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thebest-medicine · 11 months

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Really Cool Rings & Magic Things

Summary: Essek gives Jester a fantastic gift with Caleb in mind. She enlists Molly to help her test it out on him. Something, something, ticklish!Caleb >:3

Characters: Jester Lavorre, Mollymauk Tealeaf, Caleb Widogast, Essek Thelyss (mentioned)

Words: 8,029 (huh? how did that happen?)

[AO3 link]

…

“Cay-leb!” Jester’s voice, bubbling with excitement, comes from the doorway. “Essek is such a good friend! I have to show you this really, really cool gift he got me!”

A slight smile curves on Caleb’s lips as Jester bounds into the room. She dances over to where he is sitting at his desk, placing hands on his shoulders.

Caleb moves to set his quill down on the desk and turns his head, tilting his chin to look up at her wide, ever-mischievous tiefling grin. He sighs, unable to fight off the smile she often brings to him and the other members of their party, and turns to better face her.

“And what did you get, hmm?” Caleb asks.

“Come on, come on. I have to show you!” Jester insists happily.

“You are not just trying to distract me from studying, are you?” Caleb squints at her. It goes unsaid that he does not mind the interruption.

He pauses, takes the quill back in his hand, and moves faster than Jester expects him to, and—

—he runs the fluffy end under her chin. (What is he thinking?) He expects a giggle and perhaps a move or two in revenge. Another distraction that would not be unwelcome.

Jester just lets out a little chirp, rounded off at the end with a little giggle. She catches Caleb’s eye, giving him her best faux-scandalized stare. “CALEB!” She squeals, shaking her head away from the feather. “Come on, this is serious!”

This, he isn’t expecting. Jester is a tiefling, after all, and a particularly tricky one at that. She would generally be stirred to action the instant someone brought up feathers or laughing or—

She squeezes his shoulder — Caleb flinches just slightly at the contact — as she continues sincerely with a little wink. “You can tickle me later if you want to though!”

Caleb flushes a bit at her unabashed enjoyment of being tickled, he can’t help but feel a little jealous at her sincerity. He struggles not to connect the feeling of um, that — with a flustering embarrassment and flare of shame. Oh, to enjoy so genuinely, love so openly. He was learning, with them, slowly.

“You’re gonna think this is so cool, I promise.” She gives him her best puppy-dog eyes.

“Ja, fine, alright. Let’s go.” He puts on a good little show of looking put-out and annoyed as he cleans up his notes and closes his book, leaving the quill on the table. For a half a second, he wonders if he should bring it—

Her hand slides down his shoulder and into his palm, and she leads him out of the study with a skip in her step toward her room.

“So what is this mysterious magical item, hm?” Caleb asks as he follows, his hand warm in hers.

“Oh, Caleb, it is so, so cool, seriously! Essek gave me this really pretty magic thing and taught me this super cool magic stuff!” Jester teeters toward her door, gesticulating excitedly with her other hand as she explains. She is wearing a few rings, which catch his eye as they sparkle in the torch light.

“Hmm… How specific.” Caleb teases as he listens, following her to the doorway—

—to see Mollymauk sitting on her bed, casually holding Tusk Love and apparently reading (pretending to read?) comfortably against the headboard.

Caleb freezes at the threshold of the room. “Mr. Mollymauk.” He nods to the purple tiefling, then turns back to Jester. “I see… And what are you two planning then?” He tries to feign annoyance but has a familiar, friendly sparkle in his eye and half smile he can’t fully hide.

“I just want to show both of you the cool gift from Essek, no scheming!” Jester insists, tugging him into the room.

Mollymauk closes the book, setting it down. He turns to regard Caleb with his best innocent smile. “Don’t you trust us?”

“Not even a little bit.” Caleb huffs out with a laugh, a fond smile starting to form.

“Come now, Jester, what have you got to show us?” Mollymauk shifts and pats the bed. Jester plops down near the foot of the bed, leaving a space between them for Caleb.

He walks over slowly, eyeing them both. Molly gestures to the seat next to him. Caleb lets out a surprised little laugh, raising his eyebrow at them. “I think not.” Caleb gestures to the spot, then to Jester, looking at her and waving his hand a little. “You should sit in the middle so we can both see.” He suggests firmly.

She rolls her eyes at him but scoots over into the middle seat. Caleb, looking a bit smug, takes his seat beside her toward the foot of the bed.

Jester settles in with a wriggle and begins to recount the tale. Walking by Essek’s home earlier in the week, stopping in to ask him questions about spells that could be useful for pranks, shenanigans, and general trickery. She had gone back to his house earlier today after sending him a message to check in and him replying that he had something that could be really super cool (a direct quote here, Caleb was sure) and helpful for her.

“Wait, wait I—“ Caleb speaks up. “I still have some work to finish with the books before you start doing magic tricks and pulling pranks.” He makes a move to get up. “This seems awfully like a scheme.”

Molly and Jester share a brief look that Caleb catches.

“Nothing gets past you.” Molly says, rolling his head to one side, then the other, stretching his neck muscles. “Why are you always so suspicious of us anyway?”

“Because,” Caleb stands carefully, slowing his pace to not trigger their instinct to chase. He continues. “Like now, I am usually correct in my suspicions.”

“No no no, you are to-tally going to love this. You have to stay!” Jester reaches out for Caleb’s sleeve, trying to reach for his hand with a finger or two. Her eyes shine so sweetly for someone up to so much mischief.

Molly is soon standing as well, he makes a move to walk toward the door. “Oh, are we leaving already?” He exudes a calm indifference, but Caleb knows him better than that.

Eyes wide like a prey animal, Caleb moves to do the same.

Then, the tiefling is spinning around, facing him, his exit cut off. “We’ll make it quick.” He winks and pushes a slightly panicked-looking Caleb back without much resistance, knocking him onto the bed. “We insist, dear.”

Caleb laughs a little as he is thrown softly back. Jester is already starting to curl around him with teasing, poking claws.

“Nooo.” He mewls as Molly hops onto the bed after them. Caleb weakly crawls back from Molly, further into Jester’s arms.

“May-be,” Mollymauk starts brainstorming aloud, “We need to make you a little more agreeable.”

Jester makes a noise in agreement. She squeezes his sides and Caleb chokes on a yelp. He’s shivering as she moves to sit in Caleb’s lap and Mollymauk moves next to him. She takes his hands and rubs her thumbs over his wrists gently. “Come on, you wouldn’t have come hang out with us if you didn’t want to have fun.” She hands his wrists to Molly. He shifts up behind Caleb.

Caleb fails to be nearly strong enough to resist being pushed fully onto his back by Jester; he finds himself looking up right into the soft, teasing gaze of the purple tiefling. Caleb blinks a few times before shifting his gaze to Jester, who is adjusting her seat over his upper thighs.

“Alright, you know the drill.” Mollymauk grins. Caleb whines. “Up we go!” And he gently pulls on Caleb’s wrists, not meeting much resistance, bringing his arms from near his face to up over his head and pinning them on the bed.

A few giggles start to fall out as Caleb squirms, thoroughly stretched out on his back before two hungry tieflings.

“Awww, Caleb, you are so cute like this!” Jester begins, leaning down to bring her face close to his stomach. He shakes with anticipatory laughter. “But, I really wish you weren’t always so suspicious of me and Molly. It’s not very nice.”

Blue fingers pinch at the edges of his shirt, lifting the fabric slowly. She brings it up to the bottom edge of his ribs. Caleb curls his toes in anticipation, making a desperate noise. “I— I don’t.” Caleb closes his eyes and makes a frustrated little sigh. “You literally just lured me in here to— to…” He trails off, squirming in their hold.

When no one speaks, he peeks with one eye to find Mollymauk watching him curiously. Molly leans in a bit. “Mmm. To do what?”

Caleb makes a strangled noise, closes his eyes again, takes a shaky breath. “Y-You—“ Caleb whines, shaking his head and mumbling out a few Zemnian curses. “I cannot—“

“I’ll help!” Jester nearly sings. “We’re gonna tickle youuuuuu!” She wiggles her claws menacingly; they reach out for his stomach, stopping a few inches short.

Caleb gasps and recoils as much as his body will allow. His legs scramble for purchase on the bed behind her.

“Oh!” Molly coos fondly. “You are too cute when you’re all wound up.”

Jester grins down at Caleb, then up at the other tiefling. “Oh Molly! When I went to get him, did I tell you?” Caleb winces at what he knows she is about to say. “He tried to tickle me!” She continues digging Caleb’s grave for him. Mollymauk makes a pleased little sound and fixes the wizard with a knowing look.

“I- I didn’t mean— well I…” Caleb feels the heat in his face rushing down his neck and over to his ears and stops talking.

“Oh you are just asking for it.” Mollymauk grins. He takes one finger from each hand, tracing it lightly over his captive wrists. Caleb shivers.

“Aw, you totally wanted to start a tickle fight with me so you didn’t have to do anymore of your stinky, boring work.” Jester concludes. “Well, we have something a little different in mind but I still think you’re gonna like it!”

Part of Caleb wishes he could sink into the mattress, or use his hands for somatics, or that he wasn’t so partial to his friends that he would leave his work to follow them. The other part of Caleb is fluttering with an excitement deep in his belly at the prospect of the attention and affection from his friends, even if it can be a little unbearable at times. Caleb takes a moment to gather his will with his eyes closed. He draws an anticipatory deep breath that comes out shaky with giggles. “Okahahay, okay, whahahat is it?” Perhaps knowing your fate can help you… better prepare for it? Or feel better about suffering it?

“You’re gonna seeeeeee.” Jester assures him as she pokes a few places along his stomach and ribs. Caleb wheezes out a snicker, squirming under her touch and their gaze.

“Okay, okay, let’s try it already! Do a spell — I need to get in on this.” Mollymauk says with an insincere impatience, an eager grin on his face. “He’s too cute to not tickle.” Molly whines to Jester. He watches Caleb change from pink to red and laugh below him. It’s almost too easy for Mollymauk to tease, especially when he’s being truthful — and Caleb really is unfairly adorable when he’s being tickled. Jester’s fingers tease sporadically around his sides, his stomach, making him tremble.

“S-Spehehell?” Caleb questions through his giggles, trying to follow. “W-what?” He feels two dexterous blue tiefling hands finally give him a respite, and Caleb tries his best to ignore the swoop of disappointment when her hands and attention leave him. He takes a few seconds to recover.

Jester starts fidgeting with the wide golden ring on her right hand. An itch of panic grows in his stomach. “Y-you said Essek… He gave you something?”

“Yes!” The blue fingers move up near his face, making him jump. “Guess what it is!” Jester can barely contain her excitement. She wiggles her eyebrows at him, making a theatrical show of pulling off her — or Essek’s — ring, a beautiful gold double fingered ring, with two little heart shaped jewels added on the top. (Customized, perhaps?) It shimmers with a spark of gray energy and magic.

A moment of silence goes by before Caleb opens his mouth again. “Oh, no.” Molly can feel Caleb reflexively try to pull his elbows inward to cover his face. “Fuck, it’s- it’s a ring of spell storing?”

“You are so clever!” Jester reaches out to boop his nose and he flinches. “Now I can do some crazy cool wizard spells too, Caleb!” She tells him in a silly voice.

“D-Don’t tell mehehehe he found sohohome kind of — Ich weiß nicht — like a, a tickle spell?” He flushes at the thought, stumbling over the words.

“No — but, oh my gosh what a good idea though! I’ll ask him about that next time! You have the best ideas, you should come with me!” Jester replied sincerely, making Caleb let out a whine. “I do get to try out some new spells though. I’m so excited, aren’t you?”

Caleb whimpers beneath her, letting his head fall back. “Maybe more so in another circumstance..” He catches Molly rolling his eyes above him.

“Oh, it won’t be that bad.” Mollymauk says, only to laugh just after the statement leaves his mouth. He watches Caleb’s pouting face, a soft smile forming. “Okay, okay— it’s probably going to be quite bad. Hmmm.” Molly leans down close to Caleb’s ear, making him flinch to the side. “Want to make a deal, Mr. Caleb?” He stays there, breath tickling against Caleb’s ear.

Caleb swallows. “What.. What kind of deal?” He asks slowly.

“If you cooperate with us while we try out Essek’s fabulous gift— .“

“—Yes! And we HAVE to thank him after this.” Jester butts in.

“Then, we’ll make it worth your while.” Molly continues with a wink.

“It will be so much fun if you are good and cooperative!” Jester beams. “And I promise we’ll be really, really nice if the spell is extra mean!” She agrees.

Caleb, fidgeting and red-faced, looks from a purple tiefling to a blue. He sighs, somewhat defeated. “I… don’t suppose I want to make this any worse on myself.”

“Don’t you?” Molly whispers quietly before lifting his head back up, noting the red hue of Caleb’s ears as he stubbornly avoids eye contact with the tieflings.

Jester squeals with glee. “Okay, so… For this one…” Jester scrunches up her face in thought. “It’s gonna be kinda quick.” She assesses Caleb, looking him up and down. She turns behind her to regard his wiggling feet. “Hmmm. I know! We are gonna need you to spread your toes out.”

Caleb looks as though he’s swallowed a frog. “Was? Nein! What? You— you cannot be serious—“

“You heard her.” Molly sing-songs above him, making Caleb shiver.

“And… If I don’t?” He replies slowly.

Jester waggles her eyebrows down at him. “Well, then we’ll have to convince you! But remember we’ll be a lot nicer if you just listen.” She looks back to his feet expectantly.

His toes remain scrunched in anticipation. Jester shrugs, turning back to face him. “Alright, well, just let me know when you’re ready to spread your cute little toesies!” She dives forward and starts tickling his ribs, this time precise, cruel, deadly.

Caleb shrieks and shakes his head back and forth between Molly’s legs. His arms struggle weakly against the tiefling’s hold and his legs drum against the bed behind Jester.

“If you don’t want to listen… We can keep being meaner— remember, I haven’t even started helping yet.” Molly informs him with a tease. “Or, is that exactly what you want, Mr. Widogast?”

Caleb’s face grows even more red as laughter punches out of him. Jester is moving up his rib cage at a dangerous speed. “N-No! HAHA— ah no hehe I-I okay, I will— Ihihihihi I just-Ah I CAHAHAN’T!”

“Yes you can, come on silly!” Jester says as though it’s the easiest thing in the world.

“Ah, Jes, let’s give him a chance...” Mollymauk smiles with a bit of pity. Jester obligingly slows down her vicious rib tickling to a few faintly wiggling fingers.

“Ahaha— Ok okay, just— just a moment, plehehehase.” Caleb pleads, sucking in air. Jester changes tactics to lightly run one finger up and down Caleb’s sides, from his upper ribs down to his hips and back. He squirms, taking a good minute to stop laughing so hard.

“Are you reaaaaady, Caleb?” Jester asks the wriggling wizard. She brings her hands up in front of him and flexes her fingers, spreading them out. “Let’s see those toes!”

Caleb can’t help the whine that trips out of him as he tosses his head back, defeated. Jester and Molly look down to his feet expectantly.

With a trembling sigh, Caleb slowly flexes his feet, spreading his toes.

Jester begins to fiddle with the ring, unfamiliar with casting another’s spells through a conduit, and places the hand briefly on Caleb’s heaving chest. “Okayyyy!“ She claps her hands. “Hold Person, Go!” She says in a silly voice. A gray-white light passes from the ring and spreads quickly over Caleb before dissipating. He freezes with a look of panic in his eyes.

The purple hands above release Caleb’s wrists. “Did it work?” Molly tilts his head to the side curiously.

No! What did you—? Caleb realizes he can only think it, but not actually speak. He is stuck, held in this position. He can still breathe, and perhaps make a bit of sound, but no squirming away, no scrunching his— Oh no. At least the tieflings had stopped t— focusing on his ribs for now. They promised to be nicer if he listened… But, to Caleb’s dismay, they then both start scrambling down toward his feet.

Caleb lets out a semblance of a shriek from his paralyzed position on the bed.

Weight settles on each of his shins. “Oh don’t worry. We’re gonna be so nice, just like I said, okay?” Jester turns to look at Caleb over her shoulder, smiling sweetly. “Even though you took some convincing. And it only lasts for a minute! And the minute already started!”

Mollymauk curls into position around his other ankle. “We’ll be nice and gentle, don’t you believe your friends?”

Caleb sees Molly’s head lean down and a panicked sound comes out of his throat.

Soft lips press against his big toe from above, and he would give about anything to be able to scrunch his toes. He waits for the nibbling, the tongue, the claws scribbling over the feet he can’t move. But then the lips are gone.

“See?” Another kiss to his second toe, teasing, gentle— and indeed though not horribly, still in fact ticklish.

Little whimpers and joyful almost-giggles start to pour from Caleb when Jester joins in the fun, tracing a few fingers over the top of his foot. “Tickle, tickle, Caleb!” She sings as she takes one hand and wiggles her fingers gently over the tops of his toes, her other hand coming up beneath them, mirroring the other hand’s dexterous ministrations. Caleb knows Jester can be much more cruel, and for now, her touch remains slow and light, but gods does it tickle. And he can’t even flinch away…

“Oh my gosh Caleb, I bet you really wish you could move your cute little toes!” Jester says, reading his mind without the use of any magic. “This probably tickles so much!” Jester grins proudly and looks over at her partner in tickling. “Look- Molly, I made a tickly toe sandwich!” She’s drawing her fingers from the tops of his toes, over and under them, tracing ten unbearable ticklish lines down the top and bottom of his foot.

Mollymauk looks over from where he’s been focused, scritching softly with one finger beneath the wizard’s toes. “Well, that looks delicious. In fact…” He plants another peck on Caleb’s toes. “It looks good enough to eat.” The words slide out of his mouth like silk, warm and teasing, the sound almost a comfort to Caleb before his brain catches up with what Molly just said.

“Oooh yummy!” Caleb catches Jester saying before—

“MMMMPH- N—“ Comes an alarmed wail just as Jester’s mouth slides — warm, slick, devastatingly ticklish — over his toes, her tongue flicking lightly between them.

Molly soon realizes he’s been wasting valuable seconds watching Jester work. The part of Caleb that isn’t completely lost in laughter catches a wink from Mollymauk before he feels the lithe finger on his right foot return to a more deliberate track. The finger pad lifts to leave only a nail pressed against the ball of his foot. Then, more nails. One hand claws gently along the upper ball of the foot, curling under his toes, while the other tickles along where the ball meets the arch. Slow, calculated, nice— well, nice enough anyway.

As his hands work in tandem, Molly feels a pleasant shiver at the thought of his own foot being stuck like this and subjected to endless teasing. Maybe they didn’t have to try ALL the spells on Caleb…

Just when it starts to feel like his chest is going to burst with laughter - so maybe a few seconds later - Jester pulls her mouth away from Caleb’s toes with a pop. “Mmmm. That was so good!” Jester loudly licks her lips. “I think we’re almost out of time, though Molly. We were pretty nice, I think…” She gives Molly a pointed look.

“Yeah,” Molly shrugs. “We can be a little mean.”

Caleb tries to scream as best he can when ten tiefling nails touch down on each foot, twenty claws scribbling ever so lightly around and under his toes. Caleb can not move, can not kick, can not do anything to stop the intrusion. It’s still not nearly the most devastating they can dole out, but not even being able to flinch away… Gods.

Mercifully, the spell comes to an end about 8 seconds later.

Caleb’s toes finally curl, and he tries to unsuccessfully dislodge the tieflings from his legs as soon as the spell ends. “P-Please— no, this ihihis not fair— bitte! Nein, Jester— AH MollYEEHEHEEHEHE!”

They continue tickling, fighting to follow his wiggling feet. “Aww, does it work more than once?” Jester muses. “I wanna try that last part again!”

“No!” Caleb swings his body upright into a sitting position to push on the tieflings’ shoulders, they keep scribbling around his soles. “P-Please— HAHA-ahaha!”

“Please what?” Mollymauk turns his head over his shoulder to meet the wizard’s wild blue eyes with a smirk. “Please cast Hold Person on me again so you can keep tickling my toes?” Molly wiggles an eyebrow at him.

Caleb’s breath leaves him with a whoosh. He tries to take a deep breath. “No! Naahahaha Aha bitte— a breheheheak— I hehehe I- I can’t—“ Caleb wheezes as he struggles to fight off the persistent fingers searching for sensitive spots on his now scrambling soles.

The hands stop briefly, and then Jester grabs Caleb’s foot in both of her hands and lowers her head again.

Caleb squeaks at the motion, but she just kisses the top of his foot and releases it. Molly sneaks in a few more scribbling nail tickles before giving Caleb a well-deserved break.

Caleb feels the weight of them lift off of his legs and cannot fight the instinct to curl up. Jester backs off of him for a moment, giving him some space to create his best impression of a ball, and looks in her notebook for the list of the spells stored in the very practical jewelry.

Molly sidles up behind where he’s hunched over his legs, hugging them to his chest, and places a firm hand on his back; of course Caleb still jumps. The hand begins tracing soothing circles around his back, firm enough not to tickle. Caleb closes his eyes, leaning slightly into the touch, and feels the residual tingling tickles become less notable.

A minute goes by, and Caleb feels a pleasant floating feeling overtake him. “So.. What did you two do to Essek to get this ring?” He asks as he finally catches his breath.

“What do you mean?” Jester tilts her head as she plops down next to the bundle of limbs curled up that is Caleb. “I just asked him!”

Caleb opens his eyes and gives her a look. “What? Did he, hehe— did he know what it was for?”

“Oh, yes dear, she explained just why we needed each of these spells to study with you.“ Mollymauk assures him. Caleb whines faintly. Molly hooks his jaw over Caleb’s shoulder. They stay like this until Caleb’s breathing is even. He first senses his impending doom when he notices two tails swishing impatiently in the air, like Frumpkin wanting attention.

“Are you ready to try the next spell?” Mollymauk nips at his ear, making him scrunch up a bit.

“You’re still going to be nice, ja?” Caleb says into his hands. “Since I have been so forthcoming?”

“We‘ll be so so so so so nice!” Jester giggles. “But you have to keep being cooperative!”

He mumbles a little Zemnian curse into his hands, and then, “Okay, okay. Let’s get this over with...” Caleb says sheepishly.

“Don’t worry, there’s still plenty to go. I can’t believe this ring holds FIVE spell levels! That was just two of them — plus it doesn’t even cost ME a spell slot. It’s using Essek’s — isn’t he so sweet?” Jester exclaims.

“W-Was? How many spells did he—?” Caleb shivers.

“Let’s find out.” Molly makes a show of cracking his knuckles. “But, after we go back to Essek to recharge this, I’m the one attuning to the ring next time.”

Jester stretches her arms, wiggles her fingers, and fixes Caleb with a grin. “What would you like to try next, Caleb?”

Caleb can’t stop the desperate sound that starts at the back of his throat at her mention of him having to make a choice.

She looks back at her notes. “Immovable Object? Or Tasha’s Hideous Laughter?”

Caleb hides behind his hands.

“Do you want me to pick?” Jester asks.

“The next one I want to try,” Mollymauk starts to explain in a calm tone, “Is one we are rather curious about.”

Caleb listens and melts into their touch, not that he can do much else.

“Oh yes.” Jester rubs up Caleb’s shins, using her palms in a way that he can tell is actively trying not to tickle. It must be hard for her to restrain herself even for a few moments, he thinks with a smile. “You see Essek said that Tasha’s Hideous Laughter is supposed to incapacitate you with hysterical laughter— keeps ya from spell casting and fighting and anything else you might wanna do!”

“Which works quite well, as we know.” Mollymauk adds.

Caleb giggles a little, still very aware of his position, trapped between the two tiefling bodies, unsure of when their touch would start to shift.

“So I asked him, how does it make you laugh? Could someone die from laughing too much? Does it tickle at all? Essek said he didn’t think so.” Jester’s voice starts to pick up speed as she gets excited wondering about the workings of the spell. The wizards must really be rubbing off on her. “Does it tell you a funny joke? Does it just make everything funny?”

“So, we’re gonna test that spell out, but not tickle you, and see how hard it makes you laugh.” Molly explains. “Then, we’re gonna see if we can beat it.”

Caleb lets out a little “Ah! Fuck—“ and curls his toes in anticipation. “B-but the spell will not tickle?”

“It shouldn’t.” Mollymauk shrugs at him.

“I wonder if you and Essek could tinker around with it though, it can’t be that hard to get it to add tickles too!” Jester adds with a giggle.

Caleb tucks that away for later. Perhaps he could use it to help get some guaranteed revenge on these two.

“Okay.” Caleb swallows, draws in a deep breath. “Okay. Do it.”

Jester once again wields the ring, pointing at Caleb.

His eyes go wide for a half a second before every single thing in the room and in Caleb’s mind and in Caleb’s chest is suddenly the funniest thing he has ever heard. A wide smile stretches across Caleb’s face. He would be blushing more if he had the wherewithal to notice two sets of tiefling eyes studying him. Instead, all he can do, all he can think about, is laughing. Within a few seconds, it’s a little hard to breathe.

There is some part of it, he realizes briefly, that does remind him of the tension and energy that builds up and bursts out of you when being tickled nonstop in a really bad spot. The tingling, electric feeling isn’t present anywhere on his skin, but he can’t stop laughing, can’t get the energy out fast enough. He cackles until he is red in the face.

Caleb blinks when he realizes the spell ended. There are tears in his eyes again, and a few streaking down his cheek. His breath comes out in heaves. A few seconds after he stops laughing, he notices a blue and purple face on either side of him, watching him.

“What did that feel like?” Jester asks. “It looked like you were having fun.” She wiggles her eyebrows.

“I can… see how that would incapacitate in combat.” Caleb stumbles over the words, breathing heavily. He realizes as he comes down from the high of laughter that he has curled himself into an even tighter, squirming ball.

“Want some water?” Molly asks sweetly, petting Caleb’s hair.

A slight nod as Caleb leans into the touch. Much more pliable and cooperative like this indeed.

The touch leaving his head makes Caleb let out a little indignant sound as he tries to follow. Molly takes a cup from the nearby table.

He takes a sip when Molly brings the glass to him. Molly doesn’t let go of the cup as it trembles in Caleb’s hands. He drinks in a long breath of air, looking from the water to Jester, who was watching him sweetly from just a few inches away.

“Are you ready to try the last one?” Jester asks when Mollymauk takes the cup away from Caleb’s face and moves to put it back.

Caleb whines, pulling his hands up to cover his face.

He hears Molly make a contemplative sound and looks over at him. He makes an indiscernible noise behind his hands just as Mollymauk moves to grab a large, comfortable chair near the table in Jester’s room. “Will this do?” He asks, and she smiles back at the other tiefling with a nod.

He lifts it sideways in the air, and pulls out 4 soft silks from his pockets. He holds the chair in the air leaning all the way back, watching as Jester activates the spell. Another slightly gray crackle of magic envelops the chair for a second and it stays in place, tilted at a 90 degree angle to the floor with the feet of the chair facing the bedside.

“Alright.” Molly looks at Caleb, looks at the floating chair, looks back at Caleb. “C’mon.” He pats the seat.

“W-What? So you want me to…?”

Molly grins. “Up we go!” He repeats from earlier. Jester tugs on the side of the chair and it doesn’t budge. Her smile widens to match Mollymauk’s.

For a moment, Caleb winces, mentally kicking himself for allowing him to be so distracted from his studies… and for being so willing to go along with said distraction. “I—“ Caleb stops talking under the eyes of both tieflings. He opens his mouth, unsure of what to say.

“Here, I’ll help!” Mollymauk starts to reach out for him. Jester moves under the chair to where the boys are.

Caleb squeaks as Molly grabs under his arms, moving to lift him up while allowing a small window to tickle. Jester pushes his legs, squeezing his knees a few times. He laughs but allows himself to be hoisted up by two tricksters and sat, or rather, laid, in the chair several feet off of the ground. Caleb lays his head back against the chair, resigned to his fate and already giggling.

“Oh, you are cute.” Mollymauk clicks his teeth. He grins and watches Caleb avoid looking at him while he lets him tie his arms to the sides of the chair with the silks Molly grabbed.

Molly starts to move down to secure Caleb’s ankles while Jester passes back under the chair, pausing for a moment to reach up and squeeze once, twice on Caleb’s sides.

“Ah! Nein!” Caleb’s legs shoot up at the unexpected tickle, and he squawks in protest. His knees curl toward his chest protectively.

“Give me those back, if you have any sense of self preservation.” Mollymauk threatens with a smile.

Caleb’s leaning his head to the side trying to get a visual on Jester. “I-I’m trying!”

A blue hand appears near the side of the chair, squeezing once on his thigh. Caleb squeaks.

He schools his features best he can, takes a deep breath, and shoves his ankles down into Mollymauk’s waiting arms. “Hurry up.”

The smile Molly gives him at his petulance makes butterflies form in his stomach. “So eager to start?” He teases with a few tickles to each foot as he secures them in place.

He jolts when Jester pokes his side one more time before popping up next to him. Caleb strains against the bindings, but knows the chair is not going anywhere for an hour.

“So, are you ready, hmm?” Molly purrs as he secures the final limb to the floating chair. “I won’t keep you waiting, don’t worry.” He winks, taking a seat on the bed and wriggling into the mattress comfortably, nearly eye level with Caleb’s suspended right foot.

“Scheiße, what did I get myself into?” Caleb muses anxiously at the ceiling, mostly to himself.

He finds the answer rather quickly, when Jester, having joined the other tiefling on her bed, and he feels rather than sees her and Molly both start trailing fingers up and down his feet. Why did they have to go for his feet again?

They soon begin a sort of little competition, who can get Caleb to squirm more, laugh harder, which foot is more ticklish? Caleb’s slowly ratcheting up to lose his mind in the meantime.

“I wonder if we could find a way to make Hold Person work on just part of someone? Like it was cool but I love to see him squirm and laugh when he gets tickled, you know?” Jester wonders aloud as she scrapes several fingers against the ball of Caleb’s foot.

Caleb just catches Molly humming in agreement.

“Hey Caleb! Imagine if we could do that again, but just to your toes.” Jester says, though Caleb can barely tell she is addressing him.

“We were pretty nice to his toes that time.” Molly reminds her, scribbling his fingers up to wiggle between Caleb’s toes. “Hey. Is it worse when you can’t wiggle at all? Or when I do this?” And Mollymauk is pulling back Caleb’s toes, using his other hand to scrape, scribble, and mercilessly tickle all over the area between the bottoms of his toes and the ball of his foot. Caleb shrieks, cursing as he fights, instinctive yet futile, against the hold.

“Oooh that’s a good substitute!” Jester agrees, pulling his toes back tight on his left foot to match and holding them steady.

Caleb wails in response to the escalating sensation and increased vulnerability, gasping for breath in the two-fronted tiefling tickle attack. “AI AHA HHHA— NO— AHAHA WAIT! BITTE— HEHAHA PLEHEHEASE!” Caleb all but shouts through his laughter.

“This was such a good idea!” Jester proclaims.

Caleb can sense Jester wiggling excitedly on the bed. He catches her leaning her head forward toward where he knows his toes are. A sob comes out between laughs. He anticipates it won’t be the last by the time they’re done with him. “No- no, hahaha nein!” He cries. His view is obstructed at this angle by his own legs — not that his head has much maneuverability anyway.

Warm and wet, all at once Jester’s tongue is on his toes again. Caleb feels his body jolt at the contact. Her tongue flickers between his toes and Caleb sobs again.

Meanwhile, Mollymauk’s fingers continue a trek up from heel to toe and back again on his other foot. Again, it’s still definitely not the worst they’ve dished out to him, but he feels particularly helpless at their unmoving mercy. The chair, the silks, and the tieflings’s points of ticklish contact all hold steady. Jester sucks on one toe at a time while she wiggles her fingers up and down Caleb’s soles. Tears fall from the corners of his eyes as Mollymauk begins spidering his fingers gently over the sides of his feet, the tops, his ankles, and back around his heel to the bottoms. His feet wriggle helplessly, as much as they can, at the dual onslaught.

Several minutes go by with Caleb squeaking and giggling and scrunching his toes as much as he can manage. “Hmm. Let’s give him a little break, shall we?” Mollymauk ponders after looking up to gauge how red Caleb’s face is. “We did tell him we would be nice.”

Caleb draws in a ragged breath when they stop. Jester starts rubbing his feet and Caleb jumps at first, then relaxes more into the touch when he realizes she isn’t trying to tickle. “Mmm-“ Caleb groans.

“Feels good, huh?” Jester asks.

“Mmhmm.” He closes his eyes and drinks in the feeling. Again, he’s so much more pliable like this, accepting of love and positive touch.

“See how nice we can be when you aren’t a brat.” Mollymauk’s voice comes from unexpectedly next to Caleb’s side. He jumps a little and opens his eyes, narrowing them at Molly. He opens his mouth to retort something petulant, but falls short when he feels Jester pushing into his arches. Probably not the smartest idea to mouth off while your feet are literally in a tiefling’s hands. Though, that hasn’t stopped him before.

“Want some more water?” Molly asks him.

“Bitte, ja.” Caleb wheezes.

Molly moves away from him and over to a desk. He comes back with a gentle smile and uses one hand to help lift Caleb’s head so he can take a few sips of water. It can be draining getting the life tickled out of you, he knows, and Mollymauk prides himself in taking good care of those he takes apart. He puts the water down and starts rubbing Caleb’s temples, brushes a hand through his hair. Caleb moves into the touch like Frumpkin receiving pets. He takes more than a few sips this time as Mollymauk helps him. He sighs. “Did.. one of you note the time that you set up the chair? I would prefer not to fall on my arse after all this.”

Molly smirks at him. “You can’t tell how long it’s been?”

Caleb huffs out a little sigh, blushing. “Obviously less than an hour.” He looks up at the ceiling.

Molly’s smirk turns to a full grin.

“I know we said we were gonna be nice…” Molly says. “But…”

“I really really really want to see if we can make him laugh harder than that silly spell.” Jester rushes out, bouncing in place. Seems they are of the same mind. “We’ll be mean for a few minutes, and then we’ll be really nice all night, okay?”

“And Jester already said you could tickle her later, right? I can help!” Molly winks, poking Jester’s side.

Caleb squints at them, hitting them each with a stare. “You will both get what is coming to you.”

“That doesn’t sound like a no…” Molly smiles.

Caleb flushes pink. “As long as you stop before this fucking chair falls from the air.”

“Well we did just spend a little time tickling your little feets.” She pinches a toe between her fingers and wiggles it, making Caleb flinch. “And a little time for breaks. It can’t have been more than 15, maybe 20 minutes.” Jester adds up aloud. “How about we tickle you reeaaaaally good for just 5 minutes?”

“Just 5 minutes?” Caleb squeaks out, a little incredulous.

“Maybe ten?” Molly raises an eyebrow at Jester. “The chair will definitely still be up there for 10 more minutes.”

Caleb’s eyes shut as his giggling starts up again at Molly’s words. He squirms in his seat. Warmth rushes to his cheeks. “Was mache ich? Fine. Would you just— just ehehe get it over with?” Caleb whines as they begin to chatter amongst themselves, discussing timing, methods, technique, placement.

Molly turns to catch Caleb’s eye. “Aww, can’t wait?”

Caleb makes a face, one that looks quite silly with his blush. His eyes flicker away from Molly’s and fixate on the ceiling above him.

Mollymauk’s presence grows closer, and suddenly Caleb’s ceiling view is blocked by a smirking purple face above him. He closes his eyes to avoid looking directly at Molly, giggles falling sporadically from his lips.

Jester, standing to the side of the floating chair, slowly begins walking two fingers over the top of his foot, along his ankle, up over his shin. She pauses when she gets to his knee, pointing all her fingers together at the center of his knee and splaying them outward slowly. Caleb shudders as a laugh tumbles out of his lips.

He can feel Molly watching him; he can’t see him but he knows well the smug, confident smirk slightly soft with fondness. He shakes his head, trying to shoo away the image in his mind. What good is closing his eyes if he knows exactly what’s beyond his eyelids?

Caleb trembles when Jester gets bored of his knee and starts walking her fingers again, up his thigh. He trembles, an “Ah, no—“ escaping his lips when Jester gets up to his hip and pinches lightly.

“So. Where do you think we need to tickle you to get you to laugh as hard as that spell?” Molly’s voice comes from closer to his ear than Caleb anticipates. “Because I think I have a couple of pretty good ideas.”

A finger traces the shell of Caleb’s ear and his whole body shudders, just in time for Jester to start walking her fingers up his side. Pitchy, soft little giggles begin to pour out more consistently. He doesn’t answer, but squirms away from the blue hand at his side.

“EE— ahaha NO hehe J-Jester!” Caleb lets out a squeal when she gets to his ribs, and instead of the familiar lazy finger-walk, she starts pinching each rib individually, wiggling her fingers around to find them through his shirt. He’s full on laughing now.

As much as Mollymauk is enjoying watching Caleb slowly lose his composure, he knows they are on a time limit. A fluttering of fingers appears on either side of Caleb’s neck, and he tries to scrunch. It’s adorable, Mollymauk thinks.

“Eheheehee— dohohohon’t!”

“Don’t what?” Molly teases.

Caleb makes a slightly frustrated noise in response, but then he opens an eye, looking up at Molly with such a joyous spark in his eye, one makes something deep in Molly’s stomach flip pleasantly. For a moment, he thinks about exchanging his hands with his lips and kissing Caleb until he’s just as breathless as he is after a thorough tickling.

To keep from getting too distracted, Molly crawls his hands lower, tracing over Caleb’s collar bone, which has his shoulders and head squirming madly. Just then, Jester pinches his top rib and he squeals.

Then, there’s fingers under his arm and he’s full on laughing. Ah, Molly notices, it seems Jester has given up on her gentle walking and pinching in favor of spidering her nails quickly under his arm. Five fingers splay out toward the edges and move inward. She pokes a few times in the middle. Then, she starts repeating the changing techniques.

“Ehehehehe! Jesteheheher!” Caleb’s eye shuts again as he shakes in the unmoving seat. Something crosses his mind about the contrast between the seat that will not move an inch and wiggling tiefling fingers that won’t stop moving. But he doesn’t really get the chance to dwell on it before Molly spiders his hands down to Caleb’s other armpit.

Caleb squawks, trying to pull his elbows in to protect himself.

“Nothing you can do!” Jester teases from the side. “It’s so funny how you try though!”

Caleb’s laughter dissolves into little shrieks when Molly’s hands start pinching down to the upper parts of his ribs. “Nein!” He cries desperately, vaguely remembering his holsters sitting back in the study. “N-Not there!”

“I bet we can get him to scream if we both pick a bad spot and focus.” Molly thinks aloud. He shifts underneath the chair and reaches one hand around to squeeze either side of his rib cage.

Caleb’s eyes are already welling with tears when Jester exclaims. “Okay!” She grins, clapping her hands together. “I’ll get his feet!”

“Nein!” Caleb squeals as she does just that.

…

All of the energy building up in Caleb’s system, all of the overwhelming sensory input, can once again find no real escape but his laughter. It punches out of Caleb desperately, a few attempts at begging interspersed between. His head shakes as he forgets about everything except for fingers and tongues and teeth on his feet and ribs.

What feels like 3 hours goes by, though he’s still floating in the chair so of course it has been less than an hour. Caleb’s laughter has gone silent by the time they finally ease up.

“This— this, what—“ Caleb can’t quite string his words together. “You— mmm.“ He stops trying, laying his head back with his eyes closed. A pathetic sound wheezes out of him.

“We need to make a spell that does this.” Jester beams, gesturing to the puddle of Caleb between them, regarding his disheveled state. “Maybe we could show Essek a little demonstration so you guys can tweak the spell.”

“N-No..” Caleb whimpers, giggling.

“Ah, I don’t know — it’s so much fun getting him like this the old fashioned way.” Molly says as he begins loosening the ties on Caleb’s wrists. “Alright, help me Jes.” He turns to Caleb. “You were very cooperative, thank you. I would apologize for being so mean at the end there but...” He presses a kiss to his temple, catching Caleb’s eye with a knowing look. “Anyway, I don’t know how much studying you’re going to get done in this state, but I definitely learned something about magic.” He rubs Caleb’s shoulders, squeezes soothingly down his arms. “Think we can study more magic this way? You might just get me into the arcane.”

Jester undoes the last lower silk. Caleb mumbles something unclear in response as the two of them haul Caleb out of the chair and onto the bed.

“You were both very mean.” Caleb says with warm affection and a smile on his face. He wraps his arms around both tieflings as they snuggle up to either side of him on the bed, practically floating in their warmth. There’s a few light nails tracing along his arm, giving him pleasant shivers, while another hand cards through his hair. Caleb’s thoughts — what’s left of them — drift back to his study, the books and quill and notes abandoned for the evening; they will be there in the morning. Yes, he thinks as he yawns, it would have been a good idea to bring the quill.

…

About a quarter of an hour passes when the chair drops from its hold, startling the trio. Mmm, Caleb thinks, they could’ve gone a little longer.

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