For the Love of Tickle Torture

Chapter Twelve

Jake was in a familiar position in a new location. April had recently purchased some bed cuffs and had set them up at each corner of the bed.
"So you'll be more comfy.", she assured.
"Uh huh.", he responded, sounding unassured. He looked at each limb in order as he pulled at every cuff.
Jake was spread eagle on the bed, with April crosslegged next to his side, leaning against the wall. He was naked except for his dark gray boxers.
"Here's something fun!", she said as she slipped a pillow under his back. His stomach stretching over it. Jake groaned as she straddled his thighs carefully. "I was doing some research for you and this is supposed to make the tickles worse.", she barrels on talking, sticking her finger into his bellybutton. He squealed. "Ooh I like that noise!", she giggles excitedly as she pokes around it and then wiggles her finger back in. Jake shakes and giggles loudly.
"Stop that!!!", he huffs as she pulls her finger out.
She stares at him blankly. He stared back nervously.
She smirks and leans in, wiggling her tongue into the bellybutton. Jake gasps and bursts into embarrassingly high-pitched giggles.
"Don't...do that!!!", he sputters. Squealing and bucking against his cuffs as she starts nibbling on and around his bellybutton.
"This is adorable.", she coos and then blows a raspberry right into it, coaxing a screech out of him.
"Quiiiit!", he dragged out, gasping for air through his giggling as she kissed and nibbled at, and around, his bellybutton. His cheeks flushed slightly in shame at his girlish giggles. His mind swarmed with frustratingly clashing thoughts about how he didn't want to seem so embarrassing in front of April, and how she actually probably liked how he sounded so he shouldn't worry about...
Oh. His cheeks reddened as he realized. Shouldn't be worried about what my kidnapper thinks of my laugh.
"Jeez are you suffocating?", she stopped her attack and sat up to watch him, partly teasing and partly concerned. She leaned in and watched him as he caught his breath while shaking his head softly.
"Yes.", he huffs dramatically, his cheeks calming quickly. She huffs back mockingly.
April suddenly jerks her claw-like positioned hands to Jake's sides, stopping right before she touches them. Jake bursts into giggles anyway.
"Come on!", he whines through his giggles.
"Oh! My bad, little Jake-y wants me to tickle him huh? Okay!", she smirks.
"No-I-!!", he cuts himself off with a wail as she starts shaking her claw-hands into his stretched out bare sides, soon melting into loud laughter. "I hate this position!!!", he squeals out as April beams.
"Jeez I'm so happy.", she murmurs dreamily as she watches the squirming manic boy at her fingertips....finger-claw-tips.
She slowly gets lost in tickle passion. Watching him quietly as his laughter gets crazier and crazier. Jake wheezes, he snorts. She giggles as she snaps out of it and stills her hands. "Oops.", she grins innocently. Jake exhales loudly, coughing softly as he squirms and tries to find a relaxed state.
"I'm too stretched out.", he whines, giving her a tired pout. She laughs as she slips the pillow out from under his back to let him relax. He quickly feigns sleep, but is given away by his lasting soft pants. "Lemme be.", he does his usual huff. She does her usual huff-back and tweaks his knee, grinning at the strangled squeal she's rewarded with.
Still, Jake relaxes back against the bed with his eyes closed and a small tired smile on his lips.
~•~
April had never really been that close to anyone. It's not that she pushed people away or there was anything plainly evident wrong with her. Acquiring an extreme amount of wealth so young meant she couldn't trust those around so easily. Her lawyers and accountants would warn her about people using her for her money. The family she interacted with either was over-the-top phony towards her in a way that made her wary, or was overly wary themselves about anyone new she interacted with publicly. Because of this April decided at a younger age she would rather not bother with too many new people. She grew to regret that obviously.
     Jake had not been overly close to anyone either. For him it was more like he was always just waiting for the right time and it hadn't come yet. That frustrated him now, being in his current position. He had been intimate with a few girls, but nothing that lasted. He didn't want that at the time. He was always trying to get to the next step and theoretically find a stable point where he would then find someone to share his life with. Now he knows he was already at that point. What else was he waiting for? Now he didn't know. Now all Jake had was April and it was against his will. But all he had for the time being,
     And all she had.
                                         ~•~
     After some awkward fumbling between the two they had gotten a little closer today, physically.
     Right now Jake was free from any bonds, lying down on his back on the bed with April cuddled up beside him. Her head was on his chest and her fingers were trailing softly against his side, keeping him in a constant state of squirming as they spoke. Jake wore his usual attire of nothing but some dark-colored boxers and socks. April was comfy in a loose red tank top and some soft gray pajama shorts. Her freshly manicured white toes absentmindedly tracing and playing with the top of his socks. Of course Guard 1 was sat in the corner with a laptop in his lap, quietly typing away at something. The guards were more at ease with each passing week. Nowadays they only really had to pay more attention if April alerted them the two would be trying something new and she wanted them to be alert. Which was getting rarer by the day.
     She told him about her day of meetings. How she had gotten a pedicure after work. About changing the black polish she'd had for white polish, explaining to him that she had gotten a bit tanner and she liked to switch to white toe polish when that was the case. April was extremely light-skinned for most of the year, but she was happiest when it got that golden tan glow usually starting in June.
     He told her about his less-eventful day. Guard 1 and 2 had sat quietly near him while he ate the spaghetti they'd brought him for lunch. He added amusedly that he could tell them apart now. He had gotten some reading done in one of the many books April had brought him. She was happy to finally have someone in-person to speak to about the books she loved. He calmly let her know he would need a new bar of soap soon if she was planning on keeping him there for much longer.
     She agreed that she would get him more soap, but quickly amped up the soft tickling to squeezes and he twisted against her with a squeal, breaking soon into laughter. He found it extremely hard to not shove her away and instead opted to shove at just her hands, she giggled as she fought the hands off, attacking his sides more. He threw his head back into the pillow and cackled.
     They both felt the weirdness in the cuddling, but the closeness was needed. Quietly-needed. Neither seemed to want to point that out, but they agreed. April was determined to not let any tension get through. They knew it was wrong but they were getting comfortable.