#ahhhh!!!

A hand grabbing his ankle had him jolting, sending shivers up his back. He put his laptop aside and pulled the blanket back, revealing his boyfriend currently staring down his foot. “Let me go.”

“Hold on- just let me take a good look at ya.” Shidou was staring down at his foot, more specifically at the socks he wore. Blue and calf-high, but the real standout of them were the tops. “You own toe-socks?”

“Shut up- it was a gift.” He tugged at his leg, trying to wrench it away, but Shidou was determined to investigate further. “What is your obsession with my feet? You freaky demon.”

“I told you before, they’re pretty. This isn’t about your feet, darling- this is about these socks!” He poked at the big toe, making Sae twitch again. “I never knew you as the type to buy toe-socks! What, normal ones are too “half-baked” for your liking? Hehehe.”

“They’re good for sports- they prevent blisters-I told you they were a gift!” He squirmed when Shidou outright grabbed a toe, trying to wiggle it. It tickled something fierce, but like hell he was going to give in without a fight. “Give me back my damn foot!”

“Nervous? Worried I’m gonna tickle you?” Oh that demon! Shidou was grinning like a goon, clearly enchanted by Sae’s reaction. In response, the mid-fielder took a slow, intentional breath, glaring in silence at his boyfriend. “You must want me to if you’re wearing these cute little things~”

“If you so much as touch me- Shidou!” He yelped when the demon poked at the center of his foot, making him cringe all over. “Leave me alone! I’m working!”

“So am I!” Shidou shot back, poking a second time. A third. “I’m investigating the quality of these toe-socks. I’m making sure there’s no blisters! Like here- and here- and here.” He poked all over as if he were dialing a number, worsening Sae’s ticklish state. Biting the inside of his cheek, he tried to kick his leg free with little success. “Oo, was that a blister? That was a big reaction- better look closer!”

“I hope you get a blister on your a-AH!” Shidou had switched from poking to stroking, dragging his nails featherlike up the center of his foot. Sae flailed backwards into the bed, a series of embarrassing noises ripping from his throat as his foot was cruelly tickled. “Shihihiodu, knohohock it ohohoHAhAHA!” “Oh ho ho! Does it tickle that bad? Man, I think these socks make it worse! They’re so glidey!” Shidou cooed sweetly as he carried on tickling him, effortlessly running his fingers along his sole while Sae flailed against his sheets, swears and giggles mixing in the air around them. “You and your expensive taste- I bet you picked out these slinky socks just for this reason alone, didn’t you? Hmm?”

“Fuhuhuhuck ohohohoff, dehehehemon! Ehahahaha, gehehet ohohoff my dahahamn fehehe-EHEHEHEH!” Shidou dug in between his toes, making him scream. “NOHOHOH NOT THAHAHAHHT!”

“Yes that! You know I have to- come on! Your socks are basically begging me to do it!” The demonic player laughed along with him, somehow trapping Sae’s foot in a headlock as he continued dancing his fingers up his foot. He was jerked about when his boyfriend’s other foot began kicking him in the back, but it was useless in the face of such sweet sounding reward. “Oo, keep doing that- it feels like a massage!”

“Iihihih’ll breahhahak your dahhahamn nehehehck! Eheahahaha- stahaha! Stahahaha, cohohohme ohohohohohn! RYUSUIHIHI!” Oo, first names! Shidou grinned at the sound of his name on Sae’s howling lips, feeling tingles all over. “GEHEHHET OHOHOHOHFF!”

“I would, but you said you were busy.”

“YOHOHOU KNOW WHAHAHT I MEAHAHAN!” Oh he was doomed, wasn’t he? Desperate to get loose, Sae sat up the best he could, grabbing Shidou’s shoulders and dragging himself closer. Throwing all dignity to the wind, he took a huge giggly breath and blew as hard as he could against the back of his neck.

“AH!” The demon squealed, releasing his foot as he fell backwards. Inadvertently, he crushed his boyfriend, but it was hard to really register that when said man continued blowing raspberries into his neck, making him arch with a bark. “AHAHHAHA! SAHHAHE NOHOHOOHOHO!” He managed to roll off of him at some point, but then fingers replaced a mouth and he was curled up kicking his feet like a child. “DOHOHOHN’T!”

“Thehehre! Now you get how I feheheel.” The pink man huffed, sitting on his knees as he carried on tickling Shidou’s neck. This- he learned- was the only real tickle spot the demon had. “Gonna stop pestering me? Gonna leave my feet alone while I work?”

“Eheheheheheheheh! EHHAHAHAHA! Fiihiihhine, fihihiiHIHIHIIHINE!” Shidou all but screeched, nearly in tears with how hard he was laughing. “IHIIHIH’LL STAHHAHAP PLEHEHEASE!”

Sae considered. Then he stopped, doing as promised. Shidou gasped for air, tears streaking down his exhausted face as he held his neck with both hands, trying to numb the feeling. Despite knowing better, Sae couldn’t help but feel bad- leaning forward to check on him.

Big mistake. Huge!

Shidou snatched him up by the bicep, pulling him over and yonder. “Gotcha now!” He cheered, fingers latching into Sae’s belly and ribs and making him shout in indignant giggles. “I never said I was done tickling you! I said I’d leave your feet alone!”

“Yoohohoh sohoohohn of a bihihihihtch! Eheahhahaa, I shohohohould hahahve leheehheft you ohohohon tahhahaht strehehehheheeet cohoohhorner you whehehehre stahahhanding!”

“But you didn’t!” Shidou cheerily replied, finally stopping for real after Sae let out a few wheezy coughs. He held him instead, his thumb rubbing soothing circles into his hip as the smaller man gasped for air. “Seriously- I’m done now.”

“F-Fiihihinally..” Sae groaned, covering his face with his hands. He felt lightheaded and dizzy from all the tickling, yet his chest felt incredibly light. It was as if Shidou chased off a dark cloud hovering over him- one he didn’t realize was there until just now. “Doohhon’t do that agaahahin.”

“Can’t make that promise, Sae-Sae.” Shidou teased, sticking his tongue out before collecting his abandoned computer. “Lets see these so-important emails, shall we?”

“Wait, demon! Don’t-” Sae yelped, scrambling upwards, but it was too late. Shidou had already clicked on a tab, brows raised at the sight. Sae felt his face burn to an inferno, mortification mixing with anxiety as he watched Shidou go from teasing to curious to surprised. “Look.”

“....Sae.” Oh god. The mid-fielder abandoned his pride once more as he buried his face in the pillows, trying to suffocate himself. “Are you ring shopping?”

Oh he just had to say it outloud! Sae pressed in deeper, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt Shidou lay across his back. “What if I am?” Came his muffled reply. “Can’t a man plan ahead?”

Shidou didn’t respond. A rarity- he seemed to have shocked the demon into silence. He heard the soft click of his laptop shutting before arms came around his torso, a face snuggling into his shoulder. “You’re truly something else, Sae-Sae.”

Did he sound a little choked? Surely that was the blood flooding Sae’s ears. He eased into the other’s embrace, accepting he looked like a freshly watered tomato. “Coming from you, I’m not sure how to feel.”

Shidou cackled, clearly delighted. The sound tickled the inside of his ribs, making his heart race and pulling a smile on his lips. He closed his eyes as he got lost in it-lost in Shidou’s sweet nothings and gentle hands as they cuddled him close within the bed.

“Say, where can I get a pair of those toe-socks you're wearing? Let’s twin!” Shidou suddenly sat up, eyes gleaming. “Oh- let’s get matching pairs and hold toes like we’re holding hands! Actually forget the socks, I can do that now-”

“Would you get off it!” Sae cried, his cozy state vanishing as he wrestled the other down into the bed once more, their earlier game resuming. The room was filled with laughter once more, emails and toe socks temporarily forgotten as they goofed about.