#ticklish!Stede

[thebest-medicine]

Prompt 23 with lee Ed and ler Stede

Prompt 23 - "Wait a minute, you're not ticklish, are you?"

A/N: they are too cute omfg

…

“Wait a minute, you’re not ticklish, are you?” Stede asked, smiling incredulously.

“Ticklish?” Ed scoffed. “Yeah, no. I don’t think so, mate.” 

“Are you… absolutely sure about that?” Stede raised an eyebrow at him. “Because it sure looked to me like–”

“Pff. Well, try it if you don’t believe me!” Blackbeard held his arms out to the sides, looking at Stede expectantly.

This was certainly a surprise. “Well…” Stede’s smile softened into something that made Ed’s insides tighten. “Alright then.” He stretched his fingers slowly, then brought them around just beside each of Ed’s sides. “How about here?” He prodded gently, watching the spots as Ed’s eyes watched him. 

A few pinches, and Ed’s gaze snapped down to where the hands were on his sides. What the hell was this feeling? He squirmed slightly, tensing up.

“You…sure this doesn’t tickle?” Stede asked slowly, poking a finger into the front of his lower ribs and getting a startled intake of breath in response. “It … kind of seems like it does.” He pressed in harder, and Ed’s arms flinched in protectively. 

“Well you’re- you’re doing it weird!” Ed responded, grumbling and a bit frazzled. 

“What d’ya mean?” Stede asked, softening his touch to try to ensure he wasn’t harming his pirate companion. 

Ed hissed. “All light n’ shit like that. Feels weird.” He flinched backwards.

“Ah.” Stede observed. “Well, that is still tickling.” He squeezed Ed’s sides a bit more harshly with forefinger and thumb. He didn’t so much as flinch at that. “Are you more used to harder tickling? Doesn’t work on everyone, I’d say.” 

Ed watched him, listening. These lighter, more gentle tracings of fingers were tingling and distracting, nothing like the rare harsh grabs for his ribs that he’d had in his mind whenever someone brought up the idea of tickling. He’d been quick to overcome reacting to those. But this… this was different. Stede’s fingers brushed against the skin peeking out at the bottom of his shirt and Edward nearly leapt backwards from his reach. 

“Alright!” He said, higher than usual. “I guess maybe. A little bit. Whatever. Doesn’t matter.”

“It’s quite alright.” Stede smiled at him, steady and gentle, reassuring. “I’m rather sensitive to both, I’m afraid.” 

“Oh really?” Ed asked, eyes snapping back to the other captain. 

Stede looked away bashfully, and something in Ed’s stomach tightened again. “Well, since I let you try it out on me, I think it’s only fair…” 

Stede’s eyes widened, shooting back to Blackbeard. “Wait- but I– oh dear!” He brought up his hands with a wide, nervous grin on his face. “Edward! P-Please take it easy on me! Wait–!”

…

[more sentence starter fic prompts]

[other sentence starter fics]

[read this & further OFMD drabbles on ao3]

[gaybananabread]

⁠✧.*Are You Listening?*⁠.⁠✧

~Ehehehe the brain maggots won and I can’t say I’m upset by it (＾⩌＾). I’ve binged this show enough times to be put into all kinds of moods by these men, so I might as well write out my feelings. This is set right after S1 Ep. 7, so if you haven’t watched up to there, expect some spoilers! For anyone else who has pirate-based thought goblins, I hope you Enjoy!~

Lee: Edward

Ler: Stede

Summary: Stede goes on a small rant about what happened on their latest adventure, though Edward isn’t fully listening. When he notices this, he calls the man out, but is met with a rather fascinating reaction.

Warnings: mild Our Flag Means Death spoilers! This is a tickle fic, so if you don’t like that, scroll away!!

Bobbing with the current, the Revenge drifted peacefully through the sea. Most of the crew was on-deck, chatting and messing around in their moment of peace. However, in the captain’s quarters, two men relaxed, one info-dumping while the other thumbed through random numbers of Stede’s vast collection of novels.

“And did you see that bird’s nest? They had to be Snowy Plovers, no question. Oh, I wish Lucius had brought his sketching journal.”  Stede sighed dreamily, slowly pacing around the room as he spoke. 

Ed hummed, not looking up from the copy of Hansel and Grettle. Stede had allowed him to browse whatever he wanted in the library, though he rarely read anything cover-to-cover. The blonde man continued, not yet noticing his companion’s lack of attention.

“There were so many interesting creatures on that island! I mean, the orange was the real treasure in it all, but I do so enjoy exploring nature when we travel.” Turning on his heel, he spun to face the bearded man once again. “What do you think, Ed?” 

“Uh-huh, yeah. Good, uh, land and shit,” Edward half-heartedly replied, flipping a few more pages into the book. That’s when Stede finally noticed that he wasn’t really listening.

“Edward!” The pirate jolted, shutting the book and actually meeting Stede’s eyes. “You weren’t even listening to me, were you?” Stede huffed, crossing his arms with an almost adorable pout.

“Uh…kinda? I mean, I heard the bit about the birds…” Ed mumbled most of his response, looking away. Yeah, he’d only heard a few words of the other man’s spiel. “Fuckin’, uh…book was distracting.”

With a huff, Stede sat down beside him, picking up the book. “I’m glad you’re interested in literature, but I was talking. It’s a bit rude to ignore people, isn’t it?” While he was a bit annoyed, Stede’s tone was a joking one. He even poked the man’s ribs in a playful manner, though he hadn’t expected Ed’s flinch.

“Damn, did I hurt you?” Stede sounded worried, a profanity even slipping in. He was more panicked than a normal friend should’ve been, though neither commented on it. 

“No, didn’t hurt. Takes more than a fuckin’ finger to hurt me.” Ed swatted Stede’s hand away, his beard hiding the very slight blush on his cheeks. He hadn’t felt a touch like that since…well, it’d certainly been a while. “Just felt…I dunno, fuckin’ weird.” 

“Weird?” Stede spoke softly, his worry melding into confusion. What could possibly feel weird to Blackbeard? He’d only lightly poked the man, and his ribs aren’t…oh. Oh. It took everything Stede had to keep a straight face as he said his next words.

“Might your ribs be a bit sensitive, Ed?” 

Edward nearly did a double-take at the words and his tone, snapping his head in the other man’s direction. “Sensitive? I’m…I’m fuckin’ Blackbeard. Sensitivity doesn’t apply to me.”

Stede rolled his eyes. Yeah right… Stifling a smirk, the blonde slowly slid his hand towards Ed’s side. Before he could do anything, though, a rough hand snatched his wrist. Edward’s eyes met his, full of some unreadable emotion.

“Don’t. Don’t you fuckin’ dare, Bonnet.” His tone was gruff and dark, though the emotion in his eyes gained some depth. It was almost…giddy? The word felt foreign when describing Ed, though it fit to a tee.

“Hmmm…I think I fucking do.” Using his other hand, he squeezed Edward’s side. The feeling was such a shock that a damned giggle left the dread pirate’s mouth, his arms moving to clamp to his sides.

That sound made Stede’s stomach fill with a strange fluttering feeling—one he often felt around Edward. He decided to pursue it, scooting closer and wiggling his fingers into Ed’s stomach. 

The feeling wasn’t that intense through his layers of clothing, but it definitely still tickled. Biting his lip, Ed squirmed, trying to shove at Stede’s hands while still protecting himself. It should be noted, however, that he didn’t put up much of a real fight.

“My, Edward. I think someone’s a bit ticklish…” Stede chuckled, trying to slip his fingers under Ed’s arms. He’d had a small taste of the other man’s laughter, and had become hooked, He had to hear more. “I think it’d feel a bit nicer if you let out that laughter, Ed. Don’t you?”

When the eccentric man managed to wedge his fingers up to Ed’s ribs, the pirate knew he was done for. The dam broke, surprisingly bright giggles filling the quarters. They were still gruff, of course—still, the happy air was hard to ignore. 

“Oh dear. I think someone’s got a case of the giggles~” Stede cooed, one hand wiggling on the man’s ribs as the other poked and spidered on his belly. Was he pushing his luck? Oh, absolutely. It was, however, well worth it to see Ed’s silly smile.

 “F-fuhuhuck- Stehehede! Fuhuck ohohoff!” Twisting and wriggling around, Ed hid his face in his shoulder. The bearded man’s heavy boots skidded on the wooden floor, leaving small scuffs. Stede would deal with that later.

The feeling was…well, it wasn’t awful for Edward. He would never let the crew see him like that, of course; he had a reputation to maintain. With Stede, however, it felt nice to laugh. To let a few of his walls down without the fear of the mental rubble coming back to crush him. He wasn’t going to admit any of that, but it was true: his blush, however, was a different story.

“Well, I would, but I think I can see some pink underneath that salt and pepper of yours. Are you blushing, Eddy?” Stede used a slight nickname, his tone incredibly playful and teasing. He was determined to keep Ed giggling for as long as possible. 

“Screhehew youhu!” Edward tried arching his back, but that only freed his ribs up more. Slipping his fingers beneath Ed’s leather, Stede wiggled his fingers against the thinner fabric of his undershirt. That got quite the reaction.

“GRK- FAHAHAHAHA! FUHUHUCK YOUHUHUHU!” Ed’s bright giggles ramped up to loud, raucous laughter. A few snorts worked their way in, making Stede’s heart melt. Oh, how he loved that sound…

“I must say, this is a fine symphony. I’m loving all the onomatopoeias, and your laugh is so melodic!” Wanting to be a bit more mean, Stede hummed a lovely tune by Bach, pretending that his fellow seamen’s ribs and belly were piano keys. “I just love tickling the ivories, don’t you?”

The bearded man couldn’t respond, too lost in laughter to form a coherent sentence. While it was nice to laugh his cares away, he was starting to wear out. His throat was drying up, and his sides were starting to ache. He patted Stede’s wrist, managing to speak through his amusing cackles. “S-STAHAHAP! STEHEHEDE!”

Immediately, Stede pulled away, sensing Ed’s weariness. He didn’t want to push too much. “Goodness, Ed, I-I’m sorry. I got a bit carried away. Are you alright?”

Closing his eyes, Edward took a few deep and giggly breaths. He was certainly tired, but not to an uncomfortable degree. “Qu-quit worryin’... Takes mohore than a little laugh to knohock Blackbeard down.” The red hue on his cheeks slowly subsided, his giggles drying up. Ed recovered pretty quickly.

“Good, good,” Stede sighed, smiling softly. Finally noticing that his hands were still on Edward, he scooted away, blushing. Ed cut him off before he could make a fool of himself. 

“Ya know, it’s been a while since anyone’s had the balls to do somethin’ like that to me. Good on ya, Stede.” He clapped the blonde on the shoulder, though didn’t let go after. Instead, he flipped their positions, swiftly pinning Stede to the couch and nearly straddling him.

Ed made quick work of Stede’s resistance, even though there was hardly any to deal with. “There’s a reason for that, though. Wanna guess why?” He pinned the flamboyant man’s arms above his head without any hesitation. Stede couldn’t help the squeaky giggles that bubbled out of him, already squirming. He shook his head. Edward leaned down and whispered in his ear, scraggly beard hair tickling the poor man’s neck. He was in for a long evening...

“I always get my revenge~”

[b4g3lbit3s]

headcanon that ed is crazy ticklish so sometimes when he and stede are cuddling he starts squirming a bunch. stede will be running his hand up and down ed’s side and ed keeps wiggling. obviously stede asks if something is wrong and ed is VERY insistent that nope, nothings wrong.

stede quickly figures out that ed is ticklish almost everywhere and yes he takes advantage of that

[abihasablog]

A tickly nsfw prompt? Blackbeard has a ticklish butt. STEDE has a ticklish thutt (Where thigh meets butt). That is all <3

TRUE.

Ed has to be sat on because he's like a bucking bronco when Stede goes for his bum, but he just absolutely loves it. He buries his face in his hands and his laughter is more shrieking but he doesn't safe word out, content to let Stede rub ticklish circles on his cheeks, or drag a feather punishingly slow.

When Ed goes for Stede's thigh crease, he just melts. He's laid across Ed's lap in the tiniest shorts he owns, trying to muffle his giggles in a cushion as Ed traces his fingers along the skin. "Heh, it's like your behind is a map and this little crease is the equator, but it doesn't get hotter, just more tickly."

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

As much as we all know Ed's mental health would be greatly improved by the chance to bury his face in the stiddies, I think Stede would really benefit from some time to bury his face in Ed's tummy.

Like. Ed has a super cute tummy to begin with. 10/10. It's soft, he's got a cute little happy trail. Wonderful. But what if he's a bit ticklish there. And after a rough day, they're snuggling, Stede adjusts and buries his face in the tummy, and Ed's giggling and petting his hair and going "awwww baaaabe" and it's just so sweet and soft and domestic. I think that would turn Stede's mood right around.

[darkverrmin]

Chapter 4 is up!

***

As expected, Stede was still sleeping by the time Ed came back. Ed sighed, placing the tray on the table.

Might as well have a laugh, he thought.

He went over to the bed where Stede was sleeping. He carefully sat down, straddling the other man.

And then he started tickling him.

Stede stirred at first, not realizing what’s going on. He opened his eyes and saw Ed looming above him, smiling mischievously.

Stede giggled, trying to grab the other man’s hands. “Ed, stop this!”

 Ed laughed. “Didn’t know you were ticklish.”

 “I’m not- Ow! Okay, as your former captain, I command you to stop!”

Ed raised an eyebrow. “We’re not on the Revenge, mate. You oversleep too much, you get tickled. Sorry, I don’t make the rules”.

 “Oh, very funny- Ah! Ed!”

 “No Ed here. Only Blackbeard, who tickles his enemies to death.”

Stede tried to hit the other man in the face with a pillow but missed. That only caused Ed to laugh harder and double his efforts.

***

Continue reading:

[happyandticklish]

ok writing out my thoughts is a lot harder than i expected because there’s just so little scenarios that izzy would Let himself be vulnerable in.

but say there’s been a raid, and izzy’s been injured. nothing huge, but his hand’s a little messed up. he knows he should go to roach for anything like that but that would mean admitting to a weakness, no matter how small, which he just won’t do. he won’t do that! so he makes a bandage out of spare rags and continues with his duties fine enough, but then stupid fucking stede bonnet comes along always caring about people and fussing over something minor like that, and izzy would never willingly accept help from him of all people but apparently everyone is against him today and ed’s ordering him to let stede at least take a look and he can’t just. refuse. he’s a dick but an order is an order and he’s going to follow it. so he agrees (with tons of complaining and rolled eyes), and finds himself hours later in the captains shared cabin, sat on a chair that’s far too soft with a cup of tea on the table that’s far too hot, stede’s on some rant about how “silly” he is for risking an infection for his reputation, and izzy considers leaving, slamming the door in his face and going to bed because 1) they hate each other and 2) he’s FINE. but ed is sat opposite to them, because he knows izzy and stede well enough that there’s no way in hell he’ll leave them alone together or they’ll be duelling in less than 20 seconds, and izzy knows ed well enough to know that upsetting his little boyfriend is a one way ticket back to square one. so he stays, uncharacteristically quiet save for a few complaints here and there. he’s thankful that stede also doesn’t want him there any longer than he has to, because it goes by quite quickly. but somewhere between cleaning and redressing his hand, stede’s being too gentle. he hisses and yanks his hand back, and bonnet looks up at him almost sympathetically, muttering something about knowing it hurts but he needs to get it over and done with, so izzy places it back onto his lap and turns away, biting his gloved knuckle to stop himself making anymore embarrassing noises. and apparently he can’t have any peace today, because ed’s clearly caught on, and the stupid smirk he’s wearing hasn’t been seen since they were younger, before blackbeard and first mate hands, when it was all muffled giggles and late night tickle fights, and for some odd reason his chest aches a little, but he has no time to think about it because it really tickles, and stede’s gotta be stupider than he looks because there’s no way he’s not realised between all the scuffed boots and huffs and slightly red face, but he seems … oblivious? and izzy’s never been so happy for something to finally be over.

“come back tomorrow mate, yeah? just to make sure, can’t risk you being out of duty.” ed says innocently enough, but the shiteating grin he has makes him more nervous than he cares to admit, so he nods and leaves without even a thank you. and when he’s finally out of earshot, the first thing stede says once he stands is “ticklish?”, and ed cackles.

Dude

DUDE

This is such an incredible concept you can't just casually drop this in my inbox!!!

This flustered me a tad more than I'm willing to admit lol. Because as stated before, Izzy absolutely has ticklish hands, and I can completely see this scenario happening. And the bit about Izzy reminiscing on past tickle fights I am going to cry you cannot just bring shit like that up

And Stede's innocent little, "Ticklish?" at the end is so cute too. Because you know Stede would never use it against him but Ed for sure will and absolutely rats out the fact that Izzy doesn't mind it later on. Not that Stede isn't still hesitant for fear of Izzy killing him asjgjhjki

Thank you so, SO much for this, this is actually my new favorite thing in the world <3

[adhduck]

hellooooooooo 😍 for the "get to know your fic writer" meme: 27, 39, 46, 56, 64, 68 (I could ask like... a dozen of these 😂😂😂 I'm gonna add a wild-card here for you to answer one on the list you WANT to but that I didn't ask 👀)

oooooooh so many thank you for understanding i never wanna shut up

27. What is your most and least favorite part of writing?

Favorite part is either when I've been trying to tease out a scene for a while (especially one with lots of emotional complexity) and suddenly it all fits together Or when I write and somehow it all magically flows out of me with ease. Least favorite part is writing when it is Not magically flowing out of me and yet I am forced to keep going even though it feels bad lmao

39. Share a snippet from a WIP

First is Stede’s body, Ed soaping up a loofah and running it gently over all the dips and rolls and angles of the man he loves—the broad expanse of his chest, the dip in his navel, the crease between thigh and groin, the spot right below the arch of his foot where he’s ticklish as hell. Stede raises his arms obediently when Ed cleans his pits, looking at him with exhaustion and love in his eyes that Ed’s body hardly feels big enough to hold. When the worst of the general grime is running down the drain—not much, but Ed knows that doesn’t matter, can see how much weight has left Stede’s shoulders along with the dirt—Stede asks Ed to grab a washcloth and soap that up too, then takes a steadying breath. “Now my—my hands,” he says, lifting one for Ed to take. It’s shaking. “Please.”

46. How would you describe your style? (Character/emotion/action-driven, etc)

Definitely character and emotion driven over action. In my heart what I want my style to be at least is "big feelings in simple moments." That feeling of having the hugest emotions that seem like they should be overwhelming everything and yet life continues on, good or bad. Idk I just enjoy exploring emotions and their complexity and working through them and shit

56. What’s something about your writing that you pride yourself on?

I think when I write emotional scenes that have arguments or confessions or revelations or anything like that, it feels realistic without losing the intensity/spark you want out of scenes like that (are you seeing a pattern about what I focus on lmao)

64. Something you love to see in smut.

Laughter! Check-ins! Whimpering! The person giving being SO focused on the other person's needs and still possibly getting off from how good it feels to make them feel good!

68. What, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

Reading definitely, but sometimes when I'm trying to figure out how to write a fic or scene and I'm stuck, I will literally go on a walk with my dog and just talk to myself on voice memos the whole time. I don't even listen to the voice memo again usually but it's important I be recorded for some reason and it really gets me out of a rut like 9 times out of 10

BONUS: 47. How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

This is just me blatantly calling myself out that I edit........a lot before I post things. I secretly love editing more than I love writing sometimes lmao, and I will read through my shit SO MANY TIMES editing the tiniest little things (and then editing them back half the time). Whenever someone beta's for me it's like, they read it once or twice and I read it all like five times. (I do however want to soften up on this a liiiiittle bit so that I dont end up in silly editing spirals that aren't helpful.)

Ask me questions about fic

[lee-lucius]

Masterlist

All of Us Villains

Day 7 - Flustered: Lee Alistair, ler Isobel

Black Clover

Family Fun: Lee Noelle, ler Luck

Day 4 - Witch: Switches Vanessa and Luck

Day 6 - Creep: Lee Magna, ler Luck

Day 9 - Payback for a Scare: Switches Luck and Magna

Advent Calendar 1 - Cold (Drabble): Lee Luck, Ler Magna

Advent Calendar 3 - Angel: Lee Gordon, lers Grey and Gauche

Bleach

Day 8 - Truth: Lee Yumichika, ler Ikkaku

Blue Lock

Tickle Me: Lee Bachira, ler Isagi

Time to Get Up!: Lee Nagi, ler Reo

Loving Distractions: Lee Bachira, ler Isagi

Day 10 - Ghost: Lee Bachira, ler Rin

Demon Slayer 

Stress Reliever (Drabble): Lee Muichiro, ler Tanjiro 

Day 3 - Cuddles: Lee Tanjiro, ler Genya

Day 13 - Sneak Attack: Lee Muichiro, ler Mitsuri

Day 14 - Soft: Lee Muichiro, ler Tanjiro

Dr. Stone

Advent Calendar 2 - Christmas Break (Drabble): Lee Senku, ler Gen

Hunter x Hunter

Day 1 - Secret: Lees Gon and Killua, lers Leorio and Gon

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

Day 12 - Bites/Nibbles: Lee Bucciarati, ler Abbacchio

Jujutsu Kaisen

Day 5 - “I’m Not Ticklish” Lee Junpei, ler Yuji

Mashle: Magic and Muscles

Day 11 - Squeal: Lee Mash, ler Dot

My Hero Academia

Day 2 - Accidental: Lee Shigaraki, ler Spinner

One Piece

Fatherly Love: Lee Sanji, ler Zeff

Our Flag Means Death

A New Kind of Affection: Lee Stede, lers Izzy and Ed

The Promised Neverland

Missed You (Drabble): Lee Norman, ler Emma

[izzyeffinhands]

Izzy getting his injury kissed by Stede BAWLING MY EYES OUT

Avast is one hell of a writer! And Izzy be ticklish hee hee. I’m glad people are enjoying what I write I’m sure they appreciate as well!!

[fxckin-blackbeard]

ᒥ🫀ᒧ—         The silver haired man looks surprised when Stede slips from his hold and dunks under, but he smiling nonetheless, expecting something cheeky. What he doesn't expect is to be wrapped up from behind, a soft surprised laugh escaping him as he angles his head to look back at the other man as best he can.

"What are ya doin' ba--Ah! HA!" He begins to laugh wildly, the spot kissed. That's right, the infamous, cruel Blackbeard was a bit ticklish. Edward wiggles in Stede's hold, "Nah! Mate, nah!" He says through wild laughter. His hands rest over the blonde's legs, he's trying to free himself.

"I'll fuckin' kill you, I swear it, Stede!" The threat wasn't a serious one by any means, a goofy grin on his lips evidence to that. "Don't try me, mate!" Edward tries to spin himself around, to face the other man. He wanted to kiss and hold him calmly just a little longer, a gentle kind of love.

Stede's heart was racing from that jump. He's never felt a rush quite like this, even while engaged in battle. Part of that is likely due to the fact that he's always sober, no liquor or drugs to be found in his system, but this still felt far more daring. Far more challenging and dangerous than any fight he'd been in and it made him want to do more. It made him want to try more. Things that were outside of his comfort zone. He wanted to be adventurous, he wanted to experience new things - wild and crazy things - and the one person he wanted to all of that with, and more, was Edward.

Speaking of, he approaches Stede and wraps his legs around him without a word, followed by one hand on his shoulder and the other on his cheek, trapping him within his hold. Not that Stede wanted to escape. Gods, no. He'd be content in staying like this for days on end. Whether in the water or their bed or wherever. So long as he was wrapped up in Edward's embrace, Stede was happy. And that was made evident in the way he smiles, eyes shining brighter than the moon as he gazes into Edward's eyes, returning the kiss without hesitation. One arm wraps around Ed's back while the other moves about the water to keep them afloat, head tilting just slightly to deepen the kiss. There's something incredibly romantic about kissing under the moon, in the calmness of the sea, with no one else around to disturb them. His heart was starting to calm kissing Edward like this, melting into him completely.

Edward pulls back and Stede is left wanting more, even leaning in for another kiss right before he speaks again. So only after the kiss, does Stede respond. "Then perhaps I--" Words are cut short when he starts attacking his face with kisses, eliciting laughter from the blond, his body shivering at the tickling sensation his beard causes, but it doesn't stop Ed, if anything, he seems to get off on it. He seems to enjoy the rising laughter with each and every kiss. But then Stede makes his escape. He dips into the water and slides himself out of Ed's legs before swimming around him and resurfacing from behind. This time it's Stede's turn to do the trapping.

He quickly wraps his legs around Ed's waist and his arms around his shoulders, lips pressing to his wet shoulder and then kissing up his neck and to his ear, nuzzling his beard on the way up. Once at his ear, he presses the softest of kisses to it while his arms and legs squeeze around him. "So swim then, mon trésor." The words are whispered into Edward's ears, followed up with yet another kiss, this one just below it, in one of the spots Stede learned was quite sensitive for his incredibly handsome, talented and amazing boyfriend.

[thebest-medicine]

Day 5: "I'm Not Ticklish"

Tickletober 2023 - Our Flag Means Death - lee!Stede, lee!Ed

[see my other tickletober 2023 fics]

[read on AO3]

A/N: Happy season 2 premiere day! Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!

Words: 784

—

Stede is nearly choking with laughter on the sofa, squirming and kicking as Ed tickles his way down his sides. In desperation for a break, or at least a breath, Stede reaches out wildly toward Edward’s nearby sides. He squeezes.

Ed lets out a little, curious grunt, but he doesn’t flinch away or laugh. “No ya don’t.” He stops tickling briefly to tug Stede’s wrists out of the way. “Won’t work anyway. I’m not ticklish.”

“What?”

“Yup.”

“No way, everyone is somewhere.”

“Not me.” 

“You’re serious? You’re telling me you’re not ticklish?”

“Nope. Not in the slightest.” Edward assures Stede, leaning over him with a smile as the gentleman pirate catches his breath.

“Are- are you kidding me? That hardly seems fair.” Stede complains, smile plastered to his face. He pants, trying to get in a deep breath without laughing it out halfway.

“Don’t know what to tell ya mate. Just ain’t me.”

“Oh, surely at some point- somewhere-”

“Nope. No chance. Never been. Never- am? Was? Never…” Edward trails off, looking up as he tries to think of the proper wording. He closes his eyes and takes a breath, pinching his nose. “Look, bottom line. Blackbeard is not ticklish.” He goes for the most serious tone he can for the conversation they’re (somehow) having.

Stede can’t hide the quirk of a smile on his lips. “Perhaps Blackbeard is not…” He leans forward, feeling bold. “But what about Ed?” Stede clocks the slight falter in Ed’s confident expression and wiggles his fingers in a tease. “Hmm?”

“Same difference. Won’t work.” Ed shrugs - so nonchalant, extremely casual. He definitely does not look at Stede’s hands.

“You don’t mind if I give it a try, then?” Stede grins wider.

Ed snorts at that. He rolls his eyes and purses his lips when he finds Stede watching him with a devious grin. “Be my guest.” He gets up from the couch, standing beside it with his arms outstretched.

Stede rights himself on the couch and sits before him, moving a cautious finger forward to poke at a few different spots along his sides, ribs, belly. The firm touches don’t seem to illicit much of a reaction, just a smug little smirk as he watches Stede’s attempts.

Stede thinks he sees something - or, almost something - when he spiders a hand curiously over Ed’s middle. But, it’s gone just as quick, hidden beneath a veneer of smug stoicism.

Stede complains the whole time. “Not even here?” “Seriously?” “Come on, there has to be at least one spot that will get a laugh out of you.” Each is met with a snarky response.

“Are you done?” Ed asks with a bored shrug. 

“No.” Stede demands. “Sit down.”

Ed gives him a weird look. And then, his smile is back; he laughs a little, “You’re so fucking odd, mate.” He sits down obediently on the couch next to the other man.

Stede reaches down and scoops up his ankles, teetering Blackbeard back haphazardly onto the couch, terribly off-balance. “Hey!” Ed shouts, accusatory.

Stede ignores him, fiddling with his boots. Ed kicks a little, indignant.

Stede turns to look at his disheveled face, lying back on the couch. “What, are you worried about these?” He taunts with a smile.

“I didn’t know you were gonna fucking throw me- but, no, like I said-” Ed banters back. He tries to recall a situation in which someone had ever tried to tickle his feet. Hmm. Plenty of people had tried plenty of times to grab at his sides. He knew the tiny zing to expect and could block it out quite easily. He didn’t really have anything to go off of here.. “I’m not fucking ticklish, so you might as well-”

“Might as well try, hmm?” Stede grins, slipping off one of Ed’s boots.

Fingers zip down Edward’s socked foot experimentally as Stede watches. Ed’s eyes flick straight to his foot, his foot that just twitched under Stede’s fucking touch. Shit.

It’s hopeless to block the bark of a laugh that Ed lets out when Stede flies in with both hands wildly, chasing the tiny flinch in search of further tickle spots. Ed can hear Stede laughing too, triumphant, pleased. 

“You’re such a liar!” Stede chastises with a tease. “You know what we do with liars on this ship?” He’s down to one tickling hand as the other holds Ed’s now captive ankle as it squirms.

“Nohoho-” Ed cackles as fingers scribble under his toes and down the ball of his foot. 

“No? Well, I’d be happy to show you.” He tugs Ed’s sock off in a quick motion, then dives back in to give the laughing captain a taste of his own medicine.

[b4g3lbit3s]

stede and ed find out that izzy is ticklish. how? dont know dont care. that isn’t important. anyways, being good partners, they take full advantage of the situation. izzy is successfully tickle attacked.

this is how ed and stede find out that it is in fact possible for someone to laugh so hard they throw up

[abihasablog]

Late night giggles

Commission for @ticklespls, also on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49049692

At some point in their relationship, Izzy had stopped grumbling about Stede’s need to cling, and that seemed to have been his first mistake. Stede had stopped paying him any mind when he realised he didn’t mean it, but once Izzy had stopped acting like the constant touching and cuddling bothered him, the floodgates burst wide open. The opening of said floodgates led to one very tired and grabby Stede collapsing on top of him on their bed after a night of overindulgence with Ed and the crew. 

Slightly pink cheeked, Stede nuzzled against the back of Izzy’s neck with a content sigh as Ed flopped down next to them. 

“So soft,” Stede mumbled. “Ed, isn’t Izzy so soft?”

“Don’t answer that,” Izzy grunts. He tries to roll over to dislodge his boneless captain, but Stede was apparently determined to use him as a body pillow. “Would you fucking move?”

“Can’t. Sleeping.” 

“Yeah Iz, he’s sleeping. You wouldn’t wake your captain up while he’s sleeping, would you?”

“I’ll toss the sleeping captain into the sea if he doesn’t shift,” Izzy tries to push himself up again, but collapses in a huff when Stede doesn’t budge. “At least let me turn over!”

“Give it up mate,” Ed giggles, getting comfortable beside them amongst the nest of blankets and pillows. “You’re there ‘till breakfast.” 

“S’true,” Stede mumbles, nuzzling closer, and Izzy sighs, resigning himself to his fate. At least Stede wasn’t all elbows and knees. The peace lasts for a few minutes, the three of them settling into sleep, before an annoying itch in his foot wakes Izzy up again.

“Ed,” Izzy hisses. No reply. “Ed, wake up.” He gets a snore in response. 

Izzy squirms underneath Stede's weight, huffing into the pillow. "Fucking get off, I need to scratch my foot."

Ed's head pops up from under the blanket with suspicious speed for someone who was supposedly just asleep. Slowly, a wicked smile spreads across his face.

"I'll scratch it for you," he says coyly.

"No you fucking won’t! ” He kicks fruitlessly at Ed’s hands, which have already latched around his ankles and are tugging them free of their entanglement with Stede’s legs. “Edward!” 

“What’s the matter?” Stede pushes himself up enough to turn towards the commotion, eyes glassy from tiredness. Ed grins at him smugly, easily overpowering Izzy’s weak attempts at escape. 

“Izzy has an itch on his foot.” 

“Okay?” 

“So ‘m gonna scratch it for him.” 

“Why has he gone pink, though?” 

“Oh,” Ed yanks Izzy by the ankles so he’s got a solid grip. “Because he’s ticklish.” 

“No I am not! ” Izzy’s blush spreads to his ears. His legs no longer a viable weapon, he pulls the pillow from under Stede’s head and smacks Ed square in the face. Unphased, Ed snatches it and tosses it away. He lifts his hand slowly into the air, clenching and wiggling his fingers for Izzy to see. 

“You’re really squirming around for someone who isn’t ticklish,” Stede quips, suspiciously more awake than he was moments ago. 

“That’s because he’s the most ticklish person in the world,” Ed drops his hand to skitter his fingertips along his soles. Izzy bites his lip and squeezes his eyes shut, but then he can’t anticipate Ed’s next move, so he snaps them open again. 

“Are you alright, Izzy?” Stede asks him, a note of concern lacing his words, and it’s so saccharine it almost gives Izzy a toothache. “Ed, maybe if Izzy doesn’t enjoy it…?” 

“Oh, he does,” Ed grins at them both, the sort of expression that promises mischief and mirth in equal measure. “Unless that’s changed from the last time, Iz? You remember that time a while ago when you pulled a muscle in your back, and Fang offered to help? You got so wound up about it because you didn’t want him to see how ticklish you are, and how it just makes you melt. ” 

“ Edward. ” Izzy flushes red. “That’s bullshit, never happened. And even if I was ticklish I wouldn’t like it!” 

“Liar,” Ed jabs a finger at the sole of his foot. “Don’t be embarrassed because Stede’s here! He’s super fucking ticklish too, y’know.”

“Well!” Stede bristles, puffing up in offense, and then immediately deflating and looking sheepish. “Actually, yes, I suppose you’re right. It really is nothing to fuss about, and can actually be quite fun!” 

“Nope.” 

“Yes!” Ed wriggles his fingers closer to his target, watching with glee as Izzy’s resolve begins to slip. Just as Izzy opens his mouth to tell him exactly what he thought of him, Ed dropped his hand to start gently wiggling over his sole. Izzy slams his hands over his mouth immediately. 

“Oop, it seems like someone’s trying not to laugh!” Stede teases. Izzy scowls at him. See if he ever intervenes when Ed is tormenting him again. “Oh, do put that pout away. I so love to hear you laugh.” 

“He always does this, acts like he isn’t desperate to get his shit wrecked.” Ed trails his fingers up towards his toes, poking them in between and wiggling. Izzy jerks his leg violently as a rogue burst of laughter escapes him, nearly dislodging his foot from Ed’s grasp. Ed huffs at him, and readjusts himself so he’s got a leg thrown over Izzy’s shins, well and truly trapping him. At the same time, as if sharing a mind, Stede moves silently beside him to pull his taut body against his own. 

“Is Edward right?” His breath tickles against his ear and he shivers. “Do you want us to make you laugh?” 

“No!” It sounds unconvincing even to Izzy. Stede’s hands slide up to his sides and pet at them, nothing more than what they normally do late at night. Stede loves to touch, Izzy knows personally. He lets himself imagine for a moment how things could be if he just gave in. The casual touches morphing into something with more intent… Izzy shudders at the thought. As though he could read his mind, Stede curls his fingers into claws and digs into his belly. 

It doesn’t break the dam that was Izzy’s resolve, but it definitely cracks it. His breath turns ragged as he tries to channel the laughter into something, anything else - it was a matter of pride at this point. Ed seems to sense he’s about to break, and with a wicked grin, wiggles his fingers in between his toes.  

Izzy erupts into laughter, tossing his head back against Stede’s chest and writhing in the strong grip of his arms. 

“There we go!” Ed laughs triumphantly. He hones in on the spot that made Izzy break, teasing the soft skin with his fingertips. Izzy scrunches his toes and stretches his ankles in a weak escape attempt, but Ed is a devious tickler and always has been. “Nuh uh, get those toes back.” 

Izzy whines and kicks about it, but does as he’s told without question. His body and mind are halfway to mush already, and as Stede’s hands ascend to draw along his ribs, he feels himself giving in. Ed takes one of his feet in each hand and works them over methodically, tracing wiggly lines from heel to toe and back again. It’s almost too much - almost. 

“Please,” he chokes out, giggling breathlessly and grabbing at Stede’s hands. 

“Please, what? What are you asking so prettily for?” Stede bats his hands away and continues the slow rise and fall of tickly fingers against his ribs. Izzy gets a grasp of Stede’s wrists, noticeably not trying to pull them off. Instead, he squeezes them as if to keep them there. If Stede realises what he’s doing, he doesn’t say anything. 

“Bet I know what he’s asking for,” Ed chuckles. He releases Izzy’s feet from his wicked grip and slowly turns himself around, crawling up the length of his body until he perches on his hips. “What Izzy’s trying to say is ‘Please, don’t stop tickling me, don’t stop until I’m a sobbing, gooey mess.’ Did I get that right, baby?” 

“Ed,” Izzy whines breathlessly, his watery eyes blinking up at his Captain, looming above him. He angles his chin up and lets his lips part, waiting. Ed’s expression seems to both soften and sharpen, his gaze dropping to his mouth. 

“I think he’s also asking for a kiss, my darling,” Stede says, the smile obvious in his voice. He’s stilled his hands to take in the scene in front of him, and sighs happily. “My two boys, so lovely. Kiss him, Edward.” 

Ed obliges with gusto, kissing with such force it steals Izzy’s breath. Ed’s hands cup his cheeks and wipe away a few stray tears of mirth. He pulls back, peppering his face with gentle kisses instead. “So good for us, aren’t you?” 

“Yes, Captain,” Izzy replies, not really sure what he’s agreeing to, but he always tended to agree with Ed anyway. 

“Will he continue being good, do you think Ed? I know I’ve not had the pleasure of tickling him to tears, but I do seem to be getting the hang of things.” Stede strokes Izzy’s hair back from his forehead. “I wonder if I can guess his favourite spot.” 

Without warning, he wriggles his fingers into Izzy’s soft belly, and the surprise of it shocks an actual squeal out of him. He grapples for Stede’s hands and collapses into hysterics, kicking his newly freed legs aimlessly. 

“Oh, that’s a good spot - try going nice and soft along the waistline, makes him purr real pretty.” Izzy was in hell (heaven), and had reached that point where even Ed’s words fucking tickled. There’s only a very small part of him now that wants to protest his words, but… it had been such a long time since he’d let himself feel like this. So instead of fighting, he feels himself preen at the praise. Ed hums, a pleased rumble deep in his chest that makes Izzy and Stede both shiver. “See? Such a sweetheart once the dickishness is tickled out of him.” 

“Why are you only telling me this now?” Stede’s fingers pinch higher up to his top ribs, and Izzy bats at him weakly. “I don’t think I ever want to let you leave this bed, Izzy. You’re to stay here forever so we can tickle you at our pleasure.”

A groan slips out between gasping laughter, and suddenly he feels shy. He turns to bury his face against Stede’s arm.

“Now, none of that!” Ed slips a finger up to stroke at the underside of Izzy’s chin and down to his neck. 

“Edward!” Izzy lurches away with a peel of breathy laughter, scrunching his shoulders up to try and dislodge Ed’s fingers. “Fuck off!” 

“Can’t fuck off while you’ve got my fingers trapped, now can I?” Ed wriggles them, and Izzy’s hands fly up from fending off Stede’s assault to latch on to his wrists. Of course, this gives Stede the opening to expand his assault by sliding one hand down to squeeze at the soft spot where his thigh meets his hip. With three of his most ticklish spots being targeted, Izzy feels the giddiness growing in his gut, and can’t help the giggles that pour from his mouth. “Aw, there we go,” Ed coos. “Look at you, haven’t seen you melt like this in ages.”

Ed and Stede both laugh along with him, and... well. Maybe it is a little bit nice to let go. He finds himself settling back into their hold and finally letting go. 

[wordstrings]

Renfaire AU

*splashes into the OFMD pool*

Words: 1,400

—

“Mister Blackbeard?” A child’s voice rises from the small crowd of observers. “What’s that?”

Ed finds the kid, throws her a wink. “That’s Captain to you, lass. And these–” he pats the top of the hardwood structure– “are called stocks. Used for public punishment of filthy criminals, like pirates, or aristocrats. You’re not a criminal, are you?”

The girl giggles and shakes her head. 

“No? You sure?” Ed squints out at the crowd, scanning the faces. “I bet we could find one.”

The audience for Medieval Crime and Punishment (1pm, 2:30pm, and 4pm daily) has all the usual suspects: kids with plastic swords, parents in street clothes with tote bags, one guy with a huge Viking axe on his back, a handful of reasonably-costumed enthusiasts. There’s a blond coiffure towards the back corner that catches his attention. 

“You there.” He points, catches the man’s eye. The man glances back over his shoulder, but Ed doesn’t mean anyone else and keeps his finger extended until the man, looking surprised, points to his own chest. Ed feels a slow grin growing. He nods, turning his finger to curl it into a beckoning gesture. 

“Yes, you, with the fancy coat.” Ed keeps the narration going while the man slips down front through the crowd. The coat does look like a period piece, nicely cut with a matching waistcoat beneath. “That is a very fine garment you’ve got there. Too fine, I think. Where’d you get it?”

The man stutters over an explanation, something about a gift– Ed largely ignores it, instead focusing on guiding the man’s momentum cleanly into the seat of the stocks. 

“Mhmm, likely story. Say, what’s your name, scallywag?”

“Scallywag?” The incredulous pitch of the scallywag’s voice nearly makes Ed snort as he lifts an unresisting ankle into the open stocks. “I’m a– a respectable gentleman!” Second ankle. “But, ah, my name is, um. Steve.”

Ed raises an eyebrow while he closes the stocks. “Steve? You sure about that?”

“Of course I’m sure about my own n– oh, what… what are you doing?” He’s pretty cute when flustered, this Steve.

“Taking your shoes. You won’t need ‘em.” Ed sets each one carefully to the side. The stockinged feet left behind wiggle uncertainly. “Most folks don’t stumble when asked about their name, see. Makes me think we’re not really on the level with each other. And I’m really having a hard time believing that a jumpy fellow like yourself came by all this finery legitimate-like.”

Ed straightens, and puts on his projection voice for the crowd. “What say you? Is this man innocent, or guilty?”

A smattering of responses sprinkle in, but the girl near the front excitedly shrieks, “Guilty!”

“The people have spoken.” Ed pivots back to face the unwitting defendant, and he really can’t help the smirk. “Are you prepared to confess to your thieving crimes?”

“I haven’t stolen anything!”

“Your funeral,” Ed says with a shrug. He cracks his knuckles (the fingerless leather gloves of his costume lend to the intimidating vibe, he’s found), laces his fingers together and pushes them out in a stretch, then drops one wiggling finger onto the center of one vulnerable sole. 

“Wait, wai-haait!”

Ed keeps it going and begins his spiel on typical town square “corrective” behavior, while a verse and chorus of giggly protests pours from the seat behind him. He keeps an ear out for genuine distress, like always, but everything sounds bright and bubbly back there. 

“…even throwing rocks, but often the punishment of choice is tickling the feet. Harmless, but persuasive. Isn’t that right, Steve? Why don’t you tell me who you robbed blind for that fine outfit of yours?”

“Please, oh it tickles, you scoundrel–!”

It’s Ed’s turn for incredulity. “Scoundrel? Mate, you’ve got this sorely backwards. You’ll address me as Captain Blackbeard, Sir and you’ll speak the truth when I ask you a question.” 

It’s time for the first little ramp-up of the demonstration. One tickling finger can only entertain the crowd for so long, after all.

“Fang, would you come give me a hand, please? This deviant needs a little more convincing.”

There are eyelets installed at the top of the tall backrest, with shackles dangling from them. Not quite historically accurate ones, but what here is? (Fang’s choice of headwear is particularly egregious – but the studded pleather does give him a junkyard dog look, and since he’s the assistant muscle instead of the main presenter today, it works.) Ed abandons the foot he’s been gently tormenting and moves to crouch by well-dressed-Steve’s side as Fang lifts the man’s wrists to the shackles. The audience is starting to titter with sympathy.

“I’ll ask you again, Steve. Where did you steal this coat from?”

“I, I didn’t, I promise! It was a very nice present from, from a friend– oh god, ahah!”

Ed’s got a hand slipped inside that fancy coat, tickling now at a helpless armpit. It’s very warm up in there; the autumn hasn’t cooled quite enough to make this many layers necessary yet, and Steve’s body heat has been trapped inside. Ed bets it just feels that much more intense, so he makes sure to keep his touch lightly teasing – even though there’s an urge coiling inside him to really make this man scream.

“Only the guilty laugh when confronted with their crimes, mate.” He addresses the crowd again. “As you can see, we’ve got more than just feet to work with. Everything from legs to stomach, ribs to armpits can help extract a confession. In fact…”

Ramp-up number two. He reaches behind the backrest where his favorite theatrical aids have been hidden, and nods for Fang to do the same. 

In tandem, they both reveal large ostrich feathers with a flourish. The crowd laughs and cheers in surprise.

“Usually these are reserved for the damsels and wenches, but you look soft and sensitive enough, my friend. They’re torture for the neck and ears, I’m told. What say you? And address me respectfully, if you please.”

Ed dusts his plume at the crook of Steve’s neck. Fang mirrors on the other side, and oh it’s adorable how their victim erupts with pitchy, snorting giggles while he tries to retract his head like a turtle. His wrists swing in the shackles, fists balling, biceps straining. 

“I have nothing to confess!” the accused cries out. “Please, Captain, plee-hee-heese!”

The third and final ramp approaches. Ed guns it. 

He drops down on his good knee, keeps the feather dancing, and lobster-claws down the meat of Steve’s thigh. He spiders wickedly around the kneecap before delving beneath to the unprotected, stretched-in-midair knee pit below and, mm, there it is, the scrumptious sound of a scream-laugh. Ed pushes its pitch by continuing down Steve’s leg to his foot once again, where there’s no single-fingertip teasing this time; he rakes the open sole with scrabbling, ruthless fingers while the feather fluff-fluff-fluffs across ear and jaw.

“NO! No, no, nooo-ho! It’s the truth! Please, Ed, stah-haaahp!”

And just like that, everything stops. 

Ed creaks his way to standing – feels like it gets harder every season – and regards the sagging, panting man with resignation. 

“Maintaining your innocence even in the face the worst torture, eh? Perhaps you’re not a liar after all.” He sighs. “Welp. Disappointing, if you ask me.”

—

It’s barely four minutes after the crowd has dispersed and Ed’s plopped himself into a breakroom chair when Stede barges in to find him.

“You.”

Ed takes a glug from his water bottle, swallows it down. “Hey, Steve.”

“Steve nearly died today, I’ll have you know. Bastard.” 

Somehow it sounds like a term of endearment, even as Stede collapses dramatically into the chair next to him. Ed grins. 

“Not my fault Steve is so ticklish. Pick a different character next time. I quite liked Reed, though he seemed to have the same problem.”

Anybody else would probably flip Ed off, but Stede just waves a hand like Ed’s a buzzing fly. 

“You, just– just shut up.”

“Don’t worry, babe, I’ll make it up to you,” Ed promises. “When the last bus heads out, you and I can hang back to close the torture museum.” He leans toward Stede expectantly and waits for him to sigh and tip his head close enough for Ed to kiss it. “I promise nobody will be around to hear you beg me to tickle your tummy while you’re on the rack.”

Stede swipes the water bottle from Ed’s hand and drains it before settling back with closed eyes and a tiny, tired smile.

“If you promise,” he mutters.

[happyandticklish]

ohohoho ed n stede for the headcanon game pls 🥹💕

Of course, I love them so much <3 I apologize for how ungodly late this is, I completely forgot this was in my inbox 🥲

Who has the cutest tickle laugh?

Probably Stede, tbh. I feel like

What are their tickle spots?

I think the fandom has collectively agreed that Ed's worst spot is his stomach, but I would like to add on that his ribs are a close second. Stede's absolute worst spot are his thighs, but basically everywhere serves as a walking tickle spot tbh.

Who is ticklish in unusual places and where would that be?

Ed's calves are ticklish, especially to that tactic where you grab the muscle and just squeeze. It's not even his worst spot, but it's unbearable in this very specific way where he can't stand it for very long.

Who gets cheer-up tickles?

They both do because they're saps (affectionate).

Do either of them try to hide their ticklishness?

I feel like Ed would due to his reputation. It can't really get out that the infamous Blackbeard is ticklish, after all. Stede does not, and also does not realize why that information would be something that you'd try to hide.

Who takes advantage of the other one getting their arms stuck while trying to take off their shirt?

Ed does, because it's so fucking easy. The sheer amount of fancy clothing and frocks and undergarments on Stede's person makes it impossible to get it all off in one fell swoop, and often he'll get stuck in the process and Ed's not not gonna take advantage of that opportunity.

How did they discover each other's ticklishness?

Stede found out through Jack. Out of all the shit that Jack brought into their lives, that particular piece of information that he left slip was the one good thing he did for their relationship. Ed found out when they first really got together; Stede's far too ticklish for his own good, and it would crop up in cuddling a lot.

Who can't take tickle bites/raspberries?

BOTH they turn into giggly piles of mush and it's adorable 🥰

Who has to be tickle-forced out of bed in the morning?

Okay, so Stede most of the time, because he's not an early riser and it's the only way to wake him up without him getting crabby. Ed, on the other hand, is used to getting up early, but he'll pretend to be asleep just to give Stede an excuse to tickle him awake.

Who initiates tickle fights?

They both do ^^ They have a very playful relationship and love fucking with each other, so it comes up a lot lol

Who gives up in tickle fights?

Weirdly enough, Ed. Stede's is a goddamn glutton for tickling, and he could go endlessly without any breaks. Ed isn't used to tickling though, so he gets overwhelmed very quickly and has to take a break.

Who's in danger of getting hurt when attacking the other?

They both are! Ed could genuinely hurt someone on accident, and Stede's just really fucking squirmy. Ed has definitely walked away with a black eye from one of their tickle fights lol.

Who always provokes the other into tickling them and how?

They both do omg. Ed gets extremely playful and will get into arguments about everything, poking Stede in the side and pretending nothing happened when he looks over at him. Meanwhile, Stede fully just asks, my man has no shame.