#i am anxious and adding 'tickling' to all the tags so this doesn't show up in the main tags lol

[august-anon]

Still Got It

Hello friends, I got into an intense lee mood and wrote this and made this blog before I could talk myself out of it. 

This is loosely based in one of my regular fics from my regular blog (the identity of which will be kept under lock and key because I don’t want anyone to know about this secret blog) and I wrote this so I wouldn’t have the urge to put a weird tickle scene in the fic. All you really need to know is that all the sides are seniors in high school and Virgil’s mom died when he was like 8 or 9 (which is briefly mentioned in the fic, so if you aren’t down with that please be careful or just don’t read).

Prinxiety with some pining barely-there Logicality in the background.

Word Count: 2,350 (because apparently my rambly, long-windedness isn’t reserved for just regular fics)

Also this is the first ever tickle fic I’ve written so please don’t judge me too harshly lol

(Also I didn’t edit this so I wouldn’t talk myself out of posting it so it may have mistakes or characters may sound weird/ooc at times)

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It had been a few weeks since Roman and Virgil had started dating, and things were going shockingly well (in Virgil’s opinion, Roman never seemed to have any doubts) despite their rough start. 

Things at school were still pretty awkward (the most loved and most hated people in the school getting together? The student body would need some time to adjust), but they were happy and that was all that mattered.

For now, they were taking a break from the mess that was their school lives, relaxing on Logan’s couch, with Logan and Patton relaxing to their left (still pining after each other, despite Roman and Virgil’s best efforts). 

Patton was scrolling through his phone and laughing at memes while monitoring Logan out of the corner of his eye to make sure he didn’t try to start studying again, and Logan was actually reading a book for fun for once.

Suddenly, Roman sat up straighter, turning towards Virgil. “You know,” he started, “I can see those walls you have up breaking down every day, you’ll smile a lot more often around me now, but I truly and genuinely don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh.”

“Maybe you’re just not as funny as you think you are,” Virgil teased with a smirk.

Roman gave a mock-offended gasp, a hand coming up to clutch at his chest.

Patton giggled at his dramatics.

Roman waved a hand in Patton’s direction. “See? I’m funny!”

Logan raised an eyebrow and adjusted his glasses, leaning over to look at Roman past Patton and Virgil. “Forgive me for saying this Patton, but he’ll laugh at just about anything. I’m not certain he’s an accurate representation of how funny you are.”

Patton giggled again and shrugged. “He’s not wrong, Roman.”

“Well, you two are accurate representations, either!” Roman argued. “You guys barely smile, let alone laugh! Who the hell even knows what it would take to get even the barest of chuckles from you.”

Virgil shrugged, still smirking, and relaxed back into Roman’s side when he sunk back down, pouting. His arm came up to rest on Virgil’s shoulders while the other hand dramatically went up to his face.

They relaxed in silence for a few minutes more before Logan leaned over Patton again, a gleam in his eyes.

Virgil gave him a suspicious look. Nothing good ever came out of that particular gleam.

“Roman,” he said, as calm as usual, but Virgil still tensed.

Roman hummed to show he was listening and shot a questioning glance at Virgil. Virgil ignored him, keeping his eyes locked on Logan.

Then, Logan smirked, like only childhood best friends holding the secrets to the universe could. “I wonder if Virgil’s still ticklish,” he finished, a barely-there lilt to his voice that probably only Virgil could pick up on.

The betrayal.

Virgil’s eyes went wide and his fight or flight responses kicked in. He tried to launch himself off the couch to run (he knew this house better than Roman, and he could still fit in some good hiding places), but the arm around his shoulders worked to Roman’s advantage. He used it to pull Virgil to his chest and fling them both to the ground, Roman being careful to cushion Virgil’s fall.

Virgil tried to pull away, leading to a light wrestling match breaking out. A wrestling match that Virgl was doomed to lose, considering that Roman played on half the school’s sports teams and the only working out Virgil did was sneaking out his bedroom window.

“So it’s true, then?” Roman asked gleefully.

“What’s true?” Virgil bit out, trying to push at Roman’s hands and gently throw him off with a foot to the stomach (a quiet thought of “throw him off his rhythm” almost caused Virgil to lose his focus).

“You’re still ticklish!” Eagerness was rolling off of Roman in waves.

Virgil suddenly stopped fighting, frozen in place. Roman stopped, too, probably worried he’d crossed one of Virgil’s boundaries or overstepped.

“I don’t know,” Virgil finally said, brows furrowing.

Roman relaxed above him. “Don’t know…?” He trailed off, eyebrows also scrunching up together. “If you’re ticklish?”

Virgil shrugged and nodded, finally meeting Roman’s eyes.

“Well you used to scream pretty loud when your mom used to get you,” Logan said, somewhat oblivious to the silent conversation the two lovers were having.

Roman leaned forward and spoke lowly enough that their friends couldn’t hear. “If this is something you really don’t want to happen let me know now. You know I would never do anything to make you uncomfortable or do something you didn’t like.”

Virgil remained silent.

Roman gave a subtle nod with an eyebrow raised.

Virgil returned the nod.

Roman grabbed his hand and squeezed once before relaxing his grip. “Squeeze once for me crossing a line, twice for ‘stop this instant.’”

And after another brief moment of careful eye contact, they were wrestling again. Virgil could feel the anxious anticipation rolling around in his stomach and took a moment to remind himself of what Roman had promised.

That moment of distraction was all Roman needed, beaming as he was able to toss Virgil’s hands away and latch onto his sides and squeeze.

Virgil immediately gave up that fight to start a new one, his sleeve-covered fingers shooting up to cover his mouth.

Evidently, he was still ticklish.

Very ticklish.

But as ticklish as he seemed to be, he wasn’t going to make getting that laugh easy for Roman.

That just wouldn’t fit who he was, now would it?

Roman laughed victoriously as he gently squeezed up and down the fleshy parts of Virgil’s sides. “Come on, darling,” he said, a teasing lilt to his voice, “just give in! You know you want to!”

Roman switched to digging into Virgil’s ribs causing Virgil to lurch and squirm, eyes squeezing shut as he fought his giggles down.

Scary emo teenagers that put entire high schools on edge did not giggle.

But damn, how did that tickle so much through a tshirt and his hoodie? That just wasn’t fair.

“You’re going to break eventually,” Roman teased, “you’re just dragging this out much longer. Though, who’s to say I’ll even want to stop once I get a taste of that adorable laughter?”

Virgil briefly wondered how Roman got so good at this. Then, he remembered that not only did he grow up with the bubbly Patton, he also had Patton’s younger brothers to practice on. Not to mention his own older brother (and from what Roman told him, Remy definitely seemed like the teasing, tickling big brother type).

In a desperate attempt to keep his laughter in, his competitive nature getting the best of him, Virgil frantically tried to recall where he was most ticklish when he was young. He’d been pretty ticklish everywhere, but if he remembered correctly, his most ticklish spot was--

“Get his tummy!” Patton called out with an affectionate laugh.

--His stomach.

He very much regretted leaving his hoodie unzipped as Roman’s fingers scribbled over his thin lounge shirt.

He couldn’t hold it in any longer.

Virgil’s hands shot down to grip Roman’s wrists, though he very carefully made sure not to squeeze. His eyes shot wide open, as did his mouth as he started letting out loud laughter.

Roman’s face lit up. “Well isn’t that just the best sound for sore ears!” He crowed, switching his technique to alternating between light squeezes and spidering fingers that drove Virgil absolutely insane.

“Aww!” Patton squealed from the couch. “He’s so cute!”

“Even I must admit,” Logan leaned forward, smirking, “I haven’t even heard him laugh like that, not in years.”

If Virgil’s face hadn’t already turned red from trying to hold his laughter in (and from Roman’s teasing, not that he would admit it), he was sure he would be blushing at their words.

“This may just be the most perfect sound in the universe,” Roman cooed, leaning down to get his face closer to Virgil’s. “I really do think I need to hear more of it, I might just die if I don’t!”

Roman slowed down to give Virgil a slight breather, though he didn’t stop his fingers entirely, keeping Virgil giggling. It seemed that once the laughter started, Virgil couldn’t make it stop.

Not that he necessarily wanted to.

Roman slowly and carefully started maneuvering his fingers under Virgil’s shirt, giving Virgil ample time to squeeze Roman’s wrists to back out or tell him to at least back off.

If anything, Virgil actually loosened his grip. He brought one hand back up to his mouth to muffle the giggles.

Roman mock-pouted. “Now why would you do that? I wanna see those cute little dimples bouncing around!” 

His fingers, now fully under Virgil’s shirt, switched back and forth between sweeping with the pads of his fingers and spidering with his short nails, making Virgil’s giggles grow in volume and intensity.

Roman smirked. “I suppose I’ll have to just make sure I get to see them again, won’t I?”

Virgil brought his other hand up as well, so that his entire face was covered by hoodie-clad fingers, save for his eyes, dancing with mirth.

Bring it, they said.

Roman narrowed his own in response. “So be it,” he growled out playfully.

And Virgil’s break was over.

Virgil didn’t even try to hold back his laughter again, howling out as Roman went back to work. The tickling feeling on his bare skin was so much worse. It was a struggle to keep his hands over his mouth, muffling his loud belly laughter. He knew he’d lose this game eventually, too, but he was determined to hold out as long as possible.

“Tickle tickle, sweet Virgil!” Roman sang. “Don’t you just wanna drop those hands? Give in and let me hear the sweet melody that is your laughter? The gorgeous gift that is your smile and sweet little dimples?”

Virgil’s face was on fire. It wasn’t fair that Roman knew all the right buttons to press to make him blush, and after such a short time of dating, too! Not to mention how good at tickling and teasing he was.

Roman’s fingers tickled up his torso, landing on his ribs once more and playing them like a piano. Unlike before, with both his hoodie and shirt in the way, Roman could actually stroke between each bone, wiggle his fingers along the bones themselves.

Virgil squealed as his arms shook, aching to come down and protect himself. He squirmed from side to side as much as he could with Roman straddling him (and Virgil wondered when that happened), which admittedly wasn’t far, and certainly didn’t bring much relief.

“Oh?” Roman said. “What was that cute little sound? I really wish I could have heard it, but there seems to be something in the way! Maybe if I just…”

Roman slid his fingers up into Virgil’s armpits, scratching away; and, despite Virgil’s best efforts, his arms came crashing down just in time for a loud shriek to pass through his lips.

“Aww, there he is!” Roman cooed. “My sweet prince! What adorable sounds you make!”

“Roman!” Virgil cried out through his laughter, not entirely sure where he was going with the sentence.

“Yes, dear?” Roman replied, and Virgil could hear the shit-eating grin in his voice.

Virgil just shook his head, not having an answer.

“Tell you what. If you can lift your arms up so I can get my hands back, I’ll stop.”

Virgil shook his head again and called out through his cackling, “I can’t!”

And he didn’t know if he really wanted to, either.

Virgil hadn’t been tickled since his mom died, and he’d been so young when it happened. He can’t remember disliking being tickled as a child, but he’d been so worried that had changed now that he was practically an adult.

But, as it turned out, Virgil thought he might actually like it.

And wasn’t that an embarrassing thought?

But when Roman started blowing raspberries, swapping between his now-exposed stomach and his neck, Virgil knew he reached his limit for the time being. Especially with those fingers still wiggling away in his armpits.

Try as he might, though, Virgil couldn’t raise his arms. It was all too overwhelming. His hands flailed as much as they could with his arms being glued to his sides. He latched onto one of Roman’s arms as tears of laughter finally started trickling down his burning cheeks, frantically squeezing twice.

Everything immediately stopped.

“I guess I’ll have mercy for now,” Roman said with a grin, trying to play it off in front of the others. He started wiping away Virgil’s tears. “My fingers were getting tired anyway. But there will be repeat performances. Especially since I’m sure I didn’t find all your spots!”

Virgil’s blush, which had thankfully started fading, flared up again. Roman chuckled and pulled him in for a hug.

“I wouldn’t be opposed,” Virgil mumbled before he lost his nerve. It was as close as he could get to saying he liked it.

Roman pulled back and grinned at him, wiggling his eyebrows. Virgil rolled his eyes and gave him a playful shove.

They both looked up to find Logan still immersed in his book and Patton back on his phone, though both of them seemed to be smiling. Logan looked up from his book and stared back at them.

“I’d consider this experiment a success. It seems you are just as ticklish as when we were kids.”

“Watch it, Specs,” Virgil threatened with a playful grin. “I know your secrets, too.”

“Is that so?” Patton asked innocently, though he had a predatory grin.

Logan shifted in his seat, eyes wide, but mouth wisely kept shut.

Roman and Virgil cuddled back up together on the couch next to Patton and Logan and started scrolling through their respective phones, occasionally turning to each other or the others when something particularly funny came up.

Then, Patton broke the peaceful silence once more.

“By the way, Virge,” he said casually, eyes still on his phone, “Roman is still super ticklish, too.”