the shops were lucky.
An obsidian dagger. It was small, the blade probably only a bit bigger than his hand, but it curved slightly at the top. Small white runes were carved into the blade, some HD knew as protection and he had to assume it did more damage. It took the remainder of HD’s money he had, but he purchased the blade and a small sheath for it.
It was a lot more than HD expected to get but it helped jump-start his plans. He could expand beyond keeping faes away from humans, and keep demons away as well. Though he had a feeling driving off a demon would be harder than a fae.
Faes used tricks and deals to work around fighting. They’d charm or placate their targets. Demons seemed to go for the straightforward battles. At least 4K did…in a sense. In their first meeting 4K had tried to go straight for him, and it was only with HD’s bluff they got into the deal. He imagined other demons would be similar. Though their methods would involve something a bit rough than tickling.
But still, this week was a success. Now HD wouldn’t feel so helpless, coming across a cursed town he knew wasn’t from a fae. He didn’t have all the knowledge, but he would be prepared. He could help.
Not that they will ever thank you for it.
HD shook off the dark thoughts. This was a positive week. They had saved humans. They’d found an obsidian dagger. They got their grass cloak back.
They were lonely…
Work could keep them busy with planning and occupying their mind, but when they laid down to sleep and their mind wandered. They missed the mountain. It had become their home and comfort. While they settled under an old tree, wrapped in their cloak, they imagined their thicket bed, warm and cosy. They thought of the beautiful pond, a clear reflection of the night sky. And they thought of 4K.
Never had HD imagined he would be friends with the demon when he made the deal but it was hard not to like 4K. His warmth and endless positivity were infectious. He was also kind, and soft when he needed; even though his body was pure muscle.
HD didn’t know if it was blessing or pure luck the demon he was bond to was 4K, but he was thankful for it either way.
Sleep was slowly pulling HD’s eyes closed, but with the last of his energy he reached out to the bond around his heart. He could feel the knot woven around it. It gave him a sense of comfort knowing it was always there. And yet as he shut his eyes to sleep, he could feel the knot again.
A soft tug on the bond. Not like something trying to undo it, but instead like a gentle pull as though softly reaching out.
“I… Can feel that.”
4K’s words rang in his head when HD had first reach out to the bond. 4K could feel whenever HD touched upon it...so HD could feel whenever 4K reached back.
His heart warmed and he gently reached out again. After a few seconds he felt the tug again on his bond again, and HD was practically giggling into his arm. Giddy with glee.
4K was thinking of him. Enough that he responded to the touch upon his own heart. Enough to tell HD that he was always there.
HD didn’t think he could sleep, excitedly thinking of returning home – his real and true home – but his thoughts of the mountain lulled and calmed him enough that he finally fell to a restful sleep.
It came upon the last day of the two weeks away. HD had already made his way back to the mountain, after finishing up some last minute things. He couldn’t find any signs of demon activity but he had some places to keep an eye on for next time.
As soon as the mountain came into view, HD’s heart fluttered and they quickened his steps. The deal was to allow him two weeks from the mountain, and he wasn’t going to risk breaking it by setting foot on the path up. Instead he kept to the dirt path around the mountain for now. There was a rocky slope just off the path behind the mountain. It was hard to spot with the mossy forest floor covering over majority of the stone, but HD carefully slipped down it till he was under a small overhang of stone. It shadowed over the cluster of rocks and kept them out of sight. Perfect for hiding his things.
He had a box for the talisman papers which he also wrapped up in a thick piece of cloth. Along with his blade and the book on demons. He had spent a second considering taking the book with him to read, but quickly decided against it. He wasn’t going to risk breaking the deal and since the book was literally telling him how to harm demons he wasn’t going to chance it. Instead he wrapped up his stuff and placed the rocks back around it. A few ferns grew close by which HD moved just ever so slightly and the spot was out of sight. Perfect.
It was late afternoon and HD found a tree root to rest under just a little ways off the path. His plan was to sleep now, wake up close to midnight and as soon as the new day hit he’d return to the mountain as soon as he could. It had taken him only a couple of hours to reach the top the first climb, now it felt like he could sprint up there in seconds.
HD didn’t know how he was suppose to fall asleep. His giddiness from a few nights ago felt like nothing to to excitement of today. Sleep felt like it would never come, yet as HD opened his eyes, blinking a few times, the night had come. The moon was high in the sky and a new day had started.
It was past midnight.
HD nearly tripped over himself when he got up and quickly set off for the mountain path. He could not wait to crawl up into his thicket bed and listen to the crash of the waterfall. He couldn’t wait to get back to the cave again, and see what more goods 4K had managed to swipe from the humans.
He couldn’t wait to see 4K again.
The closer the top of the mountain approached, the more HD debated with himself over what to do. Every cell in his body wanted to run into the cave and wake 4K up, but a more sensible part of him reasoned that wouldn’t be fair. 4K would be sleeping since the demon was always an early riser. HD could wait by the pond and surprise him in the morning.
Yet when HD came upon the picturesque scene of his home, he couldn’t help himself. The pond was perfectly still, reflecting the night sky. The waterfall looked almost glowing with the moons light. A wash of joy overcame him and HD decided he couldn’t wait.
So he wouldn’t wake up 4K but right now he just had to be inside the cave. Being close to 4K would be good enough, and he’d be a nice surprise for the demon when he woke up.
HD carefully stepped past the waterfall, slipping into the cave. His eyes took a second to adjust, but it was a second too late to see the hand quickly reach out and grab his arm.
He was pulled further into the cave, but his steps didn’t stumble for long before arms wrapped around him and he was lifted up into the air. Before HD had even a moment to get a sense of his bearings he was being spun around like a sort of princess, while 4K’s voice squeaked happily.
“You’re back! You’re back!”
HD was giggling as he tried to speak, but it was hard not to. 4K’s voice was too joyful. “Stohop! You’re making me dizzyyyy…” His arms braced onto 4K’s shoulders as the demon still spun them around and around.
“But you’re back!” 4K squeaked with joy. He stopped his spinning slowly, grinning up to HD with soft eyes. “You can’t expect me not to be excited.”
HD’s heart fluttered, but he ignored it as he saw 4K’s attention draw to his cloak. “What’s this?”
“My cloak.” HD said almost proudly. A giggle still in his voice from the spin. “I left it behind before I came here. Picked it up.”
“It’s nice.” 4K complimented as one of his hands ran over the grass. “Soft.” He turned the grass inward, brushing it along HD’s arm and the fae giggle and pulled away. “Tickly.” 4K grinned.
“Wh-What are you doing up?” HD quickly asked to distract from the moment.
“You think I was gonna sleep when you’re coming home?” 4K almost scoffed. He gently lowered HD down, his hands still roaming over the grass cloak. “I nearly raced down that mountain as soon as you took your first step here.”
HD’s cheeks felt warm, and his head was floaty. 4K was an early riser, almost always rising with the sun. He’d always go to bed before HD, who preferred the night, but now he was keeping himself awake. Just for the chance that HD would have came back.
HD felt a rush of affection for the demon before him. He wanted to swept up in 4K’s arms again. He wanted to jump into 4K’s arms and never let go. But all of these wants fizzled out when 4K spoke. His hand came up to HD’s face and the fae leaned into the palm without thinking.
“Do you want to sleep?” 4K’s voice was soft and his thumb trailed just under his eyes. Gods his hands were so big and warm. “Are you tired?”
HD slowly shook his head. “I slept in the afternoon.” He half lied. But only because he couldn’t really know. He didn’t remember ever falling asleep but he was certainly not tired. “Are you tired?”
“Not at all.” 4K’s soft smile morphed into a grin. His head leaned just a little closer to HD, like he was whispering a secret. “Do you have a question ready?”
The words prickled over HD’s skin with a new kind of excitement as 4K quickly added.
“Don’t feel like you have to agree, especially if you’re tired from travelling here. If you’d rather chill I’m fine to do that as well. We can sit outside, and watch the-”
“I have a question.” HD quickly cut in. The tingles of excitement still ran through him; growing even more as 4K’s grin grew wider. Suddenly he was lifted up into 4K’s arms again. His time the demon’s arms were under his knees and back, lifting him like a sort of princess.
“4K!” HD squeaked and quickly wrapped his arms around 4K’s shoulders.
“You better ask your question now while you can.” 4K’s voice held a low growl. HD could feel the excitement radiate off him as he walked further into the cave. Past the kitchen and his old room. “In fact, I’ll let you have two. Because this will be intense.”
HD could feel his heart flutter with a warmth he was so unused to. It made him squirm a little which 4K probably took to be he was nervous as the hand on his back made a soothing motion. In truth he was nervous, but he was still swept up into feelings of affection he couldn’t concentrate.
It took HD a few moments to get the question right in his head.
“Are deals common with demons? Between other mythical creatures, or mortals?”
“No. At least not compared to faes.” 4K hummed, almost sounding actually thoughtful. “A lot of more peaceful and docile natured demons will just try to avoid mortals rather than strike a deal. Most demons probably don’t see worth in it, and the ones that do are probably in it more for their own gain.”
HD supposed that was the nature of all deals. Trying to make sure you had more than the person you made it with, or at least keep it even.
He never really had a second question to ask, but there was something like venom in his heart, ruining his warm, fuzzy mood. It struck just for a second, but HD knew what he wanted to ask.
“Have you ever made a deal like this with anyone before?”
4K’s steps halted for just a second. He paused mid-step before carrying on like nothing happened. Instead of facing forward, he turned his head to HD, and kept eye contact with the fae as he answered.
“No. You’re the only one I’ve made a deal with, little star.”
The venom in his heart fizzled out, and the warm fuzzy feeling came back tenfold. HD wanted to blush and hide away in 4K’s neck, but the demon took them into another cavern and his attention was taken away.
HD had never seen the cavern before, but then he’d never explored much of the cave from 4K’s warnings. The walls weren’t so rough as the others, and were smoothed out to almost look like a normal room. Lanterns hung from the ceiling, bathing the room in a soft orange glow. The cavern could almost be called nice, but HD’s attention was so fixed to the centre of the room.
There was only one thing in the room, and it sat so calmly against the stone floor. HD thought it was just a chair at first, and to be fair it was. A soft looking cushioned chair that had some...features. Past the cushion, the seat still stretched out, leading to rather ornate looking set of stocks. HD didn’t need to measure to know it was the perfect distance for his feet to be locked into. Quickly looking away, he saw the back of the chair was also much taller than needed. The top of it reached passed where HD’s head would sit, and each end stretched out slightly, with straps hanging off them.
It was quite clear what the chairs intention was for, and yet HD’s mind was racing with so many thoughts and questions. The only thing to come out of his mouth was. “When… Wh-Where did you get this?!”
“I made it.” 4K boasted proudly as he lowered HD down. HD never took his eyes off the chair, hardly noticing he was standing now. “Well… Okay I had some help.” 4K seemed huffy to admit it. “I had to get the stocks specially made. But the chair was all me.”
“You had someone make stocks for you!” It wasn’t a question at all but the absolute absurdity of it had HD reeling. So many scenarios played in his head.
“Of course. I wanted something perfectly made to make sure it wouldn’t hurt your ankles. Got it all perfectly made to your measurements.”
“When did you measure me?!” That HD had to ask because he would have absolutely remembered if 4K ever came at him with a measuring tape. Or, funnier to think, that 4K had somehow measured him while the fae was asleep. In the times between 4K’s early rising and HD snoozing until noon, he’d tried in vain to measure a sleeping, tossing and turning HD.
The thought was so funny HD gave a small snort of laughter.
“I didn’t have to measure you I can look at you, and know your height and measurements perfectly.” 4K’s voice dropped low, and he leaned in a little just so his lips were grazing over HD’s ear. “I know your body perfectly.”
HD wanted to rush as say that wasn’t true, but he thought better of it. He could only imagine the teasing questions 4K would have to follow that. “Is that a demon thing, or just a 4K thing?”
“That sounds like another question.” 4K’s voice rumbled, with a mixed up purr and growl. “You want to make this more intense than it already is?”
HD’s cheeks went red and his head was floaty but he was tethered to earth by 4K’s chuckle. “I think it’s just a me thing. Though I didn’t ask anyone.”
The attention came back to the chair, because how could it not. It was ominously waiting for use. HD hadn’t realised he stepped closer till he could see the details in the wood. Very fine details of flowering vines around the curved corners of the stocks. The insides where his ankles would sit were cushioned for comfort and – the most pressing detail of all – there were small ties just above the holes, which were no doubt perfect distance to keep his toes tied up.
“How… How-How the hell did you ask someone to make this?”
“There’s a nice little carpenter a few villages away. He didn’t ask too many questions either.” 4K mused like he was relaying some sort of fond memory. “I mean he could probably guess it was for some torture but he didn’t ask. I made myself look important enough that maybe he thought I was an interrogator for some royal.”
“How did you convince anyone you were human?” That also implied that 4K had been travelling. While HD had of course, he just assumed 4K was some sort of hermit, that all demons had to stay at their territory at all times.
“I can hide these very well.” 4K whipped his tail and pointed up to his horns. Even still, HD couldn’t believe anyone could look at 4K and think he was mortal. He was just so...otherworldly. “And I dressed up real nice.”
HD wondered what ‘dressed up nice’ meant to 4K. The most HD had seen him in was some casual robes or a thin top and shorts. It wouldn’t be unbelievable that 4K would have ‘found’ some nice or important looking clothes.
“You can still back out now.” 4K’s voice had dropped his playful lilt and he was looking at HD with a serious look. “I understand I sprung this on you. I was planning on waiting to talk to you about this and show you it in a gentler way so if you want to call it off now that’s fine.”
HD was so focused on the circumstances of 4K going through the trouble of making this thing he had not really considered how it would be used.  And it was absolutely going to be used on him. Maybe if not tonight, but for sure in the future.
“I’m fine…” HD said, tearing his eyes from the chair for a moment to look up at 4K. “I still want to.” HD meant it.
4K looked like he could burst with giddiness, but he was keeping himself in check as HD approached the chair. Very slowly he pulled himself up to sit on it. It really was made to his measurements. It was the perfect size to lock his ankles in place.
4K had opened the stocks and HD tested out the feel of the cushion before he allowed the demon to place them back down and lock them in place.
“I want you to use your safeword if it really gets too much.” 4K spoke seriously. “This will be intense.”
“You say that every time.” HD rolled his eyes. “I am aware I can use the safeword at each time.”
“And each time you never use it.”
“Isn’t that a good thing for you?”
4K looked up to HD after he was done checking the lock for the stocks. It was a simple latch that came over, connecting the top half to the bottom. Nothing complicated. “I don’t want you pushing yourself.” 4K softly admitted.
HD’s heart thumped. “I never am. I trust you.”
4K came to a full stop. His body froze, arm mid way pulled back and then he turned to HD with soft eyes and an almost lopsided smile.
“How do you do that?” He asked, and came up to HD’s side before the fae could answer. “Why is it whenever you’re tied up, that’s when you’re most honest?”
Goosebumps prickled all over HD’s skin. 4K suddenly felt too close and yet not close enough. Conflicting emotions raged in HD but he tried to focus on the words. Focus on speaking. “I tell you these things all the time.” He spoke slowly. “Without...b-being tied up.”
“No. You roll your eyes and wave it off while you say you understand.” 4K leaned in just a bit closer, leaning by HD’s legs. “But when you’re like this you let out soft words. Let things slip out you wouldn’t normally.”
Had he? HD had only been tied up a few times during their time together. A lot less than he thought but it seemed 4K much preferred wrestling and actually manhandling HD around. But there was something...intimate about letting himself be tied down. Letting himself submit. Maybe he had been a little softer in those moment because it was a soft thing.
4K took HD’s silence for panic. He placed a hand over the fae’s knee. Firm and grounding. “Want to stop?”
“No…” HD shook his head. If he was tickled, then he didn’t have to think. “I want to keep going.”
“So eager.” 4K’s voice so easily dropped back into a teasing purr and he moved himself off the chair. “You have been two weeks without being tickled, you must be going absolutely crazy.”
He took a step down, back to the stocks, and HD felt an almost impulsive urge, rush up his throat and out his mouth. The words were spoken before he even realised what he was saying. “Who says I’ve not been tickled?”
4K stopped mid-step. HD watched the words hit his brain. The muscles on his back tensed and he turned his head to look at HD over his shoulder. “Have you…?”
The demons orange eyes were inquisitive, but intense. Staring with curiosity and...anger?
Jealous. He’s jealous.
“Maybe.” HD shrugged. “You keep telling me I’m so irresistibly ticklish. Maybe someone else saw that too.”
4K’s jaw tightened. He swallowed slowly, his Adams apple bobbing as he gave a slow, dangerous grin. “I want a new rule.” He quickly stepped round to the end of the stocks, right by HD’s feet which suddenly felt more vulnerable. “No-one else gets to tickle you.”
“What if I don’t agree to that?” HD asked, trying his hardest not to curl his toes or bend his foot. He was not going to let 4K know how hard his heart was beating.
“Then I’ll just have to remind you how good I can tickle you. No-one else will ever compare.”
His left foot was grabbed and HD had no time to stop the whimper. 4K hadn’t started tickling, but he did slowly push HD’s big toe up and looped the small strap around it. Trapped. There was no time to get used to it as 4K moved onto the next toe. Eventually all five of his toes were tied up, his foot helplessly stretched out.
HD’s other foot tingled slightly, preparing for the same, but 4K actually stepped back and began walking around the side of the chair.
“Wha… Aren’t you going to tie the others?”
“It will be more maddening for you if one foot is so helplessly tied and the other free to struggle and shake as much as it wants. But it can’t do anything.” 4K flashed a grin to HD as he passed. “Just like when you were tied to the tree. Your free foot couldn’t do anything but stomp and shake.”
HD remembered that so vividly. The shiver ran through him while 4K positioned behind the chair and simply said “Arms.” and HD raised them without a fight. And then his arms were secured up as well. HD tugged on the straps just to confirm it. Trapped.
He knew the tickling would start then but 4K was deliberately keeping himself out of sight. Still stood behind the chair, the demon didn’t move and HD could feel himself start to wriggle. His nerves were failing him and it didn’t at all help when 4K came into view.
It was just his hands that HD could just make out. Lowering from above, getting closer and closer to his armpits.
“N-Nohoho!” The giggling started before 4K had even touched him. It was humiliating how much his body responded even without touch. Just knowing the tickling was coming, having the memory of it in his mind, was enough to make him laugh.
They reached HD’s armpits, and instead of the all out assault HD was expecting, 4K just stretched out his pointer finger on each hand, and tickled the armpits with one finger. Slowly dragging his claw up the hollow pit, reaching the top, and then going back down to repeat the same motion. Again and again.
“N-Naha-AHAHA! Noo-oohohoho! That-ngh! That-That tihickles! THAT TICKLES!”
His ankles and wrists were held in place, but it didn’t stop his waist wriggling from side to side, trying his hardest to pull away.
“Hmm… That won’t do.”
The tickling stopped then and HD barely had time to catch his breath before another strap was wrapped around his waist. He was pulled back against the chair, tightly bound. Trapped again.
“Much better.” 4K admired before his hands came around again. He ran his knuckles up and down HD’s ribs, watching with delight as the fae laughed and tried to howl out his pleas between them.
“THAHAT TICKLES! Tha-haha...o-ohohoho! That-That tickles so much! PLEASE! HA-NAAAAHAHAHAHA! PLEASE!”
4K’s hands travelled down. Skittering along HD’s sides. Thankfully they never stayed on the worst spot for long, moving quickly down to HD’s hips and kneading into the bones. HD swore his skin tingled more from his waist now locked in place. He could barely move his hips at all and even if he could, 4K was a master tickler by now. Knowing each way HD would move and follow it without mercy.
It took a moment for HD to realise the tickling had stopped. His chest heaved and laughter still teetered on while 4K came around to the end of the stocks again. HD curled one foot.
“You ready?” 4K’s voice rumbled in HD’s mind, pulling him from the brink of madness and into sense.
“Wh...For what?” HD gasped.
“The intense stuff. I told you it would be intense.”
4K leaned down, grabbing something from a pile beside the stocks HD hadn’t noticed. Though to be fair his whole attention couldn’t be on anything else but the chair. He could see a few of the brushes he’d been tickled with before, as well as the feathers and a small container HD hadn’t seen before.
It was the container 4K grabbed, bringing up and presenting it with a grin. “You know what this is?” He twisted the container around just a little.
HD shook his head. The container wasn’t too big, about the size of his palm and about an inch or two tall. It reminded HD of makeup compacts but he knew 4K wouldn’t have something as simple as makeup in there.
“Itching powder.” 4K finally revealed as he carefully lifted the lid.
The mention of the word made HD’s skin crawl, and his feet shook slightly in their holds. His left could do nothing but give a slight wriggle and his right cowered.
From what HD could see of the powder it was a deep orange colour. A bit of a darker shade than 4K’s eyes. Even the colour of the powder seemed like it would itch. That powder was going to itch. That powder was going to be put on HD’s feet.
It was the first time the safeword became a thought in HD’s head. It wasn’t on his tongue or caught in his throat. It remained in his mind, planted there as a reminder. A reassurance that no matter what, he had an out. Just one word and it would stop.
HD said nothing as 4K raised one of the round brushes that had attacked his armpits once before. The demon coated a lavish amount of the powder on the brush, wiggling it slightly in front of the fae as a taunt. HD giggled then, but the word never touched his tongue. It was kept, folded away in his head as 4K lowered the brush closer and close to his left foot and finally made contact.
The feeling was immediate on the first brush over. Tingly. Mind shatteringly tingly that spread over the entirety of HD’s foot with each swipe of the brush. It only took a few go overs before HD’s foot was covered, shaking in their bonds, unable to move or provide any relief from the unbearable itch.
“I-It-It...mmMMMMMM! ...Oh-ohohohoho! It’s so-It’s s-so i-itchyyyy….” HD gasped.
Itchy couldn’t even begin to describe what it felt like. The feeling of a thousand tiny feathers brushing over every inch of his foot. It was sometimes too light to be tickly, but it made his skin jump; and then other times it tickled so madly it was the only thing HD could think of. Rewriting his entire brain to only focus on his left foot.
The fact his right was itch free was somehow worse. It was free to move and shake but it did nothing to quell the tingling.
“I-I’ll… It-It tickles so...n-ngh! I’ll-I’ll die! It tickles!”
“How can it tickle? I’m not even touching you.”
4K pulled up another chair, settling by HD’s feet. Another thing HD just hadn’t noticed. He leaned down again, this time picking up one of the feathers. A long, stiff blue feather. HD recognised that feather as the one that had tortured his ribs before. Now it was waving ever so close to his tortured sole.
“Pleee...ehehase. Please not-not that! If-If you ti-ihickle me softly I’ll dieeeee…” His voice came out in whiny cries and HD couldn’t find any part of himself that cared in that moment.
“Well we won’t know till we try.”
The feather flicked over HD’s arch. It was barely touching his skin, like it was just testing out the waters and there was no words in any language that would ever describe how much it fucking tickled.
It didn’t feel like a laugh that tore out of their throat. It was more like a high pitch scream from deep within their chest. It hiccuped in their throat, coming out as a whine and then a deep hysterical laugh even as 4K pulled the feather back. It was like some cruel left over ripple effect. The tickly tingles still ran over their skin and their voice broken up by giggles and laughs.
“Ah...Ahahaha…! N-Noho! Not-Not thahat...ngh…!”
The feather returned, this time over the ball of his foot. 4K flipped the feather on it’s side so the edges ran along HD’s skin. Then he flicked the feather up so the soft edges got at all of the fae’s toes. 4K sawed the feather back and forth, up and down the length of HD’s toes; just lightly brushing over that spot where toes met his foot and HD was seeing stars.
“THEEEEEHEHERE! NOHOHOT THEEEHEHEHERE! EHEHE-AAAHAHAHAHA! PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEEEAAAAHAHAHAHAHASE! I’LL-I’LL DIEEEEE!”
“Well, you’ll die laughing.” 4K purred. In his mercy he did pull the feather away, bringing it back so just the tip of it licked over each of HD’s toes. “Is that not a good way to go?”
“NOHO! NOOHOHOHOHOHO! IT ITCHEEEEES! IT’S-IT’S TOO MAAAAAHAHAHAHA!”
4K dipped the feather between each of HD’s toes. Flicking just once and moving onto the next space.
“PLEHEHEASE PLEASE PLEASE! DOHON’T-DON’T TICKLE ME GENTLY!”
“No? How do you want me to tickle you?”
He pulled the feather back, letting HD have a moment to regain his senses. His chest heaved with each breath, his foot still maddeningly tingly.
“PLEASE! P-Plehease… Scratch… Scratch my f-foot. Please-Please. I-I’m begging yohou!”
“Is that all? Well of course.”
The elated hope that swelled in HD’s chest burst almost instantly as 4K did scratch over HD’s foot. The foot not covered in itching powder. He pushed back the free foot, scratching over the ball and down the arch while his thumb scratched along HD’s heel.
“EEEEEEEHEHE! PLEASE NO! PLEEHEEEEEEEEEASE!”
The feather returned again, slowly brushing up and down the length of his poor trapped foot. It could do nothing but shake in its hold, forever at the mercy of 4K and his terrible feather.
“NOT THAAAAAAAT! NOT THA – Ahaha… Not THAHAT ONE! I’M BEGGING YOU! I’M BEGGING YOU! PLEASE STOP!”
“Beg more…” 4K’s voice sounded lower, the purr mixing into a deep growl. “Tell me how much it tickles.”
“IT TICKLES!” There was no sense or logic to HD’s words. His one compreheniable thought was if he listened to 4K, the itching would stop. “IT TIHIHICKLES! I CA – AHAHAHAHA! I CAN’T THINK!”
“You can laugh.” 4K taunted, flicking the feather back and forth over HD’s itchy heel. His other hand scratching up and down his free foot.
HD couldn’t believe it could get worse, but somehow having his non itchy foot being scratched and tickled just made the itch more unbearable. It was a constant taunt to his other foot. Experiencing the sweet relief it could be having.
“PLEASE! MERCY! Oh-Ohohoaaahahaaha! St-OP! STOP! MAKE IT STOP!”
“Could anyone else ever tickle you like this?”
There was the growl again; the jealousy. HD’s head was too far up in orbit to pick up on it. The only two thoughts running through his mind were ‘IT TICKLES IT ITCHES’ and ‘Make 4K happy and he’ll stop the itching’.
“NOHOHO! NONONONO! NEVER!”
“Would you ever let anyone tickle you like this?”
“NO! NOHOHOHOHO!”
“So no-one tickled you while you were away?” The growl had lessened in his voice, taking on a more taunting lilt that HD couldn’t pick up on. His mind was too focused onto the feather not running up and down the length of his foot.
“NOOOOO! N-NO-ONE! NO-ONE! Ah...AAAHAHAHAHA! No-one could! I w-wohohouldn’t lehehet them! Just-JUAAHAHAHAHA! JUST YOU! ONLY YOOHOHOU!”
HD rambled, only half aware of the words he was really saying as the feather explored over every inch of his slender sole. It returned up to his toes, the spot that made the colours dance in his eyes and his laugh screech like he was being tortured. His voice had left him. All reasoning and senses beyond the feeling of his poor itching sole was gone. He was nothing but a true tickle toy in that moment. At the whims of 4K’s every demand as he orchestrated the laughter he wanted with that awful awful feather.
But there was some relief from the itching. Something in the words HD rambled out gave 4K mercy. He abandoned the feather with the other tools. HD only heard the slightly sounds of rummaging before 4K’s attention returned and HD screamed.
A hairbrush. A hairbrush that could almost cover the entirety of HD’s foot, raked mercilessly along the trapped sole. It tickled madly but it scratched that forever itch, swirling into a confusing sensation of relief and torture. It felt like he’d died, and gone to divine bliss all in one motion.
“EEHEHEEHEHEEEEEEE! IT’S TIHIHIHICKLING MEEEE! IT TIHIHICKLES! STOP TIIHICKLING MEEEEEE!”
“Doesn’t this feel good?” 4K had to raise his voice over HD’s screaming, but his words forever had a constant route, right to HD’s ears.
“Y-Y-YEEEEES YEHEHEHES! MY…! MY FOOOOOOT!”
“What about your foot?”
The brushing continued. Scrubbing away HD’s sanity again and again.
“IT TICKLES! IT TICKLE!”
“Huh… Why does it tickle?”
“YOU’RE TICKLING YOU’RE TICKLING! MY FEEEHEHEHEHEHET ARE SO TIHIHICKLISH! AAAAHAHAHAHAEEEHEHEHEHE! STOHOP! MAHAHAKE IT STOHOHOHOP! I’LL DO ANYTHIHIHIHING JUST STOOOOHOHOHOP!”
“Anything? Well… I want you to laugh.”
The brushing continued.
Minutes. Hours. HD couldn’t be sure. He’d never be free. He’d never know anything but this. The blissful torture of his itchy foot being scratched and tickled again and again.
Time pressed on. Their pleading and begging was mixed with praise and affirmations whenever the brush passed over a particularly itchy spot. Small flashes of relief from the itch kept them aware. Their body refused to let them pass out.
All the while 4K’s words continued.
“You beg me to scratch your foot and now you beg me to stop. You’ve giving me mixed messages here, little star. I should tickle this foot for eternity over that. I should do nothing but tickle this little foot right here. I wonder how long until you go mad. Until you can only think of tickles. Until you can think of nothing else but me tickling this little ticklish foot.”
HD couldn’t respond. He could only laugh, and howl, and scream.
The safeword had never been said, but the brush was finally pulled away from their feet. HD’s mind still scrambled for sense, as they continued breathlessly laughing. They could vaguely feel their toes loosen for their ties. The stretched and curled instinctively to the newfound freedom.
The small remnants of the itching powder over his left foot were calmed and wiped away with a cold wet rag. Even though the touch was firm and so soothing, HD couldn’t help but giggle hysterically to the softness.
Finally, his foot was free of the itch. It still lingered as a memory of course and HD’s foot would be twitching for a while, but his skin felt like it could breathe again.
The ties on his wrists were undone but his arms were caught before they could uselessly fall at his sides. 4K brought them down gently as he undone the strap around HD’s waist and gathered the fae up in his arms.
“You did so good.” His voice whispered so softly against HD’s ear. It flicked a little, but twitched to hear more. “You were amazing. Still never said the word that would make it all stop. You’re amazing.”
4K’s thumb swiped under his eye and down his cheek. HD could feel now they were stained with tears. Even as he tried to blink, his vision hazy, he could feel the last few teardrops slide down his cheek.
He was brought out of the room, though he could only tell because the orange glow of the lanterns had faded and the silver light of the moon took their place. HD thought they’d went outside, but he was lowered to the nest of furs that was 4K’s bed. He had no shame to cloud his wants and he nuzzled into them right away, drawing them up around himself as he felt another fur being pulled over him.
“So cute. You’re so cute.” 4K’s voice rumbled, and HD could vaguely feel a kiss press to the side of his head.
A warmth slid up behind HD and pushed against his back. Warm and firm but also softly comforting. It wrapped around his waist as well, pulling him tighter against the warmth on his back.
4K was holding him. Holding him so softly and affectionately that even in his blissed out state, HD swooned.
“Sleep, Starlight.” 4K purred and another kiss pressed to HD’s head. “Have the softest dreams.”
Like a command HD had no choice but to follow, he fell asleep into a blissful darkness.
It was still warm when HD woke up. He could feel the sun’s warmth creeping just ever closer over the opening through the top of the mountain. The furs were a mix of being wrapped around him and kicked away during the night.
The memories of last night came sweeping into HD all at once. It wouldn’t be one he could so easily shake off, even if he wasn’t lucid for all of it. It was a rather abrupt way to wake up. His cheeks were red and he giggled to the memory that felt just a little too real. Like he could still feel the tingling shocks of ticklishness coursing through him but...no, he could.
Something was tickling him.
It as just a light scratching on his sides, barely even a touch but it made HD squirm and giggle all the same. He blinked the last of the sleep from his eyes, coming fully into reality as he tried to inch just a little bit away and gather his surroundings. The warmth around him decided it did not like that very much and effortlessly pulled HD right back in, the tickling continued.
4K pressed up as close as he could against HD’s back. His arms wrapped around the fae’s waist with his hand lazily lounging by the fae’s sides. His fingers were twitching but the motion was too precise to be random. Yet even so, 4K was still deep asleep, snoring happily into HD’s hair while his claws brushed along the oversensitive skin.
“Eheheven in your sleep yohour a tickle fiend.” HD whisper giggled. He tried to move forward again and the grip was tightened. The snoring was broken up by a soft whine and the tickling just ever so slightly pressed in further, kneading a little into the soft sides. “H-Hehey! Stohop. Stop that.”
HD grabbed 4K’s hands and moved them off his waist. The demon disagreed with this move, grumbling sleepily but he settled again when HD turned around to face him and slowly drew him in. 4K shuffled forward, till his face leaned against HD’s chest and he sighed happily. HD kept the tickling hands far from his sides, instead placing them on his back so he could still be wrapped up in the demons arms. The scratching tickled a little, but it was more calming than tickling, so HD let himself relax.
Judging by the position of the sun above it was just coming to noon. HD still felt the tugs of sleepiness and it would have been so easy to slip right back into his peaceful slumber, but his attention was pulled to the demon curling up in his chest.
4K’s expressions were vastly different when he was asleep. His lips usually so stretched out into a grin were softly parted with his slow breaths. His intense eyebrows relaxed, smoothing out his face overall. HD had seen 4K asleep before, but he seemed so vulnerable and soft in this moment. A vast difference from the merciless tickler just a few hours ago.
“Of course I’d never let anyone else tickle me…” HD whispered to the top of 4K’s wild hair. His horns just poked out of the wild mane and HD gently ran his fingers over one of them. Smoother than what HD expected to feel. His other arm wrapped around 4K’s neck, cradling him into the fae’s chest. “You think I’d trust anyone like I do you?”
4K couldn’t hear the words. It was the equivalent of whispering them into a brick wall. Yet HD meant it. He had trust in 4K that he had never had with anyone else. Maybe long ago, the days before he was labelled ‘kin killer’ he had a couple friends he could trust, but never to the level he had with 4K. Never to the extend he would have willingly gone into a chair with straps on them.
HD could feel the knot around his heart shift with the beating of it. It wasn’t a strange pressure like before but it felt almost like a blossoming flower. A soft warmth growing from his chest, making his face red and his heart beat faster.
He had so willingly gone into the chair and let his feet be held in stocks for this demon. And he would probably do it again if the demon asked. This wasn’t just trust. This was affection.
A groan stopped HD’s thoughts wandering any further. Rather thankfully, though he pushed those thoughts and feelings aside for now as 4K awoke.
Usually 4K rose with the sun and he was always so annoyingly energetic. Now the demon seemed groggy. He whined and stretched his arms out. He pulled back from HD and rolled onto his back, landing in a spot of the bed where the sun beamed directly in and he groaned again as he threw his arm over his eyes.
“Too bright…”
HD opened his mouth to speak, but he watched instead as 4K lazily pulled up his other arm. He gave a lazy wave and the opening at the top slowly began to close. Like stone growing, the opening shrunk and shrunk till it was just a tiny sliver. Enough light was coming through to see, but the beam disturbing 4K was gone.
“Much better…” 4K sighed.
“This is-a…!” HD tried to speak, shocked to the sound of his own voice. HD already had a deep voice other didn’t expect, but now it was somehow deeper and gravelly. It didn’t hurt to speak but he could feel how rough his throat was with each word.
“Seems that little session did a number on your voice there.” 4K teased with a chuckle.
HD gave a slight smack to 4K’s arm. “No...wonder.” He said. His voice wasn’t sore, but it still felt weird to talk.
“Honestly surprised you have a voice at all after that. I do fully believe the town must have heard you screaming. If not, then the Gods must have.” 4K teased again, but his eyes were soft as he looked to HD. “How are you, by the way? Aside from the voice. All good?”
The hand that had waved the mountain closed now reached over to HD, softly rubbing over his arm. His skin prickled with goosebumps as he answered. “Y-Yes… why?”
4K rolled his shoulders in not quite a shrug. “Wanted to check in on you last night but you were kind of...far out, shall we say. And sleepy. Just wanted to make sure everything was good.”
“Is that because I never said the safeword?”
The sheepish smile told HD he’d hit the nail on his head.
“If I didn’t say the word, then it’s all good.” HD affirmed again. He tired not to sound annoyed, though really he couldn’t tell what his voice truly sounded like at the moment. 4K’s constant checking in was out of concern and HD appreciated it no matter how many times he had to assure him.
“I know you know that now. I just want to make sure it’s all good then. You were pretty out of it last night I couldn’t even be sure if you could have remembered the word.” 4K rolled onto his side facing HD. He propped himself up on his elbow, lazily leaning his head on his hand. “Maybe we should have another tell when you get like that...something physical – Ah! But you probably won’t remember the action either.”
While HD felt touched to the suggestion, he quickly cut into 4K’s wandering thoughts. “I don’t need anything else. The word is enough, I just...never felt like I needed to use it.”
4K raised an eyebrow. More curious than unbelievable. “Really?”
“Yes. It’s like…” HD stopped and pursed his lips as tried to find the right words. “Like… I know last night I was...w-well my mind was fried. But like I could still know it was there. Just a word that stops it all. I don’t think I see it as word at that point it’s like...It’s an off switch. That no matter how intense it gets I always have that out. That I know I can be pushed further because I have an out if I ever needed it. I guess that’s why I never use it because I know I can.”
He risked looking to 4K who just stared back at him, and HD’s words suddenly felt stupid in his gravelly throat. “Just forget it. That’s dumb.”
“No, it’s not dumb.” 4K quickly shook his head. “I get it. Well, I kind of get it. And whatever makes sense for you is fine with me. I just wanna make sure you’re all good with it. After I stop you’re always sort of spaced out, like it takes a bit for you to come back. Just wanna be sure there’s no bad thoughts after or anything uncomfortable.”
HD shook his head. “No it’s… It’s not like I pass out or anything but things feel sort of...fuzzier. I’m not all there but I slowly come around. And I never feel bad when I do I just feel...like soft? And I’m not worried about any time lost or when I wasn’t all there because I know you’re there. I’d be different if it wasn’t with you.”
HD risked a look over, to see 4K grinning like an idiot and expected some sort of taunting remark. Instead, 4K voice was surprisingly soft as he nodded. “Then we’re good.”
4K rolled over onto his back again, and stretched his arms up while HD’s thoughts wandered a little. “Just hypothetically…” He started. “If I did ever safeword...what would you do?”
“Well stop, of course.” 4K said like it was obvious and lowered his arms. He put one behind his head, the other lazy over his chest. “Then if you were tied or pinned I’d let you up. Then check-in. Like, did you safeword because it was too much, or did I trigger something, and we work from there.”
There was no need to ever worry, but HD was pleased to know his out was soft and comfortable.
“Ugh...hate waking up late.” 4K groaned and brought his hand up to wipe over his face.
“I was going to say. This is a little late for you.” HD pointed out.
“Well I was up late.” 4K chuckled. “Was tickling you for hours.”
“Hours?!” HD almost gasped. Of course he didn’t really have a concept of time as he was screaming.
“Well your foot needed attention. It was itchy. And you were begging me to scratch it. Had to do something.”
HD’s face flushed to the memory. They were sprinkled about little memories in his mind but he absolutely was begging for his foot to be scratched. More than once.
4K groaned again. His hand came up to wipe his face again, as though that could get rid of the fatigue. “Too tired. That’s it! Today is a bed day.”
“Bed day?” HD asked as 4K seemed to lounge himself further on the bed and taking up more space.
“Bed day.” 4K confirmed. “I’m not leaving this bed…” He hesitated a bit, his eyes flicking back and forth with some thought. “Well… Okay, I need to leave to get snacks and water and some stuff but after that, I am not moving.”
HD gave a half hearted scoff, but he could feel 4K’s tail tap lightly over his legs, and 4K looked at him again.
“You could join me… The bed is big enough for both of us to have a bed day if you want.”
It was a very tempting offer that HD was swayed to right away. “Oh, how could I refuse?” He slipped down to lie on the bed, ignoring the way 4K’s tail curled around his leg as he sank down. “A bed day sounds nice to rest my throat.”
“Perfect.” 4K’s voice purred and he quickly pushed himself up and off the bed.
HD fell back down into the furs and the demon returned less than a few minutes later with his promised items. He brought food and a jug of water for them, as well as some books and paper with sketching charcoal.
It was a perfect first day back on the mountain. Spent napping between eating and reading to pass the time. The two would talk in passing the time, or they’d share a book together before dozing off. HD would wake up wrapped in 4K’s arms, listening to the demon softly snoring and lulling him back to sleep.
There was no word to describe it other than bliss. It was like a missing piece of himself finally fit into place. The mountain was home. And 4K was a part of that.
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