#ler!bobble

Bobble’s face pressed against the large, warm expanse of Clank’s bare back. He melted into the light of the rising sun from the window and took in a deep breath, inhaling Clank’s scent. Clank was still snoring, but he would be waking up soon.

It was a risk, as always, when Bobble creeped his arms around to rest his hands on Clank’s belly. There were two ways it could go, one of which would end in Bobble laughing himself to tears. Still, he couldn’t help himself.

He pressed his fingers into the soft skin of Clank’s tummy and pinched. Immediately, there was a hitch in Clank’s snoring. Bobble didn’t still his hand, but he held his breath. His heart beat was heavy in his chest as he waited to see what Clank’s move would be. Either he would grab Bobble’s wrists and immediately take the upperhand, or he would submit.

Clank shifted. He rolled away from Bobble, onto his stomach. The motion pressed Clank’s arms underneath himself and smushed his face into the pillow. He was opening himself up to Bobble’s attack.

Bobble almost squealed in delight, but he reined it in at the last second. He wiggled his fingers into Clank’s sides with unrestrained giddiness.

The bedding muffled Clank’s giggle, but Bobble still heard it and it sent his stomach into a summersault. He pressed his wide smile into the dimples of Clank’s lower back, draping most of his weight over him.

“Good morning, my love,” he whispered. His voice was tight from the ball of glee sitting in his throat. “Good mooorrrniiing.”

“Bobble,” Clank acknowledged, strained, deep and bouncy. 

Bobble’s feet thrummed against the mattress as he laughed into Clank’s skin. He poked along the pudge of Clank’s hips, moving inward until his hands were laid on the fat above the slope of Clank’s rear. He could feel the movement as Clank fought to keep his arms tucked underneath his chest and his wings flapped over Bobble’s head. It was perhaps the cutest thing Bobble had ever witnessed in his life. Clank could stop this so easily. In fact, he had to actively fight against his instincts to let it happen. But he did let it happen–for Bobble, and to have these moments with him, and Bobble genuinely didn’t know what to do with the thrill of it all exploding from his chest so he let out the energy in the squeeze of his hands.

Clank’s squeal was obviously dampened, but that almost made it more enticing. How could a sparrowman possibly be more adorable than when he was hiding his face in his bed, laughing and squirming and ruffling his silky black hair that glowed the most beautiful silver in the sunlight and gosh Bobble loved him, he loved him, he loved him, he loved him.

“I love you,” Bobble said.

“I lahahave you too! Ohoh my gahahoodness gracious, Bobbleohmydays!”

Bobble felt Clank’s shoulders pull together, and although he couldn’t see it without his goggles, he knew that the tension created the most delightful crease of skin in the middle of his back. He took the opportunity to press his face into the warm valley, settling between Clank’s wings, and peppering kisses from the tops of his shoulders all the way to his waist.

“You’re so beautiful, Clanky.”

“Mhmhmmmhm.” Clank nodded. His legs kicked out. “Y-you too!” Clank wasn’t even looking at Bobble, and wasn’t that habitual response just darling? Bobble certainly thought so.

He tickled up Clank’s back until he reached his armpits. It was too tight of a space to squeeze his hands in, so instead he just fluttered around the rolls that bulged out along the edges. 

“Ahah!” Clank’s hands slipped out from underneath him and he reached back to grab at Bobble. He didn’t have enough flexibility to get ahold of his wrists, so instead he just swatted blindly at Bobble’s chest. “Wahait!”

Bobble lifted his hands with a giggle to allow Clank a moment of reprieve. 

Clank reached up and grabbed his pillow and hugged it to his chest, rolling back over onto his side. He peered cautiously over the pillow. Bobble knew there were lines carved in the blushing skin at the corners of his eyes, even though it was just a blur at the moment. “Okay,” Clank whispered hesitantly.

Bobble had to bite his lip to keep from squealing as he curled up next to Clank and pressed all ten fingers into his belly. Clank’s eyes lowered back into the pillow as his knees curled up and blocked access. “Clanky,” Bobble reprimanded as he tweaked his thigh. 

“‘M sorry!” Clank whined. His legs were shaky as he brought them back down.

Another laugh bounced out from Bobble’s chest. “You’re silly,” he said. He pressed his lips into Clank’s hands, which were gripping the fuzzy cotton of the pillow for dear life. His own hands continued to walk around Clank’s jumping tummy.

One of Clank’s hands managed to let go of the pillow to instead cup Bobble’s face. It was as gentle of a touch as he could manage, but the tickling was overriding his control of his body and he couldn’t help the tightness in his grip.

Bobble didn’t mind. He snickered into Clank’s hand and kissed his fingers. “And you’re so sweet.”

“I am,” Clank managed into the pillow. “Too- taha! Too sweheheet for you.”

Bobble’s eyes crinkled as his wings fluttered, letting out his excess energy. “Much too sweet, aren’t you?” One hand slipped away from Clank’s belly to tug at the top edge of his pillow, revealing his eyes. 

His face was in shadow, as his back faced the window, so his eyes were black, blurry circles. Clank’s eyebrows drew up in the middle and he fought Bobble’s hand to put the pillow back, giggling all the way. He easily won the silly battle, batting Bobble’s hand away and bringing it back up to cover himself.

“Clanky,” Bobble pouted, lightly running his fingers over the edge of the still reachable skin and hair. “Pleeaaase.”

The most charming and pitiful noise rumbled out from Clank’s chest as he acquiesced (he was so easy), and lowered the pillow revealing his whole face. It was beet-red and sporting the biggest grin in Pixie Hollow.

“Aw, there you are!” Bobble cooed and used both hands to squish at Clank’s belly. 

Finally unmuffled, a shrill squeak filled the room and Clank immediately attempted to cover his face again. “Bobble!”

“Humor me,” Bobble said, shifting to scribble at the edges of Clank’s still protected armpits. It successfully diverted Clank’s hands and kept him from hiding his face again, but this time Clank had the proper angle to snatch up Bobble’s wrists.

For the moment, Bobble didn’t mind. He accepted the cozy, familiar embrace of Clank’s fingers intertwining with his and paused his tickling while he leaned forward and pressed his lips into Clank’s.

It was a deep kiss, but they were both giggling into it and their teeth clicked together as they both slipped into smiles. “You’re cute,” Clank breathed between his airy, lingering laughter.

The statement amused Bobble more than anything. How could Clank possibly call him cute when clearly he was hogging all the cuteness for himself? He hummed into Clank’s mouth and caught his bottom lip between both of his. 

Clank unlinked their fingers to drift his hands over Bobble. One settled at the small of his back and the other rose to cup the back of his neck. “No, I know what you’re thinking. I know your coy little noises.” Clank pushed Bobble further into him and peppered kisses over his mouth in rapid succession. “You are cute, you just don’t get it like I do.”

“Don’t I?” Bobble mused. He brought his own hands up to run through Clank’s hair. It was slightly tangly from their night’s rest but he gingerly worked through the knots.

“You don’t. You’re cute.” Clank gave one more firm kiss before he took hold of Bobble’s hands once more and moved them so they were resting over Clank's hips. “I’ll show you. Go.”

Bobble choked on a gasp when he realized Clank was inviting him to continue tickling him. Who was he to deny such a request? He pinched Clank’s sloping hips with vigor. 

Clank’s face screwed up as he laughed. His grip tightened on Bobble’s wrists but he didn’t push them away. Surely Bobble would succumb to the overwhelming endearment and melt into a puddle in Clank’s arms. 

“There!” Clank choked out. “There, Bahaha- Bob- y-your face!”

Bobble stilled his hands and raised a brow, grin matching Clank’s own. “What?”

“Your face when- aha- when you tickle me! It’s cute!” Clank snickered as he leaned in again to peck Bobble’s nose.

Bobble giggled in turn. “Oh, is it?” He worked his hands into the fold of Clank’s waist. Now aware of it, he caught himself as he bit his lip when Clank yelped and tugged his hands away.

“Sorry,” Clank said, eyes filled with mirth and locked on to Bobble’s own. He let go of Bobble’s hands and grabbed the pillow again instead. “Keep going.”

So Bobble did. And when he scratched into Clank’s waist, he yelped again and gripped the pillow tighter, but he didn’t hide his face so he could continue looking at Bobble. Each time he squeezed his fingers Clank let out another noise, and each time it made Bobble’s heart flutter. It was such a perfect moment; there was not a single thing about it that didn’t make Bobble completely overjoyed. He was with the most perfect sparrowman, in their perfect shared bed, in their perfect house. And he knew Clank was enjoying every second of it as well. He didn’t know how he could possibly be so lucky to live a life that brought him to this moment. Another squeeze. Another shrill bark of laughter. Another bright twinge in his chest.

Clank’s hands grabbed his again. “Wait,” he said, and he was breathless and absolutely stunning. “Wait.”

Bobble released his sides.

“I noticed something,” Clank said. He idly ran his thumbs over the bump on Bobble’s wrists.

“And what’s that?” Bobble asked.

“Everytime-” He was interrupted with his own laughter. It was bubbly, but it was amusement and adoration more so than the laughter of being tickled. “Oh, you’re just precious, Bobble. I can’t believe it.”

“Whahat?” Bobble laughed, drinking up Clank’s affection despite not knowing the exact root of it.

“Everytime I laugh your eyes dilate," Clank explained.

Bobble’s first thought was, ‘You can see that?’ but after he got past that–of course Clank could see it, Bobble’s poor vision was not the default–warmth swelled in his stomach. If that was true, he wasn’t sure he could argue with Clank about him being cute because that was objectively the cutest thing he’d ever heard. “Really?” Bobble whispered in awe.

Clanked nodded, chuckling in the way that scrunched his nose up and showed the blurry whites of his top teeth. “Really. It’s so charming.” He gently tapped at the tops of Bobble’s hands. “Let me see it again.”

Bobble tweaked Clank’s side once and Clank twitched and let out a soft huff of laughter. Clank watched him as it happened and when, Bobble assumed, his eyes dilated again Clank cooed and went in for another kiss. Bobble accepted it, melting into Clank’s lips. He parted long enough to mumble out, “That’s all you. It’s what you do to me,” before leaning back in.

Clank’s hands slid up to Bobble’s elbows, dragging his fingertips over his arms along the way.

The kiss was broken when Bobble dug into Clank’s hips again, and Clank’s laughter blew air across Bobble’s face. Bobble laughed along with him.

Suddenly Clank’s hands were on Bobble’s ribs. His fingers wiggled around the bones. It was a light touch, but Bobble’s laugh caught in his throat and his arms flailed aimlessly for a moment before it was his turn to grasp at Clank’s wrists. 

“Clahanky!” he whined, burying his face into Clank’s neck. He felt the jumpy rise and fall of Clank’s chest as he chuckled at Bobble.

 “That quick?” Clank teased.

“Shut uhup!” Bobble gasped. When Clank’s hands scribbled closer to his spine he tapped frantically on Clank’s shoulder in surrender. “Ohokay! Okahay, okay, okay!”

Just like that Clank relented. He wrapped his arms securely around Bobble and held him close, still laughing. “Oh, love, you’re too cute.”

Bobble giggled into Clank’s neck. “I suppose so,” he agreed. “But you are too.”

---

These two talk like such nerds; I feel so goofy when I write it. (And Bobble referring to Clank's 'rear' amused me quite a lot.)

The thing about the eyes was inspired by something that actually happened to me, and it was quite possibly the cutest I've ever felt. Like Bobble said, it is objectively cute as hell.

It was also so fun to write Bobble being blind because no, he can't see every little detail on Clank's body, but he knows it by heart anyway and that's just so sweet and made me smile.

The physical sensations of the emotions were interesting to write, because where Wired In painted even the positive emotions as so overwhelming they were uncomfortable, I wanted them here to be equally as overwhelming but still welcome and fitting with the fluffy scene.

This was not proofread nearly as much as it should have been, but whatevs.