#suf tickle

The past few months had been…they’d been interesting. Steven finally started getting the help he needed, and the gems had been supporting him however they could. The therapist was nice, she helped him through some of his most traumatic moments. Topics on his mom…they were still touchy, but he was getting there. He had a name for one of his problems now. “Abandonment Issues…” 

There’s still days where he feels lousy. He couldn’t remember the official term, but he liked to call them “spew days.” Days where his emotions just got the better of him. Days like today.

Steven was sprawled out on the couch, staring blankly up at the ceiling. He…he felt like poop. Not as bad as he did with Connie’s “not yet,” but definitely crummy. The teen didn’t even notice when Amethyst came through the door until she flopped down next to him. 

“Hey dude! Oh…Steven, what’s wrong?” He grunted, shrugging. It wasn’t a lie either, at least not completely. A combination of things was wrong, though he couldn’t pinpoint what they all were. He just…wasn’t okay.

“Steven, c’mon. Remember the whole “we talk about our feelings” deal we made?” The purple-hued gem’s expression softened, giving him a little nudge. They had all agreed that whenever something was wrong, they would do their best to communicate the problem. Steven sighed, knowing it would probably help. 

“I just…feel crummy. It’s a bunch of things. Sorry…” Amethyst immediately shut that down. “Hey, hey. No. You’ve got nothing to be sorry about. Your feelings are valid, no matter how confusing they are. If you can’t say it, that’s okay.” Gosh, why are his friends so awesome? He held out his arms, silently asking for a hug. His friend was more than happy to oblige.

“C’mere bud.” She wrapped her arms around the 16 year old, hugging him tight. He felt a bit of the gross feeling go away, melting into the touch. He needed this. Ever since the monster incident…hugs have been his everything. “Thanks Amethyst…”

His voice was a bit too deep and airy for her liking. He needed a cheer up session, pronto. Lucky for him, she had the perfect idea. “Ya know Steven… you could use some fun. How about we play some Steven Tag, with a twist?” 

A twist? Why was she smiling like tha-…oh. Oh. He pulled away from the hug, a smile tugging at his lips. “Amehe- Amethyst no!” The purple gem crossed her arms, smirking. Amethyst shifted into the present version of Steven, snickering. “You got ten seconds. You get tagged, you get tickled…better run.” 

Crap…crap! He got up off the couch, backing away from his friend. She couldn’t be serious, right? “Amethyst, c’mon! You- you’re joking right? Right?” She just smirked, holding up ten fingers. She was not joking. She slowly lowered one finger, then another, then another, dragging out each word with a teasing tone. “Ten, nine, eight…”

Time to run! He took off in the opposite direction, running into the warp area. The door opened for him, his pink and cloudy room offering a nice place to hide. Steven zipped inside, trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. The room, sensing his needs, quickly made a few hiding spaces. Cabinets, closets, doors, tables with cloths, a bunch of hiding spot’s any kid would think of. All of which are horrible for actual hiding. It would have to do… He ducked into the most boring closet he saw, finding a pile of blankets inside. He burrowed under them, tried his best to make sure nothing was poking out, and hid. 

Amethyst finished her countdown, chuckling as she walked over to the door. It opened to her room, but that was just a minor inconvenience. She knew her way around those rooms like the back of her gem. Running over to her stack of couch cushions and rubber ducks, she shoved them out of the way, revealing the secret path to Steven’s room. Can never be too prepared for mischief. She jumped through the hole, feeling gravity shift as she landed on the soft, pillowy clouds of Steven’s room. Time for some fun…

“Oh Steven~! Where are ya, bud? I just wanna play~!” When she saw the silly hiding spots, she snickered. Just like old times… Amethyst began opening the cabinets, trying to find the teen. “You know you can’t hide from me, man. I’m gonna find ya, and when I do, you’re gonna get it~” 

Steven clamped a hand over his mouth, trying to muffle his anticipatory giggles. He had forgotten how evil Amethyst was when it came to these games… The butterflies in his stomach were going wild, swarming and sending a blush to his cheeks. He hadn’t been tickled in a good while. That somehow made the fluttery, bubbling feeling worse. 

Turns out he sucked at being quiet. Amethyst easily heard his poorly muffled giggles, the cloudy walls of the closet almost paper-thin. Guess some things never change. “Steven, Steven, Steven. Still a gigglebug through and through.”

She slowly walked towards the closet, stomping her feet to make as much noise as possible. She wanted him to know how screwed he was. Knowing he was already caught, he removed his hand from his mouth, letting the giggles fly free as he leaned against the door. No way was he gonna go down without a small fight.

Amethyst jiggled the doorknob, pushing against it. You’d think that it would be easy, it being made of clouds and all. But no. The manifestations were linked to Steven’s conscious and subconscious thoughts, and right then, they wanted that door solid and stable. He only forgot one thing; a towel for under the door. Shape-shifting to an ant, the crystal gem easily slipped under the door. She scurried behind Steven before shifting back, growing to a purple-hued version of him. “Peek-a-boo~” 

Now, he handled his surprise very maturely. He definitely didn’t shriek and run into the door. Definitely not. His best friend snorted, snatching him up in her arms. “Tag! Ya know what that means…” Shifting back to her regular form, the gem wiggled her fingers into his sides, not releasing him from the reverse hug. He yelped, squirming around and digging his heels into the carpeted floor. 

“Amehethyst! Qu-quihihihit it!” Even though he was currently taller than the other gem, he couldn’t escape the ticklish hold. The closet was small, not allowing much room for squirming or thrashing. Lucky for him, Steven’s subconscious threw him a bone. The closet poofed out of existence, momentarily startling Amethyst. She pulled him closer, hugging him tightly before she realized what happened. 

“Ooooh, I get it. Someone’s a bit too ticklish for their own good, huh?” The wiggling fingers quickly resumed their tickly pattern on his sides, pulling sweet giggles from the teen. He gripped her wrists, trying to pry her hands off. That did next to nothing; the crystal gem was having way too much fun. She had completely forgotten about her Steven Tag excuse, just wanting to tickle her friend. He needed a good laugh anyways.

She knew exactly where to go to get him really laughing, his younger years giving her plenty of time to learn his best spots. Amethyst moved her tickling to his belly, slowly getting closer to his gem. Steven knew what she was doing; it was the same pattern as when he was young. Sides, belly, gem, and if he was still breathing, underarms. Normally, he’d be embarrassed of the tickling. But right now? It was actually a fun distraction from his thoughts. “Nohoho! Dohon’t you dahare!”

A little teasing wouldn’t hurt. She slowly circled her fingers around the edge of his gem, sending ticklish little shocks to his belly. Frantic giggles bubble out of him, his anticipation building as she toyed with the edge of his gem. “A-Ahamethyst! Thihis is mehehean!”

“Uh, no duy. That’s why I’m doin’ it!” She chuckled and scritched a little faster, trying to get a squeak or two out of him. And, as expected, his giggles turned squeakier than a rusty door hinge. The feeling of her fingers so close to his worst spot was killer. No amount of squirming or wiggling was helping, the butterflies in his stomach going nuts. 

He caved within thirty seconds, patting her arm and speaking with a whiny tone. “Ahamethyhyst! Juhust- just dohoho ihit ahahalreheady!” That almost got her. Almost. Rolling her eyes, the teasing ended, making way for the main event.

Following her pattern, Amethyst’s playful scribbling moved to his gem, sending the crazy ticklish sensations across his whole midsection. He was constantly changing and growing, but his sensitivity didn’t seem to get the message. He squealed, kicking as his knees gave out. “COHOHOME OHON! NOHOT FAHAIR, LEHEMME GOHOHO!” 

It was kinda adorable, in a dorky way. Steven had always liked being tickled, even if he never voiced that opinion. It was pretty obvious when he was younger. Recently, however, he had been drifting away, closing up, avoiding anything “childish” or “immature” to him. They now knew why, and were working towards improving his self-image and communication skills. Still, progress was slow. Seeing him laugh again…it was nice. 

Amethyst was so engrossed in her thoughts that she barely noticed when Steven was tiring out. He hadn’t had much energy to start the day, and quickly wore out from the tickling. He slumped against his best friend, leaning into her as the tickling wore him down. 

“AHAHA-AHAHAMETHYHYST! IHIHI- AHAHAHA!” Her smile softened when she regained focus. The scribbles on his gem slowly came to an end, her hands switching to rub the ticklish areas. He practically melted into her touch. The soft happiness from the tickling paired with her gentle attention had him on cloud nine. “Thahahanks…”

Okay, that warmed her gem. She shifted to a bear, carrying him up to his bed. It wasn’t the first time she’d done it, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. The contented drowsiness was a major improvement from his earlier gloom. Lumbering up the stairs, she laid him down, shifting back to her regular form. It wasn’t late, but one little nap wouldn't hurt his sleep schedule. Right as she turned to leave, a soft hand tugged her back. “Hey…stay?” 

The warm smile on her face somehow got even softer, pitchy chuckles shaking her shoulders. “‘Course, bud. Gimme a sec.” She shifted shape once again, now a fluffy, lavender cat. Pawing at the blankets, she curled up beside Steven, pressing her soft fur against the star on his shirt. The bouncy-haired teen draped an arm over his now-feline friend. He was completely spent and ready for a nap. 

A low purr rumbled in her chest at the soft gesture. Steven always found new ways to surprise them, either with kindness or some new ideal. The other gems would have likely been home soon, but she didn’t really care. Garnet and Pearl could tease all they want if it meant she could spend some quality time with Steven.