"That movie was lame," Ranmaru concluded as the credits began to roll.
"What!" Reiji shot up from his position lying in Ranmaru's lap, gaping as if Ranmaru had personally insulted him. "Ran-Ran, that movie was ranked one of the most influential films of all time!"
Ranmaru rolled his silver eyes, absent of his signature pink contact, and crossed his arms over his chest. "More like one of the most boring movies of all time," he muttered. "Next time, let me pick the movie."
Reiji pouted. "But you always pick scary ones!"
"Yeah, gives an excuse for you to cuddle up to me." Ranmaru cast a playful smirk at his boyfriend.
"If you wanna cuddle, you can just say so! And if I remember correctly, you're the one that ends up hiding behind me every time!" Reiji punctuated his statement with a brief jab to Ranmaru's side; an innocuous motion that was only meant to be playful, but the reaction it gained him was certainly a point of interest.
Ranmaru yelped, his body convulsing as he jerked away from his boyfriend. One hand flew to his mouth as if trying to steal back the noise he had just made, the other moving to cover his side, to protect it from any following attacks. Ranmaru's face grew a blazing shade of red, averting his gaze as soon as he became aware of Reiji's eyes on him, and the dark smile currently spreading across his face.
"Ran-Ran." Reiji's normally chipper voice sounded deeper than usual as he stalked toward him, taupe eyes gleaming with mischief. "What was that?"
"What was what?" Ranmaru choked out, hoping Reiji would eventually drop it. If there was one thing Ranmaru was bad at, though, it was lying. Especially to Reiji.
Quirking a brow, Reiji experimentally drove his finger into Ranmaru's side again, and was met with a similar response; only this time, there was definitely a laugh mixed into the bark as well. Reiji grinned, his face lighting up. "Ran-Ran, you're ticklish." It wasn't phrased as a question.
"Am not," Ranmaru tried to retort, but his voice was getting smaller with each word, and the heat rising in his face was spreading down to his neck. If Reiji found out how ticklish he was - and he was already ninety percent of the way there - it was all over for him. No. No, no, no, no, no this could not happen. Not now. Not tonight. Not ever.
"You're not?" The brunette pursed his lips skeptically.
"Totally not. I was just surprised, is all." Ranmaru shrugged nonchalantly. If he played it cool rather than showing visible signs of nervousness - something he totally sucked at not doing - Reiji might think he was being serious and leave it be.
"Hmmm… alright, then." Reiji gave a little shrug, then moved closer to Ranmaru, wrapping his arms around the rocker's waist and cozying up to his chest.
Ranmaru blinked in disbelief. It was really that easy for Reiji to give up? Oh well, the disaster had been acutely avoided and there was no point in questioning it, lest he look more suspicious. His muscles relaxing and body heat dulling into a normal temperature, Ranmaru curled an arm around Reiji's shoulders and began to absentmindedly play with his soft auburn locks.
His breath hitched, however, when he felt nimble fingers drumming against his side delicately.
Ranmaru's body tensed right back up, lip quivering as he fought desperately to lock up the laughter that was bubbling up from within. "Wh-What are you… d-doing?"
Without stopping the movements of his fingers, Reiji shifted his eyes up to meet Ranmaru's, and Ranmaru could tell that his boyfriend was searching his face for a reaction. That bastard! Ranmaru had been tricked! Reiji set up a trap, and Ranmaru fell right into it. How could he have been so naive?
"If you're not ticklish at all, then it shouldn't be a problem if I do this, right?"
It was a test of his wills. God fucking damnit. Ranmaru felt his stomach drop. He could do the right thing and just give up the jig now, admit to Reiji that he was extremely ticklish and most likely have to subsequently undergo some boyfriend-tickle-torture. Or… he could try to endure this for as long as he could, until Reiji actually believed him. Maybe, just maybe, if he was able to retain his composure for the right amount of time, Reiji would admit defeat and stop. Sure, it wouldn't be easy to do, but it couldn't be impossible.
Right?
"… Go ahead. I don't mind." He repositioned his body a bit so that he was leaning against the couch in a more comfortable position. Unfortunately, the new position also left more of his body susceptible to Reiji's talented hands. His fingers crawled upwards, seeking more sensitive spots that would give him something beyond just a bitten lip or a sharp intake of breath. When his fingertips lightly grazed Ranmaru's ribcage, the rocker let out an uncharacteristically high-pitched squeal. A dark smile eclipsed Reiji's warm features and Ranmaru knew he had backed himself into a corner.
"Ran-Ran, don't tell me you lied to me?" His tongue poked out from between his teeth playfully as his fingers began to worm their way into the crevices of soft flesh between Ranmaru's ribs. The bassist bit back a laugh, sucking his lower lip to keep himself contained, but couldn't stop himself from arching his back.
"N-Not lying… ah!" Reiji's hand had moved to his front, and was now lightly scratching and prodding at his abdomen.
"You better not be, or else some serious punishment is in order."
No further warning was given before Reiji's hands both abruptly shot up past the fabric of Ranmaru's shirt and started to scuttle all over the bare skin of Ranmaru's torso. The bassist screamed, both from shock and ticklish hysteria. He lunged forward to make a break for it, but it seemed Reiji had prepared for this to happen, as he pushed his boyfriend down and straddled his thighs before continuing his assault.
His ribs, sides, stomach, waist, hips, not a single area of skin was safe. Not only was Reiji too heavy for Ranmaru to escape, but the tickling weakened him, so he couldn't do much but flail his arms and kick his legs wildly.
"R-REIJI! REHEHEIJI STOP! STOPSTOP STOHOHOHO- REIJI I SWEAR I- NAHAHAHAHA!"
"Too bad, Ran-Ran! You could've been a good boy and told the truth, but instead you had to lie to me, and now I'm teaching you a lesson!"
"FFHahaha! If I- NYAHAHA - If I told you the truth- YAHAHAHA! You would've tihihickled me anywahahahaAAAYS! GAHHH NOHOHOHO!"
"You don't know that~" The singsong tone of Reiji's voice and playful sparkle in his eye betrayed what his words were suggesting. He began to focus narrowly on skating his nails across the small area surrounding Ranmaru's navel, chuckling as he watched his boyfriend squirm and writhe beneath him.
"FUCK n-not thehehere ahahahaHAHAHA! R-Reiji please no… n… NOHOHOAHAHAHA! F-Fine I'm… IhihihiYAHAHA… I'M FUCKING TICKLISH! I'm fuhuhucking ticklish, is that - PFFTHAHAHA - is that whahahat you wahahanted to hear!? Fuhuhuck, I'm sohohoho ticklish, I… HYAHAHAHA!"
The brunette's hands slowed to a stop, his boyfriend's chest rising and falling beneath him as he began to pant heavily. Reiji's hands slipped out from underneath Ranmaru's shirt, making sure to tickle as he did so, dragging his hands along the flushed skin gently. The older man brought his hands up to cup Ranmaru's face and scratch at his scalp, and the silver-haired man sighed contentedly.
"Yes, that's exactly what I wanted to hear. Thank you, Ran-Ran." Reiji dipped down to kiss Ranmaru's nose, making the younger man flush. Ranmaru grinned in gratitude; his torment was going to end here, and Reiji hadn't even targeted his most ticklish spot. Maybe things weren't as bad as he'd expected them to be.
"Unfortunately, your laugh is just too cute that I don't wanna stop yet."
Ranmaru's face fell, all his hopes crushed within an instant.
"And there's still one more thing I wanna try…" Ranmaru's pupils shrunk as he saw outstretched fingers reaching for his upper torso. That could only mean one thing. Oh no.
"Are your armpits ticklish?"
The bassist's worst fears were confirmed. He rocked his body from side to side, thrashing belligerently as if he had any chance of escaping his impending doom. His whole life flashed before his eyes. "Reiji, I swear to God - do not-"
His protests fell on deaf ears. A pair of hands invited themselves into the smooth hollows of his underarms, not leaving an iota of skin untouched as they rapidly burrowed into the soft flesh. The scream that spilled from Ranmaru's throat was unmatched by any other noise he'd made that night. If Ai and Camus were home, they most definitely would have emerged from their rooms to investigate. Ranmaru instinctively clamped his arms tightly against his sides, but all this did was trap Reiji's hands in his armpits, having an opposite effect than what he wanted.
"W-WA-WAHAHAHAHA! REIJI NOHOHOHOHO! NONONONONO PLEASE!"
"What's the matter, big guy?" Reiji began to knead Ranmaru's sensitive flesh like dough, inducing a strangled gasp from the bassist before he dissolved into heavier laughter. "Not so tough now, are you? Hmm?"
Tears of mirth were brewing in Ranmaru's eyes as helpless laughter flowed from his wide-open mouth. Just when he thought his predicament couldn't get any worse, he felt a burning sensation stirring in his lower stomach. His mind flashed back to the entire two-liter bottle of soda he had downed right before they started watching their movie. Fuck. Why hadn't he gone to the restroom earlier? This was bad. Really, really fucking bad. He needed to actually convince Reiji to stop before things got messy - in a quite literal sense.
But it was hard to form words when your boyfriend was mercilessly tickle-torturing your most sensitive spot. How could Ranmaru tell Reiji off when he couldn't stop fucking laughing?
"R-REIJI! REHEHEIJI I'M- I'M SERIO- PPFFHAHAHA! I'm seheheheRIOUS STOHOHOHOP!"
The heels of his socked feet dug into the couch as he tried to fling Reiji off of him, but his efforts were futile - when did his boyfriend get so heavy? His nether regions began to sting with desperation. He attempted to squeeze his legs together to subside the sensation, or at least hide it, but Reiji's presence on his lap blocked his movements. Things only escalated when the brunette scooted up further on his body to gain easier access to his underarms. His boyfriend's weight was now pressing directly onto his bladder, and Ranmaru could practically feel the liquid sloshing around inside him.
The pressure continued to build up until Ranmaru couldn't contain it any longer, no matter how hard he willed himself or how badly he wanted to. His laughter trickled off into a prolonged, strained groan of displeasure as he began to relieve himself. Taking note of the grimace contorting his boyfriend's features, Reiji's fingers immediately slowed to a stop. His lips parted when he heard a gentle hissing noise, then felt Ranmaru's sweatpants becoming damp beneath him. He looked down to confirm his suspicions; the grey fabric of Ranmaru's pants was darkening with an ever-growing wet patch that was also seeping into the couch.
Finally, Ranmaru had emptied the last of what was in his bladder, letting out a rough, shaky sigh as he finished. When he became aware of the pregnant silence in the room, he looked up to meet his boyfriend's concerned gaze. The bassist gulped thickly before opening his mouth to say something, but the words were lost on his tongue, only able to produce some short breaths and grunts. He furrowed his brows, trying to muster an expression of rage, until he finally managed a sentence.
"I… I told you to stop, Reiji."
He tried to sound mad, but he was so lost in the feeling of his own humiliation that he couldn't even fake being angry, his voice instead coming out weak and timid. All Reiji could think to do was get off his boyfriend and sit adjacent to him so that Ranmaru had some space to collect himself.
The rocker sat up shakily, his eyes fixated onto the gold stain on the couch as he did so. Luckily, stain remover existed for a reason, and his piss wasn't such a dark shade of yellow that it would be glaringly noticeable before they got it taken care of. But he wasn't upset about the couch, or even his pants. What was truly weighing on Ranmaru was that he had just wet himself, and in front of his boyfriend, of all people. The aloof, prideful Ranmaru Kurosaki pissed his pants, something he hadn't done since he was probably six or seven years old, because he was being tickled too hard.
He sat with his hands folded, absently staring at the wall as the reality of the situation set in. How could he have just… allowed himself to do something so disgusting? So childish? He paid no mind to the uncomfortable feeling of sitting in his own wetness as his lower lip started to tremble. Something else was building up inside him, and it wasn't laughter, nor urine.
A sob slipped from Ranmaru's throat. Suddenly, tears were bulleting down his cheeks, and he was gritting his teeth to keep himself from crying too loudly.
A warm pair of arms suddenly coiled around Ranmaru's trembling body, a head of familiar auburn hair leaning against his shoulder. "I… I'm so sorry, Ranmaru," Reiji whispered. "I didn't… I didn't realize you… fuck. I'm so, so sorry."
Ranmaru didn't melt into the embrace like he normally would, just sat there and allowed himself to be held by his boyfriend as he wept into his hands. Reiji rocked him back and forth, occasionally dotting tiny kisses onto Ranmaru's stained cheeks. They tasted salty with his tears. "Shh… shh. It's okay, my boy. I'm here. Don't cry. Please don't cry."
Ranmaru wasn't mad at Reiji. How could he be? He could tell from the tone of Reiji's voice that the brunette was just as shocked at the outcome of the situation as he was. It wasn't like Reiji had made him wet himself on purpose. He was just having fun, and took it a bit too far. Just because Ranmaru wasn't angry with Reiji, though, didn't mean he couldn't be mad at himself.
Reiji began to rake his fingers through the fluffy silver spikes on Ranmaru's head, a motion the other man always found comforting. His tears began to ebb, but were yet to fade away completely. "I took it too far, Ran-Ran. I… I got carried away and you were telling me to stop, and I… I… fuck, I should've listened. I'm so sorry."
Ranmaru took his hands away from his puffy, damp face, using the backs of them to wipe some excess tears from his cheeks. "I feel horrible," he admittedly meekly. "I haven't done that since I was a kid… and I… so… I'm s-sorry, Rei."
"Don't be," Reiji hushed him instantly, pressing his warm lips to the corner of Ranmaru's mouth. "It wasn't your fault, you have nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one that got carried away. Shh, it's okay."
Ranmaru turned his head to look at Reiji directly, his silver eyes glazed over with vulnerability. "Y-You're not mad?"
The older man shook his head, smiling softly. "Of course not, baby."
The bassist sniffled, swiping at some droplets of watery snot that hung from his nostrils. "P-Promise not to tell anyone else about this?"
Reiji gasped a bit, shocked that Ranmaru would even suggest such a thing. "Of course not, Ran-Ran," he whispered, giving his boyfriend's hand a loving squeeze. "This stays between you and me, I swear. If we don't get the stain out before Ai-Ai and Myu-chan see it, I'll just tell them I spilled apple juice or something. You don't have to worry about a thing."
Ranmaru nodded, giving Reiji a watery smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Reiji bent forward to kiss his forehead, then his cheek. "C'mon, let's get you washed up and then go to bed, okay? I'll draw you a warm bath."
Ranmaru frowned, glancing down at the dark patch that haloed his crotch. Quite honestly, he was tired and felt like he could pass out right then and there, but a bath did sound nice right now, and it was a much better alternative to just going to sleep in piss-stained clothing.
Ranmaru took the brunette's hand in his, Reiji's arm wound protectively around his waist as the couple made their way to the bathroom. They would deal with the stain in the morning; making sure Ranmaru was okay was Reiji's priority right now. One thing was for sure, though; Reiji would always make sure Ranmaru had taken a bathroom break before he tickled him.
(He loved Ranmaru's laugh too much to just not tickle him at all anymore, okay? Sue him.)