“I guess I’d better after coming all this way.” Ink winked. 

“Sounds good,” Tick nodded, turning towards the large building, “follow me.” 

“Alright, but no sneak attacks.” Ink replied, keeping his guard up. He’d already had his first run-in with this Alternate Universe, and though it was entirely harmless, it did result in one of his fastest and definitely most embarrassing defeat. Using magic while being tickled to pieces didn’t seem difficult, but his first encounter with Tick had proved him very wrong. He didn’t personally mind tickling that much, but, being a supposed protector of the Alternate Universes, he wanted to keep his ticklishness on the downlow. He wasn’t any more sansitive than his other alternate versions, Tick included, but still. 

“Don’t worry,” Tick winked, pulling on a pink lab coat, “I already got you once, and I told you I wouldn’t do it again unless you provoked me.”

“That is true,” Ink grinned, nodding, “and you have kept good on that, but you know as well as I do it’s not a bad thing to be a little suspicious around here.”

“Very true,” Tick smirked.

The pair entered the main area of the lab, sparkling floors and dormant sets of lab equipment were set neatly out on tables. Everything seemed just like the other Alternate Universes Ink had visited, except for the wall of hundreds of feathers, brushes and other objects which he assumed tickled in some capacity. It never dawned on him how many different ways one could call upon the silly tingles. Seeing them all whilst following behind the skeleton who could take control of them at any moment and bring him to his knees with laughter made butterflies fill his stomach. 

Tick walked up to a side room and opened a pair of swinging doors. “Come on in,” he smiled. A metal table filled the center of the room surrounded by plastic, pink barstools. Other than a sink and pink cabinet, the room was empty. It was smaller than expected and, other than a clipboard and pencil, thankfully absent of any tools. 

“Take a seat and I’ll sit across from you.” Tick said, heading for the cabinet.

“Alright,” Ink grinned, moving his brown scarf out of the way before plopping down on the chair, determined not to let his nerves show. “If I remember correctly, you told me it doesn’t exist anywhere else, so it’s new new?”

“Well, to my knowledge anyway.” Tick replied, taking a shimmery, pink jar down from the cabinet.

“You know, that’s a fair point, but you made it right?” Ink asked, resting his head on his hands. 

“Yep, heh, well…me and Alphys of course.” He chuckled, bringing it over to the table. 

“Oh, geez. The herpes of the art world.” Ink smiled, rolling his eyes. 

“Well…that’s what it looks like, but it does more then sparkle.” Tick smirked.

“Boy, I wonder what that could be?” Ink mused, putting his hand on his chin in mock thought. Then his eyes flashed yellow and pink and his smile disappeared. “Wait a second, you mean to tell me that that jar of glitter is really some sort of tickle-dust?”

“I didn’t tell you anything, but I won’t deny it.” Tick chuckled, putting on pink rubber gloves. 

“Woah, slow down,” Ink said, putting his hands down on the table and pushing himself up, “I never said I was going to test it!”

“You’re right, I wasn’t going to do anything before asking.” Tick smirked, placing his hands flat on the table.

“Is this even safe? What if it gets inhaled or something?” Ink asked, putting his hands on his hips. 

“We’ve been testing it already,” Tick assured, his eyes softening, “we made sure it was safe. We don’t want to hurt anyone.” 

“What do you need me for if you already know it works?” Ink asked, narrowing his eyes. 

Tick’s smile disappeared. “Look, I understand your apprehension, but this would be huge for us. We want to make sure it works on people from other universes…just in case.” 

“Oh…” Ink’s eyes flashed blue and his heart sank. It was no secret that alternate universes sometimes try to take over or damage other ones. Ink and Error, another skeleton focused on the preservation of the multiverse, did their best but they weren’t perfect. Tick’s alternate universe, TickleTale, didn’t fight the same as the others and if faced with someone super dangerous, wouldn’t be able to defend itself. 

The artistic skeleton sank back onto the chair and hid his face in his hands. “What do you need me to do?” 

“Hey, it won’t be too bad,” Tick tried, “afterwards I can tell you exactly how it works, what the antidote is, and so on.” 

“Okay,” Ink sighed, laying his arms on the table. The butterflies had resumed their fluttering. He wasn’t frowning anymore, but his smile was missing and he wouldn’t look up.

“Come on,” Tick sang, “if you’re really good, my brother and I can make you cookies!”

Ink looked up again, his eye lighting up with his usual yellow star. “Heheh, alright!” He smiled. “So, what mess am I about to get into?” 

Tick beamed at his friend’s happiness. “Shouldn’t be anything too major,” he replied, standing up and moving over to the cabinet and taking down a large, empty beaker and a bucket out from under the sink. 

“What are those for?” Ink asked, eyeing the containers.

“The antidote,” Tick replied, filling the beaker with the bucket’s contents and putting it within Ink’s reach. 

He lowered his face close to the glass container, looking for particles but finding none. “Just plain water?” 

“Yup!” Tick nodded, opening the jar. Ink’s butterflies began flying in panicked circles. “I’m going to need your hand.” “My hand?” Ink asked.

“Yes,” Tick smirked, taking a measuring scoop out of his lab coat pocket, “or would you rather I tested it on your foot?”

“No!” Ink laughed, offering his hand. “That’s what I was worried you were going to say!”

“Not this time, and bold of you to give me your dominant hand but I want you to still be able to use your magic. Also, gloves are cheating.” Tick replied. Ink playfully rolled his eyes, swapped his left hand for his right, and removed his fingerless glove. Tick gently took hold of Ink’s wrist and took out a scoop of the ‘glitter.’ “Ready?” 

Ink smiled nervously, nodding. Tick gently dumped the sparkles into Ink’s palm.

“Keep your hand still, and don’t move it until I tell you to.”

“Alright.” Ink replied, watching the dust intently while Tick picked up the clipboard and scribbled notes on it. Seconds, then minutes ticked by, but the sparkles still sat dormant in Ink’s hand. 

“Uhh…now what?” The scarf wearing skeleton asked, resting his head on his free hand. 

“Mmm,” Tick replied, flipping through his notes, “close your hand over it and rub it between your fingers.” Ink complied. Tick’s eyes watched Ink’s face and hand carefully, but there was no reaction. He frowned.

“Based on your expression, I take it didn’t work?” Ink asked, relieved he wasn’t dying of laughter, but also disappointed for his friend.

“I don’t know…let me see?” Tick replied, gently holding Ink’s wrist and staring at it intently. “It’s not activating…” He sighed heavily, pulling the beaker over towards himself. He took out another spoonful of the dust and cupped his right hand.

Ink watched him with wide yellow and orange eyes. He knew by multiverse law Tick was just as ticklish as he was, but he’d never seen any proof. 

“What happens next doesn’t leave this room, got it?” Tick growled, his pupils disappearing from his eyes. 

Ink sat back from him in alarm putting his left hand on his brush. “Y-yeah! I thought we were already at that point!”

“Okay,” Tick blinked, his eyes reverting back to normal. “Good.” He lowered his gaze and a light pink tone graced his features as he put the scoop in this own palm. He shivered, holding his breath as he rubbed it with his thumb. He flinched hard and froze, his face contorted in a pained smile. Ink watched in bewilderment as his friend suddenly surged forward, stuffing his entire hand in the beaker and going limp. 

“Oh, man…” Tick panted, “never…again.”

Ink stared wide-eyed. He didn’t know whether to be nervous, amused, concerned, relieved or–oh no. He felt his stomach rising up into his throat. His eyes widened and he clenched his hand shut on the dust, turned, and spat black ink all over the adjacent barstool. 

“Ink!” Tick cried, jumping up, “What the-?”

“I’m,” Ink coughed, wiping his face on his sleeve, “I’m fine. Sorry.”

“Fine?” Tick replied, walking around the table. “Yeah, right!”

“No, really!” Ink assured, smiling softy. “This is normal, it happens sometimes.” He snapped his fingers and the barstool was clean again.

Tick narrowed his eyes. “You sure? You know what happens to liars.”

“Mmmhm!” Ink nodded, turning back towards the table. “You can ask Error if you don’t believe me.” 

“Okay…if you say so.” Tick grumbled, walking back to his notes and sitting down. He flipped through them. “Care to explain what just happened?” 

“Oh! That happens when my composition becomes imbalanced.” Ink shrugged, laying his arms flat and opening this right hand again. “It’s a glitch, just a…a consequence of being an outcode.” Ink and others like him didn’t have a universe to call home. It was a blessing not having to worry about losing his friends and family, but it was a curse not having them in the first place. 

“Hey, it’s all good.” Tick assured, looking up from the clipboard. “We all have our quirks.” 

“Yeah, I guess.” Ink said, trying to hide his smirk. Now he knew Tick was ticklish without a doubt. The greatest tickler in the multiverse done in by his own abilities? That was pretty silly.

“So, I think I might’ve figured it out.” Tick said, putting the clipboard down on the table. “Can you turn just your hand into ink?” 

“Yup!” Ink smiled, his free hand melting into liquid blackness. 

“Nice,” Tick replied, pushing the beaker towards his friend, “but I meant your other hand.” 

“Oh, right.” Ink stared down at the dust sparkling threateningly in his hand and took a deep breath. His stomach fluttered warningly as it shifted to the dark substance, absorbing the glitter immediately. His eyes widened and he made his hand go back to normal, but the pink dust was gone. 

“Great!” Tick’s eyes flashed in excitement and he picked up the clipboard. “Now don’t move.”

Ink opened his mouth to respond and pins and needles swamped his hand, prickling madly. He gasped at the sensation and bit his lip, trying to follow directions despite every bone in his body wanting to dissipate the tingles. 

“I-it f-feels so s-so weird!” He shivered, using his entire will to focus on keeping still. 

“Good!” Tick smirked, “You can move now.”

Ink sighed in relief, flexing his hand and waving his arm to try and wake up the limb. The tingles died down and what felt like blunt fingernails traced ever so lightly on his palm. He yanked his hand away from the sensation and narrowed his eyes at the skeleton in front of him. Tick’s eyes watched from over the top of the clipboard, behind which he hid massive smile. He was also holding it with both hands. 

Ink’s face contorted in confusion until the gentle touches returned, teasingly running up his arm towards his shoulder despite his long sleeves. His eyes widened and he tried to shift away, but it followed him as if he hadn’t moved before stopping on a random spot on the inside of his arm. The ghost fingers suddenly jumped up in speed scribbling light and fast, forcing a tiny smile onto Ink’s face. 

“Having fun?” Tick snickered.

“Ohokay! V-verhery funny!” Ink replied, pulling his arm to his side in attempt to snuff out the gentle tickles. “Ihihit works! Now what?” 

“What does it feel like?” Tick grinned. 

“L-like yohou dohon’t know!” Ink replied, flinching as the fingers multiplied, keeping up the pace on that randomly ticklish spot and jumping over to his ribs. He clapped his left hand over his mouth to contain the stream of giggles as the fingers danced up and down his right side.

“Actually, I don’t,” Tick shrugged, smirking at Ink as he leaned and twisted in his chair. “The sensation changes depending on the person.” 

More hands joined slowly and gently tracing each one of his right ribs. “Hahahahands!” Ink giggled, slamming his own down on the table. A huge ticklish smile covered his face. 

“What about them?” The observing skeleton smiled. A ghost finger appeared on his stomach, lightly drawing circles, triangles, squares and all sorts of shapes.

“Tihhihihick!” Ink whined, curling into himself to protect from the light tickles. They were gentle, playful, and frustratingly impossible to ignore. 

“Okay, okay!” He said, “Are they soft, sharp, heavy, light?”

“Why dohohoes it mahahATTER?” Ink asked as another group of hands began lightly tracing his left ribs. He threw his arms over his head, trying his best to cope with all the light scratches. It wasn’t even that intense, but the tracing and shape drawing was forcing his attention back to the sensations. The realization that the hands were teasing him with his own talent made his face warm in a rainbow colored blush. He hid under his scarf, determined to not let Tick see his face.

“It doesn’t, but I’m curious as to how many different sensations it can produce,” Tick replied, smiling down at his friend. “I’m also curious as to why you’ve let it go on this long.” 

“I-It cahahan s-stop nohohow?” Ink tried, but his voice was muffled by the fabric. 

“Heh heh, what was that?” Tick mused, leaning forward and putting a hand up to his ear. 

“Ihihihit can STOP?” Ink cried, arching his back as more fingertips gently circled and swirled up from his ribs and onto his shoulder blades. 

“Yeah, you could’ve used the antidote at any time!” Tick chuckled. Ink’s groan jumped up in pitch as invisible fingers scribbled along his neck. He reached blindly for the beaker, missing it repeatedly. The observing skeleton stifled a laugh and pushed it to his friend’s reach. Ink grabbed it, turned his hand to ink and submerged it in the water, but his giggles continued. 

Tick’s eyes widened. Instead of the usual pitch-black substance, Ink’s hand had pink colored liquid swirled within it. Ink scrunched up his shoulders to protect his neck and all the fingers froze. He took deep breaths and all but melted into the table. 

Tick sighed in relief, “You okay?” 

Ink nodded, pushing himself up. “Yeah, you’re rihiHIGHT!” Ink jumped as two fingertips slowly circled each side. He turned and glared at Tick, but his eyes were wide in concern. 

“You said water would stop IHIT!” Ink squeaked as a hand gently scratched itself in a circle on his stomach. His arms flew to his middle to block it.

“It’s still happening?” Tick asked, wide-eyed.

Ink nodded, a lopsided smile on his face. “But it–” All the hands suddenly returned, skittering in small, tight circles. “PffftahahahahAHAHA!” 

“Ink!” Tick cried, picking up the water bucket and following him as he scrambled backwards from the table in a futile escape attempt. Usually he’d find such displays of pure ticklishness amusing, but his creation had gone rouge and against a friend no less. “You have to switch to ink for it to stop!”

Ink continued backwards until hitting the back wall, laughing at the devilish scribbles as he slid down to the floor. The tickly circles followed him, getting lighter and faster. “Thehehehehey WOHOn’t stahaHAHAHAHA!” 

“Ink, you have to concentrate!” Tick cried, desperately trying to think of a Plan B. Ink squealed in his laughter as more fingers began swirling around his feet, underarms and spine.

“NonoNOHOHO! Nahaha!” Ink laughed, hiding his rainbow blush in his hands. “Tohoho maAHAHANy CIRCLES!” The hands stopped and he gasped for breath, a wide smile across his rainbow-hued face as ghost circles shimmered across his body. 

Tick stared in absolute bewilderment before snapping back to reality. “Switch to ink, now!” 

“Right,” Ink panted, completely turning to murky darkness with tinges of pink. He turned his arm over in confusion, eyeing the pink tones. Tick threw the bucket of water at Ink who’s eyes widened as two triangles were drawn ticklishly on his sides. 

He popped back to normal just before the water hit him, giggles spilling out of his mouth. “Hehehe! Noho! No mohohohore!” 

Tick smacked his forehead, looking at his friend now laying with his back arched over his brush, sopping wet on the lab floor. “Ink! Are you kidding me?”

Fingertips traced a third triangle on Ink’s stomach. “S-sorryhehe!” He replied, “I cahahan’t hehelp it!”

“I know,” Tick groaned, hurrying over to the sink and refilling the bucket. “You need to-” but he was cut off by Ink cackling from the floor as the fingertips resumed their all over quick skitter in tiny triangles. 

“PleAHAHA! TheheHEse are WOHOHORSE!” Ink laughed, his blush intensifying, “StoHOHOP wihihith the t-triHIHIangles!” The hands stopped and he gratefully took in air. 

“Hang in there! It’s almost full!” Tick called, topping off the bucket and heading back around the table. 

Ink nodded and pushed himself up to a sitting position. When he saw his friend he immediately turned to ink, and two squares scribbled themselves into his sides forcing him to smile and lose his concentration.

“Nohoho! Wahait!” He giggled, holding his hand up to stop Tick but it was too late. Water sloshed over him again as he sat there, hugging his middle to protect against the silly shapes.

“Are you flip flopping me?!” Tick cried, trying to keep calm. He needed the dust off Ink but he wasn’t cooperating too well. The longer it was on, the worse it got.

The fingers tickled a large square across his stomach and his eyes widened. It was playing a game with him, a very silly, embarrassing game. “Hahaha! N-nohohot that!” His face burned with all hues.

“Sorry,” Tick replied, hurrying for the sink again, “but this is the only way to get it-” Little squares scribbled all over.

“PfftAHAhA! NoAHAHA! AllrihiHIHIGHT! S-S-SQUAHAHARES!” Ink squealed. The hands stopped and he fell forward panting and turning to ink. Almost as soon as the laughter stopped giggles filled the room again and Ink returned to normal, save for the blush that now reached down to his neck. Thankfully, his scarf hid it from view.

“Hehehe! R-R-Rehehehectangle!” Ink cried, and he stopped giggling, became fluid, shuttered, became solid, and began giggling again. “Diahahehe! Dahaimond!” He jumped and fell onto his side, facepalming and dying of laughter. “NEAHAHAHA! S-SohohoreHEHEhe! UhhAHA! HEHE! KihihiTE!”

Tick stood motionless, confused beyond reason as to what was happening to his friend. Ink stopped laughing again and scrambled to his feet, rushing over to Tick. 

“It’s on a cycle!” Ink cried, a smile already taking over his face. “You h-have to thihihime ihihit!” He sank back to the floor, hugging his stomach. “Ohoho noho…aha? Uhhuhuh hmmheheh! he-hexahahagon? Yay okahay! Pffftehehehe! Haha! S-stahahar?” 

Tick nodded, narrowing his eyes as his friend flickered between pink-tinged ink and his normal self, rambling on about shapes between peals of giggles and bursts of laughter trying to figure out the pattern. He put a hand on Ink’s shoulder, waiting for another shape. Ink was so preoccupied with the ticklish traces he didn’t even notice.

“Trahaha! Tr-trahahapazohohid!” 

Tick tightened his grip and let his magic surge, teleporting the two of them beyond the lab over the rippling waters of Waterfall. Ink switched to murky darkness just as the pair hit the cool waters. They re-appeared on the surface and moved to the shore, the tickle monster pulling his exhausted friend behind him. 

“Th-thank you.” Ink wheezed, dragging himself up out of the water.

“All gone?” Tick asked, taking off the lab coat and his sopping wet hoodie. 

“Yeah…” Ink replied, wringing out his scarf, “I think so.”

“Good,” He sighed, examining the ruined feathers on his hoodie. “I’m sorry. That went way further than I intended.”

“It’s okay,” the artistic skeleton replied with a small smile, snapping his fingers, “I know you didn’t mean it.” 

The feathers magically repaired themselves, fluffing out like new. Tick looked back at his friend, still drenched in water, but thankfully still smiling. “Thank you.” 

“It’s no big deal, it was-” 

“No, it was a huge deal,” Tick grinned, standing up. “Come on, it’s time to make it up to you.”

“Heh, that sounds great,” Ink replied, getting to his feet. “As I tried to say earlier, you were right.”

“About what?” The other skeleton asked, pulling on his hoodie.