#ler!dreamxd

“Not until you apologize!”.

“I didn’t even do anything!”, George’s voice was shrill with playful energy, still grabbing wildly towards the goggles.

“You were being a brat! You called me the ‘god of being an idiot’!!”. At that, George broke into laughter and started to slide down XD’s back.

“You are!”.

XD must have felt George sliding down because suddenly there were large hands grabbing at his thighs as he slipped. The unexpected touch made him squeal and suddenly, he was on the floor.

“George!”.

“That hurt!”, he cried out through hysterical giggles, but he was rubbing at his thighs.

“Where does it hurt?”, XD kneeled down next to him and tried moving his hands. George’s giggling kicked up in octave as he panicked.

“You dropped me on my butt!”.

“Did you pull a muscle?”, XD pulled away one of his hands and grabbed at George’s thigh. He screeched and yanked away. “Whoa! What’s wrong?”.

“Don’t do that!”, George’s face was starting to burn under the attention and he had completely lost control of his giggles.

“Are you hurt?”.

“No!”, George cursed how flustered he was getting, but XD kept trying to touch his legs. “I’m okay! I’m okay!”.

“Yeah?”, XD tilted his head in amusement at George’s state.

George sat up and tried to shake off his giggles.

“Why are you so giggly?”, XD asked and scooted closer. Suddenly, he darted his hands towards George’s legs. They stopped before they touched him, but he squealed and burst into laughter anyway.

“Don’t!”, he cried as covered his legs.

“Don’t what? What’s gotten into you?”, XD laughed. “You’re so jumpy! Why are you blocking your legs?”. George huffed out forcefully, trying to calm his laughter. Was XD playing dumb or did he really not know why he was laughing? He tried to think back to any other time XD had tickled him and came up empty.

“It um…I’m just ticklish there…”, he stuttered.

“Ticklish? What’s that?”. George’s eyes widened a little at the question.

“You don’t know what tickling is?”.

“No. I don’t just know everything George.”.

“Well. It’s like a touch that makes you laugh. So, my thighs are ticklish…and when you grabbed them it tickled so I laughed.”, George’s blush darkened more and more as he spoke.

“You look like you are going to explode. Did the tickling embarrass you?”.

“No! I’m just…uh.”, George shook his head in frustration over his hot cheeks. “I just didn’t expect to be tickled. I don’t know!”. XD laughed at him again. George had to hold himself back from yelling ‘Shut up!’.

George yelped as XD pressed him to the floor and straddled him.

“Hey!”.

“I want to tickle you more!”.

“Wh-no! You can’t!”.

“Why? Where else are you ticklish?”, XD grinned and pressed George to the ground by his sides. Then…he squeezed. George squealed and twisted in the hold.

“Don’t do that!”, he burst into giggles and shoved at XD’s hands.

“Does it tickle?”, XD asked in a teasing voice, then got to work right away pinching and squeezing at George’s sides. George struggled for a few seconds, hoping that XD would be too inexperienced to tickle him well, but exploded into uncontrollable laughter as he attacked just the right spots with just the right amount of pressure.

“Stop!”, he shrieked and bucked up against the weight holding him down. He smacked at the hands and twisted, squealing as the tickling didn’t let up at all. “Okay! Okay! Okay!!! You tickled me!!”, he cried out in desperation. XD giggled.

“You are so cute like this!”.

“Please!”, he squeaked out.

George flopped against the ground in a heap of giggles when XD released his sides.

“I like tickling. It’s your thighs too, right?”, XD grinned mischievously.

“No!”, George yelled and grabbed for XD’s hands. They were batted away easily and George shrieked at XD got a hold of the ticklish muscles. “No!!”.

“I don’t know…they seem pretty ticklish to me.”. George twisted and howled with laughter. He was no match for XD’s strength.

“No more!”, he cried.

XD stopped suddenly and pinned George’s wrists down at either side of his head. George giggled hysterically.

“XD!”, he whined.

“Georgie. Can you please show me more tickling?”, XD asked sweetly. George opened his mouth to respond, but only flustered giggles fell out. It’s not like he didn’t want to help his friend out and make him happy…he was just so ridiculously ticklish and the idea of letting himself be tickled seemed impossible.

“I’m too ticklish…”, he muttered softly. XD grinned wider.

XD moved George’s wrists together above his head so now he had a free hand hovering over George’s squirmy body.

“Nononono!”, George broke into panicky giggles.

“I’ll go slow!”. George nodded a little, but shrieked in fear when XD’s large hand neared his ribs. He kicked helplessly at the floor behind XD and shook his head.

“XD!”.

“Yeah?”, XD flashed a toothy grin. George could only shake his head and giggle.

When the fingers touched down to the ticklish bones in his ribcage, George screamed bloody murder.

“George!”, XD laughed as he plucked George’s ribs like a guitar. The mortal threw his head back and laughed crazily. How could XD be this good at tickling when he was just learning? “Ooh, you’re really ticklish here!”.

“Please!”, he peeped out through his hysterics. XD stopped and laughed.

“This is so much fun! Can I try one more spot?”. George whined through his giggles, but gave a weak nod.

Before George even recovered, there were five fingertips pressed and shaking into his stomach. He barely had a second to gasp before exploding into hysterical laughter.

“XD!!! XD! XD please! Please!!!”, he begged desperately through his laughter. There was no budging either of XD’s hands. XD just smirked and leaned in closer, observing George’s each and every reaction. He squealed when the god found a particularly good spot. “Okay! Okay!”.

George’s laughter raised in pitch for a few more seconds and cut off into squeaky giggles when XD stopped.

“I love tickling!”, XD announced and pulled George up to cuddle his limp body. George giggled dizzily and sank gratefully into the hold. “Thanks for teaching me how to tickle, Georgie.”.

~•~

Dream rolled his eyes as he took in the aroma of the house.

“Mushroom soup again?”.

“Complain and you will get none.”, George snapped, making Dream giggle as settled in.

Conversation was easy as George finished dinner and served them both. The topics George’s wanted to talk about least came up a few minutes later.

“So you were supposed to hang out with XD today, right?”.

“Ugh! Yeah. We hung out.”, George slurped down a spoonful of hot soup and hoped Dream would think the blush taking over his cheeks was from the heat. One glance up at the other boy told him no.

“What? Did you guys get into a fight or something?”.

“No. No, nothing like that.”, George shook his head and focused his eyes on the soup bowl. “Just. I taught him some new stuff he didn’t know about humans. He didn’t know about…tickling. He tickled me by accident and when I reacted he wanted to learn more. I tried to let him, but it was really hard.”, George explained. He could almost feel the ghost of XD’s fingers prodding at his sides. Dream didn’t respond.

George looked up to find Dream with his hand over his own mouth.

“What! I was just trying to be a good friend!”, George snapped, defensive.

“You’re such an idiot, George!”, Dream burst into laughter. George watched him break down with a mix of embarrassment and confusion. “XD knows what tickling is! Are you stupid?”. George stared at Dream with wide eyes for a few seconds.

“What?!”.

“Why wouldn’t he know what tickling is! George!”.

“I don’t know! He seemed sincere!”, George yelled, then covered his face and whined into his hands. “Wait…that’s why he was so…ugh!!”.

“So what?”.

“Nothing! Nevermind!”, George huffed and dropped his hands, trying to go back to his soup.

“No, tell me!”.

“Good at it! Whatever!”.

“Awww he tickled you really good?”, Dream teased.

“Stop!”.

“Too good for an amateur, huh? Did he make you scream?”.

“Dream!!!”, George yelled and stood up, grabbing his bowl of soup and threatening to throw it at the other boy. Dream gripped the table to avoid laughing himself out of his chair.

~•~

Dream and George walked slowly through the forest together. George had been fine when they started their trek towards their destination, but as they went on he was getting flustered at the conversation.

“And you’re sure he’s ticklish?”, George whispered.

“Yes! Growing up, me and him were in plenty of tickle fights. I’m not going to lie, he won a lot of them, but he’s definitely ticklish.”.

“He’s going to win.”, George hissed out.

“Probably…but you won’t go down without a fight!”.

“I don’t want to be tickled!”, he whined.

“George, you have to get him back!”.

It was the next day, and George and XD had plans to meet up again. Dream was going to hide and watch, and George was going to enact his revenge.

“His worst spots are his ribs. Go for the kill. Be rough, George. He’s a god, you can’t really hurt him.”, Dream nodded as he spoke.

As they neared the clearing, Dream found a tree with a low branch and pulled himself up.

“Good luck!”, he whispered before disappearing into the leaves.

George found a tree to sit against and played with his fingers while he waited. His stomach was filled with nervous butterflies and he had the urge to get up and run.

“Georgie!”, XD’s voice pulled him from his thoughts and he smiled at the sight of his friend.

“Hi XD!”, he said as he pulled himself up and fell into his arms for a hug.

“I missed you!”, XD yelled and spun him around playfully. George couldn’t help but giggle.

“I missed you, too.”, he rolled his eyes as he was placed down, but he was smiling despite the attitude.

Before he could lose his nerve, he sprung into action. He tackled XD down and dug his fingers into his ribs before they even hit the ground. XD barked out a laugh of surprise, but George was pinned before he even knew it.

“Wha-hey!”, he struggled under the hold and fell helpless to the nervous giggles bubbling up his throat. “Okay, I’m sorry!”.

“Get over here, Dream!”, XD called out into the field. There was a rustling before Dream hopped down from the tree and bolted. XD disappeared and reappeared directly in his path and Dream crashed right into his arms with a yelp.

“Fuck! XD, no please! I was just watching!”, Dream begged as he was dragged through the clearing easily. He scrabbled his feet against the ground and clawed at XD’s arms, but it was no use. “Nononono!”.

George crawled backwards as XD approached, but XD grabbed his ankle and yanked him back.

The two boys were smushed together on the ground.

“So. Tickling, huh?”, XD smirked as he held them both down effortlessly.

“I know you tricked me!”, George said, cursing just how squeaky it was.

“Yeah? It was so easy. Awww you don’t know what tickling is? Here, tickle me all over!”, XD perfectly mimicked George’s voice, but the teasing words made George blush darkly.

“That’s not what I said!”, he yelled.

“And you? Little sneak. You told on me?”, XD leaned in close to his mortal counterpart, making the boy burst into giggles.

“Let us go!”.

“Yeah! Let us go!”, George echoed.

The two were getting more flustered with each passing second. The thought of being tickled silly while pinned down together was ridiculously embarrassing.

At the same time, XD attacked one of each boy’s sides. They squealed and twisted against each other. They both tried to shove away the offending hands, but even together, they were no match against a god. After just a second or two of tickling, they were screeching with laughter. The tickling hands attacked their sides and stomachs and ribs, darting around as they squealed and laughed like children. They were helpless and could do nothing but take it. They felt so small. Pinned down by a god. Dream twisted and wheezed, clawing at the grass. George screamed, flailing and kicking desperately.

It was no secret that XD was fascinated by humans and that George was amused by said fascination. XD had learned to size themself down when visiting the human realm, their full size being extremely intimidating to humans. They had also learned that teleporting made humans nauseous. Currently, George and XD were laying in a meadow, far from civilization, just soaking in the sun..

"George..?"

"Mm?"

"Why were you fighting my brother yesterday? You usually don't resort to violence when you have a problem." George turned to look at them in utter confusion. Fighting? George didn't fight Dream, wha- oh.

"XD we weren't fighting."

"Yes you were, you were literally grappling all over the community house."

"No no, not fighting. We were wrestling, not fighting, we have no problem. Boys wrestle, it's fun, don't know why, it just is." XD stared for a minute, George knew they were processing the information.

"It wouldn't really work with us, you're a God, you'd have to do it with... other gods I guess."

"I still don't fully understand." George sat up, turning to face him.

"Ok, so there is no intention of harming each other, not that much anyway. More just trying to get the other to yield, whether it be by tiring the other out or pinning them in a way they can't escape or something like that." XD nodded slowly, clearly trying to make sense of everything in their brain. They suddenly grabbed George by the sides, pulling him back flat on the grass, squeezing in a way that pulled shrieks from the ravenette.

"Does this count?" They asked curiously, watching George attempt to fight back, roll them, push them off, pull them down, anything.

"THIHIHIS IHIHISN'T A FAHAHAHAIR FIHIHIHIGHT!"

"I never said it was, I just asked if it counted."

"FIHIHIHIHINE YEHEHEHES! IHIHIHIT COHOHOHOUNTS!"

🦙🦙🦙…

Dream didn’t think that he had ever been more grateful to see a flower biome in his life.

His legs were tired, unfamiliar with the amount of physical exertion that they had been put through, and his prison wear proved to be useless at protecting him from the previous snow biome’s bite. He was tired, cold and exhausted; but he was also finally free.

Oak tree branches greeted him with open limbs as he finally stumbled over the biome’s border, a ceremony of colourful petals bowing down to him as he scurried past. His lungs wheezed hungrily at the sweet scented air; he’d been running ever since leaving Technoblade’s snowy cottage, and they were as tired and out of practice as his legs.

The piglin hybrid had been gracious enough to uphold his favour and escort Dream safely away from the angry crowds outside his prison, but he had also made it clear that that would be the end of his prison break-out service. Once again, Dream had been stripped of the safety-net of having someone to fight alongside, but more importantly, the fresh set of armour that he had been given. Optimistically, he was aware that he’d be able to recover both, he just needed to find Punz.

A few more chunks of desperate bounding saw Dream’s body disappointingly reach its limit. A small clearing within the flowery forest broke his fall as his legs literally gave out beneath him. He tumbled a few more blocks after that, rolling limply through a patch of unsuspecting pink and orange tulips, and landing face down into the grass beneath.

There was barely enough strength left in him to open his eyes, but he managed to groan and roll himself onto his back, batting at the curious tulips and grass stems that leant down to smother his face — analyzing their new company. He knew that there was no way that he could run another step; his chest heaved and his legs trembled even whilst just lying, sprawled out in a flower field. Though he was certain that he had run far enough to lose any of his angry followers.

Beyond the waving tulips in his peripheral vision, a bright, blue sky stretched out above him, smeared with fluffy, white clouds. A breath of wind blew across the clearing. Dream listened to it approach, and then finally mustered up the energy to lift himself up onto his elbows to bathe in it. He tilted his head up, closing his eyes as the breath gently pulled at his unkept hair, listening to the whispers of the field around him as it basked in the same feeling. It felt more incredible than he could have ever imagined, an immovable smile crept up his face.

Catching his breath allowed him to take in the beauty of his surroundings, as he began to sort through his inventory. Ahead of him was a dark oak forest, one that prompted him with the need to feel just a little more prepared for the approaching night.

Although he didn’t have his armour, he still had managed to collect an array of useful items during his escape; four healing potions, two fire resistance potions, seventeen ender pearls, a half-used nether axe and half a stack of steak were only the beginnings of his findings. He laid them out neatly in the field in front of him once he had counted them, each one glistening beautifully under the glorious rays of the server’s sunshine. He still had this eerie feeling that someone was watching him — no doubtably a drawback from being monitored in prison for a whole year — but he tried his hardest to ignore it.

Another breeze rolled across the field and Dream lifted his head again. He shut his eyes, listening to the whispering life forms around him and it rushed past his face. A subtle shift in the air flow around him raised suspicion in his gut, potentially another symptom of his paranoia; but as a shadow made itself present against the backs of his eyelids, he was left with no other choice but to give into its nagging, pulling away from his moment of serenity.

He made the right call.

The flower field that once lay out in front of him had now been replaced, blocked. In its place was instead a looming figure, one that wore a white porcelain mask and very nearly scared Dream all the way out of his skin. He let out a yell, jolting back away from the upside down face, and gasping sharply when a set of familiar, cloak-covered arms broke his fall. The face leant in, apparently having no regard for Dream’s personal space. It was as equally familiar as the arms that held him.

“XD..?” He questioned, unable to control the startle in his voice. He could hear his heart racing in his ears as a low chuckle rumbled out from behind the mask, vibrating up his spine.

“Dream.” The being greeted, removing himself from Dream’s space. Dream felt himself relax, letting out a breath of relief as he was tilted back up into his original position. He scrambled himself around to face the familiar god, lifting up his chin.

Despite appearing significantly smaller to how he had done in prison, DreamXD was still tall, reaching well over four blocks and towering over Dream’s seated body. Their stance was rigid, gaze directed out towards the dark oak biome’s borders behind him. They seemed disgruntled by something, Dream recognised the subtle signs of worry.

“You scared me!” He accused, naturally shrinking away when the god’s attention shifted back down to him. They stared at him for a moment behind unreadable porcelain, before their shoulders also appeared to relax, and an amused smile stretched beneath their mask instead.

“You’re a long way from prison.” They purred. Their rigidity appeared to be brushed aside as they dipped down to join Dream in his patch of flowers. His cloak arranged itself around him during his descent, blanketing any nearby tulips in a sea of deep green, and chasing out a gust of displaced air as it did so. “How did you manage that?”

Dream felt his lips wobble and stretch to mirror their expressions.

“Techno broke me out.” He began, hopelessly proud. “He dug through the wall and we swam out through the lava. Like it was honestly so cool, it was like — four of us versus the whole server. It was epic!”

The god scoffed at his enthusiasm, but even so Dream couldn’t stop himself from rambling. The feeling of being free was exhilarating, and the god’s presence always seemed to bring out a hidden vulnerability within himself. He had an aura of safety around him, a radiating warmth that always managed to draw Dream in.

He ended up explaining his breakout in great detail, and DreamXD allowed him every word. It felt good to have someone to talk to, and incredible to have the wind on his shoulders and grass beneath his body.

“Well aren’t you a clever one.” The deity praised once Dream’s recount came to an end. They had picked up one of his healing potions and were tapping patiently at its glass. Dream beamed at the words. He was aware that they were laced with subtle sparks of humour and sarcasm — DreamXD was a being beyond mortal troubles after all — but his smile was wide and proud regardless.

“George will be pleased to see you.” They continued, offering Dream a friendly smile. The phrase was clearly meant to be comforting, reassuring. It was spoken with such a soft tone and was ended with an even softer smile, and yet the mere mentioning of his old friend sent Dream’s body into a panic. His heart leapt to his throat, thudding away against his voice box as his body promptly drained itself from all remnants of pride and joy.

George…

He hadn’t expected to hear that name so soon, in fact he was borderline ignoring it. Dream hadn’t even considered that he’d now be able to reunite with his former best friend; half of him wanted to believe that it was because he was mad at George, but the other half was louder and far more convincing.

He was afraid.

The fear of being rejected pin pricked all over his skin at the innocent mention of the brunette’s name, along with a set of carelessly crafted "What if’s?”:

What if George shared the same motives as Sapnap? What if he believed that Dream deserved to rot away in prison?

The idea of George being disappointed or angry at Dream wrapped tightly around his throat.

What if he tried to hurt him? What if George got hurt because of Dream again?

The panicked flurry of thoughts took Dream’s hesitation as an opportunity to speak without his permission.

“No.” He found himself saying, stern and clear. The smile below XD’s mask faded into a frown. Dream felt his chest tighten. “I’m- I’m sorry.” He followed up quickly. The god carefully replaced the healing potion back down into the grass. He nodded his head, slowly. Dream could tell that he was disappointed.

Another breeze rolled over the field, filling the silence between the two beings with whooshing whispers. It settled Dream a little, but didn’t do much to alleviate the weight of guilt on his shoulders. He felt on the verge of tears — a feeling that he seldom felt, provided that he wasn’t unaccompanied by the apparent-god of the server. He felt silly and pathetic and so unbelievably overrun with guilt.

“George likes these sorts of flowers.” The god’s voice was a soft rumble, combining perfectly with the whispering flora around them. Dream looked over to him, they were disassembling an orange tulip, petal by petal. He managed to nod his head in agreement, but his mind was well and truly elsewhere.

“I just- don’t want him getting hurt...” He confessed, earnestly. It was not the full truth, but it was one that he felt XD would at least be able to understand, or more to the point, one that he was comfortable admitting. To his surprise the god scoffed at his explanation.

“Nothing is going to hurt George.” They stated firmly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. His tone was confident but Dream also sensed that the affirmation was not only meant for him. He tilted his head, beckoning the god to elaborate, but they merely switched topics.

“How did you find this place?” The orange tulip had been dismantled, and the deity moved to fiddle with Dream’s axe instead. Dream watched him easily handle the weapon as though it were a small twig.

The wording of the question caught his attention, pairing with the god’s previous claim and sparking a fire of curiosity within him.

‘This place.’

To Dream this indicated some sort of significance to the clearing.

“I don’t know, I just ran.” He shrugged, watching curiously as XD’s gait appeared to freeze; their fiddling stopped and their gaze lifted up to stare past him into the dark oak biome like before. Intriguingly, their worry seemed to have returned.

“Why?” Dream asked, turning to scan the edges of the forest’s border in case there was someone or something lurking there. He couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary, maybe a few more mushrooms than he’d expect, but that was all. When he turned back, the god was focused on him instead. He shifted under their gaze.

“No reason.” They claimed. Dream eyed him suspiciously. It sounded very much like a lie. He decided to pry further.

“You keep looking over there… Is there something in there?”

It was intriguing to watch a being as inhuman as XD portray such human reactions. Dream watched the god hesitate at his question. Their shoulders rolled with the obvious pressure of keeping a secret, and his axe was promptly replaced back down into the grass.

“..No…”

Curiosity surged through Dream’s veins. His lips twitched into an amused smirk.

“You’re lying!” He pointed out, shuffling himself up onto his knees to face the good square on.

“I’m not!”

Dream couldn’t help but laugh, they just sounded so flabbergasted.

“Aren’t you like— a god or something? Shouldn’t you be able to keep secrets??” The god huffed at the call-out. Dream ignored him. “What’s in the dark oak forest?”

“Nothing!” Dream raised an eyebrow, he’d never seen XD so squirmy.

He decided to push the god further, allowing himself to stand and turn himself towards the forest again. The deity acted as he felt he would, whooshing their way into his vision to block his view. Dream dodged around him, expecting the reaction, and found himself to laugh at the god’s yell of dismay.

“You’re hiding something!” He yipped, making a break for the dark oak’s borders. Along with XD’s ability to coax out Dream’s most deepest vulnerabilities, he also apparently had the ability to inject giddy curiosity into his veins.

The whoosh of XD’s cloak appeared again, this time engulfing Dream in its fabric before he had a chance to dodge around it

“No! Let me see!!” Dream yelped. His heart fluttered with excitement, parting his lips into a giddy smile. There was something in the dark oak forest, there was just no way that there wasn’t! He giggled as the god hissed out his disapproval.

“It’s not for humans. No one is supposed to be able to find this place.” The god’s arms adjusted around Dream, blocking any wriggly escape attempts with a replenishing wall of fabric.

“Supposed to?” Once again the wording caught Dream’s attention. The cloak had muffled his voice but had done nothing to dampen his curiosity. “Does that mean that somebody has already found it?”

A beat of silence from the god caused Dream’s smile to triple in width. The reaction was enough to quench his query, and he went back to batting and wading through his fabric prison.

It was a hopeless process.

“You are asking, a lot of questions...” The god growled, slowly. Their arms tightened around Dream’s waist, stilling his squirming entirely.

The warning tone in his voice could not have been more clear, leading Dream to believe he was on the right track with his prying. All common sense and caution had been lost to the impulsivity of his adrenaline. “So I take that as a yes?”

Another low, irritated growl rumbled out from behind him. Dream chuckled, tilting his head up and providing XD with a victorious smile. It was fascinating to watch the clear signs of frustration play out on XD’s face, despite it being mostly hidden by his mask. Dream was able to paint a vivid picture of what his full expressions may look like based on just the pout that twisted his lips; they were well and truly peeved.

“It’s too easy~” He teased. XD bared his teeth into a snarl, a much firmer warning. Dream supplied a cheeky grin in return, but he felt his heart pound when the god’s snarl crept its way up into a smile; a slow creeping, mischievous smile.

“You’re a lot more spritely out here than you were cooped up in that cell.” They observed, a sudden smoothness and venom to their tone. Dream gasped as the hands around his waist suddenly stirred, shuffling beneath the deity’s cloak and latching themselves onto his sides. His common sense made a quick return, pushing its way back into control and immediately barking out warnings to his nervous system.

“W-wahAIt NO!!” He yelped, twisting amongst his cloak-prison. Any misplaced confidence was promptly chased away by new spikes of panic; though the giddy excitement circuiting his bloodstream remained. Together, the feelings collected and combined in his stomach, fluttering around clumsily like a newly hatched phoenix, before climbing up and out of his throat in the form of panicked, bubbly giggles.

“Usually you’re so sad and mopey.” The god continued over Dream’s emerging laughter, taunting him with the calmness in his tone. He drew circles into Dream’s sides, moving up and down the muscles despite the boy’s kicks and squirms.

“But now you’re so chipper!”

“NOhoho!! StAHAp!!”

“Wouldn’t you agree, Dreamie?” Dream’s laughter hiccuped as XD’s hands moved up to his ribs, stamping his feet into the grassy ground and scrunching up his shoulders as their playful growl rumbled through him.

“StAHAp!! Ohohobiviously!!” He whined, prying and clawing at the shape of their hands.

In hindsight, this form of retaliation from the god should have been better anticipated; Dream had of course never not been reduced to a giggly mess after each one of XD’s previous visits. He had been naive to challenge them, and he knew all too well that escaping the god was always a hopeless process, especially now that he was working with an exhausted body and giddy mind.

“You’re also much more sassy.”

Dream doubled over as the god’s fingers began climbing up his ribcage, trembling and squeaking as they kneaded and teased each bone.

“Nohoho Ihihi—!!”

“Still just as adorable though.”

Dream shook his head, quickly succumbing to the burn of his growing blush. Along with being impossible to escape, the god also had a certain way with his words that left Dream writhing. Their creeping squeezes and teasy comments moved faster than his tired brain could ever keep up with. It was simply impossible to console himself. He collected up two fistfuls of fabric and buried his face into them.

“Ehehehex Dehehehe…” He whined.

“And still just as ticklish.” A muffled protest was thrown into his cloak burrow.

“STA-hahaP! Ihih’m NOHOT!!” Dream cried. He hated that word. Hot fluster-borne tears gathered in his eyes as his skin prickled with chilling embarrassment. He slid down in XD’s hold, buckling at the knees and pressing his face further into his green haven.

“Ohhh, it’s too easy…” XD mocked, continuing their crawling journey up his ribcage. Their hold loosened around Dream’s waist, apparently taking pity on the ex-prisoner’s fluster, and allowing him some wiggle room.

Dream made no hesitation in abusing the deity’s gesture.

The second he felt XD’s hold relax, he re-engaged his squirming; kicking, prying, leaping and bouncing with any ounce of energy that he could muster up. Until finally, he was free.

“YES!!” He cried, tittering madly to himself as he scampered his way towards the dark oak’s border’s again. His heart raced in his chest, pounding excitedly at the thought of XD chasing him down. He hadn’t felt this sort of playful adrenaline in such a long time; not since before L’manburg. It felt as though he had been struck by lightning, like his brain was charged with childish curiosity and innocence. He couldn’t stop giggling.

His adrenaline carried him only a chunk or so before the burn of exhaustion swelled in his legs again, then it was only a few more blocks after that that his brief getaway was brought to its inevitable end. Two cloaked arms wrapped around his waist, engulfing him with familiar forest green, and lifting him from the ground. Before Dream could even think to fight his way free, or yelp out a protest, the world around him twirled.

Suddenly, he was looking at the dark oak biome from a new perspective, with a sky of tulips above his head, and a stretching sea of blue at his feet. He craned his neck up, only to find DreamXD’s signature, menacing grin staring back down at him; from in between his thighs…

“NoHO!!” He cried, letting out uncontrollable titters out at the sight. His legs were slung over the deity’s shoulders, and he was pinned down at his thighs by two large, clawed hands. The deity’s head rested in between, and their lower set of arms wrapped around Dream’s waist to keep him extra steady. Butterflies swarmed inside Dream’s stomach, and his head spun as he attempted to orientate himself.

“You really want to know what’s in there?” DreamXD mused, dragging long nails up and down Dream’s thighs.

Dream gasped, holding his breath to stifle his reactions. The god's claws were way out of his reach, and yet he still attempted to swing himself up to bat at them to defend himself. He was quickly broken into breathy, panicked giggles, which apparently prompted the deity’s hands to increase their pressure. The hands switched from tracing to squeezing, latching onto Dream’s thighs and massaging at his tired muscles.

“NahAHAha!! Fuhuhuhuck youhuhuhu!!” Dream cried, throwing his head back into free flowing cackles. He clawed at the hands around his waist as compensation for not being able to reach his thighs.

“Ohhhh fuck me??” The deity challenged. Dream squealed when their hands moved to taser at his inner thighs. “And to think that I was trying to protect you!!”

“EHEhEX DEHE!!”

“Maybe I will have to send you there after all!!” Dream shook his head. It didn’t matter how much he kicked, he wasn’t able to move his thighs in the slightest.

“Juhuhust tEHELl mehe whahat’s iN thehehere!!”

“Mm I don’t know if I should~” The deity crooned. “It’s not safe for mortals, like you!” His fingers moved down to tap and squeeze at Dream’s hip bones. Dream began squeaking through his laughter.

“Whyhyhy..?” He hiccuped, shaking his head again in an attempt to clear some of his brain fog. He felt dizzy and light, almost as though he were resting on clouds.

“It’s full of monsters!” XD hissed, snarling his answer in a playful whisper. “Monsters that were created to gobble up meddling mortals like you!”

Dream let out a squeal as the deity’s lower hands suddenly unwrapped themselves and scuttled up his sides. He yelped and yipped, battling with the delighted terror in his stomach. The lower set of arms left him with enough freedom to twist and swing, but the new firmer hold on his thighs still kept him from falling.

“NAHAhHaha!! I cahan tahahake thehehem! Juhuhust let me gohoho!!”

“Ohhh you wouldn’t stand a chance!!”

Dream screamed as the god moved his scuttling around to his stomach, showering the sensitive area with unpredictable spidering.

“You’re just far too ticklish to win against a tickle monster.”

“XD!!” Dream yelled, bucking his hips in a wild panic. His stomach fluttered and flustered under the soft touch, burning itself up into a hot lava mess and oozing its way down to his neck and cheeks. “YOU’RE LYING!”

“And the tickle monsters love ticklish little snacks like you!”

“NOHO!!” He wailed.

His body fell back limp against XD’s, losing himself to waves of laughter, and strings of incoherent babbles. He pried at the god’s hands but it hardly made a difference in their attack.

Once the hands found their way beneath Dream’s prison shirt and onto his bare skin, Dream truly felt that he had been teleported into the clouds. His skin fluttered and jumped at every scritch and scratch from the god, leaving behind an army of goosebumps and shivers each time. Mirthful tears in his eyes made the dark oak forest look like a painting, washed and abstract, and he could feel that his cheeks and stomach were as hot as the nether.

“Soooo flustered!” The god crooned. He loosened his hold around Dream’s thighs, letting him slide down towards the waving flower field below, and stilling his skittering fingers. “The monsters will be most pleased!”

Dream immediately covered his face with a whine, muffling untameable titters into the palms of his hands. He wanted so desperately to curl up, but his body was feeling far too weak and fluffy to obey any of his orders.

Flowers and grass stems greeted him with playful kisses and whispers once he was fully lowered into their grasp. He giggled and squirmed amongst them, completely lost and overcome by his heightened sensitivity. The god followed him down, looming over him and making Dream squeak and yelp at the shadow he created.

“Dreamie, Dreamie, Dreamie...” He sighed, grinning wildly when the boy squeaked at that as well. “What am I going to do with you?”

Dream peaked out from behind his hands, huffing and puffing amongst his nerves. It was ironically the most alive and grounded that he had felt in a long time, despite his floaty state.

“Lehehet mehe gohoho?” He suggested, cheekily. He couldn’t help himself.

“Hmmm.” The deity hummed, clearly in feigned thought. Dream giggled at that too, overcome by childish energy. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to give myself a little taster before I send you off there…”

Dream’s eyes widened as the deity’s grin did, watching in disbelief as they opened their mouth to reveal their fangs growing and sharpening right before his eyes.

“Youhuhur— youhuhur, youhuhur—!” He squeaked. His heart thumped wildly and excitedly in his chest. “Whaha—whahat??”

“Just a little nibble.” They explained, before diving down closer to Dream. They buried themselves into the startled boy’s neck, and began grazing his teeth over the skin there.

Dream screamed, not just from the shock of the movement, but from the sheer panic that XD was actually going to bite him.

“NAAHAHA EHEHEX DEHEHE!!!” He wailed, thrashing wildly beneath the god’s large body. Somehow, their teeth didn’t hurt in the slightest, but they did tickle. A whole lot.

Dream, was thrown into immediate hysterics, scrunching his shoulders up and pushing desperately at XD’s shoulders. He swore that he could feel each tooth nipping at the meat of his neck, grazing the sensitive area with the perfect amount of pressure to drive him insane. He arched his back, scuffing his boots into the grassy earth and cackling wildly like he had never done so before.

“PLEHEHEHEHEASE!!!” He cried, trying his darndest to wriggle and squirm away from the unbelievable feeling. The god hummed into his neck, causing Dream to yelp and scream at the buzzing feeling that it left behind. They moved up from the meaty muscles of his trapezium onto the softer skin on the side of his neck. Dream wheezed and thumped his fist into XD’s back.

It was only a few moments after the change of spots that XD apparently decided that Dream had had enough, and he pulled himself away to let the boy recover.

A blinding warmth replaced the deity’s shadow once they moved to sit in the flower field beside Dream. It cradled him in a soothing halo, and Dream didn't argue with its demand for him to keep his eyes closed, focusing on the swirling colours that danced around in the backs of his eyelids.

His skin tingled all over, lighting the fire that kept his giggles alive and bubbling, but also joining forces with the sun and smothering Dream in a comforting blanket of warmth. He felt safe, cozy. He could feel the gentle touches of the flower field around him, reminding him that he was being watched over. He leant into their brushes and sweeps, still giggling to himself and managing to scrunch when a curious tulip dipped down to check in on his neck.

“Plehe-ehehease..!!” He tittered, not really to anyone in particular. He felt dazed, blissed out, and more free than he had ever felt before.

Eventually his breathing calmed down enough for his giggles to die out, leaving him only with a huge smile. He opened his eyes to take in the blue sky above him, adoring the feeling of crisp forest air in his lungs. He wished he could feel this way forever.

“George is in there.”

XD’s voice startled Dream enough to make him jump. He snapped his head around to address the deity.

“Wh-hat.” He cleared his throat. “What did you say?”

“George.” The deity said again. He nodded his head towards the dark oak biome.

Dream sat up, following the god’s gaze out across the dark oak borders. The cogs in his brain grinded and churned, trying to understand what the deity meant, until suddenly he was swarmed with flashes of memories, reminding him of the night that XD had actually brought him to see George.

Was this the same dark oak forest??

“No one is supposed to be able to find it.” The deity explained, fiddling with a grass stem. “But you did.” He looked up to address Dream. Dream looked back to the forest again.

George.

“He’s ready to see you now. If you would like.” The god’s offer was gentle, soothing. He had lost much of his echoed voice and his tone made Dream feel warm and welcomed.

He nodded his head, slowly. XD visibly lit up at his agreeance. Dream couldn’t help but smile.

He allowed for the deity to pick him up, clinging onto soft green fabric as he was maneuvered into a cradle. His aching muscles wasted no time in melting into the god’s arms, and his lungs were quick to time their compressions to the thumping of his heart. The exhaustion that Dream had been trying to fight off so badly finally had the chance to catch up to him. His eyelids drooped under its pull, and his hands loosened their grip around the deity’s comforting fabric.

The pair didn’t even reach the dark oak’s border before sleep found its way to Dream, wrapping him in a cocoon of bliss, warmth and familiarity. He truly was finally free.

🦙🦙🦙…

George could feel the way his chest was quickly rising and falling along with his rapid panting, trying to catch his breath before the flustering feeling returned once more. His eyes were squeezed shut, and his chest felt as if it were on fire from how hard he’d been laughing. Though his thoughts were focused on how maddening the sensation of nails lightly dragging along his sides were, he could register that someone- the someone that was currently holding his arms up above his head -had squeezed his hands as both a reassurance and a way to help ground George. He hesitantly opened his eyes, squinting at how bright the sun seemed and blinking away tears so he could make out the blur of green eyes staring back down at him. Another squeeze on his hand helped bring him down even more, finally registering that someone had been calling his name.

“George, are you doing okay?” he could hear the slight rumble of the double voice somewhere further down his body, slowly dropping his gaze until he was looking at XD’s mask. “Is this too much?” 

George let out a scoff at that with a roll of his eyes at how innocent the God sounded, as if XD hadn’t been torturing him for the past 10 minutes. The brunette quirked an eyebrow up at XD, who was crowding around his middle with 2 hands holding his legs down while the other two were laying idly against his sides. 

He could feel the blades of grass of the flower meadow flicking against the very sensitive skin along the sides of his back, causing goosebumps to spread across his body. The older boy squirmed briefly as he felt a chill run down his spine, a blush spreading across his cheeks as he began to register just how flustering the predicament he’d found himself in was.

“I don’t know XD, hohow would you be doing if you were just tickled silly for tehehen minutes?” George replied sarcastically, laying his head back against Dream’s knees that were currently doubling as a makeshift pillow. He felt another squeeze on his hand and looked up at Dream in confusion, feeling even more lost as the blonde shook his head slightly from side to side, raising his eyebrows a few times and flicking his eyes towards XD. George lifted his head slightly and could see that XD was tense, their hands suddenly hovering above his sides instead of on the skin. He understood that XD was worried about pushing him too far and was quick to reassure him. 

“Really XD, I’m okahay, I promise,” the brunette could see the deity’s shoulders relax a bit, but he could tell XD was still hesitant. “It’s not too much, I have a safe-word for when it’s too much, remember?”

“Yeah XD, he’s clearly alive enough to be a sarcastic asshole- ow! George!” Dream had started to attempt to also calm XD’s worries but was met with a pinch to his forearm, on the skin George could grab while Dream was holding his wrists captive. George heard XD chuckle quietly, jumping slightly with a squeak when he felt the claws return to his tummy this time. 

“Okay, then we can continue our lesson!” XD sounded a little too excited for George’s liking, throwing his head back into Dream’s lap and squeezing his eyes shut once again as he felt XD’s claws start to trace around his belly button. George bucked his hips up at the motion, causing Dream to giggle and move the brunette’s wrists under both of his knees, freeing his hands and resting them on either side of George’s head on the soft grass below them.

“I dohohon’t know why we neehehed to show Dream anything!” he spoke through gritted teeth, wondering how he ended up as a test subject for XD to show Dream how to effectively tickle someone. Two quick squeezes to his ribs caused him to yelp, bucking his hips up the best he could as the claws settled once again to explore around his stomach. 

“Hush, mushroom boy. Because I’m interested, that’s why.” he heard Dream from somewhere above him, a squeak escaping him when the blonde poked a finger under his arm and wiggled for a few seconds. 

“You alreheheady know, though!” The older boy giggled between his protests, opening his eyes briefly to look up at Dream again. He watched as the small smile twisted into a sinister smirk, making his stomach feel as if there were tiny acrobats performing tricks inside of him. 

“Well, maybe XD knows something I don’t!” George let out a sigh of relief as he felt Dream’s finger rise from his skin, only to let out a shriek as the finger returned with another, now two walking and tracing in the hollow under his arm. George’s laughter grew in volume, causing him to jerk violently to the right to try and block his armpit from Dream’s wandering fingers, pulling roughly at his arms to try and break free. He shrieked when he felt Dream’s other hand join in, now having to endure tickles under both of his arms.

“Nohoho fair! XD, plehehease make him stohohop! D-Dreheheam!” George pleaded, his eyes twisting  closed as he felt XD speed up his tickles on his tummy to match Dream’s pace. His cackles picked up in volume as the two continued their onslaught of tickles on the very sensitive areas, pinpointing the tiniest bundles of nerves to focus on and drive George mad. After a few long seconds, he felt XD’s fingers finally still. 

“Alright Dream, leave him alone for now. After all, you need to pay attention to the next part of the lesson because it’s very important.” Dream let out a whine of disappointment, but George felt the fingers lift from his skin once more, allowing him to take in a much needed gasp. XD seemed to understand that he needed a moment and pressed their palms against George’s stomach, using enough pressure to help soothe his tingling skin. 

“I’m all ears, XD!” Dream replied happily, adjusting himself to make sure George’s wrists were secure enough in their place under his knees. XD hummed in response, beginning to flutter their claws lightly on the sides of George’s tummy to get him laughing again. The brunette tossed and turned his body for a few seconds before melting back down into the grass, giggling as the green blades tickled over his back once more.

“So, I learned that our little Georgie here can’t handle tickles riiiiiight here.” XD held out the word as the claws slowly made their way to his lower tummy, their smirk visible under the mask as George let out a squeal in surprise. His eyes flew open as he attempted to sit up, looking at XD while the deity continued to gently take him apart like it was nothing. George watched as the nails skittered across the lower part of his stomach, scratching along the waistband of his pants and cackling when one of the claws caught onto the edge of his belly button. 

“Oh, that’s something, huh?” Dream took notice of the full body jolt the smaller boy did when XD’s finger caught onto the sensitive dip, chuckling himself and leaning forward to trace his own nail around the little spot. This sent George into a frenzy, two very sensitive areas being targeted at once throwing him into a round of hysterics as he kicked his legs uselessly behind XD. He could barely make out the dirt that was flinging out from where his heels of his boots were hitting into the ground, trying to keep his eyes open to see what was happening but unable to focus due to the tears that were beginning to form along his lower lashline. 

“Wait, if you want to see something really amusing, press in and pull your finger up.” XD commented nonchalantly to Dream, making the blonde tilt his head in confusion, but followed the God’s advice regardless. He stilled his finger that was making tickly circles around the tiny spot on George’s tummy, pulling at the top edge of the spot and giggling with excitement when George let out a high pitched shriek at the movement. Dream lifted his head quickly and met the gaze of XD, who only smiled wider to reveal their fangs before nodding slightly to let Dream know he was doing it correctly. 

“FUHUCK NOHOHOT THERE! NAHAHA!” George pulled at his arms as one of his most sensitive spots was tormented, gaining enough strength to pull his right arm free from under Dream’s knee and bringing it down to grab at Dream’s tickling hands. XD wasn’t having any of this and moved his bottom set of hands from over George’s thigh and gripped the flailing arm, holding it down gently against the ground. The older boy continued howling through his laughter, trying to beg with words but losing them whenever XD spidered their fingers above his overly sensitive hip bones, right on the bundle of nerves that drove him wild even with the lightest of touches.

“Woah! Nohoho way! How did I not find this before?” Dream asked out loud to no one in particular, adding his other pointer finger into the mix and pulling at the lower edge along with the stop, stretching the little spot slightly and sending George into a whole new wave of cackles and squeals. “This is amazing! He’s so ticklish here!” 

“NAHAHAHA P-PLEHEHEASE!” George bucked into the air as XD moved their claws just under where Dream’s hands were, focusing on the center of his lower tummy and causing him to buck up a few more times before falling limp below the two. XD used the free hand from their bottom set of arms to press gently on George’s sternum, making sure to hold him down so he couldn’t move as much. His laughter grew in pitch for a few more seconds before completely turning silent, a few squeaks escaping here and there as his face turned a dark shade of red from how hard he was laughing. 

“Okay Dream, be careful now. We don’t want to kill him.” XD’s claws came to a halt, moving to lightly grab at Dream’s wrists to pull them away from George’s body. His stomach was bright pink, from the blush or the tickles XD wasn’t sure, but they pressed their palms and rubbed gently at the burning skin to help ease the tingles anyway.

“Thahahat- That was torture!” George whines through his giggles as XD let go of his wrist while Dream lifted his knee to release the other one, quickly bringing them to his body and covering as much of his torso as he could while XD continued to try and help him relax.

“Oh, don’t be such a drama queen, George, you’re fine!” Dream rolled his eyes with a giggle as he sat back on his knees, letting his hands move towards George’s hair until they were tangled in the messy waves, lightly combing through and aiding the elder in calming down. Dream watched as XD’s top set of hands was replaced with the bottom, now rubbing gently at George’s tummy while the top set made their way to grip onto Dream’s wrists once again.

“I wouldn’t be so cocky if I were you, Dreamie,” XD spoke with a mischievous tone, gaining George’s attention and watching in horror as the brunette’s sleepy grin turned into a full blown smirk as XD continued. “I still have to show George exactly how to break you, too.” 

“Wh- XD no, I-“ 

“You didn’t think I’d let you get away so easily, did you?” The God watched as Dream’s face quickly turned a dark pink, his jaw dropped slightly as he searched for something to say in return. “Awh, Dream, that’s adorable! But you should’ve known better.” 

Before Dream could figure out an escape route, he was quickly maneuvered into George’s previous spot on the grass below the two, blinking up into deep brown eyes in confusion at how fast the tables had turned.

“Don’t worry Dreamie, it’s only gonna tickle….a lot.” George giggled from above him, gripping tightly onto the blonde’s wrists, just as he had gripped George’s minutes before. 

--

“H. Stop.” XD spoke quietly, running a hand through their hair before dropping it onto the pillow next to their head. HD felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth and he bit his bottom lip, taking a slow breath to calm down the butterflies in his tummy before continuing to relax against the couch. XD relaxed as well, letting out a content sigh as he let his eyes slip closed once again.

The quiet environment lasted all of ten seconds, before the taller God felt another harsh poke to the side of his stomach. His breath caught in his throat, and he let out a strained exhale through his nose, managing to keep his cool once more.

“HD. Stop it,” He warned again, keeping his eyes closed but hearing HD shuffle from the other end of the couch.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” HD replied, but his voice shook with poorly concealed laughter.

“Right. Sure you don’t,” XD replied, a small smile sitting on his face, knowing exactly what would happen next.

And, sure enough, only a few moments later, their prediction came true. Another poke, right into their side, above their hip this time.

“HD,” XD said firmly, his voice booming slightly, playing it up to make his point more clear.

“W-what?” HD’s voice was still trembling, but this time it didn’t sound like laughter to XD. They could tell HD was growing more nervous with every passing moment.

“If you keep doing that, you’re going to regret it.”

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about! I’m- I’m not even doing anything!” HD defended, a few stray giggles making their way into his words, telling XD that he did, in fact, know exactly what they were talking about.

XD knew damn well that HD was trying to be sneaky with his words. Both Gods were aware of what HD was aiming for in that instance. He wanted tickles. He had never been good at asking for them, he always went about getting them in other ways, always provoking– tickling XD or 4K first in hopes of retaliation, taking their things, instigating a playful fight, anything he could think of to get the others to tickle him without having to actually ask the others to tickle him.

Technically, HD was telling the truth- he wasn’t doing anything at all. It was his invisible helper hands delivering the pokes, sent out through the power of HD’s own mind alone, making it impossible to predict them or to call HD out on his provoking.

So, he didn’t. He waited, patiently, for the next poke to come so he could truly catch HD off guard.

And sure enough, less than five minutes later, there was an invisible hand attacking their tummy, and XD knew it was the perfect opportunity to flip the switch and give HD exactly what he wanted.

Not without having a little fun himself, though.

The second he felt the hand touch him, the faux-scratching of nails on his skin, spreading in and out in a circle right in the center of his tummy, he struck. He threw himself forward, launching himself into a sitting position and then up onto his knees to loom over HD. HD jumped and screamed at the sudden movement, comprehending what was about to happen approximately three seconds too late, once XD was already grabbing his ankles and pulling him to be flat against the couch with their bottom set of arms.

“NO–” The smaller of the Gods yelled out, fighting back as well as he could, but he knew his squirming and protesting were no match for XD. They were taller than him by a little over a foot, and no matter how strong HD liked to believe he was, there was no way he could overpower them. They also had four arms, which didn’t help, and which HD thought was completely and utterly unfair. This fact was only solidified in his brain when XD clambered on top of him, settling on top of his thighs just above his knees, using their top set of arms to wrangle HD’s wrists and pin them against the couch on either side of his head, rendering him completely helpless. And they still had a completely free pair of arms to do whatever they wanted with. “XD, DON’T! X- XD, plehease, you- you don’t have to do thihis-“

“I haven’t even done anything yet, H,” XD began, a smile spreading across their face from where their mouth showed beneath their mask, revealing their sharp white teeth and subtle dimples. HD dropped his mouth open to speak, but nothing more than a small sound from the back of his throat escaped, making XD smile wider. “You don’t even know what I’m going to do.”

“I doho!” HD replied, much whinier than he expected to sound, his fingers curling up into fists and as he messed with his own fingers to expel his nervous energy.

“You do, do you?”

“Yehehes!”

“How do you know, exactly?” XD asked, and HD clammed up again, long enough for XD to continue. “Maybe because you were instigating it by tickling me first?”

“WH- I was not! I didn’t even do anythihihing!” HD stood by his lie, swallowing around his nervous giggles and squirming his hips as XD tilted his head at him.

“No, you’re right, you weren’t. It was your little helper hands, wasn’t it?” They observed, not giving HD time to respond before continuing. “Your helper hands, which… weirdly enough… are nowhere to be found right now?” They pointed out, and HD’s breath hitched, his squirming increasing tenfold at the words, at being called out, at being read so easily. “Isn’t that strange, HD? I have you pinned, completely at my mercy, and your helper hands aren’t even trying to get you free. What’s that about, huh?”

“Ehehex– XD-eheheheeeee…” HD whined, squeezing his eyes shut, even behind the dark, wide-rimmed goggles he wore that covered them. He tilted his head back and to the side, hiding in the cushions as much as he could manage, the blush on his cheeks bright enough that XD thought he might be developing a fever.

“What’s wrong, tiny?” XD teased, knowing how much the nickname flustered the smaller God, how nervous and excited it made him. “Did something happen?” XD chuckled as the other let out another groan, squirming once again and turning his head to the side, closing his eyes.

“Ugh, X…” HD whined, shifting his back against the couch below him and trying– very unenthusiastically– to twist his wrists out of XD’s hold. He tried this for all of ten seconds, before his arms went limp again, essentially allowing XD to keep them pinned down. He let out a soft whimper, not knowing what XD wanted from him, taking in a breath and sighing it out, nervous giggles making their return. “Just… c’mohon.”

XD decided to be slightly merciful, ending HD’s suffering and finally moving forward, giving him what he actually wanted out of all this. They curled their bottom set of hands around HD’s sides, their fingers pressed into the back of his sides and their thumbs resting just under his ribs, swiping gently over the flowy fabric of his robes. They felt HD tense under their touch, sucking in his stomach and letting out high pitched, nervous giggles, his eyes squeezed shut. XD giggled along with him, already excited for his next move.

“You’re so cute, HD,” They mused, and suddenly dug their fingers into the backs of HD’s sides, making him arch his back with a loud squeal, and using their thumbs to scratch lightly at the front of them at the same time.

“AH– ahahaha, Ehehehex Dehehehe! Nahahaha–!” HD broke out into loud, happy laughter, his squirming kicking up involuntary as his whole body attempted to throw XD off.

“Say you’re sorry,” XD said calmly, though he spoke slightly louder than usual so HD could hear him over his own laughter.

“Ihihi– I’m sohohorryhyhy!” HD obeyed easily, having lived through this exact scenario with XD enough times to know that wasn’t what would make him stop. He would keep tickling until he could tell HD had reached his limit, or until HD specifically asked him to stop, both of which usually happened within a few moments of each other. At this point, HD would usually be pretty well behaved, happy enough that he’d gotten what he wanted, and feeling safe enough with XD to know they wouldn’t push him too far. In all honesty, XD cherished that more than anything, knowing that HD felt comfortable enough with them to let himself completely enjoy the tickling without a care in the world.

Although, the actual ‘wrecking HD until he’s bright red and teary and pleading a little bit’ kept him going just as much as the sappy thoughts did, in true honesty.

“Good,” XD praised, making HD roll his eyes through his laughter and tilt his head back into the pillow again. XD shifted their hands up, now cupped around HD’s narrow, boney ribcage, tugging his robes up ever so slightly with their movements and exposing a tiny sliver of HD’s pale stomach.

“Oh, nohoho, Ehehex Dehehee!” He watched the smaller God suck in his stomach at the touch of cool air that hit his skin, puffing his chest out and biting his lip before falling into more breathy laughter. XD giggled at his reactions, slipping his hands back down to hook his thumbs under HD’s robes entirely, pulling them the rest of the way up when he returned to his previous spot. He gently pressed his thumbs into his ribs, warning HD of his presence, making him whine and squirm as much as he could in his completely trapped position. “Noho, dohohon’t! Dohon’t, plehehease–” HD attempted to plead, but was cut off when all ten of XD’s fingers dug right into his ribs, vibrating between the bones. “NAHAHAHA– EHEHEX!”

“Say you want the tickles,” XD instructed, and HD was already shaking his head the second they finished.

“NOHOHO?” HD denied immediately, curling his hands into fists and attempting to pull at his trapped wrists, although the pulls were very weak, and XD could tell it wasn’t from lack of stamina just yet. XD smiled again, their sharp teeth and dimples making a reappearance, suddenly coming up with a new idea. He switched from drilling harshly against the bones of HD’s ribs to swirling and digging in circles with his thumbs and first two fingers, hoping to keep his laughter up but not deplete his resilience too quickly.

“Admit you want the tickles, or I’m gonna bite your tummy,” XD threatened, scrunching up their nose to flash their teeth even more when HD looked up at them with wide eyes.

“WHAHAT?! N-Nohoho! Noho, no, nononohoho!” HD continued to deny, shaking his head and squeezing his eyes shut once again. “Ahabsolutelyhyhy nohohohot! Yohou wohohon’t!”

“Alright, suit yourself,” XD said, leaning down to hover his face over HD’s wide open tummy, making the smaller God squirm wildly, attempting once again to throw XD off, with a bit more urgency this time.

“NOHO– noho, nononono– nahaha!” HD pleaded, his laughter kicking up again at the anticipation, even though nothing more was happening yet.

“I’m not hearing what I asked for,” XD moved down the tiniest bit further, enough that HD could feel their breath on his skin, letting out a squeal as he finally broke.

“OKAY, okahahay! Okahay, I wahant them! Ihihi want them, I wahahant thehem, I want thehehehem, plehehease dohohon’t do ihihit!” HD rambled, shaking his head and sucking in his tummy, squirming his hips as much as he could, genuinely trying to pull on his arms now. He knew how badly nibbles affected HD, so much so that even the threat was enough to make him lose his mind, even if the actual nibbling never happened.

He knew HD well enough to tell that the squirming was genuine, and decided he would only push a liiiiittle bit more before letting HD relax again.

“There we go, H. Good job,” They praised once more, dropping down to nibble, just twice, right below the tiny dip in the middle of his tummy, along the bottom edge. HD squealed, flinching harshly, his entire body jolting to the side as he fell into helpless laughter that continued even after XD pulled away.

“AH– nohohoho, Ehehex Dehehehe!” HD whined, and XD broke out into sympathetic laughter at how winded the other God sounded.

“Awww, HD,” XD cooed teasingly, using their bottom set of arms to pull HD’s robes back down and smooth out the fabric, while their top set let go of HD’s wrists and pulled back. They let one hand stay up to run through his hair, left one to rest flat on his tummy, and the others reached out to grab his hands and hold them gently, rubbing their thumbs along the backs of his knuckles. “You okay?”

“Mhm,” HD hummed with a nod, a sleepy smile still on his face as he closed his eyes and relaxed back into the pillows under him with a sigh.

“You liked that?”

“…mhm,” His reply was hesitant, clearly embarrassed to say so, but agreeing nonetheless.

“Good, H. I'm glad.” The room fell silent for a moment, the atmosphere calm, before HD spoke again, voice slightly raspy and words slow from sleepiness.

“X?”

“Yeah, tiny?”

“Can we take a nap now?” XD’s heart fluttered at the request, and they smiled again.

“Of course we can!”

“And then you’ll let me get you back when we wake up?”

“Yeah, okay, that–“ XD paused, registering what the other was saying, his heart dropping instead now, feeling HD tighten the grip he had on their hands. “What?”

“You will. You’ll let me get you back when we wake up.”

“HD, I don’t–“

“Please?” HD asked sweetly, looking up at the other God, knowing how weak XD was to him when he acted sweet like that. XD sighed, letting himself lay down next to HD and pull him in to cuddle with, making him giggle softly and wrap himself around their torso. All four of their arms came to wrap around HD, holding him close, keeping him safe, before he finally let out his response.