#ticklish!wise

Wise pressed his head back, laughing his soul to heaven and back when Lighter’s hand moved down to his hips again. “LIGHTER, PLEHEHEASE!! I’M DYIHIHING HERE!!”

“That’s no way for a fighter to speak, manager, you shouldn’t yield just after a couple hits,” Lighter chuckled, his grip around Wise’s wrists tightening while the tickled moved back up to the proxy’s sides.

Wise’s feet had already kicked all the cushions off the couch in their aimless flailing and his throat was as dry as the soil near Blazewood. Wise lost count of how many times he asked ‘please’, tried to yield or to call uncle, but it was clear that none of those mattered for Lighter. He was a champion defending his title, after all, how could Wise expect any mercy from him?

Calling it “hysteria” wouldn’t make justice to the noises Lighter was drawing out of the proxy when his gloved hand decided to sneak under Wise’s shirt and tickle his bare skin. 

Lighter raised his eyebrows at the reaction, catching a few glimpses of that forced, desperate smile on Wise’s face while he prodded between each bone of Wise’s ribcage. “It sure looks like it tickles, huh? Should’ve thought twice before picking up this fight, manager ~” He teased again, trying to get some comprehensible speech out of the other, but Wise seemed just too busy to think of anything else.

Saying he wasn’t fond of Wise’s laughter, smile and blushing cheeks would be a blatant lie. A ugly, nasty lie. And could one really blame Lighter for taking the chance when Wise started to poke his sides and stomach in the middle of their movie? If that wasn’t an invitation to ‘fight’ back, then what else would it be?

“P-PLEHEHEASE!!” Wise laughed, arching his back off the couch when Lighter shoved his hand all the way up to tickle the proxy’s armpit. “J-JUST STOHOHOP!!”

“But you’re no-” Lighter stopped, snapping back from his daydreaming and spotting the last thing he wanted to see on Wise’s face: tears. “D-damn it,” he gasped, quickly letting go of Wise’s wrists, “are you ok, manager?”

This was bad, really, really bad. He got carried away, forgetting this wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Now that he thought about it, what if Wise wasn’t actually smiling just now? All that laughter was a forced reaction? One that Lighter carelessly exploited for his own amusement… My, what has he done?!

“...w-whahat?” Wise asked, taking some deep, needed breaths and letting the air back into his lungs for the first time in a while. He still had that dazzled, drunk-like look on his face, barely aware of his surroundings.

“Manager, does-” Lighter hesitated, freezing the hand that was about to reach for Wise midair. Damn it, damn it, damn it! “D-does it hurt? I didn’t- I didn’t mean to…” Of course, but what was a brute like him expecting, he thought.

This should’ve been a cute, romantic moment between couples - just like in the movie they were watching - but he ruined it and now Wise was crying!

“H-hurt?” Wise asked, slowly sitting back up and wiping the small tears of mirth off his lashes. “No, it just- just tickled. A lot, in fact, hahah,” Wise giggled, running a hand through his hair, unaware of the concern concealed behind Lighter’s glasses.

“Do sugarcoat it, manager,” Lighter furrowed his brows, taking one of Wise’s hands into his. His skin was probably sore after all the abuse from his rough hands - or, even worse, what if he broke one of Wise’s ribs while tickling him? What if all those squeezes and prods left bruises?” “I-I can help you- no, better, I can call for hel-”

“L-Lighter,” Wise giggled, stopping the other from getting up from the couch. He still found this whole situation way too amusing, even kind of cute - despite not really understanding it. “What are you talking about? I’m fine,” Wise scoffed, cocking his head to the side. 

“Your body,” Lighter’s lips quivered slightly. He settled his hands down on the couch, lowering his gaze, “did I hurt you?”

“...huh?”

“You can be honest,” Lighter sighed, his fingers clenching into a fist. “When- when we were playing now and, well, I was tickling you, was I too rough? Did it hurt?”

“What? No! Lighter, I’m fine,” Wise chuckled, reaching to cup Lighter’s cheek. He removed the other’s glasses, meeting his gaze full of worry and guilt. While this seemed like the silliest of concerns for Wise, he could tell Lighter was serious about it. Dead serious.

The man sighed, his shoulders slouching as he finally relaxed a little. “...right,” Lighter reached for one of Wise’s hands, gently holding his wrist before nuzzling into his palm. “I just got carried away and thought I… I overdid it when I saw you crying.”

Wise blushed a little, taken aback by the explanation. How should he take it? Did he look so frail that Lighter thought he could hurt him with tickling? Or was it that Lighter cared so much that even tears of laughter made him worry?

“Don’t be stupid,” Wise hissed shyly, weakly pulling at his hand only to find it stuck in Lighter’s grip - again.

“Are you mad at me?” Lighter asked and, for a moment, Wise could see dripping doggy ears on top of his head. “Let me at least make it up for you, manager!”

“L-Lighter!” Wise gasped, even more flustered at the whole scene. “I-it was just tickling, a play fight. T-there’s nothing for you to make up to… I was the one who started it anyway and-”

“Then,” Lighter interrupted, leaning a little forward and bringing Wise’s hand close to his chest, “tickle me back. We would be even then, right? I promise I won’t fight you off this time!”

Wise went silent, blinking a few times while processing Lighter’s words. He, in fact, was the one who started the said fight by tickling Lighter first, but he never really planned to win it. In fact, he knew from the start it would be a losing battle - he just didn’t expect it to be that bad of a defeat.

“T-tickle you?”

“Yes, isn’t it what you wanted? Like in the movie we were watching,” Lighter nodded, with at least a part of his usual attitude seemingly recovered. “Please, manager? You are not going to leave me hanging, right?” Lighter stared at Wise with pleading eyes, bringing his hand up to his lips and planting a kiss on his knuckles. “It’s the least I can do, no?”

Wise cringed slightly, unable to take his hand away from Lighter this time. It was a cute attitude, yes, but so uncalled for… Still, how could say no when Lighter had that look on his face? “...A-alright, I’ll do it, then.”

Nearly sparkling at the mere sound of those words, Lighter reached for Wise’s with his free hand and pulled the other back down with him. The proxy couldn’t help but let out a small gasp, his hands resting on top of Lighter’s chest as he tried to support himself.

“Don’t hold back, manager. I’m a toughie, I can take it,” Lighter nodded, watching Wise steady himself on top of his lap. He crossed both arms behind his head, rolling his shirt up and bit and exposing some of his lower stomach in the process.

It was hard for Wise to not get distracted from the main task at hand. With one hand on each side of Lighter’s chest, the proxy couldn’t help but give the muscles a gentle squeeze - feeling them with just a skin tight shirt on the way felt much better than with a heavy biker jacket.

“Oi, manager,” Lighter chuckled, “that doesn’t tickle, you know?” He joked, not that he would really mind having Wise fondling with his chest, but he wouldn’t lose the chance to tease him for that either.

“Right, tickling,” Wise muttered out loud, stopping his fingers from committing any other inappropriate act. “Where are you ticklish, Lighter?”

Of all the things that just happened, this was what seemed to puzzle Lighter the most. “Dunno,” the man sighed, looking up to the ceiling as he tried to recall the last time he felt someone touching him so lightly. “On… my neck?”

Wise frowned, unsatisfied. “Just that won’t do,” he scoffed, tracing a finger down Lighter’s torso, feeling each and every one of his muscles. His eyes shifted back and forth between the other’s body and face, carefully watching him in an attempt to capture any reaction. “Do you feel anything if I do this?”

“Not sure,” Lighter said while closing his eyes, his position barely shifting if it wasn’t for his chest waving with each breath, “try a little harder, manager.”

Those words made Wise flinch, almost as if waking something inside him. Lighter still had his eyes closed, his body open to Wise, almost as if he was just about to drift to sleep. Did he trust him that much?

Still, he was already way too into it to turn down such an opportunity. “Alright,” he said, bringing his other hand into action and getting a hold onto Lighter’s waist. Wise pinched the spot, pressing his thumbs down on the soft meat and rubbing circles into the-

“Ah!”

Wise’s head shot up, looking up from Lighter’s lower stomach to his face with widened eyes. Funny enough, Lighter seemed just as surprised, almost startled by the sudden sensation. Wise smirked.

“What about now?” He said, repeating the motion and even skittering his other fingers around Lighter’s lower sides. Wise felt that massive body shift under him and his heart skip a bit at the sound he heard next.

“I-it tihihickles,” Lighter giggled, furrowing his brows and scrunching up his nose while a restrained smile took place over his lips. Lighter pressed his chin down at his chest, his elbows faltering as his instincts yelled at him to lower his arms and stop whatever was causing this.

But he listened neither to his instincts, nor to his better judgement. “It dehehefinitely does!”

“Good,” Wise nodded, moving his hands towards each other and tickling Lighter’s stomach, watching it tremble as more and more giggles spilled from his lips. “You’re quite sensitive, Lighter.”

Yes, he was. Lighter pressed his knees together, crossed one ankle over the other behind Wise’s back and even clenched his hand around his hair. One of these things had to make that growing urge to laugh more bearable, he thought. “I knohohow!”

Wise chuckled, continuing to tickle around those toned abs while deciding where he should try next. “And not only on your neck,” he teased, poking Lighter’s ribs on each side and making the man jolt with surprise before dissolving into that soft, but held-back laughter again.

“D-do yohohou lihihike it, manahahager?” He didn’t know why he insisted on speaking - maybe it was just another attempt to distract himself. Yet, for some reason, he didn’t exactly hate that feeling - maybe because Wise was the one providing it.

“Why does it matter? You won’t become less ticklish if I say I don’t, right?”

“I cohohould try!”

The proxy rolled his eyes, drilling his fingers in the spaces between each bone of Lighter’s ribcage. Exploring a Hollow seemed easier than making this man crack up. At that point, Wise would be breathless, with his heart pumping blood at the same rate as the motor in Lighter’s motorcycle.

“It’s not fair, you’re holding back,” Wise whined, pushing one of Lighter’s elbows back to claw at the exposed armpit with the other, tickling it as best as he could, “there’s no way you are just this ticklish.”

“B-buhuhut- ahAhaha, it stihill tihihickles, mahahanager!” Lighter laughed, turning his face away to avoid Wise’s gaze upon him. He felt hot around the collar and airheaded, making it even harder to think about the right words to say. Was there anything for him to say, though? Should he even say anything?

While these thoughts spiraled inside his head, the tickling slowed down, eventually coming to a total halt. Missing that swirling sensation that came from it inside his stomach, Lighter slowly opened his eyes, turning his head back to face the proxy.

“S-satisfied already, manager?”

Wise smiled, shaking his head. “It’s no use - I can’t beat the champion, even in a tickle fight,” he said with a giggle, leaning forward until he could nuzzle his nose against Lighter’s, brushing his lips over the other man’s before giving them a small peck.

“So,” Lighter sighed, finally lowering his arms and wrapping one of them around Wise’s neck. “Does this mean you forgive me? For making you cry and all?”

“Not yet,” Wise muttered, making Lighter widen his eyes. “We have to finish this movie first”, he winked and Lighter nodded, letting out a small, shaky sigh of relief. He laid his head back, turning his attention to the TV while feeling Wise rest on top of his chest.

Wise sat once again in one of the private rooms of the café - a room whose soft lighting and plush seating felt both comforting and suspiciously inviting. He was slouched a little too casually in the armchair, scrolling through the familiar user interface and its curated selection of services the café provided for its customers, a nervous giggle escaping him.

“Can’t believe I’m back here again…” he mumbled to himself. He remembered all too well the last time he came here - how he'd ended up laughing breathlessly, reduced to a giggling mess thanks to a certain Thiren.

The memory made him squirm slightly and he groaned under his breath, cheeks turning slightly pink. Yet, despite everything, his finger hovered over that same option he had chosen the last time: Tickle Service. He hesitated for a moment, finger frozen midair, before he tapped on the button. *Tap*

The screen blinked in confirmation and the quiet chime sounded overhead to indicate his request had been received. Wise gulped and stuffed the tablet back into the armrest compartment. “Maybe I just really liked the dessert...” he muttered weakly, eyes darting to the untouched drink on the table “...or the ambience. Definitely not him... or it…”

Footsteps padded softly outside his room and before he had time to second-guess himself, the door opened and there he was: Lycaon. The Thiren stood at the entrance, arms folded across his chest and tail giving a single amused flick behind him as he made a slight bow. His wolfish smile widened when their eyes met.

“I had a feeling you’d be back, Master Proxy.” Wise’s blush deepened as he glanced away. “It’s the...uh...desserts. Can’t get 'em anywhere else.” “Is that so?” Lycaon chuckled and strode into the room, shutting the door behind him with a soft click. “Funny. You didn’t order any this time.” “Maybe I was gonna...later!” Wise said quickly, but his tone lacked conviction.

Lycaon raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Instead, he approached him slowly - each slow, deliberate step making the younger Proxy lean back slightly in his chair - before he crouched in front of Wise’s chair. The grey-haired had just placed his legs over the footstool, almost as if part of him had known what was coming (or wanted to happen).

Lycaon tapped the side of Wise’s ankle, eyes glinting. “Permission?” Wise tensed for a split second before he sighed, clearly flustered. “…Y-Yeah...just...don’t go overboard this time, okay?” “I make no promises, Master,” the Thiren replied. In one smooth motion, he began untying and slipping off his sneakers, both of them thudding softly to the carpeted floor.

Wise’s toes instinctively curled inside his socks and he fought the urge to yank his feet back. The other hadn’t even started yet, but Wise could feel the anticipation crawling up his spine like a hundred phantom fingers.

“Remember, Master Proxy,” Lycaon murmured as he took his ankles carefully in his gloved hands and gently placed them atop his lap, “our services are customized per guest and you gave us very helpful feedback last time.” Wise opened his mouth to argue but then Lycaon's fingers grazed the arch of his right foot, brushing lightly against the socked surface.

The Proxy twitched immediately. “Pfft- w-waHahahit, I- ahAh I didn’t say you could s-stahAhart already!” His voice cracked into laughter as he began to work in earnest, his clawed fingers dragging in little arcs across the ball of his foot and along his heel. “Ticklish here as well, I see~” Lycaon mused, sounding entirely too pleased with himself.

Wise suppressed a groan and curled his toes, his fists pressing in the soft material of the armchair. The Thiren’s smile grew wider. “Still so sensitive~” The grey-haired’s head fell back against the chair. “I-It’s noHot like that went away- HahAha! O-OH MY GOHoHOD!”

Lycaon’s fingers were merciless. He tickled under his toes, gently pressing and wiggling until the poor Proxy thrashed slightly, giggling uncontrollably. His leg kicked once but Lycaon’s firm grip on his ankle kept it steady.

Inwardly, Wise was a mess, his thoughts were racing. Why does it tickle this much through socks? Shouldn’t that dull it?! Ahh this is so embarrassing. He’s not even holding me down, but I can’t move. If I try too hard, I’ll kick him- and I don’t wanna hurt him. Dammit, he knows that! The tickling was even worse than last time and yet he couldn’t seem to hate it.

Lycaon switched to the left foot, running a finger in slow circles over the heel before sweeping up toward the arch again. The action made him yelp and double over, burying his face in his hands. “Pfft- d-doHOhon’t you have to attend your service somewhere else?!” he managed to say in-between laughs.

“Hmm, not when this job is going so well,” Lycaon replied, smirking, “your reactions are quite invigorating Master Proxy~” “STAHAHAHAP SAYING THAHAHAT!” Wise’s laughter rang through the room. Lycaon leaned in slightly, his fingers now tracing figure-eights’ just beneath the toes, lightly scratching at the sensitive skin through the fabric.

It made Wise wheeze, one hand clapping over his mouth to try and muffle his giggles. “MhMHmHmhm… ahAhhahAHHAHhh!” He tried to sit up straighter, but his body betrayed him and he collapsed back into the comfortness of the chair again. Lycaon could feel the tension in his body melt and decided to step things up a bit.

His fingers began to move deliberately across both his socked soles, dragging in soft, circular motions over the balls of his feet, down to the arches and toward the heels. Wise flinched immediately, laughter bubbling out in bursts. “AhHaahhahah! IhiHit- ehEhehhe Ihhiti tiHihickles! NoHOOHohOHHO!”

His laughter spiked when Lycaon focused on a particular spot on his left arch, making him jerk and nearly topple the footstool. “OKAY- aHAHAHhHH! OHOHOKAY! TiIHihme oHOohuT!” he giggled, feeling his face heating up out of embarrassment.

Lycaon only chuckled and gave his soles a break for a moment, just enough for his honored guest to let him catch his breath. But the respite was short-lived. The wolfen Thiren suddenly reached for the top of Wise’s right sock and began tugging it down slowly. The Proxy’s eyes shot open in alarm and he tensed up.

“Wait- wh-what are you doing now?” he asked, breath hitching. “Master Proxy, it will only give you a better feeling, please lean back and enjoy it,” was all the other said with so much confidence in his voice that Wise couldn’t say anything in return and just squeezed his eyes, nodding.

Lycaon smiled as the first sock slid off entirely, landing on the carpet besides his neatly arranged sneakers - when did he even do that? He returned to his work, letting his fingers dance over his now bare foot. The difference in sensation hit instantly - Wise could feel his fur tingle, stimulating his senses and giving him butterflies, it felt strange and yet so good?

Still… it tickled… a lot! “NOHOHOHO! L-LYCAON- AHAHAHHAHH!! TOOO MUHUHUCH!” Wise exploded, shaking his head, a few strands of grey hair falling into his face. Though, since he didn’t ask him to stop, the Thiren continued exploring the soft skin of Wise’s heel, arches and finally the unsurprisingly sensitive area under- and in-between his toes.

The mixture of switching techniques - light scratches, gliding fingertips, and slow circular movements - left Wise in a squirming, breathless mess, robbing him from everything around him. “WAHAHaHAHAHh daahHahmn ihIHhiT!” He was laughing so much that he didn’t even notice how Lycaon had grabbed the hem of his other sock when it was almost too late.

Realization (and panic) set in when it was already halfway off and even curling his toes didn’t help much, since all the other had to do was gently pinching the already bare middle to uncurl them. “WAIT- W-WAHAHIT!” Wise cried, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to handle another round of this bittersweet service he had asked for.

Just as Lycaon’s hand brushed the edge of the sock to finally slip it off completely, a soft chime rang from the wall panel. Both of them froze. Lycaon looked up, clearly amused, while Wise gazed down at his own feet. His chest rose and fell with quick, shallow breaths and his face was glowing red, a sheen of sweat forming at his temples.

His left foot twitched in Lycaon’s lap, the sock still dangling to his toes. “Well,” the Thiren said, leaning back slightly, “looks like we’re out of time.” Wise blinked at the screen, heart racing. He bit his lip, then sat up straighter.

“Ah, now you're sorry, huh? You didn't look too sorry while you were teasing me just now, huh?” A mischievous smile spread across Seth's face and he couldn't help but let out a soft laugh, infected by Wise's loud laughter. 

Seth's agile fingers moved all around Wise's hips, pinching the bone and rubbing deep circles against the sensitive skin. Wise arched his back, laughing brightly and begging for mercy as his hands uselessly pawed at Seth's hands.

“Hehe, how's this? Didn't you want to laugh? You're laughing plenty now, right?” Seth teased with a huge smile on his lips. 

Wise shook his head, squealing as the tickling to his hips didn't cease, on the contrary, it increased as Seth's tail had found its way under his shirt and was wiggling directly against the bare skin.

“THAHAT’S NOT FAHAHAIR!” He cackled, throwing his head back as Seth's fingers moved up to play with his stomach.

“That sucks. I'm still tickling you, though,” Seth chuckled to himself, blushing as he saw his friend giggling and laughing and squirming under him. 

He certainly was still getting used to this. He couldn't remember the last time he tickled or was tickled by someone else that wasn't Wise. He didn't have anyone to play with before, and now that he was an adult, it felt a bit silly to do these kinds of things… but he had to admit it, it was so much fun.

He liked watching Wise laughing so carefree and happily, and Seth knew the Proxy didn't mind being tickled silly like this. He also liked being tickled by Wise, but that was something he wouldn't dare to admit out loud ever… and he thought it was okay, after all, he was sure Wise had already noticed it on his own.

“SEHEHETH! I gihihive uhuhup!” 

Seth giggled, his hands and tail leaving Wise's body. “Ow, you're not fun, I thought you really wanted to laugh?” He asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

Wise went limp against the floor, shaking his head no as soft residual giggles still made his body tremble. “I- I lahahaughed pl-plenty ahalready, th-thank you.” 

Seth laughed softly and he got up, helping Wise back into his chair. The officer grabbed his mug and brought it to his lips, giving it a long sip. 

“Haah, so good.” 

Wise looked at him and giggled, his hand moving to playfully scratch at Seth's ear, making him jump and giggle. “I'm glad you liked it, officer. You're welcome to come by anytime for a mug.” 

“But, wait, Caesar wanted me to-”

Lighter inhaled sharply, enough to make Wise flinch. “Boss,” he called, looking back at Wise with a piercing gaze. He crossed his arms, biting down at the lollipop’s stick in his mouth. “Is there a problem if me and Wise step out of this time?”

Caesar chuckled, nervously. “P-pfft, o-of course not! Hahah, I’m s-sure Belle will do just fine! L-Lucy was already calling her, right?” No response. She elbowed Lucy, making the shorter girl gasp. “Right. Lucy?”

“Y-yes! We were- I mean, I was, yes!”

“Good,” Lighter hummed, “then I will take the proxy back and wait ‘til you’re done, alright?”

And after what could only be called a hurried farewell, Wise saw his chance to get back in the hollows drive away from Blazewood. Before he could even reach out a hand to the motorcycles in the distance, Lighter grabbed him by the shoulder.

Uh oh, he thought as that grip tightened, gently but firmly.

…

“L-Lighter! Put me down!! T-this isn’t fun!” Wise cried, his fists banging against the back of Lighter’s leather jacket. He felt the heat gathered around his cheeks growing stronger with each look he and Lighter drew. “I-I’m serious!”

Like a damsel in distress, all Wise could do was to hide his face in his hands and sob for help as Lighter, who was supposed to be his knight in shining armor, carried him over his shoulder, like a sack of potatoes, around the city. “I hate you, this is humiliating!”

“Sure,” Lighter scoffed, tightening his grip around Wise’s waist and legs, barely swaying with Wise’s squirming. “Maybe listen to the doctor’s orders next time and you won’t have to go through this.”

“I told you I’m fine!” Wise groaned.

“And your sister that you’re not and need to rest. Does she even know you’re here?” Lighter sighed, feeling Wise holding back onto him as they took the elevator to the lower side of the city. Even the small Leverboo, always so diligent with its work, took a moment to stare at the two men next to him.

Lighter stepped out of the elevator as soon as it reached the bottom. Circling his shoulder a little to make sure Wise wouldn’t fall off his grip, he carried the proxy the rest of the way back to the little shelter where he stayed last time. It should be good enough, Lighter thought, for them to stay before Caesar and the others finished the commission.

“...can you put me down now, mr. Lorenz?” Wise groaned, his voice poised with sarcasm. “Or do you plan to keep me like this until the end of the day?”

Lighter snickered quietly, shaking his head. “Only if you’re thinking of running away, manager.”

Gentler than when he captured Wise within his arms, Lighter approached the nearby couch, kneeling on it before “scooping” the other off his shoulder, handling him with ease until he was underneath him, comfortably laid on his back.

“Do I even weigh anything to you?” Wise sighed in defeat, crossing his arms as he looked up to Lighter’s face above his.

“I have to put all that working out to use,” Lighter mused playfully, closing his eyes when he felt Wise’s hands on his face, pinching his cheeks lightly, “and don’t try to change the topic. I’m angry at you.”

“Angry? Why?” Wise cooed, cocking his head to the side a little and sliding Lighter’s sunglasses off his face. “Because I was about to hangout with your ‘coworkers’? You didn’t strike me as the jealous type before we started datin-”

“Manager,” Lighter sighed, holding one of Wise’s hands by its wrist. “I’m serious. You have your fancy system to deal with these commissions. Why risk it and get inside the hollows?” He frowned, pushing Wise’s hand down to pin it against the couch, next to his head.

Wise pressed his lips into a thin line. It seemed he would be able to sweet talk his way out of this one. “Because… I need to get stronger as well?”

“You have me. You don’t need more strength than that,” Lighter growled, closing the distance between the two of them until their faces were merely inches apart. “You have two more chances to give me a good reason… then I will make sure you’re too tired to even think of getting out of this couch.”

Wise gulped, clenching his hand into fists. What else could be a good enough reason to convince an overprotective boyfriend? Well, Lighter wasn’t really being overly protective this time, but, still.

“T-then… because we can make more… money if we spare the gear to enter the hollows?”

Lighter squinted his eyes, gathering Wise’s other wrist within his grip before pinning them both high above his head, against the armrest of the couch. “Do I look that gullible, manager? One last chance.”

He was just torturing him with anticipation at that point. Wise knew there was no other reason besides him wanting to - but that would make Lighter even angrier at him, so there was no way he would say it out loud. “Because I… I want to w-work closer to you?” He giggled nervously, with a trembling smile on his lips.

Lighter shook his head in disapproval. “It’s a surprise you made this far under Phaethon's name being this bad at lying, manager.”

Wise clenched his jaw as that funny sensation bloomed against the nerves on his side. For a moment, he could look down at where Lighter’s hand was - an action he quickly regretted as it only made everything worse. Small puffs of air escaped his crooked lips that were contorting into a smile. “T-this is- pfft, soho chihildish…”

“And you’re awfully stubborn,” Lighter huffed back, his gloved fingers pushing Wise’s shirt up, revealing more of the soft, smooth skin as they tickled into it. Gentle squeezes and caresses, a wiggle or two and then a prod - it didn’t take more than that to get Wise giggling, scrunching up his nose and squeezing his eyes shut. “Promise me you won’t risk yourself again and I’ll let you off the hook.”

“I-I wahasn’t- h-heh, rihihisking myself..!” Wise retorted under his breath, uttering these words taking him more effort than he expected. Lighter was barely touching him and it already tickled like hell.

Lighter clicked his lips, deciding to step up his game. He grabbed Wise’s waist, his thumb rubbing circles into the sensitive skin while his other fingers dug on the spot behind it. A loud, surprise chortle escaped Wise’s lips. “Good, I don’t plan to risk you either, manager.”

“L-Lihihighther!” Wise groaned, burying his face into his pinned arm as he laughed, “this tihihickles!!”

“That’s the whole point,” he chuckled along, brushing his thumb over the Wise’s waist as if to sooth the spot before digging into it again, making the guy squeal again, helpless. 

Wise kicked his feet and squirmed, but his body would barely leave the couch with that boulder of a man sitting on top of him. While the room’s cold air blew against his now exposed midriff every now and then, his body heat seemed to gather around his collar and spread up to his face, all the way to the tip of his ears.

It tickled more and more with each passing second. The leather of Lighter’s glove against his body made his skin prickle with goosebumps and his nerves spark like wildfire. 

Wise could only scrunch up his shoulders and laugh when Lighter, ever so gently, clawed at his side, then stomach and up to his ribs and chest. It was maddening, torturous, even. Maybe, if it wasn’t so delicate it wouldn’t tickle so bad, but Lighter would probably die before being rough with Wise - in any aspect of their couple’s life.

“D-dahahamn it!” Wise gasped, rolling his wrists in circles in a vain attempt of freeing them and lowering his arms. His chest waved as he looked around randomly, trying to find something - anything - that could help him out of this situation.

All he could see, however, was Lighter’s handsome face, smugly smiling down at him. “You’re forcing me to do this, manager.”

“Y-yohohou just lihike to s-seehe- AHahah, t-to see me suhuhuffer!”

“Me? Never, manager,” Lighter shook his head, wiggling his fingers into the space just above Wise’s highest rib, dangerously close to the sensitive spot under his arm. “From the day we met ‘till today, all I have done is worry about you.”

“L-LihIHihgtheher!!” Wise cackled, throwing his head back and tensing his back into a nearly perfect arch. “NOhohot thehehere, pleheheease!!” He pleaded, struggling within Lighter’s grip as if it would eventually change anything.

“The first time I saw you, you fainted after being chased by a big, bad ethereal,” Lighter cooed, his fingers tickling a little harder with each word as if to give emphasis to his words, “then we faced all kind of dangers during the Tour de Inferno, do you remember that?”

“Y-Yohohou wehEHehere the ohohone rihihisking it!! Not mehEH- AHAHa, w-wahahait, plehehease!”

“Right, but you did get into trouble as soon as you were back in the city, right? Such a careless guy you are, manager…”

Wise was sure he would go crazy if someone didn’t step in at that moment. Air could barely make it to his lungs before he let it out in loud, frantic laughter. If Lighter was so worried about his safety, why was he on the verge of killing him right there and then?!

With his feet kicking the other end of the couch and knees hitting Lighter’s back from time to time, Wise felt some tears clinging to his lashes while others rolled down his cheek. Lighter’s dumb storytelling wasn’t going to take them anywhere, but Wise knew he was too ticklish to withstand another round of recollection.

“F-FIHIHINE!” Wise cackled, interrupting Lighter with his panicked giggles. Something his breathless words told Lighter what he needed to know and with a told-you-kind-of-smirk, he stopped. 

While he was, indeed, no longer tickling him, Lighter kept his hand there, nestled just under Wise’s arm, keeping both the proxy and his nerves on the edge. “Hm? Do you have something to say?”

“Y-yehes,” he gasped in defeat, his pulse as fast as if he went through some sort of extreme workout. “I-I get it, ohokay? I will, hahh… s-stay here and rest.”

“That’s good to hear,” Lighter nodded, pleased, before loosening his grip around Wise’s wrists and letting him finally lower his arms after who knows how long. 

With his back flat against the couch, Wise rolled on his side and hugged himself, brushing over the skin that was being tortured by his even partner just now. “Y-you’re so mean to me…”

Lighter rolled his eyes, picking up his sunglasses from the corner where they were first tossed to. “Only when I need to. Now, I will go up and pick us something to eat - you stay here and wait, got it?”

“Y-yes!” Wise squeaked like a toy when he felt Lighter’s hand against his side, forcing that answer out of him. 

Still, as much as those words tried to ease his uncertainty, Wise found them hard, almost impossible, to believe. If Lighter were to watch a movie, it would probably be a flashy action one, with explosions, shooting and fast cars — the ones he despised the most, worth noting.

Whenever Lighter was to come over, Wise made sure to make a pile out of those films' cases, leaving them ready for his boyfriend — who, for some (obvious) reason, never picked them up and, instead, opted for the ones Wise would like the most.

"But we always do what I want, I doubt you actually have fun with these," Wise pouted, lifting his face a bit to look into Lighter's eyes. "We could do… one of your hobbies instead."

Lighter smirked. "My hobbies? Such as?"

"Uhh…" Wise blinked, stunned. Now, this was bad, wasn't it? Lighter probably knew him from inside out and the first thing Wise did when asked about him was to stutter like an idiot. Boyfriend of the year. "F-fighting?"

"Hahah," Lighter shook his head, his smile only widening. "Fight? You mean, you and I? I can't even argue back at you, you scare me to death."

"No!" Wise groaned, pressing his forehead against Lighter's chest, "like you do on the rings. Punching and— and kicking and that stuff," Wise explained with enthusiasm, hoping to flare up Lighter's interest in the topic and make him take it a little more seriously.

"So… you want to fight fight me?" Lighter smiled and waited for Wise nod, clearly misunderstanding what the champion would take for a hobby. "Sure, let's do it."

"R-really? So, should we—"

"Now."

"What?"

The gap between their experience and skill levels became as clear as daylight itself in a matter of seconds. Wise barely had time to process the information before Lighter had him turned around, with an arm bent and pinned behind his back. Wise barely understood how he was handled so fast and so effortlessly, and Lighter wasn't really giving him a lot of room to figure out his techniques — not the fighting ones, at least.

"L-LihIHihgther— ahAHAh, w-wahahit!" Wise laughed, burying his face into the pillows thrown around the couch while Lighter tickled his side. "I-I wahAHAhasn't reheheady!" He whined, his free hand clinging and clenching around the cushions, trying to reach to the armrest to pull himself free.

"You want to stop already?" Lighter teased, making Wise squeal when he suddenly reached to tickle him under that outstretched arm. "We are fighting now, manager, there is no pause like in your tape's player."

"Thahahat's nOHOhot fahah- AHAhah, nohoho!! Stohohop!" Wise panicked, his feet kicking wildly at the other end when he felt Lighter's hand tickling his unprotected ribs. "L-LIhihihgther, ihihit tihihickles, plehEHehease!"

"I can," Lighter hummed, squeezing the proxy a little tighter between him and the couch, "if you agree to a date full of silent films with me."

"Y-yoHOHohou ahahare s-so lahahame!" Wise groaned, quickly noticing how unsatisfied Lighter was with his answer when the tickling started to step up a notch. "F-Fihihine! FIHihine! I sahahaid fihihine!"

"I know," Lighter hummed, "just wanted to hear you some more."

The champion pushed himself back up only to look around for the controller and quickly laid back down on top of Wise once he hit 'play'.

"L-Lighter!" Wise gasped, a blush creeping up his cheek as he felt Lighter's muscles pressing him from behind.

"Shhh, I want to watch the movie."

"It's a s-silent movie, idiot…" Wise mumbled in defeat, sighing when the only answer he got was another quiet chuckle from his boyfriend.

"Yes, but it's my new favorite hobby."

A/N: There is no bigger cinema nerd than wise and i think he should get to ramble about it (lighter thinks so too, trust me, he told me)

Wise nodded, still a bit stunned. His sister left not long ago - just after getting a hearing from him from not cleaning up her bedroom - and he was already accepting the fact that it would be on him to tidy up the place… Wise never expected Belle to actually hire someone to do the job. “V-Victoria? Wait, you guys actually do housekeeping services?”

"Our services are varied. We take every job that our staff see fit to fulfill.” Lycaon explained, a gentle yet firm voice tone as his cold gaze laid upon Wise. “I take you’re master Belle’s brother, master Wise. May I come in?”

Right. “Y-yes, that’s me. Please, come in,” Wise nearly stuttered, quickly stepping aside to allow the Thiren to enter his place. The proxy felt a weird sense of shame when Lycaon seemed to inspect the place so thoroughly, almost as if it was some sort of crime scene. “Ahm, sorry for the mess. I was about to clean it up and-”

“No need to apologize, master,” Lycaon interrupted, the sound of his metallic legs echoing as he turned around to face Wise. “That’s what I’m here for. Master Belle requested a full housekeeping and ‘care’ service.”

“I see,” Wise sighed. “Let me show you around, then.”

“As you wish, master,” Lycaon responded promptly, following Wise with absolute elegance in each and every action. A true gentleman, if you asked Wise.

In their short walk around, Wise decided that his bedroom would be a good place to start. It was where he was the most comfortable and familiar with and, if Belle indeed hired a ‘full housekeeping service’, then cleaning his room should also be part of the pack, right?

“This is far better from what I’ve expected, master,” Lycaon praised the proxy as he slid his fingers over one of the shelves, trying to check if there were any particles of dust laying around. “I believe this is not the main part of the problem, is it?”

“No, it isn’t,” Wise chuckled, sitting on the edge of his bed, “I- well, I thought it would be the easiest to start from, so I decided to show you this room first,” he explained, quickly using the excuse he just came up with.

“Then,” Lycaon turned to Wise, his tall figure towering over him as he stood inches away from Wise’s seat, “do you mind if I start with the second part of the service, master?” Lycaon suggested, holding his hand behind his back.

“What do you mean?”

“Master Belle requested a full housekeeping and care service,” Lycaon explained politely, “with your permission, I’ll do the cleaning once I’m done “taking care of you”, as she described in her request.”

Wise had a puzzled look on his face. What kind of thing did Belle hire? Taking care of him? “A-ahm, sure? What did she ask you t- WAH!!”

“Excuse me, master,” Lycaon muttered gently in a paradoxical contrast with his actions. With great, yet careful, force, the Thiren pushed the proxy back into the mattress. In a swift of Lycaon’s tail, Wise was straddled by cold, metallic legs that firmly pinned his body.

And, before he could figure what was going out, one of Lycaon’s hands closed around both his wrists, keeping them above his head. “As per request by master Belle, I need to inform you that this is for ‘scolding her and being so picky about her bedroom’, master,” Lycaon nodded, following the protocol like a true professional while… merciless tickling Wise’s body.

Big, yet nimble hands scratched and tickled up and down Wise’s side, pinching the spots between each of his ribs and prodding at the middle of his armpits. A mix of embarrassment and confusion struck Wise, but there was no room inside his brain to process all that when all he could think of was how much it tickled. “L-LYCAHAHAON!! AHaHAHAh, wahAHAHait a sehEHEhecon!”

“I apologize, master,” Lycaon muttered, his free hand torturing Wise’s exposed and vulnerable armpit with a ticklish onslaught, “I’m here under master Belle’s orders and her only. I’m afraid I can not follow your requests,” he explained, his hand quickly shooting down and tickling Wise’s waist like it has never been tickled before.

“P-plehehease!! AhAHAhah, i-it’s baAHAhad, LycaHAHAHON!!” Wise could feel the heat spreading over his cheeks as he laughed, all happening so fast and so suddenly that he could barely hold back his reactions. Why did they even have services like this?!

Still, Lycaon was merciless - an unstoppable, unyielding and ticklish force. It tickled so bad and he was still using just one hand!

…

Wise stared at the ceiling with a blank expression, his eyes gazing at the nothing while the sound of vacuum cleaner echoed from the other room. Even after receiving Lycaon’s 5-star-rated aftercare, he still felt like his body was drained of any energy. His stomach and cheeks still sore from laughing and, if he closed his eyes, he could still feel that lingering sensation of Lycaon’s fingers tickling him.

“I’m almost done with master Belle’s room, master,” Lycaon announced, turning off the tool before starting a different task - probably folding her bed sheets or something else. “Would you like something to drink once I’m done, master?”

"I-I can't!" Wise whined, his hand tightly wrapped around the TV's controller while his thumb pressed down at the button. "You can finish it without me, I-I'm going to my roo— ah!"

"You're not going anywhere until we finish it," Harumasa hissed, annoyed, as he pulled Wise back down to the seat next to him.

The first time it happened, it was cute. Forcing Wise to watch a silly horror movie was the perfect excuse and method to have the cute proxy holding onto him. While he didn't care about the stupid monsters on screen or whatever sicko those actors played, holding Wise's hand and comforting him felt nice.

But maybe this movie was just too much for Wise's scared cat's heart.

"You paused this scene five times already, manager," Harumasa huffed, snatching the controler from Wise's hand.

"A-ah, Asaba, wait—"

But Harumasa didn't, just hitting play again. "I told you, she is going to escape it just fine. These movies are always like tha—"

Pause.

"Agh, come on!" Harumasa groaned, looking back from the screen only to find another damsel in distress trying to escape. "Wise!"

Of all places Harumasa expected to be forced to move, Wise's house was not one of them. While it didn't take him more than a couple large steps to stop the proxy's attempt to escape, the physical effort was more than enough to annoy him even more than that irrational fear of imaginary, horror movies' monster.

"A-AHAhasaba!" Wise laughed helplessly, squirming in the little space he had between Harumasa's body and the cold ground. "S-stoho— ahaha, stohop it!"

"I can't," Harumasa huffed, sitting himself comfortably on top of Wise's legs while restlessly tickling the proxy's stomach. "You'll try to escape again as soon as I do."

"Wahahait! AHAhah, it tihihickles!" Wise gasped, both his hands holding onto Harumasa's arms. "T-the mohohovie is toohoh s-scahahary!" He whined, trying to figure if getting tickled to death by Harumasa was as bad as finishing that movie.

Putting it side by side, there wasn't much of a difference. Both Wise and that main character tried to escape a stronger, ill intended "monster" that had them screaming for their lives. He just hoped that girl would be more successful than him in her runaway attempt and have a different fate awaiting for her once he and Harumasa resumed watching the movie —he definitely didn't need anymore blood on his screen!