“Please, please, just let me put my arms down!”
“You can put your arms down. Literally nothing’s stopping you.”
Roman squirmed, turning his burning face so far to one side that his cheek brushed the bedsheets beneath him.
“Your fingers–” was all he managed before collapsing into another fit of helpless giggles. Virgil raised an eyebrow, the tips of his fingers just barely dancing under Roman’s arms.
“They’re not doing anything,” he said. “They’re not even moving.”
“Because you keep wiggling everywhere! Seriously, if it tickles so bad, just put your arms down.”
Roman shook his head. “I can’t I can’t I cahahan’t–”
Virgil was glad Roman’s eyes were screwed shut as he begged and pleaded; otherwise, he’d see the ridiculous smile on Virgil’s face as he watched Roman very quickly lose all composure.
“Come on, Princey,” he murmured, his fingers moving just enough to brush Roman’s underarm hair. “I promise I won’t tickle you if you bring your arms down…”
“It tickles!” Roman shrieked, bouncing against the bed in a weak attempt to get away from Virgil’s hands.
“You keep saying that, so why don’t you bring your arms down? I’m sure it can’t tickle any more than this already does.”
On ‘this’, Virgil scratched his nails ever-so-lightly at the spot just above Roman’s armpits, and with another shriek of laughter the creative side’s trembling arms finally shot down, pressing against his sides and trapping Virgil’s hands in his pits.
A beat, as the two caught their breath, eyes locked onto each other.
And then Roman began to cackle, and squeal, and make noises that sounded an awful lot like begging although they were mostly incomprehensible. His legs kicked out behind Virgil, and he shook his entire body back and forth in a panicked desperation.
“You– you said–” he gasped, but couldn’t get the sentence out as he dropped his head backwards, bright laughter bursting out of him.
“I said I wouldn’t tickle you, and I’m not!” Virgil said. “I’m not even moving, am I? It looks to me like you’re tickling yourself, Princey. Come on, if it really tickles that bad, just lift your arms, okay?”
Roman didn’t respond to him, too busy losing his mind at the feeling of Virgil’s fingers pressed right against his armpits, unbearably tickly and impossible to stop without lifting his arms. Virgil grinned and settled back, getting comfortable in this new position. Oh, this was going to be fun.
