#scdlt

The room fell silent again, except for their shaky breathing. Joe didn't push him. She could feel how exhausted he was. Not only physically, but deeply, emotionally exhausted in a way that settled deeper than just his muscles. Exhaustion settling deep into his bones.

"You scared the hell out of me," he finally managed to say, voice rough and small.

Joe swallowed one more time and she nodded slightly, barely a twitch of her head. "I know," she repeated softly. "I'm sorry."

Kyle let out a quiet laugh that didn't sound like amusement at all. "You should be," he said, but there was no bite in his words. "You didn't have to protect me like that, what if you—"

That 'what if' hurt more than it should… because it had happened. Joe did die.

"Hey…" she mumbled, but then silence filled the room again.

Joe kept stroking her fingers through his hair. Fingernails slowly scratching his scalp enough to make him calm down even a little. His breathing starting to even out little by little.

"I'm okay now," she said quietly after a while. Kyle didn't answer, because it was still hard to believe it.

Joe gently let go of Kyle's hand to gently cup his face with both hands, encouraging him to look up at her. His eyes were red with exhaustion and a little teary.

She smiled softly at him. "Hey," she whispered again. "I'm not going anywhere."

Something in his expression cracked at that. His chin trembled slightly when he spoke again: "You said that before…"

The words nearly left her breathless, but she nodded. Understanding that if she was in his position, she would have probably followed him to the afterlife. She exhaled shakily and nodded one more time. "And that's exactly why I came back."

Kyle's breath hitched and Joe gently brushed her thumb beneath his eyes. Then, she carefully let go. Her hands gently moving to his shoulders and then his arms.

"Come here," she mumbled, scooting over a little. "Lie down with me."

Kyle hesitated only for a second before letting her guide him into bed. The mattress dipped beneath Kyle as he climbed on beside Joe, adjusting until their bodies were laying against the pillows. For a moment neither of them spoke.

They were facing each other, eyes locked together. Waiting, reassuring themselves. Even now, even with her beside him, Joe could see the tension in him. His breathing suddenly hitched again and again as if he kept repeating that terrible scene inside his head over and over.

Joe being stabbed by a spear. Joe bleeding in his arms. Joe touching his cheek with unfocused eyes… and then, Joe going completely still. It was as if every time he blinked, he saw it all over again.

Joe's chest tightened and she carefully reached over and intertwined their fingers together again. Kyle's hands closed around hers tightly one more time. Clutching her desperately as if that alone would prevent anything from taking her away again.

Joe moved a little closer, Kyle observed her almost without blinking. He looked so tired, so scared and still trying so hard not to show it, but he can't really hide it at all.

She swallowed thickly, lifting their joined hands and pressed a kiss against Kyle's knuckles. "You can hold me," she whispered. "You know that, right?"

Kyle blinked a couple of times. "I am holding you."

Joe shook her head gently. "No," she said softly. "I mean really hold me."

Kyle's jaw tightened a little. He hesitated, not because he didn't want to. He wanted to, but he was also scared to hold her too tightly and make her disappear again. Joe thought he would decline. She thought he was going to pull his hands away, but he didn't. Instead, his expression saddened and then he moved, wrapping his arms tightly around her. One arm wrapping tightly around her waist, the other around her shoulders as he buried his face against her shoulder.

Joe wrapped both arms around him too.

"My sweet canary," she whispered.

The broken breath that left him made Joe nearly sob. There was something different in the way Kyle clung in that moment. He usually held her tightly, warmly and tenderly, but right now, he was holding her desperately. He pressed her against his body as if he could merge their bodies and he could keep her inside him forever. Away from danger. Away from the world and destiny trying to take her away again.

Joe pressed a soft kiss against the top of his head. "I've got you," she murmured.

Kyle didn't answer, but Joe could feel the way his fingers curled tighter in the back of her shirt and how his arms tightened around her frame, pulling her impossibly closer to him.

The room stayed dim and quiet. Some quiet footsteps and hushed voices could still be heard from outside. Joe didn't even know what time it was at the moment, but it didn't really matter. Not when Kyle, her beloved Kyle, was nearly trembling against her like a scared child.

Joe rubbed one hand along his back. Slowly up and down and Kyle shivered. Not from cold, but from soft shivers of relaxation. It was as if all the fear was starting to leak out of his body slowly.

"You don't have to hold yourself together just for me," she said quietly, her fingers gently carded through the back of his hair, nails scratching his scalp.

Kyle let out a shaky laugh against her shoulder. "I'm not trying to."

"Liar."

He chose to stay silent and Joe didn't push him to speak, simply kept carding her fingers gently through his hair. She knew what kind of touches calmed him the fastest. The slow scratches near the nape of his neck, fingertips combing through his whole scalp, a hand gently rubbing his back.

Those things melted him almost immediately, but tonight, Joe almost felt like her mere touch was hurting him. Kyle shifted suddenly, lifting his head just enough to look at her. Joe blinked, her heart twisting when she saw him looking at him with such vulnerability in his eyes. The tiredness of a man that went through hell.

"… You died in my arms," he said quietly and the way Joe felt her heart twisting in her chest almost made her get sick.

"You were dead," he repeated, as if he couldn't believe it yet. Or simply didn't want to believe it.

Joe swallowed thickly. "Yeah," she admitted softly and Kyle stared at her.

She could see the way he came back to that moment, reviving it as if it was happening all over again. She tightened her hold around him a little to anchor him back to the present.

"It didn't feel real," he whispered. "None of it did."

Joe moved her hand to cup his cheek, her thumb lightly brushing across his cheekbone. "I know."

"I kept thinking… that it was not real," his voice broke a little. "That you would be okay even when you weren't breathing anymore—"

"Kyle," she whispered, her expression turning sorrowful.

He shut his eyes hard, frustrated, sad, angry. "It was… insane…" he whispered and Joe moved closer to him. Their legs tangled together beneath the blankets naturally, familiar and warm.

She guided his head down against her chest and he melted immediately, pressing his ear against his chest right where he could hear her beating heart. Joe wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"There," she whispered, carding her fingers through her hair again. "Much better."

Kyle let out a loud, long sigh as his body relaxed even more against her, his arms wrapped around her waist. Joe rested her cheek against the top of his head and closed her eyes for a moment.

"I love you, Kyle," she mumbled quietly.

Kyle swallowed, closing his eyes tightly. "And I love you," he answered without hesitation.

Joe held him a little tighter. "I am okay now," she whispered again. "I promise."

Kyle didn't answer and Joe thought that perhaps he still couldn't fully believe it.

She continued softly. "I'm here. I'm with you. You don't have to be scared anymore."

His breath flinched slightly at that, and even though he nodded once against her chest after a while, she could still feel the lingering fear within him, refusing to let go.

They lay there quietly for a while after that. One of Joe's hands kept moving slowly through Kyle's hair while the other rested against his back under the blanket. Kyle's breathing had evened out some more. Not completely over the fact that he saw Joe dying in his arms and then come back to life, but better.

He would still squeeze her between his arms every now and then like checking she was still there. Joe didn't complain, she simply kissed the top of his head or rubbed his back every time.

The room had gone completely still now. The noise outside seemed to fade away entirely, leaving only the soft rustling of leaves and blankets whenever Kyle shifted. Joe tilted her head a little to look down at him still snuggling against her chest. His eyes were closed, but she knew he was not asleep. His brow was still furrowed faintly.

Her poor canary. Her precious angel. His heart swelled with love so strong it almost hurt. Carefully, she brushed her fingers along the back of his neck and Kyle shivered immediately. Not a sudden jerk, just a tiny, sensitive reaction. Joe smiled so softly.

"What was that?" she whispered with a playful hint, knowing exactly what she was doing, and Kyle made a soft sound against her that might've been a hum.

For a moment, Joe only watched him. Warm beneath the blankets and against her. Their legs tangled, his arms tightly wrapped around her waist as he nuzzled her chest like an oversized kitten. Both safe. Both alive. Then, very lightly just because she couldn't help herself anymore, she let her fingers drift lower, just barely fluttering against his side.

Kyle twitched and Joe pretended not to notice as a playful smile pulled at the corners of her lips. A few seconds later, her fingertips brushed along his waist featherlight, almost like she didn't know what she was causing. Kyle twitched again.

"Kyle," she said softly, acting innocent, "you okay there?"

One of Kyle's eyes cracked open slowly and looked up at her. Joe had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from giggling. Kyle narrowed his eye. "Why do you have that look on your face?"

"What look?" Joe asked, her voice wavering with suppressed laughter.

"That look," Kyle repeated, now lifting his face a little more to look at her with both eyes.

Joe's eyes widened in mock offense. "I have no idea what you are talking about~" Just then, she let her fingers wander lightly against his side again, tiny little scribbling motions through the fabric of his shirt.

Kyle inhaled sharply, going stiff under the playful touch. "Joe," he warned.

"Hm? What is it?" she asked with a soft giggle and a little smile started tugging against his will at the corner of his mouth.

"I know what you're doing and that's unfair."

Joe giggled again. "There are literally no rules right now, what do you even mean?"

The sound of her laugh seemed to loosen him further and warmth started to spread inside his chest, slowly overpowering the pain from earlier. Joe smiled warmly, noticing how he relaxed a little more against her.

Very gently, she scratched the same spot again and Kyle's reaction was more evident now. His shoulder jerked up and he let out a soft breath through his nose that sounded dangerously close to a giggle. Joe immediately beamed at the sound and she also felt better, less tense… as if things were slowly coming back to place and the thought nearly made her emotional all over again.

"Oh, that was a very cute sound," she teased quietly.

Kyle groaned, burying his face against her chest tightly. "Shut it."

"Nope," Joe answered as her fingers skimmed through his ribs this time and Kyle let out a tiny laugh against her, jerking away from her touch slightly.

Joe giggled happily. She was keeping it annoyingly soft. Not enough to overwhelm him with ticklish hysteria, just enough to coax her precious canary out of those terrible memories and bring him back to her.

"You're smiling," she whispered affectionately, her heart swelling with love. It felt like she hadn't seen his smile in years.

Kyle made an embarrassed noise that dissolved into giggles when her fingers poked repeatedly at his waist. Joe grinned and giggled too. She could feel the stiffness in his body easing each time another helpless giggle slipped out of him.

"You almost died and somehow I'm the one getting bullied." Even when talking about that he didn't look as upset anymore. Joe was glad.

"You say bullied," Joe said, pretending to think hard as her fingers so gently dug into his lower ribs. "I say being loved~"

Kyle snorted at the sudden touch. It was definitely more firm than the light tickles just a moment ago, but still not terribly ticklish. Joe burst into delighted laughter and Kyle groaned dramatically, although he looked up at her with love in his eyes and a sheepish smile on his lips.

"Oh my~" she giggled. "That was adorable! Oh, you're turning pink."

Kyle groaned loudly, tossing his head back, only making Joe laugh again. She smiled tenderly at him. Ah, she was really glad he was slowly back… she thought Kyle would always carry that grief in his heart… he probably will, but at least he's not drowning in it anymore.

Kyle looked at her again. His eyes searched hers carefully again, not as desperate anymore, just checking. Just making sure one more time. Joe's heart softened instantly. She leaned down and pressed a tiny kiss to his lips. Kyle melted.

"You are really here," he whispered against her lips as if he finally was allowing the fact to settle in his brain.

Joe nodded with a loving smile. "I am."

He closed his eyes for a moment as he leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers. Joe smiled at the contact. Their breaths mingled softly… then, just because she couldn't help herself, she lightly wiggled her fingertips against his sides again. Kyle jolted with a startled laugh.

"Johohoe!"

"I'm here~" she said as Kyle pressed his face against her shoulder when her fingers danced against his ribs once more. He giggled easier this time, sounding alive again too.

At some point they shifted positions entirely. Joe wasn't even sure how it happened. One second Kyle had been mostly curled against her side, and the next he was flat on his back underneath her, breathless and flushed from laughing while she hovered over him grinning and giggling herself.

"Kyle," she said happily, her fingers playing with his ribs relentlessly, "you are so sensitive tonight."

Kyle tossed his head back against the pillows with bright giggles. "Stohohop tohormenting mehehe! I'm grieving!"

Joe laughed. "No, you're not. I'm not allowing it."

Her fingers quickly scribbled down towards his stomach and Kyle squirmed beneath her with bright giggles. "Stahahap!"

Damn it, she loved hearing him laugh. Not only because his expressions were absolutely adorable, but because it made her feel like everything was alright now. "Ah~ your stomach is still very ticklish, hmm?" she giggled mischievously as her fingers fluttered so gently against his belly.

Kyle shook his head. He was nearly laughing into her mouth with how close she was hovering above him. One of her knees rested carefully between his legs to keep her balance and keep him trapped a little. Her hands latched to his body, wanting to draw out every laugh and giggle.

Slowly, carefully, she leaned the rest of her body against him, their forehead resting against each other's. Kyle's breath caught in his throat. Joe kissed his lips, his cheek and then, she was raining little kisses all over his face. "I love you," she whispered and Kyle inhaled softly, melting under her. "I'm here, Kyle. Do you hear me?"

He nodded against her forehead and his hands came to grab at her waist, squeezing her gently just once to make sure one final time that she really was there. Joe smiled and her fingers brushed against his sides again. He twitched and giggled right away.

"Johohoe!" he whispered helplessly.

"What?" she whispered back, smiling innocently.

"It tihihickles!" A tiny bark of laughter escaped him when her fingers fluttered back to his ribs again.

Joe gasped, pretending to be surprised. "Does it? I had no idea~" she said, giggling as she kissed his cheek between soft tickles.

"You're really clingy for someone who died tonihihight."

Joe gasped again. "Wow. Okay. Rude?"

Kyle giggled but then squeaked and laughed when she squeezed his hip once. Joe burst into laughter. "That's what you get."

Kyle whined, but he tilted his chin up to kiss her lips—slow and warm and affectionate enough that Kyle sighed softly against her mouth as their chest ached with unconditional love.

Joe kissed him back again and again. His hands moved up higher against her back, Joe trembled slightly and Kyle pressed her tightly against him as they kissed endlessly.

When Joe finally pulled back slightly, Kyle looked dazed and Joe wanted to eat him whole. She smiled warmly at him before pressing a tiny kiss to the tip of his nose. Kyle scrunched his nose up, looking mildly offended. Joe giggled as she leaned down and pressed another kiss against his cheek again. Then another just beneath his jaw.

Kyle's breath caught instantly. Joe paused for exactly one second before slowly turning her head enough that her lips barely brushed the side of his neck. Kyle squealed so softly.

"J-Joe," he said shakily, laughing already and Joe grinned against his skin.

"Kyle," she whispered against his neck, "are you very ticklish here too?"

Kyle made a strangled sound and tried to squirm under her. "Johoe! Don't!"

She kissed the sensitive spot below his jaw and Kyle jolted so hard he nearly sent Joe flying off him. He let out a helpless burst of laughter and Joe laughed too.

"Oh, I think that's a yes~" she said as if she already didn't know.

She lightly nuzzled her face against his neck and Kyle laughed again, shaking his head and trying to squish her head with his shoulder. His hands landed back on her waist, not quite trying to stop her, simply holding her there.

Joe could feel how warm his skin had grown. He was blushing, giggling his head off even while Joe wasn't even doing anything. A little while ago he looked like he was barely holding himself together, but now he was smiling and laughing and Joe felt like she could cry from relief.

But she didn't, instead, she smiled against his skin and her lips brushed against his pulse point. He tried to cover the spot with his hand, but she lightly scratched his side at the exact time she pressed a quick kiss against the side of his neck. Kyle nearly short-circuited.

"Ahaha! Y-Yohohou ahahare terrible!" he laughed, squeezing her waist, tickling her back.

Joe squeaked before she dissolved into bright laughter against his neck. She tried to push his hands off her, but he held her firmly, his thumbs digging gently into the soft spot.

"KYAHAHALE!"

His own laughter joined her, a little quieter, but warm and playful. For a few seconds they engaged in a messy tickle fight under the blankets, although Kyle was the one doing the tickling and Joe was the one giggling with every squeeze, poke and scribble against her sides and stomach. Joe retaliated once by kissings the side of his neck again and Kyle dissolved into laughter.

Eventually, though, Kyle's hands slowed down and Joe's laughter softened into breathless giggles. They ended up tangled together again almost where they'd started, except now Kyle was smiling warmly against her chest instead of looking like he was on the edge of crying.

Joe wrapped him in her arms, kissing his forehead and the bridge of his nose. Meanwhile Kyle's fingers absentmindedly traced her back underneath her shirt.

"I thought I lost you…"

Joe closed her eyes before pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I know…" she whispered, carding her fingers through his hair. "But I'm here, Kyle."

Kyle's arms tightened around her waist. "I know."

His slightly curly golden hair was tousled, his face frozen in utter shock, and Joe was no less stunned, not understanding what had come over her. In any normal situation, she would’ve slapped herself for such antics, but now, even when she should’ve backed off and apologized profusely, Joe didn’t feel like doing it. Energy overflowed from how desperately she wanted to prove Kyle wrong about her thoughts of someone else. Damn it, she’d been thinking about him long before he knew of her existence!

Joe was pulled out of her thoughts about justifying her behavior by Kyle’s flustered attempt to say something. The girl could physically feel the frantic rhythm of the heartbeat of the man beneath her — the owner of beautiful but utterly bewildered blue eyes. And as soon as Kyle opened his mouth, Joe immediately seized his sides, starting to rattle them like piano keys.

"AH!" A mix of fright and trembling was reflected in Kyle's exclamation, quickly replaced by nervous laughter. That’s when Joe realized she’d found the right leverage...

"Why do you have to be so stubborn, Kyle?" as if nothing had happened she continued in her still-angry tone, rapidly kneading his squirming sides. "See what consequences this leads to?"

Terrible ones! Kyle threw his head back, laughing like he’d never laughed in his life. And the thing was, he had never been tickled before. The sensation was overwhelming and unfamiliar, and Joe’s attacks in this situation were merciless. Little did he know that she was going easy on him yet...

"Ah, wait! Stop, don’t do that! It’s... ahahaha! Joe, listen!"

"What? Why should I listen to you when you refuse to hear me?" The girl’s hint was perfectly clear.

"I’m begging you! Hahahaha! I— Ah! It’s too much! I’ll do anything, just stop!"

"Oh, really? Then maybe you’ll finally admit that I don’t need anyone but you?! So I can hear it loud and clear." Her fingers began sliding downward authoritatively, dancing along the lower part of his ribs, sometimes brushing against the back and making Kyle arch like a bow.

"W-what?! Ahah! HAHahah! D-damn it! Joe!.."

Kyle was going insane, not knowing where to escape. Not only was he redder than a tomato from the tickling, but now he was also under moral pressure from Joe’s insanely embarrassing demand. How could he admit such a thing? How could he be sure of it without knowing what was going on in her pretty little head?

"You heard right. I want you to say that I don't have another woman." Joe stubbornly insisted, wanting to clearly see the fruits of her labor on Kyle’s character. If she was in this world for this purpose, she’d achieve it by any means necessary! Not that she disliked this method... After all, she loved a little bit of risky mischief.

"But I saw it myself! Joe, this is going nowhere! Please, make it stop, hahahaha!"

Joe’s blood boiled even hotter at such stubbornness. There was no longer any desire to reason with this child in an aristocrat’s body, only to force the truth out of him! Her hands slid lower, straight to his trembling hips, and immediately began digging in, eliciting an unprecedented wail from her victim.

"NO! Not there! Ahahahaha!!!" It seemed like the walls and ceiling were shaking in time with Kyle’s convulsions, and Joe herself occasionally glanced at the entrance door to make sure no one decided to drop by. "Fine! I give up! You don’t have anyone else, just stop!"

"That doesn’t sound very sincere," she leaned down, her breath tickling his neck. The portion of blush on Kyle’s cheeks — a man used to control and distance — instantly doubled, if not tripled. Not letting up on his hips, Joe continued tormenting the weakest spots. The blond desperately tried to grab her wrists, but it was futile. In her determined state, Joe was far too agile.

"Hahahaha! Ah! Why are you doing this to me?!" came a drawn-out, dramatic moan as the girl intensified the tickling on his unexpectedly sensitive hips, which were thrashing wildly in attempts to escape or shake off the tormentor. A smirk played on Joe’s lips. She realized tickling was foreign to Kyle and almost felt sorry for him. But punishing him for slander and proving her point was more tempting than pity.

Of course, Kyle had seen how tickling affected others. But he could never have imagined the overwhelming sensations it could cause, especially from the fingers of someone he... truly, genuinely cared about.

Maybe Joe really did care about him too, if her touches could make him feel like this? Or was it just the torture clouding his mind? Between attempts not to lose his mind from the ticklish assaults, thoughts raced through Kyle’s head about everything Joe did just to make him smile. Even if her methods were slightly violent.

"Ah... I get it!... I get it..." Kyle’s voice cracked as he began to realize his anxiety might have been an overreaction. "You... don’t have another woman."

But then Joe decided to push her luck a little and ask for more — just to be absolutely sure of his thoughts.

"And?"

"And you don’t need anyone..." Kyle hesitated, this time trying to fully convince himself, "...except me."

Joe finally relaxed and smiled softly.

Her hand mercifully retreated from his weak spots, brushing away droplets of sweat from the heavily breathing man’s forehead.

"And I want you to always remember that."

And Kyle really did remember. He’d always known it. Always seen it in her thoughts. But why was it so treacherously easy to lose confidence with this girl? Now, shame washed over Kyle, and Joe saw it in his downcast eyes.

"You want to control everything so badly, but believe me — you don’t need to. I made my choice a long, long time ago." She gently tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear and, with a light smile, kissed his brow, leaving Kyle speechless.

The blond let out a defeated exhale, merging with his already heavy breathing. For a moment, his face brightened with a relieved smile, and his eyes sparkled.

"Joe, you..."

The girl listened attentively.

"...are just a monster. How could you so cruelly..."

Tickle you? Joe almost teased him but realized her beloved character had suffered enough. The sentence ended with a full stop in the form of Kyle's puffed-up cheek, turning away in embarrassment, but not risking moving Joe off of him.

He stopped a second later, turning towards her, already looking like he might yell. "What is it?"

"Don't speak to me with that tone," she pointed at him, frustrated and angry as well. "And don't say I'm saying stupid things because I am not!"

Kyle huffed. "What tone? What are you even talking about?"

"That tone!" she repeated, approaching him and poking his chest. "That tone as if you're trying to make me take the blame when I clearly have done anything for once."

Kyle's jaw tightened. "I'm telling you nothing is happening, but you insist on making a big deal out of this," he said through gritted teeth.

"You are making a big deal out of this!" she said, flailing her arms a little. "You're jealous because I interacted with a random guy for three seconds!"

"I'm not—" he cut himself off, frustration clear in his voice. "You just don't get it."

"Then explain it to me!" she said, sharper this time. "Because from where I am standing, it just looks like you're picking a fight over nothing. Again."

Kyle's eyes narrowed. "I am not picking a fight," he said tightly.

"Then what do you call this?" she gestured between them. "Because it feels a lot like the last five times this has happened!"

"That's not—" he shook his head, sighing. "It's not the same."

"It is exactly the same," Joe insisted. "You get weird, then close off, and get angry at me from doing absolutely nothing!"

"I didn't say I was angry with you."

"You don't have to say it," she said back. "It's clear that you're angry with me!"

Kyle tensed a bit more at that, but her words only made him more defensive. "I am not angry with you," he repeated, not even looking her in the eye.

Joe let out a short, disbelieving laugh. "Stop denying everything I say! You are so—" she stopped talking, pressing her lips together as she looked up at him with her brow furrowed. "You know what?" she said, throwing her arms up, giving up completely on this argument. "I won't do this again."

Kyle's stomach dropped at that, but he freezes on the spot, watching Joe starting to walk away, lifting the skirt of her dress so it wouldn't tangle with her feet as she stomped away from him.

Joe shook her head. "If you're gonna be jealous over literally nothing and then act like it's my damn fault, that's—" she gestured vaguely with one hand before lifting her skirt again, frustrated beyond words, "—that's on you, Kyle."

"Joe—"

"Why can't you trust me?" she said, not even turning back to look at his face. "When have I done something that made you think I would choose anyone over you?"

Kyle froze for a hot minute before he took a step forward towards her. "You didn't—" he sighed, taking another step. "It's not that—"

"No, Kyle. I don't want to listen to you right now," she said firmly.

"Joe," Kyle said, rushing towards her. "Joe, please. I—" he captured her hand before she could walk away completely. "Listen, please."

"You want me to listen to you, but you, many times, don't listen to me."

She tried to pull her hand away, but he held her firmly. Not enough to hurt her, but enough to keep her in place and prevent her from leaving. Joe didn't turn right away. She was still annoyed—still so annoyed—but something in his voice didn't match with the argument anymore. It was not sharp nor defensive. And something inside Joe started to soften despite herself.

Kyle didn't let go, not even when she stopped completely. He kept his hand around Joe's wrists, like he was waiting to see if she would shake him off. When she didn't, he let out a soft exhale, his shoulders relaxing only a fraction.

For a few seconds, neither of them said anything. Even the sound of silence around them is different. Less explosive, but still heavy, in a different way.

Kyle took a deep breath and finally opened his mouth to start talking:

"I am sorry," he said softly, the tension in his face gone completely. "I am truly sorry," he repeated. "I—I just… It's just… I know it's stupid" he sighed, frustrated by how hard it was for him to talk about this.

Joe closed her eyes for a second. Damn him. That's the problem. Not the jealousy itself, or at least not entirely… It's the way he said things like that afterwards. Like he already hated himself for it before she even could get the chance to be completely angry.

Kyle shifted nervously, his hold loosening just a bit. "It's not that I don't trust you…" he admitted, running his free hand against his face. "… I'm scared… that you'll leave… me. S-Sometimes… Sometimes i see stuff like that and my brain just—"

Joe rolled her eyes and finally glanced back over her shoulder. Big mistake.

Kyle looked genuinely miserable. Not dramatic or manipulative… just completely frustrated… and with big, regretful eyes that made Joe feel her irritation crumbling… which annoyed her even more.

"My goodness," she mumbled under her breath.

"W-What?" Kyle asked immediately, tensing again.

Joe turned toward him fully this time, and when she did, he let go of her arm. Joe stared at him for a long while. Kyle stared back, shifting nervously under her gaze, like bracing for another round of yelling and arguing.

She finally spoke and Kyle tensed a little, startled. "But why do you think that?! It's stupid! And you know it!" She stomps her feet a little. "You make me so angry! Why would I ever want to leave you, Kyle?!"

"I- I know… I'm sorry, yes? I really—I already said it's stupid, but I—" he sighed. How could he explain all of his thoughts and insecurities to her? How could he put all of his fears into words so she could understand?

But he didn't need to… because she knew it. More than anyone, even himself, she knew it. She stared at him for a long moment again, then she sighed too, shaking her head a little. Frustrated and angry with herself because she had forgotten him already… or at least she was close to do so.

"You are so silly, Kyle," she mumbled, but there was no anger in her voice. "How could I possibly leave you," she growled. "You make me so— agh! You need help! This jealousy thing—" She flailed her arms around, gesturing vaguely around them, "it's getting ridiculous!"

Kyle groaned, already defensive again. "Joe, I—"

Kyle stopped talking and blinked in confusion, surprised when Joe suddenly moved forward. He took an instinctive step back, but then opened his arms, ready to receive her in a tight hug, but a hug was not in Joe's thoughts. At all. Both her hands darted forward and latched to his sides and she started to tickle them with quick squeezes and pinches up and down their length.

Kyle jerked violently at the sudden contact, and then let out a startled sound that was embarrassingly high. He tried to push her hands away from his body before he dissolved into loud giggles, his cheeks flushing bright pink like the little flowers around them.

"Wahahait! Whahat ahahare you d-dohohoing?!" He asked, curling on himself as he giggled and squirmed. "Johohoe!"

"Shut it!" Joe said, pouting, her cheeks puffed out as her fingers moved with expertise up and down his sides. "This is your punishment for thinking the most silly things! You're so dumb! Dumb, Kyle!"

"I'm n-nohohot—Thihis is n-nohohot—ahaha! Wahahait! Okahahay! Okay!" His giggles turned a bit louder as Joe's hands started to move towards his ribs. He shook, his cheeks turning pinker the more he laughed. "Johohoe!" I'm duhuhumb! I r-reheheally ahaham!"

"I know!" she answered, but didn't slow down.

His hands kept trying to push hers away, but she kept changing spots. In one moment, she was kneading the soft skin between his ribs and hips, and at the next, her thumbs were rubbing deep circles against his hips and moving up towards the hollows under his arms, fingers dipping in with just enough pressure to make him squeal.

"Stahahap! Thihihis is nohohot fihihixing ahahanything!" he laughed, reaching for her wrists, but only managing to expose his armpits to her wiggling fingers even more.

"Oh, is that so?" Joe asked, her lips pulling up into a smirk. She already felt lighter and a little less angry, quickly enchanted by Kyle's reactions. "Then I guess I will have to tickle you even more until you learn that I will not ever leave you! Dummy Kyle!" she declared, her fingers speeding up, touching all of Kyle's tickle spots in a flurry of pokes, squeezes and scribbles.

Kyle laughed, curled on himself a little as he pushed at her wrists, but he was already weak from the tickling, his brain overwhelmed by the electric pulses rushing to it. He took a couple of steps back, but Joe easily followed him, her fingers not faltering for even a second.

One minute ago they were arguing. Now Kyle's face is bright red while he tries—and absolutely fails—to shove her away without actually hurting her.

Joe started to laugh too. She couldn't help it. If Kyle laughed, she laughed. If Kyle cried, she cried. If Kyle was jealous… she would tickle the jealousy out of him from now on.

"Look at you," she teases with a giggle, following him as he backs away again. "Grumpy, jealous Kyle is gone now it seems~ are you learning anything right now?"

Kyle jerked hard again when she scribbled her fingers across his stomach. "AHAHA! JOE!" he squealed.

"That is not an answer!"

Kyle could barely answer her at that moment. He kept trying to twist away, catching her wrists for just a second before she slipped free again. The more he laughed, the more Joe could feel the remnants of the argument dissolving, along with her anger and frustration.

Not disappearing completely. She was not going to let Kyle out of the hook so easily. But the tension was definitely loosening… which was good because she was this close to slap him across the face five minutes ago because of that stupid attitude of his.

So this was better. Much better.

"Ohohone m-mohohoment, plehehease!" he giggled breathlessly.

"Nope," she said, relentless in her attack. "Have you learned your lesson? No more jealousy!"

Kyle groaned loudly through his laughter, trying to cover his face for a second out of pure embarrassment.

"Nuh-uh, no hiding," she scolded, taking advantage of the opening, her fingers spidering mercilessly along his ribs.

Kyle yelped, stumbling into a wall near to them. "JOE! Stahahap!" he laughed, trying to cover his ribs with his arms. "Why dohoho y-you ahahalways end uhup tihihickling mehehe?!"

Joe hummed, her fingers not slowing down at all. "Mostly because I like listening to you laughing… but right now because I'm punishing you."

"Y-You ahahare insufferable!"

"And you are too jealous for your own good."

"I'm n-nohAHA!"

His words collapsed into laughter when she squeezed his hips unexpectedly. Kyle shrieked, nearly losing it completely on the spot. He ducked his head, shoulders shaking with each giggle, hands desperately trying to block her while laughing far harder than he probably wanted to.

Joe looked at him. Really looked at him, and something warm twisted in her chest. The defensive posture is gone, his brow is furrowed still, but his lips are spread into a bright smile.

"Oh yeah, do you feel the jealousy leaving your body already?" she laughed, poking the softest part of his belly just to make him squeal.

Kyle's hands moved again. He was trying to push her away again, but this time, instead of grabbing her arms, he reached out and squeezed her sides, accidentally tickling her back.

Joe squeaked, and immediately slapped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes widening in surprise, her cheeks blushing slightly.

Kyle froze. Joe froze. Both of them were staring at each other. Kyle's expression changed from confusion, mostly toward himself because he actually tickled Joe back, and then realization.

"Oh~," he said and Joe took one slow step backward.

"Do not, Kyle," she said immediately.

Kyle straightened a little despite still breathing heavily from laughing. "Joe~"

He lunged at her. Joe let out a loud startled shriek and ran away just in time, Kyle's hands barely brushing her side as she grabbed the skirt of her dress one more time so she didn't trip with herself.

"Kyle! W-What are you dohoing?!"

Kyle reached out again, fingertips touching her arm just barely again. He was grinning. "What do you think I'm doing, hmm?"

"Stohop!"

Joe darted away, laughter already breaking out of her despite herself. Behind her, Kyle laughed too, but differently now. Not helpless and too high to be his laughter, but dangerous.

"Why are you running? You can't take what you dish out?" he teased from behind her, chasing her around like a dumb kid.

"That's- That's diffeherent!" she yelled, a little breathless already from laughing and running. "You- You were being so annoying! Why do you even get jealous?! That's just so stupid!"

Kyle groaned behind her. "Now you really are just tempting your luck!" Kyle sped up and Joe let out a loud shriek as she also tried to run faster.

She nearly tripped over herself with a rock, but quickly regained her balance as he laughed brightly, her cheeks were flushed and she was starting to sweat just a little. Kyle followed immediately, gasping a little when he saw Joe nearly falling, and then sighing in relief when she recovered. He was breathless still from being tickled and now for running around, but he was also, somehow, recovering fast.

"Stop chasing meee!" Joe squealed. "This was your fault!"

"My fault?" he purred with a smirk.

"Yes! You were the one acting like a dumb kid!"

Kyle laughed once in pure disbelief. "Oh, now I definitely have to get you."

Joe widened her eyes. "O-Oh no…" she said immediately.

They way he said that… she knew that tone so very well, and knew that she was in big trouble—however, Kyle wasn't acting like himself at that moment. He was usually nearly scared of being too close to Joe for more than two seconds. Extremely shy, that adorable prince… but now? Where did he go?!

Joe kept running around, using trees as barriers that Kyle quickly broke through. They both laughed, and Kyle actually managed to catch the back of her dress for half a second before she twisted free with another shriek of laughter. But Joe had the sudden thought that Kyle was simply letting her think that she was faster than him… her suspicions were true.

"Stop running!"

"Noho!"

Joe could hear him gaining on her, probably tired already of letting her win. She immediately regretted every decision she made in the last five minutes. Because this was not her sweet, precious, shy Kyle… this one was too confident! So terrifyingly confident. Joe risked a glance behind her and instantly regretted it. He looked genuinely determined now, and unfortunately for her, she was growing tired.

Kyle suddenly caught her around the waist before she could dodge again. Joe burst into helpless laughter right away, even before Kyle started to do anything, as the momentum carried them both forward, almost making them fall face first on the ground. Kyle barely managed to keep them both upright, one arm locked around her middle while she twisted uselessly trying to escape.

"Kyle!" she gasped between nervous laughter. "Kyle! Don't you dare! It was your fault from the beginning!"

Kyle chuckled, tightening his hold when she nearly slipped free again. "I was going to be nice," he purred against her ear, making her shiver, blush and giggle.

"You weren't!"

"Not anymore," he said quietly, his lips pulling into a smirk. "I am still jealous."

Joe groaned loudly. "Oh my God, are you serious right now?!"

"And," Kyle continued over her, "I suddenly am remembering all the times you've been a little pain for me, Joe… From the very beginning. So I kind of have several minutes of suffering to make up for."

Joe's eyes widened. Did he just say several?! "Y-You—! I- I'm sorry? Wait! That's not even fair! This is not about me, but about your—AAAH!"

Her pleads dissolved into loud laughter when Kyle's free hand latched to her side and started squeezing. A loud shriek teared out of her as his hand scribbled mercilessly against her side, causing her to nearly collapse against him.

Kyle giggled quietly. "Oh? You're very ticklish, huh?"

Joe tried to squirm away, but Kyle's arm around her waist held her securely against him while his other hand continued its work.

"Kyle! Kyahahale!" she giggled brightly, shaking her head. "Lihihisten to mehehe!"

"Nope," he said, continuing like she wasn't dying in his arms right now. "Since you like teasing me so much, it's only fear that I return the favor, don't you think?"

Joe grabbed desperately at his wrists, trying to push him away, but she was giggling too hard to put any actual strength into it. "Ahahaha! P-Plehehease!"

"Please what?" he mumbled with a smirk as his fingers dug gently into her ribs.

Joe squealed, tossing her head back against Kyle's chest as he carefully pinched and dug into each bone until Joe was nearly hysterical.

Kyle giggled softly. "Could it be that you're more ticklish than me?"

Joe shook her head, but couldn't talk back from how hard she was laughing. Ah, she really set this up for herself, huh? Who would have thought her mischief would come get her back eventually—no, who would've thought Kyle would actually get her back!

"AHAHAHA STAHAHAP!"

"Ah~ so it's right here?" he giggled, his fingers digging against her highest ribs, near her armpit. "That's very ticklish, huh?" he teased, grinning as he leaned forward a little so he could see Joe's smiling face.

Tears of laughter twinkled in her eyes. Her smile was nearly splitting her face in half and her cheeks were flushed bright red. She looked adorable… too adorable, Kyle's hand against her ribs faltered a little as he was awestruck by her beauty.

"AHAHAH! Kyhahale! Plehehease!" she begged, looking up at him with one teary eye and Kyle's breath hitched in his throat, slowing down completely. Joe blinked, confused and breathless. "A-Are you actually stopping?"

Kyle looked at her for a long moment before he chuckled softly, his smile turning mischievous again. "Oh? Do you want me to continue? Okay."

"N-NO, KYLE! W-WAIT!"

His free hand immediately went for her stomach this time and Joe nearly lost it. Her knees buckled so fast Kyle barely had time to catch her properly before she collapsed straight to the ground.

"STAHAHAP"

"Nope," he said simply. Joe could hear the grin on his lips even without looking at him.

Kyle almost never looked this smug around her. Usually, there was hesitation into everything he did around Joe. Self-consciousness, second-guessing, fear of being pushed away and pushing too much. But right now? He looked thrilled. Like he was enjoying himself and actually having a good time. And even though Joe was laughing her head off, she was somehow also happy about this… but that still didn't make his hand tickle any less.

Kyle clawed at the middle of her stomach, right around her belly button. His fingers scribbled against the sides of her belly and poked gently, but persistently across the soft skin between her hips.

"Thihihis is torture! AHAHAH! W-Wahahait uhuhup!" Joe shrieked, doubling over as she hit his arm around her middle.

Kyle giggled. "I already gave you a break, you know?"

"Thahahat w-wahahas nohot a breheheak!"

"I wasn't tickling you, so it definitely was a break," he declared with a smirk, his hand moving to squeeze Joe's waist and she squealed with more bright laughter.

Eventually, Kyle started to slow down completely. Joe was too red-faced and her laughter was turning a little wheezy, so he decided to show some mercy. He wrapped his other arms around her waist and held her firmly against his chest as Joe caught her breath.

He leaned his chin against her shoulder, watching her from the side as she leaned against him.

"Th-thahat was t-terrible and so unfahair!" she gasped.

Kyle let out a soft chuckle. "Congratulations. You have survived." He grinned, but it was gentler now, so painfully lovingly Joe almost wanted to groan.

She pouts, crossing her arms. "You think you can win just because you act cute? That's not nice! Also… stop being jealous, that is so dumb."

Kyle froze for a fraction of a second before he chuckled again, shaking his head a little. "It is dumb… but I don't make any promises," he whispered close to her ear before pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Joe rolled her eyes, but she was smiling a little. This was exactly what she wanted. Not a stupid argument… Kyle exhales slowly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Joe sighed. "I know… I know you're not trying to be a jerk… but you seriously need to stop." She wiggles between his arms to turn around to face him. "Can you at least try?"

Kyle nodded a little. "I will try."

Joe narrowed her eyes, but she eventually smiles and chuckles softly. "Let's go, Kyle. It's getting late."

Kyle smiled back, his eyes softening as he intertwined his fingers with hers. "Yeah… let's go."

Joe's grip on him nearly loosened. She stared at him with slightly wide eyes. Was Kyle this kind of drunk person? The clingy, needy one?

She grinned, "alright, alright. Then let's sit on your couch," she said, guiding him towards the red couch near the bookshelf. "There we go."

If she was being honest, she had always wondered what kind of behavior Kyle would have while drunk. She thought he'd be the one to fall asleep after one glass. Or maybe the violent type? No, if anything, she thought he'd go more quietly than usual… but look at him, pouting like a baby and looking up at her like she was the only thing in this room.

Joe narrowed her eyes slightly, moving a few steps away from him, just to tease him, and Kyle whined again. "Don't go," he grumbled and Joe swore she could see his eyes getting teary.

Oh goodness, this is… amazing. She giggled, pacing from side to side as Kyle's eyes followed her like a feline looking at its prey. And he suddenly moved, surprising her a bit and causing her to gasp as his hand wrapped around her wrists and he pulled her onto his lap.

Joe went still for only a fraction of a second before she melted against him. "… So this is what you're like when drunk, huh?" she asked, giggling again when Kyle wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face against her neck, breathing in her scent loudly.

He hummed in agreement, but Joe had a feeling he didn't even understand the question. She wrapped her arms around his neck, gently running her fingers through the back of his head and neck. Kyle melted against her, nearly purring like a kitten and Joe chuckled.

"You're really cute like this. You're usually blushing when I barely hold your hand, but now you're being sincere with what you want, hmm?"

Kyle hummed again, lifting his face from her neck with a slight pout. To be fair, his cheeks and ears were flushed pink, but it was hard to tell if it was due to the alcohol or because he was feeling shy.

She chuckled, cupping and pinching his cheeks. "Look at you. Kyle, you shouldn't drink too much," she scolded playfully, her own cheeks turning pink. "What would you have done if I hadn't visited you tonight? Hmm? What if something bad happened to you?"

Kyle whined again, shaking his head to get her hands off his face before he nuzzled her neck again, squeezing her against him. "Don't nag me," he mumbled against her skin, causing her to shiver slightly.

"If I don't nag you you'll put your life at risk again," Joe said, wrapping his arms around him again. "Besides, why were you even drinking? You don't even drink."

Kyle hummed and a long silence followed that soft sound. Joe thought he had fallen asleep. She opened her mouth to call his name, but then he finally spoke: "… I missed you," he whispered, lifting his head one more time to look at her with puppy eyes. "You hadn't been here for a few days," he slurred. "Did you forget about me? I've been sleeping with that gem you gave me…"

Joe stared at him. Was this really her Kyle? Her sweet, shy, precious little angel? Her heart swelled with love. She cupped his cheeks and pressed a tender kiss to his lips.

"How could I forget about you, Kyle?" she whispered against his lips, looking into his soft eyes. "I think about you every single day, at every hour and every second. I was just busy, you know?"

Kyle's lips puckered a bit more and he frowned like an upset child. "Still… you could come visit me sooner."

Joe chuckled, nuzzling her nose against his. "I'm so sorry, my sweet Kyle. Can you find forgiveness in your kind heart for this poor marquess?" she asked with a grin and Kyle huffed, rolling his eyes fondly and causing himself to get dizzy.

He hid his face against Joe's neck one more time. "I don't know," he mumbled, his hands rubbing her back, fingertips lightly tracing her spine, feeling each small bump of her column. Joe shivered, her skin covering in goosebumps.

"You don't know?" she asked lowly, her fingernails scratching his scalp and nape. "What should I do to make you forgive me, hmm?" she purred with a smirk.

Kyle kept tracing her back, the edge of her shoulder blades, the line of her shoulders and down the curve of her waist. "I don't know," he said again and Joe sighed, her cheeks turning bright red.

"You're very touchy when drunk, are you not?" she asked, squirming slightly when he touched her waist again. "And also keep saying you don't know. That's the only word you can say now?"

"… No… I don't know…" he mumbled, slowly pulling Joe's shirt to untuck it from her pants.

Her breath hitched slightly, but she let him. Once he had all of her shirt out, her warm hands sneaked under it to touch Joe's skin directly. She shuddered, gasping slightly.

"You're so dirty~ what are you trying to do? Hmm? You don't know?" she giggled, jerking slightly when his fingers lightly touched the sharp bone of her hips. "Hehey~ where are you touching~?" Kyle growled, fingertips tracing up her sides and her ribs. Joe arched her back away. "K-Kyle, that t-tickles, s-stop."

Kyle growled again. "Shuuush, you are too loud," he whispered. "my head hurts."

Joe huffed. "Whose fault is that? You're the one who decided to drink a whole bottle and a half of wine," she glanced over at the discarded bottle on the floor. "Oh, and it's a good one, huh? I would think you were celebrating you haven't missed me at all—oh."

Kyle looked up at her with darkened eyes, a bit angry. He held her waist tightly under her shirt. "I did miss you," he said in a low, dangerous voice. "I was waiting for you to break my window every single night since your last visit, but you wouldn't come. Do you have any idea—"

"H-Hey," she gently cupped his cheeks, thumbs brushing against his cheekbones. "I'm sorry, okay?" she said sheepishly, searching for his eyes. Kyle melted between her hands. "I am sorry I didn't visit you before," she said softly. "I was just teasing you a bit, hmm?"

Kyle pouted one more time. "You're just making fun of me because I'm drunk."

Joe laughed softly, kissing his nose. "You know me so well," she grinned. "Yes, you're right, but can you blame me? I've never seen Kyle drunk before, I'm very lucky I visited you tonight, hmm? Otherwise I would have missed you like this."

"It's not funny," Kyle mumbled, his eyes tearing up again.

Joe giggled quietly, but flinched when she felt his hands moving again. This time, he pulled them out from under her shirt and started to unbutton it. Joe gasped, her cheeks and ears flushing just as much as Kyle's. "K-Kyle—"

"Shuushh, I'm angry with you," Kyle slurred, pressing soft kisses against the side of Joe's neck as his fingers, nimbly despite his drunkenness, slowly worked all the buttons of her shirt. "So I will have my revenge."

"K-Kyle, you're—you're not really in all of your senses," Joe stuttered, letting out a quiet sound when Kyle kissed her collarbone, her skin blooming with goosebumps. "M-Maybe we should wait for you when you're s-sober again, don't you think? You're being really, really naughty right now," she whispered, although her hands didn't push him away.

Kyle pushed her shirt open and his thumbs lightly traced the edge of her undergarments. Joe looked down between them and let out a soft sigh as she shuddered lightly.

"K-Kyle," she whispered, her hands gently closing around his wrists. "A-Are you aware of what you're doing?"

Kyle wiggled his hands, trying to dislodge her hands from his wrists. "I know what you're—no, what I am doing."

Joe snorted. "Really? I kinda doubt it, to be honest."

He huffed, rolling his eyes and grabbing Joe's wrists together. "Stop teasing me," he mumbled like a spoiled child.

Joe giggled. "You're so adorable—no, wait. What are you doing? Ah! N-No!"

Where did he get that tie?! Joe looked around them and she noticed how there was some other of Kyle's clothes scattered on the back of the couch as well. How many clothes can a prince wear? And most importantly, why was he tying her wrists like this?!

"K-Kyle? What—"

"Now you're trapped," Kyle said with a proud smile, hooking Joe's tied wrists behind his neck.

Joe blinked, testing the tightness around her wrists. How could Kyle make such strong knots while drunk? "I-I can see that… you really are acting like someone else, huh?"

Kyle hummed, his hands cupping his waist again, giving it a firm squeeze… a firm, ticklish squeeze. Joe gasped, flinching slightly and widening her eyes. "Kyle, don't," she warned, but her lips were already curling into a nervous smile as she tried to pull at her lips.

Kyle noticed the trembling on her lips and he grinned. "Did that tickle?" he teased and Joe groaned.

"Y-You know pe-perfectly well that it d-ahahaha! Kyahahale!" she giggled, squirming and twisting when he started to squeeze her waist again, but this time he didn't stop. "Stahahap!"

He chuckled, shaking his head slowly, otherwise he would get dizzy. Joe arched her back and tried to squirm away, she could easily just unhook her arms from around his neck, but her arms desperately tried to move down—in other words, she couldn't move at all.

"How is that?" Kyle purred. "I missed your laugh, Joe," he said, nuzzling his nose against a certain spot in Joe's neck that never failed to make her squeal. His hands, meanwhile, slowly moved up and down her sides, squeezing and pinching at the soft, sensitive flesh.

First, his touches were just teasing, trying to make her giggle, but then they became more firm, yet gentle, digging into her ribs and hips or clawing at her stomach or wiggling into the hollows of her armpits.

Joe's face was bright pink—perhaps embarrassed from being in this position when she thought Kyle was leading to something… else. Or maybe it was the lack of oxygen, or hell, it was probably both.

"Stahahap!" She laughed loudly, jerking heavily when his fingers stayed on her armpits longer than in any other spot. "KYAHAHALE! Stahahap thihis mahahadness!"

"It is not madness," Kyle mumbled, still hiding against her neck where he blew a raspberry, causing Joe to shriek. Kyle giggled drunkenly. "What's so wrong about… wanting to hear my lover laughing?"

If she wasn't losing her mind, she would have probably thought that Kyle was being so sweet and adorable, but he was simply being a crazy drunk-head. "You j-juhuhust w-wahahant to be annohohoying!"

Kyle pouted against her skin before raising his head. "That wasn't so nice," he said like a spoiled kid. "You are the annoying one," he slurred, "not coming to see me for so long and now acting like I'm a bad person."

Joe tossed her head back, laughing loudly as he kept tickling her armpits. "STOHOP TIHIHICKLING ME THEHERE!" she cackled, pulling at her arms in a futile attempt to break free, but only managed to bring Kyle closer to her. "I wahahas buhuhusy!" she shrieked. "Ahahand you ahahare druhuhunk!"

Kyle huffed, his fingers digging against the creases under Joe's arms. "I'm not drunk," he mumbled, but then made a pause. "And what's wrong if I am? I can't drink?"

He was so adorably annoying.

Joe felt tears squeezing out of her tightly shut eyes, her laughter growing more hysterical and desperate the more Kyle tickled her armpits. She tried to press her arms to her sides to crush his fingers, but in her position, she could barely do so much to protect herself from Kyle's tickles.

From wiggling to digging to rubbing deep circles with his thumbs against her pits, Kyle used every single technique and method his drunk mind could think about—which was a lot, if you asked Joe. Kyle was secretly a high-functional drunk person?

"I'm g-gohohoing t-to dihihie!" Joe laughed, shaking her head and pulling at her arms a bit too hard.

Kyle whined, feeling the pulls and hits on the back of his neck and he whined. "You're hurting me…"

"AHAHAHAND-And you ahahare t-tihihickling meheheh too muhuhuch! AHAHAH! S-Stohohop! STAHAHAP! G-Gihihive me a breheheak, plehehease!"

"No breaks for mean people like you," he said lowly, biting on her neck one more time as his hands resumed—although they had not stopped—their tickling on her sides, giving her just a little break from her armpits.

Kyle looked up at her again, his cheeks were flushed and he was smiling a little. "You look so beautiful when you laugh," he said with tender eyes.

Joe whined, feeling her ears heating up. "S-Stohohop ahahacting c-cuhuhute when you're tortuhuhuring m-me—ah! N-Nohoho!" A louder wave of giggles escaped her lips when he started to pepper kisses all over her face: her forehead, the tip of her nose, her cheeks, her lips, her chin. Every single spot on her face that he could reach.

She groaned between giggles, not knowing if she should melt into the affection, or escape from it. She wanted both. She wanted to keep enjoying Kyle tickling and kissing her. She was even enjoying the scent of alcohol coming from him… but she also needed him to stop before she lost her head. It's really so confusing how he can tickle her so well even when he couldn't coordinate the way he blinked or talked. Was this some kind of superpower? The perks of being the side character? The prince? To be able to tickle your lover to tears while intoxicated?

While her thoughts wandered to not give up completely to the tickles, she managed to unhook her arms from around his neck and they both gasped, staring at her freed arms for a little before they both reacted at the same time.

Joe quickly moved to get off Kyle's lap. She squirmed, trying to fall on the couch beside him, and ran. She managed to stand up and run about two steps, but Kyle was way too fast for someone that had drunk one bottle and a half of wine. He stood up and reached out to wrap his arms around her waist.

Kyle brought her back down on his lap as he sat on the couch again. Joe shrieked, squirming to break free. She kicked and flailed her trapped arms, giggling herself silly along with Kyle.

"Lehet go!" she squealed, managing to slip off his lap a bit. Just enough so she could reach the armrest of the couch and drag herself up a bit.

That was her mistake.

Kyle, even in his intoxicated state of mind, took the opportunity. Still holding her waist, he followed her across the couch, so his body ended up on top of her. His weight pinned her down half propped up on the arm rest and started tickling her stomach with one hand and one of her armpits with the other.

Because he was right on top of her, Joe couldn't move her arms down, so she could only toss her head back and laugh loudly.

"Sohohomeone wihihill cohohome!" she tried, but Kyle couldn't care less.

"They can come if they want to. I don't care," he said, giggling softly when shrieked.

Joe shook her head, cackling as Kyle tickled her even faster. "PLEHEHEASE! They wihihill reheheally hear!" she tried again. "A-Ahahand you s-sahahaid e-evehehen if they th-thihihink I'm a m-mahahan—AHAHAHA! KYLE! Y-Yohohou're not lihihistening!"

"I am," Kyle said simply as both his hands moved up to tickle both her armpits. His fingers wiggled, dug and scratched the warm, sensitive skin as if his life depended on it and Joe screamed with laughter. "But I don't mind the guards coming in."

"YOU AHAHARE DRUHUHUNK!" Joe shrieked with laughter, squirming under him. "They c-cahahan't see the prihihince like thihihis with mehehehe!"

"Why are you talking so much?" Kyle pouted before he smiled brightly. "You're supposed to be laughing because I am tickling you, see?"

Joe squeaked. "I cahahahan see—STAHAHAHAP!"

Kyle laughed brightly and Joe loved that he laughed, so maybe it wasn't too bad to endure a bit of tickling if he was having so much fun, right? … But why did he have to be so ruthless?

One of his hands moved down again, tickling her bare side and waist until he reached her stomach again. He clawed around her belly button and pinched the softest flesh between her hips. Joe tried to suck in her stomach, but she was laughing too hard for that.

She twisted to the side, but only managed to expose herself more to Kyle's tickling fingers. He dug against the sides of her belly, rubbing the tight muscles there while his other hand wiggled and dug its fingers into the crease of her armpit, the sweetest spot under her arm.

"AHAHAHA KYLE! Plehehease! PLEHEHEASE! I n-neheheed a b-breheheak!" she begged, tears of laughter streaming down her flushed cheeks.

"What did I say earlier about breaks?" Kyle teased, grinning and chuckling to himself, looking down to see her legs kicking against the couch. "You're too loud. Didn't you say someone will hear us?"

"It's- AHAHAHA! It's n-nohohot m-my fault!" she cackled, pressing her face against the armrest to muffle her laughter, but he moved from her stomach to her ribs and she tossed her head back, jerking harshly. "CHEHEHEATER! Y-Yohohu're plahahaying dihihirty!"

Kyle laughed sweetly. "Oh, am I now?" he purred against her ear with a giggle, nipping on her lobe playfully. She giggled between laughter, shaking her head and scrunching up her shoulders. "You are so ticklish."

"Ihihif you k-know thehehen s-stohohop!"

"Nope," he slurred, nuzzling her neck and blowing raspberries against the warm crook. "I won't ever stop."

Joe shrieked again, tightly closing her eyes as she laughed non-stop. She knew she wasn't going to escape this until Kyle either passed out, decided to show mercy or got bored, and she also knew none of those options were going to happen any time soon.

She'll have to enjoy being tickled by her drunk lover until he was satisfied.

—

The morning light hit him straight on the face. Kyle frowned and groaned, rubbing his face against the pillow. Did he forget to close the curtains last night?

Last night… Last night?

He lifted his head, frowning. Why couldn't he remember last night? He slowly raised into a sitting position, rubbing his face and eyes as his temples throbbed. He drank last night. A glass became two and then three and then a whole bottle. He could remember that, but then—

He flinched slightly when something hit his knee. He looked up immediately, his heart pounding as he went in an alert mood, but then he relaxed slightly.

"Joe?" he whispered, frowning even more, confused as he looked at her sleeping face. Why was she there? And what was that around her arms and why was her shirt open?!

He turned bright red and raked his brains until all the memories from last night came rushing to his head. He flushed even more, but a small, sheepish smile pulled at his lips.

He looked at Joe lovingly and leaned to kiss her forehead. "You won't forgive me for this, hmm? I'll be ready," he whispered, laying down beside her sleeping body and wrapping her in a warm hug. "Let's sleep for a bit more. We'll deal with everything later."

"And also very blushy," he said with a soft chuckle. "They should talk about this in the newspaper."

"Oh, goodness," Benji mumbles again.

"Ahahahare you cr-crahahazy?!" Joe asked, laughing brightly and curving her spine when Kyle's fingers moved further up to the back of her ribs. "Thihis is n-nohohot fahahair!"

"Oh? How come? I think it's pretty fair!" Now he knew how to be a meanie, huh? He was a quick learner, she would give him that.

He continued his soft attack. His fingers skittered and fluttered along each and every single rib, from the very front to where they connected all the way back to her spine. Joe was giggling—no, laughing loudly, jerking and shrieking every time she almost fell off the coffee table. Her eyes were tightly shut, although she'd like to glare at Kyle so hard right now.

"You are really ticklish, aren't you?" he mumbled, teasing her again, his voice low and his lips brushing against her ribs, making her squeal and hunch her shoulders up. "I'm not tickling you that hard, am I? Oh, careful~ You almost fell~," he laughs softly, kissing her earlobe.

Joe bit down hard on her lower lip, shaking her head and pressing her lips in a tight line. Kyle blinked and then laughed softly.

"Oh? What's this? Are you trying not to laugh? Can you really hold back?" he purred, arching a playful eyebrow as he smirked. "Hmm~ let's see how long you can hold it."

His fingers quickly moved from her ribs to her stomach. She sucked her belly in, her breath hitching as his fingers wiggled over her clothes, scratching around her belly button and clawing at the soft sides. Her cheeks puffed out as she tried to keep all the laughter in, Kyle chuckled.

"You are very strong~ I'm impressed," he said lowly, grinning at her. Their faces were almost touching, his nose almost pressed to her cheek. "I don't think I would be able to stand it for too long."

The tickling to her stomach was restless, but she wasn't that sensitive there. Although her lips hard shifted again, from that tight line to a bright smile, showing all her gritted teeth. Kyle's eyes softened.

"You are adorable," he whispered, pressing a little kiss to her cheek. Just the tiniest peck. Joe shook her head again, blushing even more as her belly flinched and jumped and trembled due to the tickling and also the laughter. "Hmm~ but I'm tickling to make you laugh, and you are not laughing, so… we need to fix that," he said as his hands moved up to her armpits.

Joe's eyes widened before a bright, helpless and loud bark of laughter burst out of her mouth. She tossed her head back, jerking violently on top of the coffee table, almost falling again if she wasn't holding on for dear life… but she wasn't so sure she would be able to hold onto him for long. Her arms were begging for her to lower them and protect her poor armpits from Kyle's evil fingers, but if she did, she would fall right on top of him! And that was even more embarrassing than Benji looking—uh, hearing her being lovingly tickle tortured by Prince Kyle.

"Stahahahap! STAHAHAP!" She laughed out, squealing like a mouse. "Kyhahahale! Plehehease! I'll fahahahall!"

"Oh, you won't," Kyle said with a smirk. "And that's that smile~ was it too hard for you to show it again? Of course not~," he chuckled to himself. He was clearly enjoying this a bit too much.

Joe was too, if she was completely honest. It was fun to just… unwind with Kyle. Being playful and silly together. Besides, all this tickling was helping her forget all the stress she was feeling earlier—her worries and responsibilities weren't important right now. Not when her lover was tickling her silly.

No matter how much she squirmed, Kyle easily followed her. His fingers digging right into the hollows of her armpits, or wiggling against the creases, or pinching that awfully ticklish nerve right in the middle of her underarms. He copied all of the techniques she always used on him to absolutely wreck his poor armpits and make him admit or do whatever she wanted.

He hummed, nodding a little, as if he were conducting an experiment. "I see you're really weak to these squeezes right here, hmm?"

Joe shrieked when he pinched that nerve again. "AHAHAAH! S-STAHAHAP!"

Kyle chuckled. "Yes, yes. Very ticklish there and very weak."

She would've flopped off the table, but she wasn't going to let Kyle win. Not after he said she was being annoying! That was so rude! What kind of reaction was he expecting her to have after seeing all of those news in the newspaper?! She. Did. Not. Had. An. Interview!

She was holding with pure will power and luck, but she was growing weak. She could feel it. Her legs were trembling a bit more, almost as much as the coffee table. Her grip on his shoulders was also losing more and more at every second that passed with Kyle tickling her.

Her arms flapped a bit, making Kyle laugh and teasing her about being a dove, which only embarrassed Joe even more. She wiggled to the right, and then to the left. She hunched her shoulders up as well, as if that would help her protect her armpits, but of course it didn't do absolutely nothing.

"KYLE!" She shrieked with laughter. Joe tried to talk again. A 'stop', a 'please', a 'wait', even an 'I'll get you back', but all of her words dissolved into wild, unrestrained cackling as Kyle tickled her armpits as if he weren't going to do it again ever again.

Was he having some kind of grudge towards her? She wouldn't be surprised if he did. She usually tickled him to oblivion. She kind of deserved this… but he was still too ruthless!

"Kyle! Kyle! AHAHAHA!"

"Oh, goodness," Benji mumbled one more time, covering his ears with his hands.

Kyle laughed at his misfortune. "Oh, shut it. We're not doing anything."

"… I feel second hand embarrassment," Benji answered, rubbing his blushed face with both hands.

Kyle chuckled, rolling his eyes. "And I didn't ask," he said with a smirk, focusing back on Joe, although he had not stopped looking at her, not even for a second.

"STOAHAHAP TAHAHALKING!" Joe cackled. "Ahahaha- and s-stohohop, ahahack! S-Stohohop tihihickling me ahahalreheheady!"

Kyle grinned. "Hmm~ nope, can't do. Not yet. You can stand it a bit more, hmm? Our Joe is so strong and can totally take what she dishes out, right?"

Ah, she was going to die from laughing or embarrassment, or both at this point. The more Kyle tickled her armpits, the more the coffee table trembled under her weight. She was going to fall, that was the only possible result—or it was going to break…

Kyle chuckled again, his elbows nonchalantly resting on top of the table as his fingers kept burying under Joe's arms, tickling her mercilessly. He really wasn't one to do this kind of thing, or at least not in the beginning. Now he seemed unfazed by the closeness and contact with Joe. The more she laughed, the faster his fingers wiggled.

Her arms flailed slightly and she tried to push Kyle away by her shoulders, but she was laughing too much and the strength was slowly leaving her body. However, if she wasn't shaking like a scared kitten on top of that coffee table, laughing her head off, blushing to the tip of her ears and giggling like a little girl, she would probably be able to push Kyle off her.

But since that wasn't the case, she could only laugh and laugh and laugh and squirming as much as she could in that limited space until Kyle decided to show mercy. Or at least that was what she thought.

"A-Ah, careful!" Kyle said after he did some kind of finger work against her armpits that finally made Joe lower her arms to tightly press them to her sides.

Now that she wasn't holding onto Kyle's shoulders, she fell forward. Face first against Kyle's right shoulder. He gasped, trying to stabilize her by holding her waist before she slipped off him and onto the floor.

"A-Are you okay?" Kyle asked softly, shifting slightly to fix her position so she wasn't half on top of him and half on top of the coffee table. She ended up sitting on his lap. "Joe? Did I hurt you?"

Joe didn't answer with words, but with actions. Her hands, useless against her sides just a moment ago, came to life and quickly started to tickle Kyle's waist. He tensed before dissolving into bright giggles, squirming on his chair as he tried to catch her hands.

"Oh, my goodness," Benji mumbled one more time, but this time he was completely ignored—not heard at all as a massive tickle fight was starting.

Joe's laughter joined Kyle's in a second when his hands stopped fighting hers and, instead, tickled her ribs.

"AHAHAHA! Thahahat's so unfahahair!" Joe pulled her hands away for a moment, surprised by the sudden counterattack, but then reached out again and managed to sneak her hands under Kyle's arms and wiggled her fingers against his armpits.

Kyle tossed his head back with a loud bark of laughter, hands leaving Joe's fingers to try and push her off, but she was holding onto him tightly.

"Aha! Gotcha!" she giggled, her cheeks flushed, her smile bright, playful and happy.

"WAIT! WAHAHAHAIT!" Kyle cackled, kicking his legs a bit, causing Joe to bounce on his lap. She laughed. "I'm seheherious! Y-You cahahan't tihihickle mehehe! Whahahat—AHAHAHA! W-What if s-sohohomeone cohohomes ihihin?"

"I'm already in," Benji muttered, covering his ears.

"Huh?!" Joe said, wiggling and digging her fingers faster and harder. "So it was okay if someone came in while I was being tickle tortured?!"

"Sweet goddess Turga," Benji prayed quietly, "if you can hear me right now and if I have been a good man, please make me deaf."

Kyle nodded, throwing his head back one more time. "YEHEHES! STAHAHAP!"

The prince was already turning red, but Joe thought it was more because of the lack of air than from embarrassment. If anything, Kyle looked like he was having lots of fun. She was having it too.

She giggled, vibrating her fingers against his armpits just the right way to make him shriek with laughter. "You are so unfair, Kyle, but also so ticklish~"

Kyle laughed, scrunching up his shoulders as Joe kept torturing his poor armpits, but only after a couple of seconds, he managed to coordinate his brain and hands and tickled Joe's ribs again. She cackled, jumping at the sudden,—she thought Kyle wouldn't tickle her back anymore—, unexpected touch. Her elbows stuck to her sides, her fingers stubbornly tickling Kyle.

But he was a stubborn one too, so even though his brain begged him to push her off, he kept her close to tickle her ribs, her fingers moving to her back, digging into the delicate bones.

Joe arched her spine and threw her head back with laughter, tears glistening in her lashes.

"Stahahahaap!" Joe laughed, laughing against Kyle's shoulder.

"Y-You fihihirst!" Kyle answered back, squirming and arching just as much as Joe.

"You stubborn—," Benji said lowly, asking internally why the goddess Turga didn’t hear his prayings. Were these two being too loud so she couldn't hear?

Joe shrieked before her hands pulled out from under Kyle's arms, and Kyle immediately pulled his hands away from her ribs. They gave each other a short break, because they were not done. Oh no, someone would have to scream they give up before they finally stopped.

Both breathed heavily, leaning against each other in a tender hug as they tried to catch their breaths. Residual giggles escaped their lips as they rested.

"G-Gihive up, K-Kyle," Joe said through her panting. "Y-You were the one who started tickling me out of nowhere… it's only fair I tickle you in the end!"

Kyle chuckled, patting her back gently. "Is that so? I didn't start tickling you because I wanted us to have a tickle fight," he answered with a smirk. "I just did it because I wanted to do it."

Joe raised her head from his shoulder and looked at him with narrowed eyes. "What did you do to my sweet, shy Kyle?"

"Goddess Turga, save me," Benji pleaded quietly.

Kyle laughed softly, grinning at Joe with soft, yet mischievous eyes. "He's right here… but a certain someone taught him how to be… more playful."

Joe flushed. Goodness, why did Kyle suddenly look even hotter? He wasn't even doing anything, but that smug expression was enough to make Joe swoon. Her heart and her stomach fluttered like crazy.

"Geez," she grumbled, although a smile pulled at the corners of her lips. "I've created a monster."

Kyle huffed softly. "Hmm~ yeah, maybe," he chuckled, looking into Joe's golden eyes. "Now you have to deal with it."

With that, he pushed his hands under Joe's armpits and wiggled his fingers all over again. Joe jolted, shrieking before hysterical laughter poured out of her. She squirmed from side to side, trying to stand up from his lap, but she couldn't. Kyle wouldn't let her.

"Am I getting better at tickling?" he teased with a smirk. "I think I am. What would you think, Joe? Hmm? Some feedback would be great."

Joe shook her head. "HAHAHA! Thihihis is cheheheating!" she laughed, trying to push Kyle away from her, but she could only do so much sitting on his lap. "Kyhahahale! Stahahahap!" she begged, trying to push his hands away.

Kyle laughed, shaking his head fondly, although Joe couldn't see him from how tight her eyes were closed. Her nose scrunched up and Kyle fought the urge to kiss it before he spoke again.

"Hmm, I don't think so, Joe," he teased, his thumb rubbing deep, gentle circles against the hollows of her armpits, making her scream with laughter. Kyle chuckled at her reaction. "Did that tickle too much?"

Joe shook her head again, but then nodded. If she said no, Kyle would probably tickle her harder, and she wasn't so sure she was going to survive that after all the tickling he had put her through.

"Ah~, so that tickles too much, huh?" he purred, tickling her harder either way. "Do you give up? Say you give up and I'll stop."

"AHAHAHA! Y-You ahahahare the w-wohohorst!" she laughed, tears of mirth in the corners of her eyes. "Y-You- AHAHAHA! Y-You gihihive uhuhup!"

Kyle was not expecting Joe to fight back. She barely had any strength to try and push him away, so he was very surprised when he suddenly felt her hands on his hips. His eyes widened and he jolted harshly, nearly knocking her off her lap.

"W-Wait! No! Not th-there, I—AHAHAHA!"

Joe giggled, "there we go!" she said triumphantly as Kyle finally stopped tickling her armpits to try and catch her hands. Joe was still breathless and she tried to wipe the tears away from her eyes with her shoulders so she could look at Kyle properly as she wrecked him.

She squeezed his hipbones and drilled her thumbs against them in deep, rhythmic circles that had Kyle cackling as his back arched off the chair's backrest. His face and ears flushed red and Joe smirked.

"Hehe, did you think I wouldn't get this spot, Kyle~?" she teased, pinching Kyle's hips.

"Oh, please," Benji groaned, but his words were drowned by Kyle's hysterical laughter.

"AHAHAHA! Th-Thahat s-spot is—JOHOHOE!" he shrieked, jerking his hips back as much as he could, but the backrest stopped every kind of potential escape. "Thahahat s-spohohot it's u-uhuhunfahahair!" he managed to say before tossing his head back in ticklish hysteria.

Joe giggled. "It's not if we're in a tickle fight," she says with a mischievous grin. "Are you ready to give up, Kyle~? I can do this all day, if that's what you want!"

Kyle shook his head, his hand uselessly trying to push Joe's hands away, slowly moved towards Joe's ribs, but with a nervous giggle, she slapped them away with one of hers, the other still tickling one of his hips.

"No, no, no~" she sang-sung. "You can't tickle me back right now, silly Kyle! Say you give up and I'll stop! Besides, take this as a little punishment for allowing all of those fake news… although they aren't that fake, but they added a bit too much!"

Despite her words, Kyle was able to use one hand to tickle her ribs, his thumb rubbing and pinching and digging into the lowest one just as much as she was doing with his hips. Joe shrieked, already on her nerves and feeling too unusually ticklish. She squirmed and tried to use her free hand to push him off while Kyle used his free one to push her off. Both of them tickling each other mercilessly.

"Ihihit's n-nohohot my f-fahahault they-AHAHAHA!" He almost stopped tickling her to protect his hip, "thehehey wrohohote that! B-Behehesihihides—AHAHA! STAHAHAHOP!"

"JUHUHUST—ack! Y-You—AHAHA!" Joe tried to speak. "Y-Yohohu f-fihihirst! Juhuhust g-gihihihive uhuhup, Kyhahale! I'm the m-mahaharquess!" she said, as if her title would help her at all in this situation.

"Ahahahand I'm thehehe pr-prihihince!" Kyle replied, his thumb rubbing right against the sensitive nerve on Joe's rib. She jolted with a cackle.

"And I just want you both to stop," Benji begged, still covering his ears, but Kyle and Joe were too loud for his poor hands to block the sound.

"SH-SHUHUT IT!" Kyle cackled, tears of mirth streaming down his cheeks. He was about to give up. There was no way he was going to stand being tickled on his hips for much longer. And Joe was only using one hand! If she stopped pushing at him and came back to tickle his other hip, he was gone for.

Joe was thinking just the exact same thing: she wouldn't last long. It tickled too bad… and Kyle was only using one hand on her too. She was already too weak and sensitive and she felt all her strength slipping away as this silly tickle war continued.

They pushed and pulled at each other. Their forehead touching when they both leaned forward at the same time, causing their blush to deepen. At some point they could only say their names and 'stop' every now and then, both completely overcome by laughter. But one of them had to give up or they both would die from being tickled and Benji was going to be the only witness of that stupid outcome.

Joe gave up on trying to push herself off Kyle's lap, and weakly tickled his other hip as well. Kyle nearly sobbed, his hips twisting and shaking in protest. His hand also moved off Joe's shoulder and tickled the other side of her ribs.

She was sore from laughing so much and so hard, her ribs felt tingly all over.

Neither of the three heard the knocking on the door until the servant poked his head in. "Your Highness, your guest—oh! Uh…"

Both Joe and Kyle froze mid tickling. They looked up at the door with flushed faces and tears of laughter in their cheeks. Smiles almost split their faces in halves. They were breathing heavily, trembling a little from the prolonged stimulation as they stared at the servant, who flinched and blushed himself.

"Oh, thank goodness," Benji mumbled.

"Sh-Should I come s-some other time?" The servant asked, unsure as he started to close the door.

"No! Wait—" Kyle said, quickly clearing his throat when his voice broke a little from laughing so much. "What- What were you saying?"

"Oh. Hmm. Your- Your guest has arrived, Your Highness."

"Guest?" Joe asked breathlessly, looking at Kyle who only smirked.

"Tell our guest to wait for a bit,we're not done here," he said, still breathless himself. "You can leave." The servant quickly closed the door before bowing deeply.

Joe tensed. "K-Kyle?"

Kyle looked up at her with a grin and with a swift move, he captured both her wrists in one of his hands behind her back, making her arch towards him as his other hand poised on her ribs. She squealed.

"Give up now, Joe," he purred with a grin.

"Are you not done yet?!" Benji asked, scandalized.

Time seemed to stop, but he could almost feel Joe's lips curling into a mischievous grin behind him. She leaned closer against him and her fingers moved up slightly, dancing gently along the spot right beneath his lower ribs.

Kyle jolted. His eyes widening as a small, started gasp slipped past his lips. He started to feel the bubbly, effervescent sensation of laughter in his chest.

"J-Joe," he stammered, voice barely audible. He wanted to sound warning, but he knew his words were too shaky for that. His entire body tensed as her fingers fluttered against the spot again and he squirmed involuntarily, trying to keep some dignity.

Joe giggled softly behind him. "Oh, Kyle. My sweet, beloved Kyle… could it be that you are… a bit ticklish?" She reiterated her point by pressing her fingers into Kyle's ribs.

The prince gasped again, shaking his head as he sucked on his lips, trying to prevent any other sound from escaping as she traced her fingers along his sides and ribs, teasing the sensitive skin above his clothes. His hands wrapped around her wrists, trying to fend her off, but her hold was firm and he was growing weak.

"Oh my~," she purred, trying to peek at Kyle's face as he lowered his head. "Why are you trying to hold back? Won't you laugh for me? This is a huge discovery!"

He shook his head, his cheeks burning hotter the more she tickled him. He could feel his laughter gathering in his throat. "S-Stohop," he managed to say between gritted teeth. He attempted to squirm away again, but Joe's hold on him was firm. "I'm s-seherious!"

Joe giggled again. A light, musical sound that vibrated against his back. "I can't stop right now, Kyle!" she replied with playful mischief. "Now that I have discovered you're ticklish, I must find the spot that tickles you just right! Hehe, your ears are turning red, you're so cute!"

Kyle groaned in embarrassment and, perhaps, a bit of amusement. Every light tickle of her fingers along his sides and ribs made him twist a little, his body betraying him even as he tried to stay composed.

He had always hated being tickled. He hated that he couldn't control it. He hated that his body twisted and squirmed all over, but wasn't able to escape at all. He hated that he laughed even if he didn't want to. And it sometimes hurt as well… but right now… while he was trying not to fall into Joe's provocations, he couldn't help but notice how hard his heart was fluttering. How, instead of anger or discomfort, he simply felt the crazy need to laugh. Truly laugh. Her touches were light and playful, her fingers didn't hurt him at all.

He found himself enjoying this. He was enjoying being tickled by Joe…

Joe suddenly poked up his ribs and a giggle finally made it past his lips, but he quickly pressed his lips into a tight line.

"Oh, c'mon, Kyle!" Joe teased, poking him with both hands, feeling how his stomach trembled with held-in laughter. "If you want to laugh, just laugh!" she giggled, focusing on a particularly ticklish rib that had him jerking heavily. "I will find your most ticklish spot eventually and I won't have mercy~"

Oh, he knew she wouldn't. So that's why he needed to escape before she actually found that spot… whatever that is. Was he even tickled in his most ticklish spot before? He didn't even know where it was. Under his arms maybe? His ribs seemed pretty ticklish. It was kinda hard not to laugh out loud right now. Maybe even his stomach. He didn't know, and he didn't want Joe to find out!

He shook from side to side, wondering how such a small body could hold onto him so tightly. He could tickle her back… It was easy to do so. He just needed to reach behind him and tickle her sides to, possibly, make her stop… but how could he? What if she felt weird about him touching her? That wasn't too proper, was it?

"Are you seriously overthinking while you're being tickled, Kyle?" Joe teased and the blush across his cheeks traveled down towards his neck, causing her to laugh. "So I was right, huh? You're so silly!"

He groaned again in shyness and frustration. "I- I'm n-nohot…" he trailed off, unable to form a coherent comeback to defend himself as her teasing touches continued. He wanted to retaliate, oh, how much he wanted to, but his own bashfulness and insecurities held him captive.

"C'mon, just laugh!" she insisted, blissfully unaware of the thoughts rushing in Kyle's brain. "I'm trying to cheer you up here!" she said, pressing her fingers a little firmer along his sides, and Kyle let out a small yelp of laughter, squirming desperately.

"J-Johohoe!" He giggled. "S-Stohop! S-Stop this instant!" He wiggled in her grip, trying to twist away, but her arms around him made it impossible. Each touch sent small shocks of delight through him, a mixture of embarrassment, joy, and surprise he wasn't used to.

Joe chuckled, but didn't slow down one bit. "Nuh-uh, I'm not stopping any time soon, Kyle~" she teased playfully. "I could do this forever, you know? Or at least until you laugh properly… but I really don't think I will be able to stop even then!" Joe’s grin widened, and she pressed her cheek further into his back, enjoying the sensation of him struggling beneath her.

"J-Juhust st-ohop and—AHAHAHA!" A sudden bark of laughter exploded from within him when Joe's thumbs started to rub firm, yet gentle circles against his ribs. She had grown tired from the mild reactions, so the soft ticklish teases morphed into real tickling now.

He bent forward, laughing as he tried again to push her hands away from him, more desperately this time, but Joe simply leaned in even more, pressing her cheek harder against his back, stopping him from escaping her playful assault.

"Aha~! There we go!" she said victoriously. "I found a good spot! Ribs seem to be very, very ticklish, I would say!" she giggled, easily following his every jerk and twist. "You really know how to laugh, huh?"

"I'm- I'm tehehelling you to s-stohohop!"

"And I'm telling you I won't!" she laughed, vibrating her fingers against his ribs and the tender spaces between them.

Kyle laughed brightly, pressing his arms against his sides in a futile attempt to stop the tickling, but her slender fingers easily continued their attack. She rubbed and poked and clawed at each rib, trying to find the one that would make him laugh the loudest. At first, she thought the lowest ones would be the ones, but as her fingers moved up, she found out that the highest, those closest to his armpits, were the most sensitive.

"AHAHA! Wahahahait! Wait! Oh my—ahahaha!" Kyle managed to grab her wrists, but he couldn't put his arms away from his sides and Joe's fingertips wouldn't stop rubbing those ribs as if she wanted to polish them.

"Hehe~, tickle tickle Kyle!" she teased happily, giggling herself silly when Kyle practically dragged her with him when he jerked too heavily. "This spot is pretty ticklish, isn't it?" Kyle nodded as he laughed breathlessly. "But is it your most ticklish spot?" she asked with a grin. "I don't think so!"

Kyle was about to crawl out of his skin—there was no way that was not his most ticklish spot. It was impossible that he was—

"AHAHAHAHA! STA- STAHAHAP!" he cackled, pressing his arms against his sides more firmly now that Joe's fingers were wiggling against his armpits, digging right into the creases. "J-Johohoe! JOHOHOE! Plea- AH! Plehehease! I c-cahahan't! I CAHAHAN'T!"

Joe giggled, her fingers wiggling like little worms under his arms. "Yes, you can~ it's just tickling! You can't stand a bit of tickling, Kyle~?" she purred. "Are you too ticklish for your own good, Kyle? Are you~?"

Agh! She truly was the worst! Kyle couldn't form any coherent word to answer her taunting, only laughter bubbled out, loud and slightly frantic the more she tickled him. His knees were starting to give up on him. It almost felt that Joe's arms were the only thing keeping him up.

"I AHAHAM!" he cackled and Joe laughed behind him.

"Yes, I can see that," she said. "Too bad for you, I'm not stopping any time soon!"

Kyle shrieked with laughter when she suddenly changed techniques. Instead of simply wiggle her fingers in, she started to pinch a very sensitive nerve under there that had Kyle tossing his head back in nearly hysteria.

This really was so different from what he had experienced before… he had never felt so ticklish in his whole life.

"Thihis is t-tohohorture!" he laughed out, causing Joe to laugh as well.

"Is it? I have a feeling that you are enjoying it, though~."

She wasn't completely wrong. It was true that the tickling was intense, almost overwhelming, but it was also… kind of fun. Even though Joe was ruthless, she wasn't harsh. Kyle actually wished she could make it hurt a bit so he didn't have to laugh his head off like an idiot.

Listening to her laughing was also great. And even though she was teasing him, he didn't feel humiliated in any kind of way. They were simply playing. Simply being childish. Simply having a good, fun and happy time together. Something Kyle wasn't completely used to. Happy, carefree times… unless Joe appeared in his life, of course.

"EEK! AHAHAHA!"

The loudest laughter yet escaped Kyle's lips when Joe's fingers suddenly left his armpits and climbed up towards his neck. Fingertips wiggled up his collarbones until they dug carefully against the front of his neck. Kyle shrieked with laughter, pressing his chin against his chest to try and make her stop, but he only trapped her fingers in.

Joe giggled. "Oh? Do you want me to tickle you more? That's why you are trapping my fingers like this, dear Kyle?"

"S-Sta- AHAHA!" He could barely talk—he could barely think! The tickling on his neck was so overwhelming he thought he was going to go absolutely crazy. It didn't take long before he started to snort as Joe's fingers easily moved all around his neck: the front, the sides, the back—even behind his ears.

Kyle tried to run, but Joe was holding him in place so good, he simply could kick out and twist his torso this way and that. Her fingertips quickly settled on the sides of his neck, right on the spot where his shoulders and neck met and Kyle was cackling like a madman. His cheeks were flushed red and tears of laughter clung to his lashes, twinkling under the lights of the garden.

Oh heavens… they were just in the middle of the garden… what would the Marquis think if he caught them like this? The mere thought made his face turn even redder.

"JUHUHUST—AHAHAHA! J-Juhuhust a s-sehehecond, PLEHEHEASE!" he begged through squeals and shrieks and hysteria. "JOHOHOE, PLEHEHEASE!"

She slowed down to a stop, giggling quietly behind him. Kyle's laughter slowly turned into breathless giggles and then into gasps as the tickling finally stopped.

"G-Gohoodness… y-you're terrible," he said through breaths.

Joe giggled again, wrapping her arms around his waist again. "Hmm~ how is it that I didn't know you were so ticklish, Kyle?" she asked, nuzzling her nose between his shoulder blades, causing him to giggle softly. "Were you hiding this from me?"

He chuckled, letting out a sight. "Don't be ridiculous," he said, a soft smile on his lips. "Why would I even tell you I was ticklish—first of all, I didn't even know I was."

Joe beamed. Kyle could feel her and he felt his heart dropping to his stomach, but also flutter. She grinned and Kyle could hear the mischief from behind him.

"W-What?" he asked, trying to look behind him.

"Nothing~" she purred. "I was just thinking that if you don't know where you're the most ticklish," she started, "then that means we have to find it out!"

"W-What?!" Kyle jolted, trying to push her arms away, but there was no force in his hold. "Y-You already tickled me plenty! A-And what if someone sees us?!"

Joe laughed. "Oh, c'mon!" she tightened her hold. "I mean, yeah, I already tickled you a bit, but I'm still not sure where the spot is!"

"What does that even mean?" Kyle gasped. "Isn't it obvious that m-my—my neck is the spot?!" he squealed, giggling when Joe poked his ribs just because he was squirming too much.

"That place truly is ticklish, yes, but what if I'm actually missing the one that makes your knees bend?!" Joe gasped, outraged by the mere thought. "No, no, no. That won't do! We have to do a thorough investigation, Kyle! This is very important!" She was smiling brightly, he could tell and his stomach fluttered both with excitement and horror.

"N-no, please, Joe!" he begged, squeaking when she wiggled her fingers above his stomach, barely a couple of centimeters away from it. Kyle gasped, sucking on his belly as if that would save him from the tickle hell he was about to experience at the hands of his own loving partner. "I-I- I'm s-seheherious!"

"Are you~? Then why are you laughing already?" Joe teased, her nose scrunching up adorably with mischief as her fingers finally touched Kyle's stomach.

Kyle arched his back against her, laughing brightly as she clawed at his belly. Mean, wiggling fingers dug gently yet firmly against the muscles of his stomach, going around his belly button and even moving to the soft skin between his hips.

He was red all over again, laughter pouring out of him like a broken faucet. His useless, uncoordinated hands tried to push hers away, but did he really want it to stop? He couldn't lie to himself anymore: this was fun. More than it should be—or at least that's what he thought.

He didn't know how Joe was so good at tickling. Did she have a lot of experience at reducing other people to laughing messes like she was doing to him right now? She probably did, otherwise, how could she make a stomach tickle so badly?

"AHAHAHA! Juhuhust s-stahahahap!" Kyle begged through tears of laughter as she was doing a weird tickle technique at the sides of his stomach: something between squeezing, digging and rubbing, that had him nearly losing his mind. "AHAHAHA! J-JOHOHOE! P-Plehehehase! Gihihive m-me a breheheak!"

"No breaks until I'm satisfied," she said with a giggle. "Does it tickle too much? Would you say your stomach tickles more than your neck? Or your neck tickles more than your stomach?"

Did she need to talk so slowly?

"M-My stoahahaha- my s-stohohomach tihihickles lehehehess!" he admitted. There was no point in lying—actually, if he dared to lie, he was sure Joe would tickle his neck again just to corroborate herself that his stomach, in fact, was less ticklish than his neck.

"Mhmm, mhmm, is that so?" She sounded ridiculous. Almost too serious. Kyle wouldn't doubt she would write this down if she could. The imaginary made him laugh even more. "Seems pretty ticklish to me… but it is, in fact, less ticklish than your neck…" she gigled. "Your waist is very ticklish, right?"

Kyle wasn't sure how, but her hands were suddenly squeezing his waist and each pinch made him squeal and jerk heavily.

"Is this spot more ticklish than your—"

"LEHEHESS! Lehehess! Stahahap!"

"I didn't even say what spot!" Joe teased, giggling to herself as she gave him another break. "What spot do you think we should go for now?"

"N-Nohohone," Kyle giggled breathlessly, trying to regain himself. "I- I had en-enohough."

Joe hummed in thought, her fingertips lightly tracing his stomach, making his muscles jump and tremble as he gasped and giggled softly.

"You had enough, but I haven't had enough yet, Kyle~"

He whined. "Honestly, we've been here for like… a while now. Can we go rest now before—"

The sound that he made was something between a gasp, a squeal and something he couldn't even name. Joe grinned behind him.

"Oh, Kyle," she purred. "I think we have found a spot that looks just right~."

Kyle's body was as taut as a bowstring. Joe's fingers were pressed against his hips. Just resting there, waiting. Observing his reactions. His hips were clearly a very ticklish spot. That mere soft touch was enough to leave Kyle almost breathless. He didn't dare to move and Joe laughed behind him.

"This is going to be so fun~"

"J-Joe… h-hold on. I think—ah! Ack! Wai—! Don't—! AHAHAHAHAHA!" For a hot moment he couldn't laugh. The sensation was so overwhelming he didn't know how to react. But Joe's fingers rubbed deeply into his hips until he was in hysterics.

His hands wrapped around her wrists, but he couldn't push them away. He wasn't even sure if he was actually trying to stop her, he was laughing so hard to focus on anything else that wasn't the intense tickling.

Joe held his hip bones in some kind of way that made him see stars. It felt like her fingers were trying to dismantle the poor, ticklish bones. They were everywhere, digging in, pinching, squeezing, drilling. How could such a spot be so ticklish?

This was definitely nothing like what he felt before. Joe hadn't tickled his legs or feet yet, but he was sure there was no more ticklish spot in his whole body than his damn hips.

"AHAHAHA! HO-AHAHAHA!" It was impossible, he couldn't form decent words. "JOE! STAHAHAHA!"

Kyle was crying of laughter, twisting and wiggling his hips this way and that.

He curled his back against her, he kicked and tried to step away, his hands tried to push hers away, but it was like Joe was on a mission to torture his poor ticklish spot. She laughed softly, her eyes sparkling with love and mischief, enjoying the way he was laughing so much thanks to her. Her thumbs rubbed right against the upper edge of his hip bones, causing Kyle to shriek loudly.

“Kyle~ I think we found the spot!” she purred and then giggled, her cheeks pink. “You look so cute like this~”

He tried to respond, but all that came out from between his lips was babbling laughter and sobbing pleads. He was growing weak and a bit dizzy, if he was being honest. He didn't remember the last time he laughed this hard and this much…

And he was enjoying it.

He really thought he was going to lose his mind, but at the same time, it was thrilling how helpless he felt… but he really needed to catch his breath.

Kyle wasn't quite sure where he'd found the strength, but he finally managed to pry Joe's hands off his poor hips. He turned to face Joe and gently pushed her against the nearest wall.

He took her wrists in his hands and placed them above her head while one of Kyle's legs nestled between Joe's. Joe's breath caught in her throat, and she stared at him, her eyes wide. Not with fear, but with surprise.

Kyle was still giggling. His face was incredibly red, and his eyes were watering from laughing so much. He didn't realize his position until he met Joe's gaze.

"Joe, you really—" He stopped abruptly. His own eyes widened. He studied Joe's face, every inch of it. They were so close, the tips of their noses almost touching.

"K-Kyle, I—"

He suddenly turned away, completely. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to say something, but gave up and turned on his heel.

"Kyle!" Joe tried to grab his arm, but he was already walking away—no, running away. His cheeks and ears were so red they looked almost purple. "No! Kyle, where are you going?! Wait! Wait for me! Kyle!"

Kyle's jaw and shoulders tensed even more as he read the document over and over and over again. His fingers drummed against the desk, the soft dull sound almost driving him mad. The ink container rested close to his hand, his fingers pushing against it a little, as if even that was causing him some kind of claustrophobia.

Joe sheathed her sword again, her head tilting to the side a little, her eyes narrowing just a touch as she studied him—not the emperor, not the symbol of the empire's future, but Kyle. Her Kyle. Her little angel, her canary, the person she loved most in the whole world.

She rose from the chair silently, her steps barely making a sound against the polished floor.

Kyle didn't notice her. It was a miracle that he noticed anything besides the document in front of his nose, his eyebrows were furrowed, as if his gaze was daring those words to make a bit of sense.

Joe crossed the room at a slow pace, her hands crossed behind her back, a familiar spark of mischief already beginning to form in her eyes.

Yes, she decided. He's been looking at that document for too long and it still kept winning. Honestly, someone had to do something about it.

She stopped right behind him, a wicked smile curling her lips as she leaned over Kyle's shoulder, just a little, to see what was written on that paper. She squinted, focusing until the words made sense.

"Your Majesty Kyle:

I hope this letter finds you in good health. The reason for this letter is to inform you that the West Wing is in urgent need of repair.

It seems that, somehow, there is a leak in the ceiling during rainy days that is damaging not only the fine wood furniture, but also--"

Joe raised an eyebrow. Seriously? That's what's got Kyle so worried? Goddess Turga… this man really needed a break.

Kyle sighed again, though now it sounded more like a grunt as he leaned his elbows back on the desk and rested his head in his hands.

"A lot of work?" she asked suddenly, but Kyle didn't flinch. He simply answered with a soft grunt. "It's late... have you eaten yet?" Another grunt that sounded like a negative. "And you're not hungry?"

Kyle didn't answer that question. He picked up the document again and held it so close to his face that Joe almost laughed.

Well, it was official. This required her intervention, and no one was better qualified to distract Kyle than herself, of course. That silly document could wait, but her little canary wasn't going to suffer a headache during her surveillance just for no reason.

Joe moved a little closer to Kyle from behind just as Kyle shifted in his chair, rolling his shoulders once, and letting out a long and tired sigh.

She watched him for just a second longer and darted her hands forward, just enough so her fingers could slip under Kyle's arms and wiggle to tickle him gently, just a flutter.

"Hey—!"

Kyle squealed, jolting violently and pressing his arms to his sides, but Joe managed to pull her hands out before they got trapped underneath. He twisted in his chair, shooting her a glare over his shoulder, the fair skin of his cheeks slightly rosy.

Joe had already stepped away, her hands clasped behind her, face perfectly innocent. Too innocent.

Kyle frowned. "… What was that?" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but then turned back to his desk with a huff. "I'm working. Stop playing around."

Stop playing around? Oh, that was just simply impossible for Joe.

He dipped the quill into the ink again, he didn't need to, but he still did. He tried to refocus his attention back onto the document. He read the first line. The second, and half way through the third one, another sudden flutter of fingers brushed the side of his neck.

Kyle sucked in a sharp breath and a startled, high-pitched laugh burst out of him before he could stop it, his shoulders jerking up towards his ears. "J-Johohoe!"

She was gone again when he twisted around, pacing casually towards the window as if she was just checking the room around. "Hmm?" She hummed, looking up at him with a curious glance, as if she did not know what was happening.

Kyle stared at her, not believing her nonchalant acting. "Do not start," he warned, but an emperor with flushed cheeks and trembled lips could barely be taken seriously.

Joe glanced at him, tilting her head to the side like a curious fox. "Start what?" she asked, her voice soft.

"This," he said, gesturing vaguely at his own sides. "Whatever this silly game you're playing is. I. Am. Busy."

She raised her brows, clearly amused, but pretending to be offended. "Silly game? You sure you're not just… too jumpy today, Your Majesty~?"

He huffed again, brushing his hair back in exasperation. "Behave."

"I always behave, Your Majesty," she declared with a grin.

Kyle sighed, shaking his head and turning back to the desk again, trying very, very hard to ignore the way his skin still felt too aware of her proximity. His nerves buzzed where she had touched him. He leaned forward, rolling his shoulders one more time as he exhaled.

Focus, he reminded himself.

And he did… for a whole twelve seconds.

Joe had moved behind him again and her fingers had darted out, this time she squeezed at his ribs quickly, and was gone before he could even process it.

Kyle burst into laughter, a breathless sound, his chair scraping slightly as he jerked to the side. "Joe! I'm seherious! Stop right now!"

She did not. Where was the fun in that? Instead, she circled him like a bored cat cornering a poor, trembling mouse—or in her case—a cute canary. She delivered brief, infuriating attacks: a wiggle of fingers under his arms, a poke at his side, a flutter of fingers at the back of his neck, a squeeze at his hips. Each one lasted no more than a heartbeat, just long enough to break his concentration completely.

Kyle, oh poor Kyle, he tried to keep working through it. He really did, but every time he started to settle, every time his laughter had died down or a squeal had vanished in the room, she struck again with unpredictable motions.

"Joe!" He gasped, arching his back when Joe traced a single finger down his spine. "I mean to—ahaha!" He laughed, words breaking apart as another touch landed under his arms. "I h-hahave to— I'm trying t-to—"

"Trying to what?" she asked, grinning mischievously as she delivered a quick poke to his side.

Kyle jolted with a giggle, his body jerking away from the playful touch. "Rehehead!"

"Oh? Read?" She leaned over his shoulder, peering down on the document with a smirk. "It's the same one you've been reading forever."

Kyle tensed. "That's- That's not—ah!" He let out another laugh as her fingers wiggled against his ribs again. "Thihis is u-unfahair!"

Joe smirked even more. "Oh? Is it now?"

Kyle's shoulders were drawn up tightly, his arms wrapping his torso. The anticipation was almost worse than the actual tickling. Every time he heard her taking a step, or breathing too close, his body would freeze, expecting another tickle.

"Joe," he warned weakly, although it sounded more like a plea, laughter still clinging to his voice. "I am serious."

She hummed thoughtfully, but didn't say anything. Kyle tensed, closing his eyes tightly, expecting another surprise attack, but as seconds ticked by and nothing happened, he exhaled, relaxing just a friction.

"See? That's better. Now, let me finish this and then—"

Joe lunged in again, this time with more intent, both her hands attacking his sides at once with quick squeezes that moved from his hips up to his armpits.

Kyle yelped and doubled over, laughter spilling out of him uncontrollably as his quill slipped from his fingers and clattered onto the desk. "Johohoe! Stahahap!"

She quickly retreated again, laughing too, clearly pleased. "Eh~? Were you really expecting me to stop? Not a chance, Kyle~"

Kyle pressed his arms to his sides, chest heaving as he tried, and failed, to pull himself together. "You… You are impossible!"

"Hmm~ Maybe I am~," she agreed cheerfully.

Kyle sighed, shaking his head as he reached for the quill again, fingers shaking just a little. "I swear, if you do that again, I will have to—AH!"

A light poke to his neck made him squeak. "Thaha- That's it!" He giggled helplessly, shoulders shaking as he tried to glare back at her. "I'm- I'm— You! You'll have to wait for me outside and—AHAHA!" He doubled over again, his forehead almost touching the desk as Joe tickled his hips.

He squirmed in his chair, arms flailing as he twisted and laughed, still half turned towards Joe with breathless protests, until his elbow touched the side of the ink container and knocked it off. The impact was small, of course. A simply hollow sound against the desk. Barely anything, really, but the damage was big.

Time seemed to stop just enough for Kyle to register what had happened. To feel the faint brush of glass against his sleeve and see the ink spilling all over his documents.

Oh no.

It flowed across the desk in a sudden, unstoppable wave, soaking straight into the parchment he'd been hovering over for the last hour. Elegant lettering disappearing under the stains. A few thick drops splashed onto his hand, his cuff, the edge of his sleeve.

Kyle froze, the laughter dying in his throat as abruptly as it had started. For one heartbeat, the room was utterly silent.

He stared down at the desk, eyes wide, mind blank as he took in the damage, before he came to his senses and lifted the container to prevent more ink from spilling out, but when he grabbed it, he felt it was almost empty.

He gritted his teeth and his fingers curled slowly against the edge of the desk, knuckles turning white.

Joe leaned in, peering over his shoulder. "Oh…," she said, letting out a soft whistle.

Kyle did not move. Did not breathe.

Joe tilted her head, studying the messed up document with casual curiosity, as if this were a mildly interesting mess rather than the result of her last five minutes of mischief.

Then, without thinking, without even a hint or remorse or apology in her voice, she added, "well… at least it wasn't an important one."

The words sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Kyle's head lifted slowly, very slowly, and looked at her. Joe blinked, looking almost confused as to what was happening.

Something in his expression finally made her notice, though. Too calm, too still… the laughter gone so completely it was unsettling. The air around him felt different now, his jaw tense.

"… Joe," he said quietly.

Uh-oh. She recognized that face, she recognized that voice. She recognized this… oppressing aura. Joe gulped.

She straightened at once. "I mean…" she waved a hand vaguely. "Important important. Like… Like world-ending important, you know? You know what I mean? I- I know you do… Kyle?"

Kyle stood slowly, the chair scraping loudly against the floor, the sound sharp in the silence, making Joe cringe slightly. Ink dripped from his sleeve onto the carpet, dark spots appearing at his feet.

Joe took an instinctive step back, hands up in some kind of useless shield.

"Wait, wait!" She said quickly. "M-Maybe I didn't use the right words. It came out wrong! U-Uh… y-you- you know how I am, right, Kyle?"

Kyle didn't respond. He looked at the mess of a desk, picking up the ruined document, staring at it for a few seconds, and then setting it down with deliberate care. His shoulders were rigid.

Joe swallowed. "I- I think it's better if I just… go… for now…" she decided and turned on her heels, bolting for the door.

Kyle reacted instantly. "Joe," he said, his voice a low grumble, but Joe could hear him clearly. She didn't stop. Joe opened the wooden door and made it about a foot outside the doorway before strong arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her off the ground.

"Kyle," she squeaked as the floor vanished beneath her feet, her momentum cut off completely. Kyle scooped her up without effort, throwing her unceremoniously over his shoulder like she weighed nothing at all. Like she was a simple sack of potatoes.

"I said—ack! I said I was sorry!" Joe protested, already laughing despite herself as she squirmed, knowing her laughter would only fuel Kyle even more.

Kyle turned back toward the office, terrifyingly calm. He closed the door behind them and even locked it before both his hands moved to Joe's waist and started squeezing the spot.

Joe squeaked again, bright giggles spurting out of her mouth as she squirmed on his shoulder. "I'm- I'm sohohorry! I'm sorry!"

"Oh," Kyle said, carrying her towards the desk with steady steps as he keeps tickling her, "you will be."

His fingers worked into her ribs with ruthless precision, quick and relentless, even as he continued walking. Joe's legs kicked uselessly, boots swinging a few inches above the floor as she wriggled and laughed herself breathless.

"That—ahahaha! That- That wahahas an a-ahahaccident!" she gasped. "I swehehear!"

"Mhmm," Kyle replied calmly.

His tone was even, not matching his actions at all. He adjusted his grip slightly, just enough to keep her from slipping off his shoulder, and dug in again.

Joe laughed louder, fists uselessly banging against Kyle's back as she squirmed. "Plehehease! I sahahaid- I said I w-was- I ahaham sohohorry!"

Kyle hummed. "You also said it wasn't important."

Joe whined mid-laugh. "Okay! Okahahay! I take it back! I dihihidn't mean it lihihike thahat!" Kyle's fingers slid briefly under her arm and she howled. "NAHAHA!" She kicked again, nearly hitting his crotch. "Kyle, plehehease! Your Mahahajesty!"

Kyle suddenly stopped walking, he stilled his tickling hands too. For half a second, Joe dared to hope Kyle was going to show her mercy, but then he tickled her again. Joe shrieked with laughter, the sound bouncing off the walls as Kyle wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her secure over his shoulder, and the other tickled her side and ribs mercilessly.

"Thihihs is nohohot fahahair!" She accused between giggles and laughs.

Kyle's mouth twitched. "Is it not?"

He finally lowered her back on the floor once they were fully inside the office. Joe's boots touched down unsteadily, knees wobbling as she tried to regain her balance. Still laughing, she stumbled backwards, bumping into the edge of the desk with a soft thud. Before she could straighten, Kyle stepped in, hands already reaching for her again.

Joe squealed. "Kyle, wait! Kyle, please, please lihihisten! Listen!" She tried, but Kyle didn't wait nor listen.

He cornered her just enough that retreat was impossible, and his fingers dug into her sides again with renewed determination. Joe collapsed back against the desk, laughter exploding out of her as her hands flew up, pushing Kyle's shoulders as if that could save her from her fate.

"PLEHEHEASE!" she cackled, feeling the fresh ink all over the desk dampening her clothes as she squirmed, looking like nothing less than a rag trying to clean up the mess she herself had caused, even if that wasn't her initial intention. "I wahahas johohoking!"

Kyle leaned in slightly, pressing her even more against the desk, his voice was low and unmistakably amused now. "Your jokes are poor and annoying," he chuckled, his thumbs rubbing maddening circles right beneath Joe's ribs.

Joe shook her head, arching her back as she laughed herself breathless. "I- I tahahake- take bahahack my apolohohogy!"

That was a huge mistake Joe immediately regretted. She really didn't know when to shut that big mouth of hers, did she?

"O-Oh… Oh noho… wahahit!" she wheezed as his hands went everywhere: her ribs, her sides, a brief, devastating wiggle under her arms—it all made her lose what little composure she had left.

She shrieked with laughter, tossing her head back in nearly hysteria as a deep blush spread across her cheeks. "KYLE! KYHAHALE, PLEHEHEASE!" she begged as her hands tried to capture his and she failed to squirm away. "I'M SOHOHORRY! I a-ahaham sohohorry agahahain!"

She laughed so hard she could barely recognize her own voice, especially when Kyle decided to really go for her armpits. His fingers dug right against the creases, wiggling so fast and so ticklishly that Joe thought she was going to pass out.

She wondered if that would have been better than laughing her head off with her clothes ruined with ink, and an revengeful emperor all over her.

"KYHAHALE!" she shrieked, her voice cracking. "Tohoo muhuhuch! It's too muhuhuch—AHAHA! Plehehease, not thehere!"

Kyle chuckled, a bit breathless himself too. "Is it?" he purred with a smirk. "Not here? Oh, but I think this is just the perfect spot, Joe."

His irritation still stung beneath his skin, vividly recalling how the ink had bled across his entire document. One second of carelessness and an official document had been reduced to trash.

As he tickled her, his eyes caught a glimpse of the stain on his sleeve, he remembered Joe was laying on top of the document, practically wiping the desk with her back, and he felt like growling. But, all things considered, if he truly tried to ignore the situation from a few minutes ago, Joe's laughter echoing off the walls was a welcome respite for his body and heart.

She could barely move, her arms uselessly trying to push her up, but failing miserably as she tried to crush Kyle's hands under her arms to stop his fingers from wiggling, of course everything she did was useless. His fingers were ruthless and so very annoyingly ticklish.

"I'm—AHAHA! I'm c-cahahalling thihihis a-ahahaha! Abuse of p-pohohower!" she managed to gasp out. "NO MOHOHORE!"

Kyle snorted despite himself. "Ah, now you recognize my authority?" he asked with a smirk and an arched eyebrow. "I remember you clearly not obeying me earlier. I'm sure you remember too, that's the reason why we are in this situation after all."

Joe shook her head, dissolving into laughter before she could speak up again, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. "Ihihihi- I n-nehehever said I r-rehehecognize yohohour—AHAHAHA! NO! I DOHOHO! I DOHOHO!"

She screamed with laughter as his hands quickly shifted, moving to the back of her ribs to dig his fingers in. "PLEAHAHASE! Thihihis is n-not fahahair!"

Kyle could feel the knot in his chest loosing the more he listened to her laughter. The pressure easing, even if it was just a fraction. The stress slowly dissolving as his fingers made Joe laugh her pretty head off.

"You ruined my document," he reminded her, although his tone has softened.

"I s-sahahaid I wahahas s-sohohorry!" she protested weakly, barely able to form coherent words.

"And then you took it back," he added, hands moving to her stomach, causing her to shriek, "you took it back and said you weren't sorry anymore."

"I LIHIHIED!" she laughed. "Nohot my tuhuhummy!" She clutched at his sleeves, she knew it'd be impossible to stop him right now, but she needed to anchor herself as the tickling overwhelmed her. "KYAHAHALY!" she gasped, her cheeks and sides aching. "I c-cahahan't! AHAHAHA! I c-cahahan't a-anymohohore!"

Kyle stopped as fast as he had started. The sound of her laughter had changed. It was softer now, breathless and weak, nearly turning completely silent as her strength finally gave up and she was overcame by the tickles.

He pulled his hands away from her body slowly, pressing his palms against the desk on each side of Joe's head, caging her as he observed her. Joe went limp, chest rising and falling rapidly, her hair was a mess, and her cheeks were flushed red.

"Okahahay," she giggled breathlessly, smiling up at him with half-lidded eyes. "I am truhuhuly s-sohorry."

Kyle chuckled, leaning down to press a kiss to her slightly damp forehead before he stepped back, giving her space to sit up, his hands went to her waist to steady her.

"You're impossible," he said, but he was smiling warmly at her again. "And you always make big messes."

Joe glanced up at him, eyes bright and unapologetic despite saying she was sorry. "And yet… you keep me around, hmm?"

Kyle rolled his eyes fondly, a soft smile pulling at the corners of his lips. "I might rethink that decision."

Joe giggled as she slid off the desk, her feet finding the floor with a small wobble. Kyle reacted without thinking, reaching out to hug her waist and press her against him. She leaned into him immediately.

"You okay?" she asked suddenly, and he blinked in confusion, but then he understood and smiled with a little nod.

"Yeah… I feel better now." He glanced past her at the desk and the mess left behind. Somehow, it didn't feel as catastrophic anymore.

Joe followed his gaze. "I'll get you a copy of that one," she smirked, looking up at him. "And… I could potentially promise not to cause a mess anymore.

Kyle chuckled, shaking his head. "Potentially…"

Joe's eyes softened and she hugged his waist tightly. "Let's change, Kyle… and ask someone to clean this mess," she said with a soft, mischievous giggle, and this time, he joined her.

"Yeah, let's go."

Kyle didn't say anything. What was he supposed to say? That every time he was trapped, stuck or immobilized, she turned into a merciless little demon who delighted in tormenting him?!

Joe took another step toward him and he took two steps back, away from her, creating a small safe distance from his integrity... and all of his stupid ticklish spots.

Joe blinked, confused, and then realization hit her. She chuckled, and Kyle felt his heart drop into his stomach. She took a step closer to him too quickly, Kyle couldn't get away in time. She pulled the shirt up just enough for the light to come in, freeing his face. Kyle gasped at the sudden clarity and blinked at her: cheeks burning, hair disheveled, dignity absent.

Joe smiled like a villain. "I'll help you, Kyle," she said sweetly, "if you stay still."

He stared at her for a moment. There was no way Joe wouldn't take advantage of this situation, he could see it all over her face. Mischief and an evil plan creating in her head.

"No," he said firmly and stepped back again.

Joe let out a cheerful giggle. "Oh my, oh my, are you so scared of me, Kyle?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

"N-No! I'm not scared! I'm- I'm cautious," Kyle insisted. "There's a difference, and I have every right to be. Remember that time during that meeting—EEK!"

She lunged at him with a laugh, and he squealed like a trapped mouse.

"Joe-!" he yelled as her fingers found his sides in a swift, but deadly, grip. Silly giggles escaped his lips before he could stop them. His knees buckled. His entire torso tried to double over, but his arms were still stuck uselessly above his head.

He laughed again when Joe poked him in the waist. "Don't! Joe- wahait!"

She didn't wait, of course. Her fingers quickly skittered upwards, aiming for his ribs, and Kyle squeaked, jerking away from her touch, trying to dodge her, but dodging while half-tangled in his own shirt was really difficult. He managed to turn around and started to speed-walk away from her, but Joe effortlessly chased after him.

She was laughing behind him, amused by the situation, and Kyle, as much as he wanted to deny it, was grinning widely, but he blamed it all on the adrenaline.

"Why are you running from your wife, Kyle?" she asked between giggles. "I just want to help you. Like the amazing wife I am!"

"Because I don't want to die!"

She laughed again. "You're not going to die, silly," she promised. "You're just going to scream and giggle a little."

Kyle groaned, pacing the room, trying to keep as much distance as possible between himself and Joe, but unlike him, Joe didn't have her arms wrapped around his head!

Joe poked him in the lower back and Kyle squealed again, jumping so violently that he almost lost his balance, which was already precarious with his arms like that, and which made Joe laugh even harder.

"Johoe!" He whined between soft giggles and ragged breaths.

She was relentless. Every time he thought he could escape, she would pick up on him and poke him in the ribs or squeeze his hips or even, somehow, manage to wiggle her fingers under his arms, causing Kyle to squeal and laugh, almost falling over.

"Why the heck are you doing this?!" Kyle asked between laughs as Joe squeezed his waist, right below his ribs, and he squirmed, trying to escape her grasp.

"Because you're so… tempting!"

He backed away until his calves hit the carved chest at the foot of their bed, and he gasped as he landed sitting on top of it. Joe approached him with wiggling fingers and a menacing smirk. He gasped again before he pushed off and slipped around a screen divider they rarely used and that was there more as decoration.

Joe followed him like his own shadow, even when he rounded the little coffee table in the room and the armchairs. From left to right, Joe was right behind him.

The stupidly fitted sleeves seemed to tighten around his arms as he twisted and ran around the room. His arms above his head made him feel uncoordinated, and every step felt like he was about to run straight into a column and die dishonorably… or worst, trip on his own feet!

Distracted by the struggle of taking the shirt off again, he failed to notice that Joe was coming right in the opposite direction and didn't take note of it until it was too late. She trapped him against the wall and tickled his exposed armpits mercilessly.

"AHAHAHA! Hold on! Hohohold ohohon! Plehehease!" He cackled, doubling over and desperately trying to rip the shirt off, but these seams seemed like they were made of steel!

She giggled. "Ow you poor thing, you can't get out? Should I help you? Should I help you Kyle? Should I—hey!"

With a shriek, he managed to escape again, but not for long. Joe's hand tapped his left shoulder and, thinking she was going to tickle his armpit again, jerked to the right, only to have her fingers clawing against his ribs. He yelped and Joe snorted.

"You are so easy to get, Kyle~" she murmured as the chase continued.

Kyle cursed his shirt and his own ticklishness. He was going to ban this type of shirt from the entire empire. He didn't care about anything anymore. He also was going to punish the tailors and seamstresses, no matter how many years they have been working for him!

He was sure no emperor had to go through this humiliation ever! Especially not by his wife! Why couldn't she just take this damn shirt off?! He wanted to hide in a hole.

He tried to speed-walk faster, which made Joe laugh even harder. They both looked ridiculous, running around the room like two lunatics. Kyle dodging furniture, tripping over a chair, tripping over his own feet, and Joe laughing almost hysterically at him, acting as if she couldn't catch him at any given second.

It was silly... but kind of fun. Although Kyle would be a royal idiot if he admitted that out loud, and Joe wouldn't leave him alone for the whole eternity.

"You're wiggling like a real worm, Kyle," Joe laughed, poking his back with both hands, making Kyle jump like a rabbit. "Why are you running from me? It's not like you can escape either way, can you?" she giggled, wiggling her finger on the back of Kyle's neck and he shrieked helplessly, he couldn't even move his head back to protect himself. "Oho~? What's wrong? Are you a little… trapped?"

She was the worst.

"AHAHA!" he squealed with laughter when Joe caught his hips and her fingers poked his sweet spot. "Not there!" he said, pausing to try and push Joe's hands away, and when he succeeded, he bolted like a startled cat.

"Joe! Johohoe, wait! Just- Juhust- C-Can you just hehelp me out?! Please!"

"Sure!" she giggled and Kyle didn't believe her. How could he when her finger kept going for his hips? "Kyle! Stop running!" Joe said, enjoying every second of this chase. "How am I going to help you like this?"

"Then don't tickle me- EEK!" He yelled as Joe's nails slid down his spine. "Stahahap!"

"I'm tickling you?" Joe asked, playing dumb. "Really? I didn't notice!"

Kyle giggled and jumped when Joe tickled the back of his ribs as she hooked an arm around his waist. He squirmed from side to side, arching away from her and cackling as she counted his ribs. She only made it to the third one before he slipped away.

"Ple- plehehease! I cahahan't!" Kyle giggled. "My arms are already numb—HAHA! Not there!"

Joe laughed, tickling his hips once more. Kyle's big toe hit the bed leg and he swore loudly. Joe giggled. "Stop attacking the furniture, your Majesty~. I'm the only that can help you… or destroy you~"

Kyle shivered and squeaked. His arms really were starting to get numb and he was starting to sweat. He never thought trying to escape from his wife in the room would be so tiresome.

"You know," she said thoughtfully, as if she wasn't chasing him to absolutely wreck him with tickles. "You look absolutely adorable blushing like that, Kyle~" Kyle felt his blush getting worse. It was terrible that she was being painfully honest.

"Ah~" she purred with a smirk. "You're getting redder."

He whined, feeling like not only his cheeks were blushing, but his whole, exposed body. His poor armpits, his ribcage, his tight stomach, his hipbones poking from the waist of his pants. Every spot vulnerable and ready to be attacked by her evil fingers. He was getting cramps around his shoulders and his arms felt as heavy was iron.

Joe's hand suddenly get a hold of his waist, squeezing there. Kyle laughed, stopped by the overwhelming sensation, his knees giving up away, buckling slightly.

"STAHAHAP! AACK!" Joe's fingers spidered up towards his ribs and he nearly screamed when she clawed at them. He managed to escape again, barely, nearly falling on his knees.

He was breathless and pink, and could hear her laughing brightly and warmly and teasingly.

"AHAHA! J-Joe! Joe! Stohohop! I can't! I really can't—!"

His knees finally gave up and the room spun. Kyle felt her arms around his waist before he hit the floor. She caught him easily, guiding him down onto the thick carpet. He ended with his back flat against the floor, chest rising and falling, and his arms still helplessly pinned above his head. The cursed shirt binding him like some fabric prison.

Joe pushed herself up, hovering over him with a smirk and his breath hitched, his eyes widening slightly.

"Joe," he warned, his voice trembling, "don't."

She grinned down at him with mischief sparkling in her eyes. "Kyle… what can you do to stop me?"

He didn't even had the chance to protest again. Joe swung a leg over him, straddling him firmly. Her knees braced his hips, her palms flattening against his ribs before he could twist away. Kyle almost felt like his soul would leave his body at any second.

"J-Joe, wait!" He squeaked, the pitch of his voice too humiliating high to stand it. "Wahait, plehehease! Don't do this! Don't do this!"

Her grin widened. "Ohh, no~" she purred, leaning forward so the tip of their noses were almost touching. "You made me chase you all over the room, Your Majesty. It's time I claim my reward."

Kyle's eyes widened and he shook his head. "I didn't tell you to chase me! There's no reward—" his breath hitched when her fingers squeezed firm, fast and devastatingly over the muscle beneath his lowest ribs.

He arched off the carpet, like he wanted to crawl out of his skin. His trapped arms tugged against the fabric still clinging to them, the damn shirt tight and unmoving around his elbows and arms. Helpless laughter started to escape out of him, breathless and loud, and Joe practically beamed.

"Oh my goodness," she whispered like she'd discovered a national treasure. "Listen to that cute laugh."

"Shuhuhut uhuhup!" he gasped, trying to wriggle his ribs away from her, but she followed him.

Her hands were mercilessly fast, spidering up his ribcage, dancing towards the higher ribs and squeezing them softly, causing him to kick his legs after each squeeze. Her thumbs rubbed deep circles over them and poked them until Kyle was screeching with laughter, shaking his head from side to side.

"Kyle… husband…" she cooed, her voice sweet and mocking, "you're so ticklish today."

"I'M AHAHALWAYS TIHICKLISH!!" He wheezed, breaking into cackles as her fingers moved to the spot under his fifth rib, the one that nearly made him see stars.

Joe laughed sweetly. "I know, right?" she sang. "And now you're all helpless and exposed for me~ is this a gift for being an extraordinary wife?" She giggled, her cheeks blushing with happiness.

Any other day, Kyle would have thought she was being extremely cute, but right now, while he was laughing his head off as his poor ribs were under her relentless attack, he could only think she was the devil himself.

His stomach tightened, his back arched. Joe followed each motion his body made to escape her fingers. She squeezed higher, so close to his armpits he nearly screamed, then lower, almost touching his hips and making him sob in pleads. Her thumbs rubbed and wiggled and pressed between the bones and the sensitivity was overwhelming.

"AHAHAHA! N-Nohoho! Johohoe!" he gasped, his voice cracking with laughter.

She hummed, pleased with herself, like she was hearing a melody she had invented. "Yes, dear husband?" she purred.

Kyle tried to talk, to glare, to make her stop. But he was laughing too hard, squeezing his eyes tightly and his arms pinned nicely by his shirt. In other words, he was helpless and at her mercy.

Her fingers skittered to the back of his ribs and he nearly lost it when they clawed there. Loud laughter tore out of him, uncontrolled and frantic. His body twisted beneath her, but Joe stayed perfectly grounded on his hips. She wasn't even tickling his most ticklish spot, he was doomed.

Joe giggled. "Oho, right there, hmm?" she said, grinning. "It's so sensitive here~" She clawed faster and Kyle cried out in ticklish agony.

Joe made sure to take care of the back of every single rib, digging, prodding and wiggling. Kyle couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. Every single nerve from his sides to his spine was lighting up, fizzing, tingling and vibrating.

"JOHOHOE! Joe, I c-cahahan't!"

"Ow, of course you can, Kyle~" she whispered, leaning down a bit. "And you will, because I'm not done yet."

She wrapped her hands around his ribcage, like she was holding something precious, and then dug in again, deeper, merciless, and so delighted with the way he crumbled all over again.

She quickly pinned his hip with one of her hands when she noticed he tried to roll on his side, while the other continued its torment higher and higher until her nails were just hovering right where his raised arm exposed the soft, defenseless center of his underarm.

Kyle widened his eyes, his body tensing as he shook his head. "Have- Have mercy!" he pleaded, squirming desperately.

Joe giggled, shaking her head. "We don't know that word in here," she mumbled, grinning down at him.

"J-Joe, wife, plehease! Wait!"

She didn't wait. Why would she? She had him all pinned, trapped and exposed. There was no way she wasn't going to take advantage of that. Her fingers dove straight into his armpit and he shrieked. An undignified yelp that dissolved immediately into laughter so intense he couldn't catch his breath properly.

"WAHAHAIT! WAIT PLEHEHEASE!"

She wiggled her fingers slowly right in the center of the spot, and his whole body trembled under her. His legs kicked out uselessly against the floor, his head tossing back, causing his shirt to lower a bit over his eyes. He squeaked.

"I cahahan't see! I CAHAHAN'T SEE!"

She giggled. "Oh no~ And I can't stop tickling you!" Her other hand, the one holding his hip, went straight for his other armpit and Kyle shrieked, arching his back as tears of laughter damped the fabric over his eyes.

Joe dug her fingers into the soft nerve in the middle of his armpits. She pinched at it, clawed at it, vibrated, poked even blew raspberries there, sending Kyle into a spiral of nearly hysterical laughter.

"Nohoho mohohore RAHASPBERRIHIHIES!"

"No more raspberries?" she chuckled. "Then what about this?"

Kyle bucked and yelped when he felt her teeth sinking against the sensitive skin. It tickled too much, he cackled brightly, but it also felt kind of nice, a little whimper escaping his lips.

She hummed. "Did that feel good?" Joe let go of the reddened skin, her teeth printed there. She smothered the spot with her tongue and Kyle squealed, laughing. "So ticklish~" She whispered against his skin.

She placed a few more bites around his right armpit, nipping in the center to have Kyle cackling as his left armpit was still being tickled by her fingers. Her mouth jumped to the other then, giving it the same treatment.

Kyle couldn't form any coherent words. The only sound coming out was breathless laughter and desperate squeals and whimpers that made him flush even harder.

"Aww, what's the matter, Kyle?" she purred, pulling away from his underarm slightly, a string of saliva connecting her mouth to his pit. Her nails skittering over my trapped arms and elbows before she lifted his shirt again to uncover his eyes. "You're already losing it? I still haven't tickled your hips yet~"

A shiver shot through Kyle's body. "J-Joe," he pleaded.

"Kyle~"

Her hands traveled down from his armpits, giving him just a little rest from the intense tickling on his underarms. Joe's fingers fluttered against the edges of his ribcage, making him squirm and giggle quietly between soft gasps.

Then she went lower… lightly tracing the firm muscles of his stomach, sore from laughing so hard.

Then… she went for the kill. Both hands got a hold of his hips and squeezed deep into the softest part of his hipbones. The sound that escaped his lips was almost inhuman. A hysterical yelp that melted into hysterical laughter or howling.

He arched his back, his legs thrashed about, his arms tugged uselessly against the cursed shirt trapping him all exposed for Joe. She laughed softly, enamored by the way she could reduce him to a laughing mess; her thumbs pressing rhythmic circles right above the upper part of his ribs, where a cluster of nerves laid.

"Kyle~ Husband~" she purred. "You look so cute like this~"

He tried to respond, he really did, but all that came out was babbling laughter and helpless writhing. He tried to twist, squirm and scream his way out, but it was impossible. He was growing weak, lightheaded, dizzy and tired… But that wasn't even the worst part…

He was kind of enjoying this.

He had managed to open one of his teary eyes to look at Joe, —maybe if she saw the pleading in his pupils she would stop—, and was light struck when he saw the way she was looking at him. Like she adored every inch of him. Her eyes sparkling with mischief, but also dripping with tender love.

She leaned down suddenly, brushing her lips across his collarbone. His breath hitched even through his laughter, his brain short-circuiting.

"Whahat- What are yohohou—"

He gasped, his whole body tensing slightly when her teeth sank against his heated skin, her fingers slowing down the tickling to his hips just a bit. She nipped at the base of his neck, near the pulse and Kyle shuddered slightly.

"Why ahahere you doing thihis?" he giggled out, twisting and shimmying his hips as her nails traced little circles against the sensitive skin.

Joe hummed, pulling apart only when she was satisfied by the mark her teeth had left. "Because I can," she whispered, her lips traveling lower, towards his chest.

Kyle arched his back a little with a squeak when her softly lips brushed against his right nipple, he whimpered, gasping when she bit right beside it.

"J-Joe-! That's…" Kyle jolted with a loud bark of laughter when the tickling on his hips increased once again.

She squeezed there like a madman. Bright, frantic, uncontrollable laughter ripping out of him as he squirmed like he was trying to escape his own skin. He was almost sure his screaming laughter could be heard through the whole palace, or at least it felt like he was laughing that much because it tickled that bad.

Joe was precise, merciless, digging and prodding right into the most sensitive parts of his hips.

She giggled. "Kyle," she cooed over his hysteria, "you're losing your mind."

He was. He definitely was going crazy. Absolutely insane from her touch alone. His laughter turned more hysterical and desperate after each squeeze to his poor hips.

She leaned down again, this time her lips brushed against his stomach, causing his muscles to twitch and tremble under the touch as if they weren't already working overtime for how hard he was cackling.

"Tell me it's your worst spot," she whispered before her teeth sank on the soft skin right underneath his navel.

Kyle yelped between laughter. He couldn't talk, couldn't even think. He was a babbling mess, the only coherent word he managed to say was Joe's name. Her fingers increased the speed, crueler this time.

"Say it."

"IT'S- AHAHAHA! JOE, PLEHEHEASE!" he begged, tossing his head back. "It's- ahaha! It's my w-wohohorst SPOHOHOT!"

She finally slowed, but didn't stop completely, her fingernails traced lazy, delicate circles against the hypersensitive skin that, somehow, felt even more ticklish.

Kyle's chest heaved as he went limp against the carpet. His hips were trembling violently under her hands. He was exhausted and helpless.

"N-No mohohore," he said breathlessly, jerking with a giggle when she poked his hips. "Plehehease! I'm beheheggin!"

"The Emperor begging? That's no good~" she teased and Kyle groaned. Joe giggled, biting her lower lip as she grinned. "Say… should I set you free now?"

"Yes." The answer flew out instantly, without a second thought. He needed to be out immediately! "Yes, please! Get me out of this shirt right this instant. Now."

Joe clicked her tongue, shaking her head like se was disappointed in him.

"Hmm… I don't know. I'm not so sure," she said in a soft tone. "Freeing you means you will tickle me back."

"Oho, you bet I will," he barked, promising without hesitation. "And ten times worse, you'll see."

Joe gasped dramatically. "See? That totally makes me not want to help you."

"J-Joe… Joe, please." He tugged futilely against the fabric trapping his tired arms. "I can't even get up," he whined, kicking his legs behind Joe like a kid throwing a tantrum.

She giggled. "Ah, I did kind of notice," she said, poking his ribs lightly and laughing when he squeaked. "Look at you… Why would I want to free you when you're totally at my mercy?"

He whined again. "That's exactly why you need to free me!"

"That's why I won't free you," she countered sweetly.

Kyle groaned, his head dropping back onto the carpet. She clearly was enjoying this way too much. Joe suddenly traced a finger up his side, her nail barely grazing the skin, but Kyle flinched and shrieked too loudly. Joe's grin widened.

"If I free you," she continued in a whisper. "I lose all of these cute little reactions."

"J-Joe." Kyle squirmed, trying to free himself one more time, but he was tired. "Seriously! I'm gonna lose my arms at this rate!"

She giggled. "Do you want me to free you that badly? I still want to play~"

A loud shriek escaped Kyle's lips when Joe dropped her hands towards his hips, but she stopped in the last minute, fingers barely grazing the abused skin.

"STOP THIS!" he yelped and Joe laughed like a little kid.

"This is so funny~" To Kyle's surprise, she leaned down and kissed his lips tenderly. "I really don't want to stop," she whispered against his lips.

"S-So… you'll keep me here forever?"

Joe pretended to think about it for a long, long moment. Her eyes flicked between his trapped arms, his flushed face, and all the spots she knew were hopelessly sensitive. She grinned.

"Maybe you can convince me…" she said, wiggling her fingers at him.