#tickle!fic

Jesper had to hand it to Wylan, he’d gotten much more confident recently, and convincing Kaz to let him stay at the Slat had been a ballsy move. This increase in confidence should really have been Jesper’s first clue that his rein of one-sided teasing was coming to an end.

The others had only been gone an hour or so, but Jesper’s fingers were already starting to itch. It wasn’t fair that they were getting to gamble and he’d been grounded like a child. He was bored and needed a distraction, and the merchling sitting in the corner of his room was always a fun one.

“One of your buttons is undone, are you trying to seduce me?” Jesper lied with a smirk, flicking Wylan’s nose when he looked down to check.

Wylan rolled his eyes in an attempt to draw attention away from his pink cheeks. He chose not to respond, not wanting to give the Zemeni boy the satisfaction of hearing the inevitable nerves in his voice.

Jesper grinned to himself and moved to sit on the arm of Wylan’s chair. “Aww, come on, Wy. What’s a man got to do around here to get some attention from the cutie in the corner?” he teased softly into Wylan’s ear while his fingers grazed his bicep.

That nearly got him, but Wylan couldn’t help but laugh at that, much to the Fabrikator’s chagrin. “Man?” he snorted. “If you’d just referred to yourself as the boy that you are, you probably would have gotten the reaction you wanted from me, but alas, your big ego got in the way.” he winked.

The older boy scoffed indignantly. “I do not have a big ego! I’m more of a man than you are!”

Wylan snickered. “Well you sound like a whiny toddler right now.”

“I do not!” he huffed, sounding significantly like a whiny toddler. He stood up and crossed his arms, so he could pout at the younger, but dropped them quickly as he realised he was proving his point. Wylan smirked and Jesper felt some heat raising in his cheeks.

This back and forth should have been his second clue that their dynamic was changing.

Jesper rolled his shoulders back and straightened up. “You’re walking a risky line, Merchling.” he told him with as much confidence as he could muster while forcing himself to hold eye contact with Wylan and his smug grin.

“And yet you’re the one who seems nervous. I don’t think it’s me that should be worried, Jes. I think you’ve been playing too many risky games recently, and now you’re worried they’re going to come back and… bite you!” Wylan launched himself out of the chair towards Jesper, but stopped just short of actually touching him. He doubled over laughing at the surprised shriek that left the Zemeni’s mouth.

Jesper shot him a glare. “Stop laughing at me!” he complained, but there was no real annoyance in his voice, he knew they were just playing.

The younger boy calmed his laughter and grinned cheekily at his friend. “But that noise was so cute!”

Jesper blushed properly now. “It was not.”

“It definitely was.” he teased, pinching Jesper’s cheeks and cooing. “Awww, are you blushing? Your cheeks are so hot!”

Jesper pushed his hands away, but Wylan grabbed his wrists to keep him close. Jesper’s breath hitched the tiniest bit at that, and he looked into Wylan’s eyes, feeling his usually cocky demeanour falter.

“Problem?”

“You’re stealing my role.”

The merchant chuckled. “Maybe if you’d teased me less, I wouldn’t have been able to learn all your tricks so quickly.”

“Maybe if you let go of my wrists before I have to force you, I’ll let you feel the touch of my nimble fingers running through your hair, while I whisper sweet nothings in your ear.” He shot back, a last ditch attempt at regaining the upper hand.

“I don’t think you really want me to let you go.” Wylan smirked.

That was when Jesper finally realised his days of getting the younger boy to blush whenever he wanted with no repercussions were over. He should have known Wylan would learn quickly. He should have known that one day all the teasy, flirtatious comments he’d thrown at Wylan would come back and bite him in the ass. He’d given the younger all the tools he needed to knock Jesper down a few pegs, and he’d done it of his own volition.

Wylan could see the realisation written all over Jesper’s face and it only boosted his confidence. “Uh oh, is the little gunslinger in over his head?” he winked, slowly walking Jesper backwards until his back was against the wall. “Can he dish it out but not take it?”

Said gunslinger was doing his best to keep it together, but he’d taught Wylan well, and he suspected some of Nina’s charm and confidence may also have rubbed off on him too. He pulled lightly on his wrists, trying to get them out of Wylan’s grip, but the younger had gotten stronger during his time with the Dregs, which caught him a little by surprise. Jesper was sure if he really wanted to, he could still overpower Wylan, but… he wasn’t sure yet if he really wanted to.

Wylan smirked smugly when he felt the tug of Jesper’s wrists. “What’s wrong? Can’t escape? Honestly Jes, I’m a little offended that you underestimated me.” he teased.

The older boy rolled his eyes, but his expression quickly turned back to a flustered one when Wylan pulled his arms over his head and pinned them with one of his against the wall. He wanted to fight back, to prove that he wasn’t this easy to overpower, but maybe he was. Maybe all it took for him to melt was for Wylan to play him at his own game.

Wylan leaned in and chuckled lowly in his ear. “I’m going to take you apart.”

Jesper was done for. All the feelings towards his merchling that he’d been pushing down came bubbling up, showing themselves in the form of a hitching breath and a deep blush to rival the shade of Wylan’s hair. He gazed deeply into Wylan’s eyes and parted his lips slightly as the younger leaned in towards them. He closed his eyes, ready to finally get to admit his feelings without using teasing as a coverup. He was ready to be vulnerable.

And vulnerable is what he suddenly realised he was as he felt fingers spidering into his belly and laughter being forced from his unsuspecting mouth. “Wha-mehEHEherchling!” he gasped out through his laughter. He opened his eyes and was met by Wylan’s cheeky grin.

The Merchant snickered at the shock on the others face as he tickled his belly lightly. “You thought you were going to get what you wanted that easily, hmm? After the amount of teasing you’ve put me through? Oho no, Jes. I told you I was going to take you apart, and I meant it.”

If Jesper could have blushed darker, he would have. Wylan must have had some pointers from Nina, there was no way he’d gotten this good so fast on his own. He would be having some words with the fellow Grisha.

“I’m gohohohoing to kill yohohohou!” Jesper laughed, not sounding particularly threatening. He could feel himself sliding down the wall in an attempt to escape the tickling, but Wylan followed him down easily.

“Oh I’m so scared.” The younger snickered sarcastically. He moved his fingers up and tried Jesper’s armpits, grinning at the increase in laughter.

All the Dregs knew Jesper was ticklish. None had found out on purpose, and none had really taken things further than the occasional scribble to his sides. But he wasn’t very good at hiding his happiness or excitement, so Wylan had noticed how he lit up on the rare occasions he received a well placed poke or squeeze for a sassy comment or joke.

“I know you like this, Jes.” Wylan smiled fondly, as he slipped a hand up the pinned boy’s shirt and scratched maddeningly at his ribs.

“I do NOHOHOT! NohoHOHOT THEHERE! MEHEHERCHLIHIHING!”

The Merchant smirked a smirk, that looked far too evil for his face, at the reaction he received. “Bad spot? I think I might stay here until you admit that you’re enjoying this.”

Jesper had slid all the way down the wall at this point and was laughing loudly. “I DOHOHO NOHOHOT!”

Wylan let go of his wrists and used both hands to tickle his bare ribs now. Jesper’s arms were too worn out to do much more than grab weakly at his hands. He threw his head back in laughter, practically lying on the floor.

“FIHIHINE! I LIHIHIKE IT! NohoHOHOW STOHOHOP!” he demanded, but the smile on his face said otherwise.

Wylan smirked and stopped. “I know you do.” he winked, before placing a quick peck on the still giggling Zemeni’s cheek and drilling right back in.

The blush that had been beginning to fade from Jesper’s face immediately reappeared before he was thrown back into fits of laughter. “YOHOU ARE DEHEHEAD, YOHOHOU TEHEHEASE!”

Wylan laughed along with him now. “Me? A tease? I’ll take that as a compliment coming from you!” he beamed cheekily. He decided to give his ribs a break and skittered his fingers down his body to his legs. He squeezed up and down his thighs and found a wonderful little spot above Jesper’s knees that made him squeal adorably.

After a few more minutes of the treatment, the usually cocky, older boy’s laughter had gone silent and Wylan finally stopped for real. “Did… did I overdo it?” he asked, suddenly sounding much more like his usual, more reserved self.

Jesper was panting hard, but still had a big grin on his face. He shook his head, but playfully shoved the red haired boy. “Yohou will live to rehehegret this though…” he threatened, residual giggles still escaping his lips.

Wylan chuckled, relaxing again. “Mhm, I’m sure.” he teased. “Just so you know, I’m telling everyone about that spot on your knee that makes you squeal like an adorable little girl.”

Jesper flushed. “You will not.” he glared.

The redhead just shot him a wink. He stood up from where he’d been crouching over Jesper and held a hand out to help him up.

Jesper took it and pulled himself up. He used the momentum to push Wylan backwards onto the bed, earning a whine of protest from him, but it was quickly silenced as Jesper pushed their lips together, kissing him deeply.

Now it was Wylan’s turn to blush as he kissed him back passionately. After a couple of minutes Jesper pulled away and smiled down at the younger boy. “I should have been cruel to you and teased you the way you teased me… but I couldn’t resist your kissable face.”

Wylan chuckled fondly and blushed darker. “Your face isn’t so bad either.” he smiled back. “Plus I don’t think you should have been cruel, because me teasing you was just revenge for all the times you’ve teased me,” he rambled. “So as far as I’m concerned, we’re even now. Also, I think that now that we are both on the same lev- hey, what are you dohoho- JeheHEHES! Nohohoho! I’m sohohohorry!” He burst into bright giggles as Jesper shut him up with a dose of rib tickles.