𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵

☾ 𝕿𝖜𝖔 ☽

𝙁𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙭

We make our way down the steps, attentively reaching the space with the large sofa and big-screen TV.

Francine places the bag full of treats on the far corner of the sofa, pulling out a small Tootsie Roll in the process and popping it in her mouth.

I switch on the television, pressing the indicated button to open the tab Mortal Kombat.

I reach toward the other controller set neatly beside the screen, and hand it to Francis, who receives it instantly.

Once the game starts up, I select the 1v1 mode, automatically choosing my favorite character as the screen displays a variety of them to choose from.

Francine giggles to herself as she selects her typical. "You just love being beaten, don't you?" Francine tunes as she spreads her arms out, her hand colliding with my left temple.

"I'll beat you, don't you worry." I retort while reaching toward her head. Forming my hand into a fist, I gently press it against her head. She leans away, chuckling as the game starts up.

"We'll see about that..."

🌙

My fingers mash all the buttons on the controller, almost pounding it in half as time runs out.

My character is running dangerously low on health, but I'm not going to surrender and allow Francine to receive, yet, another victory three weeks in a row.

Abruptly, I notice something out of the corner of my eye. It appears to be a black shadow dashing through the tiled floor of the kitchen to the right. The distraction makes me lose focus of the match ongoing on the screen ahead of me.

"Yes!—Three weeks in a row, baby!" Francine exclaims from my left, startling me into focusing on the screen, this time displaying the victory Francine just obtained yet again.

I stare at the screen, too embarrassed to look at Francine after being beaten for the fiftieth time. I glare at her without moving my head from the screen, watching how she celebrates by pumping her fists in the surrounding air.

Inadvertently, I reach toward the hand closest to me, firmly grasping it, and pull Francine up to her feet with all the strength I have. Her icy blue eyes dash between my eyes in wary.

I bring her closer to me and swiftly pin her to the floor, making sure I didn't knock her out in the process by placing my other hand underneath her skull.

I wrap my hand around her wrists, bringing them above her head, and trickle my fingers down toward her stomach. Francine's eyes widen when she realizes what I am about to do, and begins to squirm uncontrollably beneath me as my fingers hasten across her abdomen.

"No!—N-No, stop!" Francine swings her legs back and forth, her knees colliding with my lower back as I aggressively tickle her stomach. A smile grows on my face as the pale skin of her face drowns out by a battling current of red.

My mind wanders back to when I began tickling her as a "punishment" for beating me in numerous video games.

It started as an innocent joke, and we both did it to each other whenever the other would attain a victory. However, now that Francine has been beating me more often, I've been attaining more opportunities to see her underneath me. Vulnerable and...

"My turn." Huh?

Francine is now straddling me, bringing her hands toward my stomach with a malicious grin on her face. The television lighting, reflecting off her face, makes her seem more of a villain as she laughs evilly.

Thank god, I'm not as ticklish as I used to be, or else I would be making a fool of myself in front of her.

"What? What's wrong with you? Why aren't you..." Francine's voice trails off as she frantically travels her fingers back and forth against my stomach to no avail.

Sorry to break it to ya, France, but I'm not ticklish like you are.

A low chuckle erupts from my throat, compelling a brief glint in her eyes as her fingers continue racing around my stomach. She throws her head back in defeat, climbing off me and sitting down on the couch, slapping her forehead against her palms.

"Want to watch something, instead?" I ask as I climb onto the couch and rub my hand across her slouched back. She mumbles a yes, commencing me to close out of the game and open Netflix.

☾ 🤮 ☽