#ler stede

[abihasablog]

Late night giggles

Commission for @ticklespls, also on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49049692

At some point in their relationship, Izzy had stopped grumbling about Stede’s need to cling, and that seemed to have been his first mistake. Stede had stopped paying him any mind when he realised he didn’t mean it, but once Izzy had stopped acting like the constant touching and cuddling bothered him, the floodgates burst wide open. The opening of said floodgates led to one very tired and grabby Stede collapsing on top of him on their bed after a night of overindulgence with Ed and the crew. 

Slightly pink cheeked, Stede nuzzled against the back of Izzy’s neck with a content sigh as Ed flopped down next to them. 

“So soft,” Stede mumbled. “Ed, isn’t Izzy so soft?”

“Don’t answer that,” Izzy grunts. He tries to roll over to dislodge his boneless captain, but Stede was apparently determined to use him as a body pillow. “Would you fucking move?”

“Can’t. Sleeping.” 

“Yeah Iz, he’s sleeping. You wouldn’t wake your captain up while he’s sleeping, would you?”

“I’ll toss the sleeping captain into the sea if he doesn’t shift,” Izzy tries to push himself up again, but collapses in a huff when Stede doesn’t budge. “At least let me turn over!”

“Give it up mate,” Ed giggles, getting comfortable beside them amongst the nest of blankets and pillows. “You’re there ‘till breakfast.” 

“S’true,” Stede mumbles, nuzzling closer, and Izzy sighs, resigning himself to his fate. At least Stede wasn’t all elbows and knees. The peace lasts for a few minutes, the three of them settling into sleep, before an annoying itch in his foot wakes Izzy up again.

“Ed,” Izzy hisses. No reply. “Ed, wake up.” He gets a snore in response. 

Izzy squirms underneath Stede's weight, huffing into the pillow. "Fucking get off, I need to scratch my foot."

Ed's head pops up from under the blanket with suspicious speed for someone who was supposedly just asleep. Slowly, a wicked smile spreads across his face.

"I'll scratch it for you," he says coyly.

"No you fucking won’t! ” He kicks fruitlessly at Ed’s hands, which have already latched around his ankles and are tugging them free of their entanglement with Stede’s legs. “Edward!” 

“What’s the matter?” Stede pushes himself up enough to turn towards the commotion, eyes glassy from tiredness. Ed grins at him smugly, easily overpowering Izzy’s weak attempts at escape. 

“Izzy has an itch on his foot.” 

“Okay?” 

“So ‘m gonna scratch it for him.” 

“Why has he gone pink, though?” 

“Oh,” Ed yanks Izzy by the ankles so he’s got a solid grip. “Because he’s ticklish.” 

“No I am not! ” Izzy’s blush spreads to his ears. His legs no longer a viable weapon, he pulls the pillow from under Stede’s head and smacks Ed square in the face. Unphased, Ed snatches it and tosses it away. He lifts his hand slowly into the air, clenching and wiggling his fingers for Izzy to see. 

“You’re really squirming around for someone who isn’t ticklish,” Stede quips, suspiciously more awake than he was moments ago. 

“That’s because he’s the most ticklish person in the world,” Ed drops his hand to skitter his fingertips along his soles. Izzy bites his lip and squeezes his eyes shut, but then he can’t anticipate Ed’s next move, so he snaps them open again. 

“Are you alright, Izzy?” Stede asks him, a note of concern lacing his words, and it’s so saccharine it almost gives Izzy a toothache. “Ed, maybe if Izzy doesn’t enjoy it…?” 

“Oh, he does,” Ed grins at them both, the sort of expression that promises mischief and mirth in equal measure. “Unless that’s changed from the last time, Iz? You remember that time a while ago when you pulled a muscle in your back, and Fang offered to help? You got so wound up about it because you didn’t want him to see how ticklish you are, and how it just makes you melt. ” 

“ Edward. ” Izzy flushes red. “That’s bullshit, never happened. And even if I was ticklish I wouldn’t like it!” 

“Liar,” Ed jabs a finger at the sole of his foot. “Don’t be embarrassed because Stede’s here! He’s super fucking ticklish too, y’know.”

“Well!” Stede bristles, puffing up in offense, and then immediately deflating and looking sheepish. “Actually, yes, I suppose you’re right. It really is nothing to fuss about, and can actually be quite fun!” 

“Nope.” 

“Yes!” Ed wriggles his fingers closer to his target, watching with glee as Izzy’s resolve begins to slip. Just as Izzy opens his mouth to tell him exactly what he thought of him, Ed dropped his hand to start gently wiggling over his sole. Izzy slams his hands over his mouth immediately. 

“Oop, it seems like someone’s trying not to laugh!” Stede teases. Izzy scowls at him. See if he ever intervenes when Ed is tormenting him again. “Oh, do put that pout away. I so love to hear you laugh.” 

“He always does this, acts like he isn’t desperate to get his shit wrecked.” Ed trails his fingers up towards his toes, poking them in between and wiggling. Izzy jerks his leg violently as a rogue burst of laughter escapes him, nearly dislodging his foot from Ed’s grasp. Ed huffs at him, and readjusts himself so he’s got a leg thrown over Izzy’s shins, well and truly trapping him. At the same time, as if sharing a mind, Stede moves silently beside him to pull his taut body against his own. 

“Is Edward right?” His breath tickles against his ear and he shivers. “Do you want us to make you laugh?” 

“No!” It sounds unconvincing even to Izzy. Stede’s hands slide up to his sides and pet at them, nothing more than what they normally do late at night. Stede loves to touch, Izzy knows personally. He lets himself imagine for a moment how things could be if he just gave in. The casual touches morphing into something with more intent… Izzy shudders at the thought. As though he could read his mind, Stede curls his fingers into claws and digs into his belly. 

It doesn’t break the dam that was Izzy’s resolve, but it definitely cracks it. His breath turns ragged as he tries to channel the laughter into something, anything else - it was a matter of pride at this point. Ed seems to sense he’s about to break, and with a wicked grin, wiggles his fingers in between his toes.  

Izzy erupts into laughter, tossing his head back against Stede’s chest and writhing in the strong grip of his arms. 

“There we go!” Ed laughs triumphantly. He hones in on the spot that made Izzy break, teasing the soft skin with his fingertips. Izzy scrunches his toes and stretches his ankles in a weak escape attempt, but Ed is a devious tickler and always has been. “Nuh uh, get those toes back.” 

Izzy whines and kicks about it, but does as he’s told without question. His body and mind are halfway to mush already, and as Stede’s hands ascend to draw along his ribs, he feels himself giving in. Ed takes one of his feet in each hand and works them over methodically, tracing wiggly lines from heel to toe and back again. It’s almost too much - almost. 

“Please,” he chokes out, giggling breathlessly and grabbing at Stede’s hands. 

“Please, what? What are you asking so prettily for?” Stede bats his hands away and continues the slow rise and fall of tickly fingers against his ribs. Izzy gets a grasp of Stede’s wrists, noticeably not trying to pull them off. Instead, he squeezes them as if to keep them there. If Stede realises what he’s doing, he doesn’t say anything. 

“Bet I know what he’s asking for,” Ed chuckles. He releases Izzy’s feet from his wicked grip and slowly turns himself around, crawling up the length of his body until he perches on his hips. “What Izzy’s trying to say is ‘Please, don’t stop tickling me, don’t stop until I’m a sobbing, gooey mess.’ Did I get that right, baby?” 

“Ed,” Izzy whines breathlessly, his watery eyes blinking up at his Captain, looming above him. He angles his chin up and lets his lips part, waiting. Ed’s expression seems to both soften and sharpen, his gaze dropping to his mouth. 

“I think he’s also asking for a kiss, my darling,” Stede says, the smile obvious in his voice. He’s stilled his hands to take in the scene in front of him, and sighs happily. “My two boys, so lovely. Kiss him, Edward.” 

Ed obliges with gusto, kissing with such force it steals Izzy’s breath. Ed’s hands cup his cheeks and wipe away a few stray tears of mirth. He pulls back, peppering his face with gentle kisses instead. “So good for us, aren’t you?” 

“Yes, Captain,” Izzy replies, not really sure what he’s agreeing to, but he always tended to agree with Ed anyway. 

“Will he continue being good, do you think Ed? I know I’ve not had the pleasure of tickling him to tears, but I do seem to be getting the hang of things.” Stede strokes Izzy’s hair back from his forehead. “I wonder if I can guess his favourite spot.” 

Without warning, he wriggles his fingers into Izzy’s soft belly, and the surprise of it shocks an actual squeal out of him. He grapples for Stede’s hands and collapses into hysterics, kicking his newly freed legs aimlessly. 

“Oh, that’s a good spot - try going nice and soft along the waistline, makes him purr real pretty.” Izzy was in hell (heaven), and had reached that point where even Ed’s words fucking tickled. There’s only a very small part of him now that wants to protest his words, but… it had been such a long time since he’d let himself feel like this. So instead of fighting, he feels himself preen at the praise. Ed hums, a pleased rumble deep in his chest that makes Izzy and Stede both shiver. “See? Such a sweetheart once the dickishness is tickled out of him.” 

“Why are you only telling me this now?” Stede’s fingers pinch higher up to his top ribs, and Izzy bats at him weakly. “I don’t think I ever want to let you leave this bed, Izzy. You’re to stay here forever so we can tickle you at our pleasure.”

A groan slips out between gasping laughter, and suddenly he feels shy. He turns to bury his face against Stede’s arm.

“Now, none of that!” Ed slips a finger up to stroke at the underside of Izzy’s chin and down to his neck. 

“Edward!” Izzy lurches away with a peel of breathy laughter, scrunching his shoulders up to try and dislodge Ed’s fingers. “Fuck off!” 

“Can’t fuck off while you’ve got my fingers trapped, now can I?” Ed wriggles them, and Izzy’s hands fly up from fending off Stede’s assault to latch on to his wrists. Of course, this gives Stede the opening to expand his assault by sliding one hand down to squeeze at the soft spot where his thigh meets his hip. With three of his most ticklish spots being targeted, Izzy feels the giddiness growing in his gut, and can’t help the giggles that pour from his mouth. “Aw, there we go,” Ed coos. “Look at you, haven’t seen you melt like this in ages.”

Ed and Stede both laugh along with him, and... well. Maybe it is a little bit nice to let go. He finds himself settling back into their hold and finally letting go. 

[thebest-medicine]

Prompt 23 with lee Ed and ler Stede

Prompt 23 - "Wait a minute, you're not ticklish, are you?"

A/N: they are too cute omfg

…

“Wait a minute, you’re not ticklish, are you?” Stede asked, smiling incredulously.

“Ticklish?” Ed scoffed. “Yeah, no. I don’t think so, mate.” 

“Are you… absolutely sure about that?” Stede raised an eyebrow at him. “Because it sure looked to me like–”

“Pff. Well, try it if you don’t believe me!” Blackbeard held his arms out to the sides, looking at Stede expectantly.

This was certainly a surprise. “Well…” Stede’s smile softened into something that made Ed’s insides tighten. “Alright then.” He stretched his fingers slowly, then brought them around just beside each of Ed’s sides. “How about here?” He prodded gently, watching the spots as Ed’s eyes watched him. 

A few pinches, and Ed’s gaze snapped down to where the hands were on his sides. What the hell was this feeling? He squirmed slightly, tensing up.

“You…sure this doesn’t tickle?” Stede asked slowly, poking a finger into the front of his lower ribs and getting a startled intake of breath in response. “It … kind of seems like it does.” He pressed in harder, and Ed’s arms flinched in protectively. 

“Well you’re- you’re doing it weird!” Ed responded, grumbling and a bit frazzled. 

“What d’ya mean?” Stede asked, softening his touch to try to ensure he wasn’t harming his pirate companion. 

Ed hissed. “All light n’ shit like that. Feels weird.” He flinched backwards.

“Ah.” Stede observed. “Well, that is still tickling.” He squeezed Ed’s sides a bit more harshly with forefinger and thumb. He didn’t so much as flinch at that. “Are you more used to harder tickling? Doesn’t work on everyone, I’d say.” 

Ed watched him, listening. These lighter, more gentle tracings of fingers were tingling and distracting, nothing like the rare harsh grabs for his ribs that he’d had in his mind whenever someone brought up the idea of tickling. He’d been quick to overcome reacting to those. But this… this was different. Stede’s fingers brushed against the skin peeking out at the bottom of his shirt and Edward nearly leapt backwards from his reach. 

“Alright!” He said, higher than usual. “I guess maybe. A little bit. Whatever. Doesn’t matter.”

“It’s quite alright.” Stede smiled at him, steady and gentle, reassuring. “I’m rather sensitive to both, I’m afraid.” 

“Oh really?” Ed asked, eyes snapping back to the other captain. 

Stede looked away bashfully, and something in Ed’s stomach tightened again. “Well, since I let you try it out on me, I think it’s only fair…” 

Stede’s eyes widened, shooting back to Blackbeard. “Wait- but I– oh dear!” He brought up his hands with a wide, nervous grin on his face. “Edward! P-Please take it easy on me! Wait–!”

…

[more sentence starter fic prompts]

[other sentence starter fics]

[read this & further OFMD drabbles on ao3]

[squealing-santa]

A few self discoveries

Author: @abihasablog

A/N: My Squealing Santa submission for @ticklish-scribbler, hope you enjoy!

Izzy doesn't think he's ticklish, and can't really understand why Ed seems to like it so much. He's very glad to be proven wrong.

Steddyhands, ler!Stede and ler!Ed with lee!Izzy (plus an extra lee!Ed sprinkling, as a treat.

Word count: 1660

---

It had been a long and horrid day, and all Izzy was looking forward to was falling into bed and sleeping off his bad mood. He pushed open their front door, calling out a tired greeting to whoever made it home before him. Instead of the usual reply, a high pitched squeal came from the living room. Suddenly wide awake, Izzy dropped his bag and dashed towards the sound. When he sees the cause of the noise, he slumps back against the wall with a groan.

“Iz! Help!” Ed shrieks, wiggling in Stede’s grasp as another raspberry is blown against his neck. “Ew, that’s gross!”

“Hello darling,” Stede ignores Ed’s giggly protests as he digs his fingers into his hips. “Did you have a lovely day?”

“Thought you were being fucking murdered, Ed, you cannot possibly be that ticklish.” 

Ed flushes pink and he tries to scowl.. “Nohohohot!” 

“Not ticklish, hmm? Then why are you laughing?” Stede’s fingers slide up to curl against Ed’s belly and spider across the softness there. “You should have heard the noises he made when I gave his tummy a good raspberry! I would recreate it for you, but I promised to ease off once the tears started. Maybe next time, hmm Edward?” 

“No next time!” 

“Oh, we both know you don’t want that.” 

Izzy rolled his eyes and shrugged off his coat. “It’s like living with a child.” 

“Like you’re any better!” Ed cried indignantly. “Let’s see - aha - how you stand up against torture!” 

“I’m an adult, Edward. Adults aren’t ticklish.” 

Stede halts his fingers. 

“I beg to differ,” he says. He holds out his hand towards Izzy, and very slowly and deliberately crooks his finger. “Care to prove me wrong?” 

Between them, still nestled underneath Stede, Ed shivers. 

“Why would I do that?” 

“Because you love to be right, and if you’re not ticklish then there’s nothing to be scared of.” 

“It’s fun, Iz,” Ed chimes in, looking a little embarrassed at the admission. “Stede’s good at it and he knows when to stop.” 

Izzy grits his teeth. He hadn’t been tickled since he was a child, and didn’t really fancy being poked with clumsy fingers in an attempt to prove himself right. But Stede was looking at him like he was a meal, and Ed was flashing his big baby cow eyes - two things he could never resist. Sighing in defeat, he holds his arms out to the side awkwardly. 

“Where do you want me?” 

Ed jumps up immediately, grabbing cushions from the sofa and chucking them on the carpet. “More room on the floor.” 

“If I get on the floor I’ll never get up again,” Izzy gripes. Stede tuts, sliding from the sofa to kneel next to the cushion pile. 

“I’ll help you up darling, fear not!” He pats the space next to him. “Ed’s right, more room down here for exploration!”

“Explor-?” Izzy startles as Ed grabs his hands and tugs him down, nudging him until he submits to being moulded into position. “I can manage!” 

“Manhandling is all part of the experience, just shush and let it happen.” 

“You’re such a pest, you know?” 

“Boys,” Stede interrupts with a soft laugh. “Edward, clearly I need to spend some more time on you if you still have the energy to be a brat.” 

Ed clears his throat, blushing. “Well, if you think it’s best.” 

“I do,” Stede grins. He turns his attention to Izzy, then, and taps his elbows where they rest at his sides. “I’ll need you to put these up over your head, try and keep them out the way if you can.”

Izzy rolls his eyes, but does as he’s told. 

“Standard safeword rules apply here, and yours is…?” 

“Red,” Izzy recites dutifully. 

“Excellent. I’ll ignore all other assorted pleading and or begging, and - oh don’t give me that look, just you wait - unless you say your safeword. Agreed?”

“Fine.”

“Excellent!” Stede claps his hands together. “Now, I think I’ll begin right… here.” 

His hands descend slowly to rest against Izzy’s sides. His tee shirt is tucked into his jeans, stretched across his torso with his arms held over his head. If it were Izzy doing the tickling, he’d pull the shirt up and go right in for the kill. Instead, Stede lets his palms lay stationery, and starts a gentle wiggle of his fingertips against the soft fabric. It startles a gasp from him, and his arms twitch to move back down to his side. He holds firm, though. Surely it was just the surprise of it? 

Stede watches him with a gentle smile, slowly moving his hands upward, his fingertips creeping along Izzy’s ribs. He feels the urge to snap his hands down and push Stede away, but he holds out, gritting his teeth and allowing his body a tiny wiggle as consolation. So perhaps he’d been wrong about not being ticklish. 

“Ooo, I saw that!” Ed chimes gleefully. “Knew you were the ticklish ribs sort, mate. Bet you’re ticklish all over, aren’t you?” 

“No,” Izzy grits out. 

“Yes you are,” Ed continues, wiggling his fingers menacingly. “Now the seal’s broken, I bet we could tickle you anywhere.”

Izzy opens his mouth to tell Ed to fuck off but is cut off when the fingers on his ribs move suddenly down again, to spider across his belly. The suddenness of it startles him enough that he chuckles, his arms snapping down instinctively to grab at Stede’s hands. 

“Aha,” Stede grins. “It seems I was right, after all!” 

“Fucking fluke,” Izzy says quickly, returning his arms to their position. Stede raises his eyebrows, meets Ed’s ecstatic expression, and goes back to it. Izzy’s hands grip a cushion as the teasing fingers explore his belly, finding all the spots that make him squirm. It’s soft enough that he’s not laughing properly, just the odd huff accompanied by a wide grin. Stede’s kind enough to keep quiet, but Ed has no such manners. 

“Oho, seems like someone is finding out some stuff about themselves today!” He wriggles his fingers along Izzy’s neck, making him scrunch his shoulders with a snort. “Is that nice, Iz? You like it when we tickle you?”

Izzy abandons the pillow with his right hand in favour of smacking at Ed’s legs, but his wrist is quickly caught and treated to a flurry of kisses up his arm, something that had never tickled before, but made a giggle build in his throat now. 

“Edward,” Stede admonishes. “It’s not nice to tease. It’s also very rich coming from you!” 

“But it’s fun,” Ed winks down at Izzy as he progresses his little tickly line of kisses up his arm until he reaches his inner elbow. 

“You know what’s fun, Izzy? Getting Ed all flustered and begging for more after spending such a long time teasing him.” 

Ed pouts, his cheeks turning sweetly pink. Izzy’s own face flushes at the teasing, even though it’s not directed at him. Stede’s words combined with the swirling patterns of his fingers against his belly were making butterflies take flight from every inch of his body. 

“I like to tickle him gently, just like this, all up and down from his hips to his neck. He’s especially ticklish just here,” he tugs Izzy’s top from his jeans and lifts it up over his belly. He wriggles the tip of his index finger into the space just under his belly button, and all the teasing bursts out of him in a loud train of giggles. “Yes, just like that.” 

“Nohohoho!” His free arm shoots down to push him away half heartedly, but Ed is quick to snatch it up and pepper that one with kisses too. “Ehehehed!” 

“Yeeees?” 

Izzy doesn’t reply, can’t reply, because Stede’s hands are suddenly under his shirt and in his armpits and all he can do is kick his heels into the floor and cackle. 

“Oh, you are just the most precious thing!” Stede coos, avoiding Izzy’s kicking legs by sliding over him in a straddle.  “Are you enjoying yourself, darling?” 

“No, fuck off!” 

“Hmm, that doesn’t sound anything like a safeword,” Stede slows a little, letting him catch his breath and regain control of his mouth. Ed gives his hands a gentle, reassuring squeeze. Despite the teasing, Izzy knew Ed was on cloud nine to discover that Izzy was finding this fun too. 

“It’s not,” Izzy says after a moment. “Think I was wrong before.”

“Oh? You mean you are ticklish?” Stede prompts. The word makes Izzy squirm, and suddenly he has a lot of sympathy for Ed and all the times Stede’s made him admit he liked it. 

“I guess,” he manages, as if he wasn’t all pink cheeked and panting. “Not as bad as Eddie, though.”

“But you both seem to love it equally,” Stede chuckles, ignoring Ed’s petulant whine. “But we’ve only scratched the surface with you! Perhaps you’d let me give you a thorough going over, to find out all your favourite spots? Perhaps I’ll have you with your legs over my lap, see if you can keep still while I give the backs of your legs a good tickling. Or maybe you’d let me give your pretty belly some raspberries, but I expect we might need Ed to hold you down for those, my darling.”

Izzy’s going to implode with the amount of self discoveries he was going through since getting home. Yes, he wants to say, please fucking do that. The gentle attention felt lovely, like when Stede played with his hair, or Ed mindlessly used his fingers as a fidget. He could see why Ed always seemed to beg for it. He has a plan hatching in his mind, a game to play with them both another time. He wonders if Ed would be up for some giggly revenge on Stede.  

He blinks sweetly up at them both, smiling with only a touch of leftover shyness. 

“Do your worst.”

[gaybananabread]

⁠✧.*Are You Listening?*⁠.⁠✧

~Ehehehe the brain maggots won and I can’t say I’m upset by it (＾⩌＾). I’ve binged this show enough times to be put into all kinds of moods by these men, so I might as well write out my feelings. This is set right after S1 Ep. 7, so if you haven’t watched up to there, expect some spoilers! For anyone else who has pirate-based thought goblins, I hope you Enjoy!~

Lee: Edward

Ler: Stede

Summary: Stede goes on a small rant about what happened on their latest adventure, though Edward isn’t fully listening. When he notices this, he calls the man out, but is met with a rather fascinating reaction.

Warnings: mild Our Flag Means Death spoilers! This is a tickle fic, so if you don’t like that, scroll away!!

Bobbing with the current, the Revenge drifted peacefully through the sea. Most of the crew was on-deck, chatting and messing around in their moment of peace. However, in the captain’s quarters, two men relaxed, one info-dumping while the other thumbed through random numbers of Stede’s vast collection of novels.

“And did you see that bird’s nest? They had to be Snowy Plovers, no question. Oh, I wish Lucius had brought his sketching journal.”  Stede sighed dreamily, slowly pacing around the room as he spoke. 

Ed hummed, not looking up from the copy of Hansel and Grettle. Stede had allowed him to browse whatever he wanted in the library, though he rarely read anything cover-to-cover. The blonde man continued, not yet noticing his companion’s lack of attention.

“There were so many interesting creatures on that island! I mean, the orange was the real treasure in it all, but I do so enjoy exploring nature when we travel.” Turning on his heel, he spun to face the bearded man once again. “What do you think, Ed?” 

“Uh-huh, yeah. Good, uh, land and shit,” Edward half-heartedly replied, flipping a few more pages into the book. That’s when Stede finally noticed that he wasn’t really listening.

“Edward!” The pirate jolted, shutting the book and actually meeting Stede’s eyes. “You weren’t even listening to me, were you?” Stede huffed, crossing his arms with an almost adorable pout.

“Uh…kinda? I mean, I heard the bit about the birds…” Ed mumbled most of his response, looking away. Yeah, he’d only heard a few words of the other man’s spiel. “Fuckin’, uh…book was distracting.”

With a huff, Stede sat down beside him, picking up the book. “I’m glad you’re interested in literature, but I was talking. It’s a bit rude to ignore people, isn’t it?” While he was a bit annoyed, Stede’s tone was a joking one. He even poked the man’s ribs in a playful manner, though he hadn’t expected Ed’s flinch.

“Damn, did I hurt you?” Stede sounded worried, a profanity even slipping in. He was more panicked than a normal friend should’ve been, though neither commented on it. 

“No, didn’t hurt. Takes more than a fuckin’ finger to hurt me.” Ed swatted Stede’s hand away, his beard hiding the very slight blush on his cheeks. He hadn’t felt a touch like that since…well, it’d certainly been a while. “Just felt…I dunno, fuckin’ weird.” 

“Weird?” Stede spoke softly, his worry melding into confusion. What could possibly feel weird to Blackbeard? He’d only lightly poked the man, and his ribs aren’t…oh. Oh. It took everything Stede had to keep a straight face as he said his next words.

“Might your ribs be a bit sensitive, Ed?” 

Edward nearly did a double-take at the words and his tone, snapping his head in the other man’s direction. “Sensitive? I’m…I’m fuckin’ Blackbeard. Sensitivity doesn’t apply to me.”

Stede rolled his eyes. Yeah right… Stifling a smirk, the blonde slowly slid his hand towards Ed’s side. Before he could do anything, though, a rough hand snatched his wrist. Edward’s eyes met his, full of some unreadable emotion.

“Don’t. Don’t you fuckin’ dare, Bonnet.” His tone was gruff and dark, though the emotion in his eyes gained some depth. It was almost…giddy? The word felt foreign when describing Ed, though it fit to a tee.

“Hmmm…I think I fucking do.” Using his other hand, he squeezed Edward’s side. The feeling was such a shock that a damned giggle left the dread pirate’s mouth, his arms moving to clamp to his sides.

That sound made Stede’s stomach fill with a strange fluttering feeling—one he often felt around Edward. He decided to pursue it, scooting closer and wiggling his fingers into Ed’s stomach. 

The feeling wasn’t that intense through his layers of clothing, but it definitely still tickled. Biting his lip, Ed squirmed, trying to shove at Stede’s hands while still protecting himself. It should be noted, however, that he didn’t put up much of a real fight.

“My, Edward. I think someone’s a bit ticklish…” Stede chuckled, trying to slip his fingers under Ed’s arms. He’d had a small taste of the other man’s laughter, and had become hooked, He had to hear more. “I think it’d feel a bit nicer if you let out that laughter, Ed. Don’t you?”

When the eccentric man managed to wedge his fingers up to Ed’s ribs, the pirate knew he was done for. The dam broke, surprisingly bright giggles filling the quarters. They were still gruff, of course—still, the happy air was hard to ignore. 

“Oh dear. I think someone’s got a case of the giggles~” Stede cooed, one hand wiggling on the man’s ribs as the other poked and spidered on his belly. Was he pushing his luck? Oh, absolutely. It was, however, well worth it to see Ed’s silly smile.

 “F-fuhuhuck- Stehehede! Fuhuck ohohoff!” Twisting and wriggling around, Ed hid his face in his shoulder. The bearded man’s heavy boots skidded on the wooden floor, leaving small scuffs. Stede would deal with that later.

The feeling was…well, it wasn’t awful for Edward. He would never let the crew see him like that, of course; he had a reputation to maintain. With Stede, however, it felt nice to laugh. To let a few of his walls down without the fear of the mental rubble coming back to crush him. He wasn’t going to admit any of that, but it was true: his blush, however, was a different story.

“Well, I would, but I think I can see some pink underneath that salt and pepper of yours. Are you blushing, Eddy?” Stede used a slight nickname, his tone incredibly playful and teasing. He was determined to keep Ed giggling for as long as possible. 

“Screhehew youhu!” Edward tried arching his back, but that only freed his ribs up more. Slipping his fingers beneath Ed’s leather, Stede wiggled his fingers against the thinner fabric of his undershirt. That got quite the reaction.

“GRK- FAHAHAHAHA! FUHUHUCK YOUHUHUHU!” Ed’s bright giggles ramped up to loud, raucous laughter. A few snorts worked their way in, making Stede’s heart melt. Oh, how he loved that sound…

“I must say, this is a fine symphony. I’m loving all the onomatopoeias, and your laugh is so melodic!” Wanting to be a bit more mean, Stede hummed a lovely tune by Bach, pretending that his fellow seamen’s ribs and belly were piano keys. “I just love tickling the ivories, don’t you?”

The bearded man couldn’t respond, too lost in laughter to form a coherent sentence. While it was nice to laugh his cares away, he was starting to wear out. His throat was drying up, and his sides were starting to ache. He patted Stede’s wrist, managing to speak through his amusing cackles. “S-STAHAHAP! STEHEHEDE!”

Immediately, Stede pulled away, sensing Ed’s weariness. He didn’t want to push too much. “Goodness, Ed, I-I’m sorry. I got a bit carried away. Are you alright?”

Closing his eyes, Edward took a few deep and giggly breaths. He was certainly tired, but not to an uncomfortable degree. “Qu-quit worryin’... Takes mohore than a little laugh to knohock Blackbeard down.” The red hue on his cheeks slowly subsided, his giggles drying up. Ed recovered pretty quickly.

“Good, good,” Stede sighed, smiling softly. Finally noticing that his hands were still on Edward, he scooted away, blushing. Ed cut him off before he could make a fool of himself. 

“Ya know, it’s been a while since anyone’s had the balls to do somethin’ like that to me. Good on ya, Stede.” He clapped the blonde on the shoulder, though didn’t let go after. Instead, he flipped their positions, swiftly pinning Stede to the couch and nearly straddling him.

Ed made quick work of Stede’s resistance, even though there was hardly any to deal with. “There’s a reason for that, though. Wanna guess why?” He pinned the flamboyant man’s arms above his head without any hesitation. Stede couldn’t help the squeaky giggles that bubbled out of him, already squirming. He shook his head. Edward leaned down and whispered in his ear, scraggly beard hair tickling the poor man’s neck. He was in for a long evening...

“I always get my revenge~”

[lee-lucius]

A New Kind of Affection

Summary: Izzy Hands accidentally reveals how touch-starved he is to Stede, who is more than happy to help.

Word Count: 2,765

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year @aaaxolotl I was your Secret Santa! This was super fun to get to make, and I hope you enjoy! 💙

He still wasn't quite sure how Stede had dragged him into any of this. 

It hadn't been long, only a week or two, since Stede called him into his room, oddly similar to tonight. He'd asked for them to dine together, and well, Izzy didn't see much of a reason not to indulge his captain in his strange request.

They met in Stede's room for a surprisingly pleasant dinner, though Izzy felt unsurprisingly underdressed compared to his host's garish outfits, and he was well aware his table manners left much to be desired, but neither of those had been quite necessary for a pirate's life, and Stede didn't seem to mind, not when he was seemingly so enthralled by the company. 

Through Izzy teaching him how to fight, they'd grown fairly comfortable with each other, building up a rapport that was considerably less antagonistic than it had been before. They fell back into it over dinner with ease, perhaps more amiable than they'd ever been, and Izzy found himself even laughing at a few of Stede's jokes, though he hid it behind a strategic cough or two.

Neither of them realized, or cared, just how much they were drinking until they were stumbling around the room, hiccuping around their laughter, for once a genuine smile on Izzy's face.

Memories of that night were fuzzy, and what happened next wasn't entirely clear, but he crumbled under Stede's inquisitive gaze, his warm smile, his soft whispers, and he'd admitted something he shouldn't have.

Something he'd hoped that they'd both forget come morning, even when Stede squeezed his hand before he left, promising something about him being more included, more appreciated, before Izzy stumbled back to his own quarters, flushed from more than just the booze. 

He wished he hadn't admitted it. His jealousy when he watched his crewmates, or his captains, and saw the easy air around them, the casual touches and comfort; something about them made envy stir in his chest, thinking about the kind of relationship he hadn't let himself have for years, or maybe ever when he really thought about it.

Now, on The Revenge, it seemed more of a possibility than it ever had before. After breaking down, being vulnerable, Izzy was welcomed; something had shifted; whether it was in him or his surroundings, he didn't know, but it was a good change, no matter how uncomfortable it had been.

His relationship with the crew was different now. Friendly, because he'd finally allowed himself to be open to their friendship, and the change was more gratifying than he ever would've thought.

It was the most relaxed, most relieved Izzy had been in a long time, but he still wanted more, even if he felt he didn't deserve it.

He never would've pursued it ordinarily, admitted it to anyone besides himself, if his drunken self hadn't betrayed him entirely.

But that change, the change Stede brought on, was a good change too.

When they'd met again the next morning, Izzy more pissy than usual with his aching head, he thought Stede may have forgotten it based on his aimless ramblings filled with pleasantries that Izzy had to bite his tongue to sit through. 

Stede asked him again to meet him later in his room, and Izzy agreed; he hadn't expected what happened. 

He supposed it would be like the previous night, a pleasant conversation, perhaps a shared meal, a drink or two, though certainly not as much as they'd indulged it before.

And it had started that way. There was something about Stede, something that used to make Izzy's skin crawl, his anger, his annoyance overpowering everything else he felt about it, but now it only filled him with warmth, an easy, familiar feeling that allowed him to unwind. That must've been why he didn't suspect anything, certainly not when he and Stede shared a drink, casually picking at a tray of assorted snacks he'd prepared.

Maybe he should've; when Stede sat next to him this time, instead of sitting across from on the other side of his long table. It could still be ignored whenever they bumped shoulders or when one of them shifted slightly, their knees accidentally touching, or when they both reached forward at the same time, hands colliding for the briefest second before Izzy pulled back.

Until their food was finished, abs the conversation lulled, a not uncomfortable silence enveloping them as they nursed their drinks, and Stede, seeming to muster all of his courage, leaned into him, curling into Izzy's side and resting his glass on his shoulder with a content sigh.

Izzy stiffened, and his muscles didn't relax again for a long time, but they both kept the silence, and Stede didn't move.

His breath was steady, ghosting against Izzy's cheek and leaving a faint trace of Stede's wine, fruity and rich. While his hair was soft, delicate strands brushing against and tickling his ear, but he couldn't be bothered at the proximity, at his hair that was too lovely and soft and clean to ever belong to a pirate, yet here Stede was. Izzy wondered if it was Stede's pulse or his own that he felt, drumming violently against his skin, wondered if it mattered.

Not long afterwards, Izzy excused himself, and they parted ways; this time, he had no excuse for his blush.

-

He didn't know why Stede kept inviting him, or why he kept coming.

It wasn't something he was familiar with. His family had never been awfully affectionate. And as he got older, as he became a pirate, the opportunities became fewer and fewer.

Most contact came during a fight, in the form of a sword or gun or swinging fist, where the only pleasure that could be found came from the adrenaline coursing through his body, the satisfaction of winning, of surviving. There were few other means that arose on a ship aside from boyish tussling, accidentally knocking shoulders with his crewmates, or the rare moments of intimacy when he let someone else, let Ed, tend to his wounds after a particularly bad fight.

But Stede Bonnet came along with his eccentric, unpirate-like ideals and continued to confuse Izzy the same way he had since the first day he met. Bringing that unnecessary frivolity with him and introducing everyone to lavish comforts they didn't want to forgo. 

That, he supposed, was why he continued to join Stede; he didn't want to give it up just yet.

Which was why he was sitting on his couch, thumbing through a book from Stede's library, which was still a horrible idea, even if it made for interesting entertainment, with Stede next to him, hand holding Izzy's as he thumbed through his own novel.

It was one of the more relaxing ways he'd spent an evening in quite awhile, or it would've been, if there wasn't one thing nagging him, making his mouth twitch as the uncomfortable feeling spread. "Stop that?"

"What?"

"The hand," he murmured, gesturing with his neck as he struggled to insert his bookmark with only one hand.

"Oh," he let go, a slight frown tugging at his face as he leaned away a touch. "Sorry."

"Not you. Just tickled a bit."

Stede paused, the smile returning with a playful twist, "You're ticklish?"

He grunted, eyeing him warily. "Guess so. Never really been before."

"I've gotten into a few good-natured scuffles in my time. It can be quite fun!"

"You like it?" He couldn't help asking, surprised at the sudden admission. 

"Well, I've certainly always enjoyed it."

Izzy huffed out a laugh. He supposed it wasn't that surprising; Stede always had been odd, and it was just like him to like that kind of thing, something so strangely cute.

Leaning back, his eyes raked over Stede, cautiously debating in his head. It was clear as day that Stede was comfortable with him; the only limiting factor seemed to be Izzy's own hesitance, his lack of familiarity with the casual touches Stede so readily gave. He was being quite open about his fondness for tickling, almost suspiciously so. And while Izzy had never even dreamed of tickling someone before, had never even been the one to initiate contact between him and Stede in a non-violent manner, he supposed that here, now, wouldn't be a bad time to start.

"Let's see it then," he shifted, angling his body as he leaned closer to Stede, searching his eyes for any tinge of desire, of excitement.

"Go right ahead!"

His smile grew, eyes brightening at the prospect, but there was an undercurrent of shyness there, weighing down his cheerful expression, matching Izzy's own nerves. 

Slowly, he reached his hand out, touch and hesitant as he dragged in along Stede's arm, grazing his silken shirt. While Izzy had never been tickled directly, he'd experienced it plenty of times through accidental touches brushing against his own sensitive spots, so he had a fair idea where Stede would be ticklish; he just didn't know how much he could handle, yet.

Keeping his touch light, Izzy placed a hand in his stomach, unable to help a smile at his small gasp, and gently dug his fingers in, scratching at him through the cloth. 

At his deep breath, Izzy's eyes flitted back up to Stede's face, taking in his widening smile, perhaps brighter than he'd ever seen it before, as a giggle erupted from his lips, more pushing through in a steady stream of laughter as Izzy brought his other hand up to squeeze Stede's sides.

"Pretty sensitive, aren't you, Bonnet?"

"I suhuhppohose!" He huffed out, hands clenching and unclenching in his lap, trying to stay still for Izzy.

"I wonder where else…" he hummed, fingers dragging up towards his ribs, lightly pinching the crevices as Stede huffed. He was less ticklish there, but it was worth it to see the way his eyes crinkled, squeezing shut with a whine at Izzy's relentless pokes and prods to the area.

He continued exploring, marveling at how his armpits made Stede shoot his arms down, his resolve not to impede Izzy crumbling at the overwhelming sensations, while his neck made him scrunch up, looking oddly reminiscent of a turtle. Even his ears were ticklish, and quite sensitive to gentle scratches and traces, even more so when Izzy blew gentle puffs of air on them, making him squeal.

But his knees were probably his favorite spot. If only for the fact that when he squeezed it, the most adorably obnoxious snort burst from Stede, forcing him to bury his face in Izzy's shoulder in shame, while the other desperately tried and succeeded to produce the noise again. 

Gentle tickling seemed to get to him worse, if the way he shrieked when Izzy's nails glided against the backs of knees were anything to go off of. Even if it only produced quieter giggles compared to the full-bellied laughter Izzy knew he could force, it was better for watching Stede, seeing the miniscule changes in his expression, in his voice, and for allowing Stede to focus on Izzy's occasional teasing.

"Still having fun, Bonnet?" 

"Of… cohohuhurse!" He exclaimed, a tired sheen to his eye at how long it'd been, but his joy was much more prominent. 

Izzy opened his mouth but quickly snapped it shut, head swiveling around at the sound of the door opening,only to find Ed standing there, a confused grin hanging on his face.

"Is this what you two are always doing in here?" He laughed, stepping inside and shutting the door behind him.

"Ed!" Stede breathed out, face brightening again at the sight of his as he sat up straight, trying to smooth out his clothes, his hair, all while keeping his eyes locked on his partner.

Izzy stood up, taking a step away from Stede as his gaze flickered between the two. Would Ed mind him touching Stede like this? Stede had said it was fine, but he wouldn't want to overstep more than he already had, wouldn't want to take anything more from Ed.

"Well come on, mate," Ed faced Izzy, smile shifting into something devious as he walked closer, "why stop now?"

"You… don't mind?" He couldn't help asking, still not sure how he fit into a situation like this.

"Stede, you mind?"

"Nahat at all… I was just showing Izzy how fun tickling could be. He was much better than I would've thought!"

"Is that so?" Ed smiled, walking past Izzy to sit down next to Stede. "Think he's shown you enough yet, Iz?"

"Not quite. I think he still has a bit more to show us," he sat down on the other side of Stede, accepting Ed's acceptance of his role there. If it didn't bother Ed, then he wouldn't let it bother him anymore, even if he was sure everything between them wasn't exactly resolved yet.

Stede laughed nervously, glancing between them, "What else is it you want to see?"

"Mostly…" Ed hummed, grabbing one of his arms to wrench it above his head, waiting for Stede's nod of approval before digging into his underarm, "to see you laugh your ass off."

"Ehehehed!" He cackled, helplessly flailing, and Izzy took that as his cue, bringing his hands back down to squeeze at his thighs and knees.

If Ed wanted to push him, he could do that. And, judging from looking at them, Izzy guessed this wasn't the first time something like this had transpired between Ed and Stede. He only wondered if Stede had realized how awfully ticklish Ed was too, a secret Izzy had long since learned and guarded, but didn't seem inappropriate to reveal later, after they'd finished with Stede.

"Ihihizzy!"

"C'mon Stede, you keep saying our names like that. Just spit it out. What's on your mind?" Ed cooed, lightening up on his tickling to give him a moment to breathe.

"Ihihit's a lohot," he panted, grinning from ear to ear, "buhut it's fuhuhun."

"'Course it is. We're just getting started," Ed purred, delighting in how Stede's flush grew at his words, heart skipping a beat.

Izzy watched Ed kiss Stede's forehead, an uncomfortable pang shooting through him, until Ed turned back to him with a grin and wink, and together they resumed tickling Ed to bits.

-

"Good time, love?" Ed smiled afterwards, helping Stede to his bed.

"Yes, it was all quite lovely," he sighed dreamily, pulling him into a quick kiss. "But I do like it more when you're the one under me."

Ed reddened at that, laughing away his nerves as he glanced back at Izzy, who was awkwardly trailing towards the door.

"Where are you going, mate?"

"I thought it was time to excuse myself," he cleared his throat, averting his eyes. 

"No, no. Come here," Stede beckoned, and Izzy supposed he never really could say no to him that easily, certainly not now, so he swallowed and stepped closer and closer until he was standing by Stede's bedside.

Stede took a breath, reaching out for him, cupping his face, bringing his own closer, as he whispered, "May I?"

Izzy's eyes flickered to Ed's face, seeing only a smile and the slightest nod, not a hint of jealousy or resentment to be found. And so, he allowed himself to once again indulge in the luxuries that came along with Stede Bonnet, closing the distance between them to capture his lips in a gentle kiss.

Stede beamed at him when they pulled back, and he could only wonder if his face was as hot as it felt, practically petrified until Ed grabbed his hand, tugging him forward. "Come on, Iz. Get comfortable," he said, shrugging off his own leather jacket and slipping off his boots before he slid into bed beside Stede.

Even Stede's large bed was a bit cramped with the three of them, but Izzy thought it may have just been the best sleep he'd ever had. 

It was only affirmed by what he considered the best morning of his life as he woke up in the early hours, watching the sun stream in through Stede's windows, illuminating the two beside him that made it all feel so divine.

A faint breeze blew in, the cold weather penetrating the peace of their haven as he curled further into bed, into Ed and Stede, suddenly reminded on what day it was. As he stared at them, he could only smile, feeling at peace. He didn't know what the future would hold, but as long as he had them, he could feel secure and welcome the new year, whatever it brought.

[august-anon]

and lee stede + 💘 for flavour (on condition that everything’s consensual! 👼)

i found this buried in my documents and so i figured i should post it dskjdf

---

Pleading Pirate

Fandom: Our Flag Means Death

Ship(s): Gentlebeard

Characters (lee/ler): Lee!Stede/Ler!Ed

Word Count: 540 words

Summary: His fingers descended down Stede’s torso, and based on Stede’s yelp, that might’ve been a place Ed wanted to stay awhile — if it hadn’t been for the knee that rammed into his back right after.

[ao3 link]

---------

“Oh— Ed, come now!”

Ed snickered, though he doubted Stede could hear it over his own high-pitched laughter. He could barely even hear Stede’s feet pounding against the wood behind him over the cackling.

“I dunno, mate, I think I’m onto something here.” He grinned as Stede shrieked. “Be a shame to stop now.”

His fingers descended down Stede’s torso then, delivering nibbling little pinches from his ribs down to his hips between Ed’s own thighs. Based on Stede’s yelp, that might’ve been a place Ed wanted to stay awhile — if it hadn’t been for the knee that rammed into his back right after. Ed grunted as he got knocked forward a bit, pausing his tickling for a moment as he caught himself with his hands. He shot a disgruntled look at the offending limb before turning back towards Stede’s face.

His cheeks were red and splotchy, his eyes bright from laughter and wide from trepidation. His expression seemed to be caught somewhere between excitement and fear, and his wobbly smile still tugged at his lips. Ed paused a moment, pursed his lips, and made a decision.

“Seems like your legs were getting pretty lonely, back there,” he growled, his voice slow and dangerous. “Would be a shame to leave them out of all the fun, don’t you think?”

Stede sucked in a quick breath. “Oh dear— Ed, you couldn’t, I don’t—“

Ed hummed low in his throat, slowly reaching behind himself to find a grasp on Stede’s legs. Stede gasped once more, his legs tensing and squirming under Ed’s touch.

“You know what I need to hear, mate.”

Instead of taking the out and opting for mercy, Stede closed his eyes for a moment, seeming to steel himself. “Well, it would hardly be proper to surrender. I’m the Gentleman Pirate, after all, and I— ah!”

With a shark-like grin, Ed gently dug his fingers into the muscle of Stede’s thighs, effectively cutting him off with a shrill squeal. He stilled his fingers and watched Stede giggle and shake, babbling meaningless concessions to try and take it all back. He still did not call out the word Ed needed to hear to stop, however, and Ed decided that Stede had had plenty of chances to express his discomfort. In fact, based on the glimmer in his eyes, Ed would wager Stede was rather excited at the whole prospect.

He ought to do this right, then. 

Ed rose from his position straddling Stede for just a moment — silencing his own brief anxieties with the look of disappointment that immediately crossed Stede’s face — and turned himself to face Stede’s legs before settling back down again.

“Oh no,” Stede whimpered, his legs shuffling at the sudden attention.

Ed cracked his knuckles. “Oh yes.”

He started with some precursory squeezes and massaging, searching for the places that would really break Stede, but based on the reactions he got, it seemed as though Stede’s whole legs were one big hot spot. He hadn’t even reached Stede’s knees before Stede was calling out barely-intelligible pleas with every breath he could manage. Once again, there was no hint of the safeword.

Ed chuckled deep in his throat. It was about time he tested the Gentleman Pirate’s endurance.

[dreamingticklee]

A Little TLC ~ Squealing Santa 2022 ~

Ho ho ho! Hi @silviesilviesilvie it’s me, Santa!! Oh dearest friend, I very much enjoyed bouncing around your prompts and creating this for you and I hope you enjoy your gift and have a very merry christmas and a wonderful new year! <3 Biggest thanks and applause to @hypahticklish for hosting, your hard work has not gone unnoticed and I appreciate you! @squealing-santa

Fandom: Our Flag Means Death

Pairing: Lee!Ed, Ler!Stede

Words: 2.5k

It was a relaxing evening at sea, golden sunlight gently caressing the water, creating a dancing glimmer on the surface. Ed's eyes sparkled in the reflecting light as a calm ocean breeze played with his hair, combing through it like a comforting hand. In his zen-like state, Ed took in a deep breath and stretched back with his arms reaching to the sky. He wouldn't admit it out loud (he's fucking Blackbeard) but here in this moment, he felt truly happy.

"How's it feeling, Ed?" Stede's voice cut in.

Ed, still stretching, turned his head toward Stede. "Hmm? What do you mean?" Had he been caught basking in the moment?

"Your stab wound." Stede moved his arm to point at the exposed area of skin below the hem of Ed's leather jacket.

Ed quickly brought his arms down from their stretch as he looked down at the scabbed mark on the left side of his stomach. It had been about a week since Ed had performed his signature maneuver to "avoid all the important bits" in a raid against a Spanish ship.

"Oh, it's fine."

"Hmm…mind if I take a closer look?"

"Uh, sure, go ahead."

Stede started to slowly bend down until he was at eye level with Ed's middle and gingerly placed a hand on the side of Ed's hip.

Ed froze. Something about Stede's hand at his side and the way Stede's face was so close to such a vulnerable part of him felt so…intimate? Stede's focused eye contact was making his skin tingle under the surface.

Suddenly, Stede stood back up straight and looked into Ed's eyes.

"It's looking a wee bit red still. Does it hurt at all?"

It took Ed a second to snap his brain back into focus.

"Oh, uh…I don't know. It's fine, Stede."

"Would you mind if I cleaned it a bit for you? Don't want it to get any more infected." Stede's voice was so calm and full of care, Ed couldn't help but agree to letting him.

"Sure, if you want to."

________

Down in the captain's quarters, Ed was laying on the couch, with Stede kneeling at his side, and Ed was trying his best to be nonchalant about being asked to pull up his shirt. But he would be lying if he said the action of doing it under Stede's watching eyes didn't make him blush.

Stede had a soft piece of fabric to use as a rag and a small bowl of water, in which he mixed in some lavender soap (he knew it was Ed's favorite.) He dipped a portion of the cloth into the soapy water.

"Ready? Let me know if it stings at all, but it should just take a moment."

"Aye aye, Captain."

Stede huffed a laugh and tenderly brought the wet cloth to Ed's skin.

Oh, Ed thought, that feels…nice.

Stede, ever so careful, dabbed the fabric along Ed's healing wound. He was trying his hardest to not hurt Ed at all, but when he took at quick look at Ed's face, he could see that Ed looked relaxed, and Stede let out a quiet breath he didn't know he was holding. The fact that Ed was willingly letting him care for him like this and, seeming to enjoy it, made his heart swell.

As Stede continued his cleaning, they made soft conversation, and once Stede had felt he had sufficiently cleaned the area, he grabbed another cloth to then begin to dab it dry.

"There," Stede smiled, "all clean." He set down the cloth and gently brought his hand back down, letting his thumb take a few soft swipes on the skin around the wound to ensure that he had dried it properly.

And Ed jumped with a gasp.

Stede quickly stopped and pulled his hand away.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ed. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Ed stammered a bit. "Uh, um…no Stede, uh…no, you didn't." Ed cleared his throat.

A look of doubtful confusion graced Stede's face. "Ed, are you sure? Your reaction seemed like I had hurt you…"

Ed signed before admitting, "It wasn't pain, Stede…," his blush from earlier creeping back onto his cheeks.

"Then what….oh." Stede's eyes went wide with surprise and a smile started to grow on his face. "Ed, are you ticklish?"

Ed let out an embarrassed groan and closed his eyes, his whole body going hot now as the blush took over his entire being.

"Hmmmmmm somethinglikethat." Ed quickly confirmed in his best attempt to seem casual about it.

"Oh, Ed," Stede smiled fondly, "it's quite alright to be ticklish. Almost everyone is somewhere!"

Stede playfully gave Ed's tummy a quick scribble and Ed jumped again with a little squeak.

"Stede!"

"Alright, I'm sorry," Stede smiled in apology and pulled his hand back, "I won't do it again."

Stede shifted and stood from his kneeled spot next to Ed on the couch, grabbing the bowl of soapy water and the makeshift rags he used to clean Ed's wound. He began to make his way to the ship's washroom, but Ed's voice stopped him.

"Stede…"

Stede turned back around to look at Ed still laying on the couch.

"Yes, Ed?"

Ed didn't know how to say it. He felt like he physically couldn't. He wanted to curl up into a ball of embarrassment and be swallowed by the couch. But Ed wanted it, and knew Stede would stay true to his word unless he said something.

Ed opened his mouth to speak words, but when nothing initially came out, he sighed and brought his hands up to hide his face.

"I…don't want you to….not."

Ed could hear the slow, confused footsteps of Stede coming back to his form on the couch.

"You don't want me to not….what?"

Letting out a huff, Ed squirmed in his spot on the couch. He was hoping that'd be enough for Stede to get the hint. Goddammit.

"I don't want you to…not…t-...." Ed cleared his throat again and took a breath, "....tickle."

The footsteps stopped and it was quiet for a few seconds, but to Ed, it felt like a lifetime.

"Ed," Stede said softly, "do you want me to tickle you?"

Ed made a noise behind his hands and brought his knees up before letting them drop down to the couch again and then gave a small, hesitant nod.

Hearing the footsteps walk towards him again, Ed felt Stede's presence settle next to him with the dip of the couch cushion as Stede sat himself on the edge next to Ed's legs.

"There's no need to be embarrassed, Ed. Why, I happen to think it's actually quite fun!"

At that, Ed shifted some of his fingers to take a peek at Stede and was met with an expression so sweet and genuine that he could hardly stand it. He let out a little whine and moved his fingers back to fully hide again.

Stede giggled, thinking Ed looked absolutely adorable, and brought his hands to hover over Ed's still exposed belly, letting his finger tips just barely graze the skin. Ed's body stiffened in anticipation underneath him.

"And of course I'll tickle you."

Stede started to lightly wiggle his fingers against Ed's tummy and Ed squeaked, his back arching up for a moment before falling back to the couch. He began squirming back and forth, a flood of giggles starting to stream from his lips. The skitter of Stede's fingers on his bare skin felt like tingling, electric sparkles and oh was it a fun feeling. And the fact that it was consensually deliberate, that Stede was wanting to do this with him, made every sensation that much more sweet.

Sweeping and spidering his quick, light fingers all around Ed's belly, Stede was beginning to giggle himself, the act of tickling Ed bringing him so much joy.

Suddenly, Stede darted his hands down to test a few quick squeezes on Ed's hips and was rewarded with a surprised squeal.

Ed's hands shot down from his face and he lurched forward, his reflexes instinctively making him grab at Stede's wrists to pull them away.

Stede stopped instantly and let Ed take a breath.

"Is that spot too much, Ed?" Stede asked sincerely.

Ed paused and let go of Stede's wrists. "Um…no, not too much…just tickled a lot...but in a fun way."

A smug look made it's way onto Stede's face.

"Hmm. How about a game then?" Stede gently pushed down on Ed's shoulders to lead him back to his laying position on the couch. He then cupped his hands around Ed's elbows and maneuvered his arms above his head before letting go and sitting back. Stede smirked.

"Keep your arms up, Ed."

Ed's eyes went wide and he bit his bottom lip, already fighting back more giggles at those words.

"Mmmhmmhmm, and…what if I can't?"

Stede raised his eyebrows and wiggled his fingers. "I think we both know the answer."

That made Ed pull his hands down to hide his face again when, "Shit!," he put them back up above his head. 

Stede laughed. "Trying to lose already, Ed?"

"Nohohohooo…"

"Don't worry, there are plenty of tickles to come."

Stede started again slowly, following a circling pattern around Ed's tummy, letting his fingers wander around the curve of Ed's sides and up across his ribs.

As the ticklish sensation kept building, Ed was fighting his arms from trying to come down and interfere. He truly didn't want to interfere, but this game was proving already to be quite difficult.

But then again, maybe he did want to lose to see what Stede's punishment for him would be…

Stede's voice snapped him back from his own inner battle. "I can see you're trying so hard for me, Ed," Stede let out a little mischievous chuckle, "but shall we up the intensity a bit?" His fingers now started to quickly skitter around Ed's torso, jumping around from spot to spot, with the occasional surprise armpit tickle that made Ed's arms jump down halfway before managing to bring them back up again.

Squirming around with more vigor, Ed felt like he was being electrocuted with tickles, and it was getting harder and harder to keep his arms up as the zipping sensations coursed through his body. Ed's laughter was freely pouring out of him and it was wind in Stede's sails.

"Now, Ed, what was it that I did before that made you squeal? Hmm…," Stede continued his tickling as he pretended to think, "Was it this?" He jumped his hands to Ed's underarms and gave the centers a quick taser with his fingers.

Ed squawked and his arms jumped down again, but just as quick as Stede's hands were there, they were off to the next spot and Ed brought his arms back up and gripped the pillow sitting against the arm of the couch for dear life, bracing himself.

A squeeze to his ribs.

"This?"

A vibrating, clawed hand to his belly.

"Or was it this?"

Pokes going up and down his sides.

"Was it here?"

Ed was about to combust. All the various changes of tickles and sudden movements from spot to spot and the smug teasing had him faltering, his grip on the pillow going white-knuckled.

"Ah! I remember!" Stede, in his utter delight, didn't wait another second before jumping back down to squeeze at the junction where lower tummy met hips.

A high pitched squeal rang through the air as Ed's arms came crashing down, pillow still in hand, and it smacked Stede in the face.

There was a sudden still and quiet in the room. Ed looked at Stede with wide eyes realizing what he had done, and the eyes that looked back at him with rising eyebrows told him one thing: he was in trouble.

"Now, Edward…" Stede began, and just those words alone already sent Ed into a giggling, playful beg.

"Stehehede! Nohoho, it was an accidehehent, I promise!"

Stede narrowed his eyes, teasingly skeptical. "Mmhmm, I don’t know Ed. I think I see your nose growing." He grabbed the pillow out of Ed's grip and flung it across the room in a display of joking outrage. "This definitely calls for punishment!"

Shifting from his place at Ed's legs, Stede flipped himself around so that he was sitting on Ed's chest. Placing his hands back on Ed's hips, he began to repetitively squeeze.

Ed went ballistic. His legs were flailing about, unable to do anything about the shocking jolts that had taken full control of his body. He tried to arch his back, but with Stede's weight now on his upper body keeping him in place, he couldn't do much else besides push at Stede’s back with his hands. The way Ed couldn't even see Stede's ticklish movements seemed to make it even worse.

"Fuhuhuck!! This isn't fahahahair!"

"I don't know, Ed, this seems perfectly fair to me! It's not my fault you're so adorably ticklish."

Shit, Stede's teasing was getting to him so badly, and paired with the insanely tickly pulses ruminating into his bones, Ed was in tickle Hell (Heaven.) His eyes squeezed shut as his bubbly shrieks got higher and higher in pitch with every evilly calculated pinch at his hips and it wasn't long before he was in full hysterics.

"Steheheheede! Nononono nahahahaha! Shihihit!! I'm sorryyyy!"

And just like that, everything stopped. Ed's legs slumped back down to the couch as Stede's weight lifted from his chest and was replaced with a gentle hand rubbing up and down his side.

Ed's remaining giggles continued to filter out past his lips as his chest heaved in order to catch his breath. He slowly started to come back down to earth and opened his eyes to see a softly smiling Stede looking down at him.

"How are you feeling, Ed?"

"Hmhmhmhmmm, you're mehehean."

"Oh? Is that right?"

Ed nodded.

"Well," Stede continued, "just know there's more to come. That was just punishment for hitting me with the pillow. I haven't given you your punishment for bringing your arms down…"

Ed's eyes went wide.

Stede chucked. "And I'm going to have to keep checking and cleaning your wound…that is, if you'd let me?"

Ed looked directly into Stede's eyes and was met with a hopeful, questioning stare. This caused a new flush to rise to Ed's cheeks and his heart fluttered. Knowing that Stede was wanting, and was essentially asking, to tickle him more had his insides vibrating and he was filled to the brim with a childlike glee.

Ed excitedly squirmed under Stede's gaze. "Hmhmhm um…might have to check it frequently…just to be sure."

Stede beamed. "Of course, Ed." He then stopped his hand rubbing Ed's side and gave him a couple pats on his tummy. "How about we go and have a nice cup of evening tea and relax for a bit, hmm? Then we can take care of your other punishment later tonight…and, mayhaps, I can look at that knee of yours..." Stede winked.

Oh, Ed couldn't wait.

[wordstrings]

Tickletober Day 7: Massage | Words: 450

—

Stede clambers back toward the window, his elbows and knees frantic as a scuttling crustacean. 

“No, no,” he scolds, like Ed’s a dog he’s bopping with the daily paper. “This is not what we’re doing.”

“Yes it is,” Ed says simply. And he grabs Stede’s ankles and yanks.

Stede yelps, wriggling in a futile swim against Ed’s riptide. His calves get dropped over the edge of the bed and he hasn’t a prayer of being fast enough to stop Ed from heaving down on top of him to pin him at the thighs. The man is a hound chasing a scent, and the deceivingly dead-eyed hunger in his face promises only defeat. 

“I’m just gonna rub ‘em, okay?” Ed asks, in a question that’s not really a question, because he’s a horrible miscreant who offers kindness and relief but delivers torment. 

“You are not—!” 

A yip snags Stede’s words in his throat, and then he’s giggling madly as Ed’s knuckles roll firmly up the wide muscles atop his thighs. He heaves upright to shove Ed away, but Ed’s hand darts up to his chest and unceremoniously plows him down again. The knuckles transform to lobster claws, kneading the meat of his thighs. Stede cackles as the bedframe thumps under the drumming of his uselessly dangling heels. He tries to sit up again. Ed’s chuckle is as rough as his shove back down. 

“This will not make me less sore, you menace!” Stede chokes out. His vision is starting to blur with laughter-driven tears; he pushes and bats but Ed’s hands are undeterred in their bloodlust.

“Sure it will. S’called a ‘mess-sage’ for a reason. Makes you a mess first but everything’s fine afterward.”

“Mass-sage!” Stede cries. “It’s French! Oh god, sto-ho-hop!”

“Not ‘til you’re pain-free,” Ed says cheerfully.

Maybe Ed’s right, though, because Stede loses all cohesion when the knuckles reassert themselves in the extra-soft thigh flesh just below his groin. Slamming his knees towards each other doesn’t even help because the horribly ticklish pressure is still there. He rolls his torso to one side, wailing with laughter and clawing at the bedding in a weakened attempt to crawl away and, of course, accomplishes nothing but bringing handfuls of blanket somewhat closer to his face. 

When Ed’s weight lifts from his legs, Stede gasps in anticipated reprieve— but the weight returns just as quickly, this time behind his knees when Ed pushes him the rest of the way over onto his front. The sudden pinching fingers nibbling their way up the backs of his thighs are even worse torture than everything before, and Stede’s pillows will surely be soaked with tears before his treatment has run its course.

[poutpoutlilith]

Dear @abihasablog,

Happy Festivus! Today's your @squealing-santa day. I'm so honored to have been assigned to you this year. Please enjoy this Steddyhands fic. Lee Stede, of course.

Also, please forgive my complete ineptitude with anything to do with *actually* using this website.

ao3 link:

http://archiveofourown.org/works/52440493

Warning: Izzy describes some rather violent acts in conversation, but the acts never happen.

"A Dose of Reason"

Word Count: 3596

Word Count Fact: 3596 is not prime, nor is it square free. There is a unique non-cyclic Abelian group of order 3596.

“Hey, Ed, I wanted your opinion on something,” whined Stede in an abandoned attempt to catch his breath.

“Hmmn?” replied Edward, jingling his bell as he turned his neck to face the captain.

“It’s about Izzy. Was I too harsh on him?”

“What?”

“Our confrontation today. You must have overheard it down there.”

“I-”

“And?” asked Stede, his panic only growing.

“Is that what his yelling was? I couldn’t quite tell what he said to you.” Edward cracked his wrists and folded his hands, now fully turning his body to face Stede.

“I was more worried about what I said to him to set him off like that.”

“Well, for starters, I didn’t even hear it. Given the history of my leadership style, that should tell you everything I think about whatever it was you did.”

“Ed! I’m really upset right now. Words can hurt our feelings, even if spoken softly, remember?” Edward sighed in reluctant agreement.

“You know what? I’ll go have a chat with him.”

“Be subtle,” Stede requested through a shaky voice. Edward smiled back at him, figuring he was just being his usual self and overblowing whatever it was.

“I will. He’ll think I was concerned about his yelling, and he’ll think I was surprised to learn it was you that set him off.”

“You really mean that? You think you can pull it off?”

“I do. I’ll come and find you in about a half hour.”

“Thank you, Ed.”

“Mmn,” nodded Edward brightly as he made haste to go and find Izzy.

“The hell do you want?” Izzy groaned at Edward. He kept his gaze out and unfocused on the southern horizon. Edward only moved closer to him, eventually sitting next to him. “On with it or fuck right off! You know what? Why don’t you just do that and save us both the trouble.”

“Don’t act like you weren’t yelling a bigger storm than usual a little bit ago. I could almost make out what you were saying.”

“Fucking Bonnet! Fucking twat Bonnet!” sprayed Izzy in a coarse tone that somehow made every syllable irate and plosive. A small dribble of saliva landed on his chin, which he harshly brushed away with his knuckles in a closed fist. 

“Captain got you pent up again?” Edward again pried.

“Why don’t you just fuck off and save us the trouble?” Izzy reiterated. Edward stood up in place but did not move, staring at Izzy to bait him into saying something, anything, he could take back to Stede. Eventually Izzy looked up and their eyes met. “Fine, if you’re gonna try and piss me off like this I might as well get pissed.”

“Go ahead, Izzy.”

“Fuck off!” he snapped. “Sometimes I just wanna get ahold of Bonnet and fucking destroy him. Fingers and teeth and blood everywhere. And then sew them back on and do it again. And again and again. Fucking twat! With his fucking feelings. And being right about everything. I ought to fucking kick him or something. Just to see him powerless and without some fucking retort. Hell, I’d even tickle the man if it made him cry.”

“What did he say?” Edward asked suddenly, attempting to mask how he perked up at that last sentence. He was on a mission from the captain, after all, and a secret one at that.

“He told me how I’m such a miserable twat. I mean, he didn’t say it like that. Gugh, I should have told him to fuck off!”

“You did, seven times,” Edward interrupted. Izzy chuckled a bit, but neither man could tell if it was at Edward’s comment or simply a component of the larger exasperated and very angry demeanor on display. Izzy continued, basically ignoring Edward.

“He just told me how I should remember it’s okay to talk about my feelings. How it’s not healthy to keep everything bottled up. About how I’ve been through a lot. About how he cares. The fucking nerve on that fucking Bonnet! Laying it on thick like he’s got it all figured out. I wish he’d figure out how to send himself straight the fucking fuck to fucking hell!” Izzy stopped yelling and let himself sink all the way down onto the deck, staring up at the clouded sky.

“At least you recognize he’s right. Not to sound like I’m on his side or whatever, but maybe there’s a way to work through some of what you said.”

“But you do just sound just like the man. You’re fucking whipped, mate. You even wear a little kitty collar for him.”

“That’s not what that’s for and you know it! And so long as we both know he’s right, we might as well figure something out. I’m going to be honest, I think we should help you make Stede cry a little if that’s your thing.”

“Said like you’ve truly given up on yourself yet again,” Izzy snided. Edward sighed.

“I’m going to go talk to Stede to try and make anyone better during all of this. Don’t go anywhere.”

“Fuck you, Edward,” said Izzy, “and thanks. Thanks a lot.” He sat up and faced the open ocean again, waiting for Edward to leave and go find Stede.

As Edward reentered the room, he found Stede in about the most awkward seating position imaginable. He seemed to be staring at the ceiling, chipper from the clavicle up and a twitchy disaster everywhere below that. Stede snapped around to greet him wordlessly, straightening his posture and wincing in preparation to hear the worst. Edward knew better than to frame a conversation as anything other than what Stede wanted or expected.

“He said you laid it on pretty thick. He’s an absolute mess but deep down he understands why you are the way that you are. But he’s really mad about it.”

“That’s great! Maybe he’ll want to talk it through!” Edward only sighed at Stede’s optimism. It was cute. Futile against a berserking Izzy Hands, but very cute.

“Never, I’m afraid. At least not at first with this one. Listen, uhm, I need you to let him tickle you to tears so he doesn’t dismember you in your sleep or turn your teeth into flour.”

“Well, that’s quite an interesting analysis. He sounds very angry. Perhaps what he’s after is some casual discussion. A dose of reason, to quell his inner-”

“Reason, eh? Is that what you conspiring fucks want to call it?” spat Izzy from some nearby stairs.

“I was only trying to get him to take the tickling option so there’s less blood for me and the crew to clean up,” offered Edward in his own defense.

“Fuck the both of yous!”

“Izzy, try to understand what it is I’m seeking here,” pleaded Stede. Izzy only scoffed and advanced toward him. Stede backed himself against a shelf where Izzy towered beneath him. Stede would never turn the confrontation physical. And Izzy wasn’t about to just lay hands on the captain without any preamble.

“I don’t care what you want, Bonnet. This ship may be yours, but you are an idiot too weak to do anything but bend at the command of your fucking feelings. It makes me sick as hell. And I just wish I could show you the only feeling that matters in the pirate world. Helplessness. Suffering. The sharp and ruthless imbalance of power. Something a rich boy like you can never truly earn a worthwhile perspective on.” Stede winced at Izzy’s words, recoiling in his head as a haunting vision from his childhood took over. The spatter of blood. Everywhere that life has taken him from then on. Back to the present moment where his jaw gaped and he had no idea how to redirect Izzy’s anger with the power of words and heartfelt connection anymore. It felt too deep. Too real.

“You really want to show me how bad it’s supposed to hurt to be alive, don’t you, Mr. Hands?”

“For as long as it takes to shatter that flaccid and privileged skull of yours.”

“Don’t do this,” a sullen Edward suggested. Izzy saw the disappointment in his eyes. It got to him, which felt like a victory for Stede. That stung, and only angered him further. He tried his best to play it off, backing away from Stede and pacing about the immediate area.

“You should know I would never touch my Captain without permission to do so. Let alone all of that blood and guts stuff, tempting as it may be.”

“But you mentioned tickling, though, didn’t you? At least, Ed made it sound like you did. That might actually be quite fun. Edward loves to make me laugh. I’d imagine I’m very fun.”

“This isn’t about fun, Bonnet. It’s a matter of principle is all. But that explains why Ed shifted his posture at my little joke earlier. Fond memories of your intimacies or something?”

“Well, that’s,” started Ed, beet red and wishing he would wake up in Stede’s bed to spare himself the lasting reality of the sudden flash of embarrassment. He looked to Stede, as if beckoning for permission. That permission came with a nod.  “Yeah,” he shrugged, hanging his head and closing his eyes for a moment. Stede came to his rescue.

“The truth is, I actually quite like it,” he confessed with a proud smile. His tone was flat and dull, but he at least managed a confident enough pull at the corners of his mouth that went well with the rosy complexion that was starting to take up residence in his cheeks.

“You fucking would, Bonnet. Of all people and of all things.” Izzy paused in his paces to turn and face Stede. He contemplated his next words carefully, adjusting his posture and tone accordingly before moving just a couple steps closer to Stede. “You know what? That actually sounds kind of cute. I’m still gonna make your kittenthing here help me make you cry, but what do we say we try and make peace by taking one out of both our playbook with a little tickle scene?”

“Right here?” Stede asked.

“And right now,” Izzy smirked. “What do you say?” Stede looked to Edward, who nodded him on.

“Alright,” shook Stede. “I guess we’ll go and make this happen, then.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” barked Izzy as he lunged at the captain, grabbing his sides and pressing him back into the shelf. “This business gets taken care of right here and right now. The cat either watches or joins me. Your call.”

“Please don’t make me watch, Stede, if you think you can handle it,” Edward said shyly.

“Of course you can join in, Ed,” Stede gushed, looking past Izzy. He then turned his attention back to Izzy. “Happy to be here for whatever you may need.”

“Happy fucking Bonnet, eh? That’s where your trouble began. That smile. That Bonnet fucking smile.”

“Would it be better if I frowned?” Stede demonstrated, and Izzy did not react. “Perhaps something more neutral, a bit stoic with hints of fear?” Stede tried on a second face, and Izzy had had enough of his antics. Wordlessly, he started tickling Stede hard and fast. Stede was far too distracted by his face making to see it coming. “I actually quite think my noseahahahaha! Ihihi g-guess-”

“What?” Izzy teased with a roar.

“Guess you wehent with a smihihile!” Stede screamed. He turned his neck to face away, not that it would really matter when his ribs and stomach were the center of attention and his eyes were bolted shut. 

Izzy quickly made room for Edward, and with two men holding him there Stede was just about locked in place. He tried to sink to the floor, but Izzy and Edward only followed him there. He sat with legs outstretched and T-Rex arms barely positioning his elbows in self defense. He remained surprisingly still, a dead giveaway he was having a wonderful time, even if he was being quite fussy.

“He usually stay this still for you?” asked Izzy, adjusting his position to kneel on Stede’s leg and facing Edward more fully.

“Always. Deep down, it’s like he said. He really does love it.”

“All the noise he’s making you just almost couldn’t tell. Listen to him roar like a little bitch.”

“I know. Isn’t he cute?” 

Izzy crowed a big belly laugh in reply to Edward’s question, turning back to his original position and moving his hands upward. He noticed Edward moving around the side of Stede, but didn’t try to intentionally take that into account. He was determined to figure Stede out on his own, and he didn’t want to get too distracted from eating up Stede’s reactions to make that happen. Stede was essentially a giggly puddle at the mercy of four spidering, digging, prodding, and clawing hands, and Izzy studied his every squirm and plea with devotion.

“Ohohohoho I’m actually the cutest!” exclaimed Stede, his smile only widening as he fell to the side away from Edward and started rolling away from the wall. He made his way onto his stomach without the necessary momentum to turn any further, so he stopped in place. Edward knelt between him and the wall, Izzy next to him on his other side. Stede shook his head from side to side but said nothing.

Wordlessly, Edward stared for Izzy’s attention, eventually locking eyes with him. They paused for a moment, letting Stede catch his breath. Motioning with his eyes, Edward got Izzy to focus his visual attention on Stede’s shoulders. Edward hovered a hand above Stede’s left shoulder and waited for Izzy to figure out what to do with his right. Bobbing their heads, they counted silently to three and started up again together.

“Wahahahait!” cried Stede. He kicked his legs and huffed and puffed until Edward and Izzy stopped again just a few seconds later. There was a brief silence.

“Stede?” Edward asked flatly. Stede pursed his lips but did not immediately say anything.

“Captain?” tried Izzy, being met with more silence.

“Stede, you need to tell us what’s wrong.”

“Oh, uhm, well,” the captain began. He pushed himself with a wrist onto his side and fell onto his back. His face looked its absolute reddest.

“Your face is red, Captain,” observed Izzy, “and we haven’t even done anything severe yet. You need to call it quits or something?”

“Well, no,” Stede admitted, “I’m actually fine. That was just so unexpectedly coordinated and sudden and intense. It was actually quite-”

“Do you want us to keep going?” Edward pressed, cutting him off.

“That would be splendid, thank you.”

“Arms out, then,” Izzy ordered. Stede obeyed. “And take it with pride,” he added. He leaned over and pinned Stede’s wrist with one of his own, putting plenty of weight on it. Edward mirrored him, and with Stede pinned beneath them both they started again.

Stede immediately closed his eyes and threw his head all the way back. Edward and Izzy paused at the thudding sound it made with the floor, but a sharply giggled okay from Stede had them resuming as quickly as the thud had dissipated. He laughed and strained his arms, but they would not budge from beneath those of his comrades.

“Damn ihihihit!” he squealed, “this is a mohohost unusual position to beheheehe in!”

“Mine too, be sure,” sighed Lucius. Izzy paid him no attention, but Edward looked up at him and cocked his gaze. Lowing his tone, Lucius spoke to Edward directly. “I’m just gonna,” he trailed off, shaking an open-palmed hand in the direction of the nearby stairs and shrinking his posture. With an ugly, forced smile he stepped over Stede and made himself gone, perhaps about to go tell someone what he saw. Perhaps not.

Edward turned back to Stede, who didn’t seem to notice the presence of his scribe. His eyes were still shut with a stupidly giddy smile spread across his entire face. Stede was really having a time with his two ticklers. Edward took his hands away for a moment. With his left hand, he caressed Stede’s cheek. Stede opened his eyes and looked at him.

“You’re doing so good right now,” Edward scruffed. Stede smiled.

“I think he can manage a little better for longer,” Izzy insinuated. Stede’s smile turned to fear, to panic, to arousal, and back to a bigger smile, a bead of sweat making its way down the side of his face.

“Only if he’s up to it.” Edward was firm.

“Please,” said Stede. His voice was soft and whiny, as if there was no thought in the world worse than having to leave his ticklish predicament behind.

“See? He wants us to push him to be good, isn’t that right, boy?” Izzy cooed.

“Yes! Goodness, Izzy, fuck!” Stede sputtered. He couldn’t manage much more than that, instead grimacing silently as if to invite the tickling to resume.

Edward immediately started up again. He kept one hand on Stede’s adorable face. This time firmer, as if to keep his gaze fixed on Izzy. His other hand started to explore Stede’s stomach with a walking tap, probing a minefield of spots and watching Stede’s face. He walked his hand higher and higher with his arm until he was almost to Stede’s chest, where he saw an inviting twitch in Stede’s neck. He stopped his hand there and rotated it slightly, pinching at about that height along Stede’s side.

Stede thrashed in place as Edward did so, and he screamed. He screamed as if there was no thought in the world worse than staying in his ticklish predicament. But a signal in the back of his mind forced him to pause and realize he liked it. He only cried out for the torment to continue.

Izzy kept his hands in Stede’s armpits. He had a lot of fun with lighter techniques while Edward did his thing with his sides. Stede managed to stay still enough to keep his arms most of the way outstretched on his own. Izzy drummed his fingers up and down the soft, taut patches of skin, occasionally stopping to blow on Stede’s neck or scratch the exposed piece of his shoulder with his beard. 

“Thahahahat’s a little fohohorward of you,” suggested Stede as Izzy’s beard and breath lingered longer and longer there as the minutes snowballed by.

“Nonsense, Captain, I’m on a mission with this little game,” deflected Izzy. Stede just kept on laughing, but Izzy finally convinced him to open his eyes. Immediate eye contact. “There you are, boy. How do you feel?”

“Nehehevahar bett-ter!” struggled Stede, maintaining eye contact but blinking rapidly at the flood of sensation as Izzy changed his technique to mirror Edward’s death spot squeezes on the other side.

“Tell me how you really feel. Don’t hold yourself back,” Izzy commanded.

“Ehehehed,” laughed Stede.

“Hmmn?” Edward growled with a moderately horny squint back at the captain.

“I’m feheeling quihihite aroused,” reported Stede matter-of-factly, save for the peals of ticklish laughter trying their best to interrupt him. Edward leaned in and kissed Stede, letting go with his tickling hand and straddling Stede more fully.

His leg came to rest on Izzy’s hand, which his old first mate quickly retracted. Stede seemed to quickly shake a relaxation through his body, but hesitated before lowering his shoulders. Izzy wondered whether it was some kind of signal or not.

“Uh, Captain, you need something there?” Izzy asked shyly.

Edward’s mouth stole whatever reply Stede seemed to have no mind to attempt to formulate. They kept kissing there. It was clear their love was just as passionate as it had ever been. Izzy started to understand why these two had done the things they had done to themselves for one another. He wondered if he should start applauding their milestones and loosen up around the ship. He started to get the sense that the tickling scene was over, even if he figured he failed to make his larger point.

“Guess I’ll leave you lovebirds to it, then. I’m not ready to get that involved with a couple of pervert freaks that outrank me.” Izzy paused, trying to find more words. “Well, the captain and his kitten,” he clarified. “You’re cute with that bell, Edward,” he said under his breath, rolling his eyes a bit. With that, he started to walk away, back to his usual place. He traversed some stairs and a couple of corners. He was almost there.

Turning another corner, Izzy felt he was finally far enough away. He stopped for a moment to listen for nearby speech or footsteps. He sat and faced the ocean by himself, solitary in the position where Edward found him earlier in the day. And he let his guard down. Nobody had to know the effect his little torture scene had on him, and so he decided to let it show just a bit. The experience he just created for himself, it wasn’t another laceration of blackness across his wizened heart. It was pure and fun and joyful and a little arousing. 

He took a deep breath in through his nose, and he let it out through a big smile. A picture of Edward straddling Stede formed in his head. He rotated the picture before turning on time, inserting himself in the fantasy image and joining Edward, adding two more hands to the fray. In his mind, he smiled at Edward and Stede there. In reality, he sat there smiling at the ocean. The sun was sinking, and his heart was calm.

[bigdumbtickler03]

Got bored so I drew Izzy Hands getting tickled silly by Ed and Stede 👉👈

little bastard deserves a good belly tickling~

(I’m so proud of how this came out 😳)

[abihasablog]

Gentlest touches: Lee Ed, Ler Stede

Stede shows Ed's thighs some affection.

Written a while ago for @silviesilviesilvie. Enjoy!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46648564

[thebest-medicine]

((Some Headcanons for Tickletober))

Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy - Harley loves pretty much every aspect of tickling, has lots of fun either as Lee or Ler. Ivy takes a little while to open up to being comfortable being on the receiving end, and has some fun with it when Harley dishes some out. She is also happy to indulge Harley in whatever silly fantasies and bondage she can think up.

Edward Teach & Stede Bonnet - It takes a few times of Ed tickling the crap out of Stede for him to try fighting back and finding out Ed is ticklish as well. Stede finds out that he rather enjoys making Ed blush and laugh and squirm. They usually save teasing each other in this way for when they have some more privacy. Wouldn’t want to drastically embarrass either captain of the ship, right?

Luz & Amity - Amity tended to get really embarrassed and blushy when tickled and usually was only the victim of her siblings. Luz is super gentle and not pushy when she finds out Amity is ticklish and lets amity find out she is ticklish as well and opens her up to the form of physical affection. They have cute little tickle fights and poke at each other’s sides to get their attention. Amity’s ears are really ticklish. Amity turns to jelly when tickled whereas Luz flails and squirms like the wind.

Korra & Asami - Korra and Asami figure out that the other is ticklish when they are on vacation in the spirit world and are figuring out how to get closer and share physical affection and feelings and such. Korra sometimes accidentally bends when tickled really bad. Nothing crazy but like a small rumble in the earth nearby or water flowing a bit wobbly. They both think each other’s smile and laugh is super cute, and a lot of the time if one of them is tickling the other they end up making out / cuddling after.

Callum & Rayla - Rayla finds out Callum is ticklish thanks to Ezran and Zym, who end up knocking him down one evening and nudging and teasing him. Callum is mortified when he realizes Rayla sees what is happening and she gets a mischievous grin about it. From then on she finds joy in poking prodding or tickling him on a whim. Eventually he figures out he could actually fight back and figures out that she is ticklish as well, but it takes a lot to get the jump on her. Something something feather arms something..

[ticklishfiend]

if you’re still accepting ofmd headcanons:

- frenchie fully believes in the tickle monster - it lives under beds and can “sense vulnerability” so when he gets jim and olu’s old room he makes sure to never lay down with his arms over his head for too long or let his feet hang off the bed so as not to “trigger an attack”. the tickle monster can also “possesses people by psychically entering their minds and forcing them into them doing its dirty work to feed its appetite for laughs”. in reality he’s just a very shy switch trying to justify his moods lol

- lucius will absolutely drag the feather end of his quill against peoples neck + ears when he’s feeling cheeky. the first time he did it to izzy, izzy nearly jumped out of his skin and the quill was immediately broken and thrown overboard.

- lee!jim. GOD lee!jim!! going off of what you said they absolutely love it when olu is playful with them and olu completely sees through their shit when they try to pretend that they don’t. love love love the idea of jim growling in between giggles to seem mad but really they’re just trying to mask their squeals because they’re embarrassed that someone will hear them + “fighting back” with punches that are not even half the strength they’d usually be + gripping olu’s sleeves so hard their knuckles turn white but never actually trying to push them away.

- jim gets flustered SO. EASILY. when it comes to tickles. not in the ‘get shy and hide your face’ kind of way but in a violent squirming + kicking + spewing threats kind of way (while also probably looking away to hide their face) lots of “shutupshutupshutup” and “i’ll fucking kill you” etc etc. it doesn’t help that olu is so teasy as a ler and it makes jim want to kiss punch him every time. (thinking of the “coming nana!” scene lmfao)

- the first time olu asks if they like it jim is so caught off guard that they can’t even make up an excuse - it’s just “WHA- SHUT UP. N-NO???? shut up! I DONT. ugh, just shut up! that’s such a stupid question...don’t look at me like that. pinche- HEY! WAHAIT-” as they’re stammering olu is just wordlessly raising his eyebrows at them like “oh, really? you sure?” until he just rolls his eyes and attacks them - afterwards he’s quick to reassure them that it’s okay to like it and swears that it’ll just stay between the two of them.

i’ll stop before this turns into an essay. jim took over this ask rlly quickly lmao but i just love the concept so much. have a good one!

i’m so mad i missed this MONTHS AND MONTHS AGO MAN IM SO FUCKING SORRY 😭

first of all, not even a question of COURSE french he believes in the tickle monster. if he sees anyone tickling anyone on the ship, he delves into his own tickle monster lore to everyone around, and it usually flusters the fuck out of the lee since now their ler is definitely playing along and pretending to be the tickle monster. plus, if someone feels like tickling frenchie (cause like who wouldnt look at him), they pretend like they’re being actively possessed and taken over because if he thinks they’re the tickle monster, he won’t seek revenge bc “oh no, i know u couldn’t help it. and i’m not trying to anger that thing further, are u kidding me??”

THATS SO LUCIUS LMAOO and after that little event with izzy and he gets a new quill, izzy becomes his new favorite target since he reacted soo strongly. it pisses stede off since they have to keep getting lucius new quills but lucius gives no fucks as long as he can get even the smallest, measly little giggle out of that angry little man

lee jim is such a growler shut up, they are so embarrassed of their giggles and try so hard to keep cool and cover it up but olu just has that way about him that jim can never hold it in long. olu loves to tease them abt it too, all “oh you’re soooo scary right now, just like a lion. or more like a lion cub i guess, since ur not really fighting back all that much, hm?” and yes jim is so easily flustered by any and all teases olu throws their way, sometimes they have to hide their face in the pillows just to conserve a little dignity from their bright red face and high pitched giggles.

and jim doesn’t even realize they do like it until olu brings it up, they were always so focused on the feeling and their fluster that once olu brings attention to the fact that they’ve never fought him off once, they don’t even know how to respond. just stuttering and silently hoping olu will end their suffering but just fucking tickling them already jfc

again i am so fucking sorry for having this in my inbox for so damn long, idek if you’ll see that i posted it anon but i hope u know how much i appreciate these beautiful fucking headcanons. like these are so good idk if ur a writer on here but u definitely should be if not

again tysm, this was amazing!!! <3

[lee-lucius]

Masterlist

All of Us Villains

Day 7 - Flustered: Lee Alistair, ler Isobel

Black Clover

Family Fun: Lee Noelle, ler Luck

Day 4 - Witch: Switches Vanessa and Luck

Day 6 - Creep: Lee Magna, ler Luck

Day 9 - Payback for a Scare: Switches Luck and Magna

Advent Calendar 1 - Cold (Drabble): Lee Luck, Ler Magna

Advent Calendar 3 - Angel: Lee Gordon, lers Grey and Gauche

Bleach

Day 8 - Truth: Lee Yumichika, ler Ikkaku

Blue Lock

Tickle Me: Lee Bachira, ler Isagi

Time to Get Up!: Lee Nagi, ler Reo

Loving Distractions: Lee Bachira, ler Isagi

Day 10 - Ghost: Lee Bachira, ler Rin

Demon Slayer 

Stress Reliever (Drabble): Lee Muichiro, ler Tanjiro 

Day 3 - Cuddles: Lee Tanjiro, ler Genya

Day 13 - Sneak Attack: Lee Muichiro, ler Mitsuri

Day 14 - Soft: Lee Muichiro, ler Tanjiro

Dr. Stone

Advent Calendar 2 - Christmas Break (Drabble): Lee Senku, ler Gen

Hunter x Hunter

Day 1 - Secret: Lees Gon and Killua, lers Leorio and Gon

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

Day 12 - Bites/Nibbles: Lee Bucciarati, ler Abbacchio

Jujutsu Kaisen

Day 5 - “I’m Not Ticklish” Lee Junpei, ler Yuji

Mashle: Magic and Muscles

Day 11 - Squeal: Lee Mash, ler Dot

My Hero Academia

Day 2 - Accidental: Lee Shigaraki, ler Spinner

One Piece

Fatherly Love: Lee Sanji, ler Zeff

Our Flag Means Death

A New Kind of Affection: Lee Stede, lers Izzy and Ed

The Promised Neverland

Missed You (Drabble): Lee Norman, ler Emma

[august-anon]

hello I would pay good money to see mr ed teach + 🙈

🙈 -‘Tickled Silly’ Laughter

Thoughtless

[ao3 link]

Word count: 279 words

-----

It was over, Ed was done for. He was gone. Here lies the Fearsome Captain Blackbeard, defeated by nothing more than a few wiggling fingers.

Though, in his defense, Stede’s fingers were the most killer, devious things Ed thought he had ever faced. They were deft and soft and picked him apart with alarming accuracy, and Ed didn’t know how to cope. If he had any brainpower left to save his dignity, he might’ve tried to fight Stede off, but as it was, he was too far gone to even pretend that he wanted to.

“The fearsome Blackbeard is ticklish after all, then, eh, Ed?” Stede asked, a hint of laughter in his own voice.

Ed had half a mind to tell him to shut up, but it wasn’t as though he would be able to get an intelligible word in edgewise. And even if he could, the sounds would be painted with flustered energy, practically dripping in it, and he had a reputation to keep, thank you very much.

Though Stede seemed to be doing a pretty good job of tearing that to shreds. And it’s not like it wasn’t exhausting to keep up, Ed got pretty sick of it most of the time, these days. And— oh shit, that was his stomach, that tickled so fucking bad.

“I must say, Ed, you’re doing quite a lot of introspection for someone who’s meant to be getting tickled to bits.”

This time Ed did call out a “Shut up!” though it was nearly lost in the bout of laughter it escaped with.

“Perhaps I just need to try harder. Do try to save your breath, dear. You’ll need it.” 

[dreamingticklee]

Tickletober Day 2: Drawn On

Fandom: Our Flag Mean Death

Characters: Lee! Stede, Ler!Ed

Words: 422

“Ehehehed!”

Stede couldn’t help but squirm against the ticklish point of the quill Ed was using on his ribs.

“You’re the one who said you wanted a “tattoo” and asked for my help, mate.” Ed tried to speak as evenly as possible.

“B-buhut you’re the one whohohoho s-suggested draw-ahaha! D-drawing it on my rihihihibs!” 

Ed couldn’t help but smirk and let out a smooth chuckle at that. “Okay, so maaaaybe I suggested drawing it here on purpose...thought it would make it more interesting. You’re just too ticklish for your own good, Stede!” 

Stede’s face flushed red at the teasing confession. Oh, this bastard. The tip of the quill was sending tingly zips all around the side of his ribcage and the affirmation of Ed knowing his ticklishness and also wanting to reduce Stede into a giggly puddle was too much. He had been trying so hard to keep his arms in place and not move too much in order to not mess up Ed’s drawing for him, but now that was being thrown out the window.

“Nahahahaa Ed!” In a playful attempt to stop him (not that he really wanted to), Stede started batting at Ed’s hand holding the pen. The tussle didn’t last long, however, as Ed was easily able to grab Stede’s wrists and pin the offending hands under his knees.

“Now, now, Stede...,” Ed tutted, “can’t have you trying to mess up an artist’s work! I wasn’t quite finished yet...”

Stede squealed as Ed brought the tip of the quill back in contact with his skin and began diverting course of his original drawing (a bow and arrow heart with “Ed” written in the center, of course) and started snaking it down Stede’s side.

“I think we need to add a little something here!” Ed then circled down to the jut of Stede’s hip. “And down here...oh!” Ed jumped the quill over to Stede’s other side. “You know what? We can make both sides match! And, hey! What about something here?”

Ed’s sudden movements all around his torso had Stede shrieking and gasping in surprise and his hips bucked with each new spot. But, if he was being honest, he was loving every second of it.

Ed smiled down at Stede, completely basking in the giggles and high pitched squeals as he used him as a canvas. A very ticklish canvas. Although, it wasn’t long before Ed was laughing along with him and setting the quill down to dive in with fingers and tickle Stede in ernest, “tattoo” forgotten.