#featherary2023

Akito stormed into the living room, tossed his bag on the ground, kicked off his shoes, and flopped onto the couch with a loud sigh.

"Hey." Toya greeted softly from his spot on the other end of the couch. He placed a bookmark to save where he was reading and set the book on the coffee table, giving his boyfriend his completely undivided attention. Toya knew he could be oblivious when it came to social situations but he prided himself in his astute ability to tell when Akito was upset. "Rough day?" 

Akito sighed again. "You wouldn't fucking believe it." He, with little grace, clambered across the couch to sit against Toya’s side, earning a slight, closed lip smile of both endearment and sympathy from the other. 

Toya was never certain how to comfort his partner in times like this but was glad to know Akito felt comfortable enough to initiate even a small action like that. Following his lead, Toya hesitantly guided his boyfriend's head onto his shoulder and ran a hand through his soft orange hair in a gentle, repetitive motion. "You want to talk about it?" 

Akito leaned into the touch and shut his eyes with a contented hum. "It's just dumbasses at work. Not much to talk about." 

"Ah, okay. If you're sure." Toya was concerned and couldn't help but feel a bit helpless. He couldn't stand to see the man he loved so stressed out. "Anything I can do?"

After a beat, Akito went slightly pink, burying his face into Toya's neck. Something clearly came to mind at the question and he seemed hesitant to share it. "No. No, just this is fine." He mumbled. He sounded as if he were trying to convince not only Toya, but also himself. It's a given that he utterly failed at both. 

Toya frowned. He knew when it came to affection, Akito had trouble asking for comfort. Still though, he couldn't help but hate it when his boyfriend was dishonest with him, especially about this. He only wanted to help however he could. "Hey." He turned his head to look at the man on his shoulder and squeezed his hand. "Kito? You know you can tell me anything? You don't need to be so embarrassed. It's just me."

The redhead flushed at how he was addressed. Toya wasn't typically one for nicknames, only resorting to them in moments of vulnerability. That genius idiot probably didn't even notice how the pet name made him want to spill his guts. He was far too weak to him. He took a deep breath, Toya would back off if he asked but that felt wrong. He wanted to be open. Unfortunately, open is hard to achieve when the subject is so... embarrassing. He opened his mouth, and closed it. "Yeah, I know. It's just that- well... Ugh." 

"Take your time. It's okay."

"I just... could you.. help me take my mind off it? With that dumb thing where we both... you know.... with the laughing?" Akito, the color of a tomato at this point, turned his face deeper into his partner to hide it.

Toya looked confused only for a moment before smiling fondly. "Oh. You mean you want to have a tickle fight?" 

The way he said it so casually rendered Akito speechless. He could only nod shyly. 

"Of course," Toya placed a gentle kiss on Akito's temple. "See? Nothing to be embarrassed about. I'm going to tickle you now. You can get me back if you'd like. Is that okay?" 

Akito, again, only gave a nod. 

Toya, not wanting to overwhelm him, wrapped an arm around the ginger and started to slowly trail his fingers over his sides. He was rewarded with little happy snickers slowly trickling into the room.

Akito felt a sudden burst of confidence overtake him through his laughter, energy flooding his chest like wildfire. His giggles seemed to melt away the tired frustration plaguing his heart and its place, an intense desire to get back at his boyfriend. He couldn't just sit here and take it. He wasn't going to let himself lose. He was going to turn that smug, stupid, beautiful smile into a panicked grin and make him scream in laughter. He did have permission after all. 

With no effort at all, Akito easily jerked himself from his boyfriend's clutches, flipped him onto his back, straddled his hips and began to claw wildly on his sides. 

"HAHAHA! AKIHITO!" Toya protested, immediately going limp at the surprise attack. "I- NAHAHAT- FAHAHAH!" He could barely even speak through his own wild peals of laughter.

"Not what? Not fair?" Akito grinned with a sense of satisfaction. "Hate to break it to you, hon, but life isn't fair." He leaned down close to Toya's neck, his breath making the pale skin tingle.

Time moved in slow motion for Toya as he felt his nerves light up in the brightest little firework explosions. If Akito managed to get his sides and neck at the same time, they both knew he was absolutely done for. He initially was unsure of how Akito was going to react to the tickles and, consequently, wanted to take it gently, at least to start. However, it seemed like his boyfriend had other plans, in a cruel betrayal leading him to his current predicament. He didn't have much time. All he knew was that he had to think of a way to get his boyfriend off of him and fast. He used the last of his strength to force himself forward enough to make a desperate grab at Akito's calves, dragging his short, blunt nails across them, just controlled enough not to scratch. 

The effect was immediate. Akito jerked back in surprise with a squeal, halting his attack on the soft sides in front of him just long enough for Toya to squirm out from under him, red faced and panting, and scramble a few feet away. He looked Akito in the eyes from their positions across from each other, eyes shining with pure mirth and adoration. "For someone who plahays so dirty, you're a bit ticklish yourself." He giggled out. 

"Oh you are so gonna get it now!" Akito yelled with a playful grin as he made a dive for Toya. "Come back her-HEHHE!"

He was cut off by ten fingers wiggling quickly into his tummy with the precision of a well practiced musician, targeting the carefully studied spots Toya knew would get him flailing and squealing like there's no tomorrow. Still tickling, Toya carefully pushed Akito onto his back, laying his own body on top of him. He was so weak from his still ongoing laughter and thrashing, Akito had no choice but to let him. 

Before he even had the chance to fight back, Toya readjusted himself and burrowed his head under his shirt, punctuating the movement with a large raspberry directly onto the unprotected belly. If Akito was going to go for his worst, he didn't see why he couldn't do the same in return.

“NOHOHOT THEHRE! SHIHIT TOYA!” His pleas fell on deaf ears as he felt Toya take in another breath of air to torment him with. “NAHAHAT AGAHAIHN! PLEHEHASE!” 

The next raspberry from hell was accompanied by Toya shaking his head back and forth like a wet dog trying to dry itself off. Akito had no time to dwell on the absurd juxtaposition that was his loving boyfriend acting even remotely similar to such a filthy creature; The soft blue locks of hair now adding to the sensation on his most ticklish spot served as quite the distraction. Akito threw his head back in shrieks of laughter and kicked with every scrap of remaining movement in his legs. He begged and shouted profanities that lost more and more clarity by the second. Damn Toya and his damn breath support. 

By the time Toya finished his raspberry, his partner had long since been reduced to no more than a babbling mess of insults and giggles. He panted desperately, thanking whatever was out there that had granted him freedom from his merciless boyfriend. The boyfriend so horrid and unjust that his gaze upon emerging from under his shirt was nothing but… soft. Toya looked at the other with nothing but love and maybe a hint of concern in his gray irises. He sat back on Akito’s legs, giving him room to sit up and breathe against the arm of the couch. 

“My apologies Akito. I didn’t mean for that to be so.. Intense. I hope I didn’t go too far.” He seemed shy. Embarrassed. He avoided direct eye contact. Good thing there was an easy fix for that. 

“Oh-” Akito gasped, still exhausted and taking in all the fresh air he could. “That was too far alright-” 

Toya’s face hardened with guilt. 

“-because you are so dead now. I hope that little stunt was worth it.” He smirked. 

Guilt turned to confusion. Confusion turned to realization. Realization turned to panic. Panic turned to whatever happens when embarrassment, dread, and unadulterated love for another mixed together in one large cocktail of red faced emotion. 

Akito,still laying down, pulled him close into what those unacquainted to Akito-typical ticklish revenge may have mistaken for just an innocent hug. Toya, however, knew better. That particular strain of naivete thinking had been ruined a long, long time ago. He giggled nervously, knowing full well what was about to come. 

“Any last words?” Akito teased directly into his ear, “Wanna apologize yet?” 

The defiant proclamation in return was said through a growing fit of anticipatory giggles. “I refuse to apologize for anything that makes you smile.” 

“Oi. Shut up, you.” Those were the last coherent words Toya would process for a while as his partner’s hands retreated from their gentle grasp on his waist to drilling deep into his hips. Though it was impossible to say Toya was wrong. This did make Akito happy. He loved the laughing and how distracting everything was and how he could make his stoic boyfriend squeal like a little kid. 

Toya thrashed and laughed his hardest at the tickling but none of it even came close to the warmth he felt looking at Akito’s mouth curled into a smile. Smug and determined of course, but happy nonetheless. 

Bad moods and worse days were always going to be inevitable, but with just as much certainty to the young couple, there was always the other waiting at home to make it all go away. 

----

The rising sun streaked through the curtains, providing slight warmth and gently illuminating the two girls cuddled together, fast asleep under the fluffy covers. The sounds of the birds chirping outside combined with the low whir of the fan coming from the ceiling created a calming aura that hung in the air. The scene was delicate and serene and that is exactly what Haruka felt as she stirred awake at the same time she always did.

She sat up a little in bed and took in the view. The sunrise, the light breeze making the trees outside sway, and most importantly, the sleepy An curled into her side. She looked so pretty with her eyes closed, a lazy expression, and a faint smile over her face. She looked so at peace in her arms, Haruka almost felt guilty disturbing her. As much as she wanted to stay here in this moment, one that made sleep look underwhelming as the quiet early mornings next to her lover beat any dream she could ever have, it was time for the day to begin. 

Haruka smiled fondly and planted a kiss on her girlfriend’s forehead. Usually, she would have to meticulously worm her way out of An’s (surprisingly firm for someone sleeping) grasp in order to start her morning routine. Today, however, An had a particularly early morning practice with Vivid Bad Squad, reluctantly scheduled in order to accommodate everyone else’s plans for the rest of the day. The previous night, she had specifically requested for Haruka to wake her up when she got up for her morning workout, forgoing an alarm in exchange for the idol’s flawless circadian rhythm.

The blue haired girl allowed herself one more minute to admire An’s relaxed and softly snoring form before finally beginning to shake her shoulder. 

“An? Darling, it’s time to wake up.” She held her close and kissed her temple, trying to wake her gradually. 

“Mmmmm, noooo-” An groaned sleepily and rolled over in her hold. “Sleep.”

Haruka giggled at the reaction and ran a hand through her long, ombre hair. Her heart gave a pleasant squeeze at the scene. She regretted having to be the one to bring about its end. “No more sleep. It’s time to wake up.”

An groaned again, but didn’t give any verbal response, clearly already falling back into her slumber. 

“You have to wake up, now, love.” Haruka kissed her cheek. “You have practice, remember?” If she was being honest with herself, this didn’t come as much of a surprise. An was notorious for both not being a morning person and for being incredibly stubborn. A frustrating combination when you were the one expected to get her out of bed at the crack of dawn.

“Nooo I don’t. You do.” An rolled back over and clung to Haruka, making it abundantly clear with her grip alone that she had no intention of letting go anytime soon. 

“We both have things to do this morning.” Haruka wrapped an arm around her body, giving a quick, affectionate squeeze. “And you asked me to get you up, remember?’

An, again, said nothing. Though Haruka suspected this time was more of a matter of ignoring her rather than her not being fully conscious yet. 

She wasn’t going to be convinced by words alone, that much was not only obvious, but also expected from anyone who knew An in any capacity. Haruka knew she had to take a different approach. Luckily, she had just the one in mind. “If you’re going to act like that, An, I’ll have to use another way to wake you up, okay? Just remember that you wanted this.” The smirk in Haruka’s voice was audible, even from An’s position, who was turned towards Haruka and using the entirety of her upper body as a makeshift pillow. 

“Mmmm, not awheheke!” Uncontrolled, loopy giggles burst from An as she felt gentle fingers tapping on her back.

“Well, we can do something about that, right?” Haruka knew full well how ticklish An’s back could be. If even tapping got her this bad, she was eager to see just how far she could take it in her uncooperative, silly state. “Is this waking you up?” Her fingers tapped rapidly up and down all over An’s back as she giggled herself silly, completely unable to hold back. 

“Nohoho! Hehe!” An wiggled back and forth and weakly kicked her legs out. 

“I don't know, you're looking pretty lively you know. But if you need even more waking up-” Haruka took a single nail and dragged it over An’s spine. 

“EEEE! Nahahat that!” An squealed in delight as her squirming grew. 

“You know how to make me stop.” Haruka grinned and repeated the action, eliciting a similar reaction. 

“Nohoho! Nohot gehehetting up! EEEHE!” An leaned forward, away from the hands on her back but closer to the idol in front of her, effectively keeping her trapped against her girlfriend. 

Haruka clicked her tongue, “So stubborn.” Her playful tone sent butterflies straight to An’s stomach. “I gave you a chance to listen on your own but now I have no choice but to make you. Get ready, love.” She pulled her hands away, no longer touching An, causing the latter to burst into more giggles. She knew where this was heading and despite her face going red and chest growing tight, she couldn't wait.  

The time Haruka wasn't doing anything felt like torture. An couldn't tell when she was going to make her move. Every breath she took held the wonderfully dizzying fear that it would be interrupted with laughter. She inhaled, trying to calm her nerves and let out a shaky sigh. She was in the middle of repeating the action when she felt the fabric of the back of her shirt being gently pulled upwards and the cool air against her bare skin. Light fingertips brushed her as they passed by, but made no movement to strike. The tension in the air grew thick.

The noises of nature waking up alongside them had strayed from the zone of comforting and relaxing to almost mocking. The birds outside remained singing their gentle song, completely oblivious to and in spite of An’s predicament. The moment was theirs and theirs alone to share, which on one hand was beautiful in that they got to share such an intimate and loving morning together, but on the other made An’s skin prickle. Yes they were alone together but that also meant she was the sole focus of all of her girlfriend’s teasing attention with no chance of a distraction. 

Haruka might call it poetic but An just saw it as yet another one of the many ways she was trapped. Not even the birds could save her now. She smiled softly thinking about how much she loved and trusted this woman. In nobody else’s arms could she ever feel so secure and happy to be trapped. 

And then all ten wiggling fingers descended onto her back at once. “ACKAHAHAHAHA HARU PLEAHEASE!” She arched herself away from the tickles, again curling forward to the very source of them. 

“Begging already, sweetie?” Haruka smirked, already love drunk on An’s sleepy laughter and wanting more than anything to hear more. “Does the morning really make you that weak? Or maybe just more ticklish? You really are a street singer then if you flourish at night.”

“SHUHUT UHUP!” An shrieked.

“I will…” Haruka let her hands drag towards An’s upper back. “As soon as you get up.” 

“NEHEVER!” An challenged confidently through her loud laughter.

Haruka smiled far too softly for what she was planning, she expected no less defiance from her competitive girlfriend. Lucky for the both of them though, Haruka could be just as competitive herself. 

“Never? That’s a pretty strong word for someone about to get her armpits tickled.” 

“WahaHAHAHAIT!-” The bright laughter filling the room increased in volume as An’s panicked voice processed the meaning of the threat. 

“Wait? What for? I thought you said you'd never get up. There's nothing to wait for if you plan on being here forever.” Haruka showed the slightest bit of what may be considered remorse in the form of a quick peck on An’s cheek.

The ‘apologetic’ gesture meant very little to its recipient though when just as she felt the fleeting sensation of gentle lips leaving her, she was overwhelmed with two hands each forcing their way under one of her arms.

“NAHAHAT THEHERE! ANHYWHERE BUHUT-” An gasped desperately before descending into booming cackles she couldn't even begin to try and form words through. 

Haruka was anything but cruel, meaning her attack was, while brutal, still short-lived. Once she had removed her hands from the death spots, she began to comfortingly rub the shoulders of An’s still hysterical form.

“Ahaha- Thaha- That’s cheheating. You're suhuch a cheater.” She had somehow managed to contort her face into an odd mix of the remnants of her giggles, a good natured smile, and a pout. 

Haruka playfully rolled her eyes and kissed the tips of her girlfriend’s bright red ears. “You started it. I wouldn't have had to tickle you if you had just gotten up, which by the way we still need to do.” 

“Mmm, five more minutes?” An snuggled close to Haruka’s chest before even receiving an answer. “I’ve earned it.” 

Haruka could only chuckle and scratch affectionately at An’s scalp. “Yes, I suppose you have. But if you try for any more than five…”

An shivered at the feeling of tapping on her back.

“I think we both know what will happen to you.”

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