50 Wordless Ways to Say "I Love You"

#16 - Interrogation (Sora x Nikei Yomiuri)

Characters: Sora, Nikei Yomiuri

Pairing: Sora x Nikei Yomiuri

Time Period: Super Danganronpa Another 2, Au where rule 17 isn't enacted and the Monocruise didn't get fucked up

Prompt: Having a tickle fight until you're breathless.

SPOILERS FOR SDRA2 CHAPTER 4!

***

It was just another night sucking to be Nikei. A few nights after the fourth trial, after Nikei was allowed out of the infirmary, Mikado set his room on fire out of spite. As a result, Monocrow made him stay in another student's room until the room was fixed. After what he did, he was surprised when Sora allowed him to stay with her.

Sora had him sleep on the floor near the bed with a bunch of blankets and a pillow they brought from his room, as well as his clothes, medication, and bandages. However, she made sure that the floorboards under him were creaky before telling him to sleep there. She had also threatened to beat him with a baseball bat if he tried to 'pull more of his BS', which further kept him in his place. His place as an outcast.

Tonight, he was woken again by nightmares, now mostly consisting of his right hand exploding and Mikado's taunting voice. He shot up and heard the floorboards groan underneath him, though he ignored the irritating sound. However, Sora did not miss a beat, opening an eye and sleepily checking on the journalist. She had him sleep on the creaky floorboards so that she could hear if he moved. "Hm?" She nonverbally called over.

Nikei looked at her before shaking his head. "It's...it's nothing. Go the hell back to sleep." He sighed. He ignored the way his body trembled and the way his voice caught on a few syllables.

Now Sora definitely wasn't convinced, instead sitting up in bed and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "'Nothing' usually doesn't involve sitting up and shaking in the middle of the night. What's wrong?" She could now clearly see the sweat that had formed while he slept and the remnants of tears that still remained in his eyes.

"I said there's nothing wrong, dammit! Do you have to know everything?!" He snapped. He quickly realized that was the wrong thing to say as Sora's gaze became more concerned.

"You're one to talk. YOUR talent is literally to gather information." Sora got out of bed, walking over and kneeling beside him before he could get away. "Tell me what's wrong." She commanded in a gentle tone.

"Go to hell!" He snarled, attempting to put some (read: a lot of) distance between them. This did not go as planned when Sora grabbed his left wrist with her right hand and pinned it down. With her left, she pushed on his chest until his back was on the ground and moved his left wrist so it was pinned above his head. Nikei suddenly realized that this wasn't going to go well for him. "Huh? W-Wait-"

"Are you going to tell me? Or do I need to persuade you?" Sora waited a moment to see if Nikei would cooperate, but she was met with only silence and a defiant glare. "Alright then. Feel free to tell me at any time." Her left hand left his chest and gently rubbed at his right side.

Under her, Nikei inhaled sharply and squeezed his eyes shut. Stubborn as this journalist was, he refused to break easily and grit his teeth in hopes that Sora wouldn't see him give in to her. However, Sora noticed his resistance and began gently dragging her fingernail up and down that spot. She smiled slyly when she heard his breath start hitching.

"Why are you resisting? You could just tell me what's wrong and I'll stop. You have my word." Sora then decided to change her target area and moved herself to straddle the ex-Void. She began scratching a little faster at his left side instead. As Nikei couldn't hold his giggles in any longer, Sora realized that his left side was much more sensitive than his right. "How cute..." She muttered, moving her hand up his side.

That got a strangled shriek from him. "Wait! P-Please! Stop this!" He pleaded, trying to struggle out of her hold.

"You know how to make this stop." She reminded him. She stopped teasing his side and began tickling his stomach. Nikei's reaction was instantaneous.

"O-OKAY! OKAHAHAY! I'LL-I'LL TELL! PLEASE STAHAHAHAP!" He begged, not expecting that he'd ever have to do that during his time on Utsuroshima.

As promised, Sora stopped instantly, releasing his wrist and getting off of him. "See? That wasn't so hard. Why are you making that face?" She asked when she noticed Nikei's surprised expression.

"Well, uh..." He awkwardly hunched his shoulders. "I'm just not used to people keeping their word like that."

Sora's eyes softened to a gentle look. "Not everybody's out to get each other, you know..." She let out an arm and helped him sit up. "Now can you tell me what's wrong?" She tried to give him a trustworthy smile to calm him down.

Nikei sighed. "It was just a nightmare, the same as every night. But I guess this time was worse than the others." He held the stump of his right hand against his chest protectively.

Sora stood up. "Do you want to sleep with me?" She asked.

Nikei's face turned a brilliant shade of crimson at this question. "Eeeeeh?! S-Sora, I-I don't think these are really the right circumstances-"

"I meant sleep BESIDE me, you pervert." Sora teased. She bent over and reached out a hand, grabbing his left and pulling him up. "Don't worry. I'll watch over you." She gently reassured as she led him to her bed. Nikei's blush remained on his face, though it wasn't from his misinterpreting anymore.

***

Art credit: yough42 on twitter