#ticklish!aether

Jealous of a mini dragon and a little lion that looked like a suanni. Jealous because his friends seemed to be having a blast, bonding over their pets while he was left out. Wasn't that a little unfair? Aether had been running here and there in Natlan, he was tired and wanted to sleep for five days straight. Instead, he'd decided to invite his friends over for a fun gathering, but it seemed they were the only ones having a good time. 

Aether knew he was being ridiculous, irrational. Acting like a spoiled child, but he couldn't stop himself from pouting as he nibbled on a sandwich. He should've let Paimon stay; at least she loved being the center of his attention. 

As he nibbled on some fruit and chips, he tried to ignore Gaming and Wanderer's conversation about whose pet was the most ticklish. ‘Trying’ was the key word here. His curiosity was so strong, he found himself listening, pretending to inspect a flower near him. 

“What. Wanderer, are you even seeing how much Man Chai is kicking around?” Gaming asked with a soft laugh as he scratched the lion's belly.

Wanderer huffed, “Are you listening how much Mini During is laughing?” he counterattacked, his fingers wiggling gently under the dragon’s chin, making him giggle brightly.

Aether let out a frustrated sigh, rolling his eyes in exasperation. Who cared which pet was more ticklish, anyway? Certainly, not him. He let out a sigh, his own behavior was making him feel ashamed. He suddenly thought that his friends would really hate him if they knew the thoughts he was having at that moment. 

He knew he shouldn't feel that way and he scolded himself strictly, trying to seem the same vibrant and kind person he always was, watching the scene with a small smile on his lips that didn't reach his eyes. But he couldn't hold on for long and his gaze drifted away from the scene in front of him. 

He looked over a small fountain in his garden, he watched the water fall and somehow made him feel more relaxed. He heard Mini Durin and Man Chai escaping their owners' playful ministrations and they started to run around them, playing catch. 

Aether blinked, his mind suddenly drifting far away, his expression turning a little sad as the memory of his sister's smiling face filled his mind. The chirping of the birds, the running water, the soft whisper of the wind, everything was slowly fading away, he almost didn't hear Wanderer's voice when he spoke to him.

“What's wrong?” Wanderer had asked, but Aether didn't answer, thinking he was talking to Gaming until he felt a soft touch on his knee that brought him back to the two in front of him. 

“Oh, s-sorry,” he apologized, his cheeks blushing pink. “What did you say?” 

Wanderer arched an eyebrow, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression clearly annoyed after Aether ignored him. Gaming, on the other hand, looked at Aether with a soft smile, concern in his eyes. 

“I said,” Wanderer started through gritted teeth. “What is wrong?” 

Aether blinked, shaking his head a little. “Nothing's wrong.” 

Wanderer’s eyebrow twitched. “Okay,” he sighed in exasperation. “Let me rephrase that: why are you jealous?”

Aether's eyes widened, his cheeks turning crimson as he watched the other two. His mouth opened and closed like that of a fish. He didn't know what to say, he didn't really think they were looking at him to notice his feelings. Was he being really too obvious?

“I'm not-” he started, but was promptly interrupted. 

“You are, traveler,” Gaming said with that soft smile that made Aether feel somehow guilty.

He had never felt so humiliated in his whole life. Aether looked away, incapable of meeting their eyes as he thought of something to say, but his brain couldn't form any coherent thoughts, too overwhelmed after being caught red-handed. 

“It's not that hard to say you want tickles, is it?” Wanderer asked and Aether's eyes widened even more as he looked over at him, the warmth of his cheeks spreading down to his neck. Wanderer was looking at him with a grin. “Hit the nail, huh?” 

“That's not-” he was interrupted again. 

“So traveler wants to be tickled too?” Gaming asked with wide, excited eyes. “That's why he's upset? Let's tickle him then!” 

“N-No! That's not what I want, you are- ahahahaha! Nohoho!” His sweet laughter filled the air as Gaming pounced on him, gently nudging him against the grass just like he did with Man Chai, and tickling his belly with both hands. 

Aether laughed brightly, squirming and trying to push Gaming's hands away, but he was too weak, incapacitated by the tickles. And he didn't want it to stop either, at least not yet. 

He felt a rush of happy sensations washing over him like a tidal wave. The heaviness of his heart dissipated as Gaming reassured him with kind words. 

“Traveler, if you wanted to play too, you should've just said so!” 

Aether whined, but a burst of laughter escaped his lips when fingers started to pinch and squeeze his hip bone. His laughter turned more frantic as he twisted from side to side. 

“Oh poor thing,” Wanderer teased with a grin, his hand latched to Aether's hip. “Were you jealous because Gaming and I were talking and you were left out?” 

Gaming gasped, “is that so, Traveler?!” he asked  in genuine concern, making Aether flush even more. “I'm so sorry! Aaah, how could I be so disconsidered?!”

Wanderer chuckled, his other hand latching against Aether's other hip, making him shriek with laughter. “I guess we were very disconsidered, right?” He asked, half-joking and half-serious. “How could we ignore our host in his own home?” 

“N-No! N-Nohoho! AHAHAHA, wahahait!” They were right, but Aether was also at fault and he knew it. There was no need for him to act like a kid, but he did and he knew he should apologize, but he couldn't at the moment. 

He felt his heart fluttering, so embarrassingly happy that his two dear friends were making him laugh and validated, (in their own way), his feelings. He laughed brightly, barely trying to stop them as his hips and tummy were under attack. 

Wanderer and Gaming chuckled softly, watching Aether squirm like a little worm under their tickling. 

Gaming giggled softly. “Traveler truly is ticklish, who do you think is more ticklish, Wanderer?” He asked with a bright smile as if Aether wasn't losing his mind as Gaming's finger wiggled into his belly button. 

Wanderer chuckled again, pinching Aether's hips in a way that was driving him crazy. 

“That is a good question… I would say… Mini Durin is on the top,” he nodded with a grin.  

“Don't be biased,” Gaming giggled playfully, his fingers wiggling and digging up towards Aether ribcage making him cackle and arch his back, his hands desperately trying to get hold of any of the four hands attacking his sensitive torso. “Traveler is clearly the most ticklish.” 

Traveler was positively dying. Gaming was playing with every one of his ribs, rubbing them with his thumbs as if trying to polish them, viciously trying to get the best cackle out of Aether. To his horror, Wanderer had left his hips only to grab his wrists and pull them above his head, exposing his ultimate worst spot to their tickly fingers. 

“NOHOT THEHERE!” He shrieked, although Wanderer was still fighting Aether's hands underneath his knees and Gaming was still pretty busy playing his ribs like some kind of instrument. 

Wanderer chuckled at his plea and Gaming giggled softly. “What? Where? His armpits?” Wanderer nodded, finally pinning Aether hands with his knees while Aether shook his head, laughing frantically in anticipation. 

“He's so ticklish there,” Wanderer commented almost too nonchalantly an Aether shrieked, arching his back as light fingers scribbled against the bare skin of his arms, his elbows causing him to giggle brightly. 

“He's so ticklish everywhere, though!” Gaming laughed, slowly making his way up Aether's ribs until he was tickling that hypersensitive pair of ribs close to his pits and Aether was in stitches.

“He might be,” Wanderer said, his fingers tortuously walking towards Aether's underarms. “But he's the most ticklish right… here!” 

Aether threw his head back with loud bouts of laughter as Wanderer poked the middle of his armpits, a single finger wiggling and digging into that deliciously ticklish nerve that always made him see stars. Soon after, more fingers joined into the tickle fest, not only Wanderer's, but also Gaming's who had reached that dreadful spot as well. 

Four hands tickled his armpits. Wiggling, digging, poking, prodding and pinching into the soft, tender and so very unprotected spot. 

Aether was nearly choking as he laughed into nearly insanity. Tears of mirth streamed down the sides of his face, snorts, squeals and cackles filling the fresh air. He didn't feel uncomfortable at all, even though his legs were kicking desperately and he was pulling at his arms to free them, he felt happy and loved. 

“His face is too red, shall we stop?” Gaming asked with a soft chuckle, seeing that cute expression in Aether's face. 

“He can take a little more,” Wanderer said with a grin. “Right, traveler?” 

Back to the present, the replies to his invitations began to arrive, one after the other. The different seals in each stamp showed where they were from: Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru and Fontaine. Aether sighed, picking up the first one and carefully ripping it open.

His eyes scanned over the words written down, beaming with excitement with the positive answer by the foot of the page. A sense of relief and happiness filled his heart by the time he opened the second letter. And the third… well, the traveler pouted, maybe not everything would work out, after all. The fourth and fifth balanced each other out: both answers surprised Aether as they came as the completely opposite of what he had anticipated.

So far, Albedo, Xiao and Wanderer agreed to come over, while Kazuha and Lyney had to decline his request: one thanks to The Crux’s sailing plans and the other to his busy agenda. Still, managing to bring these three, with him included, was enough to fuel Aether’s imagination, dreaming of the day of the gathering.

He looked down at the letters, his mind now wandering to the second matter: what was he going to do with those three together? Thinking about it, would they even get along? Well, surely about was an easier person to be dealt with, but Xiao and Wanderer…

Aether shook his head. He shouldn’t be expecting the worst. What if they ended up enjoying each other's company? Or even became friends? Yes! The traveler stretched out his arms above his head, crossing his hands behind his head as he stared at the Serenitea Pot’s ceiling. He couldn’t wait for the day to come!

…

Well, they were talking to each other, at least. Not in the way Aether expected - or wanted, for that matter - but, still, a conversation, he supposed. 

Clenching his hand around his cup, Aether peeked left and right, hoping to spot any improvement in his guests’ mood. So far, however, Albedo was the only one to be enjoying himself, it seemed. He sighed, a faint voice inside his head already telling this whole meeting was a bad idea.

It’s not like he could say things went downhill from the very start. At first, with just him and Albedo - the first one to arrive -, everything worked out just fine: they had a little chat, Albedo tried out one of his dishes and even complimented Aether on the whole idea. It, indeed, felt like it was about to work out amazingly.

However, it seemed like his plans shattered in front of his very own eyes from the moment his second and third guest arrived - both at the same time, coincidentally. As soon as Xiao and Wanderer landed eyes on each other, animosity and an ominous feeling began to fill the room.

For some unknown reason, they did seem to get along. Aether couldn’t recall a time where they could possibly have interacted before and, being in his right mind, he wouldn’t consider inviting them both together if he knew about any of this - so why do they seem to… hate each other?!

Still, at first, Aether tried to think that it was just his impressions. After all, they wouldn’t be at each other’s throats for the whole night, now, would they?

They would. In fact, they were still at it.

There was no need for words when the two anemo users stared at each other like that, silently threatening their opponent and throwing daggers with their piercing looks. Aether could barely breathe as the tension began to get to him. It felt like they would start to throw punches if Aether took his eyes out of them for a single second!

Suddenly - breaking the silence like a rock thrown at a peaceful lake - Albedo hummed, clearly pleased. “The tea is really good, traveler,” he said, taking the cup away from his lips as he lowered it, “where did you say it came from again?”

Aether’s jaw dropped. ‘My savior’, he thought, coughing to clean up his throat before proudly holding his cup up. “From Fontaine! It might be a bit too sweet, but I really liked it, hehe… I ended up getting a couple more, so drink as much as you want, ‘Bedo!”

“Huh, ‘a bit too sweet’?” Wanderer scoffed, leaning back in his seat and cocking his head to the side, throwing Aether a teasing stare. “You have such a childish taste, traveler. I bet you even added sugar to your cup, didn’t you?”

“A-ahah,” Aether giggled nervously, blushing slightly. He indeed added an extra sugar cube… “Well, I just-”

“You don’t have to drink it if you don’t like it,” Xiao interrupted drily, his arms crossed in front of his chest while his brows furrowed. Uh oh. “Aether had all the trouble in preparing it for us. It’s rude to complain like that.”

“X-Xiao, it’s not that ser-”

“So what? Why are you even hurting in his place?” Wanderer snapped back defiantly, barely shifting in his place if not for his head tilting back - moving it just to look down at Xiao.

This was bad. Really, really bad. Aether looked left and right, trying to utter something to ease the tension, but ending up just getting interrupted before managing to utter anything. He didn’t even know if he should step in at that point - what if they thought he was taking a side? Even worse, what if they wanted him to take a side?!

While Aether lost himself in a flurry of thoughts, with one idea running over the other, Xiao and Wanderer continued their ‘little’ bickering, getting more and more flared up with each other.

“You should show proper respect to your host - especially if it’s someone as Aether,” Xiao hissed, leaning forward in his seat as if ready to jump at Wanderer’s face within the next seconds. 

Still, the other guy didn’t seem like he was planning to back down. “I can talk to him however I want. We are friends and he doesn’t mind. Why should I listen to you?”

“Apologize to the traveler. Now.”

“Or what, Yaksha?” Wanderer grinned. “Want to take it outside? I can b-”

Clap!

“Ahem.”

The two stopped, widening their eyes in surprise and turning their attention to Albedo, who still had his hands together. He also managed to call Aether’s attention, who watched him with expectant eyes - almost as if begging him for a solution. Someone as smart as him surely could come up with something, right?

“I didn’t plan to step in, but it doesn’t seem like you two will figure it out peacefully,” he sighed, his eyes scanning the room from one side to the other, making eye contact with Xiao and, then, with Wanderer. “Am I right?”

The two guys looked away, one puffing out his cheeks while the other clicked his tongue. Why did it feel like he was dealing with two kids..?

“He started it,” Xiao mumbled, saddened to see how distressed Aether was at the whole scene. “He was being rude to Aether.”

Wanderer sighed, rolling his eyes, “exactly, to Aether. Not to you. He doesn’t even care, you are the only one complaining.” Just as he finished speaking, Wanderer also shot a glance at Aether’s face and, despite his attempts to conceal his emotions, it was clear that it also bothered him.

However, even when they were aware of the consequences of their bickering, it didn’t seem to be enough to appease the mood. In a blink of an eye, they were about to start the whole discussion all over again.

So, for the second time, Albedo decided to meddle in their fight. “Do you two really wish to fight each other so badly?”

The unfriendly duo huffed, keeping themselves quiet, but clearly agreeing with Albedo’s statement.

“Sure, you can fight, then.”

“A-Albedo?!” Aether gasped, what was he even trying to achieve by allowing such a thing? Did he want to take notes on the results of Xiao and Wanderer’s falling out?! “N-no, you can’t fig-”

“But,” Albedo continued, skilfully capturing the attention of all the people in the room, “to prevent any harm to be done, you’ll have to solve this through a contest. And, whoever wins, gets to be ‘right’ about this matter. Good enough?”

Silence quickly sat in the room. Albedo could be a really mysterious - if not confusing - person when he wanted and, at times like these, it was almost impossible to figure him out. What was he even planning with this ‘contest’?

“Why would I even joi-”

“Fine for me,” Xiao abruptly cut Wanderer’s speech, looking at his possible opponent. “I can do it, no matter what it is.”

Wanderer gritted his teeth, growling quietly as Xiao managed to easily get into his nerves. “Ok, let’s do it. I can’t wait to hear the Yaksha begging for my pardon.”

Albedo smiled, looking at his side to meet Aether’s eyes. “Would you like to join as well, traveler?”

“H-huh? Me?”

“Yes, you can take part in it too,” Albedo nodded. “If you win, then they both shall apologise to each other.”

Aether furrowed his brows slightly, taking the offer in consideration. Certainly, winning on their terms would probably prevent Xiao and Wanderer from getting into another fight so it should be worth the try, right?

“Alright, I’ll join you guys too!” Aether clenched his hands, excited. This was getting interesting. “So, what’s your idea, Albedo?”

“Yeah,” Wanderer added, “what’s the ‘contest’ about?”

“Endurance.”

…

“What?” Xiao, Aether and Wanderer asked, almost in unison. 

Albedo chuckled, taking back his seat and elegantly crossing one knee over the other, ready to start his explanation. “So, the main goal here is to prevent you,” he pointed to Xiao, “and you,” then at Wanderer, “to hurt each other. My proposal, then, is an endurance test. Whoever lasts longer, wins. Simple as that.”

“And how exactly do you plan to test our endurance? Making us run around the house?” Wanderer mumbled, supporting his head on his hand as he looked at Albedo.

“By tickling you,” Albedo said with a smile, contrasting the unsettled faces of the other three. “Whoever takes the longest time to yield, wins.”

It didn’t take long for a pink hue to cover everyone’s faces. While Aether’s eyes widened and his whole body tensed up with a shiver running up his spine, Wanderer looked away, trying to hide his blushing cheeks by pretending to cringe at the idea. Meanwhile, Xiao fiddled in his seat, trying to find courage to face such a trial while telling himself that ‘it was for Aether’.

And, just like that, no one dared to object to the idea - each of them with their own reasons to not do so. “It’s settled then,” Albedo said as he clapped his hands together, his eyes scanning the whole room while a subtle smirk planted itself on his lips. “Is there anyone that would like to go first?”

That question seemed to spark a whole new level of anticipation among the ‘contestants’. Eager eyes shifted back and forth between one and another, trying to read who was going to make the first move.

A sharp inhale, then, directed everyone’s attention to Wanderer. “Fine, I’ll do it. Just get over with this stupid contest already,” he groaned, throwing a deadly glare to the other three as if daring one of them to even lift a finger towards him.

And as expected, his silent threats seemed to do the trick for Aether while, as for the Yaksha, it seemed to make him hesitate - after all, he wouldn’t want to start a fight in front of the traveler again. However, during the few seconds Wanderer occupied himself with keeping an eye on them, Albedo made his move.

“AH!” Wanderer squeaked like a toy, quickly shooting his arms down and pressing them against his body as hard as he could, trying to stop Albedo’s hands from climbing his ribs any further. “Y-you- fuhuck! G-grhrr, I wihill f-fuhucking kihill you!!” He growled, leaning his head back into the chair rest, but further into Albedo’s grasp.

“You’re allowed to laugh, though. I think I forgot to mention that,” Albedo mused, his index fingers poking at different spots in Wanderer’s ribcage, prodding at the little spaces between each bone in search for a sensitive spot that would make him crack. “Just say ‘yellow’ when you can’t take it anymore and I’ll stop, ok? That’s also what will count as ‘yield’.”

“I d-dohon’t need a fu- pfft, d-damn it! A sahahafe word! I’m n-nohot tihihicklish!”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Albedo mocked, digging into the back of Wanderer’s ribs with his thumb. Getting behind him was proving to be awfully convenient for him, he thought while making little notes in his head about Wanderer’s ticklish spots.

It was a sight to behold, from Aether’s and Xiao’s point of view. Albedo made touching someone like Wanderer seem easy, even casual, completely tickling his way through the threats and curses. 

“You’re pretty ticklish here, right?”

“N-NOhohoh!! G-gehehet off, ahAHAH!!” 

If it weren’t for the fact that they were up next in the line to get that treatment, it would be a pretty amusing scene to watch. As expected of Albedo, it seemed that every tweak of his fingers, every poke and every stroke were planned, calculated. Wanderer didn’t stand a chance as no matter what direction he arched or twisted his body, Albedo would already have his hands ready to welcome him with more tickles there. “Yohohou jehEHEHerk!! It tihihickles!”

Albedo simply scoffed a laugh and continued with the ‘contest’s trial’, his digits kneading at Wanderer’s lowest set of ribs. “Of course it does, that’s my goal.” 

But despite how hard he tried to make it tickle or how bad Wanderer claimed it to be, he was still not yielding - which meant it wasn’t time for Albedo to stop or let him go yet. A small pout took place in his lips while he pondered if he should try a different spot or, maybe, look around Aether’s place for a quill or a brush?

Then, feeling the gazes of his audience upon him and the current contestant, a different idea popped up in Albedo’s mind. Right, why didn’t he consider asking for some helping hands before?

“Would you like to join us?” Albedo suggested, cocking his head to the right while one of his hands managed to sneak under Wanderer’s arm, managing to tickle the smooth skin with the tip of his digits even with Wanderer clasping his arms down as hard as he possibly could. “Oh, did I hit a good spot?” He mused, looking down to the one squirming in his grip.

“NOHohohoh!! I-it’s ahAHAHahwful!!” Wanderer whined, his feet kicking up as he threw himself back in his seat, hoping to make Albedo lose contact with him, even if it was just for a split of a second. 

Back to the other two, they pondered about Albedo’s offer - after all, that seemed to be a double edged knife: if they did join, that meant Wanderer would also get to join when it was their turn to get tickled? But wouldn’t that also mean they had the chance to make him surrender faster? Well, it was worth the shot, Xiao thought, while Aether only considered that it would make things more fun - and that should be enough to outweigh the cons. 

Wanderer - too busy laughing and squirming in his seat, trying to fend off Albedo’s skilful fingers - barely noticed the two figures walking towards him. Not only that, but it wasn’t like any other sound besides his giggles could make it out of his mouth at that time.

All he could pay attention to was Albedo’s fingers trying to move and wiggle their way further up his torso, still managing to tickle him under his arms even when he tried so hard to protect that spot. Each move sent that awful signal that made him want to smile and laugh through his nerves and straight into his brain, over and over. 

He wasn’t even human, so why was he so sensitive?

Suddenly, that and other inquiries that crossed his mind lost all the room they had inside Wanderer’s mind. With his eyes still pressed shut, he could only feel - as focused for a brief moment - that Albedo’s hands managed to… multiply? Wait, that didn’t make any sense. If he was tickling his armpits, then who the hell was holding him down by his waist?

Oh.

“W-wahahait!! I didn’t sahahay you’d gehehet to join!” Wanderer whined, pulling his knees up close to his stomach as his in a vain attempt of stopping Aether from joining in. “GeEHEhet ahaway frohohom me!!”

“Stop squirming,” Xiao groaned coldly, grabbing one of his ankles and forcing him to stretch out his leg, “Albedo said we could join. You weren’t already thinking of yielding, were you?”

“Don’t be mean to him, Xiao,” Aether said, but didn’t complain about the extra room Xiao provided him. His fingers roamed freely, wiggling over Wanderer’s lower sides and stomach.

“YOHOHOU!! AHahAHaha, y-you suhuhuck!” Wanderer laughed, scrunching up his shoulders and thrashing his head left and right.

Albedo tickling his armpits and ribs from behind, Aether playing with his middle like an instrument and that stupid Yaksha holding his legs down. This couldn’t possibly have gone any worse, Wanderer thought while a wide, careless smile bloomed into his face.

“Tickle tickle tickle! ~” Aether cooed, repetitively poking Wanderer around his navel, circling his stomach and even going down to tease his sides as well. “I think I’m better than Albedo at tickling you, won’t you agree?”

“That’s bold coming from you, traveler,” Albedo snapped back, “I would say he is barely feeling your hands.”

It was hard to even process what was happening around him. Wanderer’s body mostly moved out of reflex, barely having room to ponder about his actions. He arched his back, tried to kick his feet up and even twist his torso, swatting his hands at any ‘threat’ within his reach. “S-stohohop it!! Y-yohou ahHAHare all s-so- aHAHaha, so l-lahahame!”

If this was how things went, Wanderer could probably achieve a decent score with much effort. However, there was a missing piece that he failed to notice: Xiao. The Yaksha, while keeping Wanderer’s legs held down, watched the whole scene carefully and plotted his strategy - the main goal was to defeat him, after all. Why show him any mercy?

“I tohohold you to stahAHAHAH!!”

Aether and Albedo widened their eyes as his laughter soon rose a pitch. Maybe even two. To their surprise, the ‘best tickler’ wasn’t Aether nor Albedo, but Xiao. “This is the weak spot,” Xiao muttered, his eyes coldly staring at Wanderer’s laughing face. He kept one of his legs outstretched while, with his free hand, he squeezed the spot just above Wanderer’s knee, sending him into hysterics.

Simple. Effective. Even a bit cruel, if you asked Wanderer. The tickling from Albedo and Aether even slowed down a bit, but Wanderer’s laugh only seemed to grow more and more frantic.

“NOHOHOH MOHOHOREHEH!! AHAHAhah, f-fiHIHIHINE! AHAH ~” He whined, desperately trying to pull his leg out of Xiao’s grip, “Y-YEHEHEHELLOW!! StahAHAH-”

Clap.

Xiao lifted his eyes from Wanderer’s to Albedo’s face. The alchemist had a pleased smile on his face while holding his hand out in front of his chest. 

“A-ahah… ah… y-you freheheak…” Wanderer cursed through tired giggles, his body going limp on top of his seat. His disheveled hair sticking to his forehead while his chest waved, trying to catch up his breath.

“Well, that wraps up our first round,” Albedo explained.

A cocky smirk took place in Xiao’s lips as he looked down at his main opponent, almost as if mocking him. Meanwhile, Aether’s eyes opened wide, beaming with excitement and anticipation - as that was probably what would wait for him. “H-how long was it, ‘Bedo?”

“I can’t say it yet, traveler,” he chuckled, “I don’t want anyone trying to push themselves beyond their limit just because of a silly game. So, let’s just stick with the rules for now, yes?” With that said, Albedo slowly walked around the chair, letting Wanderer rest while looking at Xiao and Aether, “should I decide who is going next, now?”

If it weren’t for Wanderer’s heavy breathing, the room would have been engulfed by silence again. However, just as Albedo was about to say something else, his attention shifted from the pair of “upcoming contestants” to the one next him. “Wanderer, what are you-”

“The Yaksha is going next,” Wanderer said as he got up, walking towards Xiao with bloodlust in his eyes. Did he really remember the goal of this contest was to not use violence?! “Come here!”

“G-get away from me!” Xiao groaned, trying to step back just to be tackled down into the soft carpet. Before Aether or Albedo could express their concern, Wanderer was already… tickling him. “S-stohop it! I dohon’t want y-you to doho it!” Xiao whined, kicking up his feet and swatting his hands at Wanderer's in a rather careless manner - it was not like he would bother himself with trying to not hurt him by accident.

Wanderer, with a wicked grin spreading over his face, continued to knead into Xiao's sides, determined to break him into laughter as soon as possible. “What do you mean? You wanted someone else to tickle you, you freak?” He mocked, pushing his hands away before dig into his lower stomach.

“S-shuhut it!! This ihihis nohohothing!” Xiao laughed out loud, caught off guard by the sudden change of spots. A faint blush began to spread over his face as he realized Aether had been watching him all this time. “I c-cahan tahahake it,” he boasted, almost as if trying to impress the traveler.

Wanderer, however, wasn't going to let that slide off easily - he was also one of the contestants, after all. “Suit yourself, Yaksha,” he muttered, half annoyed by Xiao's stubbornness, half amused by the whole situation.

Xiao was fighting not only one battle, but two. One to restrain himself from laughing, to make that revengeful tickling a bit more bearable and last the longest among them - or, at least, longer than Wanderer. The second was to maintain a collected image in front of Aether - the one he was ‘fighting’ for. It was just a childish, stupid game, not something that could beat a Yaksha. It was just tickling - he could, and would, take it, yes. 

“I-ihihit’s useless!” Xiao mumbled through gritted teeth, trying to mock Wanderer’s attempts to crack him up. “Yohohou are teheherrible at this!”

And as much as he would hate to admit, seeing Xiao taking it so well was starting to get on Wanderer's nerves. He tried tickling his sides and ribs, scratching his stomach and even pinch his waist, but couldn’t find a spot that really worked: all he could get from Xiao was those quiet, annoyed chuckles. “It doesn’t sound like you agree with that, Yaksha.”

“Are they always this competitive?” Albedo muttered to Aether with a surprised smile on his face, unable to do anything but be amused by the whole scene. “I didn’t expect they would take it so seriously.”

“W-well, they never hung together before,” Aether chirped, scratching the back of his head in surprise. At least no one was getting hurt and they were… enjoying themselves? Having fun? Something like that, he thought. “But I think it’s a good thing they… are sort of getting alo-”

“Hey, you two,” Wanderer groaned with a frown, “aren’t you going to help me as well? Or did you suddenly decide to not get involved?”

“H-hah, I knehehew you cohohouldn’t do it b-by yohohourself,” Xiao taunted again, a confident smirk taking space in his lips amidst the restrained giggles. He, however, kept a tight grip around Wanderer’s wrists, limiting a good amount of his moves. “You ahahare not up fohor the tahask!”

“Shut it, Yaksha,” Wanderer groaned, growing frustrated. He moved his head left and right, switching his attention between Xiao and the other duo, “I’ll make you eat your words, j-just you- ugh, let go,” he hissed, yanking his hands out of Xiao’s wrists before latching them at his sides again, making the latter arch his back and kick his feet as a loud fit of laughter nearly broke through his throat.

Aether and Albedo couldn’t help but to snicker at the scene. Nodding as if in some kind of silent agreement, they decided to join Wanderer’s efforts in making Xiao laugh. 

Albedo first positioned himself behind Wanderer’s, further restraining Xiao’s legs. Despite the whines and protests, he managed to pull off one of his boots and pin his leg into the soft mattress to scribble over the socked sole with his free hand. Albedo’s fingers wiggled upwards, stroking from Xiao’s heel up to his toes.

As for Aether, he took upon himself the task to take care of Xiao’s hands, taking a seat right next to the Yaksha’s head and allowing him to use his lap as a pillow. With a bit of Wanderer’s aid, he managed to pull Xiao’s hands up, exposing more of his torso for Wanderer’s merciless tickles. For some reason, having Aether holding his wrists down was flustering him the most among everything that was happening around him. 

With the ticklish feeling running back and forth all over his body, Xiao thrashed his head, pressing it further into Aether’s lap as he laughed brightly. His free leg kicked and his back arched - his defenses had, indeed, crumbled. Still, the whole point wasn’t to make him laugh, but to make him surrender.

“T-thahAHAH- that’s unfahAHAhair!!” Xiao laughed, a faint red shade covering the whole extent of his cheeks. “L-lehehet go, trahAHAhaveler!” He pleaded, his hands clenched into fists while he desperately tried to pull down his arms, only to have Aether stopping him midway and pinned down again

“Not so cocky now, eh?” Wanderer grinned, his fingers digging into the side of Xiao’s ribs while his thumbs prodded at the spot below his chest, determined to find that spot, that sweet spot that would make Xiao apologize for nagging him. “Tsk, just yield already, stubborn Yaksha,” Wanderer groaned, quickly shooting his hands down to pinch Xiao’s sides, “you are clearly at your limit.”

“It would be wise to not push you to your limits, Xiao,” Albedo said, barely bothering himself to look back at the whole scene as he was too entertained with Xiao’s foot trying to squirm away from his fingers. “If you feel like it, just say the word.”

“I’m doHOHOhon’t neh-HEHEHEH NEEHEHED IT!”

The three sighed, something giving them the feeling that Xiao would rather have his brain melted by the laughter than admit defeat. “Oh, Xiao, why are you always so stubborn?” Aether chuckled, his fingers itching to do a bit more than just holding Xiao down… but, if he were to join, he should pick a good spot - but where?

His eyes roamed from Xiao’s flushed cheeks down to his neck, then up to his ears and to his arms, which were held up next to his head. Oh. Aether smirked, letting go of one of Xiao’s hands and reaching out for his exposed underarm, clawing at it with his free hand. “Come on, Xiao ~ I know it tickles too bad, even for you ~”

Just as expected, Xiao bursted into a louder fit of laughter as soon as Aether joined the efforts into cracking him up. The Yaksha’s banged his free hand against the soft mat underneath him, clenching it into a fist. 

His cheeks and the sides of stomach were hurting from laughing so much and he couldn’t even make some meaning out of the conversation that was happening around him. It tickled so, so bad… Xiao pressed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the tickling, but each second of that electric feeling running all over his body felt an eternity. He couldn’t take it.

“AHAHAHAH, YEHEHELLOW!! YehEHEHEllow, plehehease!!” Xiao barked out among his cackles, turning his laughing face to the side and trying to bury it into Aether’s legs to hide his blushing cheeks. It took his brain some solid seconds to process that the tickling was over and, after all that “torment”, he was free.

“H-hehe, are you ok, Xiao?” Aether hummed, brushing his hand through Xiao’s head and wiping out the little tears that clung to the corner of his eyes.

“Tsk”, Wanderer pouted, totally not jealous of the little aftercare the Yaksha was receiving, “it’s just tickling. What kind of warrior would he be if he can’t take it?”

Albedo chuckled, but spared Wanderer of the reminder that he was the one laughing his head off just moments ago. “Don’t be mean, he did a pretty good job at this round,” he added, sliding off Xiao’s legs, “now… there is only one contestant left, right?”

That comment seemed to switch something inside Wanderer and Xiao’s heads. While Albedo displayed a playful smile, the other two locked their gazes into Aether’s face, one from below and the other in front of him, the latter just a half-a-Xiao away. “A-ahm… wait a second, I-”

“You’re not going back on your word, right?” Wanderer said with a smirk on his lips, already moving off of Xiao’s lap. Before Aether could even think of arguing back, the Yaksha was already sitting back up, staring at him with his golden eyes.

Aether swallowed, already accepting that there would be no way out for him this time. “F-fine, you cahAHA! W-wahahait a second, Xiao!”

“No,” Xiao muttered in a quiet, almost serious voice tone while he shyly pawed at Aether’s exposed sides, kneading into any patch of skin he could reach. 

Truth to be told, Aether would have to deal with both him and Wanderer tickling him from the start if it weren’t for the way Xiao looked at the other two - like a wild animal fighting for its territory. Still, Aether was too busy laughing and trying to defend himself to notice those bits of possessive behavior. “You shouldn’t have agreed to this, traveler,” Xiao hummed, his words as firm as you’d expect from a warrior, but still… gentle somehow. “You’re too ticklish for it, it’s unwise.”

“I wahahanted to try!” Aether giggled, letting himself be handled by the Yaksha and comfortably placed on Xiao’s lap. With one arm around his back, Xiao continued to tickle Aether, smiling fondly as he managed to hang this close to the traveler. “X-Xiahahao,” Aether whimpered, scrunching up his shoulder, “n-not my ehehehar!”

“But I’m not tickling you there, I’m just breathing,” Xiao chuckled, his fingers dancing around Aether’s stomach while he nuzzled his face against the side of Aether’s neck, “I told you, you’re too ticklish for this contest.”

While Xiao insisted on teaching and lecturing Aether about the sensitive spots in his body, Wanderer and Albedo exchanged glances, watching from afar as Aether laughed out brightly. “Doesn’t this count as going too easy on him?” Wanderer pouted, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he sulked against the couch.

“Let him have it,” Albedo sighed with a slight chuckle, “and I’m not talking about the traveler,” he added quietly, making Wanderer arch one of his eyebrows. Well, at least someone in the room knew how to read in between the lines, after all. “Besides, don’t you think you’re taking this competition a little too seriously?”

“What?” Wanderer huffed, entertaining himself with the conversation while Aether’s laughter grew in the background, “do you expect me to compete for the second place? Someone needs to teach that Yaksha his place.”

Albedo laughed, covering his lips with the back of his hand in a charming manner. “Well, if you say so,” he shook his head, returning his attention to Aether - who was already blushing from laughing. For some reason, Xiao was also blushing just as much, if not more, while tickling the traveler.

“Xiahahahao, n-not thehehere!” Aether giggled, tugging at Xiao’s wrists and leaning his head back into Xiao’s shoulder while Xiao pinched and squeezed his waist, prodding at the soft spots just above his hip bones. “I-it tihihihickles too bahahahad!” 

“I-it’s supposed to,” Xiao nodded, resting his chin by the side of Aether’s neck and allowing him to sink deeper into his embrace, “but you’re d-doing quite well, traveler. I expected you to tap out much faster than thi-”

“It’s because you’re going too easy on him,” Wanderer interrupted with a smirk, pushing himself back up into his feet and walking towards the little couple duo. Xiao frowned, too greedy to share his precious traveler with that… guy.

“I know how he likes it,” Xiao snapped, making Aether groan in embarrassment. Did he really need to say that out loud, the traveler thought, but didn’t voice it. “Unlike you, it seems.”

However, against what he expected, Wanderer chuckled at his snark. He shook his head and clicked his lips, almost as if spotting a fatal flaw in Xiao’s method. “That’s the problem. He shouldn’t like it, right? He needs to beg!”

“AHAHAH!!”

Xiao widened his eyes as Aether bursted out in a loud, unrestrained fit of laughter - and only then he realized the traveler was only giggling all this time, and not laughing for real. “He is pretty ticklish all over, all somewhat the same,” Wanderer scoffed, pushing his hands under Aether's arms and clawing at his ribs and the sides of his chest, “you need to go harder or you’re not going to make any progress.”

As much as he hated to admit, Xiao couldn’t deny that Wanderer seem to be… right. Could he actually have been going easy on Aether all this time without notice?

Despite the little bickering happening around him, Aether could only mind the fact that it tickled. Xiao’s gentle, playfully tickles around his stomach and hips made him feel lighthearted, made his heart flutter. Meanwhile, the restless, almost maniac-like touches from Wanderer’s fingers around his ribs made his head spin and even made his chest hurt a little from the lack of air. “A-AHAHAHALBEDO,” Aether cried out, pressing his arms down against his sides as he tried to protect his vulnerable torso from the tickles that seemed to come from all sides, “HEHEHELP MEHEHE! AHAHA!!”

“I can’t,” the alchemist said from the distance, his voice barely audible among the loud cackling, “you didn’t say it yet.”

Right, the word. That word. Aether shook his head, gritting his teeth as he tried to gather strength to say it. “Y-YEHEHE- AHAHAH!! Y-yehehell- hhahAHAH, I CAHAHAN’T!”

“Come on,” Wanderer mocked, “it’s a simple word, how come you can’t do it?”

“I’M TRYHIHING! AHAHAH, PLEHEHEASE!” He whined, shaking his head while tears of mirth clung to his lashes, “Y-YELLOW! YEHEHEHELLOW!”

Wanderer grinned triumphantly and Albedo sighed in relief, but Xiao pouted slightly, feeling like his fun was ruined by that other guy - even though he was still glad he managed to have Aether for himself, even if for just a bit.  

“A-ahahah… o-oh my…” Aether giggled, nearly melting over Xiao as the tickling finally came to halt. His head was spinning and he could swear he almost ascended to Celestia right there and then. “T-thihis was fun, heh…”

“It’s not supposed to be fun, it’s a competition,” Wanderer corrected him, that self-assigned superiority back in his eyes. “Now, alchemist, who wo-”

“Wait,” Aether stopped, shaking his head as if to force himself to recover, “it’s not over yet,” he smiled, taking one last gasp of air to stead his breath. “It’s Albedo’s turn now.”

“What?” Albedo blinked in confusion, pointing to himself with one of his hands as if to emphasize his shock. “But I’m not participating,” he said while letting out a small giggle, trying to hide his nervousness.

“How come?” Wanderer added, reading through Aether’s intentions and deciding to encourage them for once, “it’s only fair you get a turn too, this was all your idea, after all.”

Albedo’s eyebrow twitched slightly while his body leaned back into the couch, the apprehension growing within his chest. “M-my idea to solve your conflicts, I’m not part of the deal. W-what would I even win by beating you?”

“That’s up for you to decide,” Xiao added, standing up again before helping Aether to get back into his feet, “but I agree you should participate.”

Aether looked at Wanderer, at his right, and then at Xiao, at his left. He didn’t expect them to join or support his plan - he only wanted an excuse to tickle Albedo, after all - but this whole ‘contest’ thing seemed to, indeed, have made them closer. “Get ready, ‘Bedo! ~”

“A-Aether!” Albedo gasped, trying to get up in a hurry to evade Aether, but only managing to get a few meters away from the couch before being tackled down by the traveler. “S-stohop!”

“I didn’t even start,” Aether laughed, straddling Albedo’s back before starting to tickle his sides and lower ribs. “Show them how it’s done, ‘Bedo!”

Damn it. Of all the things that could’ve happened, a turn of tables against him - with even Xiao and Wanderer fighting on the same side - was the last one Albedo expected. “Nohoho! I dohohon’t wahahant to pahaharticipate!”

Aether smirked, shaking his head, “too late for that! But don’t worry, I’m rooting for you,” he said, letting out a short giggle while trying to move his fingers towards Albedo’s armpits - an attempt the alchemist promptly blocked, stopping to flail his arms and using them to try to protect his body instead. “You two,” Aether called out, looking over his shoulder, “aren’t you going to join?”

Xiao and Wanderer nodded, walking towards where Albedo had been restrained, “of course, he is the ‘most promising contestant’, after all, “Wanderer commented sarcastically.

“W-wahahait! Yellow! I-I quihihit!”

“That’s not acceptable,” Xiao added in a cold voice tone despite the warm, playful smile on his face, “you’re clearly not being fair with us. You should always give it your all, no matter the circumstances.”

“Nohoho! W-what ahahre you two doin- aHAHAH! H-hehehey, lehehet me go! ~” Albedo laughed, feeling some more weight against his legs before the new sets of fingers began to roam and tickle any spot they could find around his legs. If they were already so determined to tickle him, Albedo didn’t even want to imagine how they would react when they found out that there was no true winner - after all, he had never timed their turns to begin with.

"It was a good dream..." Aether's eyes found their way to the ground. "It's just..."

"You weren't ready to wake up..." The adeptus smiled gently when Aether nodded in response, gesturing for him to sit down next to her, to which he obliged.

Cloud Retainer's gaze lowered in thought. She had little expertise in comforting others. Just before her mind went blank, a memory crossed her mind. After some careful consideration, she decided that it was worth a shot.

"You know..." Aether's head lifted upon hearing the adeptus' voice. "One remembers when Ganyu and Shenhe were mere children. When they would cry, one would often find a particular method which would end their sorrows... Perhaps one may provide some comfort to you in this time of uncertainty?"

Aether smiled softly and nodded, wiping the last tears from his face, giving her the go ahead.

Cloud Retainer cleared her throat. "Ah, this method requires a closer proximity. Would you come closer?"

Aether nodded and scooched up closer to her. The adeptus gently repositioned him so the boy's back faced her.

In all honesty, Cloud Retainer was a little uncertain. She hadn't used this method in many years. However, the Traveler needed her comfort right now, and she was going to bring it to him.

In a gentle manner, Xianyun carefully wrapped her arms around Aether from behind.

"If you wish for one to stop, simply say the word..." She spoke gently in his ear.

Aether nodded in understanding, but gasped as he felt Cloud Retainer's fingers gently skitter across his midsection.

"Ahaha- hehehey!" Aether immediately burst into giggles, and squirmed in Xianyun's grip. "Whahahaha-"

"One found this method to be quite effective on Ganyu and Shenhe when they were young. One sure does hope one has not gone rusty." The adeptus smiled as she picked up her pace on Aether's tummy, focusing on his navel area which was oh so conveniently exposed.

Aether arched his back and squealed before leaning back into Xianyun, resting his head on her chest, laughing freely.

Cloud Retainer smiled as she looked down at the boy's grinning face, happy to see no sign of discomfort from him. Wiggling her fingers on the way, she moved her tickly hands up into Aether's underarms.

The blond's laughter rose a pitch as he cackled. "NAHahaha noHOT thEheREhe! Plehehehease-"

"Hmm..." Cloud Retainer pondered as her nails gently scribbled into the hollows of Aether's underarms. "Are you feeling better?"

Howling with laughter, Aether nodded as he kicked his legs like a schoolgirl.

Halting her tickly assault, Xianyun peered at the boy's face. It was pink, with a residual grin. "Are you alright?" She smiled gently as she turned Aether around to face her.

After the leftover giggles ended, the traveller looked up at the adeptus and nodded. "I am... Thank you."

"Good. One would feel quite awkward if one's method had failed." Cloud Retainer sighed with a smile.

The adeptus gently placed a hand on Aether's head. "One is glad to see that one's skills have not gone rusty. It would be most unacceptable if one of my young ones were to be left alone in their sorrows."

"So, what trouble did you get into to make Mr. Nice Guy attack you, huh?" The Harbinger asked right before blowing a raspberry on his sibling's neck. "EHEHEK!! Nothihing... he was just beheing a meanie..!" The kid whined, still laughing from all the tickles he had received. "Ooohh is that so?" The taller guy asked with a glint of mischief in his eyes that made Aether shiver as if he was in Snezhnaya.

Teucer nodded quickly while his brother put him down and marched towards the blond, who was so antsy that couldn't even get up. Childe pinned him down easily, so easily that it was a shame it didn't count as a real fight, and told the kid to get closer. "Now Teucer, what about if we take a little revenge on this meanie?" He grinned evilly, even though his expression softened when he saw his brother's eyes sparkling with playfulness and joy.

He made the child straddle the Traveler, who had already a giddy smile plastered all over his face in anticipation. "Hmmmm... where to start..." he asked himself while poking all over Aether's torso "I know! Teucer, wiggle your fingers on the crook of his elbows... yeah, like that- no wait, a bit softer... that's it." The Traveler was giggling already, knowing what his... let's say frenemy was planning.

Following Tartaglia's instructions, the little redhead started slowly dragging his fingers down, towards the underarms, laughing a bit when he heard the guy under him squeak. The amber-eyed guy, on the other hand, couldn't keep his laughter in at all. As soon as the child reached his armpits, the dam broke.

"Nahahahaha Teheuceheher wahahaihit!! Pleheheahase behehehe nihihihhice..!" Aether's high-pitched laughing echoed on the mountain. "But if you're laughing, it means you're enjoying it, right? That's what you told me earlier." The kid smiled innocently, to the point that Childe didn't know if it was supposed to be a comeback or just a consideration, but given how much the blond was blushing, he was proud nonetheless.

"You're absolutely right, and look, he's blushing..." the taller guy cooed in fake sympathy "Even his ears are getting red! Listen to me, try to massage the lobes with your fingers and scratch behind the ears as if he was a little kitten." The Harbinger gave more evil instructions, which the child executed immediately, laughing at how Aether was trying to scrunch his shoulders.

"That's it, now switch between his ears and neck, and if you want you can go back to the underarms. Just do whatever you want." Childe smiled lovingly at his brother, who was having the time of his life being on the giving end for once.

The guys found out that Teucer was unexpectedly mean. He switched quickly between the spots to not let the Traveler get used to the sensation, made him scrunch one side of his neck to attack the exposed one... and the list went on. It seemed like he had gotten his brother's genes after all. They went on for five minutes, until the older brother had another idea. "Teucer, do you know how many ribs we have?"

The kid knew the answer, since all his brothers had played that game with him at least once. "Twenty-four!!" He exclaimed with a big smile on his face... only to be corrected by the older redhead. "Nuh uh, it's thirty, fifteen on every side." He said casually, as if he wasn't planning on pulling one of the meanest tricks ever. "Just count them and you'll see I'm right. But take your time, you don't wanna lose count, do you?"

Had Teucer understood the plan and was playing along? Probably, but no one will ever know. What's certain is that he started immediately. "One... two... three..." He went agonizingly slow, so much that the blond arched his back and bucked his hips reflexively, almost making the kid fall.

"Woah!" The little boy managed to keep himself steady "Brother... I think I've lost count. Can I restart?" He asked, making Childe snort and Aether shiver again. "Of course you can, we have all the time in the world..." The older one replied, lowering his head to whisper something into the other guy's ear.

"If he falls, you're gonna regret it." He simply said, making him stop squirming, although not completely (that was basically impossible), while the kid resumed his important task with extreme precision.

"...and twenty-four. I was right hehehe" Teucer said with a triumphant expression while scribbling again under the Traveler's underarms "You're so silly, brother" He taunted. "What..? It can't be... impossible!" The Fatui member exclaimed with a fake dramatic tone. "I think you should count them all over again, just to be sure." He stated, which made Aether squawk.

"Nohohoho dohohon't lihihistehen toho yohohohour brohohotheher!!" The amber-eyed guy begged, but Childe gasped feigning disdain. "Don't listen to your brother?! What kind of advice is that? Who should he listen to, hm? To the evil man who called Mr. Cyclops a killing machine? And to think that I left him under your responsibility... you need to be taught a lesson." He decided. The blond gulped between his giggles, Tartaglia's tone was way too ominous for his own liking.

"Teucer, this is gonna be the final blow to complete our revenge, so let's make it memorable. Watch closely what I'm doing." The Hydro holder moved Aether's arms under his knees and unleashed a merciless attack on the latter's tummy and sides, which were unfortunately his death spots and, more unfortunately, perfectly exposed. He poked and scribbled on the tummy, squeezed and kneaded his sides, pinched lightly his lower tummy and repeated the cycle irregularly to keep the blond on his toes.

"NONONOHOHOHOHO HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA PLEHEAHAHAHSE NAHAHAHAHAT THEHEHEREEE" The shorter guy went berserk, but tried his best to not buck the little boy off, not wanting to find out if Childe's threat was true or just a bluff.

However, things got even worse when another pair of hands joined the fun, trying to imitate the Harbinger. Twenty fingers on his death spot? Aether howled. "NAHAHAHAHAT THIHIHIHIS!! OHOHOH AHAHARCHOHONS!!" The Harbinger laughed wholeheartedly, and got another idea. "Now repeat after me, tickle tickle tickle..." He told his brother, who repeated it quickly. The two brothers kept saying it, making the blond become crimson red from his neck to the tip of his ears. "PLEHEHEAHAHAHAHASEHE NAHAHAT THIHIHIHIHIS!!"

"Not this? But it can't be that bad..." Tartaglia pondered "Imagine if someone were to find out that your giggle button is super effective... now that would be bad." He didn't even need to look at his little brother to make him get the hint. By the end of his sentence, Teucer had already dipped a finger in Aether's belly button, wiggling it and moving it up and down as if he was pressing a little button.

"TEHEHEHEUCEHEHER THIHIHIS IHIHIHIS NAHAHAHAT NIHIHICEHEHEHE!! YOHOHOUHUHU MEHEHEAHAHANIEHEHEHE!!" The shorter guy screamed, a tear running down his face, which was as red as a tomato. Seeing that, Childe understood that it was time to stop, but there was one last thing he wanted to teach to his little sibling.

"Now, for the grand finale..." He said theatrically "We're gonna use the ultimate weapon, feared even by the best and bravest employees of the toy factory!" He announced, making Teucer even more excited. "Now put your lips on his giggle button and blow like I do on your neck." He said.

The little redhead quickly obliged, but he'd never blown a raspberry, so it took him a few attempts to get it right, much to Aether's dismay, since the first little blows were already enough to make him jump and squeal. "Nonononohoho EEK!! Teuhuceher ple- EEK!! Pleheahahase dohohon't... EEP!! Ihihit's gohonna behehe so ba- WAAAAAAHAHAHAHA NOHOHOHO IHIHIHI GIHIHIVEHEHE!! YOHOHOHOU WIHIHIHIN!!" He surrendered, feeling his stamina reach its limit.

The two brother let him go and waited for him to recover. "Look brother! Mr. Nice Guy's got the giggles!" The little kid cackled while the shorter guy was getting rid of the remaining tingly feeling after the mean attack. In the meanwhile, Tartaglia laid next to him on the grass and put his brother on top of him, to make his head rest on his chest.

"So," Aether spoke after regaining his breath "did you have fun, Teucer?" No one replied. "Teucer? Are you lis-" When the blond turned around, he found the child fast asleep on his brother's chest, looking peaceful and cozy.

"Poor kid, that tickle attack must have tired him out..." Childe said, as if Teucer had been the victim, earning a deadpanned look from the Traveler. "Anyway, I have work to do, so please let him sleep with you." The Harbinger asked while trying to get up, but when he tried to pass his sleeping brother to the shorter guy, the child wrapped his arms around his neck and whined in his sleep.

“No, no! I’m fine. Just let me help.” Aether insisted as his sister groaned, exasperated. It had been going back and forth and back and forth like this for almost an hour and Lumine had enough of it.

“Fine? You’ve been sneezing over and over again!”

“Lumine, you don’t have worry. I really am- ah—choo!” Aether stopped, his sneeze interrupting him and he stayed silent at Lumine’s disapproving look.

“Aether. Bed. Now.” Lumine glared down at her brother, watching him swallow hard. He nodded as a bead of sweat glided down his forehead.

“Yes ma’am.” Aether muttered without a second thought, scurrying to the teapot because everyone, including Lumine, knows Angry Lumine is not someone to mess with.

Lumine sighed contently, as she began to make the meal for them.

——

“Ah, finally. I’m done. Now, I should get this meal to Aether.” It had been a couple hours since her brother had been sent to bed but Lumine had finally finished dinner.

She entered the teapot, making her way to Aether’s room in the mansion. She knocked on the door, once then twice but heard no answer. She took this as a sign that her brother was asleep so she quietly let herself in.

She sighed when he realized she was not asleep, though, but just pouting.

“Aether, you’re not mad at me, are you?” He didn’t even look at her, pretending as if he didn’t hear her. “I made dinner. Do you want it?” No response.

“Well, since you don’t seem to want it… I guess I could just throw it out.” She said, turning to walk from the door, hiding a knowing smirk on her face. She distantly heard Paimon in her head shout indignantly at her later. “… or give it to Paimon.”

“W-wait!” Aether shouted, his voice slightly raspy. His sister turned back to look at him, a smirk on her face. It almost made Aether want to tell her never mind. But he knew nothing good would come out of that and he would just be hungry.

“Yes?”

“I’m.. a little hungry.” Aether admitted, shyly and Lumine laughed.

“You could’ve just said so then!” She said, innocently handing her his plate to which he scarfed down almost immediately, almost surprising her. “Now, do you mind telling me why you were upset?”

Aether looked at her with no particular expression on his face as he took another bite. She couldn’t tell if it was just her or if Aether was chewing more obnoxiously than usual. She sat down on the bed with him, waiting for him to finish the food.

When he did, she spoke up again. “Aether?” Aether was ever the stubborn one— he always had been between the two of them, so it wasn’t unusual that he just crossed his arms and continued his brooding from before she entered the room. “Should I cheer you up?”

It was mostly to herself, like a rhetorical question somewhat. Aether was obviously upset about being bedridden, so it was up to her, as the amazing twin sister, to cheer him up, right?

When she didn’t get a response from Aether, who had resorted to giving her the silent treatment, she opened her mouth to speak once again. “I know how to cheer you up..!”

“…How?” Yes, she got his attention! All that was next was to go through with her idea.

“Close your eyes and I’ll show you.” She smiled. Aether shot her a suspicious look, but after jesus rating, he did what she asked. Immediately, her hands moved to his tummy as he flinched at the contact.

She slowly, in a rubbing sort of way, tickled his tummy. It caught Aether off-guard, but he didn’t seem to be against it. It fact, it seemed he might have even been leaning into the touch.

“Ehehehe, Luhuhumine? Whahat are y-youhuhu doing?” He giggled, shyly.

“Cheering you up, of course!” She replied, instantly. She skittered his fingers to his sides, a few more raspy giggles bubbling up.

“Ohohohokahahay.” Was all Aether said, telling her that he was actually fine with this. To keep going, she brought her other hand to his waist, rubbing his tummy.

It wasn’t the first time she had tickled him, and it usually was more of a tickle attack, but she figured light and gentle tickles were the way to go. Especially if he were sick.

“Hehehe, ihihit tihihitckles!” His soft squeals were enough to make Lumine melt. But no, she had to keep her composure! She couldn’t stop until her brother was all happy again!

“Of course it does, silly!” Lumine laughed, scratching under his chin. A few shocked gasps left his lips. He was rarely ever tickled there, but be found that it wasn’t bad at all.

“Tickle, tickle~” Lumine whispered teasingly, still tickling his side and tummy with her hands. Aether usually would move a lot more, but since he was exhausted and because the tickling wasn’t so intense, it was only squirming. In any case, he gave her a lot of access to allow tickling him.

“Hahahaha Luhuhumine!” He smiled, and it didn’t even feel so forced despite the tickling. After a few more pokes and scribbles to his side, a quick but sharp raise in his voice, she stopped tickling him.

“Have you been properly cheered up now, Aether?” She asked, already knowing the answer. Aether was more exhausted than earlier because of the tickling, so she knew she shouldn’t stay long.

Aether nodded as a response.

“I wanted to say something else,” Lumine decided, as she stood up and picked up Aether’s empty plate. “I know you’re upset because you couldn’t help much today. We all get sick, you’ve always done the same for me when I’m sick. You’ll just have to make it up to me when you’re better, alright?”

Aether visibly brightened. Huh, so it was true that he had been guilty. “Well, Ill leave you to rest now. Goodnight, Aether.”

“Goodnight, Lumine…” Aether replied, tiredly. She looked away, walking to the door. When she turned back to look at her brother one last time, his head had already hit the pillow. He had fallen asleep instantly. The tickling really did exhaust him, didn’t it?