When the Cat's Away

Nezumi had paid no attention to the tiny ball of fur scurrying up his leg. He could tell by the scratchy little paws it was the rodent Shion had affectionately dubbed as “Macbeth” without even looking. He kept his attention on the book, letting the rat do as he pleased, even as he stopped on the buckle of his belt to groom his whiskers. It was only when the little critter sniffed at his midriff that Nezumi found his shirt had ridden up and had to take action.

Shion shifted his attention at the sudden chuckle from the young man sprawled on the couch behind him. It was difficult not to in the all encompassing quiet of the underground abode. Sharp garnet peered questioningly at Nezumi and followed the older boy’s hand as he pulled his shirt down, startling Macbeth to scurry off. Nezumi settled back in his place easily enough, but Shion could not help the amused smile. “You’re ticklish?”

“I guess.” He answered and the dry page scraped across the still air. “Sometimes the rats will catch me by surprise.” Silver eyes had never left from the page, but as Shion started chuckling, it was his turn to look at him questioningly. Shion was sitting on the floor with his back against the end of the couch,  and Nezumi craned his neck to peer back. “What?”

“Nothing, really. You just seem so strong and mature all the time. It’s funny to think that someone like you is actually ticklish.”

Nezumi regarded him for one long moment, before he smirked while looking back to his book. “I am strong and mature. You think this makes me less so?”

“That’s not what I mean. It’s just not something I expected from you. It’s too cute, you know?”

Cute? Now that had certainly gotten his attention. Nezumi was strong, tall, and gorgeous. He was not cute.  “Hmph. Well I already know where you’re ticklish,” was his retort a he brushed his fingertips across Scion’s scarred cheek.

It had the desired effect, the pale young lad flinching with a giggle. “Hey!” He grabbed the offending wrist with the opposite hand and lowered his book. “What was that for?”

“Just proving a point.” Nezumi said easily, not even perturbed enough to pull his hand away. He craned his neck to smirk back at him. “You’re right. It is cute isn’t it?”

Shion’s wide eyes sparked with surprise, before they narrowed in mischief. “Alright, you asked for it.”

In Nezumi’s defense, he knew what was coming. It was the most obvious course of action in Shion’s case. But even as Shion lunged with his extended arm to reach his stomach, it did not occur to him that he needed to bother with actually defending himself. Worst case scenario he might chuckle a bit and get a few laughs on Shion’s end. Hardly something to get worked up over.

But when those flying fingers touched down, he yelped and jumped to high heaven.
Shion still had a firm hold on the other boy’s wrist, and he held fast even as the street rat lurched to curl up defensively. His other hand was still holding the book, and he held it to the side awkwardly to keep it from dropping it, but that left Shion’s hand free to ravage his belly. He barked and yowled in protest, the sensation shocking him more than anything. The young albino leaned against the couch cushions, half sitting and half leaning in the space above Nezumi’s head to reach his middle. HIs victim still held onto the book. The item was rare and valuable in the dystopian world, and damaging it was out of the question, but with the other hand pinned against Shion’s chest, it was nearly impossible to defend himself. He brought up his knees in a defensive curl, head butting against the arm reaching over him to torture him.

“So here, huh?” Scion teased. His fingers scuttled happily across the washboard abdominals, grinning good-naturedly. “Jeez, Nezumi, you’re worse than I thought.”

“Wait, Shio-“ he shut his eyes as he bucked. Cheeks were already flushed pink as he dissolved into full-belly laughs. He cursed his luck and his fate as he squirmed fruitlessly from the assault. “No- stop!”

“Looks like I found your weakness after all.”

For a young man who was more sarcastic than friendly, his laugh was surprisingly rich and full. Shion blamed it on all that singing talent and theater practice. The small rats darted for any nooks and crannies they could find to hide from the sudden ruckus in the usually peaceful abode, while their master’s laughter filled the once lonely, quiet space. Shion decided to get daring, moving his fingers to scuttle along his sides, up his ribs, then back down to his waist. Unfortunately, it seemed that the farther he moved from the boy’s stomach, the less ticklish he became. But Shion, of course, could not allow that. So he tried to the boy’s belly button.

Nezumi curled up quickly, hastily dropping the book on the coffee table to grab the offending hand. But alas, Shion had grown obsessed with power. Drunk off the high of finally having an advantage over the usually cool, calm, and collected Nezumi, Shion tried to reach down to continue his assault, but Nezumi’s superior strength kept him at bay, even as out of breath as he was. They were caught in a stalemate, with Nezumi holding one of Shion’s wrists hostage, and vise versa. They pushed and pulled alternatively, Shion still hovering menacingly over the pinned Nezumi as he wiggled his fingers.

“Oh no you… don’t!” The taller boy panted, and he tried to be intimidating, but his flushed grin refused to die, and with his usually neat updo in such a mess, he look positively ridiculous. “Nice try… Shion… but we both know you can’t-“ Shion leaned over, head going straight to his stomach. “Shion, what’re you-”

He lost it. The raspberry sent him into hysteria, though his howl was muffled by Shions sweater vest. The fighter snapped, and shoved his attacker roughly off of him as he rolled off the couch. He fell to the floor on his knees, with one hand over his aching gut as his shaky laughter weaned away, but it was quickly replaced by Shion’s loud, rounded laugher.  He watched the other boy laughing almost as hard as he had been. But unlike Nezumi’s exhausted, spent laughter, Shion was wide and open, his mirth filling the space willingly and freely.

“S-Sorry, sorry!” Shion called out to his friend. “I just- I nehever thought you’d- you’d-“ but he snorted and laughed all over again, his statement lost as he curled up in his own fetal position.  

Nezumi raised a brow, but his suspicious leer was somewhat ruined by his haphazard appearance. “You think it’s… that… funny?”

“No! No, it’s just… I don’t know, I can’t stop laughing,” Shion bemoaned, burying his face in his hands as he shook with laughter. “Oh mahan, my gut.”

Shion fell against the sofa in his shakes and Nezumi wiped at his tearing eyes. Macbeth had braved the waters and approached his master. Once he climbed up the sleeve to reach his shoulder, he squeaked in inquiry, and Nezumi slid his curious eyes to the rat, before sliding back to Shion and narrowing menacingly. The young boy laughed hard, oblivious to the approaching Nezumi until he felt the other’s arms circle around him. “Shiioooon~” he sang.

He looked up questioningly, even through his tapering laughter. “Ne-Nezumi?” The encircling arms wrapped all the way around like a pair of iron bars, pinning his arms to his curled body.

“You’re scaring the rats.”

He chuckled a little. “Oh-ho, s-sorry ‘bout that.”  Three of the rats approached on the couch in front of him, seeming unsure of what to make of him. The boy had the decency to look a little contrite toward the little guys. “I’m sorry, I-hi  didn’t mean to. Guess I got a little carried away.”

“A little?” Nezumi teased lightly, and leaned into the boy’s neck. “I’d hardly call that a little.”

Shion flinched with a grin and squirmed. “Oh no, c’mon!” he protested, and broke into giggles when the street rat’s nose nuzzled the side of his throat. He resisted more in earnest now, prying against the older, taller, stronger boy’s trapping embrace. With obviously little success. “N-Nezumi!”

The street rat’s long, dexterous fingers wormed their way between Shion’s arms and sides to tickle him gently and test the area. Shion jerked before dissolving into harder laughter, letting his attacker know he struck gold. The mischievous boy kept his face in the crook of the sensitive neck, and nibbled away as his victim buried his face in the couch cushion, wiggling fruitlessly.

“What- no, c-cmon, quit it!” Shion laughed. Nezumi finally released him, only to dart his hands behind him and wedge his fingers into his armpits. The action actually made him collapse to the floor in a fetal position. “No-no, I’m sorry! S-stop, hahahaha!”

“I almost feel bad, this is so easy,” Nezumi teased, finally releasing the boy’s neck, and moving his digits down the boy’s torso to test where else could make him squirm. “Is this seriously how you defend yourself?”

“I-hihi cahan’t hehehehelp it!” He broke as Nezumi forced him onto his back. “M-mom an’ S-saifu weren’t ticklISH-“ He burst out laughing.

Nezumi was like a speed demon. As quick as Shion got to covering the area, the older boy’s hands darted to another spot to make him jerk and buck. He hugged himself to try to protect his weaknesses, but it just resulted in him rolling and rocking to try to avoid the demonic hands. From neck, to hips, to armpits and in different order, it was impossible to predict, let alone block him. His face flushed and ached from the laughter. “Nezumi, stop, pleaheahease, hahaha!”

“I guess I should, since I could probably kill you with this method.” He quipped.

The next movements were something that would make Nezumi curse his foolishness for days to come. As though in slow motion, he stopped his torture and Shion finally stopped jerking, though his laughter still tapered. He lifted his hands away and rocked back on his heels to prepare to stand.

Then Shion lurched up and tackled him, hand going straight for his stomach “Oh you little-!” He fell to the ground in a new wave of tittering, and thus began he full-out tickle fight.

It was an epic tale of struggle that would be passed down from rat generation to rat generation.  Once Shion broke his habit of passive defense, Nezumi actually had a harder time to subjugate him. Not because he lacked skill, but because although he could easily pin Shion down indefinitely, his challenge was doing it in a way to leave at least one hand free to ravage the boy (shoving his face in the crook of Shion’s neck proved far too dangerous and difficult with the now perpetually bucking boy). The smaller boy definitely laughed more often. But the rare times Nezumi’s richer baritone filled the room, the sense of victory was far greater.

And then it seemed, perhaps, Shion’s victory was at hand. In their eager rough housing, they rolled and tumbled and scooched across the floor, all over the room. By accident they ended up next to the bed. Nezumi was ticking Shion’s neck with one hand switching back and foth, until the smaller boy finally managed to grab them, and promptly slam them into the wall to pin him down.

Both males were a mess. Hair in disarray, faces flushed in laughter, and eyes bright and shining in hysterical tears, their physical exhaustion was obvious. Shion was panting more heavily, having been at the receiving end of Nezumi’s attacks far more often. Nezumi watched him for a few moments through hooded shining eyes as he got his strength back, and smirked impishly at the opportunity.

“I never knew you liked it rough, Shion. Try to treat me gently,” he cooed.

He expected surprise, and maybe a little cluelessness from the smaller boy. In reality the sharp garnet peered up at him, with a quirked brow and an amused smile. “Oh, I’ll show you gentle.” He muttered.

Nezumi’s smirk dropped faster than a rock when the other boy straddled his legs, and lowered his face to his waist. “Oh no- wait-!” He jerked and pushed against the hold on him, but Shion had already slipped his head under his shirt, and attacked his belly.

It was madness. Shion’s weight was enough to hold down his legs from kicking out, and his arms from yielding. The youth resorted to merely reacting; he flinched, threw his head back and howled. He rocked and bucked automatically, but could not move from his spot. When Shion lifted his head to release a raspberry on another part of his stomach, his laughter came back with a vengeance. When Shion nibbled his skin, his guffaws broke into snickers, and nuzzling his belly with his nose turned into deep ringing belly laughs. And Shion discovered that although he was ticklish in more areas, Nezumi’s weakness was far more crippling. He rarely, if ever spoke when he was laughing. He nuzzled his nose along the edge of his abdominals, nibbled along the rim of his belly button, and mentally cheered as Nezumi slowly fell to pieces. He only paused when he felt something touching his hand, and pulled back out of the shirt to see Nezumi’s  hand awkwardly tapping at his wrist to get his attention.

“Nezumi?” He asked ad waited for the boy to gulp back his air.

“I give,” he panted. “I give, just… stop.” he panted.

“Is that a real surrender?” Shion asked carefully. “You’re not gonna try something as soon as I let you go, are you?”

“No,” Nezumi sighed, and flopped his head back against the wall. “I-I’m done.”

“Good.” Shion released him, and true to his word, Nezumi remained right where he was, although let his hands drop to his lap. Shion stood. “I’m going to go put the books away. Try not to fall asleep while I’m gone.“

Nezumi didn’t argue, closing his eyes as he remained where he was sitting against the wall. One of his rats came up to see him, crawling up onto his leg. He finally peered down at him. “This is your entire fault.” The rat groomed his whiskers, and Nezumi closed his eyes again. “Whatever.”

Shion was still smiling as he slid the books back in the shelf, even as a little rat came up to join him. “Nezumi’s funny, isn’t he?” He asked him idly, before reaching up and gently stroking his head with his finger. “I didn’t think he’d actually let me win that thing. Wonder why.”

He did not see Macbeth settling on the stiff material of the cargo pants for a nap, nor the slight shift of Nezumi’s head as he seemed just about ready to nod off for a nap himself. Nor did he notice the content smile as the street rat relished in the once silent room now filled with the sound of soft human footsteps and sliding tomes. For then, maybe, he might have had his answer.