Summary: Sequel to “Lessons in Humility”. While running maintenance on Vee, Brightney connects a wire into the wrong place by accident, making Vee’s sensitivity heighten in ways she didn’t expect. With new ticklishness, Vee has to spend a whole day realizing her advantage over other Toons isn’t there anymore, while Brightney tries to find a way to fix it.
(A/N: I know what I said. Time and Place will be uploaded next, and that will count as my 50 followers special. But I got this done first, and something very special is coming with this! Enjoy!)
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“Honestly, Sprout should be thanking me, having his baking segment on my gameshow was genius! But he prefers to stay in his kitchen!”
Vee sighed as she told her story. She was getting her routine check up with Brightney, and trying to distract herself. She wasn’t afraid of her maintenance, but Vee was just antsy to be done.
“Brightney, I hate to bug you, but are you almost done?” Vee sighed. “I have a gameshow today, and I still need to get things set up. I would have done it before this, but you insisted this was more important.”
“It is more important, Vee.” Brightney said as she adjusted two of Vee’s wires. “Running these diagnostics makes sure you’re functioning right. So you don’t glitch. Remember what happened last time?”
Vee slowly nodded as she remembered. That was not a good day.
“I get your point.” Vee shrugged. “But I still need to hurry.”
“Don’t worry, I’m almost done.”
Brightney then plugged one last wire into Vee’s frame, and finished.
“There we go, good as new.” Brightney adjust her glasses.
For a moment, Vee felt… a little different.
“Thanks, Brightney.” Vee slowly stood up. “Is it good for me to walk?”
“Yes, you should be alright.” Brightney put her computer away. “But if anything feels off, I can check it out again.”
Vee nodded, and walked out of Brightney’s room.
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As Vee walked to her backstage area, she felt a little… strange. She felt it before, but it felt especially prominent now that she was moving. She tried to ignore it as she moved boxes. Shelly was supposed to be here for that…
Shelly piped up as she rushed over to Vee from a different door in the backstage area. Vee smiled as the ammonite drew close to help.
“Nice to see you, Shelly. I need you to help me move these boxes..” Vee told her. Shelly nodded.
“Sure thing, Vee! I’m happy to help!”
The television and ammonite spent a couple hours organizing boxes, and getting everything ready for the game show. However, Vee started to slow down. She felt so odd, almost itchy. But she felt as if she tended to that itchiness, she’d start… laughing.
“Why do I feel so… sensitive?” Vee huffed as she paused to take a break.
“Vee? Are you alright?” Shelly paused as well to check on Vee.
“I’m… fine.” Vee tried to assure the ammonite.
Shelly gently placed a hand on Vee’s shoulder to try and comfort her…
Only for Vee to let out a yelp. Shelly pulled her hand back as if it were burned.
“Vee! Did I hurt you?” Shelly asked, now more worried than ever.
“No! No, you didn’t…” Vee rubbed where Shelly touched her.
“I just feel so weird… like I have static just underneath my skin. Everything I touch feels like a light zap to my hands, and every step I take feels like I’m walking on… feathers….” Vee trailed off, realizing what was going on.
It took a moment for Shelly to realize it, but it clicked for her as well.
“No way!” Shelly said excitedly. “Vee, you’re feeling ticklish!”
Vee’s eyes widened. It wasn’t like she wasn’t ticklish before. All Toons were ticklish, no matter how much some tried to deny it. However, Vee was only ticklish in very specific places, and even then she didn’t react much. But this felt completely different from the times the other Toons tried tickling her. This time… it felt a lot more intense.
“How can you be sure?” Vee asked.
“Only one way to find out!” Shelly sang. She gently squeezed Vee’s sides.
A loud, startled laugh came from Vee’s frame. Both Toons froze.
“That’s what it feels like? I thought you guys were exaggerating!” Vee cried.
“Why would we do that?” Shelly giggled. “This is great! Now you know what it feels like to be us! Oh my goodness, if the other Toons heard about this, they’d lose it!”
Shelly laughed at the thought of the other Toons learning about this, but Vee shivered. Vee was known for being a good tickler, going after other Toons, in and out of her game show. And the idea of them finding this out, and getting their revenge…
Shelly glanced away for a moment, but when she looked back up, Vee was gone.
“Vee?” Shelly called. “Where did you go?”
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Vee had rushed back to Brightney’s room, and quickly explained what was going on to the other Toon. Brightney was quick to get her equipment out, and run more diagnostics. It was a struggle, considering Vee squirmed and laughed a lot more than she would have at these checks, but it was important.
Finally, Brightney checked the wires that were in Vee’s back, and she realized what was going on.
“Oh, I see the problem.” Brightney said with a flashlight in her mouth.
“What? Am I malfunctioning?” Vee asked, trying to hold herself still. Brightney took out the flashlight from her mouth to talk.
“It was my fault. I confused two wires with each other, and plugged them into the wrong spots… And your movement tangled them.”
Vee’s heart sank. Of all the things to happen before a gameshow, this? Having her wires tangled, and doing that made her extra sensitive?
“Well… can you fix it? You could just put the wires back. I can handle it for a bit.” Vee shivered.
“It’s not that simple, Vee.” Brightney stated. “Plugging them into different spots altered your code. I’d have to go through the manual to figure out how to reverse the change.”
“The manual?” Vee whined. “That’ll take all day! You know how dense that thing is!”
“I know…” Brightney sighed. “But you can still get through your day like that! You have your game show to look forward to!”
“Like this? When I get super jumpy at the lightest touch?” Vee cried. “Dandy will never let me live it down! I can’t focus when my entire body tingles!”
“Sure you can!” Brightney chuckled. “Remember when you had to host a game show when one of your antennae was damaged? You didn’t let that stop you!”
Vee was silent for a moment, and huffed. The television knew her best friend was right.
“Yeah, I didn’t let it stop me…”
“See?” Brightney gently poked Vee’s side, just to mess with her. “Just get through the day, you’ll be fine!”
Vee yelped, and let out a light burst of giggles. “Brightney!”
“Sorry, couldn’t resist!”
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Vee walked from Brightney’s room to the train station. Her skin felt more itchy than ever, and extra sensitive. Every step she took felt tingly, and even a slight breeze felt like something brushing against her. It was torture… but at the same time, eye-opening.
This made her feel less like an outcast.
As she finished gathering all the supplies from the train, the last person she wanted to see approached. Well, not the last.
It was Dandy. Great, just the person she wanted to deal with right now.
“Dandy, what do you want? I’m really busy.”
“What, can’t a friend come say hello? I’m offended, Vee.” Dandy pretended to faint, but a familiar magic caught him before he could hit the ground.
“There you are, Astro! For a moment, I thought you didn’t want to play anymore!” Dandy giggled.
Astro drew closer with quiet steps, helping Dandy stand back up.
“Of course not, Dandy.” The moon said in a gentle tone. “I agreed to stay with you all day.”
“Well, I’m glad!” Dandy snickered. “After that dream you gave me last week, you owe me!”
Astro smiled and rolled his one eye. He remembered very well, making all of his friends tickle him in his dream, in order to teach him a lesson. And it certainly worked, Dandy hasn’t done any bragging for over a week, and he’s been well behaved. Mostly.
But since he put Dandy through the wringer, he had to make up for it, even if the flower had fun.
“Yes, I suppose, Dandy. That dream was quite a bit for you to handle, wasn’t it?” Astro chuckled. Dandy’s cheeks turned a little pink, and he turned to face Astro.
“Maybe a little, but remember! Mention that to anyone, or end our little game early, and I’ll just have to getcha all over again!~” Dandy sang.
Now it was Astro’s turn for a faint blue blush to appear upon his cheeks.
“Don’t remind me… that’s how you woke me.” Astro snickered nervously.
Dandy just giggled again, and turned to Vee.
“So, friend! What have you been up to? You got a game show today, I’m excited to watch! I was gonna apply to play, but I’ve got my own game with Astro!” Dandy smiled brightly. Vee huffed.
“Just getting ready for that.” Vee loaded all the supplies on the wagon, hugging herself after she was done. Astro picked up on that.
“Are you alright?” Astro questioned. “You seem… off today.”
“I’m fine.” Vee tried to direct him away from her. “Just a little… nervous.”
“Nervous?” Dandy tilted his head, his petals twitching. “You never get nervous!”
Vee rolled her eyes, and glanced to the flower.
“Don’t know what that’s like?” Vee teased. “I’ve seen you get your petals in a tangle over the silliest things.”
“Hey! They’re not silly! They’re important to me!” Dandy huffed. Astro got closer to Vee.
“Vee, you’re truly acting different.” The moon drew closer, until he was just a few feet away from the television. “You’re acting jumpy, like you’ve seen a ghost. And Connie is spending time with Gigi and Flutter. She’s been busy all day.”
“I-I’m fine!” Vee stammered. Odd, she hasn’t stammered like that before…
“Are you sure?” Astro activated his magic, and adjusted her bowtie.
The yelp Vee let out startled both Dandy and Astro.
“Whoa, Vee!” Dandy cried. “Are you hurt? Do I need to get Brightney?”
Vee gasped sharply, and collapsed onto the floor.
“No, don’t!” Vee panicked. “She already knows what is going on, no need to fetch her!”
There were a few moments of silence. Astro barely even touched her, and yet she reacted like that. He stepped back, and got behind Dandy. He attempted to hide the slight smirk appearing on his face behind his blanket.
“Dandy, I believe I know what’s going on with Vee.” Astro stifled a chuckle. “You know one of our sayings?”
“Never practice your stage tricks and memorize your scripts at the same time?” Dandy asked.
“No, not that one.” Astro rolled his eye. “There’s no such thing as a Toon that isn’t ticklish.”
“Right, that one!” Dandy giggled. “But what does that have to do with Vee?”
“She had maintenance done today. I think that means her previous advantage is gone.”
It took a moment for Dandy to process, but then his face lit up like a holiday tree. Vee always had a leg up on him for being less ticklish than him. She loved tickling other Toons, and he was a frequent target of this. She would tickle him thoroughly, but he could never get her back very well, as she wasn’t that sensitive compared to others…
“No way.” Dandy said. “No. Flipping. Way!” Dandy giggled excitedly. “I can get her back!”
Vee started to panic, and she tried to run. Dandy saw her, and quickly went after her. Vee couldn’t run long, as every step she took felt like ticklish lightning going from her paws to her head, and she was forced to slow down, allowing for the flower to catch up. It wasn’t long before Dandy grabbed her, and pulled her down to the floor rather easily.
“Gotcha, Vee!” Dandy smirked. “You’re usually much more difficult to catch. Going easy on me?”
“Alright, that’s it! You can’t pick on me anymore, especially after this.” Dandy chuckled. “Now, let’s see how much I can tickle you before your voice starts to glitch…”
Vee shivered. That’s only happened once, and that was with Sprout and Cosmo. Those two went after her one day, and Sprout managed to get her voice box to nearly break. Only one spot on her guarantees that reaction.
“Oh, but I won’t go for your tail just yet.” Dandy giggled. “If you’re really as ticklish as the rest of us, I wanna drag this out!”
“But I’ve got a game show to do!” Vee tried to protest, but Dandy merely smiled at her.
“Don’t worry, Vee. I’ll let you go before it starts. You’ll have plenty of time to get ready!”
The flower dragged his hands very slowly across Vee’s sides, his hands very careful. He snickered seeing Vee tried to hold in her laughter. She did that a lot, even before her increased sensitivity. But the flower knew she couldn’t keep it up for very long.
“You never stop being stubborn, do you, Vee?” Dandy teased, lifting his hands for a moment. “Astro, aren’t you gonna help?”
Astro’s eyes widened. “You… want me to help tickle her?” Astro was surprised Dandy didn’t want to savor this for himself.
“Of course I do, silly! Why do you think I called for you?” Dandy snickered.
“Well, I don’t want to push her too much…” Astro was growing shy again. Dandy then smirked at his best friend.
“Astro~” Dandy sang. “If you’re not gonna help, I could always ditch Vee and go for you. I know how adorably ticklish you are!”
Astro’s blue blush returned and he sighed softly. He knew Dandy would just go for him if he didn’t, as he promised to stick with Dandy all day. The flower had already tickled him that morning as his alarm clock. It was certainly effective, as the moon followed the saying he referenced before. Not only that, but Dandy held the promise of more tickling over his head.
He knew he didn’t have much of a say in the matter.
“Sorry, Vee…” Astro drew closer, and sat down next to Vee.
“Oh, come on, Astro. No need to be apologetic!” Dandy giggled. “She’s tickled you, too! Now you can get revenge on her for that!”
“I suppose you’re right.” Astro smiled lightly. “She has, and I suppose I can take advantage of this.”
“See? That’s the spirit!” Dandy chirped.
Vee could do without the casual conversation. She was about to try fighting back, but Dandy beat her to it. He had enough of going light, so rather than dragging his fingers, he dug in, but not too much as to not hurt her by accident.
“Alright, enough fighting, Vee.” Dandy smirked. “This is for all the times you’ve gotten me!”
The unexpected switch from light tickles to more intense ones made Vee squeal. That was something she was not used to doing. She let out a burst of laughter, and tried to get away from the pair.
“Dandy!” Vee cried. “No, please! I can’t take it!” Vee cried as she fell into a giggle fit.
“Sure you can!” Dandy teased. “You seem to be just fine!”
The flower winked at Astro, and the moon decided to join in. He used his magic, as he wasn’t comfortable bringing out his hands for this. He brushed his sparkles across Vee’s stomach and neck, making her chortles get even louder.
“Astro! Not you too!” Vee cried, trying in vain to break free from Dandy’s grip. Astro shrugged.
“It’s either this, or Dandy goes for me again. And he’s tickled me plenty already.” Astro smiled. “Besides, you deserve to play the same games we do it wouldn’t be fair to leave you out.”
Dandy nodded in agreement, both of them working to leave Vee in stitches. It felt great for the flower to finally get his revenge upon her after all the times she tickled him, and he was never able to return the favor. Though less frequent, Astro shared the same sentiment. Like most Toons, Vee felt a sense of contentment listening to Astro’s quiet, breathy giggles every time she tickled him. He was often too shy to even attempt to get her back.
But with Dandy’s threat, and enthusiasm, it was near impossible to refuse.
“C’mon, Vee! Isn’t this fun?” Dandy asked as he tickled her. “You sound so excited! It’s been a really long time since I heard you squeal!”
Dandy’s way of teasing was energetic and all over the place, just like he was. Dandy and Vee had been in a playful rivalry for a long time, and this was just a new part of it. He cared about Vee. He wouldn’t tickle her if he knew she didn’t like it, that wouldn’t be fun. To them, tickling was just a game. And games were only fun if everyone was having fun.
“You really are a delight, Vee.” Astro chuckled as his magic got many different spots, mostly her neck, and behind her knees. “Hearing you laugh like that tells me you’re happy.”
Astro’s teasing was no better than Dandy’s. Astro was always so soft, and so genuine. He loved seeing his friends laughing and happy. Vee was no exception. He didn’t touch her with his hands, as he couldn’t let them out from his blanket. However, his magic was doing a good enough job at keeping her laughing.
Eventually, they gave her a break. Vee took a moment to cool down her circuits. Dandy laughed a bit as she calmed down.
“See? Wasn’t that fun? Don’t you feel like the rest of us?” Dandy winked at her. Vee rolled her eyes.
“I ought to throw Connie your way again.” Vee tried to compose herself and stand up.
“Now that wasn’t very nice, was it?” Astro pushed her back down to the ground with his magic.
“N-now, you two! I thought you were done!” Vee cried. Dandy smiled.
“Just one more thing, and we’ll let you go!” Dandy promised. “I wanna see if the one spot that really gets you still does!” Astro nodded in agreement.
“I’d love to see it, too. Based on what I heard Shelly did that one time, that mic tail of yours really gets you going.” The moon chuckled.
Vee panicked, but Astro grabbed her mic tail with his magic before she could protect it. The moon smirked, and handed it to Dandy.
“Any last words, Vee?” Dandy asked teasingly.
Vee gulped. There really was no way out of it. Dandy was going to do this whether she wanted it or not. And it would be a lie to say she wasn’t curious about her tail’s sensitivity…
“Be gentle, okay?” Vee blurted out.
Dandy and Astro looked to each other, and nodded.
“Sure, we will!” Dandy cried. “You and I might bump heads, but that doesn’t mean I want to push you to possibly getting hurt!”
“Of course, Vee.” Astro continued. “We’d never do anything you’re not comfortable with.”
Vee felt a little relieved. They cared about her, at least enough for that.
“Now, where were we?~” Dandy chuckled. “Oh, right!”
It was a gentle touch, like Dandy said he would, but just a single finger tracing along Vee’s microphone was enough to drive her crazy.
Vee burst into a fit of laughter, unable to escape from Dandy and Astro’s grip. She could hardly stand it. Her tail was already quite the ticklish spot, but the new sensitivity made it a whole lot worse. So much so that her voice box briefly glitched. A robotic equivalent to a snort.
“There we go!” Dandy said, satisfied. “That’s exactly what I was hoping for, that’s adorable!”
Astro nodded in agreement, though he worried a bit for Vee. She had never been this ticklish before, so he didn’t wish to overwhelm her.
“Alright, we should let her go.” Astro said gently.
“Aw, but we’re having fun!” Dandy whined as he continued tracing the edges of her mic.
“Dandy, she has a show, we can’t hold her back.” Astro reminded.
The flower was silent for a moment, but he knew his best friend was right.
“Oh, okay…” He released Vee’s tail, allowing for the television to catch her breath.
Vee struggled to put herself back together. She had never been tickled like that before, and she didn’t know what she was feeling after it stopped. She was dizzy, exhausted, and still letting out aftershock giggles. But there was something else…
“Are you okay, Vee?” She heard Dandy ask. “I know I was a bit rough.”
“No… you’re fine.” Dandy helped the television stand, and he made sure she could walk.
“Well, that was fun!” Dandy cried. “I’ve never heard you laugh that hard before, it was exciting! We should do that more often!”
“I… think I’m good.” Vee held her head up.
As Vee gathered herself, and Dandy made sure she was stable. Dyle walked by with a clipboard in his hands.
“Dandicus, if you’re done tormenting Miss Vee for the day, could you help me organize these supplies? I’m sure this is more important than your childish games.”
Dandy let out a soft sigh, but nodded.
“Right, of course, Dyle! Besides, we still have our game, Astro! Good luck with your show, Vee!” The flower ran over to help Dyle.
Astro gave a light smile to Vee. “Good luck. And have fun today.”
“Astro!~” The moon heard Dandy call out.
Astro just gave a nod to Vee, and ran off to follow his friend.
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Vee checked the time. She was on in half an hour, and the tingly feeling beneath her skin wasn’t leaving her alone. She even changed her batteries, and the reboot didn’t fix it. Now, she was trying to make sure Glisten and Shelly didn’t break any equipment during setup.
After Glisten adjusted the last light, he climbed down from the catwalk above the stage. He straightened out the bow across his waist, and checked his makeup in his compact mirror that he kept with him.
“Ugh, all this physical work is going to make my makeup run.” Glisten scoffed. As he spoke, Shelly climbed down after him.
“I’m sure it’s not that bad, Glisten. You still look pretty to me!” The ammonite tried to cheer him up.
“Of course I am, Shelly~ But I can’t let anyone else see me with messy makeup!”
Vee walked by, checking the lights from where she was standing. She was constantly rubbing her arms, and standing in a rather nervous position. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at how they were placed.
“Good job, prissy mirror.” Vee glanced to Glisten. “You actually got the lights decent in one try. Usually I send you up there at least five times to readjust them.”
“I told you, everything I do is just flawless, Vee!” Glisten smirked.
“Whatever, just make sure you and Shelly don’t break anything. I need to prepare.”
Vee went to her dressing room, still rubbing her arms and part of her neck.
Glisten turned to face Shelly after he knew Vee was out of earshot.
“Shelly, dearest… have you noticed anything off about Vee? She’s acting nervous when she never gets anxious about anything. Unless her battery is low… or she has a virus.” Glisten quickly grew worried. “Oh dear, maybe Brightney can help her before the show starts-“
“Glisten, it’s okay!” Shelly quickly interrupted before he had a dramatic freakout.
“Vee’s just acting a bit on edge.” She stifled a laugh. “Not sure how, but something in her system made her extra ticklish.”
Glisten’s worry quickly turned to mischief.
“Really now?” The mirror chuckled. “Good to know, especially since I needed a way to get her back…” A playfully evil smirk appeared on his face.
“Now, Glisten…” Shelly put her hand on his shoulder. Glisten laughed slightly.
“I’m not just going to let this slide, Shelly!” Glisten remarked. “Do you have any idea how many times I’ve had to deal with her? It’s infuriating that I never got the chance for a proper revenge until now!”
“I know.” Shelly playfully rolled her eyes. “She’s tickled me, too. I think I’m one of her favorites with how often she goes for me.”
“Then you should understand!” Glisten assured her. “Tell you what… why don’t we teach that egotistical television a lesson?” The mirror suggested, as if he didn’t have a large ego himself.
“What?” Shelly gulped. “But Glisten! Don’t you know what Vee will do to us after? Every time I get her back, she almost immediately chases me!”
“She’ll go after us anyway.” Glisten shrugged. “It’s one of the downsides of being two of her favorites, darling. We never get a moment of peace.” He then turned to Shelly with a smirk. “Even if someone has more fun than I do.”
Shelly had a faint orange blush on her face, and glanced away.
“Well, maybe… But it’s still a big risk, considering how ticklish she knows we both are…” The ammonite shivered. Glisten merely chuckled.
“That might be true, but big risks have big rewards tied to them.” The mirror assured her. “And what bigger reward is there than seeing Vee get everything she’s ever given us back?”
That was all it took for Shelly to get on board.
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Vee looked at herself in her changing room mirror. She had to keep herself at least somewhat composed for the show. If anyone saw her in such a giggly, disheveled state, she would never live it down. Dandy already knew, and so did Shelly. But acting like that onstage, in front of everyone? The thought embarrassed her. Something she didn’t feel much.
A rhythmic knock on her door tore her away from her thoughts. The television turned around, seeing Glisten and Shelly in the doorframe.
“Did you two break something?” Vee asked blankly.
“No, no…” Glisten chuckled. “We just want to make sure you look perfect for your gameshow. What better way to do that than a pre-show makeover?~”
“Plus it might ease your nerves.” Shelly added.
Vee shivered. She knew immediately what they were planning. She backed away.
“You don’t have to do anything. I’ll be fine!” Vee raised her hands to block herself. “You guys can just join the audience now…”
“Not happening, Vee.” Glisten grabbed the television’s wrists, a clear smirk on his face. “Shelly gave me a very interesting tidbit after we finished. Something about… not having an advantage anymore?”
Vee gasped. Of all the Toons, Dandy and Glisten were the biggest ones she didn’t want to find this out. Now both of them knew, and she was done for. Vee shot a sharp glare at Shelly.
“What?” The ammonite smiled. “Being ticklish isn’t a bad thing! If anything, it makes you more fun to be around!” Shelly giggled.
“I’d have to agree with her, Miss Vee.” The mirror added. “It’s like an extra accessory. It adds another part of you that we all love.”
Vee tried desperately to pull away, but Glisten had a stronger grip than she remembered. That, or his touch was already getting her nerves to weaken her.
The television internally promised she’d get Shelly for this.
“You don’t have to do this!” Vee gulped. “I know I tickled you both before, but that’s no reason to get revenge right before I go on!” She shivered.
“Oh, don’t worry, drama queen.” Glisten chuckled. “You’ll be fine. We’ll release you with just enough time to gather yourself for the show.” Shelly nodded in agreement.
The ammonite and mirror had a game plan. Shelly sat a little off to the side, watching as Glisten prepared to gave Vee what she earned over the years.
“Don’t tickle her too much! I still want a turn!”
“Trust me, Shells. You’ll get her, I promise.” Glisten winked at her, and he pushed Vee into her chair in front of her mirror.
“Vee, you’re in good hands. You’ll be stage ready in no time~”
Glisten stood behind Vee’s chair, a gentle smirk on his face. He brought his hands around, and gently squeezed the television’s sides. The sharp gasp Vee released along with a burst of giggles invoked a smile from both Shelly and Glisten.
“So it is true. I believed Shelly, but I needed to see it myself.” Glisten hummed stroked his hands up and down her sides. “You being extra ticklish is just precious. Tell me, Vee. How does it feel to be us? This is exactly what you do to us~”
Vee realized it. This was exactly what she inflicted on other Toons. She loved to dish it out, yet taking it was a whole other story. She remembered all the times she tickled Shelly until she grew dizzy, or teased Glisten until his cheeks turned pink enough that he didn’t need makeup. Now she knew what she put them through.
“You bratty little-“ She was cut off with a squeal, as the mirror traced shapes all over her stomach. “I’ll get you for this!” She cried as she dissolved into louder laughter.
“Why? I’m just trying to help.” Glisten teased. “Look at yourself, Vee!” Glisten tilted the television’s head up with one hand, while with the other, gently scratching at her belly, as of it were itchy.
Vee belted out more squeals and bursts of laughter, trying to look away from her vanity mirror. She shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to see her silly face reflected back at her.
“Come on, Vee~” Glisten sang, not letting up. “Look at your pretty face. It’s not as pretty as mine, but still pretty nonetheless.” He kept her head still so it was forced to face her mirror. “It looks even prettier while you’re laughing.”
“Shut up!” Vee shouted, and Glisten paused his attack. The television quickly realized her error, but she was not going to back down that easy.
“How rude of you, Vee!” Glisten scoffed. “I’m trying to get you ready, and you’re being mean to me! How could you?”
He retaliated by digging both his hands into her torso, completely ditching the reflection idea. For that, he just wanted to hear Vee shriek. She certainly delivered.
Vee squirmed violently in the chair, trying desperately to get away from that cursed mirror’s manicured hands, but it was no use. Though Glisten wanted to tickle her all day, he knew by the time he was halfway satisfied, she would overheat. So after just two minutes of rough scribbles, he released her.
The television took this time to cool down her systems. She was still not used to how sensitive she was, but it would be a lie to say she wasn’t fascinated by this. Enjoying the constant revenge plots was still up in the air, however.
“You’re… the worst.” Vee huffed out. Glisten merely smirked.
“You might think that, but you deserve nothing less than this.” Glisten remarked without heat. “And don’t think we’re even. I do hope this new ticklish side of you sticks.”
Though the mirror wanted to tickle her more, he remembered the promise he made to Shelly, who was watching excitedly.
“Alright, Shelly.” Glisten grabbed Vee’s arm, and passed her to the ammonite. “Your turn.”
“Yay!” Shelly cried, giving Vee a tight hug. The television tried her best to return it, while shivers went down her back.
Shelly checked the time. Fifteen minutes until Vee had to go on stage. She smirked, just enough time to get her in hysterics while giving her the time she needed to recover. She dragged Vee down to the floor with her.
“I’ll be quick, Vee!” Shelly promised. “Besides, I know exactly what gets you squealing fast!” The ammonite grabbed Vee’s mic tail.
“W-wait, Shelly!” She tried to beg. She knew how playful Shelly was, and the idea of her extra sensitive mic tail at her friend’s mercy sent chills through her.
“Vee, trust me.” Shelly said in a softer tone. “I won’t push you too much, I promise. I’m not mean.” She rubbed Vee’s tail with her thumb. “But hearing you laugh like this, and how much fun you’re having… it’s really nice.”
Vee’s systems grew warm. She didn’t expect Shelly to be that… sweet. She loved spending time with Shelly even if she denied it. They got along well, despite their differences, and Vee found everything Shelly did to be endearing.
“Shelly, you really don’t have to-“ Vee was cut off with a loud squeal as the ammonite nuzzled into her mic tail.
“Oh, but I do! I might be nice, but I can’t even count how many times you’ve tickled me!” Shelly giggled. “Consider this getting even!”
“Shelly, I’m sorry!” Vee cried as she shrieked with hysterics.
“Hey, I didn’t get any apology!” Glisten interjected as he watched.
“And I forgive you, Vee.” Shelly stifled a laugh. “But I still think you need a little payback.”
For nearly ten minutes, Shelly remained glued to Vee’s mic tail, using every tactic she could think of to keep the television laughing. Gentle nuzzles, scribbles, tracing, anything just to hear Vee squeal and writhe in hysteria, with occasional glitches in her voice.
Though she knew she had to stop, and she did so, just five minutes before Vee had to go on.
Vee laid on the floor, completely breathless. She was completely wiped from the combined tickles from Glisten and Shelly, and both of them stood over her.
“You alright?” Glisten asked, his smug looks changing to concern.
“I’m fine.” Vee slowly stood up with Shelly’s help. “But mark my words, I will get you for this…” Vee turned to Shelly.
“Believe me you little menace. I will get you when you least expect it, and tickle you until you can’t even recall any of your dinosaur facts anymore.” She enunciated her words by poking Shelly along her sides and ribs.
“Okay, I get it!” Shelly yelped, and let out a burst of giggles.
“And you.” Vee glared at Glisten. “I will not let this stand. I’ll make you laugh way louder than I ever have the next time I get you.” Glisten shrunk back a bit, holding up his hands in defense.
“You wouldn’t!” He cried.
“Oh, I will.” Vee then had to go on stage. She adjusted herself as best she could, and took a deep breath.
“If either of you are still back here by the time I’m done, you’re mine.” Vee threatened, walking to the curtains.
That was their only warning, so Glisten and Shelly took it, and scattered.
————————————————————————————————————————————
If you asked any of the watching Toons, the game show was just as fun as any other. Looey ended up winning, and every question and challenge was entertaining. But if Vee was the one asked, the show was a complete disaster. She was barely keeping herself together on stage, as the residual tingles from Shelly and Glisten still ran through her circuits.
She finally made it to Brightney’s room, who had just finished finding a way to reverse the coding. Vee sat down on her stool, and took a deep breath.
“I do hope today still went well, Vee.” Brightney remarked as she hooked Vee up to her coding computer.
“It was awful…” Vee said without any malice. “I’m just glad it’s about to be over.”
“Well, if the reverse code works, it should. But I’m not sure how your system responded to the new code.”
Brightney opened up Vee’s back, and checked the wires. They were even more tangled than when she checked earlier. No doubt from the gameshow, heavy lifting, and especially how much she was tickled.
“This is going to be tough.” Brightney grabbed a flashlight, and looked at what she needed to rearrange. “Hold still, Vee.” She gave a playful warning.
Vee could barely hold still. Every time any of her wires were messed with, she let out another burst of laughter. Brightney found it entertaining, but she didn’t want to admit that out loud right now.
“Vee, I told you to hold still.” Brightney tried to tell her friend as she adjusted more wires.
“I can’t help it!” Vee shouted back, giggles breaking up her speech.
“Try to a little.” The lamp tried to hide any amusement in her voice.
After a long while, she managed to get all the wires in their proper place, and she went to her coding computer to adjust the code. She spent a few minutes typing and changing lines of code, but paused. She gulped.
“Wait, what?” Vee looked over at Brightney. “What do you mean ‘uh oh’?”
“I can’t change the code that’s making you more ticklish.” Brightney admitted. “I tried multiple times but something is blocking me. The only way this can happen is if…” She trailed off, realizing something.
“You don’t want the code changed… do you?”
Vee’s eyes widened. She shifted on the stool, realizing what that meant. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She stammered out.
“You don’t?” Brightney wasn’t buying it. “Vee, you’ve told me many times that you want to be more like the other Toons. Sure, this whole thing was an accident, but it gave you a different perspective.” She smiled a little. “It might sound silly, but being just as sensitive as the rest of us made you feel more connected with everyone else. We always say that there’s no such thing as Toon who isn’t ticklish. You must know the extent of that now.”
Vee was silent, her systems heating as Brightney continued.
“It’s nothing to be ashamed about, Vee.” The lamp rested a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “It just means you’re a bit more like the rest of us. But you might have to get used to not having the same advantage you did before.”
Vee pondered on this, and realized how right Brightney was. She got everything spot on, and her feelings were right in the open for her best friend. Her advantage might be gone… but this just meant she was a bit more like the rest of the Toons. Brightney was right after all. She didn’t want the code changed.
“I suppose you’re right. I don’t want that changed.”
“There we go, Vee.” Brightney put away the computer. “Glad you’re not too upset about my mistake.”
Brightney’s eyes widened under her glasses. Even if Vee didn’t have the same advantage, one thing that didn’t change was her willingness to chase the other Toons. Her best friend was no exception.
“You caused this, so you’re gonna pay for it.” Vee got up, wiggling her fingers tauntingly at the lamp.
“N-now, Vee! It was an accident!” Brightney tried to defend herself.
“Maybe, but look what it caused.” Vee drew closer, and her friend backed away.
“You have three seconds to start running.”
Brightney quickly bolted out of the room with a startled yelp, Vee chasing after her.
Some things never change.
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