#coaal

Even though he was the one who didn't want to hurt her. It was all his sister's doing, and he was the puppet at the end of the strings connected to her fingers.

That's what he gets for raising a little monster because his parents couldn't be fucked to control her themselves, he guessed.

However, he couldn't run away, or get rid of Ashley. He's been trying to turn his life around lately, applying to colleges far away and he even started secretly dating behind his sister's back, fearing her wrath if she sniffed him out.

He hated her guts and her entire being. But deep down, she was the only one who could relate to him. Who knew what to say to make him feel better. Who could help him when he was having one of these nightmare episodes.

Because of that, that's how he now climbed out of his bed and made his way to his sister’s bed across the room, pulling up the covers and inviting himself in.

Stirring awake, Ashley groggily spoke up. “Hng… the fuck, Andrew…?”

“Another nightmare,” he hushed, making himself comfy, sharing her pillow. “Coming into your bed again so I can actually sleep.”

Ashley rolled so her body was facing Andrew instead of the wall, inching closer so she could cuddle and spoon him, a hand carding through his hair. This was a regular occurance whenever Andrew had a nightmare. “At least you didn't scream yourself awake this time…”

Are siblings meant to cuddle this close…?

Andrew was already melting at the touch. “Yeah, whatever…”

This felt weird and wrong in all of the normal ways he knew, but… he had no other choice. Not only are they connected by blood by being siblings, they have trauma bonded (well, much more so Andrew than Ashley) and have shitty parents. Andrew practically raised Ashley, at least he did a better job than their parents who were still asleep a few rooms over.

“Poor Andy, still feeling the guilt of the death of that hussie?” Ashley inched herself closer so she could taunt softly in Andrew’s ear, plopping her chin on his shoulder. “What even was that brat’s name?”

“Don't call me that…” There was a hint of venom in his voice. Andrew pretty much ignored everything in Ashley's sentence except for ‘Andy’.

“What? But that's your name, isn't it?”

“Cut the bullshit, Ashley. You know it isn't.” He didn't roll over to face her, but she could hear the glare and disdain in his voice. “God, for once, none of this shit… I just want to get to sleep.” His eyes were heavy, dark bags under them.

“Fine, whatever…” She huffed, her hand still playing with his hair, the other beginning to wander.

There was a beat of silence.

“...can you do that thing?” Andrew's voice piped up.

“What thing?” She raised an eyebrow.

“That thing where you drag your nails up and down my back… helps me sleep…”

“You treat me like that yet expect me to do things for you?”

“Just— this once, please. I need to get to sleep, and fast. I've got shit to do tomorrow.”

Ashley let out a sigh, “Fine,” and got to work.

Ashley’s hand left the top of Andrew's head and joined her other as she began dragging her nails up and down the length of his back. Andrew let out a content sigh, snuggling into the pillow closer. Ashley could hear him loosen up and start relaxing, but she wondered if maybe doing this on his bare skin might feel better than through his sweater…

Her hands travelled downwards, very easily slipping past the hem of his sweater and shirt underneath, going straight for bare skin. As soon as Andrew felt this, his head whipped around, alarmed immediately. She's never done this before. “What’re you doing?”

“Making it more relaxing. You were bitching that you wanted to sleep fast, so this'll work, right?”

It, in fact, did the opposite. Andrew's body became as stiff as a board. But why?

He was stupidly ticklish.

At first, Ashley didn't notice the subtle shakes when her nails travelled accidentally too far from his back to his sides, the noises he'd try to suppress when she scritched behind his ribs or his shoulder blades. At one point, Andrew moved a hand to his mouth to try to silence himself when her nails got a little bit too close to the back of his neck. However, it was all for naught.

When Ashley concluded she had enough trying to relax Andrew, she trailed a finger from the top of his spine all the way to the bottom. A quiet but audible shriek left Andrew's lips, hand fastening over his mouth tightly.

Ashley paused. Silence, until…

“...you've been lying to me this whole time, huh?”

“What do you— hahahahhhhh—” Andrew could feel his face and ears burning with a blush already, attempting to silence himself as Ashley made quick work of digging her hands into his bare sides, skittering and scribbling her nails.

“You said you weren't ticklish anymore. That you ‘grew out of it’. You've been holding out on me, Andy.” Mischief dripped from her voice, a sly grin forming on her face in the dark, continuing her assault on his poor nerves.

Quiet giggles and choked laughter left Andrew's body as he rolled himself around to face Ashley, grabbing onto his assailant’s wrists to attempt to get her to stop. “Behehecause I-I knehehew— ahaha! That you'd dohoho something like thihihis…!”

“What? I've gotta torment my sibling sometimes. Gotta make sure you know who's the boss around here.” Her evil streak continued. Andrew rolling to face her is actually what she planned for. Her hands darted to sneak under his sweater, scratching right on his belly.

New laughter poured out of Andrew. So much for trying to stay quiet.

He made an attempt to squirm away, beginning to feel the bed leave from under him. “Ashlehehehey!! Stohohop it!!” He tried to hush his voice and control his laughter, but her fingers were persistent, and seemed to remember all the little tickle spots that she used to use to torment him when they were kids despite all the years it's been since this last happened.

“It's cute to actually see a smile on your face instead of being Mr Grumpy and moody all the time!” She commented. Though it was dark, she could see the smile stretched on his face and his blush dusting his cheeks and ears.

Ashley's hands travelled upwards to squeeze and scribble the bottom of his ribs, and that was when the dam finally broke.

“NohohoHOHOHOT THERE!!— ARGH!” Andrew's further attempts of backing away had failed miserably, he had forgotten Ashley's bed was only a twin size. With a reasonably loud thud, his body left the bed and instead slammed onto the carpeted floor below, one leg still dangling on top of the bed. “Oww…” He let out a huff. He'll be sore tomorrow.

Their parents definitely heard, he thought. He began to catch his breath, though laboured, trying to sit himself up.

However, Ashley was still up to no good.

Ashley noticed Andrew's socked foot, eyeballing it. An evil thought crossed her mind. She sat up and quickly seized his ankle.

Once Andrew felt her slim fingers wrap around his ankle, he immediately spiralled into panic mode. Loud be damned, he wasn't letting her go anywhere near his foot without a fight.

“WAHAHAIT!! ASHLEY, DOHOHON’T!!” He didn't mean to shout, the volume was ripped out of him in this panicked state. He didn't care if their parents were awake anymore, he needed to beg and bargain for mercy. He was tugging at his foot to no avail.

Ashley, with a smug victorious smile on her face, shuffled herself around so she could capture Andrew's ankle in a secure leg lock. “Let's see how loud I can get you to scream and beg.”

Once her fingers touched down, it was over for Andrew. Even through socks, his foot was too ticklish for him to handle.

Andrew shrieked, no way of being able to hold it back. Ashley scribbled her nails wherever they could reach. From his heel to his arch, to the ball of his foot, all the way up and under his toes and the spaces of skin inbetween. Ashley couldn't help but let a few evil giggles loose.

He went ballistic, laughing and banging a fist on the floor from the overwhelming sensation. Though it didn't last for long.

The door to their shared bedroom swung open.

The hallway light poured into the room as the silhouette of their mother came into view. Oh god, it was mum instead of dad. And she looked pissed. The light touched Andrew and Ashley's forms, showcasing the evil smirk on Ashley's face and the pink blush covering Andrew's face and ears.

Ashley wasn't afraid at all to see her bitch of a mother, but Andrew sure was.

“What the fuck are you two doing?!” Their mother raised her voice, furious. “Look— I don't want to know. Just shut the fuck up, and go to sleep!”

Mother slammed the door at that, the light disappearing.

There was silence for a moment, until Ashley burst out into stifled giggles.

Andrew grumbled as he got up. “Yeah yeah, laugh it up,” he let out a long sigh, making his way back over to his own bed. “This is the last time I ask you to help me with my nightmares and anxiety attacks.”

Ashley beamed knowingly, getting all snug in her bed now that she had it back all to herself. “Teehee, I know you'll come crawling back for more.”

Andrew climbed into his own bed, scowl on his face, snuggling into the covers. His eyes grew heavy. “You’re right…” He mumbled as, now finally exhausted after being nearly tickled to death, drifted off to sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

He knew the next time he'd have another nightmare, that he'd be back. It was inevitable, as it always has been.

Everything was Ashley's fault.