#ler!aether

Aaaalso… I felt like drawing my sweet boy dahlia soo a little bonus heyehueheue:

“Ihihihi knohohohow thahahat! Buhuhut whyahahAHAHAHA!”

Xiao just hummed in response, crawling his fingers under his shirt to get at the sensitive skin.

“GAHAHAHA! NOHOHOHOT THEHEHERE!”

Xiao responded with more tickles, wiggling his fingers right into his navel, making Aether double over and throw his head back in mirthful laughter.

“XIAHAHAO! XIAHAHAHOHOHO!”

Aether mustered up the strength to flip them over, so he was now straddling Xiao. Panting, he glared down at him.

“Hahh, what was that for Xiaoooo?” Aether whined, nuzzling into his neck and tickling him with his hair in the process.

“Hehahahehehaha!”

Xiao just giggled in response, shaking his head side to side.

“Not talking, huh?”

Xiao felt his heart jump at those words and the wobbly grin that he was trying to keep down made it's way on his face as Aether rose back up to look at him.

“Well, you had your fun. I’m going to make breakfast for both of us now.”

Aether patted his stomach and scribbled his fingers over the bare skin making Xiao let out a few giggles that ended all to soon as Aether got up and stretched, heading to make breakfast.

Xiao almost let out a whine as he gawked at Aether walking away.

That's it?!

Xiao let himself fall face-first into the sheets, making Aether stop in his tracks and look in his direction.

Tickle me! Tickle me backkkk. Whyyyyy?? Why doesn't he just wreck me right now? Aetherrr.

“Iwanmmnsttimnnmckles.”

“What?”

Xiao immediately shot upward, not meaning to voice that out loud. He felt his face heat up as he saw Aether looking at him curiously.

“I-It’s nothing,” Xiao replied, trying to keep his voice neutral and from squeaking in flusteredness.

“You tickling me, falling face first, mumbling something, and red-faced. Yeahhhh, that's normal.”

Aether was now standing over Xiao, quirking an eyebrow at him.

“It’s nothing! I'm just—" Xiao averted his eyes to the side, scrambling his mind for an excuse other than the one right on the tip of his tongue.

“Tickle starved?" Aether finished, gathering Xiao’s hands in one of his own and kissing them sensually. “In your lee mood?" He helpfully added.

“H-Huh? W-Wha? That's not—” Xiao was at a loss for words, and his brain was short-circuiting as he was being hit with sudden affection from his love.

“Don’t lie to me~ Of course, I know when you're tickle starved,” Aether grinned at him. “Besides, you weren't being subtle.”

Xiao groaned, making Aether laugh and intertwine their fingers together before pushing him gently flat against the bed and straddling his hips.

“Why didn't you just tickle me?" Xiao complained.

“And give you what you want sooo easily? Nooooo~”

Aether leaned in close, hovering right over his lips.

“Where's the fun in that, A-la-tus?"

On the last syllable, Aether's soft, warm lips pressed against his, silencing whatever Xiao was going to say, and both of them closing their eyes in the moment. Xiao felt himself melt into the kiss, mind going blank as Aether licked his lips for entry.

“Mmmmmnnn~"

“MmMPHHnmnn~"

A breathless moan left his lips as he parted them, letting Aether fully explore his mouth. Aether pressed their bodies closer, licking Xiao's tongue and feeling him shiver beneath him.

“Mmmah-Ahaether~" Xiao managed to get out before rolling his eyes in ecstasy when Aether's tongue effectively silenced him with a suck.

He wanted to wrap his arms around his love so bad but Aether just wouldn't let him go and he can't even think straight as he felt himself melt more into Aether's touch.

“Mmphehemmhe!"

Xiao let out a giggle, muffled as their lips stayed connected. His eyes opened in surprise to meet ones full of mischief.

“Mmnahahmmphaha!"

Xiao let out a laugh this time, eyes squeezing back shut not because of the kiss but because of Aether's persistent squeezes on his side. He tried to break the kiss, but Aether was having none of it. Content with drinking the giggles and laughter of his yaksha and feeling him squirm beneath him.

Music to my ears~ Aether thought to himself, grinning inwardly as he moved his hand to Xiao's stomach, and teasingly trailed down his V-line towards the waistband of his underwear.

Xiao let out a yelp and bucked his hips, strong enough to startle and cause Aether to fall to the side.

“Aehehehe!" Xiao giggled out, putting his now freed hands over his eyes. “Y-You’re such a tease," he panted, catching his breath from the kisses and tickles.

“Is that an invitation for me to keep going?~" Aether asks, getting back closer to Xiao and starting to slip a finger underneath his waistband.

“Wait! No!" Xiao scrambled to grab hold of Aether's wrist, face flushed at the thought of those…thoughts. “M-Maybe later."

“You're so cute, when you're flustered~” Aether teased, pulling away.

Xiao whined at that, falling back on the bed and covering his face with his hands.

“Xiao, look at me. Look into my eyes,” he hears Aether say as he feels him straddle his hips.

He peeks through his fingers and looks up to find a smirk etched on his lover’s face and the threat of wiggling fingers hovering above him.

Xiao let out a squeak and closed his fingers, hiding his definitely red face.

“Aetherrrr, don’t—”

Before Xiao could finish, he felt his hands being pulled back and vines wrapping around his wrists as they guided them over his head.

“Tsk tsk tsk. I told you to look into my eyes, my little yaksha~”

Aether, wielding dendro, shook his head and lowered himself near Xiao’s ear, breath tickling his earlobe as he whispered.

“It’s so easy to tease you, Alatus~”

Xiao trembled beneath him, a shy grin on his face that he tried to bite back as he squirmed in excited anticipation.

“Aww, look at your smile. It’s so cute~ Good thing you can’t hide it from me~” Aether grinned, winking at him.

Xiao protested weakly at that before giggling once he saw Aether’s hands start to lower towards him.

“Aehehehether!”

“I'm not even tickling you,” Aether laughed. “You are such a ticklish little thing, aren't you?~” he cooed.

“Stohohop sahahaying thihihings lihihihike thahahat!”

Xiao tried hiding his face into the sheets, but Aether had other plans.

“Ah ah ah~” he chastised, tickling him for real. Wiggling his fingers under Xiao’s neck and making him burst into a high-pitched squeal.

“NOHOhoho!”

“You don’t get to hide your face from me~” Aether playfully growled, sneaking in a kiss on his lips and moving his hands down to just barely graze his armpits.

“Plehehehease!”

“Please, what?”

“Tihihhickle mehehee!”

“That's just adorable~ Who am I to deny a request from my lovely boyfriend?~”

Aether delved in, scribbling at Xiao’s hollows, and he all but burst into laughter.

“HahahaHA! AHAHahaHA! I-IHIhihiIT TIHIhihickLEHES!”

“It’s supposed to be silly, yaksha~”

Xiao laughed in joy, kicking his feet out reflexively and making a mess of the sheets.

“You’re making a mess of the bed, you know.”

“I CAhahaN’T HeheLP IHIHI- AETHER! NOHOHOHOHO!”

His whole body lurched forward as if to shove Aether away before he fell back on the bed, laughing and shaking his head from side to side as he felt Aether start squeezing up and down his sides.

“No?” Aether questioned, squeezing a particularly bad spot on the side of his ribs, making Xiao throw his head back in ticklish mirth. “I thought you wanted this.”

“IHIHIHI DOHOHO BUT— HAHAHAHAHA! IT TIHIHIHICKLES SO BAHAHAHAD!”

Aether’s heart melted at that, and he stole another kiss, leaving Xiao breathless before moving to his stomach, giving him lazy scribbles.

“You are so cute and irresistible.”

Xiao’s laughter tapered off into giggles at the scribbles as he panted.

“Ahahand you ahare such a tehehease.”

“You love it though~”

“Keep dreheaming.”

Aether choked in surprise, dipping his finger into Xiao’s navel in retaliation and wiggling and scratching at every nook and cranny. “Oh, you’re asking for more, aren’t you?”

“GaHAHAha! AEhehehether! Breheheakfahahast?”

“Changing the subject, huh?” Aether scoffed. “Here’s your breakfast. Raspberries.”

He lowered his mouth and blew raspberry after raspberry in punishment.

pfft! pfffttt! pffffttttt!

“Wha— BWAHAHAHAHA! AE— snort NAHAHAHAHA! THAHAT’S NOHOT FA— PLEHEHEHEASE! GAHAHAHAHA!”

“Aww, you snorted. You somehow keep getting cuter and cuter.”

“I’M NOHohohOT CUHUhuTE!”

“Yes, you are. My cute, baby yaksha~” Aether replied, opting to massage his lower ribs.

“AEheHETHEher!”

“Yes? That’s my name.”

Xiao just buried his face in a nearby pillow, trying to muffle his laughter as well as hide his burning face. With Aether’s fingers on his bare skin in addition to the teasing, he just wanted to melt into the bed.

“You know,” Aether starts, getting off Xiao and flipping him over onto his stomach before sitting cross-legged and pulling him into his lap. “For someone so ticklish, you’re not teleporting away. You must really like this, huh~?”

Xiao let out a flustered noise before bursting into helpless giggles as Aether proceeded to softly trace his back, watching how Xiao squirmed but never crawled away from him.

Cute~

Aether continued, a soft smile on his face, letting Xiao’s wrists free as he fondly watched his love enjoy the attention and melt into his touch. Indulging in the rare smile on his face and the even rarer giggles that filtered into the room.

The peace was short-lived, though, when Aether regained his teasing smirk, not that Xiao could see it.

“Xiaooo~”

“Mmphhehe?”

“Remember how you mentioned breakfast before?”

“Mmyeaha?”

“I think I’m going to have my breakfast now~”

Before Xiao could question what that meant, he felt soft lips brush his back and then little nibbles.

“Wahahaahha?”

He tried to crawl away but Aether simply wrapped his arms around his waist and sat him up, making nom nom nomming sounds as he continued to nibble at the sensitive skin of his back. And to make it worse, he started clawing at his tummy.

“HAHAHAHAHA! NOHOHOHOHO! A-AEHEHHEHEHETHER!” he tried to yank Aether’s hands off him to no avail.

He couldn’t help but arch back into Aether as he kicked his legs out in front of him, trying to stand, only to get a raspberry to his neck, making him squeal and shake his head and bump into Aether’s cheek repeatedly.

“BWAHAHAHA AEHEHEHETHER! IHIHIT TIHIHICKLES A LOHOHOHOT!”

“Good. You deserve it after tickling me first, y’know~”

Aether grinned as he peppered ticklish kisses all over his back, along his neck, and even up to his ears.

And the best for last~

He blew a loud and long raspberry at the center of his back, making Xiao shriek and howl with laughter, shaking against Aether.

“AHAHAHAHA! NAHAHAHA! ME-MERCEHEHEY! BWAHAHAHAHA!”

In the next instant, Xiao teleported out of Aether’s embrace, not going far because he was exhausted, and ended up right next to Aether on the bed, giggling.

“Aehehehe,” Xiao tiredly giggled out, tensing when Aether wrapped his arms around him again, but relaxing when he felt Aether snuggle into him.

“What did I do to deserve you? You’re so cute!”

Xiao melted into Aether, hiding his face into his chest before his giggles began quieting down, and a yawn took their place.

“Tired?”

“Mhmm.”

“Cuddle some more?”

“Mmhmm. Thank you, Ae. For that.”

“Anything for my lovely adeptus~”

Aether placed a kiss on his forehead, feeling Xiao’s breathing even out as he fell back asleep.

He chuckled, gathering anemo into his palm and channeling it to close the curtains, and applying a little cryo between them to cool off Xiao and himself. He took his own shirt off, pulling Xiao closer to himself and wrapping his legs around him like a koala wanting to soak in the skinship and closeness between them.

I love you. I love you. I love you.

Bennett could still feel the beat of the party in his body as he sat at the shore, watching the sun slowly disappear in the far, painting the sky red and casting long shadows over the ground. He could feel the soft wind in his face and closed his eyes, listening to the waves and the beating in his chest.

So much had happened since he came to Natlan, so many things he had experienced over the last days. Meeting the Traveler and Paimon again, making new friends with the people of Natlan and enjoying the mysteries and attractions surrounding the Sunspray Summer Resort, learning about his origin and... meeting his parents.

His chest still tingled when he remembered the encounter, his emotions almost boiling over. Never before had he felt so light, so right in place, as if fate had guided him here. A smile lingered on his lips as he thought about all these things, re-playing them in his mind again, and again, and again.

Yes, these last days had been amazing… and yet he felt a light sting in his chest as well. He loved his dads more than anything in the world, but meeting his parents, only to be separated from them again, didn't leave him without any tiny scares on his heart. A single tear ran down his face. He just wanted to-

"There you are Bennett, we've been looking everywhere for you." A sudden, familiar voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Is everything alright?" Aether said as plopped next to him, smiling. "...Y-Yeah, I'm alright, I just wanted to watch the sundown," he mumbled, quickly rubbing his face, hoping the blonde hadn't seen him cry. He had seen...

Aether let out a sigh, but his smile didn't fade. "Don't give me that, you are my friend Bennett... I know when something is bothering you, you don’t have to play the tough one in front of me.” The ash-grey-haired looked at him, blinking. Then giggled weakly. "I can't hide anything from you, can I?"

He gazed back at the sea, before he kept talking. "It's just... I miss them..." "You mean your parents?" Aether asked, lying a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly. The other let his head hanging a bit. "...It's just... I always wondered where I- ...Why they had- no... I just... don't know..." he mumbled, looking more nervous than troubled.

Aether watched him, he could feel his chest tightened - he hated seeing his friend in pain like that, wanting to do somethi- anything to cheer him up again, if even a little. A sudden memory of him and Asha crossed his mind and he smiled at him. The blonde smiled as he poked his side playfully.

"Bennett! Don’t look so nervous, okay? We’re gonna see if we can figure this out, together! So... Look at me, I wanna see that cute smile of yours again! Come on, show me. Shooow meee~" he teased, wiggling into his flank and the first giggles were already bubbling out of him, unfiltered and innocent.

"A-AetheheEHer- w-wahAhit... ehEHehh~" he laughed, but instead of trying to escape, he leaned onto him. "Hah! Yeah, there it is! Don’t let worry cloud your heart too much, Bennett," Aether concluded, letting his other hand join in as well, as he robbed a bit closer, tickling now both of his sides. The other's laughter continued to fill the air.

"AhhAhahh noOHohoHo, p-plehEhehase... dooHonon't!" The Traveler smirked. "Don't what, Bennett?" he asked, playfully squeezing his hips. "T-TihiHickle meHEheh- w-w-wahAhhit, noHOHo aHHAHAHAAHhaah!" He exploded as he fell for the oldest trick in the world.

"If that's what you want me to~" Aether giggled and gently pushed him into the sand, looming over him as he wormed his fingers into his sides again. His hand found his ribs and pressed-in-between them, sending ticklish shockwaves through every fiber of his body. “HAhAhahAhah whAhAhhAhy!” he managed to say.

The blonde chuckled, not stopping his tickling. “Just because I felt you needed it, am I wrong?” he asked innocently, dragging his hands slowly up and into his armpits. "AhahAhAHAH A-AeHEhther thAht's noHot whaATt- waHHahaiHIhit!" Bennett laughed, his laughter getting high-pitched as the new spot was tickled, clenching his arms to his sides.

However, besides that, he didn’t try to stop him either. Aether had been right. Somehow it felt like it was just the thing he needed right now, and he knew that Aether knew it as well. Though, that still didn’t mean that he could control his reactions to it, even if he wanted to.

"Pffft I- ahahaahHHA I cahAhn't! WahAHAHHH!" he whined, shaking his head in ticklish merriment, pressing one hand over his mouth, muffled laughter coming out of it. He could feel his face heating up, a reddish blush creeping onto is cheeks and the tips of his ears.

"You have a very cute laugh, let me hear more of it~" Aether teased, carefully grabbing his wrist and pinning it over his head. "Hello there~" he said and wiggled his free hand into his unprotected armpit once more. The action made the ash-grey-haired explode into a new wave of uncontrolled, cheerful laughter.

"Ahhahahah thaAht's cheHehating, noOHohoo!" he laughed, tears of mirth running down his flustered face. His free hand now tried, really tried to grab the tickling one, but Aether just intertwined their fingers and pressed his other hand above his head as well, scratching with his fingers over both his hands now. "AhAhahahah t-tiHIhickles…soOHoh…muHUhuch~"

"No way, your hands are ticklish as well? That's so cute~ Coochie coochie coo~" Aether sing-songed, wiggling his fingers over Bennett's trapped palms and the back of his hands, sliding over the skin with slowly motions. He could feel his hands tremble and the action even caused a light snort from him.

"Does it tickle, do you want me to stop?" he asked, making sure to stop his tickles for a second, to give the other a chance to catch his breath. "NooHoho plEhehase noHoto yeEHhet!" Bennett giggled, squeezing his eyes shut. He wanted to feel this lightness just for little bit longer.

"You really want me to continue?" "YeEHehHes!” the other laughed. The Traveler's heart melted and he bend down, nuzzling his head into the creep of his neck, tickling the spot as well. "You really making it easy not to hold back, Bennett~"

The reaction followed instantly and Bennett bend his head adorably to the side. "ToHoho ucuUCh, pleHehase swiIHitch spHohots," he laughed and the blonde giggled. The nuzzling on his neck was already bad enough, but the blonde strands brushing against his chin and nestling around his ears made it so much better worse.

"Too ticklish for you own good, hmm? Well, how about here then?" Aether teased, suddenly letting go of his hands, using the momentum to wiggle both hands into his sides and stomach again - the thin t-shirt granting him almost no protection. He could feel him sucking in his stomach, but it only resulted into belly laughter and chortles - Adorable.

Not able to control himself, Aether even sneaked a hand under his shirt and poked a finger right into his belly button, which turned out to be his death spot. "AhAhahaAhh o-HOhokay, okay stoHOhoop. AhAhhahaHAh AehEhehter plEhehehase!" Bennett whined and Aether finally relented, giving him one last poke before he sat back, watching him slowly calm down.

Bennett panted heavily, his chest rise and falling, and stretched out both his arms to the side, as he slowly opened his eyes, gazing up into the starry sky. "Your okay there, buddy..." Aether mumbled, feeling a bit worried. "Yeah, I'm fine... t-thanks," he said, looking indeed a bit better now.

The blonde let out a relieved sigh and ruffled though his hair, making him giggle once more. "H-Hey stoOHopt that~" He waited a few moments for him to calm down, before he spoke what was written on his heart, what he wanted to share with him.

"...Your parents loved you Bennett, more than anything in the world... and no matter how much time will pass that will never change," he began, "I know how much it hurts, trust me... but..." he lied a hand on the other's chest, just above his heart, "they will always be there, right by your side, and I will be there as well..." he said. "You won’t be alone again, never!"

Bennett felt tears filling his eyes and quickly pulled his headband down, to hide the tears, sobbing lightly. Aether lied down next to him, grabbing his hands and squeezing it. "I'm- *sob* I'm grateful... t-thank you so much Aether, for everything," he whispered, squeezing his hand as well. Aether smiled warmly at him before he looked up into the starry sky as well.

"We might not see each other all the time, but we share the same sky and if you ever feel lonely, you just have to look up to the stars, knowing that wherever you are, I, your dads, our friends… and your parents will always be watching over you..." he told him and felt a sudden tingle on his shoulder as the other nuzzled against him.

"… Just for a minute, please…" "Of course, as long as you want…" "Thanks for… being by my side…" Bennett mumbled, feeling how all the heaviness inside him had faded. "You’re welcome, Bennett." The two of them laid there for a few minutes longer, talking about everything and nothing before Bennett sat up again, an honest grin on his face.

Back to the present, the replies to his invitations began to arrive, one after the other. The different seals in each stamp showed where they were from: Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru and Fontaine. Aether sighed, picking up the first one and carefully ripping it open.

His eyes scanned over the words written down, beaming with excitement with the positive answer by the foot of the page. A sense of relief and happiness filled his heart by the time he opened the second letter. And the third… well, the traveler pouted, maybe not everything would work out, after all. The fourth and fifth balanced each other out: both answers surprised Aether as they came as the completely opposite of what he had anticipated.

So far, Albedo, Xiao and Wanderer agreed to come over, while Kazuha and Lyney had to decline his request: one thanks to The Crux’s sailing plans and the other to his busy agenda. Still, managing to bring these three, with him included, was enough to fuel Aether’s imagination, dreaming of the day of the gathering.

He looked down at the letters, his mind now wandering to the second matter: what was he going to do with those three together? Thinking about it, would they even get along? Well, surely about was an easier person to be dealt with, but Xiao and Wanderer…

Aether shook his head. He shouldn’t be expecting the worst. What if they ended up enjoying each other's company? Or even became friends? Yes! The traveler stretched out his arms above his head, crossing his hands behind his head as he stared at the Serenitea Pot’s ceiling. He couldn’t wait for the day to come!

…

Well, they were talking to each other, at least. Not in the way Aether expected - or wanted, for that matter - but, still, a conversation, he supposed. 

Clenching his hand around his cup, Aether peeked left and right, hoping to spot any improvement in his guests’ mood. So far, however, Albedo was the only one to be enjoying himself, it seemed. He sighed, a faint voice inside his head already telling this whole meeting was a bad idea.

It’s not like he could say things went downhill from the very start. At first, with just him and Albedo - the first one to arrive -, everything worked out just fine: they had a little chat, Albedo tried out one of his dishes and even complimented Aether on the whole idea. It, indeed, felt like it was about to work out amazingly.

However, it seemed like his plans shattered in front of his very own eyes from the moment his second and third guest arrived - both at the same time, coincidentally. As soon as Xiao and Wanderer landed eyes on each other, animosity and an ominous feeling began to fill the room.

For some unknown reason, they did seem to get along. Aether couldn’t recall a time where they could possibly have interacted before and, being in his right mind, he wouldn’t consider inviting them both together if he knew about any of this - so why do they seem to… hate each other?!

Still, at first, Aether tried to think that it was just his impressions. After all, they wouldn’t be at each other’s throats for the whole night, now, would they?

They would. In fact, they were still at it.

There was no need for words when the two anemo users stared at each other like that, silently threatening their opponent and throwing daggers with their piercing looks. Aether could barely breathe as the tension began to get to him. It felt like they would start to throw punches if Aether took his eyes out of them for a single second!

Suddenly - breaking the silence like a rock thrown at a peaceful lake - Albedo hummed, clearly pleased. “The tea is really good, traveler,” he said, taking the cup away from his lips as he lowered it, “where did you say it came from again?”

Aether’s jaw dropped. ‘My savior’, he thought, coughing to clean up his throat before proudly holding his cup up. “From Fontaine! It might be a bit too sweet, but I really liked it, hehe… I ended up getting a couple more, so drink as much as you want, ‘Bedo!”

“Huh, ‘a bit too sweet’?” Wanderer scoffed, leaning back in his seat and cocking his head to the side, throwing Aether a teasing stare. “You have such a childish taste, traveler. I bet you even added sugar to your cup, didn’t you?”

“A-ahah,” Aether giggled nervously, blushing slightly. He indeed added an extra sugar cube… “Well, I just-”

“You don’t have to drink it if you don’t like it,” Xiao interrupted drily, his arms crossed in front of his chest while his brows furrowed. Uh oh. “Aether had all the trouble in preparing it for us. It’s rude to complain like that.”

“X-Xiao, it’s not that ser-”

“So what? Why are you even hurting in his place?” Wanderer snapped back defiantly, barely shifting in his place if not for his head tilting back - moving it just to look down at Xiao.

This was bad. Really, really bad. Aether looked left and right, trying to utter something to ease the tension, but ending up just getting interrupted before managing to utter anything. He didn’t even know if he should step in at that point - what if they thought he was taking a side? Even worse, what if they wanted him to take a side?!

While Aether lost himself in a flurry of thoughts, with one idea running over the other, Xiao and Wanderer continued their ‘little’ bickering, getting more and more flared up with each other.

“You should show proper respect to your host - especially if it’s someone as Aether,” Xiao hissed, leaning forward in his seat as if ready to jump at Wanderer’s face within the next seconds. 

Still, the other guy didn’t seem like he was planning to back down. “I can talk to him however I want. We are friends and he doesn’t mind. Why should I listen to you?”

“Apologize to the traveler. Now.”

“Or what, Yaksha?” Wanderer grinned. “Want to take it outside? I can b-”

Clap!

“Ahem.”

The two stopped, widening their eyes in surprise and turning their attention to Albedo, who still had his hands together. He also managed to call Aether’s attention, who watched him with expectant eyes - almost as if begging him for a solution. Someone as smart as him surely could come up with something, right?

“I didn’t plan to step in, but it doesn’t seem like you two will figure it out peacefully,” he sighed, his eyes scanning the room from one side to the other, making eye contact with Xiao and, then, with Wanderer. “Am I right?”

The two guys looked away, one puffing out his cheeks while the other clicked his tongue. Why did it feel like he was dealing with two kids..?

“He started it,” Xiao mumbled, saddened to see how distressed Aether was at the whole scene. “He was being rude to Aether.”

Wanderer sighed, rolling his eyes, “exactly, to Aether. Not to you. He doesn’t even care, you are the only one complaining.” Just as he finished speaking, Wanderer also shot a glance at Aether’s face and, despite his attempts to conceal his emotions, it was clear that it also bothered him.

However, even when they were aware of the consequences of their bickering, it didn’t seem to be enough to appease the mood. In a blink of an eye, they were about to start the whole discussion all over again.

So, for the second time, Albedo decided to meddle in their fight. “Do you two really wish to fight each other so badly?”

The unfriendly duo huffed, keeping themselves quiet, but clearly agreeing with Albedo’s statement.

“Sure, you can fight, then.”

“A-Albedo?!” Aether gasped, what was he even trying to achieve by allowing such a thing? Did he want to take notes on the results of Xiao and Wanderer’s falling out?! “N-no, you can’t fig-”

“But,” Albedo continued, skilfully capturing the attention of all the people in the room, “to prevent any harm to be done, you’ll have to solve this through a contest. And, whoever wins, gets to be ‘right’ about this matter. Good enough?”

Silence quickly sat in the room. Albedo could be a really mysterious - if not confusing - person when he wanted and, at times like these, it was almost impossible to figure him out. What was he even planning with this ‘contest’?

“Why would I even joi-”

“Fine for me,” Xiao abruptly cut Wanderer’s speech, looking at his possible opponent. “I can do it, no matter what it is.”

Wanderer gritted his teeth, growling quietly as Xiao managed to easily get into his nerves. “Ok, let’s do it. I can’t wait to hear the Yaksha begging for my pardon.”

Albedo smiled, looking at his side to meet Aether’s eyes. “Would you like to join as well, traveler?”

“H-huh? Me?”

“Yes, you can take part in it too,” Albedo nodded. “If you win, then they both shall apologise to each other.”

Aether furrowed his brows slightly, taking the offer in consideration. Certainly, winning on their terms would probably prevent Xiao and Wanderer from getting into another fight so it should be worth the try, right?

“Alright, I’ll join you guys too!” Aether clenched his hands, excited. This was getting interesting. “So, what’s your idea, Albedo?”

“Yeah,” Wanderer added, “what’s the ‘contest’ about?”

“Endurance.”

…

“What?” Xiao, Aether and Wanderer asked, almost in unison. 

Albedo chuckled, taking back his seat and elegantly crossing one knee over the other, ready to start his explanation. “So, the main goal here is to prevent you,” he pointed to Xiao, “and you,” then at Wanderer, “to hurt each other. My proposal, then, is an endurance test. Whoever lasts longer, wins. Simple as that.”

“And how exactly do you plan to test our endurance? Making us run around the house?” Wanderer mumbled, supporting his head on his hand as he looked at Albedo.

“By tickling you,” Albedo said with a smile, contrasting the unsettled faces of the other three. “Whoever takes the longest time to yield, wins.”

It didn’t take long for a pink hue to cover everyone’s faces. While Aether’s eyes widened and his whole body tensed up with a shiver running up his spine, Wanderer looked away, trying to hide his blushing cheeks by pretending to cringe at the idea. Meanwhile, Xiao fiddled in his seat, trying to find courage to face such a trial while telling himself that ‘it was for Aether’.

And, just like that, no one dared to object to the idea - each of them with their own reasons to not do so. “It’s settled then,” Albedo said as he clapped his hands together, his eyes scanning the whole room while a subtle smirk planted itself on his lips. “Is there anyone that would like to go first?”

That question seemed to spark a whole new level of anticipation among the ‘contestants’. Eager eyes shifted back and forth between one and another, trying to read who was going to make the first move.

A sharp inhale, then, directed everyone’s attention to Wanderer. “Fine, I’ll do it. Just get over with this stupid contest already,” he groaned, throwing a deadly glare to the other three as if daring one of them to even lift a finger towards him.

And as expected, his silent threats seemed to do the trick for Aether while, as for the Yaksha, it seemed to make him hesitate - after all, he wouldn’t want to start a fight in front of the traveler again. However, during the few seconds Wanderer occupied himself with keeping an eye on them, Albedo made his move.

“AH!” Wanderer squeaked like a toy, quickly shooting his arms down and pressing them against his body as hard as he could, trying to stop Albedo’s hands from climbing his ribs any further. “Y-you- fuhuck! G-grhrr, I wihill f-fuhucking kihill you!!” He growled, leaning his head back into the chair rest, but further into Albedo’s grasp.

“You’re allowed to laugh, though. I think I forgot to mention that,” Albedo mused, his index fingers poking at different spots in Wanderer’s ribcage, prodding at the little spaces between each bone in search for a sensitive spot that would make him crack. “Just say ‘yellow’ when you can’t take it anymore and I’ll stop, ok? That’s also what will count as ‘yield’.”

“I d-dohon’t need a fu- pfft, d-damn it! A sahahafe word! I’m n-nohot tihihicklish!”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Albedo mocked, digging into the back of Wanderer’s ribs with his thumb. Getting behind him was proving to be awfully convenient for him, he thought while making little notes in his head about Wanderer’s ticklish spots.

It was a sight to behold, from Aether’s and Xiao’s point of view. Albedo made touching someone like Wanderer seem easy, even casual, completely tickling his way through the threats and curses. 

“You’re pretty ticklish here, right?”

“N-NOhohoh!! G-gehehet off, ahAHAH!!” 

If it weren’t for the fact that they were up next in the line to get that treatment, it would be a pretty amusing scene to watch. As expected of Albedo, it seemed that every tweak of his fingers, every poke and every stroke were planned, calculated. Wanderer didn’t stand a chance as no matter what direction he arched or twisted his body, Albedo would already have his hands ready to welcome him with more tickles there. “Yohohou jehEHEHerk!! It tihihickles!”

Albedo simply scoffed a laugh and continued with the ‘contest’s trial’, his digits kneading at Wanderer’s lowest set of ribs. “Of course it does, that’s my goal.” 

But despite how hard he tried to make it tickle or how bad Wanderer claimed it to be, he was still not yielding - which meant it wasn’t time for Albedo to stop or let him go yet. A small pout took place in his lips while he pondered if he should try a different spot or, maybe, look around Aether’s place for a quill or a brush?

Then, feeling the gazes of his audience upon him and the current contestant, a different idea popped up in Albedo’s mind. Right, why didn’t he consider asking for some helping hands before?

“Would you like to join us?” Albedo suggested, cocking his head to the right while one of his hands managed to sneak under Wanderer’s arm, managing to tickle the smooth skin with the tip of his digits even with Wanderer clasping his arms down as hard as he possibly could. “Oh, did I hit a good spot?” He mused, looking down to the one squirming in his grip.

“NOHohohoh!! I-it’s ahAHAHahwful!!” Wanderer whined, his feet kicking up as he threw himself back in his seat, hoping to make Albedo lose contact with him, even if it was just for a split of a second. 

Back to the other two, they pondered about Albedo’s offer - after all, that seemed to be a double edged knife: if they did join, that meant Wanderer would also get to join when it was their turn to get tickled? But wouldn’t that also mean they had the chance to make him surrender faster? Well, it was worth the shot, Xiao thought, while Aether only considered that it would make things more fun - and that should be enough to outweigh the cons. 

Wanderer - too busy laughing and squirming in his seat, trying to fend off Albedo’s skilful fingers - barely noticed the two figures walking towards him. Not only that, but it wasn’t like any other sound besides his giggles could make it out of his mouth at that time.

All he could pay attention to was Albedo’s fingers trying to move and wiggle their way further up his torso, still managing to tickle him under his arms even when he tried so hard to protect that spot. Each move sent that awful signal that made him want to smile and laugh through his nerves and straight into his brain, over and over. 

He wasn’t even human, so why was he so sensitive?

Suddenly, that and other inquiries that crossed his mind lost all the room they had inside Wanderer’s mind. With his eyes still pressed shut, he could only feel - as focused for a brief moment - that Albedo’s hands managed to… multiply? Wait, that didn’t make any sense. If he was tickling his armpits, then who the hell was holding him down by his waist?

Oh.

“W-wahahait!! I didn’t sahahay you’d gehehet to join!” Wanderer whined, pulling his knees up close to his stomach as his in a vain attempt of stopping Aether from joining in. “GeEHEhet ahaway frohohom me!!”

“Stop squirming,” Xiao groaned coldly, grabbing one of his ankles and forcing him to stretch out his leg, “Albedo said we could join. You weren’t already thinking of yielding, were you?”

“Don’t be mean to him, Xiao,” Aether said, but didn’t complain about the extra room Xiao provided him. His fingers roamed freely, wiggling over Wanderer’s lower sides and stomach.

“YOHOHOU!! AHahAHaha, y-you suhuhuck!” Wanderer laughed, scrunching up his shoulders and thrashing his head left and right.

Albedo tickling his armpits and ribs from behind, Aether playing with his middle like an instrument and that stupid Yaksha holding his legs down. This couldn’t possibly have gone any worse, Wanderer thought while a wide, careless smile bloomed into his face.

“Tickle tickle tickle! ~” Aether cooed, repetitively poking Wanderer around his navel, circling his stomach and even going down to tease his sides as well. “I think I’m better than Albedo at tickling you, won’t you agree?”

“That’s bold coming from you, traveler,” Albedo snapped back, “I would say he is barely feeling your hands.”

It was hard to even process what was happening around him. Wanderer’s body mostly moved out of reflex, barely having room to ponder about his actions. He arched his back, tried to kick his feet up and even twist his torso, swatting his hands at any ‘threat’ within his reach. “S-stohohop it!! Y-yohou ahHAHare all s-so- aHAHaha, so l-lahahame!”

If this was how things went, Wanderer could probably achieve a decent score with much effort. However, there was a missing piece that he failed to notice: Xiao. The Yaksha, while keeping Wanderer’s legs held down, watched the whole scene carefully and plotted his strategy - the main goal was to defeat him, after all. Why show him any mercy?

“I tohohold you to stahAHAHAH!!”

Aether and Albedo widened their eyes as his laughter soon rose a pitch. Maybe even two. To their surprise, the ‘best tickler’ wasn’t Aether nor Albedo, but Xiao. “This is the weak spot,” Xiao muttered, his eyes coldly staring at Wanderer’s laughing face. He kept one of his legs outstretched while, with his free hand, he squeezed the spot just above Wanderer’s knee, sending him into hysterics.

Simple. Effective. Even a bit cruel, if you asked Wanderer. The tickling from Albedo and Aether even slowed down a bit, but Wanderer’s laugh only seemed to grow more and more frantic.

“NOHOHOH MOHOHOREHEH!! AHAHAhah, f-fiHIHIHINE! AHAH ~” He whined, desperately trying to pull his leg out of Xiao’s grip, “Y-YEHEHEHELLOW!! StahAHAH-”

Clap.

Xiao lifted his eyes from Wanderer’s to Albedo’s face. The alchemist had a pleased smile on his face while holding his hand out in front of his chest. 

“A-ahah… ah… y-you freheheak…” Wanderer cursed through tired giggles, his body going limp on top of his seat. His disheveled hair sticking to his forehead while his chest waved, trying to catch up his breath.

“Well, that wraps up our first round,” Albedo explained.

A cocky smirk took place in Xiao’s lips as he looked down at his main opponent, almost as if mocking him. Meanwhile, Aether’s eyes opened wide, beaming with excitement and anticipation - as that was probably what would wait for him. “H-how long was it, ‘Bedo?”

“I can’t say it yet, traveler,” he chuckled, “I don’t want anyone trying to push themselves beyond their limit just because of a silly game. So, let’s just stick with the rules for now, yes?” With that said, Albedo slowly walked around the chair, letting Wanderer rest while looking at Xiao and Aether, “should I decide who is going next, now?”

If it weren’t for Wanderer’s heavy breathing, the room would have been engulfed by silence again. However, just as Albedo was about to say something else, his attention shifted from the pair of “upcoming contestants” to the one next him. “Wanderer, what are you-”

“The Yaksha is going next,” Wanderer said as he got up, walking towards Xiao with bloodlust in his eyes. Did he really remember the goal of this contest was to not use violence?! “Come here!”

“G-get away from me!” Xiao groaned, trying to step back just to be tackled down into the soft carpet. Before Aether or Albedo could express their concern, Wanderer was already… tickling him. “S-stohop it! I dohon’t want y-you to doho it!” Xiao whined, kicking up his feet and swatting his hands at Wanderer's in a rather careless manner - it was not like he would bother himself with trying to not hurt him by accident.

Wanderer, with a wicked grin spreading over his face, continued to knead into Xiao's sides, determined to break him into laughter as soon as possible. “What do you mean? You wanted someone else to tickle you, you freak?” He mocked, pushing his hands away before dig into his lower stomach.

“S-shuhut it!! This ihihis nohohothing!” Xiao laughed out loud, caught off guard by the sudden change of spots. A faint blush began to spread over his face as he realized Aether had been watching him all this time. “I c-cahan tahahake it,” he boasted, almost as if trying to impress the traveler.

Wanderer, however, wasn't going to let that slide off easily - he was also one of the contestants, after all. “Suit yourself, Yaksha,” he muttered, half annoyed by Xiao's stubbornness, half amused by the whole situation.

Xiao was fighting not only one battle, but two. One to restrain himself from laughing, to make that revengeful tickling a bit more bearable and last the longest among them - or, at least, longer than Wanderer. The second was to maintain a collected image in front of Aether - the one he was ‘fighting’ for. It was just a childish, stupid game, not something that could beat a Yaksha. It was just tickling - he could, and would, take it, yes. 

“I-ihihit’s useless!” Xiao mumbled through gritted teeth, trying to mock Wanderer’s attempts to crack him up. “Yohohou are teheherrible at this!”

And as much as he would hate to admit, seeing Xiao taking it so well was starting to get on Wanderer's nerves. He tried tickling his sides and ribs, scratching his stomach and even pinch his waist, but couldn’t find a spot that really worked: all he could get from Xiao was those quiet, annoyed chuckles. “It doesn’t sound like you agree with that, Yaksha.”

“Are they always this competitive?” Albedo muttered to Aether with a surprised smile on his face, unable to do anything but be amused by the whole scene. “I didn’t expect they would take it so seriously.”

“W-well, they never hung together before,” Aether chirped, scratching the back of his head in surprise. At least no one was getting hurt and they were… enjoying themselves? Having fun? Something like that, he thought. “But I think it’s a good thing they… are sort of getting alo-”

“Hey, you two,” Wanderer groaned with a frown, “aren’t you going to help me as well? Or did you suddenly decide to not get involved?”

“H-hah, I knehehew you cohohouldn’t do it b-by yohohourself,” Xiao taunted again, a confident smirk taking space in his lips amidst the restrained giggles. He, however, kept a tight grip around Wanderer’s wrists, limiting a good amount of his moves. “You ahahare not up fohor the tahask!”

“Shut it, Yaksha,” Wanderer groaned, growing frustrated. He moved his head left and right, switching his attention between Xiao and the other duo, “I’ll make you eat your words, j-just you- ugh, let go,” he hissed, yanking his hands out of Xiao’s wrists before latching them at his sides again, making the latter arch his back and kick his feet as a loud fit of laughter nearly broke through his throat.

Aether and Albedo couldn’t help but to snicker at the scene. Nodding as if in some kind of silent agreement, they decided to join Wanderer’s efforts in making Xiao laugh. 

Albedo first positioned himself behind Wanderer’s, further restraining Xiao’s legs. Despite the whines and protests, he managed to pull off one of his boots and pin his leg into the soft mattress to scribble over the socked sole with his free hand. Albedo’s fingers wiggled upwards, stroking from Xiao’s heel up to his toes.

As for Aether, he took upon himself the task to take care of Xiao’s hands, taking a seat right next to the Yaksha’s head and allowing him to use his lap as a pillow. With a bit of Wanderer’s aid, he managed to pull Xiao’s hands up, exposing more of his torso for Wanderer’s merciless tickles. For some reason, having Aether holding his wrists down was flustering him the most among everything that was happening around him. 

With the ticklish feeling running back and forth all over his body, Xiao thrashed his head, pressing it further into Aether’s lap as he laughed brightly. His free leg kicked and his back arched - his defenses had, indeed, crumbled. Still, the whole point wasn’t to make him laugh, but to make him surrender.

“T-thahAHAH- that’s unfahAHAhair!!” Xiao laughed, a faint red shade covering the whole extent of his cheeks. “L-lehehet go, trahAHAhaveler!” He pleaded, his hands clenched into fists while he desperately tried to pull down his arms, only to have Aether stopping him midway and pinned down again

“Not so cocky now, eh?” Wanderer grinned, his fingers digging into the side of Xiao’s ribs while his thumbs prodded at the spot below his chest, determined to find that spot, that sweet spot that would make Xiao apologize for nagging him. “Tsk, just yield already, stubborn Yaksha,” Wanderer groaned, quickly shooting his hands down to pinch Xiao’s sides, “you are clearly at your limit.”

“It would be wise to not push you to your limits, Xiao,” Albedo said, barely bothering himself to look back at the whole scene as he was too entertained with Xiao’s foot trying to squirm away from his fingers. “If you feel like it, just say the word.”

“I’m doHOHOhon’t neh-HEHEHEH NEEHEHED IT!”

The three sighed, something giving them the feeling that Xiao would rather have his brain melted by the laughter than admit defeat. “Oh, Xiao, why are you always so stubborn?” Aether chuckled, his fingers itching to do a bit more than just holding Xiao down… but, if he were to join, he should pick a good spot - but where?

His eyes roamed from Xiao’s flushed cheeks down to his neck, then up to his ears and to his arms, which were held up next to his head. Oh. Aether smirked, letting go of one of Xiao’s hands and reaching out for his exposed underarm, clawing at it with his free hand. “Come on, Xiao ~ I know it tickles too bad, even for you ~”

Just as expected, Xiao bursted into a louder fit of laughter as soon as Aether joined the efforts into cracking him up. The Yaksha’s banged his free hand against the soft mat underneath him, clenching it into a fist. 

His cheeks and the sides of stomach were hurting from laughing so much and he couldn’t even make some meaning out of the conversation that was happening around him. It tickled so, so bad… Xiao pressed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the tickling, but each second of that electric feeling running all over his body felt an eternity. He couldn’t take it.

“AHAHAHAH, YEHEHELLOW!! YehEHEHEllow, plehehease!!” Xiao barked out among his cackles, turning his laughing face to the side and trying to bury it into Aether’s legs to hide his blushing cheeks. It took his brain some solid seconds to process that the tickling was over and, after all that “torment”, he was free.

“H-hehe, are you ok, Xiao?” Aether hummed, brushing his hand through Xiao’s head and wiping out the little tears that clung to the corner of his eyes.

“Tsk”, Wanderer pouted, totally not jealous of the little aftercare the Yaksha was receiving, “it’s just tickling. What kind of warrior would he be if he can’t take it?”

Albedo chuckled, but spared Wanderer of the reminder that he was the one laughing his head off just moments ago. “Don’t be mean, he did a pretty good job at this round,” he added, sliding off Xiao’s legs, “now… there is only one contestant left, right?”

That comment seemed to switch something inside Wanderer and Xiao’s heads. While Albedo displayed a playful smile, the other two locked their gazes into Aether’s face, one from below and the other in front of him, the latter just a half-a-Xiao away. “A-ahm… wait a second, I-”

“You’re not going back on your word, right?” Wanderer said with a smirk on his lips, already moving off of Xiao’s lap. Before Aether could even think of arguing back, the Yaksha was already sitting back up, staring at him with his golden eyes.

Aether swallowed, already accepting that there would be no way out for him this time. “F-fine, you cahAHA! W-wahahait a second, Xiao!”

“No,” Xiao muttered in a quiet, almost serious voice tone while he shyly pawed at Aether’s exposed sides, kneading into any patch of skin he could reach. 

Truth to be told, Aether would have to deal with both him and Wanderer tickling him from the start if it weren’t for the way Xiao looked at the other two - like a wild animal fighting for its territory. Still, Aether was too busy laughing and trying to defend himself to notice those bits of possessive behavior. “You shouldn’t have agreed to this, traveler,” Xiao hummed, his words as firm as you’d expect from a warrior, but still… gentle somehow. “You’re too ticklish for it, it’s unwise.”

“I wahahanted to try!” Aether giggled, letting himself be handled by the Yaksha and comfortably placed on Xiao’s lap. With one arm around his back, Xiao continued to tickle Aether, smiling fondly as he managed to hang this close to the traveler. “X-Xiahahao,” Aether whimpered, scrunching up his shoulder, “n-not my ehehehar!”

“But I’m not tickling you there, I’m just breathing,” Xiao chuckled, his fingers dancing around Aether’s stomach while he nuzzled his face against the side of Aether’s neck, “I told you, you’re too ticklish for this contest.”

While Xiao insisted on teaching and lecturing Aether about the sensitive spots in his body, Wanderer and Albedo exchanged glances, watching from afar as Aether laughed out brightly. “Doesn’t this count as going too easy on him?” Wanderer pouted, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he sulked against the couch.

“Let him have it,” Albedo sighed with a slight chuckle, “and I’m not talking about the traveler,” he added quietly, making Wanderer arch one of his eyebrows. Well, at least someone in the room knew how to read in between the lines, after all. “Besides, don’t you think you’re taking this competition a little too seriously?”

“What?” Wanderer huffed, entertaining himself with the conversation while Aether’s laughter grew in the background, “do you expect me to compete for the second place? Someone needs to teach that Yaksha his place.”

Albedo laughed, covering his lips with the back of his hand in a charming manner. “Well, if you say so,” he shook his head, returning his attention to Aether - who was already blushing from laughing. For some reason, Xiao was also blushing just as much, if not more, while tickling the traveler.

“Xiahahahao, n-not thehehere!” Aether giggled, tugging at Xiao’s wrists and leaning his head back into Xiao’s shoulder while Xiao pinched and squeezed his waist, prodding at the soft spots just above his hip bones. “I-it tihihihickles too bahahahad!” 

“I-it’s supposed to,” Xiao nodded, resting his chin by the side of Aether’s neck and allowing him to sink deeper into his embrace, “but you’re d-doing quite well, traveler. I expected you to tap out much faster than thi-”

“It’s because you’re going too easy on him,” Wanderer interrupted with a smirk, pushing himself back up into his feet and walking towards the little couple duo. Xiao frowned, too greedy to share his precious traveler with that… guy.

“I know how he likes it,” Xiao snapped, making Aether groan in embarrassment. Did he really need to say that out loud, the traveler thought, but didn’t voice it. “Unlike you, it seems.”

However, against what he expected, Wanderer chuckled at his snark. He shook his head and clicked his lips, almost as if spotting a fatal flaw in Xiao’s method. “That’s the problem. He shouldn’t like it, right? He needs to beg!”

“AHAHAH!!”

Xiao widened his eyes as Aether bursted out in a loud, unrestrained fit of laughter - and only then he realized the traveler was only giggling all this time, and not laughing for real. “He is pretty ticklish all over, all somewhat the same,” Wanderer scoffed, pushing his hands under Aether's arms and clawing at his ribs and the sides of his chest, “you need to go harder or you’re not going to make any progress.”

As much as he hated to admit, Xiao couldn’t deny that Wanderer seem to be… right. Could he actually have been going easy on Aether all this time without notice?

Despite the little bickering happening around him, Aether could only mind the fact that it tickled. Xiao’s gentle, playfully tickles around his stomach and hips made him feel lighthearted, made his heart flutter. Meanwhile, the restless, almost maniac-like touches from Wanderer’s fingers around his ribs made his head spin and even made his chest hurt a little from the lack of air. “A-AHAHAHALBEDO,” Aether cried out, pressing his arms down against his sides as he tried to protect his vulnerable torso from the tickles that seemed to come from all sides, “HEHEHELP MEHEHE! AHAHA!!”

“I can’t,” the alchemist said from the distance, his voice barely audible among the loud cackling, “you didn’t say it yet.”

Right, the word. That word. Aether shook his head, gritting his teeth as he tried to gather strength to say it. “Y-YEHEHE- AHAHAH!! Y-yehehell- hhahAHAH, I CAHAHAN’T!”

“Come on,” Wanderer mocked, “it’s a simple word, how come you can’t do it?”

“I’M TRYHIHING! AHAHAH, PLEHEHEASE!” He whined, shaking his head while tears of mirth clung to his lashes, “Y-YELLOW! YEHEHEHELLOW!”

Wanderer grinned triumphantly and Albedo sighed in relief, but Xiao pouted slightly, feeling like his fun was ruined by that other guy - even though he was still glad he managed to have Aether for himself, even if for just a bit.  

“A-ahahah… o-oh my…” Aether giggled, nearly melting over Xiao as the tickling finally came to halt. His head was spinning and he could swear he almost ascended to Celestia right there and then. “T-thihis was fun, heh…”

“It’s not supposed to be fun, it’s a competition,” Wanderer corrected him, that self-assigned superiority back in his eyes. “Now, alchemist, who wo-”

“Wait,” Aether stopped, shaking his head as if to force himself to recover, “it’s not over yet,” he smiled, taking one last gasp of air to stead his breath. “It’s Albedo’s turn now.”

“What?” Albedo blinked in confusion, pointing to himself with one of his hands as if to emphasize his shock. “But I’m not participating,” he said while letting out a small giggle, trying to hide his nervousness.

“How come?” Wanderer added, reading through Aether’s intentions and deciding to encourage them for once, “it’s only fair you get a turn too, this was all your idea, after all.”

Albedo’s eyebrow twitched slightly while his body leaned back into the couch, the apprehension growing within his chest. “M-my idea to solve your conflicts, I’m not part of the deal. W-what would I even win by beating you?”

“That’s up for you to decide,” Xiao added, standing up again before helping Aether to get back into his feet, “but I agree you should participate.”

Aether looked at Wanderer, at his right, and then at Xiao, at his left. He didn’t expect them to join or support his plan - he only wanted an excuse to tickle Albedo, after all - but this whole ‘contest’ thing seemed to, indeed, have made them closer. “Get ready, ‘Bedo! ~”

“A-Aether!” Albedo gasped, trying to get up in a hurry to evade Aether, but only managing to get a few meters away from the couch before being tackled down by the traveler. “S-stohop!”

“I didn’t even start,” Aether laughed, straddling Albedo’s back before starting to tickle his sides and lower ribs. “Show them how it’s done, ‘Bedo!”

Damn it. Of all the things that could’ve happened, a turn of tables against him - with even Xiao and Wanderer fighting on the same side - was the last one Albedo expected. “Nohoho! I dohohon’t wahahant to pahaharticipate!”

Aether smirked, shaking his head, “too late for that! But don’t worry, I’m rooting for you,” he said, letting out a short giggle while trying to move his fingers towards Albedo’s armpits - an attempt the alchemist promptly blocked, stopping to flail his arms and using them to try to protect his body instead. “You two,” Aether called out, looking over his shoulder, “aren’t you going to join?”

Xiao and Wanderer nodded, walking towards where Albedo had been restrained, “of course, he is the ‘most promising contestant’, after all, “Wanderer commented sarcastically.

“W-wahahait! Yellow! I-I quihihit!”

“That’s not acceptable,” Xiao added in a cold voice tone despite the warm, playful smile on his face, “you’re clearly not being fair with us. You should always give it your all, no matter the circumstances.”

“Nohoho! W-what ahahre you two doin- aHAHAH! H-hehehey, lehehet me go! ~” Albedo laughed, feeling some more weight against his legs before the new sets of fingers began to roam and tickle any spot they could find around his legs. If they were already so determined to tickle him, Albedo didn’t even want to imagine how they would react when they found out that there was no true winner - after all, he had never timed their turns to begin with.

“Wanna play a game?”

Aether’s question admittedly caught Xiao off guard, their comfortable silence interrupted. The traveller had come to visit Liyue during Lantern Rite and as always, he managed to save some time to spend with the Conqueror of Demons.

Xiao raised a brow in curiosity. “A game?”

“Yeah! I assume you’re familiar with the concept?” Aether chuckled.

Xiao huffed, his eyes looking away to the landscape in front of them. The balcony of Wangshu Inn always provided a vast and beautiful view of Bishui Plain. “Don’t be ridiculous, of course I am.”

“Is that a yes?”

Xiao looked back to see Aether’s head tilt and couldn’t help but find this annoying action to be endearing to witness.

“What is the game you wish to play?”

“It’s just a little thing I wanted to try. It’s called Line, dot, electric shock!” Aether beamed, but Xiao only stared in complete confusion.

“I’ve never heard of that.”

“Then allow me to demonstrate!” Aether moved himself so that he stood behind Xiao, the adeptus looking over his shoulder and making a small, confused sound at when Aether pushed the long fabric of his clothes out of the way. “Ready?”

“For what?”

“The game! It goes like this; Line,” the sudden contact of Aether’s finger dragging down the bare skin between Xiao’s shoulder blades startled an embarrassing noise from the adeptus, stunning them both into silence. “You good?”

“I didn’t…” Xiao cleared his throat. “I wasn’t aware that you would be touching me. Please be cautious when doing so. My karmi-”

“Yes, yes, I know, Xiao. You don’t have to worry,” Aether gave a reassuring smile over Xiao’s shoulder which didn’t quite put him at ease, but it was a start. “Now, lets try again. Line,” Aether’s finger dragged down Xiao’s back again, he twitched slightly at the unusually ticklish touch, surprised at how much it tickled.

“Dot.” When Aether’s finger reached the small of his back, he poked a single dot right in the centre. Xiao couldn’t help the small huff of laughter that escaped his lips, hoping it went unheard as the ticklish feeling intensified.

“A-Aether, I don’t think this-”

“Electric shock!” Aether unleashed a frenzied tickle attack upon Xiao’s back, his fingers dancing and scribbling all over his skin. Xiao burst out laughing, unable to contain the mirthful sounds as he tried to squirm away from Aether’s fingers.

Aether’s fingers didn’t leave Xiao’s back no matter how much he squirmed, they seemed to be attached, tickling mercilessly all over the yaksha’s sensitive skin. He could hear Aether’s laughter along with his own, which only increased the heat rising to his cheeks.

“I didn’t know you were this ticklish, Xiao,” Aether’s smile was sickly sweet in contrast to the torture he was putting the Yaksha through. “This must be your spot, huh?”

“Stahahap!” Xiao gasped, feeling two index fingers dig into the spots where his wings would be, and a loud laugh was startled from him. “NOHOT THEHERE!”

Xiao’s squirms increased dramatically, to the point where Aether could no longer hold on and before they knew it, both tumbled onto the wooden floor below them. Xiao gasping for breath as Aether lay on top of him, giggling.

“Did you have fun?”

“T-That… was awful.”

“Aw, come on! I think you enjoyed it,” Aether laughed, letting his fingers scribble playfully one last time to steal another giggle from the adeptus before finally relenting. “You definitely laughed a lot.”

“Hmph.”

Xiao would never admit such a thing, but Aether just took that as confirmation that he did enjoy it and leaned down to place a gentle kiss upon the abused shoulder blades, earning another quiet gasp from Xiao.