#ler!trey

It had been about two weeks since Riddle's... incident in the rose garden. That's what he'd taken to calling it because it sounded less horrifying than "overblotting" or "crazy berserker mode" as Cater had so bluntly referred to it. Despite being given a clean bill of health, Riddle was still recovering. He would get lightheaded. He had trouble sleeping. He'd lose his appetite. He was still nervous about using his magic, afraid of overdoing it again. Riddle didn't even have any memory of what had happened. Headmage Crowley said that it would simply take time to heal such wounds.

Trey still felt largely responsible for Riddle even overblotting in the first place. He'd become determined to help Riddle heal in any way he could. Trey had done extensive research in the campus library and found various books on stress relief, teaching himself about yoga and breathing techniques and meditation to help lower stress. This is why Riddle was heading to a secluded spot behind the Heartslabyul House rose garden now - Trey had gotten him to agree to meet up every day after classes and work on one of these techniques.

Riddle had a free period at the end of classes today and decided to head to their meetup spot early as it was quite lovely outside. With a book to read and an old picnic blanket tucked under his arm, the teen made his way behind the rose garden hedge maze to a small group of oak trees. He gently set his book in the grass before shaking out the blanket and laying it under a tree. "Hmm... yes, this shall do nicely," Riddle said to himself. "Shaded enough that I won't overheat but I can still have a bit of warmth from the sun's rays." Riddle slipped off his school uniform blazer, folding it perfectly and smoothing out any and all wrinkles as he rested it on the bottom of the blanket before sitting down. He rested his back against the tree, stretching his legs in front of him and crossing them at the ankles. Riddle allowed himself a moment to get comfortable and then started to read his book. It was warm. There was a gentle breeze. The sky was clear. Riddle was calm. Every condition was perfect for helping him relax and get lost in his book, which he did. And then he had a sudden feeling that he was being watched. Riddle's icy grey eyes peered over the pages of his book in front of him and saw no one. They peered to the left and saw only the rose garden maze walls. They peered to the right... ...and saw a face floating in midair and smiling at him. "BWAAAH!" Riddle gasped, throwing his book into the air with a startled jolt.

One of Chenya's hands materialized and caught the book before it fell to the ground. He smiled at the redhead with a giggle. "Goodness! You must have been paws-itively entranced in this book for me to spook you so," Chenya laughed, his body fully materializing in the air as he turned the book over to look at its cover. "What're we reading, hmm?" "Nothing!" Riddle replied, snatching the book out of Chenya's hands and quickly stashing it under the blanket. "What are you doing here?"

"So secretive," Chenya teased, still floating over him. "I was around and thought I'd check on you. I..." Chenya lowered himself to the ground and sat beside Riddle on the blanket, becoming uncharacteristically somber for a moment. "I've been worried about you since... well, since Trey told me what happened." "You don't have to worry about me." Riddle's shoulders slumped. He still wasn't used to other people caring about him like this. He also hated feeling like he was hurting others. "Trey has been helping me learn how to let go of being so strict and find a balance between rules and leniency. I'm doing better." "I miss that purrfect little smile of yours," Chenya admitted, bumping his shoulder against Riddle's with a sigh. "Tch... what do you mean? I smile! See?" Riddle's lips stretched into a genuine but soft smile.

"Not like that, silly kitty. I miss how you smiled when we climbed trees... when we'd play Old Maid and Trey would lose..." Chenya sat back against the tree, eyes focused on the back of his friend's head as he thought of childhood memories. "I miss that great big smile you had the first time you bit into a strawberry tart at his parents bakery." He reached forward and kneaded his nails gently along Riddles shoulder blades affectionately as he mentioned the tart memory. "EEEEK!" Riddle arched his back with such force that he'd nearly snapped his spine. He instantly clapped a hand over his mouth, horrified at his own sudden outburst. Chenya froze. Neither of the teens were sure of what had just happened.

"Curiouser and curiouser..." Chenya reached out and repeated the motion. This time, Riddle involuntarily giggled as his back tensed. The redhead's eyes went wide. He was mortified and confused. "Stop that this instant!" "Oh dear." Chenya chuckled. That reaction sounded ominous and Riddle did not like it one bit.

"What... why... what magic was that? What did you do?" Riddle was almost positive that his friend was using some kind of spell to get him to smile.

"Magic? Has no one ever...? No, I don't suppose they have." It was at that moment that Chenya was reminded of just how much of a sheltered childhood Riddle had lived. It was probably worse once he came here to Night Raven because he was so closed-off. "No one has ever..." The mischievous boy leaned forward again and quickly spidered his fingers against Riddle's sides, causing him to giggle outright. "You, my dear, are ticklish." Chenya immediately went invisible and started poking and fluttering his fingers anywhere he could reach - Riddle's sides, his back, his shoulder blades, the back of his neck, behind his ears... Riddle jolted and wriggled like a worm on a hook, falling onto his back and swatting at the air trying to slap Chenya's hands away. Classes had finished for the day. Trey made is way through the halls of the campus, to the Hall of Mirrors, back to Heartslabyul House, and through the rose garden to met up with Riddle. As he exited the back of the hedge maze, his chest knotted in a panic. He saw Riddle, alone under a tree, convulsing on his blanket. Fear took over and Trey's legs immediately started running. He had been afraid nonstop for the past two weeks that Riddle could relapse. "Riddle! No no no no no..." Trey was kneeling at his best friend's side in mere seconds. "Riddle! What's happening?! What's wrong?!"

"Hehehehe help! Help me! Che... Chen... make hehehehe make him hehehehe stop!" Riddle looked like he was having some sort of seizure, flailing his hands and flopping around. But he was... laughing. "What in the world? Riddle?!" Trey was beyond confused. He'd never seen his best friend act like this. A second later, Riddle stopped moving. He was now heaving breaths. Chenya's face materialized beside him. Trey fell back in surprise. "Bwaah! Chenya? What's going on?"

"I can only imagine how this must have looked. Apologies if I worried you," Chenya said with a nod as the rest of his body materialized. "I was trying to coax this little sourpuss to smile and ended up making quite an interesting discovery. Look!" His hands reached out, fingers wriggling against Riddle's ribs and making the poor boy burst into another fit of giggles as he curled up defensively on his blanket. Trey stared. He blinked. He adjusted his glasses. He blinked again. For a moment, Trey had flashes of childhood memories. He could see himself, Chenya, and Riddle as small children. He could hear their giggles when they played. He'd never heard anything like the sounds Riddle was making right now though. "No way," Trey said with a bark of a laugh, looking down at Riddle who was trying to catch his breath. "And here I thought I knew everything about you. How did I not know you're ticklish?" "I didn't know," Riddle exhaled, smoothing out the wrinkles in his shirt. "Heavens, that was awful." The boy let his eyes close. He would completely deny it if asked, but he was still smiling. The more Trey thought about it, the more it made sense for Riddle to be so clueless. His parents weren't ones for any type of physical affection. The only friends he'd had were Trey and Chenya until his mother forbid them to come anywhere near him. Neither of them had really had much physical contact with him more than a hug here and there because Riddle had been so shy and they didn't want to frighten him back into his shell.

"It's good that you arrived when you did. I swear, Chenya was trying to kill me," Riddle sighed, ever the one for theatrics as he rested a hand on his chest.

"That's not true," Chenya protested. "I was helping you." "I nearly died. How in the world is that considered helpful?" Riddle wondered, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Such a dramatic little thing," Chenya giggled. "I never see you laugh. Laughter is good for relieving stress."

"Utter piffle!" the Heartslabyul housewarden scoffed.

"Chenya's actually correct though. Laughing decreases stress hormones, releases endorphins, relaxes physical tension..." A smile crossed Trey's face, a smile that was just a bit too far on the mischievous side. "What is that saying, Chen? Laughter is the best medicine, I think, yeah?" Trey cracked his knuckles. "Indeed!" Chenya looked about ready to pounce, a playful gleam in his cat-like eyes. "I prescribe four hands," he added, flexing all ten of his fingers in the air. "Huh?" Riddle furrowed his brow. "That doesn't even make sense." The teen opened his eyes just a moment too late to see both of his best friends with clawed hands hovering over him and he had no time to move. "Oh no no no wait!" Riddle was thrown into absolute hysterics. He was giggling. He was sputtering. He was trying to cover his mouth and shield himself at the same time... and failing miserably at both as he curled into a ball and kicked his legs. "Just be gentle. We don't want him getting overstimulated. It *is* his first time," Trey pointed out as his fingers danced along Riddle's ribs. "That would be quite the cat-tastrophe, wouldn't it?" Chenya giggled. He switched between fluttering his fingers at Riddle's neck and gently scratching under his arms, careful not to use too much pressure. "Wouldn't want the poor dear to pass out, although that would give you the opportunity to play housewarden for a bit." "Stop hehehehe talking hehehe about me... like I'm hehehe not even HEHEHEHERE!" Someone's hand started to squeeze just above one of Riddle's hips and shattered all sense of composure and decorum that he was trying to keep. He broke out into an absolute cackle and gave up trying to cover his face. He couldn't even sputter a word through his laughter. One of his hands started swatting down repeatedly on the blanket.

"Uh-oh, that's a tap-out." Trey immediately held up his hands. Chenya took just an extra second more before following suit. "I think he's had enough for today." Trey looked down at the small heap of a boy that was Riddle Rosehearts. Despite the fact that Trey and Chenya had their hands in the air, Riddle was still giggling. "You... okay there, buddy?" All of a sudden, Trey was just a bit worried that Riddle might be angry.

Riddle slowly turned over onto his back, sprawling on the blanket between his torturers. His hair was a mess, matted against a sweaty forehead and sticking out in every other direction. His cheeks were as red as his hair, not from anger but from overheating and embarrassment. His uniform shirt was a wrinkled disaster, untucked and twisted halfway up his torso. His eyes were closed and he was heaving breaths. Residual giggles were still slipping from his lips as he started to calm down. "There it is," Chenya said fondly. "Hmmph?" The redhead cracked one eye open, looking up in confusion. "There... what... is?" he asked between giggling breaths.

"Your strawberry tart smile, silly kitty," Chenya replied, booping the tip of Riddle's nose with his index finger.

Trey couldn't help laughing. He knew exactly what Chenya was referring to, and it was good to see it again.

"Ugh, I hate you both," Riddle groaned. "All three of us know that's an outright lie," Trey chuckled. "How do you feel?" "Exhausted." Riddle draped an arm over his face and stretched out his legs. "My face hurts. Everything hurts." "That's because you've never worked out any of those tickle muscles... ever. We can help with that," Chenya teased, wriggling his fingers in the air. "No! Absolutely not!" Riddle didn't even have the strength to try and defend himself. And he was already giggling again at the mere thought of being tickled. "Please. I surrender. No more. I can't." "You're safe. No need for hiss-terics," Chenya chuckled, mussing Riddle's hair affectionately. "I should head back anyway before it gets late. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Riddle started to sit up when Chenya immediately pulled him into a tight hug, clamping his arms at his sides in the process. He sighed in defeat and simply let Chenya hold him. He'd never admit it, but that hug felt absolutely wonderful. Riddle had spent his life so touch-starved that this overwhelming amount of contact today had rendered him completely bewildered. He was a mix of complex and conflicting emotions. He hated this, but he loved it at the same time. He couldn't make any sense of it. "Look after him," Chenya told Trey before kissing the top of Riddle's head with an annoyingly and purposely loud smooching sound. "Bye, dears." He let go of Riddle, standing and fading from sight as he waved to the pair.

Riddle collapsed back onto the blanket with a heavy sigh. He rubbed his palms against his sides, still still feeling traces of the absolute torture he'd just gone through. There was still a soft smile on his face. "...are you angry?" Trey asked quietly.

"Hmm..." Riddle shook his head slowly, still trying to catch his breath. "No. I don't think that I could ever be angry with either of you. You're never doing that again, though. I feel utterly drained. I could fall asleep right under this tree."

"I had other plans for us, but having a catnap under a tree for a bit doesn't break any rules that I know of," Trey joked. "Hmmph. Leave the feline puns to Chenya," Riddle teased, showing that he was in a good mood. "What plans?"

"I do what my mother calls stress-baking. I bake when I'm stressed out because it's enjoyable and calms me down," Trey explained. "I thought we could find some easy recipes and see if stress-baking helps you. And as a bonus, we end up with snacks to eat... which I also do when I'm stressed."

"That..." Riddle took another moment to himself as he was still catching his breath. "That sounds lovely. Since Chenya mentioned it, I find myself craving a strawberry tart."

"I think we have enough ingredients in the kitchen to make some. Without oyster sauce this time, though." Trey chuckled, smiling wider as Riddle groaned.

"Uuuurrrggh." Riddle draped an arm over his face. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Ohoho not on your life." Trey stood and held out a hand. "Think you can gather the strength to make it to the kitchen?"

"I'll manage." Riddle took Trey's hand and pulled himself to stand. He smoothed the wrinkles from his shirt again and tucked it back in before putting his blazer back on and fixing his hair while Trey folded the blanket and picked up Riddle's book. "Do I look presentable? Queen of Hearts Rule num-" The housewarden stopped himself from finishing that sentence. "I don't wish to set a poor example for the rest of Heartslabyul House and walk about the dorm looking unkempt." "Hold on." Trey quickly raked his fingers through the hair at the back of Riddle's head, putting a few stray strands back into place. "There. To the kitchen, then?" Trey gestured back towards the hedge maze. "To the kitchen," Riddle nodded, walking alongside Trey. "I don't think it needs saying that should you tell anyone about what just happened..." "Wouldn't dream of it. No one will hear a peep about you being ticklish as hell from me," Trey chuckled, putting an arm around a furiously blushing Riddle's shoulders as they disappeared into the hedge maze.

——

since riddle was never exposed to tickling when he was a child, he was always curious about what it felt like. like, he’s read about it, heard about it, etc, but just couldn’t imagine HOW it could make someone laugh. afterall, it sounds so absurd. which makes total sense.

it wasn’t until he started hanging out with chenya and trey that he finally learned what it was like. chenya had been the one to poke him in the side first. riddle had jumped, sputtered, giggled, and jsut reaxted like how any ticklish person would and riddle was like,, what was that?? chenya had simply told him he was curious and trey was like “oh, youre ticklish, huh?” and suddenly it made SO MUCH sense. THATS what tickling was like, and now that he had a taste of it, he was curious about more. being actually tickled and tickling someone. thankfully, being friends witb the two, he did in fact experience those

when he arrived at nrc, it didnt happen as much but trey seemed to notice that riddle didnt exactly hate tickling. as he got older he tried to hide it, but he didnt hate iy. maybe wasnt as interested as when he was younger, but it was more neutral. trey would like to poke him to get his attention and such.

trey is ticklish but maybe would prefer to be tbe ler, or at least let it be equal. he’s like, teh nonchalant tickler HELPP so like, usually won’t go very far, not more than a poke to tbe side or something small like that, but well, he still does it to like most of heartslabyul and his friends outside of heartslabyul, but is like totally casual abt it so sometimes ppl wonder if they should even bring it up

when they do, “i only wanted to get your attention.” hey trey! calling their name works just as well btw!! no but sometimes he does it just because he feels like it. always the same excuse too😭

cater is pretty ticklish. he has a love-hate relationship of it. i thjnk he enjoys tickling people, but doesnt do it much because HE doesnt particularly ENJOY getting tickled and he doesnt want them to like, retaliate. he doesnt hate it but his sisters loved tickling hjm when he was younger so it kinda left a bad taste in his mouth. basically, he usually will only have a good time if its someone he knows well and is comfortable with and he knows theh wont push him to the brink. he doesnt like to laugh uncontrollably i feel like. eitherway, he def tickles others the same exact way bc he doesnt want them to feel the same way he does about it.

he doesnt mind gentle tickles at all, but again, ws long as he’s with the right people. i feel like with a partner, he would actyally really love tickles while they r cuddling. super cute, yes.

deuce didnt get tickled a lot, at least not until he entered nrc. never really had any feelinfs towards it. he hated it when he was younger, became more neutral about it when he grew up. he would definitely defend someone if they thought it was embarrassing. “everyones ticklish! nothing to be ashamed of!”

this actually leads to him getting tickled about half the time😭😭 because everyone loves to tickle the first year students (i would too). super embarrassed? yes. super awkward? yes. hates it? nope!! prob would be blushing and all but never have any complaints

ace, on tbe other hand, did get tickled a lot when he was younger and that did not change upon his arrival to nrc. i dont know how to describe it, he just radiates those vibes. also i frel like he was more of the “popular” guys in middle school (he peaked in middle school just kidding) but he was prob the one his frienfs liked to gang up on and tickle

doesnt PARTICULARLY seek out being tickled but will ALWAYS join in if one of his friends is being tickled in front of him with the most sadistic smile on his face. he js evil, do not let urself be tickled by him (or do maybe).

yk that guy who will convince others to tickle the super scary boss?? no?? well whatever, that’s cater. tell me he doesnt whisper to the freshman to tickle riddle… everyone knows its him too except riddle because, well, the freshman never get too far in their endeavors. afterall, leaders are to set an example!

trey knows ofc, but does he stop it? ofc not!! riddle needs a laugh time to time after all.

tickle fights. between all five of them. most r started by the chaotic duo (ace and deuce) or cater. and well, the winner is USUALLY cater or riddle, trey too. ace and deuce never win. plus, cater has his clones to back him up, but if riddle uses his spell, he’s the first one gone

——

twst first!

chenya hc first since u love him but i think he has a rly ticklish neck and this was found out bc whenever his neck is touched even SLIGHTLY his body suddenly disappears and now u cant touch his neck?? he’s lowkey hard to ler for but he likes being tickled so he probably will let you if he trusts you enough~ ticklish ears too

chenya whenever he is bored likes to play hide and seek (except the other person doesnt know) and when he finds them, he just tickles him. usually trey and riddle fall victim to this.

anyway treyrid where riddle really likes holding trey’s hand because it destresses him snd makes him feel comfortable, but sometimes trey will like rub his fingers over his hand and its ticklish and he just has to deal with it because hes too embarrassed to say anything

more treyrid,, so riddle has really ticklish ears and whenever trey notices a stray hair or something thats a bit out of place, trey will move it and “accidentally” graze his fingers along riddle’s ear. trey is a lot more mischievous than ppl give him credit for…

not a tk hc but MORE RIDDLE but now with cater cuz i love for cater and riddle bonding but i think itd be cute if whenever riddle wasnt feeling the greatest, he’d come to cater for comfort and theyd have something akin to a girls night where they do each others hair and talk abt lots of things. (sorry im gonna yap for a sec but i think they could rly confide in each other bc they both felt pressured by their families ie. riddle having to be basically perfect and cater being forced to be nothing but cute) so i think they get along really well

now for fragmem hcs!!

again doing ur favs cuz u love merold but if he learns that someone he is close to is ticklish, he’ll say something like “hm~ but thats a weakness, you know~ better fix that..” and proceed to tickle them .

but he conveniently leaves out the fact that he is just as susceptible to the feeling (but only a select few know cuz hes PRETTY good at hiding it)

i think he is very ticklish but you have to go about it a certain way. light, gentle tickles worst best on him because he can barely conceal his reactions at all.

he tickles hallritt a bit often because he reminds him of his brother and also because hallritt is too shy to get him back

but hallritt is NOT too shy to tag team him .. this is usually sanah, rimicha, and hallritt ganging up on him. he cant say he HATES it though.

also romamero tickles, i think merold really likes tickly cuddles where roma will like gently tickle his back as they try to sleep and he just giggles.

roma is ALSO very ticklish though and he has the cutest laugh ever, its deep and breathy but very like melodic in a way. also not that shy about his ticklishness but WILL let you know that he will retaliate.

RIMICHA SANAH TICKLE FIGHTS have i talked about this?? but whenever they are bantering or arguing about something, theyll settle it with a tickle fight. id like to say they are both evenly matched but perhaps sanah wins slightly more…

louter is ALSO a super ticklish fella just like his twin…

also so imagine louter REALLY likes doing laundry (for some reason…) but klark is a naturally tidy person so whenever klark is eating something particularly messy, he might tickle him a bit to distract him.. does this make sense? ofc not while he’s EATING eating so he doesnt choke but yk!

also klark is a tsundere so louter likes to tickle him whenever hes being particularly cute .. like cuteness aggression.

however, klark usually gets him back ofc . he also really likes louter’s laugh. louter just lets it happen too, like no fighting back at all and if he does, he does it by tickling KLARK more.

louter also has a super pretty laugh, its not just klarks bias….

louter is super open about being ticklish while klark is the opposite and would reveal he was ticklish to no one except louter, kiki, and lala… not even kurode (though kurode would find out himself ofc)

aruchaco tickles ,,, arupek is really good at REALLY random things… namely massages so think this: one time chaco is complaining that his back is sore for some reason and arupek is like “i give really good massages” and so chaco trusts him with that,, unknowing that his back is unbearably ticklish. it takes aru wayy too long to realize and he’s wondering what’s so funny, but once he does, he thinks its super cute so ofc he keeps doing it

chaco is super shy about tickling but he gets into it he’s gets INTO it, he gets a bit sadistic and super teasy and sometimes even arupek cant handle it… they make me sick…

——

“hey, trey-trey!” cater said, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend from behind.

“hey, cater. what’s up?” trey greeted cater, turning to look him in the eyes, but continuing stirring the bowl.

“nothing much, just missed you,” cater smiled, resting his head on trey’s back, but they were similar heights, so it was more on his head than anything.

he squeezed tighter.

“i’m making a tart for the unbirthday party tomorrow, want to h-hup!” trey began, before he was interrupted by the sound of his own voice. he gripped tighter on the whisk and cater smirked.

“what’s wrong?” cater asked, knowing exactly what was the problem as he squeezed trey’s sides.

“y-youhu know whahahat..!” trey muttered, trying to conceal his giggles. it was a part that rarely anyone but cater was able to see, and he cherished every part of it.

“yeah~ guess i do!” cater chuckled along, his fingers trailing along the sides of trey’s back, as he wrapped around the other tighter.

“gahaha— you—!” trey dropped the whisk in the bowl, turning his body to try to pry cater off.

when that didn’t work, he put his adms backwards, trying to tickle at cater’s sides.

“h-hehehey! nohoho fahahair!” cater cried, his grip loosening as he tried to move away from trey’s attacking fingers.

trey managed to twist out of cater’s grasps, instead turning as he began to tickle cater’s sides.

——

“look, we can talk about this!” cater cried, slowly. trey crossed his arms, raising a brow.

“you ate my cookie,” trey said. “my cookie.”

“okay, im sorry! i won’t do it again!” cater exclaimed, as he felt trey curling at his stomach. he quickly leaped from trey’s arm, standing in front of the tv, the movie that was playing forgotten.

see, what had happened was they had decided to spend their friday night watching a movie that cater insisted they watch in trey’s room. trey, of course, agreed, and being the amazing boyfriend he was, brought snacks. those snacks? cookies and milk. when it came down to the last cookie, trey had grabbed it and just before he was able to take a bite, cater had snatched it from his hand and plopped it into his mouth.

he had laughed about it then, but he was really beginning to regret it.

“cater, you know i can’t just let you take my cookie and not have you face the consequences,” trey drawled, a menacing grin on his face.

when trey stood up as well, cater decided it was time to go. he bolted, opening trey’s door and shutting it behind him to give some space between him and trey. it was night so surely trey wouldn’t chase him and risk causing a ruckus in the dorm.

well, apparently he was wrong, because he could hear that as he got farther from trey’s room, he could hear his boyfriend’s footsteps approaching him rapidly.

oh no. he ran outside, going towards the roses they had painted for the unbirthday party a few days ago. he turned around, relieved when he saw his boyfriend wasn’t there, because he knew whatever punishment was waiting for him (which he could take a guess) would be given tenfold now. he slowed down, wondering what to do now. wait, i could use my clo—

“g-AHHK!” he shouted, as he was suddenly tackled to the ground. trey turned, using his arm to cushion their fall, but that still meant cater was caught.

trey was there?! when did he get there?! he didn’t have time to think before fingers were kneading at his sides.

“gahahaha! trey!”

cater laughed, tingles spreading all around his body devilishly. people may think that trey is this super sweet guy, and well, maybe he can be, but he’s definitely got an evil side to him too.

“come on, take your punishment,” trey chuckled, amused. he took to scribbling his fingers along cater’s tummy. cater twitched, squirming at the new rise in sensation.

“N-NAHAHA, nohoho!” cater giggles, unable to think about anything but trey and the tickling.

he peeked his eyes open, as he tried to pry trey’s hands away out of reflex. trey’s face was mirthful, like he was enjoying every second of this, and it was enough to make cater’s heart melt.

“HAHAHAH!” cater cried, feeling himself grow weaker as trey continued to wreck him.