#mini during

Jealous of a mini dragon and a little lion that looked like a suanni. Jealous because his friends seemed to be having a blast, bonding over their pets while he was left out. Wasn't that a little unfair? Aether had been running here and there in Natlan, he was tired and wanted to sleep for five days straight. Instead, he'd decided to invite his friends over for a fun gathering, but it seemed they were the only ones having a good time. 

Aether knew he was being ridiculous, irrational. Acting like a spoiled child, but he couldn't stop himself from pouting as he nibbled on a sandwich. He should've let Paimon stay; at least she loved being the center of his attention. 

As he nibbled on some fruit and chips, he tried to ignore Gaming and Wanderer's conversation about whose pet was the most ticklish. ‘Trying’ was the key word here. His curiosity was so strong, he found himself listening, pretending to inspect a flower near him. 

“What. Wanderer, are you even seeing how much Man Chai is kicking around?” Gaming asked with a soft laugh as he scratched the lion's belly.

Wanderer huffed, “Are you listening how much Mini During is laughing?” he counterattacked, his fingers wiggling gently under the dragon’s chin, making him giggle brightly.

Aether let out a frustrated sigh, rolling his eyes in exasperation. Who cared which pet was more ticklish, anyway? Certainly, not him. He let out a sigh, his own behavior was making him feel ashamed. He suddenly thought that his friends would really hate him if they knew the thoughts he was having at that moment. 

He knew he shouldn't feel that way and he scolded himself strictly, trying to seem the same vibrant and kind person he always was, watching the scene with a small smile on his lips that didn't reach his eyes. But he couldn't hold on for long and his gaze drifted away from the scene in front of him. 

He looked over a small fountain in his garden, he watched the water fall and somehow made him feel more relaxed. He heard Mini Durin and Man Chai escaping their owners' playful ministrations and they started to run around them, playing catch. 

Aether blinked, his mind suddenly drifting far away, his expression turning a little sad as the memory of his sister's smiling face filled his mind. The chirping of the birds, the running water, the soft whisper of the wind, everything was slowly fading away, he almost didn't hear Wanderer's voice when he spoke to him.

“What's wrong?” Wanderer had asked, but Aether didn't answer, thinking he was talking to Gaming until he felt a soft touch on his knee that brought him back to the two in front of him. 

“Oh, s-sorry,” he apologized, his cheeks blushing pink. “What did you say?” 

Wanderer arched an eyebrow, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression clearly annoyed after Aether ignored him. Gaming, on the other hand, looked at Aether with a soft smile, concern in his eyes. 

“I said,” Wanderer started through gritted teeth. “What is wrong?” 

Aether blinked, shaking his head a little. “Nothing's wrong.” 

Wanderer’s eyebrow twitched. “Okay,” he sighed in exasperation. “Let me rephrase that: why are you jealous?”

Aether's eyes widened, his cheeks turning crimson as he watched the other two. His mouth opened and closed like that of a fish. He didn't know what to say, he didn't really think they were looking at him to notice his feelings. Was he being really too obvious?

“I'm not-” he started, but was promptly interrupted. 

“You are, traveler,” Gaming said with that soft smile that made Aether feel somehow guilty.

He had never felt so humiliated in his whole life. Aether looked away, incapable of meeting their eyes as he thought of something to say, but his brain couldn't form any coherent thoughts, too overwhelmed after being caught red-handed. 

“It's not that hard to say you want tickles, is it?” Wanderer asked and Aether's eyes widened even more as he looked over at him, the warmth of his cheeks spreading down to his neck. Wanderer was looking at him with a grin. “Hit the nail, huh?” 

“That's not-” he was interrupted again. 

“So traveler wants to be tickled too?” Gaming asked with wide, excited eyes. “That's why he's upset? Let's tickle him then!” 

“N-No! That's not what I want, you are- ahahahaha! Nohoho!” His sweet laughter filled the air as Gaming pounced on him, gently nudging him against the grass just like he did with Man Chai, and tickling his belly with both hands. 

Aether laughed brightly, squirming and trying to push Gaming's hands away, but he was too weak, incapacitated by the tickles. And he didn't want it to stop either, at least not yet. 

He felt a rush of happy sensations washing over him like a tidal wave. The heaviness of his heart dissipated as Gaming reassured him with kind words. 

“Traveler, if you wanted to play too, you should've just said so!” 

Aether whined, but a burst of laughter escaped his lips when fingers started to pinch and squeeze his hip bone. His laughter turned more frantic as he twisted from side to side. 

“Oh poor thing,” Wanderer teased with a grin, his hand latched to Aether's hip. “Were you jealous because Gaming and I were talking and you were left out?” 

Gaming gasped, “is that so, Traveler?!” he asked  in genuine concern, making Aether flush even more. “I'm so sorry! Aaah, how could I be so disconsidered?!”

Wanderer chuckled, his other hand latching against Aether's other hip, making him shriek with laughter. “I guess we were very disconsidered, right?” He asked, half-joking and half-serious. “How could we ignore our host in his own home?” 

“N-No! N-Nohoho! AHAHAHA, wahahait!” They were right, but Aether was also at fault and he knew it. There was no need for him to act like a kid, but he did and he knew he should apologize, but he couldn't at the moment. 

He felt his heart fluttering, so embarrassingly happy that his two dear friends were making him laugh and validated, (in their own way), his feelings. He laughed brightly, barely trying to stop them as his hips and tummy were under attack. 

Wanderer and Gaming chuckled softly, watching Aether squirm like a little worm under their tickling. 

Gaming giggled softly. “Traveler truly is ticklish, who do you think is more ticklish, Wanderer?” He asked with a bright smile as if Aether wasn't losing his mind as Gaming's finger wiggled into his belly button. 

Wanderer chuckled again, pinching Aether's hips in a way that was driving him crazy. 

“That is a good question… I would say… Mini Durin is on the top,” he nodded with a grin.  

“Don't be biased,” Gaming giggled playfully, his fingers wiggling and digging up towards Aether ribcage making him cackle and arch his back, his hands desperately trying to get hold of any of the four hands attacking his sensitive torso. “Traveler is clearly the most ticklish.” 

Traveler was positively dying. Gaming was playing with every one of his ribs, rubbing them with his thumbs as if trying to polish them, viciously trying to get the best cackle out of Aether. To his horror, Wanderer had left his hips only to grab his wrists and pull them above his head, exposing his ultimate worst spot to their tickly fingers. 

“NOHOT THEHERE!” He shrieked, although Wanderer was still fighting Aether's hands underneath his knees and Gaming was still pretty busy playing his ribs like some kind of instrument. 

Wanderer chuckled at his plea and Gaming giggled softly. “What? Where? His armpits?” Wanderer nodded, finally pinning Aether hands with his knees while Aether shook his head, laughing frantically in anticipation. 

“He's so ticklish there,” Wanderer commented almost too nonchalantly an Aether shrieked, arching his back as light fingers scribbled against the bare skin of his arms, his elbows causing him to giggle brightly. 

“He's so ticklish everywhere, though!” Gaming laughed, slowly making his way up Aether's ribs until he was tickling that hypersensitive pair of ribs close to his pits and Aether was in stitches.

“He might be,” Wanderer said, his fingers tortuously walking towards Aether's underarms. “But he's the most ticklish right… here!” 

Aether threw his head back with loud bouts of laughter as Wanderer poked the middle of his armpits, a single finger wiggling and digging into that deliciously ticklish nerve that always made him see stars. Soon after, more fingers joined into the tickle fest, not only Wanderer's, but also Gaming's who had reached that dreadful spot as well. 

Four hands tickled his armpits. Wiggling, digging, poking, prodding and pinching into the soft, tender and so very unprotected spot. 

Aether was nearly choking as he laughed into nearly insanity. Tears of mirth streamed down the sides of his face, snorts, squeals and cackles filling the fresh air. He didn't feel uncomfortable at all, even though his legs were kicking desperately and he was pulling at his arms to free them, he felt happy and loved. 

“His face is too red, shall we stop?” Gaming asked with a soft chuckle, seeing that cute expression in Aether's face. 

“He can take a little more,” Wanderer said with a grin. “Right, traveler?”