Raindrops gently tapped on the roof of Gale’s tower in Waterdeep. He was seated in a mauve leather armchair and was nose deep in a book he’d purchased from his favorite bookseller. The doors of his sea-facing terrace were open just enough to allow the rain sounds and the distant roar of the ocean to enter his space. He’d also thought ahead and had an active ward up to prevent anything inside his study from getting wet. 

Gale’s lavender tea was hot, lightly sweetened, and sat on an end table within his reach. The scent of it alone was calming. He maneuvered the book to one hand so he could pick up the mug to drink. He took a long sip, humming with satisfaction, when he heard a soft, warm singing voice filling the hallway that led to his study. 

Gale smiled against the mug before he put it down. A songbird had fluttered her way to his study. His wife was here. 

And, just as he guessed, they were about to play their regular game. 

Gale turned back around in his seat and returned to his reading. He was reading through a collection of poems. The  topics ranged from describing the majesty of the Weave to finding the beauty in mundane, everyday affairs, like standing in a queue to purchase bread. He was trying to gain inspiration from these poems to compose one of his own for her. 

All he had to do was focus. But, Muse was not going to make that easy for him. 

The forest gnome sang all the way up to the door, where she pushed it open with a gentle creak. She had just freshened up after coming in from picking flowers in the rain.

She padded into the room in light steps. The carpet felt warm and soft against her bare feet. Her pink, floral nightgown trailed behind her. She sang a little bit louder, an easy smile settling on her lips. 

“I’m in the mood for love…~”

Her voice was bright, warm and sweet, like the first glimpse of sunlight or that first taste of honey. It took a concerted effort for Gale not to smile. 

Muse crept closer and placed her hand on Gale’s arm. He didn’t turn around. His lip twitched as he turned the page of his book. 

“...Simply because you’re near me…”

Her voice dropped to a sultry croon as she circled him, still keeping her hand on his arm. Gale swore he could feel his skin jumping with goosebumps. 

Still, he refused to look at her. 

Oh, putting up a fight, are we? 

The metaphorical gloves were off. When she rounded his chair again, now facing him, she threw herself into his lap. Gale dropped a surprised ‘oof’ and scrambled to avoid dropping his book. 

“Funny, but when you’re near me,” she continued, straddling his waist and reaching out to caress his cheek. “I’m in the mood for love…~”

Gale swallowed a lump in his throat. His cheeks warmed. 

Gods, her hands were soft. It was as if they were sculpted by the gods themselves.

No. No, no. Focus Gale. An archwizard of his caliber was nothing if not adept at concentration. Besides, he was determined to win their little game. One of them would give up, and it wouldn’t be him. 

Gale exhaled through his nose and turned to the next page. In truth, he hadn’t fully finished the previous one, though Muse was none the wiser. The forest gnome watched him expectantly, prepared to bask in the glow of his smile, but it didn’t come. 

Muse huffed once, only once, before she resumed her song. Her hand that was caressing his cheek ventured down towards the side of his neck. His beard tickled her palm. 

“Heaven is in your eyes,” she hummed softly. She lightened her touch as her fingertips skimmed over his neck and underneath his chin. Gale twitched and rolled his shoulders. 

A tiny spark of mischief ignited in Muse’s eyes. She slowed her touch down to gentle strokes spanning from his neck to under his chin. “Bright as the stars we’re under,” she continued, now smiling broadly. “Oh, is it any wonder that I’m in the mood for love…?”

Gale’s lips twitched up into a smile as he fidgeted in his seat. His breathing quickened and he blew short puffs of air out of his nose. Muse hummed curiously. 

“What is it, handsome?” She asked innocently, as if she had no idea what she was doing. “Am I bothering you?”

Gale wordlessly shook his head. Muse made a big show of sighing with relief. 

“Oh, good. You’ll have to forgive me, Gale, but seeing you inspires a song in my heart. I just can’t help but to sing when I’m around you,” she murmured sweetly. “You do look preoccupied though. I never thought I’d see the day that I’d be jealous of a book.”

Gale snorted. She continued to stroke the side of his neck and underneath his chin. The ticklish sensations followed after each stroke. He ducked his head down and choked on the giggles he was trying to hold back. 

Muse chuckled. She continued her ministrations while she took a peek at the page he was on. “What’re you reading anyway, hm? You know I love a good story. Why don’t you read me a line or two?”

Quiet, audible snickers snuck out of Gale as he fidgeted in his seat. He tightened his grip on his book. Muse smiled. 

“Gaaale…” She hummed softly. “Cat’s got your tongue, lover? Read to me.”

When she switched from soft teasing touches to a quick, deliberately ticklish scribble, the dam broke. 

“M-Muhuhuse—,” he snickered. He inadvertently trapped her hand against his neck and battled between the urges of jumping to his feet and not wanting her to fall off of his lap. “That tihihickles!”

Muse gasped playfully at the acknowledgement. “Oh, he speaks,” she teased. “And here I thought you’d keep on ignoring me..”

Her comment, coupled with her hand getting free and tickling along his sides instead, made him yelp. The book he’d been holding tumbled to the carpeted floor. 

“I wahahas rehehading!” He protested. His hands chased after hers, sometimes catching them, but never holding them for long. Her hands were a lot smaller than his but, not counting that, the ticklish energy seized him like a well placed spell. It was difficult to focus on grabbing her when he was giggling up a storm. “I wahasn’t—it’s nohohoht—” 

He couldn’t finish a thought as he swiveled from one side to the other. He giggled even louder when her hands suddenly squeezed just underneath his rib cage. Muse giggled along with him and gently prodded into the spot, scritching along his ribs as if she was playing the piano. 

“You weren’t…? It’s not…?” She repeated with a smirk. She leaned into his chest as she prodded into the hollows of his underarms. “If I didn’t know any better, those sound like the beginnings of excuses.”

“Nohoho—” Gale shook his head and, despite his efforts, curled in on himself. This made him slide out of his chair like a sack of potatoes. Muse went down with him with a squeak. She landed on top of him, taking a few seconds to re-center herself, before she wriggled her fingertips into his hips. 

Gale shrieked. His giggling took on more of a frantic note as he scrambled to regain his footing. “Dove,” he breathed. His frame shook with giggles with his hands chasing after hers. “Plehehehease!”

Muse’s heart warmed at the pet name. For a moment, her gaze softened into something tender. “What?” She giggled, “I only wanted you to read to me. But I am happy to love on you instead.” Her hands then plunged into the softness of his tummy. She was still being gentle, fingers worming over his robe, but Gale still shrieked. His frantic giggling jumped to hysterical laughter, and he bucked underneath her. 

“NAHAHA! NOHOHT THEHERE!” He yelled, hands gripping her wrists, but not fully pushing her away. Muse laughed softly. 

“Gods, I love your laugh,” she grinned. “It’s so cute. I adore so many things about you, Gale..”

His grip on her wrists made it difficult for her to keep tickling, so she had to opt for wrestling with his hands. Gale took the opportunity to catch his breath while he kept her at bay. 

“I adore you toohoohoho,” he giggled. “You’re enchanting. Vivacious. Though there are infinite ways to—”

While he yapped, Muse tested his grip on her wrists, swiveling them to gain some leverage. He didn’t budge, so she interrupted his loving words with a kiss. Gale’s surprised yelp was muffled against her lips. He leaned up into the kiss with his thumbs caressing the tops of her hands. Muse smiled, affectionately squeezing his hands, only to pull them free and return to tickling his belly.

All of his squirming made it so that his robes were loosened, so it was easier for her to get under his shirt and connect with his skin. Oh so gently, she scratched at the sides of his tummy, sometimes kneading with her fingertips. 

Gale dissolved into a fit of laughter. Like clockwork, he chased after her hands with his own, but Muse was ready for that. When he reached for her, she scooted up his body and trapped his hands underneath her legs. She squealed as he bucked more frantically, his laughter growing in both pitch and volume.

“OHOHOHAHA MUHUHUSE!” He cackled. Muse jumped a little from the force of his laughter, but continued tickling him.

“You’re so ticklish,” she chuckled fondly. “I’m hardly touching you. Just another thing I love about you.”

Gale’s cheeks flushed. He was laughing too hard to thank her. Muse ducked her head down with a small smirk. 

“I also love how brilliant you are,” she whispered. She pressed a gentle kiss to his tummy, and he squealed. “I love how passionate you are about magic. About the Weave. I could listen to you talk about both all day.”

“O-Ohohoehehehe….hehehehe—th-thank you—AH!” Gale squealed again as she kissed down to his navel, and his cackling picked up again. Muse’s smirk softened. 

“No need to thank me, love,” she hummed. “I’m only speaking the truth. Do you know what else I love about you?”

Muse halted the tickling, giving her husband a chance to breathe. He craned his head up to look at her. As warm as her gaze was, there was still an undeniably playful glint in her eyes. 

“My…words? My smile, perhaps? Or…”

Again, Muse leaned up to kiss his lips. But, contrast to last time, Gale didn’t fully melt into it. He preemptively tensed, nervously chuckling against her lips, expecting to be tickled again. Not that he truly minded, though; in truth, he enjoyed it. Sharing a good laugh with a loved one was high on his list of pastimes. Muse placed her hand on his cheek, holding the kiss a little bit longer before grinning at him. 

“All true,” she nodded. “And I do apologize for being repetitive, but I really love your laugh. It’s music to my ears.”

With that, she ducked her head down to blow raspberries into his tummy. Gale threw his head back with a loud cackle. He thrashed enough to free up one of his hands and grab at her shoulder. Muse snuck a quick kiss to his knuckles before returning to the raspberries. 

“NOHOHOT THAHAHT!” He yelled. His laugh deepened each time her lips made contact with his skin. Muse chuckled against his skin. She gently kneaded into the sides of his tummy with her thumbs, and he laughed even harder. 

“Aw, but I sang for you,” she recalled with a playful grin. “Surely you can hit some notes for me..”

She took a breath and blew another raspberry, fingers worming up and down his torso with gentle scritches and squeezes. Gale tossed from one side to the other, head tilted back as he cackled.