#lee!basil

Kel and Sunny had already been sat with him for a bit, making him feel guilty for struggling so much in front of them and that just made it even harder to relax.

“Hey, hey it’s okay. We’re here, nothings gonna happen, alright?” Kel rested a hand on Basil’s as he murmured, offering him a sense of security.

The teen scuttled over to sit closer to him, and leaned in to hug him gently. Basil didn’t say anything, just adjusting himself to fit better in the embrace and focusing on his friend’s warmth to help steady his breathing.

Kel continued, “If there’s anything we can do to help, just say.” And Sunny nodded his head in agreement.

The blonde-haired boy sat and spaced, half way between peace and a racing heart, pondering on what to say. Or if he should even talk at all. The silence seemed to beat the room like a drum after all his crying. Mimicking his nervous heartbeat and irritatingly harmonising with the hum of electricity creeping its way to his ears. The dried tears on his face itched. And he felt kind of sick. No…don’t focus on it.

He closed his eyes and held Kel’s hand tighter. The touch of another person guiding the sense of dread pooling in his gut away and out of him gradually.

As he settled, the shy boy fidgeted a little, bringing Kel’s wandering attention back onto him and inclining the daydreamer to lightly rub the sides and curves of his friend’s pale hand, in his way to reinsure that safety and reality. The sudden touch spread across his hand like a feather drifting along his skin, it was comforting and tingly, soothingly ticklish.

The corners of his lips ever so slightly wobbled themselves into a timid smile, and he reluctantly welcomed the new feeling of butterflies fluttering around in his stomach as he began to form an idea of what could offer the kind of distraction he needed. Basil shuffled slightly and moved his arm to hold his waist, now the tingling feeling of Kel’s affection seeping to the rest of his body.

His mind began to paint a different pattern of thoughts, now warm and comforting and lovingly vulnerable. He pressed his hand a little harder into his side in an attempt to rid himself of the ghostly presence leaking from his sudden fantasy, prickling goosebumps on his skin and causing a needy restlessness.

No matter his effort those phantom hands persisted the flustering touch, drifting their way up and down his shivering sides and dusting his cheeks a nearly unnoticeable tint of pink. The anxious boy knew what all this meant and was embarrassed to acknowledge it, but he knew it’d help. He knew his friends would be right there to do it and there was no way he could deny their sweetness. So he admitted, mentally, he now had a lee mood.

The desire, the want, the need- the need for fingers teasing at his skin, hands squeezing at his stomach, for his every spot to be tickled unpredictably and his every thought melted along with his heart. Oh, if only he could just be squirming and squealing with laught-

Soft spoken calls of his name punctured the daydream he was losing himself in, the voice becoming clearer each time it repeated itself.

“Basil? Hey!” Kel patted his hand, bringing him back down to earth once more. “Have you thought of something that could make you feel better?” Basil hesitated—because there was something, but it was way too embarrassing, and to make it worse, he knew his friends would be able tell.

He steadied his breathing and encouraged himself to respond,

“Well.. u-um could you do that…thing we talked about uh- the..y’know..” He stammered, his voice practically a whisper as he stared down at his shorts, pointlessly analysing every dust particle and hair strand accumulated in an excuse to escape eye contact.

The taller boy wracked his brain, before noticing Sunny holding his hands in front of him, scrunching his fingers with a playful yet caring expression on his face.

Kel realised. Thaaat. “Ohhhhh aw I get you! You want us to tickle you?” Kel smiled warmly, he really could comfort people with just his presence. But that didn’t stop Basil from flushing twice as deep, why did that word have to be so flustering?

“Ahah..uh. Yes.. please..Oh- only if you want to I-Ihi dohohon-wahahait I wahasnt rehead-AH KEHEhel nohohoho!!” Basil stuck his elbows to his sides, squirming and giggling in surprise as the taller boy suddenly began to squeeze at them. He was expecting a slower and gentler start, but supposed the surprise at least didn’t allow his brain any time to process and make room for negative thoughts.

He jerked once he felt ten fingers clawing at his ribs, losing his position and slumping limply down to the wooden floor he was once sat on. Kel chuckled, “Downnn we go!!” He sang, digging and vibrating his fingers into the bottom of Basil’s ribcage as they sank further. Adorable nasally cackles and snorts were practically pouring from the boy.

“Gosh, snorting already?” Kel teased, “You must be really ticklish!” With that, Basil could just feel the heat rise to his ears. Kel was hesitant to make too many remarks, after all he didnt want to overwhelm him, but the deep rose that accompanied the joyful dimples on his cheeks was just irresistible. And Basil knew he was just helping make things lighthearted.

Sunny shuffled over to Basil’s knees, sneaking his hands underneath and humbly dancing his fingertips along the ticklish hollows. The flower boy squeaked quietly, his frantic giggles rising and lowering randomly like sweet and cheerful hiccups. He shifted his legs up and down, unable to keep still but not exactly avoiding the fluttery sensations.

If anything, he tried to lean closer into them, the thought and feeling of something so affectionate and vulnerable warmed him. A sense of comfort and love trickling through his body like a soothing stream, Sunny’s approach of tickling was much softer than Kel’s, and the contrast of the sensations complimented each other greatly, somehow working every adorable sound Basil could make right out of him.

As flustering as it was, he couldn’t deny it was helping a lot, and he appreciated the warmth and connection it greeted him and his friends with.

Kel wandered his fingers down from Basil’s ribs, pausing for a moment to let the boy open an eye and see a mischievous grin peeking back at him, oh, and definitely not to let him see the slowly wiggling fingers gradually creeping their way under his shirt too!! Not at all!!

Basil squealed “KE-AGHHAH-KEHEHELL NOHOHOO” the blonde folded inwards the second Kel made contact and shot his arms down to hold his wrists as he attacked his bare tummy, his fingertips gliding over the sensitive skin which wobbled and caved adorably to the touch. He switched to light grabs and rapid squeezes, squidging in rhythm with Basil’s laughter as it rose and fell in excited panic.

As quickly as he picked up, Kel eased the tickles down slowly, opting to just gently trace along Basil’s stomach, and his laughter soon calmed down along with it. Just giggles and soft titters.

He didn’t want to go too overboard on his friend, the poor guy was trying to calm down in the first place after all. So he decided they should ease up a little. Kel twitched his shoulder at Sunny and gave him a smile as a signal to stop.

Basil continued to giggle, hugging himself with a big grin on his face. His hair was messy and ruffled, and his face flushed, completed by that adorable smile. He slowly opened his previously squeezed-shut eyes to see his two extrovert-and-introvert friends gazing at him with a certain look in their eyes.

“Whahat..?” The blonde asked, still giggling a little from the fingers Kel was absent minded-ly tracing on his stomach.

“You’re really endearing to us…” Sunny responded quietly with a smile.

Basil’s body lost all tension, his heart melting, how were his friends so loving to him? Sunny was only just warming back up to smiling again and what he’d said along with that smile had meant more than he could ever know. He felt so at home and safe.

Kel chimed in, “And your laugh is so nice to hear man…you need to laugh more often!” The tall boy chuckled, “…Or do we need to tickle you more?” he grinned mischievously and gave Basil’s stomach a few squeezes.

He squeaked and curled in on himself again, mustering up a giggly reply, “Ihi’d like that..”

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