“GEORGE!”

There, it was said. Sapnap would tease him for being the World’s Biggest Simp, but then again the ravenette had decided he was the self-proclaimed Dream SMP Hottie, so what did his word matter?

Dream trotted down the Prime Path, tail swaying happily behind him. He had his hands pressed close to his chest, but he looked happy as he walked.

“Geooooorge!” He whined loudly, hoping the brunette would hear him. “I miss youuuuuu! Come here!”

(@tickleedream hi!!! i hope you don’t mind me hopping on in here-)

(Welcome! @tickleedream)

Today was… particularly bad. The voice in the back of his mind, criticizing and dehumanizing, made his stomach churn unpleasantly. So he’d taken to L’Manburg, scouring the Prime Path for the distraction his heart was begging for, carving a hole in his chest the longer he searched. Something comforting, something that wouldn’t hurt.

Something real.

“Tommy!” Dream let out a breathless cry of relief as he spotted a familiar head of hair further down. He nearly choked on his words as he stumbled down towards the younger blonde, clutching at his chest with trembling hands. Just the sight of someone, anyone, brought him more peace of mind.

(I HOPE THIS IS ALRIGHT @tickleedream )

(OMG HII!! It’s totally fine, thank you so much for sending it in!!)

Tommy himself had been mindlessly trailing down the Prime Path, humming a quiet tune. It had been a calm day for him and he had even gotten a lot of things done. He hadn’t see too many people around either, figuring they were also off doing their own tasks.

So it was a surprise to say the least when he heard the loud cry of his name. A familiar cry at that.

The younger instantly whipped around and stared ahead, his own heart beginning to beat rapidly at the many things the cry could signify. A wave of relief flooded him as he saw Dream rush towards him, not sensing anything at first glance. But that relief soon disappeared as he took sight of the older’s trembling hands and heard his jumbled words, it now being replaced with concern.

“I’m… okay,” he half-truthed, picking at his fingernails absentmindedly. “I just needed… uhm…”

Dream felt almost embarrassed having to admit it. “I guess I just needed to see someone.”

Silently he scolded the grating voice in the back of his head, but found with a surprised blink that the whispered had faded, cowering against the back corners of his mind.

“I see. Well, you came to the right place Big Man.” He replied, chuckling. “For I am- Ack! Hey!”

Tommy gave a light shake of his head while Dream ruffled his hair, feeling the blonde curls fly around beneath his hand. Even though he couldn’t help shooting the older a playful glare because of his now messed up hair, he viewed the gesture as affectionate and therefore was unable to stop himself from smiling. But his following words did an excellent job at igniting something within Tommy. He huffed and narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously.

“Excuse me?” He brought his hands down and held out both of his index fingers, retaliating to his hair being ruffled with light but quick pokes to the older’s stomach. “I’ll have you know that I went mining today! What did you do all day? Huh? Huh, Dream?”

So caught up in that thought, he was, that the ex-convict didn’t notice Tommy’s plan of retaliation until too late. The fingers jabbing into his stomach definitely did not make him squeal. Nope. Never.

“ACK- H-Hehey!” He squeaked out, swatting at Tommy’s hands in an obviously half-assed attempt to defend himself. “I’ll have you knohow- TOHommyHY!”

Dream jolted and squawked as the little gremlin hit a particularly sensitive spot on his lower stomach. He curled in on himself a little, totally annoyed at how hard his tail had started to wag.

He struck gold.

“Hm? What was that Dream?” He asked with a wide, shit eating grin, dodging his swats and aiming his quickening pokes all around his tummy, unaffected by him curling in on himself. He tried to focus on the lower part of his tummy in specifics, noticing it’s sensitivity. “You’ll have me know what? I can’t hear you over your giggles!”

Frantic giggles spilled freely from his lips as the ex-convict smacked his face into Tommy’s shoulder, muffling his laughter. He had never been more glad of wearing his mask, he thought as he grabbed loosely for Tommy’s hands, feeling his ears warm.

The sudden change in tactic pulled an embarrassed wheeze from Dream before throwing him into happy cackles, his ears most definitely going red now. His tail was nothing more than a blur now, swishing across the Prime Path as he grappled for Tommy’s hands.

“Say what?” He questioned, feigning innocence. He hummed as if in thought before gasping. “Oh! You mean don’t mention how terribly ticklish your tummy is? How even the smallest little pokes and squeezes make you squeal?”

“T-Tohommyhyhy!” He spluttered, barely able to speak for laughing. “DohOHohon’t- snrk- dohon’t sahay thahAHAT AHA WAHAHAIT!”

“Dream!” He replied, a teasing smirk on his lips. “What’s the matter buddy? Can’t handle some tickle, tickle, tickles? I’m barely doing anything!”

He flinched sharply at the squeezes against his side, a small snort huffing out from him as his giggles vaulted in pitch. “IhiHIHihit’s- EEK!- FuhUHuck ohOHOFF!”

Dream felt his knees quiver slightly, a sure sign that he would collapse pretty soon from laughing so hard. He didn’t really care, though: he was too caught up in his own mirth to give a fuck, babbling out meaningless pleas and cries of mercy.

“Fine fineeee, I’ll give you a small break,” he sighed playfully, though he was still wearing a smile. “But how are you feeling? I didn’t go too far with anything did I?”

He shook his head softly into Tommy in response to the boy’s question, then realized with a jolt that he was being soft. SOFT!

The blonde stumbled backwards, ears flattening with embarrassment as his cheeks glowed red. “Break?! Y-You’re nohot gonna get me agahain! Not that easy!” He spluttered, his tail tucked shyly between his legs as he stared at Tommy. His stomach was still alive with butterflies, smacking into the sides of his tingling skin and sending tiny shocks across the freckles paleness that now glowed a soft pink from embarrassment. Alas, though, his tail wagged still. Ever so slightly, but noticeable.

“Well, I won’t if you truly don’t want me to.” He replied softly, glancing down to see the slight wag of his tail and taking it as a good sign. “But you don’t have to be embarrassed. I know that’s not really something you can control, but I just want you to feel comfortable. The cards are all in your hands from here on, Big Man.”

Ever since prison, he’d never expected kindness again. He knew he’d made mistakes, and they were bad ones. He thought George would never forgive him, and he knew that Tommy wouldn’t. He subconsciously brushed his hand over the large crack down the middle of his mask, a painful reminder of everything he’d done.

Tears suddenly pricked his eyes and Dream blinked rapidly to clear them, even more grateful that Tommy couldn’t see his face behind the mask.

“I…” Dream swallowed hard to keep his voice steady. “It’s…”

He was lost. Lost for words. For the first time in years he was speechless.

Dream stepped forward, ducking his head in slight embarrassment, and he reached out towards Tommy slowly, quietly. His hands trembled, uncertain, but he pushed, and gently clasped one of the younger’s hands and tugged, pulling Tommy into his chest and wrapping his arms around him.

He rested his chin on top of Tommy’s head, the blonde curls gently brushing against his neck as he reached up with one hand to undo the buckle on his mask. It came undone with ease, and he lowered his hand again, clasping the leather strap with a shaking hand.

“Tommy, I…”

“You’re alright,” he interrupted before he even got the chance to try and finish what he was saying. “You’re perfectly fine Dream.”

He felt himself relaxing further as the weight of his chin settled atop his head, closing his eyes and basking in the warmth of the embrace. Moments like these were what made him positive he made the right choice in forgiving Dream for the past. He could see the vulnerability and genuine efforts to make up for his wrongdoings. And he’d never turn his back on someone who was truly changing for the better.

The soft snap of his mask being unclasped caught his attention, listening to the way his following words came out a bit clearer. He slowly tilted his head back until he caught sight of the other’s face, and he offered a reassuring smile up at him.

Dream swallowed the string of apologies he was waiting to say and instead let himself relax into Tommy’s embrace, one ear twitching and a huff escaping his lips as Tommy’s soft, golden curls tickled the shell of his ear. All earlier feelings melted away as he fell into the moment: just him and Tommy. Nothing else mattered then.

Had Tommy really forgiven him?

“Thank you.” His voice suddenly broke the silence. He paused for a moment, surprised by his own words, then continued shyly. “Everything, uh… has been nice.”

“You’re welcome, but you don’t have to thank- Hey!” The blonde exclaimed lightly as he felt his cheek being pinched. The soft, teasing coo that followed made said cheek turn pink and warm to the touch, and Tommy couldn’t help but huff shyly himself. “S-Shut up man! I’m not answering those questions.”

He snapped his hand away from Tommy’s attempted biting, laughing softly at the movement, and glared right back at the kid.

But God, what he said next struck the nail right on the head.

His eyes that had been narrowed in a glare lit up once again with newfound mischief. One little nickname was really all it took to make such a powerful man so flustered? He studied the reaction he gained in response to said nickname, an evil grin forming on his lips once more as he realized he was right.

“Call you what? Dreamlee?” He asked, taking a step forward to match Dream’s step back. “Is me calling you Dreamlee what’s making your face so pink?”

He reached out and hovered his clawed fingers only inches away from the older’s stomach, though he never made contact. He was giddy with excitement from getting all these reactions from Dream today, beaming with power. He couldn’t help but tease.

“Fuck ohoff- Ihit’s noHOT!” Dream squeaked, bursting into frantic giggles as Tommy reached for him. He had to stifle a whine of disappointment when no contact was made, but he backed away a few more steps, tail starting to wag just a little.

His face only reddened at Tommy’s words, and he was opening his mouth to respond when a hand darted out and scribbled at his stomach. He shrieked suddenly and stumbled back again, losing his balance as he slipped off of the path and landed with a yelp on his haunches. His mask clattered against the path and fell into the grass with a small this. It didn’t hurt, just surprised him.

“Please?” He repeated with a chuckle that dripped with pure evil. As he began to take steps towards the older, he gave his mask a very light push with his foot, making sure it was out of reach. “You know, I still have some revenge to get. Where do you think I should start? Maybe your ribs, or your armpits? Or your thighs… man, so many choices! Maybe I’ll just… have to get them all.”

“H-Hey- Ohokahay- I-I’m sohorry Tommyhy you dohont hahave to do thihis- wehe cahahan tahalk abohout thihIHIS HEHEY NOHOHAHA!”

Dream’s incessant stream of talking was rudely interrupted by Tommy’s abrupt start. He batted at Tommy’s hands, ducking his head down as he laughed so it was harder for the kid to see his face, red and happy. His tail thudded against the grass, happy wags overtaking him, and he kicked his legs, trying and failing to fight off Tommy’s fingers. “IhiHIHIT FEHeheels wehEHEheird!”

Tommy felt himself grinning from ear to ear the moment Dream fell back into his hysterics. His fingers switched from focusing on the spaces between each rib to directly squeezing the bones themselves, using only his index and thumbs for each one. He’d even go as far as mixing in ticklish massages into his squeezes, circling the pads of his fingers quickly.

“I’m curious now. Weird how? Do you mean it tickles? Tell me about it, describe it to me. I have no idea what this feels like.”

The comment Tommy made was nothing short of embarrassing. Dream’s ears only went redder at that, and he giggled hysterically into Tommy’s chest, half-doubled over himself and blushing profusely.

“No? Aw, that’s too bad… Surely it’s not because Big Man Dream can’t say the word tickle, right? Can’t say how tickle, tickle, ticklish he is? Can’t dare to say such a simple, silly word?”

He tsked and shook his head in disappointment, though his smile didn’t help portray it very well. While Dream was half-doubled over and leaning against his chest, Tommy decided to catch him off guard once his squeezing fingers reached his uppermost ribs and suddenly shot his hands upwards. They landed perfectly beneath his arms and he wasted no time in wiggling his fingers into the hollows, laughing along with growing mischief.

That all changed, though, when Tommy suddenly shot up to his underarms.

A shriek tore from Dream’s throat, both of surprise and sudden ticklish shocks, and he instantly slumped into the grass. giving up on hiding his face and cackling loudly as he slammed his arms down to his sides, trapping Tommy’s hands. The grass brushing against his ears made him twitch and squeak, but he was too busy squirming back and forth trying to escape to notice too much.

“TOHOMMYHY!” He yelled, tilting his head to the side and squeezing his eyes shut in a feeble attempt to hide his blushing face. “YOHOU- snrk!- FUHUhuck oHOFF!”

An absolutely evil, ruthless, and merciless burst of laughter left Tommy the moment Dream’s back met the ground. This new position made it much easier to target the spots he was eager to tickle and filled him to the brim with excitement. But then he feigned a gasp as his hands were suddenly forced to stay in their spot, trapped snugly thanks to his arms. He tsked, shaking his head once more.

“My my Dream! I knew you were having fun, but trapping my hands? You should’ve just asked for me to tickle you! But, no worries my friend, I understand!”

He knew there was no point in arguing, though. Tommy was right.

“Oh no Dream… My hands, they’re stuck. I’m not sure what to do…”

As he spoke, he began to lightly claw his fingertips into Dream’s underarms with the small bit of mobility he had left.

It had been a while since he’d laughed this hard. It was kinda nice.

After a few more wiggles of his fingers, Tommy was able to worm them free, giving the older a couple of seconds to catch his breath. His eyes wandered up and caught sight of the horns resting atop his head, his curiosity fully taking over.

The hands carding through his hair were very welcome, Dream thought as he relaxed into the touch. It seemed so innocent, too, that he actually wasn’t expecting the boy to go after his horns.

An embarrassing squeak tore from the ex-convict’s throat before he dissolved into happy, high-pitched giggles, squeaks and hiccups puncturing his bubbly laughter. It was… endlessly embarrassing for Dream, but at the same time the gentle scratches felt so nice and he really didn’t want Tommy to stop.

Tommy was looking at him.

Fondly.

He’d never seen Tommy look fond of him before.

”Tohohoms!” He giggled out, oblivious to the nickname he’d used twice now. “Plehehease!”

The blonde was lost for words, now. Any thoughts he could have dreamed up were lost in the sea of squeaky giggles that bubbled from his lips, hands stubbornly sitting at his chest to keep from pushing Tommy away.

And it was then that Dream realized his mind was silent.

The whispers had disappeared, lost to the giddy tingles sparking across his skin. The usual twinge of guilt was nowhere to be found. He was happy. Really, truly happy. Without a hint of repressed emotion.

“IHI’M- EEK! Ihihi’m sohOHORRY!” Dream wailed, pedaling his legs fruitlessly. “NAHAHahahAHOHO!”

Tommy gave a thoughtful hum while continuing to scritch and scratch along the older’s sensitive ears, moving quicker and applying the slightest bit more pressure for a few more moments. Although he was having fun, he knew he needed to give Dream another small break. He didn’t want to totally drain him of energy after all.

Thankfully, his pleas were answered. As Tommy slowed his attack to a stop, Dream had the energy only to lay there on his back, giggling his heart out behind his hands. His ears twitched sporadically, phantom tingles still pricking at the sensitive fur.

He hated that we was so fond of the kid.

Okay, he didn’t hate it. At all.

“It is your fault! I’m not sure how, but it is.”

He gave himself a proud nod at his logic before snickering, then started to think. Today had been such a blast for him. He couldn’t get over how much he had found out, how much he had bonded with Dream, and just how great of a day it had been. And the day wasn’t even over! Smiling at his train of thought, Tommy closed his eyes and let out a content sigh.

And he was too giggled out to get up.

Tommy’s words made Dream choke a little, sitting up quickly and tripping over his own words as he protested. “What- n-no!- like hell you will!” He spluttered, the red hue returning to his cheeks. “Shut up, Tommy!- I’m not- you won’t- UGH!”

“Y-Yohou’re way too easy!” He giggled out, letting his laughter calm before trying to speak again. “Like hell I will though, huh? You’re not very scary when you can’t even form a coherent sentence, Big Man.”

Oh wait. He was supposed to be embarrassed right now, not being all sappy over some child.

You know the thing that cats do when you try to pet their tummies? Yeah, that. That’s what he was doing.

“That’s not truhue!” He retorted giddily, a stupid grin on his face. “Yohou’re a bitch and I’m nohot t-tihicklihish!”

“Not ticklish? Hm. I wonder about that. I really, truly do…”

But this time, he knew what Dream wanted. And nothing would tickle Tommy more than not giving Dream what he wanted. It’s revenge for calling him a bitch!

“…but, if you say so, Big Man.”

And just like that, Tommy managed to maneuver his hand away and rest both of them behind his head. He closed his eyes and finally let the largest shit-eating grin spread on his lips.

WHAT?!

Dream sat up, an incredulous look on his face. Was Tommy really going to work him up like that and then leave him?!

The demon stifled a whine and rolled back over, tail twitching with frustration. His skin was alive with ticklish sparks, butterflies smacking into the walls of his stomach as he laid there for a minute, ears twitching and his face reddening. He really did have a reputation to keep up…

But on the other hand he really wanted those tickles.

Dream debated with himself in his head for a minute, torn between just sitting up and asking Tommy and scolding himself for even thinking of doing something so embarrassing.

“Hmm?” He peeked one of his eyes opened and glanced towards the older, noticing his flattened ears. “What is it, Dreamlee?”

Why was this so embarrassing?! “I, uh.. ehm- you could- i, uh, want- can you…”

Dream paused, trying to compose himself. He was just digging a deeper grave for himself the longer he spluttered, and he knew it.

“Hmmmm? Can I what, Dream?” He hummed. “I can’t hear you.”

The sudden touch made Dream twitch: he hadn’t been expecting Tommy to touch him, and it was very welcome. The demon leaned into the touch ever so slightly, still unable to meet his younger friend’s gaze.

“Can you, uhm…” He began quietly, his voice soft and nervous. “Can- can you- uhm, do… like, uh… can- can you do, uhm… Maybe…”

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying his best to shove the words out. “The thing! That you were doing before, uhm- that! That thing. Can you, uhm… do… that? Please?”

“A-Ahanywhehere,” the demon said softly, trying to suppress the wags his tail was starting to make. “Anywhere is fihine.”

With a growing smile, Tommy let his eyes scan the older man. He had a couple of spots in mind, and after a mental tug-of-war between the two, he decided he’d just tickle both. That was fair, right? Not that he cared. He was called a bitch. This was partially revenge too.

It took all of three seconds for Dream to burst into bubbly laughter.

The squeezes at his thighs made him squeal loudly, the demon’s legs kicking out as he collapsed back down into the grass, half-unfolding to try and yank his poor legs out of Tommy’s reach. That was a failure, though.

He couldn’t remember a time where he had tickled someone this much, nor a time where someone invited said tickles. He had plenty of tickle fights with Tubbo and other friends before, but this was completely different. This was him being allowed to tickle to his heart’s content. It was new and certainly welcomed.

That’s when an idea came about, popping into his head like a lightbulb. It was something he and Tubbo did quite often. His hands slowed to gentle clawing so that Dream was able to speak through his laughter.

It had been too long since Dream had laughed like this. Head tossed back against the grass and his chest heaving as his lungs tried to keep up with the hysterical laughter bubbling uninterrupted from his lips. This was wonderful, he thought.

As Dream’s laughter died away to giggles at the slowing of Tommy’s fingers, he glanced at the blonde with wide, happy eyes.

“Whahat’s aha- OHOH WAHAHAIT!”

And he was more than enthused to find out for himself.

He immediately slipped his hands up and grabbed a gentle hold of Dream’s shirt, glancing up at him to make sure he was alright. Very slowly, he began to push his shirt upwards, stopping once it rested right beneath his lower ribs.

“H-Hehey- Tohommyhy- Tohoms, come ohon now, buhuddy,” Dream tried to reason, his words coming out in a rush of giggly babbles. His tail was going again, a pale blur against the dark green of the grass. “Tohoms- Tohohommyhy!”

The demon blushed profusely at Tommy’s words, sucking in his stomach to the best of his ability as his giggles intensified. God, why was that voice so scary?! “TOHOhommyhYHY! PLEHehEASE!”

So, he simply hovered directly above the older’s stomach, tilting his head like a puppy at his pleads. His smirk was a dead giveaway to his intentions though, not helping him feign ignorance like he was attempting.

“Please what?” He asked, slipping a hand up and resting his fingers against his stomach. He let them twirl and trace along the skin mindlessly as he stared at the older. “I haven’t a clue what you’re asking for…”

“TohoHOMMYHyhy!” He whined, the stupid grin on his face betraying him. “PlehEhehEASE!”

When Tommy ducked his head, though, Dream thought he might just die.

The second raspberry was completely unwarranted and, in Dream’s humble opinion, unfair. Dream shrieked again, his voice somehow blowing an octave or two up at the ticklish buzzing below his belly button. He sucked in his tummy as much as he could, stuck between arching his back and sinking into the ground some more.

Much to his embarrassment, the smaller raspberries made Dream snort, and despite his best efforts at repressing it the humiliating sound continued at every single one.

The demon was in bliss. He was lost in hysterical laughter, tumbling through his lips and all but spilling into the air around him. He hadn’t been this happy in a long time.

Speaking of mercy! Although he thoroughly enjoyed seeing Dream is hysterics, he also knew that with more intense tickles, he’d need more time to catch his breath. With a satisfied hum, he blew a few more raspberries that were specifically aimed along the sides of his stomach, his fingers still pinching and squeezing at his ribs. He’d gradually lessen their intensity before pulling up and away, his hands rubbing away any phantom tickles across his stomach.

As the tickling finally died away, Dream couldn’t help but just lay there, residual giggles still bubbling from his lips as he recovered. His tail thumped softly against the ground, and the demon grabbed Tommy’s hands in his own trembling ones in an admittedly adorable attempt to defend himself from further onslaught.

“You took that like a champ,” he complimented with a teasing tone, his smile morphing into a smirk. “I’m surprised. I wasn’t expecting you to last as long as you did.”

“Yeheah,” he admitted softly, smiling like an idiot. “Sapnap’s made me cry, before.”

The demon felt a soft, fond buzz in his chest at the look Tommy was giving him. He thought that no one would ever be able to look at him that way again, full of kindness, after all the shitty stunts he’d pulled. But here he was.

“Made you… cry? From tickling you?”

The thought alone made a shiver run down his spine, his own cheeks flushing a soft pink. He knew Dream was strong, but to him, that was in an entire different level. He adjusted his throat before taking in his friend’s beaming expression, unable to stop himself from smiling as well.

He decided to turn and lay back down on the ground beside Dream, turning his head to continue looking at him. His mind raced with a mixture of different thoughts and replays of the past day, unable to pick one thing to think of at a time. Soon he let out a content sigh, moving his arms behind his head and laying back against them and closing his eyes.

The demon was taken aback by the words from his friend. He let out a disgruntled grumble of acknowledgement before sitting up with a mock-offended noise.

He spoke his next few words with deliberate pauses, his smirk growing wider. “You’re. The. Biggest. Lee. In. The. Server.”

The younger squeaked before he could even finish his sentence, promptly jumping to the side a little to put an extra inch of distance between the two of them. His cheeks grew hot as he realized that he just squeaked, and he quickly changed the subject, hoping that Dream wouldn’t notice.

“Tommy,” he purred, his voice low and dangerous. “Was that what I thought it was?”

Tommy felt a deep wave of (playful) panic wash over him as he heard Dream’s low purr of his name, the tone alone being enough to make him shiver. His head turned back and forth and his eyes scanned his surroundings in a desperate attempt to find an escape route. He’d need it.

But he knew he was pretty much out of time when the older rolled over and began to loom over him, blocking any way of escape. He decided to try and do what he did best as a last resort which was talking his way out of situations.

“D-Dream, my friend!” He greeted with a nervous laugh. “It wasn’t, really! You just scared me is all. Nothing to worry aboHOhout!”

Dream easily collected Tommy’s hands in one of his own, fingers curling tightly but not uncomfortably around the younger’s wrists. The demon settled comfortably atop of Tommy’s waist, tail swishing predatorily.

“N-No, no, it’s not like that!” He tried to explain, still trying to use his words to save his ass. “I wasn’t making fun of you! I was, uh, I was—”

He promptly cut himself off as he felt his wrists being gathered up, that panic from earlier nearly doubling and setting hundreds of butterflies swarming in his stomach. The mixture of seeing the glisten of the older’s fangs and the way his tail swayed along with hearing his low, menacing teases was enough to have goosebumps of anticipation spreading across his skin. He nearly squealed when Dream’s hand began to creep towards his ribs, flinching back a little. Nervous giggles bubbles up from his chest and felt his cheeks beginning to heat from the threatening drawl of his name. “Sorry, I’m sorry! Forgive me Dream!”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Dream drawled menacingly, pretending to think for a moment. “You were being awfully mean earlier, don’t you think?”

Dream tapped his fingers ever so gently against Tommy’s side, slightly sharp nails seeking eagerly to claw into the younger boy’s skin. He leaned down, brushing past Tommy to growl softly in his ear. “I don’t take kindly to being bullied like that, Tom.”

Tommy inhaled a sharp breath with each tap against his ribs, his giggles growing the slightest bit stronger. He forced himself to listen to Dream’s growled words despite the flurry of different things he was feeling, a shudder shooting down his spine from the warmth of his breath hitting his ear.

But then he heard the word apologize.

It was like a switch had been flipped and all his nervousness drained, morphing into matching mischief and even challenge despite him still being nervous given his current position. If there was one thing Tommy didn’t do, it was apologize. (Unless it was serious, of course) Especially not over something he was proud of, something he had fun doing! So, he let his classic shit-eating grin grow back on his lips.

“You aren’t getting shit from me, Big Man,” he replied, so desperately trying to pretend like he wasn’t still quivering with anticipation. “And until I cry, hmm?”

“Do my worst, hm?” He hummed softly, a new plan formulating in his mind. He traced his nails softly up and down Tommy’s sides, enough to feel but not enough to satisfy the tingling anticipation in the younger’s stomach. “Well, Tommy, if you insist…”

… unless he could outsmart the challenge entirely. Which he did.

When the teasing touches came to an abrupt stop and he felt himself being let go, he was unable to do anything more than blink, letting himself feel the mixture of confusion and surprise as the pieces clicked into place. He thought back on how he did the same thing to Dream only moments prior, taking a few moments before it finally dawned on him.

Checkmate. Reversed checkmate.

Dream felt a sense of smug satisfaction settle in the bottom of his stomach as he watched Tommy fall to pieces beneath him. It was almost reminiscent of how he’d felt earlier, when Tommy had done the same thing. He’d felt so helpless and ridiculous then: now it was his turn to playfully humiliate his lee.

A soft chuckle rumbled in his throat, barely audible to the both of them, as Dream watched Tommy’s cheeks dust over with soft pink embarrassment. He met the younger’s eyes, his own glinting with mischief for a moment, before chuckling with satisfaction as Tommy crumbled first.

“What do you mean?” He hummed, tilting his head to the side and looking down at Tommy with a mock-innocent look. “I haven’t done anything, little mouse.”

The demon then grinned sharply, pointed canines glancing in the sunlight.

“You prick,” he muttered under his breath, beginning to shyly kick the toe of his shoe into the ground. “Yes you do! And yes you did! Y-You fuckin’… you know!”

Never in his life had Tommy been this lost. Lost for proper words, lost for proper feelings, just lost. He had felt so powerful mere moments ago.

And now every bit of that power was nowhere to be found.

Both of them knew far too well what the poor boy wanted. His skin was still buzzing with anticipation that hadn’t been soothed, his own body betraying him by desperately seeking out the only thing that would work to soothe said anticipation. The blonde also knew that Dream was stubborn and wouldn’t give in until he got exactly what he wanted. Would it be a huge ego blow for him? Yes. But would he at least get what he wanted? …yes. So, he took a breath, and began to speak. Lowly. “Y-You… were gonna uh, get revenge right? So do it.”

He found it endearing, really, that such a cocky teenager could be reduced to an embarrassed puddle by only a simple action.

Patiently he waited, watching Tommy fumble for words and letting his tail sway behind him. He knew, deep down, exactly what Tommy wanted: hell, if this wasn’t being obvious he didn’t know what was. His smile grew as Tommy managed to find the words he needed.

God, the please. It made Dream’s heart bowl over in happiness, and he almost wanted to coo over the boy for the simple word. But instead he figured he’d get to business.

He let out a little squeal of surprise as fingers suddenly began digging into his ribs, finding himself already falling into a stream of laughter. He hadn’t even remembered his ribs being all that ticklish, yet thanks to what felt like centuries of anticipation, every movement of Dream’s fingers had him giggling and laughing freely. His hands slipped downwards and found purchase on the older’s wrists, fingers wrapped around them gently but making no move to pull them away.

“SHUHUhuhuhut uhuhuhup!” He demanded. The teasing brought an even deeper shade of red to his cheeks and even brought his laughter up an octave as each word he said played out in his mind, making his stomach flutter with butterflies. “I’ll dehehehestroy yohohou!”

Tilting his head, Dream smirked as Tommy spoke up bravely, eyeing Tommy up and down like some kind of prize. “You really are a cocky motherfucker, aren’t you, Tommy?” He purred, planning silently in his head. “And don’t worry about that, little mouse.”

“I’ll have you screaming for mercy when I’m done with you.”

“WAHAhahahait, DrehehEHEAM!” He cried through his rapidly growing laughter. His upper arms pressed deeply into his ribs and involuntarily trapped the older’s hands in their spot. But he couldn’t help it! It tickled like hell. And the featherlight brushes of his tail against his thighs certainly didn’t help.

He grinned as Tommy’s arms tightened against his sides, trapping his hands in their places. The demon crept his tail around one of Tommy’s legs, trapping his thigh in the soft white appendage, and letting the plume of his tail rest on the trapped limb, which occasionally twitched with amusement.

Dream was absolutely loving this. He had to admit he felt pretty good about himself for being able to elicit all these reactions from the younger, a smirk twitching across his face with every noise Tommy made. It helped, too, that Tommy wasn’t trying to get away at all.

“SHUHuhuhuhut uhuhuhup!” He cried out while pressing his arms even deeper into his sides despite it working against him entirely. His thigh trembled in the hold of the older’s tail, and he threw his head back gently into the grass beneath him. “I-I’m nohohohot!”

He shook that thought away, though. The past was the past, and right now he was a little preoccupied with the crumbling pieces of Tommy’s façade.

“Mhm? You’re not ticklish?” The demon hummed thoughtfully, watching with delight as a bright blush blossomed across Tommy’s cheeks. “Why are you giggling then, hm? Tell me that, Toms. Am I just that funny?”

Dream tugged one of his hands free, the other still burrowed into Tommy’s underarm, and let his tickly fingers start to explore downwards. He skimmed his nails down Tommy’s side, smirking playfully.

“How about this: why did the chicken cross the road?” Dream questioned, his tail starting to wag a little more against Tommy’s leg. “It’s because his friend Tubbo was over there.”

But of course he didn’t have the spare chance to put much thought into it. All he focus on was the ticklish sparks of electricity dancing along his nerves, each one left by Dream’s evil fingers. He squirmed from side to side and squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head as if it would help convince the older to shut up with his terrible teasing. The change of spots certainly didn’t help either, only making his laughter pick up a little as he felt nails skimming down his side, causing him to shiver.

“Yohohohou arehehen’t funny!” He instantly replied, not wanting to miss the chance to be his typical bratty self and (playfully) take the older’s ego down a peg. “Juhuhust shuhuhut uhuUHUP! DREHEHEAM!”

The demon’s ears twitched at the sound of his friend’s embarrassed giggles, and it made him all the happier to scratch at Tommy’s stomach with his nails. His touch roamed towards Tommy’s belly button, occasionally squeezing gently at the bottom of the other’s tummy.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d done this with anyone, let alone Tommy. It had been months since he’d even seen anyone, and longer since he’d been close enough to them to mess around like this. It was freeing, in a strange way. It felt like forgiveness in a bottle of happy, bright giggles.

But fuck, the teasing. It made him feel like every inch of his skin was set alight with an entire new wave of ticklishness. Eventually, his hands moved down to their own accord and tried to protect his tummy, though it was clear that he was struggling to keep them away and not get in Dream’s way. He shook his head from side to side as his cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red.

“Stop teasing? Why?” He queried lightly, eyes following Tommy as he shook his head with embarrassment. “I think I like teasing you, Toms. It makes your cheeks go all pink. It’s awfully cute.”

“S-SuhuhUHUprihise,” he giggled out, squeaking when the scratches returned to his tummy again. His tummy quivered beneath Dream’s touch, responding well to the tickles.

The sudden words made Dream’s eyes flash with nervous energy and his cheeks flushed a happy pink. “Shut up, no you aren’t,” he said coolly in response, though he did drop his gaze down to his hands. The demon couldn’t help that his tail started to wag, though.

Today was… particularly bad. The voice in the back of his mind, criticizing and dehumanizing, made his stomach churn unpleasantly. So he’d taken to L’Manburg, scouring the Prime Path for the distraction his heart was begging for, carving a hole in his chest the longer he searched. Something comforting, something that wouldn’t hurt.

Something real.

“Tommy!” Dream let out a breathless cry of relief as he spotted a familiar head of hair further down. He nearly choked on his words as he stumbled down towards the younger blonde, clutching at his chest with trembling hands. Just the sight of someone, anyone, brought him more peace of mind.

(I HOPE THIS IS ALRIGHT @tickleedream )

(OMG HII!! It’s totally fine, thank you so much for sending it in!!)

Tommy himself had been mindlessly trailing down the Prime Path, humming a quiet tune. It had been a calm day for him and he had even gotten a lot of things done. He hadn’t see too many people around either, figuring they were also off doing their own tasks.

So it was a surprise to say the least when he heard the loud cry of his name. A familiar cry at that.

The younger instantly whipped around and stared ahead, his own heart beginning to beat rapidly at the many things the cry could signify. A wave of relief flooded him as he saw Dream rush towards him, not sensing anything at first glance. But that relief soon disappeared as he took sight of the older’s trembling hands and heard his jumbled words, it now being replaced with concern.

“I’m… okay,” he half-truthed, picking at his fingernails absentmindedly. “I just needed… uhm…”

Dream felt almost embarrassed having to admit it. “I guess I just needed to see someone.”

Silently he scolded the grating voice in the back of his head, but found with a surprised blink that the whispered had faded, cowering against the back corners of his mind.

“I see. Well, you came to the right place Big Man.” He replied, chuckling. “For I am- Ack! Hey!”

Tommy gave a light shake of his head while Dream ruffled his hair, feeling the blonde curls fly around beneath his hand. Even though he couldn’t help shooting the older a playful glare because of his now messed up hair, he viewed the gesture as affectionate and therefore was unable to stop himself from smiling. But his following words did an excellent job at igniting something within Tommy. He huffed and narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously.

“Excuse me?” He brought his hands down and held out both of his index fingers, retaliating to his hair being ruffled with light but quick pokes to the older’s stomach. “I’ll have you know that I went mining today! What did you do all day? Huh? Huh, Dream?”

So caught up in that thought, he was, that the ex-convict didn’t notice Tommy’s plan of retaliation until too late. The fingers jabbing into his stomach definitely did not make him squeal. Nope. Never.

“ACK- H-Hehey!” He squeaked out, swatting at Tommy’s hands in an obviously half-assed attempt to defend himself. “I’ll have you knohow- TOHommyHY!”

Dream jolted and squawked as the little gremlin hit a particularly sensitive spot on his lower stomach. He curled in on himself a little, totally annoyed at how hard his tail had started to wag.

He struck gold.

“Hm? What was that Dream?” He asked with a wide, shit eating grin, dodging his swats and aiming his quickening pokes all around his tummy, unaffected by him curling in on himself. He tried to focus on the lower part of his tummy in specifics, noticing it’s sensitivity. “You’ll have me know what? I can’t hear you over your giggles!”

Frantic giggles spilled freely from his lips as the ex-convict smacked his face into Tommy’s shoulder, muffling his laughter. He had never been more glad of wearing his mask, he thought as he grabbed loosely for Tommy’s hands, feeling his ears warm.

The sudden change in tactic pulled an embarrassed wheeze from Dream before throwing him into happy cackles, his ears most definitely going red now. His tail was nothing more than a blur now, swishing across the Prime Path as he grappled for Tommy’s hands.

“Say what?” He questioned, feigning innocence. He hummed as if in thought before gasping. “Oh! You mean don’t mention how terribly ticklish your tummy is? How even the smallest little pokes and squeezes make you squeal?”

“T-Tohommyhyhy!” He spluttered, barely able to speak for laughing. “DohOHohon’t- snrk- dohon’t sahay thahAHAT AHA WAHAHAIT!”

“Dream!” He replied, a teasing smirk on his lips. “What’s the matter buddy? Can’t handle some tickle, tickle, tickles? I’m barely doing anything!”

He flinched sharply at the squeezes against his side, a small snort huffing out from him as his giggles vaulted in pitch. “IhiHIHihit’s- EEK!- FuhUHuck ohOHOFF!”

Dream felt his knees quiver slightly, a sure sign that he would collapse pretty soon from laughing so hard. He didn’t really care, though: he was too caught up in his own mirth to give a fuck, babbling out meaningless pleas and cries of mercy.

“Fine fineeee, I’ll give you a small break,” he sighed playfully, though he was still wearing a smile. “But how are you feeling? I didn’t go too far with anything did I?”

He shook his head softly into Tommy in response to the boy’s question, then realized with a jolt that he was being soft. SOFT!

The blonde stumbled backwards, ears flattening with embarrassment as his cheeks glowed red. “Break?! Y-You’re nohot gonna get me agahain! Not that easy!” He spluttered, his tail tucked shyly between his legs as he stared at Tommy. His stomach was still alive with butterflies, smacking into the sides of his tingling skin and sending tiny shocks across the freckles paleness that now glowed a soft pink from embarrassment. Alas, though, his tail wagged still. Ever so slightly, but noticeable.

“Well, I won’t if you truly don’t want me to.” He replied softly, glancing down to see the slight wag of his tail and taking it as a good sign. “But you don’t have to be embarrassed. I know that’s not really something you can control, but I just want you to feel comfortable. The cards are all in your hands from here on, Big Man.”

Ever since prison, he’d never expected kindness again. He knew he’d made mistakes, and they were bad ones. He thought George would never forgive him, and he knew that Tommy wouldn’t. He subconsciously brushed his hand over the large crack down the middle of his mask, a painful reminder of everything he’d done.

Tears suddenly pricked his eyes and Dream blinked rapidly to clear them, even more grateful that Tommy couldn’t see his face behind the mask.

“I…” Dream swallowed hard to keep his voice steady. “It’s…”

He was lost. Lost for words. For the first time in years he was speechless.

Dream stepped forward, ducking his head in slight embarrassment, and he reached out towards Tommy slowly, quietly. His hands trembled, uncertain, but he pushed, and gently clasped one of the younger’s hands and tugged, pulling Tommy into his chest and wrapping his arms around him.

He rested his chin on top of Tommy’s head, the blonde curls gently brushing against his neck as he reached up with one hand to undo the buckle on his mask. It came undone with ease, and he lowered his hand again, clasping the leather strap with a shaking hand.

“Tommy, I…”

“You’re alright,” he interrupted before he even got the chance to try and finish what he was saying. “You’re perfectly fine Dream.”

He felt himself relaxing further as the weight of his chin settled atop his head, closing his eyes and basking in the warmth of the embrace. Moments like these were what made him positive he made the right choice in forgiving Dream for the past. He could see the vulnerability and genuine efforts to make up for his wrongdoings. And he’d never turn his back on someone who was truly changing for the better.

The soft snap of his mask being unclasped caught his attention, listening to the way his following words came out a bit clearer. He slowly tilted his head back until he caught sight of the other’s face, and he offered a reassuring smile up at him.

Dream swallowed the string of apologies he was waiting to say and instead let himself relax into Tommy’s embrace, one ear twitching and a huff escaping his lips as Tommy’s soft, golden curls tickled the shell of his ear. All earlier feelings melted away as he fell into the moment: just him and Tommy. Nothing else mattered then.

Had Tommy really forgiven him?

“Thank you.” His voice suddenly broke the silence. He paused for a moment, surprised by his own words, then continued shyly. “Everything, uh… has been nice.”

“You’re welcome, but you don’t have to thank- Hey!” The blonde exclaimed lightly as he felt his cheek being pinched. The soft, teasing coo that followed made said cheek turn pink and warm to the touch, and Tommy couldn’t help but huff shyly himself. “S-Shut up man! I’m not answering those questions.”

He snapped his hand away from Tommy’s attempted biting, laughing softly at the movement, and glared right back at the kid.

But God, what he said next struck the nail right on the head.

His eyes that had been narrowed in a glare lit up once again with newfound mischief. One little nickname was really all it took to make such a powerful man so flustered? He studied the reaction he gained in response to said nickname, an evil grin forming on his lips once more as he realized he was right.

“Call you what? Dreamlee?” He asked, taking a step forward to match Dream’s step back. “Is me calling you Dreamlee what’s making your face so pink?”

He reached out and hovered his clawed fingers only inches away from the older’s stomach, though he never made contact. He was giddy with excitement from getting all these reactions from Dream today, beaming with power. He couldn’t help but tease.

“Fuck ohoff- Ihit’s noHOT!” Dream squeaked, bursting into frantic giggles as Tommy reached for him. He had to stifle a whine of disappointment when no contact was made, but he backed away a few more steps, tail starting to wag just a little.

His face only reddened at Tommy’s words, and he was opening his mouth to respond when a hand darted out and scribbled at his stomach. He shrieked suddenly and stumbled back again, losing his balance as he slipped off of the path and landed with a yelp on his haunches. His mask clattered against the path and fell into the grass with a small this. It didn’t hurt, just surprised him.

“Please?” He repeated with a chuckle that dripped with pure evil. As he began to take steps towards the older, he gave his mask a very light push with his foot, making sure it was out of reach. “You know, I still have some revenge to get. Where do you think I should start? Maybe your ribs, or your armpits? Or your thighs… man, so many choices! Maybe I’ll just… have to get them all.”

“H-Hey- Ohokahay- I-I’m sohorry Tommyhy you dohont hahave to do thihis- wehe cahahan tahalk abohout thihIHIS HEHEY NOHOHAHA!”

Dream’s incessant stream of talking was rudely interrupted by Tommy’s abrupt start. He batted at Tommy’s hands, ducking his head down as he laughed so it was harder for the kid to see his face, red and happy. His tail thudded against the grass, happy wags overtaking him, and he kicked his legs, trying and failing to fight off Tommy’s fingers. “IhiHIHIT FEHeheels wehEHEheird!”

Tommy felt himself grinning from ear to ear the moment Dream fell back into his hysterics. His fingers switched from focusing on the spaces between each rib to directly squeezing the bones themselves, using only his index and thumbs for each one. He’d even go as far as mixing in ticklish massages into his squeezes, circling the pads of his fingers quickly.

“I’m curious now. Weird how? Do you mean it tickles? Tell me about it, describe it to me. I have no idea what this feels like.”

The comment Tommy made was nothing short of embarrassing. Dream’s ears only went redder at that, and he giggled hysterically into Tommy’s chest, half-doubled over himself and blushing profusely.

“No? Aw, that’s too bad… Surely it’s not because Big Man Dream can’t say the word tickle, right? Can’t say how tickle, tickle, ticklish he is? Can’t dare to say such a simple, silly word?”

He tsked and shook his head in disappointment, though his smile didn’t help portray it very well. While Dream was half-doubled over and leaning against his chest, Tommy decided to catch him off guard once his squeezing fingers reached his uppermost ribs and suddenly shot his hands upwards. They landed perfectly beneath his arms and he wasted no time in wiggling his fingers into the hollows, laughing along with growing mischief.

That all changed, though, when Tommy suddenly shot up to his underarms.

A shriek tore from Dream’s throat, both of surprise and sudden ticklish shocks, and he instantly slumped into the grass. giving up on hiding his face and cackling loudly as he slammed his arms down to his sides, trapping Tommy’s hands. The grass brushing against his ears made him twitch and squeak, but he was too busy squirming back and forth trying to escape to notice too much.

“TOHOMMYHY!” He yelled, tilting his head to the side and squeezing his eyes shut in a feeble attempt to hide his blushing face. “YOHOU- snrk!- FUHUhuck oHOFF!”

An absolutely evil, ruthless, and merciless burst of laughter left Tommy the moment Dream’s back met the ground. This new position made it much easier to target the spots he was eager to tickle and filled him to the brim with excitement. But then he feigned a gasp as his hands were suddenly forced to stay in their spot, trapped snugly thanks to his arms. He tsked, shaking his head once more.

“My my Dream! I knew you were having fun, but trapping my hands? You should’ve just asked for me to tickle you! But, no worries my friend, I understand!”

He knew there was no point in arguing, though. Tommy was right.

“Oh no Dream… My hands, they’re stuck. I’m not sure what to do…”

As he spoke, he began to lightly claw his fingertips into Dream’s underarms with the small bit of mobility he had left.

It had been a while since he’d laughed this hard. It was kinda nice.

After a few more wiggles of his fingers, Tommy was able to worm them free, giving the older a couple of seconds to catch his breath. His eyes wandered up and caught sight of the horns resting atop his head, his curiosity fully taking over.

The hands carding through his hair were very welcome, Dream thought as he relaxed into the touch. It seemed so innocent, too, that he actually wasn’t expecting the boy to go after his horns.

An embarrassing squeak tore from the ex-convict’s throat before he dissolved into happy, high-pitched giggles, squeaks and hiccups puncturing his bubbly laughter. It was… endlessly embarrassing for Dream, but at the same time the gentle scratches felt so nice and he really didn’t want Tommy to stop.

Tommy was looking at him.

Fondly.

He’d never seen Tommy look fond of him before.

”Tohohoms!” He giggled out, oblivious to the nickname he’d used twice now. “Plehehease!”

The blonde was lost for words, now. Any thoughts he could have dreamed up were lost in the sea of squeaky giggles that bubbled from his lips, hands stubbornly sitting at his chest to keep from pushing Tommy away.

And it was then that Dream realized his mind was silent.

The whispers had disappeared, lost to the giddy tingles sparking across his skin. The usual twinge of guilt was nowhere to be found. He was happy. Really, truly happy. Without a hint of repressed emotion.

“IHI’M- EEK! Ihihi’m sohOHORRY!” Dream wailed, pedaling his legs fruitlessly. “NAHAHahahAHOHO!”

Tommy gave a thoughtful hum while continuing to scritch and scratch along the older’s sensitive ears, moving quicker and applying the slightest bit more pressure for a few more moments. Although he was having fun, he knew he needed to give Dream another small break. He didn’t want to totally drain him of energy after all.

Thankfully, his pleas were answered. As Tommy slowed his attack to a stop, Dream had the energy only to lay there on his back, giggling his heart out behind his hands. His ears twitched sporadically, phantom tingles still pricking at the sensitive fur.

He hated that we was so fond of the kid.

Okay, he didn’t hate it. At all.

“It is your fault! I’m not sure how, but it is.”

He gave himself a proud nod at his logic before snickering, then started to think. Today had been such a blast for him. He couldn’t get over how much he had found out, how much he had bonded with Dream, and just how great of a day it had been. And the day wasn’t even over! Smiling at his train of thought, Tommy closed his eyes and let out a content sigh.

And he was too giggled out to get up.

Tommy’s words made Dream choke a little, sitting up quickly and tripping over his own words as he protested. “What- n-no!- like hell you will!” He spluttered, the red hue returning to his cheeks. “Shut up, Tommy!- I’m not- you won’t- UGH!”

“Y-Yohou’re way too easy!” He giggled out, letting his laughter calm before trying to speak again. “Like hell I will though, huh? You’re not very scary when you can’t even form a coherent sentence, Big Man.”

Oh wait. He was supposed to be embarrassed right now, not being all sappy over some child.

You know the thing that cats do when you try to pet their tummies? Yeah, that. That’s what he was doing.

“That’s not truhue!” He retorted giddily, a stupid grin on his face. “Yohou’re a bitch and I’m nohot t-tihicklihish!”

“Not ticklish? Hm. I wonder about that. I really, truly do…”

But this time, he knew what Dream wanted. And nothing would tickle Tommy more than not giving Dream what he wanted. It’s revenge for calling him a bitch!

“…but, if you say so, Big Man.”

And just like that, Tommy managed to maneuver his hand away and rest both of them behind his head. He closed his eyes and finally let the largest shit-eating grin spread on his lips.

WHAT?!

Dream sat up, an incredulous look on his face. Was Tommy really going to work him up like that and then leave him?!

The demon stifled a whine and rolled back over, tail twitching with frustration. His skin was alive with ticklish sparks, butterflies smacking into the walls of his stomach as he laid there for a minute, ears twitching and his face reddening. He really did have a reputation to keep up…

But on the other hand he really wanted those tickles.

Dream debated with himself in his head for a minute, torn between just sitting up and asking Tommy and scolding himself for even thinking of doing something so embarrassing.

“Hmm?” He peeked one of his eyes opened and glanced towards the older, noticing his flattened ears. “What is it, Dreamlee?”

Why was this so embarrassing?! “I, uh.. ehm- you could- i, uh, want- can you…”

Dream paused, trying to compose himself. He was just digging a deeper grave for himself the longer he spluttered, and he knew it.

“Hmmmm? Can I what, Dream?” He hummed. “I can’t hear you.”

The sudden touch made Dream twitch: he hadn’t been expecting Tommy to touch him, and it was very welcome. The demon leaned into the touch ever so slightly, still unable to meet his younger friend’s gaze.

“Can you, uhm…” He began quietly, his voice soft and nervous. “Can- can you- uhm, do… like, uh… can- can you do, uhm… Maybe…”

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying his best to shove the words out. “The thing! That you were doing before, uhm- that! That thing. Can you, uhm… do… that? Please?”

“A-Ahanywhehere,” the demon said softly, trying to suppress the wags his tail was starting to make. “Anywhere is fihine.”

With a growing smile, Tommy let his eyes scan the older man. He had a couple of spots in mind, and after a mental tug-of-war between the two, he decided he’d just tickle both. That was fair, right? Not that he cared. He was called a bitch. This was partially revenge too.

It took all of three seconds for Dream to burst into bubbly laughter.

The squeezes at his thighs made him squeal loudly, the demon’s legs kicking out as he collapsed back down into the grass, half-unfolding to try and yank his poor legs out of Tommy’s reach. That was a failure, though.

He couldn’t remember a time where he had tickled someone this much, nor a time where someone invited said tickles. He had plenty of tickle fights with Tubbo and other friends before, but this was completely different. This was him being allowed to tickle to his heart’s content. It was new and certainly welcomed.

That’s when an idea came about, popping into his head like a lightbulb. It was something he and Tubbo did quite often. His hands slowed to gentle clawing so that Dream was able to speak through his laughter.

It had been too long since Dream had laughed like this. Head tossed back against the grass and his chest heaving as his lungs tried to keep up with the hysterical laughter bubbling uninterrupted from his lips. This was wonderful, he thought.

As Dream’s laughter died away to giggles at the slowing of Tommy’s fingers, he glanced at the blonde with wide, happy eyes.

“Whahat’s aha- OHOH WAHAHAIT!”

And he was more than enthused to find out for himself.

He immediately slipped his hands up and grabbed a gentle hold of Dream’s shirt, glancing up at him to make sure he was alright. Very slowly, he began to push his shirt upwards, stopping once it rested right beneath his lower ribs.

“H-Hehey- Tohommyhy- Tohoms, come ohon now, buhuddy,” Dream tried to reason, his words coming out in a rush of giggly babbles. His tail was going again, a pale blur against the dark green of the grass. “Tohoms- Tohohommyhy!”

The demon blushed profusely at Tommy’s words, sucking in his stomach to the best of his ability as his giggles intensified. God, why was that voice so scary?! “TOHOhommyhYHY! PLEHehEASE!”

So, he simply hovered directly above the older’s stomach, tilting his head like a puppy at his pleads. His smirk was a dead giveaway to his intentions though, not helping him feign ignorance like he was attempting.

“Please what?” He asked, slipping a hand up and resting his fingers against his stomach. He let them twirl and trace along the skin mindlessly as he stared at the older. “I haven’t a clue what you’re asking for…”

“TohoHOMMYHyhy!” He whined, the stupid grin on his face betraying him. “PlehEhehEASE!”

When Tommy ducked his head, though, Dream thought he might just die.

The second raspberry was completely unwarranted and, in Dream’s humble opinion, unfair. Dream shrieked again, his voice somehow blowing an octave or two up at the ticklish buzzing below his belly button. He sucked in his tummy as much as he could, stuck between arching his back and sinking into the ground some more.

Much to his embarrassment, the smaller raspberries made Dream snort, and despite his best efforts at repressing it the humiliating sound continued at every single one.

The demon was in bliss. He was lost in hysterical laughter, tumbling through his lips and all but spilling into the air around him. He hadn’t been this happy in a long time.

Speaking of mercy! Although he thoroughly enjoyed seeing Dream is hysterics, he also knew that with more intense tickles, he’d need more time to catch his breath. With a satisfied hum, he blew a few more raspberries that were specifically aimed along the sides of his stomach, his fingers still pinching and squeezing at his ribs. He’d gradually lessen their intensity before pulling up and away, his hands rubbing away any phantom tickles across his stomach.

As the tickling finally died away, Dream couldn’t help but just lay there, residual giggles still bubbling from his lips as he recovered. His tail thumped softly against the ground, and the demon grabbed Tommy’s hands in his own trembling ones in an admittedly adorable attempt to defend himself from further onslaught.

“You took that like a champ,” he complimented with a teasing tone, his smile morphing into a smirk. “I’m surprised. I wasn’t expecting you to last as long as you did.”

“Yeheah,” he admitted softly, smiling like an idiot. “Sapnap’s made me cry, before.”

The demon felt a soft, fond buzz in his chest at the look Tommy was giving him. He thought that no one would ever be able to look at him that way again, full of kindness, after all the shitty stunts he’d pulled. But here he was.

“Made you… cry? From tickling you?”

The thought alone made a shiver run down his spine, his own cheeks flushing a soft pink. He knew Dream was strong, but to him, that was in an entire different level. He adjusted his throat before taking in his friend’s beaming expression, unable to stop himself from smiling as well.

He decided to turn and lay back down on the ground beside Dream, turning his head to continue looking at him. His mind raced with a mixture of different thoughts and replays of the past day, unable to pick one thing to think of at a time. Soon he let out a content sigh, moving his arms behind his head and laying back against them and closing his eyes.

The demon was taken aback by the words from his friend. He let out a disgruntled grumble of acknowledgement before sitting up with a mock-offended noise.

He spoke his next few words with deliberate pauses, his smirk growing wider. “You’re. The. Biggest. Lee. In. The. Server.”

The younger squeaked before he could even finish his sentence, promptly jumping to the side a little to put an extra inch of distance between the two of them. His cheeks grew hot as he realized that he just squeaked, and he quickly changed the subject, hoping that Dream wouldn’t notice.

“Tommy,” he purred, his voice low and dangerous. “Was that what I thought it was?”

Tommy felt a deep wave of (playful) panic wash over him as he heard Dream’s low purr of his name, the tone alone being enough to make him shiver. His head turned back and forth and his eyes scanned his surroundings in a desperate attempt to find an escape route. He’d need it.

But he knew he was pretty much out of time when the older rolled over and began to loom over him, blocking any way of escape. He decided to try and do what he did best as a last resort which was talking his way out of situations.

“D-Dream, my friend!” He greeted with a nervous laugh. “It wasn’t, really! You just scared me is all. Nothing to worry aboHOhout!”

Dream easily collected Tommy’s hands in one of his own, fingers curling tightly but not uncomfortably around the younger’s wrists. The demon settled comfortably atop of Tommy’s waist, tail swishing predatorily.

“N-No, no, it’s not like that!” He tried to explain, still trying to use his words to save his ass. “I wasn’t making fun of you! I was, uh, I was—”

He promptly cut himself off as he felt his wrists being gathered up, that panic from earlier nearly doubling and setting hundreds of butterflies swarming in his stomach. The mixture of seeing the glisten of the older’s fangs and the way his tail swayed along with hearing his low, menacing teases was enough to have goosebumps of anticipation spreading across his skin. He nearly squealed when Dream’s hand began to creep towards his ribs, flinching back a little. Nervous giggles bubbles up from his chest and felt his cheeks beginning to heat from the threatening drawl of his name. “Sorry, I’m sorry! Forgive me Dream!”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Dream drawled menacingly, pretending to think for a moment. “You were being awfully mean earlier, don’t you think?”

Dream tapped his fingers ever so gently against Tommy’s side, slightly sharp nails seeking eagerly to claw into the younger boy’s skin. He leaned down, brushing past Tommy to growl softly in his ear. “I don’t take kindly to being bullied like that, Tom.”

Tommy inhaled a sharp breath with each tap against his ribs, his giggles growing the slightest bit stronger. He forced himself to listen to Dream’s growled words despite the flurry of different things he was feeling, a shudder shooting down his spine from the warmth of his breath hitting his ear.

But then he heard the word apologize.

It was like a switch had been flipped and all his nervousness drained, morphing into matching mischief and even challenge despite him still being nervous given his current position. If there was one thing Tommy didn’t do, it was apologize. (Unless it was serious, of course) Especially not over something he was proud of, something he had fun doing! So, he let his classic shit-eating grin grow back on his lips.

“You aren’t getting shit from me, Big Man,” he replied, so desperately trying to pretend like he wasn’t still quivering with anticipation. “And until I cry, hmm?”

“Do my worst, hm?” He hummed softly, a new plan formulating in his mind. He traced his nails softly up and down Tommy’s sides, enough to feel but not enough to satisfy the tingling anticipation in the younger’s stomach. “Well, Tommy, if you insist…”

… unless he could outsmart the challenge entirely. Which he did.

When the teasing touches came to an abrupt stop and he felt himself being let go, he was unable to do anything more than blink, letting himself feel the mixture of confusion and surprise as the pieces clicked into place. He thought back on how he did the same thing to Dream only moments prior, taking a few moments before it finally dawned on him.

Checkmate. Reversed checkmate.

Dream felt a sense of smug satisfaction settle in the bottom of his stomach as he watched Tommy fall to pieces beneath him. It was almost reminiscent of how he’d felt earlier, when Tommy had done the same thing. He’d felt so helpless and ridiculous then: now it was his turn to playfully humiliate his lee.

A soft chuckle rumbled in his throat, barely audible to the both of them, as Dream watched Tommy’s cheeks dust over with soft pink embarrassment. He met the younger’s eyes, his own glinting with mischief for a moment, before chuckling with satisfaction as Tommy crumbled first.

“What do you mean?” He hummed, tilting his head to the side and looking down at Tommy with a mock-innocent look. “I haven’t done anything, little mouse.”

The demon then grinned sharply, pointed canines glancing in the sunlight.

“You prick,” he muttered under his breath, beginning to shyly kick the toe of his shoe into the ground. “Yes you do! And yes you did! Y-You fuckin’… you know!”

Never in his life had Tommy been this lost. Lost for proper words, lost for proper feelings, just lost. He had felt so powerful mere moments ago.

And now every bit of that power was nowhere to be found.

Both of them knew far too well what the poor boy wanted. His skin was still buzzing with anticipation that hadn’t been soothed, his own body betraying him by desperately seeking out the only thing that would work to soothe said anticipation. The blonde also knew that Dream was stubborn and wouldn’t give in until he got exactly what he wanted. Would it be a huge ego blow for him? Yes. But would he at least get what he wanted? …yes. So, he took a breath, and began to speak. Lowly. “Y-You… were gonna uh, get revenge right? So do it.”

He found it endearing, really, that such a cocky teenager could be reduced to an embarrassed puddle by only a simple action.

Patiently he waited, watching Tommy fumble for words and letting his tail sway behind him. He knew, deep down, exactly what Tommy wanted: hell, if this wasn’t being obvious he didn’t know what was. His smile grew as Tommy managed to find the words he needed.

God, the please. It made Dream’s heart bowl over in happiness, and he almost wanted to coo over the boy for the simple word. But instead he figured he’d get to business.

He let out a little squeal of surprise as fingers suddenly began digging into his ribs, finding himself already falling into a stream of laughter. He hadn’t even remembered his ribs being all that ticklish, yet thanks to what felt like centuries of anticipation, every movement of Dream’s fingers had him giggling and laughing freely. His hands slipped downwards and found purchase on the older’s wrists, fingers wrapped around them gently but making no move to pull them away.

“SHUHUhuhuhut uhuhuhup!” He demanded. The teasing brought an even deeper shade of red to his cheeks and even brought his laughter up an octave as each word he said played out in his mind, making his stomach flutter with butterflies. “I’ll dehehehestroy yohohou!”

Tilting his head, Dream smirked as Tommy spoke up bravely, eyeing Tommy up and down like some kind of prize. “You really are a cocky motherfucker, aren’t you, Tommy?” He purred, planning silently in his head. “And don’t worry about that, little mouse.”

“I’ll have you screaming for mercy when I’m done with you.”

“WAHAhahahait, DrehehEHEAM!” He cried through his rapidly growing laughter. His upper arms pressed deeply into his ribs and involuntarily trapped the older’s hands in their spot. But he couldn’t help it! It tickled like hell. And the featherlight brushes of his tail against his thighs certainly didn’t help.

He grinned as Tommy’s arms tightened against his sides, trapping his hands in their places. The demon crept his tail around one of Tommy’s legs, trapping his thigh in the soft white appendage, and letting the plume of his tail rest on the trapped limb, which occasionally twitched with amusement.

Dream was absolutely loving this. He had to admit he felt pretty good about himself for being able to elicit all these reactions from the younger, a smirk twitching across his face with every noise Tommy made. It helped, too, that Tommy wasn’t trying to get away at all.

“SHUHuhuhuhut uhuhuhup!” He cried out while pressing his arms even deeper into his sides despite it working against him entirely. His thigh trembled in the hold of the older’s tail, and he threw his head back gently into the grass beneath him. “I-I’m nohohohot!”

He shook that thought away, though. The past was the past, and right now he was a little preoccupied with the crumbling pieces of Tommy’s façade.

“Mhm? You’re not ticklish?” The demon hummed thoughtfully, watching with delight as a bright blush blossomed across Tommy’s cheeks. “Why are you giggling then, hm? Tell me that, Toms. Am I just that funny?”

Dream tugged one of his hands free, the other still burrowed into Tommy’s underarm, and let his tickly fingers start to explore downwards. He skimmed his nails down Tommy’s side, smirking playfully.

“How about this: why did the chicken cross the road?” Dream questioned, his tail starting to wag a little more against Tommy’s leg. “It’s because his friend Tubbo was over there.”

But of course he didn’t have the spare chance to put much thought into it. All he focus on was the ticklish sparks of electricity dancing along his nerves, each one left by Dream’s evil fingers. He squirmed from side to side and squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head as if it would help convince the older to shut up with his terrible teasing. The change of spots certainly didn’t help either, only making his laughter pick up a little as he felt nails skimming down his side, causing him to shiver.

“Yohohohou arehehen’t funny!” He instantly replied, not wanting to miss the chance to be his typical bratty self and (playfully) take the older’s ego down a peg. “Juhuhust shuhuhut uhuUHUP! DREHEHEAM!”

The demon’s ears twitched at the sound of his friend’s embarrassed giggles, and it made him all the happier to scratch at Tommy’s stomach with his nails. His touch roamed towards Tommy’s belly button, occasionally squeezing gently at the bottom of the other’s tummy.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d done this with anyone, let alone Tommy. It had been months since he’d even seen anyone, and longer since he’d been close enough to them to mess around like this. It was freeing, in a strange way. It felt like forgiveness in a bottle of happy, bright giggles.

But fuck, the teasing. It made him feel like every inch of his skin was set alight with an entire new wave of ticklishness. Eventually, his hands moved down to their own accord and tried to protect his tummy, though it was clear that he was struggling to keep them away and not get in Dream’s way. He shook his head from side to side as his cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red.

“Stop teasing? Why?” He queried lightly, eyes following Tommy as he shook his head with embarrassment. “I think I like teasing you, Toms. It makes your cheeks go all pink. It’s awfully cute.”

There, it was said. Sapnap would tease him for being the World’s Biggest Simp, but then again the ravenette had decided he was the self-proclaimed Dream SMP Hottie, so what did his word matter?

Dream trotted down the Prime Path, tail swaying happily behind him. He had his hands pressed close to his chest, but he looked happy as he walked.

“Geooooorge!” He whined loudly, hoping the brunette would hear him. “I miss youuuuuu! Come here!”

(@tickleedream hi!!! i hope you don’t mind me hopping on in here-)

(Welcome! @tickleedream)

Today was… particularly bad. The voice in the back of his mind, criticizing and dehumanizing, made his stomach churn unpleasantly. So he’d taken to L’Manburg, scouring the Prime Path for the distraction his heart was begging for, carving a hole in his chest the longer he searched. Something comforting, something that wouldn’t hurt.

Something real.

“Tommy!” Dream let out a breathless cry of relief as he spotted a familiar head of hair further down. He nearly choked on his words as he stumbled down towards the younger blonde, clutching at his chest with trembling hands. Just the sight of someone, anyone, brought him more peace of mind.

(I HOPE THIS IS ALRIGHT @tickleedream )

(OMG HII!! It’s totally fine, thank you so much for sending it in!!)

Tommy himself had been mindlessly trailing down the Prime Path, humming a quiet tune. It had been a calm day for him and he had even gotten a lot of things done. He hadn’t see too many people around either, figuring they were also off doing their own tasks.

So it was a surprise to say the least when he heard the loud cry of his name. A familiar cry at that.

The younger instantly whipped around and stared ahead, his own heart beginning to beat rapidly at the many things the cry could signify. A wave of relief flooded him as he saw Dream rush towards him, not sensing anything at first glance. But that relief soon disappeared as he took sight of the older’s trembling hands and heard his jumbled words, it now being replaced with concern.

“I’m… okay,” he half-truthed, picking at his fingernails absentmindedly. “I just needed… uhm…”

Dream felt almost embarrassed having to admit it. “I guess I just needed to see someone.”

Silently he scolded the grating voice in the back of his head, but found with a surprised blink that the whispered had faded, cowering against the back corners of his mind.

“I see. Well, you came to the right place Big Man.” He replied, chuckling. “For I am- Ack! Hey!”

Tommy gave a light shake of his head while Dream ruffled his hair, feeling the blonde curls fly around beneath his hand. Even though he couldn’t help shooting the older a playful glare because of his now messed up hair, he viewed the gesture as affectionate and therefore was unable to stop himself from smiling. But his following words did an excellent job at igniting something within Tommy. He huffed and narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously.

“Excuse me?” He brought his hands down and held out both of his index fingers, retaliating to his hair being ruffled with light but quick pokes to the older’s stomach. “I’ll have you know that I went mining today! What did you do all day? Huh? Huh, Dream?”

So caught up in that thought, he was, that the ex-convict didn’t notice Tommy’s plan of retaliation until too late. The fingers jabbing into his stomach definitely did not make him squeal. Nope. Never.

“ACK- H-Hehey!” He squeaked out, swatting at Tommy’s hands in an obviously half-assed attempt to defend himself. “I’ll have you knohow- TOHommyHY!”

Dream jolted and squawked as the little gremlin hit a particularly sensitive spot on his lower stomach. He curled in on himself a little, totally annoyed at how hard his tail had started to wag.

He struck gold.

“Hm? What was that Dream?” He asked with a wide, shit eating grin, dodging his swats and aiming his quickening pokes all around his tummy, unaffected by him curling in on himself. He tried to focus on the lower part of his tummy in specifics, noticing it’s sensitivity. “You’ll have me know what? I can’t hear you over your giggles!”

Frantic giggles spilled freely from his lips as the ex-convict smacked his face into Tommy’s shoulder, muffling his laughter. He had never been more glad of wearing his mask, he thought as he grabbed loosely for Tommy’s hands, feeling his ears warm.

The sudden change in tactic pulled an embarrassed wheeze from Dream before throwing him into happy cackles, his ears most definitely going red now. His tail was nothing more than a blur now, swishing across the Prime Path as he grappled for Tommy’s hands.

“Say what?” He questioned, feigning innocence. He hummed as if in thought before gasping. “Oh! You mean don’t mention how terribly ticklish your tummy is? How even the smallest little pokes and squeezes make you squeal?”

“T-Tohommyhyhy!” He spluttered, barely able to speak for laughing. “DohOHohon’t- snrk- dohon’t sahay thahAHAT AHA WAHAHAIT!”

“Dream!” He replied, a teasing smirk on his lips. “What’s the matter buddy? Can’t handle some tickle, tickle, tickles? I’m barely doing anything!”

He flinched sharply at the squeezes against his side, a small snort huffing out from him as his giggles vaulted in pitch. “IhiHIHihit’s- EEK!- FuhUHuck ohOHOFF!”

Dream felt his knees quiver slightly, a sure sign that he would collapse pretty soon from laughing so hard. He didn’t really care, though: he was too caught up in his own mirth to give a fuck, babbling out meaningless pleas and cries of mercy.

“Fine fineeee, I’ll give you a small break,” he sighed playfully, though he was still wearing a smile. “But how are you feeling? I didn’t go too far with anything did I?”

He shook his head softly into Tommy in response to the boy’s question, then realized with a jolt that he was being soft. SOFT!

The blonde stumbled backwards, ears flattening with embarrassment as his cheeks glowed red. “Break?! Y-You’re nohot gonna get me agahain! Not that easy!” He spluttered, his tail tucked shyly between his legs as he stared at Tommy. His stomach was still alive with butterflies, smacking into the sides of his tingling skin and sending tiny shocks across the freckles paleness that now glowed a soft pink from embarrassment. Alas, though, his tail wagged still. Ever so slightly, but noticeable.

“Well, I won’t if you truly don’t want me to.” He replied softly, glancing down to see the slight wag of his tail and taking it as a good sign. “But you don’t have to be embarrassed. I know that’s not really something you can control, but I just want you to feel comfortable. The cards are all in your hands from here on, Big Man.”

Ever since prison, he’d never expected kindness again. He knew he’d made mistakes, and they were bad ones. He thought George would never forgive him, and he knew that Tommy wouldn’t. He subconsciously brushed his hand over the large crack down the middle of his mask, a painful reminder of everything he’d done.

Tears suddenly pricked his eyes and Dream blinked rapidly to clear them, even more grateful that Tommy couldn’t see his face behind the mask.

“I…” Dream swallowed hard to keep his voice steady. “It’s…”

He was lost. Lost for words. For the first time in years he was speechless.

Dream stepped forward, ducking his head in slight embarrassment, and he reached out towards Tommy slowly, quietly. His hands trembled, uncertain, but he pushed, and gently clasped one of the younger’s hands and tugged, pulling Tommy into his chest and wrapping his arms around him.

He rested his chin on top of Tommy’s head, the blonde curls gently brushing against his neck as he reached up with one hand to undo the buckle on his mask. It came undone with ease, and he lowered his hand again, clasping the leather strap with a shaking hand.

“Tommy, I…”

“You’re alright,” he interrupted before he even got the chance to try and finish what he was saying. “You’re perfectly fine Dream.”

He felt himself relaxing further as the weight of his chin settled atop his head, closing his eyes and basking in the warmth of the embrace. Moments like these were what made him positive he made the right choice in forgiving Dream for the past. He could see the vulnerability and genuine efforts to make up for his wrongdoings. And he’d never turn his back on someone who was truly changing for the better.

The soft snap of his mask being unclasped caught his attention, listening to the way his following words came out a bit clearer. He slowly tilted his head back until he caught sight of the other’s face, and he offered a reassuring smile up at him.

Dream swallowed the string of apologies he was waiting to say and instead let himself relax into Tommy’s embrace, one ear twitching and a huff escaping his lips as Tommy’s soft, golden curls tickled the shell of his ear. All earlier feelings melted away as he fell into the moment: just him and Tommy. Nothing else mattered then.

Had Tommy really forgiven him?

“Thank you.” His voice suddenly broke the silence. He paused for a moment, surprised by his own words, then continued shyly. “Everything, uh… has been nice.”

“You’re welcome, but you don’t have to thank- Hey!” The blonde exclaimed lightly as he felt his cheek being pinched. The soft, teasing coo that followed made said cheek turn pink and warm to the touch, and Tommy couldn’t help but huff shyly himself. “S-Shut up man! I’m not answering those questions.”

He snapped his hand away from Tommy’s attempted biting, laughing softly at the movement, and glared right back at the kid.

But God, what he said next struck the nail right on the head.

His eyes that had been narrowed in a glare lit up once again with newfound mischief. One little nickname was really all it took to make such a powerful man so flustered? He studied the reaction he gained in response to said nickname, an evil grin forming on his lips once more as he realized he was right.

“Call you what? Dreamlee?” He asked, taking a step forward to match Dream’s step back. “Is me calling you Dreamlee what’s making your face so pink?”

He reached out and hovered his clawed fingers only inches away from the older’s stomach, though he never made contact. He was giddy with excitement from getting all these reactions from Dream today, beaming with power. He couldn’t help but tease.

“Fuck ohoff- Ihit’s noHOT!” Dream squeaked, bursting into frantic giggles as Tommy reached for him. He had to stifle a whine of disappointment when no contact was made, but he backed away a few more steps, tail starting to wag just a little.

His face only reddened at Tommy’s words, and he was opening his mouth to respond when a hand darted out and scribbled at his stomach. He shrieked suddenly and stumbled back again, losing his balance as he slipped off of the path and landed with a yelp on his haunches. His mask clattered against the path and fell into the grass with a small this. It didn’t hurt, just surprised him.

“Please?” He repeated with a chuckle that dripped with pure evil. As he began to take steps towards the older, he gave his mask a very light push with his foot, making sure it was out of reach. “You know, I still have some revenge to get. Where do you think I should start? Maybe your ribs, or your armpits? Or your thighs… man, so many choices! Maybe I’ll just… have to get them all.”

“H-Hey- Ohokahay- I-I’m sohorry Tommyhy you dohont hahave to do thihis- wehe cahahan tahalk abohout thihIHIS HEHEY NOHOHAHA!”

Dream’s incessant stream of talking was rudely interrupted by Tommy’s abrupt start. He batted at Tommy’s hands, ducking his head down as he laughed so it was harder for the kid to see his face, red and happy. His tail thudded against the grass, happy wags overtaking him, and he kicked his legs, trying and failing to fight off Tommy’s fingers. “IhiHIHIT FEHeheels wehEHEheird!”

Tommy felt himself grinning from ear to ear the moment Dream fell back into his hysterics. His fingers switched from focusing on the spaces between each rib to directly squeezing the bones themselves, using only his index and thumbs for each one. He’d even go as far as mixing in ticklish massages into his squeezes, circling the pads of his fingers quickly.

“I’m curious now. Weird how? Do you mean it tickles? Tell me about it, describe it to me. I have no idea what this feels like.”

The comment Tommy made was nothing short of embarrassing. Dream’s ears only went redder at that, and he giggled hysterically into Tommy’s chest, half-doubled over himself and blushing profusely.

“No? Aw, that’s too bad… Surely it’s not because Big Man Dream can’t say the word tickle, right? Can’t say how tickle, tickle, ticklish he is? Can’t dare to say such a simple, silly word?”

He tsked and shook his head in disappointment, though his smile didn’t help portray it very well. While Dream was half-doubled over and leaning against his chest, Tommy decided to catch him off guard once his squeezing fingers reached his uppermost ribs and suddenly shot his hands upwards. They landed perfectly beneath his arms and he wasted no time in wiggling his fingers into the hollows, laughing along with growing mischief.

That all changed, though, when Tommy suddenly shot up to his underarms.

A shriek tore from Dream’s throat, both of surprise and sudden ticklish shocks, and he instantly slumped into the grass. giving up on hiding his face and cackling loudly as he slammed his arms down to his sides, trapping Tommy’s hands. The grass brushing against his ears made him twitch and squeak, but he was too busy squirming back and forth trying to escape to notice too much.

“TOHOMMYHY!” He yelled, tilting his head to the side and squeezing his eyes shut in a feeble attempt to hide his blushing face. “YOHOU- snrk!- FUHUhuck oHOFF!”

An absolutely evil, ruthless, and merciless burst of laughter left Tommy the moment Dream’s back met the ground. This new position made it much easier to target the spots he was eager to tickle and filled him to the brim with excitement. But then he feigned a gasp as his hands were suddenly forced to stay in their spot, trapped snugly thanks to his arms. He tsked, shaking his head once more.

“My my Dream! I knew you were having fun, but trapping my hands? You should’ve just asked for me to tickle you! But, no worries my friend, I understand!”

He knew there was no point in arguing, though. Tommy was right.

“Oh no Dream… My hands, they’re stuck. I’m not sure what to do…”

As he spoke, he began to lightly claw his fingertips into Dream’s underarms with the small bit of mobility he had left.

It had been a while since he’d laughed this hard. It was kinda nice.

After a few more wiggles of his fingers, Tommy was able to worm them free, giving the older a couple of seconds to catch his breath. His eyes wandered up and caught sight of the horns resting atop his head, his curiosity fully taking over.

The hands carding through his hair were very welcome, Dream thought as he relaxed into the touch. It seemed so innocent, too, that he actually wasn’t expecting the boy to go after his horns.

An embarrassing squeak tore from the ex-convict’s throat before he dissolved into happy, high-pitched giggles, squeaks and hiccups puncturing his bubbly laughter. It was… endlessly embarrassing for Dream, but at the same time the gentle scratches felt so nice and he really didn’t want Tommy to stop.

Tommy was looking at him.

Fondly.

He’d never seen Tommy look fond of him before.

”Tohohoms!” He giggled out, oblivious to the nickname he’d used twice now. “Plehehease!”

The blonde was lost for words, now. Any thoughts he could have dreamed up were lost in the sea of squeaky giggles that bubbled from his lips, hands stubbornly sitting at his chest to keep from pushing Tommy away.

And it was then that Dream realized his mind was silent.

The whispers had disappeared, lost to the giddy tingles sparking across his skin. The usual twinge of guilt was nowhere to be found. He was happy. Really, truly happy. Without a hint of repressed emotion.

“IHI’M- EEK! Ihihi’m sohOHORRY!” Dream wailed, pedaling his legs fruitlessly. “NAHAHahahAHOHO!”

Tommy gave a thoughtful hum while continuing to scritch and scratch along the older’s sensitive ears, moving quicker and applying the slightest bit more pressure for a few more moments. Although he was having fun, he knew he needed to give Dream another small break. He didn’t want to totally drain him of energy after all.

Thankfully, his pleas were answered. As Tommy slowed his attack to a stop, Dream had the energy only to lay there on his back, giggling his heart out behind his hands. His ears twitched sporadically, phantom tingles still pricking at the sensitive fur.

He hated that we was so fond of the kid.

Okay, he didn’t hate it. At all.

“It is your fault! I’m not sure how, but it is.”

He gave himself a proud nod at his logic before snickering, then started to think. Today had been such a blast for him. He couldn’t get over how much he had found out, how much he had bonded with Dream, and just how great of a day it had been. And the day wasn’t even over! Smiling at his train of thought, Tommy closed his eyes and let out a content sigh.

And he was too giggled out to get up.

Tommy’s words made Dream choke a little, sitting up quickly and tripping over his own words as he protested. “What- n-no!- like hell you will!” He spluttered, the red hue returning to his cheeks. “Shut up, Tommy!- I’m not- you won’t- UGH!”

“Y-Yohou’re way too easy!” He giggled out, letting his laughter calm before trying to speak again. “Like hell I will though, huh? You’re not very scary when you can’t even form a coherent sentence, Big Man.”

Oh wait. He was supposed to be embarrassed right now, not being all sappy over some child.

You know the thing that cats do when you try to pet their tummies? Yeah, that. That’s what he was doing.

“That’s not truhue!” He retorted giddily, a stupid grin on his face. “Yohou’re a bitch and I’m nohot t-tihicklihish!”

“Not ticklish? Hm. I wonder about that. I really, truly do…”

But this time, he knew what Dream wanted. And nothing would tickle Tommy more than not giving Dream what he wanted. It’s revenge for calling him a bitch!

“…but, if you say so, Big Man.”

And just like that, Tommy managed to maneuver his hand away and rest both of them behind his head. He closed his eyes and finally let the largest shit-eating grin spread on his lips.

WHAT?!

Dream sat up, an incredulous look on his face. Was Tommy really going to work him up like that and then leave him?!

The demon stifled a whine and rolled back over, tail twitching with frustration. His skin was alive with ticklish sparks, butterflies smacking into the walls of his stomach as he laid there for a minute, ears twitching and his face reddening. He really did have a reputation to keep up…

But on the other hand he really wanted those tickles.

Dream debated with himself in his head for a minute, torn between just sitting up and asking Tommy and scolding himself for even thinking of doing something so embarrassing.

“Hmm?” He peeked one of his eyes opened and glanced towards the older, noticing his flattened ears. “What is it, Dreamlee?”

Why was this so embarrassing?! “I, uh.. ehm- you could- i, uh, want- can you…”

Dream paused, trying to compose himself. He was just digging a deeper grave for himself the longer he spluttered, and he knew it.

“Hmmmm? Can I what, Dream?” He hummed. “I can’t hear you.”

The sudden touch made Dream twitch: he hadn’t been expecting Tommy to touch him, and it was very welcome. The demon leaned into the touch ever so slightly, still unable to meet his younger friend’s gaze.

“Can you, uhm…” He began quietly, his voice soft and nervous. “Can- can you- uhm, do… like, uh… can- can you do, uhm… Maybe…”

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying his best to shove the words out. “The thing! That you were doing before, uhm- that! That thing. Can you, uhm… do… that? Please?”

“A-Ahanywhehere,” the demon said softly, trying to suppress the wags his tail was starting to make. “Anywhere is fihine.”

With a growing smile, Tommy let his eyes scan the older man. He had a couple of spots in mind, and after a mental tug-of-war between the two, he decided he’d just tickle both. That was fair, right? Not that he cared. He was called a bitch. This was partially revenge too.

It took all of three seconds for Dream to burst into bubbly laughter.

The squeezes at his thighs made him squeal loudly, the demon’s legs kicking out as he collapsed back down into the grass, half-unfolding to try and yank his poor legs out of Tommy’s reach. That was a failure, though.

He couldn’t remember a time where he had tickled someone this much, nor a time where someone invited said tickles. He had plenty of tickle fights with Tubbo and other friends before, but this was completely different. This was him being allowed to tickle to his heart’s content. It was new and certainly welcomed.

That’s when an idea came about, popping into his head like a lightbulb. It was something he and Tubbo did quite often. His hands slowed to gentle clawing so that Dream was able to speak through his laughter.

It had been too long since Dream had laughed like this. Head tossed back against the grass and his chest heaving as his lungs tried to keep up with the hysterical laughter bubbling uninterrupted from his lips. This was wonderful, he thought.

As Dream’s laughter died away to giggles at the slowing of Tommy’s fingers, he glanced at the blonde with wide, happy eyes.

“Whahat’s aha- OHOH WAHAHAIT!”

And he was more than enthused to find out for himself.

He immediately slipped his hands up and grabbed a gentle hold of Dream’s shirt, glancing up at him to make sure he was alright. Very slowly, he began to push his shirt upwards, stopping once it rested right beneath his lower ribs.

“H-Hehey- Tohommyhy- Tohoms, come ohon now, buhuddy,” Dream tried to reason, his words coming out in a rush of giggly babbles. His tail was going again, a pale blur against the dark green of the grass. “Tohoms- Tohohommyhy!”

The demon blushed profusely at Tommy’s words, sucking in his stomach to the best of his ability as his giggles intensified. God, why was that voice so scary?! “TOHOhommyhYHY! PLEHehEASE!”

So, he simply hovered directly above the older’s stomach, tilting his head like a puppy at his pleads. His smirk was a dead giveaway to his intentions though, not helping him feign ignorance like he was attempting.

“Please what?” He asked, slipping a hand up and resting his fingers against his stomach. He let them twirl and trace along the skin mindlessly as he stared at the older. “I haven’t a clue what you’re asking for…”

“TohoHOMMYHyhy!” He whined, the stupid grin on his face betraying him. “PlehEhehEASE!”

When Tommy ducked his head, though, Dream thought he might just die.

The second raspberry was completely unwarranted and, in Dream’s humble opinion, unfair. Dream shrieked again, his voice somehow blowing an octave or two up at the ticklish buzzing below his belly button. He sucked in his tummy as much as he could, stuck between arching his back and sinking into the ground some more.

Much to his embarrassment, the smaller raspberries made Dream snort, and despite his best efforts at repressing it the humiliating sound continued at every single one.

The demon was in bliss. He was lost in hysterical laughter, tumbling through his lips and all but spilling into the air around him. He hadn’t been this happy in a long time.

Speaking of mercy! Although he thoroughly enjoyed seeing Dream is hysterics, he also knew that with more intense tickles, he’d need more time to catch his breath. With a satisfied hum, he blew a few more raspberries that were specifically aimed along the sides of his stomach, his fingers still pinching and squeezing at his ribs. He’d gradually lessen their intensity before pulling up and away, his hands rubbing away any phantom tickles across his stomach.

As the tickling finally died away, Dream couldn’t help but just lay there, residual giggles still bubbling from his lips as he recovered. His tail thumped softly against the ground, and the demon grabbed Tommy’s hands in his own trembling ones in an admittedly adorable attempt to defend himself from further onslaught.

“You took that like a champ,” he complimented with a teasing tone, his smile morphing into a smirk. “I’m surprised. I wasn’t expecting you to last as long as you did.”

“Yeheah,” he admitted softly, smiling like an idiot. “Sapnap’s made me cry, before.”

The demon felt a soft, fond buzz in his chest at the look Tommy was giving him. He thought that no one would ever be able to look at him that way again, full of kindness, after all the shitty stunts he’d pulled. But here he was.

“Made you… cry? From tickling you?”

The thought alone made a shiver run down his spine, his own cheeks flushing a soft pink. He knew Dream was strong, but to him, that was in an entire different level. He adjusted his throat before taking in his friend’s beaming expression, unable to stop himself from smiling as well.

He decided to turn and lay back down on the ground beside Dream, turning his head to continue looking at him. His mind raced with a mixture of different thoughts and replays of the past day, unable to pick one thing to think of at a time. Soon he let out a content sigh, moving his arms behind his head and laying back against them and closing his eyes.

The demon was taken aback by the words from his friend. He let out a disgruntled grumble of acknowledgement before sitting up with a mock-offended noise.

He spoke his next few words with deliberate pauses, his smirk growing wider. “You’re. The. Biggest. Lee. In. The. Server.”

The younger squeaked before he could even finish his sentence, promptly jumping to the side a little to put an extra inch of distance between the two of them. His cheeks grew hot as he realized that he just squeaked, and he quickly changed the subject, hoping that Dream wouldn’t notice.

“Tommy,” he purred, his voice low and dangerous. “Was that what I thought it was?”

Tommy felt a deep wave of (playful) panic wash over him as he heard Dream’s low purr of his name, the tone alone being enough to make him shiver. His head turned back and forth and his eyes scanned his surroundings in a desperate attempt to find an escape route. He’d need it.

But he knew he was pretty much out of time when the older rolled over and began to loom over him, blocking any way of escape. He decided to try and do what he did best as a last resort which was talking his way out of situations.

“D-Dream, my friend!” He greeted with a nervous laugh. “It wasn’t, really! You just scared me is all. Nothing to worry aboHOhout!”

Dream easily collected Tommy’s hands in one of his own, fingers curling tightly but not uncomfortably around the younger’s wrists. The demon settled comfortably atop of Tommy’s waist, tail swishing predatorily.

“N-No, no, it’s not like that!” He tried to explain, still trying to use his words to save his ass. “I wasn’t making fun of you! I was, uh, I was—”

He promptly cut himself off as he felt his wrists being gathered up, that panic from earlier nearly doubling and setting hundreds of butterflies swarming in his stomach. The mixture of seeing the glisten of the older’s fangs and the way his tail swayed along with hearing his low, menacing teases was enough to have goosebumps of anticipation spreading across his skin. He nearly squealed when Dream’s hand began to creep towards his ribs, flinching back a little. Nervous giggles bubbles up from his chest and felt his cheeks beginning to heat from the threatening drawl of his name. “Sorry, I’m sorry! Forgive me Dream!”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Dream drawled menacingly, pretending to think for a moment. “You were being awfully mean earlier, don’t you think?”

Dream tapped his fingers ever so gently against Tommy’s side, slightly sharp nails seeking eagerly to claw into the younger boy’s skin. He leaned down, brushing past Tommy to growl softly in his ear. “I don’t take kindly to being bullied like that, Tom.”

Tommy inhaled a sharp breath with each tap against his ribs, his giggles growing the slightest bit stronger. He forced himself to listen to Dream’s growled words despite the flurry of different things he was feeling, a shudder shooting down his spine from the warmth of his breath hitting his ear.

But then he heard the word apologize.

It was like a switch had been flipped and all his nervousness drained, morphing into matching mischief and even challenge despite him still being nervous given his current position. If there was one thing Tommy didn’t do, it was apologize. (Unless it was serious, of course) Especially not over something he was proud of, something he had fun doing! So, he let his classic shit-eating grin grow back on his lips.

“You aren’t getting shit from me, Big Man,” he replied, so desperately trying to pretend like he wasn’t still quivering with anticipation. “And until I cry, hmm?”

“Do my worst, hm?” He hummed softly, a new plan formulating in his mind. He traced his nails softly up and down Tommy’s sides, enough to feel but not enough to satisfy the tingling anticipation in the younger’s stomach. “Well, Tommy, if you insist…”

… unless he could outsmart the challenge entirely. Which he did.

When the teasing touches came to an abrupt stop and he felt himself being let go, he was unable to do anything more than blink, letting himself feel the mixture of confusion and surprise as the pieces clicked into place. He thought back on how he did the same thing to Dream only moments prior, taking a few moments before it finally dawned on him.

Checkmate. Reversed checkmate.

Dream felt a sense of smug satisfaction settle in the bottom of his stomach as he watched Tommy fall to pieces beneath him. It was almost reminiscent of how he’d felt earlier, when Tommy had done the same thing. He’d felt so helpless and ridiculous then: now it was his turn to playfully humiliate his lee.

A soft chuckle rumbled in his throat, barely audible to the both of them, as Dream watched Tommy’s cheeks dust over with soft pink embarrassment. He met the younger’s eyes, his own glinting with mischief for a moment, before chuckling with satisfaction as Tommy crumbled first.

“What do you mean?” He hummed, tilting his head to the side and looking down at Tommy with a mock-innocent look. “I haven’t done anything, little mouse.”

The demon then grinned sharply, pointed canines glancing in the sunlight.

“You prick,” he muttered under his breath, beginning to shyly kick the toe of his shoe into the ground. “Yes you do! And yes you did! Y-You fuckin’… you know!”

Never in his life had Tommy been this lost. Lost for proper words, lost for proper feelings, just lost. He had felt so powerful mere moments ago.

And now every bit of that power was nowhere to be found.

Both of them knew far too well what the poor boy wanted. His skin was still buzzing with anticipation that hadn’t been soothed, his own body betraying him by desperately seeking out the only thing that would work to soothe said anticipation. The blonde also knew that Dream was stubborn and wouldn’t give in until he got exactly what he wanted. Would it be a huge ego blow for him? Yes. But would he at least get what he wanted? …yes. So, he took a breath, and began to speak. Lowly. “Y-You… were gonna uh, get revenge right? So do it.”

He found it endearing, really, that such a cocky teenager could be reduced to an embarrassed puddle by only a simple action.

Patiently he waited, watching Tommy fumble for words and letting his tail sway behind him. He knew, deep down, exactly what Tommy wanted: hell, if this wasn’t being obvious he didn’t know what was. His smile grew as Tommy managed to find the words he needed.

God, the please. It made Dream’s heart bowl over in happiness, and he almost wanted to coo over the boy for the simple word. But instead he figured he’d get to business.

He let out a little squeal of surprise as fingers suddenly began digging into his ribs, finding himself already falling into a stream of laughter. He hadn’t even remembered his ribs being all that ticklish, yet thanks to what felt like centuries of anticipation, every movement of Dream’s fingers had him giggling and laughing freely. His hands slipped downwards and found purchase on the older’s wrists, fingers wrapped around them gently but making no move to pull them away.

“SHUHUhuhuhut uhuhuhup!” He demanded. The teasing brought an even deeper shade of red to his cheeks and even brought his laughter up an octave as each word he said played out in his mind, making his stomach flutter with butterflies. “I’ll dehehehestroy yohohou!”

Tilting his head, Dream smirked as Tommy spoke up bravely, eyeing Tommy up and down like some kind of prize. “You really are a cocky motherfucker, aren’t you, Tommy?” He purred, planning silently in his head. “And don’t worry about that, little mouse.”

“I’ll have you screaming for mercy when I’m done with you.”

“WAHAhahahait, DrehehEHEAM!” He cried through his rapidly growing laughter. His upper arms pressed deeply into his ribs and involuntarily trapped the older’s hands in their spot. But he couldn’t help it! It tickled like hell. And the featherlight brushes of his tail against his thighs certainly didn’t help.

He grinned as Tommy’s arms tightened against his sides, trapping his hands in their places. The demon crept his tail around one of Tommy’s legs, trapping his thigh in the soft white appendage, and letting the plume of his tail rest on the trapped limb, which occasionally twitched with amusement.

Dream was absolutely loving this. He had to admit he felt pretty good about himself for being able to elicit all these reactions from the younger, a smirk twitching across his face with every noise Tommy made. It helped, too, that Tommy wasn’t trying to get away at all.

“SHUHuhuhuhut uhuhuhup!” He cried out while pressing his arms even deeper into his sides despite it working against him entirely. His thigh trembled in the hold of the older’s tail, and he threw his head back gently into the grass beneath him. “I-I’m nohohohot!”

He shook that thought away, though. The past was the past, and right now he was a little preoccupied with the crumbling pieces of Tommy’s façade.

“Mhm? You’re not ticklish?” The demon hummed thoughtfully, watching with delight as a bright blush blossomed across Tommy’s cheeks. “Why are you giggling then, hm? Tell me that, Toms. Am I just that funny?”

Dream tugged one of his hands free, the other still burrowed into Tommy’s underarm, and let his tickly fingers start to explore downwards. He skimmed his nails down Tommy’s side, smirking playfully.

“How about this: why did the chicken cross the road?” Dream questioned, his tail starting to wag a little more against Tommy’s leg. “It’s because his friend Tubbo was over there.”

But of course he didn’t have the spare chance to put much thought into it. All he focus on was the ticklish sparks of electricity dancing along his nerves, each one left by Dream’s evil fingers. He squirmed from side to side and squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head as if it would help convince the older to shut up with his terrible teasing. The change of spots certainly didn’t help either, only making his laughter pick up a little as he felt nails skimming down his side, causing him to shiver.

“Yohohohou arehehen’t funny!” He instantly replied, not wanting to miss the chance to be his typical bratty self and (playfully) take the older’s ego down a peg. “Juhuhust shuhuhut uhuUHUP! DREHEHEAM!”

The demon’s ears twitched at the sound of his friend’s embarrassed giggles, and it made him all the happier to scratch at Tommy’s stomach with his nails. His touch roamed towards Tommy’s belly button, occasionally squeezing gently at the bottom of the other’s tummy.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d done this with anyone, let alone Tommy. It had been months since he’d even seen anyone, and longer since he’d been close enough to them to mess around like this. It was freeing, in a strange way. It felt like forgiveness in a bottle of happy, bright giggles.

“Big Q?” He called out into the seemingly-empty city, the flashy lights and dark streets distracting him and making him follow down paths he normally wouldn’t take. “Quackity, you out here?”

(mm it’s short but hi!!! @tickleedream i’ve been debating an ask for a couple days and now i’m here >:) i hope this is alright ^^)

Quackity was working hard, as usual, up in his office before he was told that a familiar face was making their way around Las Nevadas. He wasn't upset over the unexpected visit, but was a little confused as to why Dream of all people would stop in his nation. He also might've been a little upset over the lack of work he'd get done in that time.

He looked around, before finding a specific blonde, giving his signature grin to the hoodie wearer.

“Things have been well,” he responded, glancing left and right to make sure they were alone before continuing more quietly. “Please don’t tell him, but I may have taken one of Sapnap’s chestplates. He’s been chasing the entire server for it.”

"I'm glad to hear!" He said, but stopped, learning into the secret he was being told. He looked a little uncomfortable at the mention of Sapnap, but shook it off, smiling. "I'll send him your way if I see him, don't you worry, boss man." He teased, snickering.

“Hm?” Quackity’s question tore him from his thoughts. “Oh, sure. Sorry, I was thinking.”

But at the same time, he traumatized someone. And even if they deserved to be traumatized, Q should've known that someone shouldn't only get a single chance. That's not fair, that would never be fair.

"Oh, uhm, nevermind." He said, a little harshly. Why was Dream there? Was he going to finish what Quackity started? Win the final battle afterall? Maybe it wasn't the best idea to lock them both in a room together, even if he thought Dream changed.

“Okay,” he said softly, keeping his hands busy and playing with the hem of his torn orange clothes. Stupid prison clothes he didn’t have the heart to change out of.

Quackity probably hated him. That was fair, he thought. He’d messed up a lot.

Quackity could feel his own anxieties rise when Dream responded, obviously worried. Though, he couldn't tell if he was anxious about having to face someone he regretted hurting, or if he was anxious because he was scared Dream would do something about it.

“Oh, uhm…” he stumbled over his words a little, still unable to make eye contact. “I-I think i’m alright, Quackity, um.. I-I’ve got a place to stay, and…” He trailed off. “But, uhm… thank you. It means a lot.”

Before he let both of them step inside, Quackity stopped, moving to lean against the doorframe and sigh before speaking.

"Dream, I..." He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Why are you here? If you're here to, kill me, I only ask you pick a different day. There's things I have to get done." He let out a dry chuckle, his joke falling flat. "I can call you later, when there's a good day for you to, bring down my country and stuff."

He did want to know why Dream was there, but he didn't know how else to ask, other than a dry joke about it.

Dream trailed away, halting in his tracks for a moment. His tail curled nervously and he flattened his ears, keeping his eyes on the ground.

“I’m sorry.” The words were flowing before he could stop them. “I messed up, like really bad. Prime’s sake, I killed a fucking kid. I deserve the hell you gave me and I regret everything I ever said and did and I just…”

A tear slipped down Dream’s cheek, dripping from the bottom of his mask onto the path with a small noise.