Riddle let out a loud, long-suffering sigh that Floyd had become intimately acquainted with over the course of their relationship. Surreptitiously, Floyd picked up a decorative quill, though there was no need for sneakiness — Riddle barely looked up.

“Working,” came his curt answer, eyes glued to his workbook as he ticked off row after row. He was like a machine, ugh. Floyd bent to fit his face in the crook of Riddle’s neck, pressing his chin in with a little more pressure than was likely to be comfortable for his boyfriend, and he felt Riddle give a started jolt. With great pleasure, Floyd noticed that Riddle’s grip on his pen had tightened.

“Floyd—s-stop it,” he gritted out. “I have to work.”

The stammer did not go unnoticed. “Why?” Floyd asked softly, digging his chin into the tender spot between Riddle’s neck and shoulder. “’M I distracting ya, Goldfishie?”

Riddle yelped at the new sensation, his shoulders rising as he hunched over. “Floyd, sto-stohohop! I’m wohohorking!”

“Yes,” Floyd said. “I know. Well, don’t let me stop you.”

Riddle whined, cheeks blooming red as roses as he tried to push Floyd away. “I cahahan’t cohohoncentrate!”

“Oh?” Floyd feigned mock confusion, grinning as he heard Riddle squeak. “Is it distracting when I do this?” He began to twirl the feather around the other side of Riddle’s neck, his poor boyfriend giving a full-body shiver.

“Floyd, nohoho!” He protested, attempting to draw his shoulders up to his ears, paper all but forgotten. His hands fluttered helplessly at his sides, torn between trying to return to his work and batting Floyd away. Unfortunately for him, the distraction meant that he didn’t notice Floyd’s other hand sneaking around his side until it had lifted Riddle’s shirt and was pressing cold fingers to his bare ribs. With a violent flinch and a shocked giggle, Riddle finally broke, leaping out of his chair to get away. Floyd followed with a predatory grin.

“Wait—wahahait, please—“ He was already giggling.

“I’ve been waitin’ for you to take a break for two hours,” he said dramatically, backing Riddle up. Riddle gasped when he hit the wall, and he prepared to turn and find another escape. But Floyd was faster, and with a quick leap, he had Riddle trapped between his arms, hands already rucking up his shirt to prod at his sides.

Within an instant, Riddle was a writhing, giggling mess. He twisted from side to side trying to escape Floyd’s fingers still gently scratching at his bottom ribs. For all of one second, he attempted to drop to the floor and crawl away, but Floyd’s hands catching him under the arms had him jumping back up.

“What’s wrong?” Floyd cooed, still scritch-scratching away. “Don’t tell me this tickles? It’s only two fingers, just one on each side. You’re not thaaat sensitive, right Goldfishie?”

“Sh-shuhuhut uhuhuhup!” Riddle squealed, arms pressed firmly against his sides, hands flapping helplessly. With great effort, he peeled himself off of the wall and out of Floyd’s grasp, bolting for the Heartslabyul common room.

Floyd chased after him, vaulting over the couch to land next to Riddle, who was already scrambling away, still giggling. Throwing himself forward, Floyd caught him around the waist and dug in with his fingertips. Riddle’s face was bright red as he thrashed and kicked on the couch, shrieking when Floyd leaned down to blow a raspberry on his stomach. One of Riddle’s kicks landed squarely in the middle of Floyd’s chest, knocking him off of him. Riddle forced himself up onto his wobbly legs, still panting, while Floyd’s eyes lit up — this was what he’d been waiting for! The cure for his boredom!

Terrified, Riddle stood and assessed his options. For a brief moment, he considered escaping into the rose maze before Floyd jumped up, effectively blocking that exit. With nowhere else to go, Riddle bolted back into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. However, before he could even turn to fumble with the lock, Floyd had thrown open the door, silhouetted ominously against the hallway light.

Riddle backed up, hands raised in nervous surrender as Floyd stalked closer. The backs of his knees hit the bed and he collapsed, frantic as Floyd leaned down, an arm on either side of him to trap him.

As a last-ditch effort, Riddle surged up and mashed his lips against Floyd’s ungracefully, thrumming with adrenaline. Floyd let out a startled noise, but melted into the embrace. When Riddle pulled away, trying to wriggle out from under him, Floyd followed him down, kissing him into the bed.

After a few moments — too soon, Floyd’s brain whined — they finally parted. Riddle blinked, and smiled up at him. He loved that smile.

“…Does this mean we’re done?” Riddle asked cautiously.

Floyd’s grin turned wicked. “No,” he said casually, sitting back on his heels.

“No?” Riddle demanded, but he didn’t get much further before Floyd began tapping his fingers along his belly, making him twitch and bite his lip, stubbornly holding in his giggles. “Floyd, this is childish—“

“Is it?” He asked, eyes narrowing. “I think if I were really childish, I would do this.”

Without warning, he changed from playful scratches to drilling his fingers into Riddle’s hips, squeezing rapidly up and down, and Riddle screeched, bursting into laughter and tugging frantically at his wrists.

“AHAHAHAHAHA—FLOHOHOYD, PLEHEHEHEASE—“

“Please what? Tickle you?” Floyd tittered, squeezing the tops of Riddle’s thighs and enjoying how his laughter went silent. “If you insist.”

Floyd slipped his hands under Riddle’s shirt and began to walk his fingers up from his bottom ribs. At each rib, he paused, tracing them from the middle to his sides with his fingernails.

“Ack — Flohohoyd, stohohop—“ Riddle paused, realizing where his boyfriend’s dexterous hands were headed, then began shoving at him with renewed energy.

“Nah,” Floyd said, the words coming out muffled as Riddle planted a hand against his face. “Now, where were we?” He planted his fingers on his lowest ribs again, starting from scratch. “Perhaps here?” He tickled Riddle lazily as the smaller boy struggled beneath him, pretty giggles spilling from his lips.

“Nohoho,” Riddle protested. “You were higher uHUHUP?!” He squealed as the fingers suddenly dug in.

“Hm, I don’t think so,” Floyd lied cheerily. “Gotta recount to be sure.”

“Gohoho awahahahay!”

Floyd paused, and Riddle flopped back onto his bed, sides beginning to ache from laughing.

“You know…I’m a bit hungry,” Floyd mused, his eyes crinkling.

“G-great,” Riddle panted, pressing the backs of his hands against his flushed cheeks. “How about we stop and have tea?”

“I dunno,” Floyd snickered, and Riddle suppressed a shudder. “I think I want some ribs.”

“FLOYD, GET OFF—“ Riddle shrieked, but it was too late. Moments later, he felt Floyd’s teeth nipping lightly at his ribs, unbearably ticklish — practically torture, really. “FLOHOHOYD! NOHOHOT FAHAHAHAIR!”

“Nom nom,” Floyd said, and Riddle felt the drag of his pointy teeth as he smiled.

He kicked and laughed hysterically to no avail. He tried to curl up, bucking his hips so hard Floyd lost his balance and face planted into his shoulder.

“Oww,” Floyd whined, biting Riddle’s neck before straightening up. “That wasn’t nice of ya, Goldfishie.”

“Good. I hope it hurt,” Riddle huffed.

“Now, where were we?”

“Already??” Riddle protested, but it was no use. Floyd’s large hands clamped his elbows at his sides as he went right back to nibbling at his ribs while Riddle failed to be able to thrash. Now he was adding his hands into the mix, wriggling his fingers over the top ribs, near his back.

“FLOHOHOHOYD—“

“Aww, you’re so cute,” Floyd cooed, rubbing his cheek against Riddle’s stomach. “Are ya ticklish? Ticklish little Goldfishie~”

“OFF WIHIHITH — EEK!”

Floyd scratched gently just beneath Riddle’s armpit while Riddle shrieked. Finally, finally, he stopped. Riddle suspected that his respite would be short-lived, however, as Floyd’s hands never left his body. Riddle stilled, trying to catch his breath. Just the feeling of his boyfriend’s unmoving fingers was enough to make him breathless and giddy, the anticipation almost sending him back into a fit without Floyd doing anything.

“Ya know…if ya really want, we can stop now.”

Stop? They could stop? Riddle wanted to say yes, but instead he just blushed, turning his head to hide his face.

“No?” Floyd’s grin returned in full force, along with manic eyes — that did not bode well for Riddle. “Aw, you like it.”

Riddle just huffed, shaking his head. Floyd tittered, leaning down to kiss his forehead. “Alright, alright.”

Without warning, he drilled his thumbs into Riddle’s armpits, and Riddle wailed.

Floyd grinned as Riddle squealed, trying to twist away but finding it impossible. Floyd switched his strategies, skittering his fingertips, then suddenly scratching all around. He placed his two index fingers on the outermost part of his armpit, drawing a slow spiral inwards while Riddle bucked and cackled.

“AHAHAHAHA NOHOHOHO—“

Floyd smirked as his fingers reached the hollows of his underarms, lightly scritch-scratching away.

“Tickle tickle, Goldfishie,” he teased while Riddle screeched. He began skittering his fingers up and down Riddle’s side, drilling his fingers into his waist while the other hand remained stubbornly under his arm.

Almost on accident, he pressed his elbow into Riddle’s thigh, and Riddle jolted so hard that Floyd fell backwards.

“Huh,” Floyd said. He dug his elbow into Riddle’s thigh again, and was rewarded with Riddle’s laughter taking on the quality of a rubber duck. “That’s new.”

Without missing a beat, he set about squeezing and prodding Riddle’s thighs, squeezing just above his kneecaps while Riddle thrashed like a fish out of water.

Just when Riddle’s laughter was beginning to go silent, his blush climbing all the way up to his hairline, Floyd stopped and climbed off of him.

“All done!” He beamed while Riddle melted, boneless, into the bed. Floyd clambered up next to him, grabbing him like a teddy bear and hugging him to his chest. “I don’t want you do do homework anymore. I wanna squeeze you.”

“I…suppose…I can take…a break…” Riddle panted, eyes already closing as phantom tickles finally began to subside from his body. “But never — never — do that again.”

“Why?” Floyd whined, propping his chin up on the top of Riddle’s hair. “That was fun.”

“Fun?”

“Yeah! D’ya want me to show ya again?”