#switch!frank

Frank shivered in the coolness of the post office, his thicker sweater vest doing little to keep him warm. Snow fell in delicate flakes outside, leaving little water dots against the window on contact. The insect lover would much rather be snuggled up in blankets in front of a warm fire, but he promised Eddie that he’d be patient. He was regretting that promise.

“Alright, darlin’! All done with sortin’ tomorrow’s letters. Ready to head in?” A warm fuzz entered Frank’s chest when he heard that southern drawl. Not enough to distract him from the crisp air, of course, but it helped. “Absolutely; it’s much too cold in this office. You really must get a nicer heater for this room.” 

The gray-skinned puppet moved to his partner’s side, a small smile gracing his lips when Eddie raised his arm and pulled him in close. He was so warm; Frank could’ve stayed there for the rest of the season.

Eddie just chuckled, unlocking the thick door that separated his living quarters from the post office. He couldn’t understand why Frank was so cold; the southern man just had a thin flannel over his usual postal attire. He led Frank over to an armchair, handing him a blanket and turning to the fireplace. “C’mon, freezer-bug. I’ll get the heat goin’.” 

That got an eye-roll and a few mumbles from the logical puppet. Freezer-bug? It was snowing outside! Eddie was just too cozy, with his soft belly, warm eyes, tender embrace, rich voice…oh dear. Frank felt his cheeks heat up, adding to the fuzzy feeling. Heat sounded nice, though he’d prefer cuddles.

Soon, the heater whirred, struggling to warm both the post office and his home. Frank wrapped the blanket snugly around his shoulders, trying to warm up. He could’ve used a squishy teddy-bear right about then. “You coming, dear?”

Eddie shook his head, lifting the lankier puppet up and placing him in his lap. He laid the blanket across both of them, rubbing Frank’s back to try and warm him. The long day of sorting mail and delivering packages that morning had him all tuckered out; soon, his eyes were drifting closed, his arms going slack on his partner’s back.

Normally, Frank would’ve just let him sleep and enjoyed the closeness. He had been waiting for cuddles all day, however, and had been teased for shivering. It was obviously lighthearted, but Frank was nothing if not a creature of spite. Some payback was in order.

Frank’s nimble fingers kneaded into his partner’s plush belly, squeezing and poking at the center. Eddie giggled sleepily, moving one hand to swat at the ticklish feeling. His partner had to stifle a chuckle as he dodged the hand, squeezing and poking at the squishy area above his waist.

A groggy yelp burst from the red-haired man, his hands shooting to grab Frank’s wrists. The gray puppet wasn’t about to let that slide; he shoved at Eddie’s tangerine hands, continuing to tickle the wonderful pudge. “D-DAHAharlihin’?! Whahahat’re yaha dohohoin’?!”

“Well, you’ve made me wait for affection all day, and you *were* being rather mean about my shivering. I need to get some kind of revenge, dear. You understand, yes?” Frank moved his wiggly fingers to Eddie’s ribs, sending the man into a fit of laughter.

“I-IHIHIHI’M SAHAHARRY! IHI’LL GIHIVE YA AHAHALL THE CUHUHUDDLES YOUHU WAHAHANT!” Frank just chuckled, holding on tight and teasing his partner’s ribs. He loved the sound of Eddie’s laughter best. It was so bright, rich and full; such an easy thing to melt at. For the moment, though, he was strong.

Frank’s fingers moved to tug at the fabric of his partner’s tucked-in shirt. The soft fabric gave easily, exposing the soft felt of his tangerine belly. “Ah, what a sight. This tum of yours looks awfully cozy, Mr. Dear. I hope you don’t mind~” Before Eddie could protest any further, eight cold fingers were scribbling on his poor belly.

“F-FRAHAHAHANK! NAHAHAT THAHAT!” Of course he minded! Eddie normally refrained from using Frank’s first name, per their little habit; pet names or Mr. Frankly was what he stuck with. He couldn't help it, it tickled! The cool temperature somehow made everything twice as sensitive.

Frank gasped, letting his dramatic side take over. “*Frank*? When did we get so unprofessional?! You’ve *insulted* me, Mr. Dear. This cannot go unpunished.” *Oh, what a drama king*…

He paused for a second, hovering his hands above Eddie for a moment. Eddie was about to whine, his protests dying in his throat when he saw where those wiggling fingers were heading. His hips were horrible, and everyone in the neighborhood knew it. *Especially* Frank. Oh boy… 

“D-Daharlin’ no! Wahahait, lehet’s talk ‘bout thihis! Ya don’t gotta- GYEEAAAH!” Frank let his hands touch down on Eddie’s hips, giving the love handles a firm squeeze. The postman squealed, jolting so hard he almost sent Frank flying. It didn’t deter the entomophile; he only dug in further.

The poor postman was an incoherent mess, sputtering through his loud, boisterous laughter. “F-FRAHAHAHA! IHI CAHAHA- IHI’M SAHAHARRY! YEHER KIHIHIHILLIN’ MEHEHE!” He bucked and thrashed, his slick red hair quickly becoming a mussed-up mess. So much for staying sharp…

“Oh, come now. Your hips can’t possibly be *that* ticklish. It’s illogical.” Frank smirked, kneading his partner’s hips and drilling his thumbs into the plush skin. Eddie flailed as he cackled, trying and failing to do anything but sit there and toss his head back with laughter. “Then again, you have always been a bit of an anomaly. I guess southern gentlemen are exempt from that rule.”

The tickle-drunk postman giggled and panted, his belly quivering as he tried to regain his composure. A beautiful red hue decorated his face, pairing wonderfully with his sunset-colored felt. “Ohoho gohosh… Geheez, Mr. Frankly. Thahat was mihighty mean…”

Eddie drummed his legs against the chair, losing his marbles over the tickling. It was so bad! Frank didn’t normally go that far with his tickles, but he definitely was that time.

Eddie’s hand tapped at Frank’s arm, signaling that he really couldn’t handle any more. The lanky puppet immediately stopped, moving to rub his partner’s belly soothingly. He didn’t really need to, but it felt right; plus, his hands were still cold.

Frank huffed, rolling his eyes and snuggling up to Eddie. “Oh, hush. You know you enjoyed it, *dearest*~” He felt his cheeks heat further, the butterflies in his stomach going wild. The man blamed Frank’s insect obsession.

Even though he was tired, he wrapped his arms around Frank and held him close. Any thoughts of moving to the bedroom were gone, the armchair and Frank seeming as comfortable as ever. Eddie sighed, relaxing into the plush fabric and playing with the other puppet’s hair. “Whooo…got me plum tuckered, darlin’. Was there s’posed to be a point to all’a that?”

Frank just shrugged, getting comfortable on his warm “bed” for the night; time had really flown. “It seemed enjoyable, and it absolutely was. Besides, all that laughing warmed you up. Now I’ve got a nice warm bed…” The puppet had no shame, smiling softly and curling up even further.

Eddie huffed at his reasoning; only Frank… He was about to do the same until a fun idea popped into his head. A little retribution would be nice, and his partner *was* still complaining about being cold. Even if he was tired, the red-haired man was ready to give Frank a taste of his own medicine.

Pretending to doze off again, Eddie wrapped his arms around Frank and laid his hands on the bug lover’s sides. Frank thought nothing of it, assuming his dear would be too tired for revenge; oh, how wrong he was. Right as Frank’s eyes closed, Eddie struck. He wiggled his fingers into the gray puppet’s soft sides, using his arms to hold him tight.

Frank squeaked, a pink glow showing on his gray cheeks. “D-dehehearest! Ihi thohohought youhu wehehere tihihired!” The postman just smiled fondly, a gleam of mischief in his warm eyes. “Oh, I am. I reckon some payback’s in order before my nap, don’tcha think?” His tangerine-colored fingers gently scribbled and squeezed along Frank’s sides, pulling giggle after giggle from him.

The butterfly enthusiast flapped his hands, Eddie’s strong arms restricting any other movement. His partner cooed at the stims, granting himself one small kiss to the top of Frank’s head. “Yer adorable, darlin’. Flappin’ your hands like a lil’ butterfly~” 

Frank had to resist the urge to melt at the kiss, opting for more fruitless squirming. He tried to keep the gag going, but the puppet *could not* take what he dished out. “M-mihister- daharn it, Eddiehehehe!” 

The southern man gasped, a wide smile taking over his features; he’d never had the best poker face. “And you yelled at me and everythin’! Look’it you, callin’ me by my first name. Yer lucky I’m such a nice fella.” Eddie teased each of Frank’s ribs, making the intellectual fellow squeak and squeal. It was so unfairly gentle…

“Dehehearest! Plehehease!” The radiant blush against Frank’s gray felt was honestly adorable to Eddie. He could look at it all day, the lovely sound of his giggles pairing perfectly. However, he knew that the other puppet was tired, and that they could both seriously use a nap. Reluctantly, Eddie slowed to gentle traces, drawing small shapes across Frank’s sides and lower back.

“Ohoho dear…thahank you.” Frank took a few giggly breaths, melting into the gentle touch. “No problem, buggy-boo. Now you get your nap.” The postman kissed his head, adjusting the blanket and whispering sweet nothings into his ear. 

Frank was out in seconds, the warmth of his partner’s embrace and the slight exhaustion from giggling sending him straight to dreamland. Eddie chuckled fondly as he watched him doze off; it was too cute.