Out And About

Yep. More ticklish than a baby. Figures.

Leah’s laughing was contagious, making Felina giggle as she locked into her opponent’s glaring weakness, but it didn’t slow her down one bit. The same couldn’t be said for the blonde, however, as she went into a spastic fit. Wisely, she tried to make a hasty retreat and get to safe ground. A noble attempt, but years of practice with her little cousins at sleepovers had trained Felina well for this sort of combat. She wasn’t going to get far.

”House rules, anything goes!” She kept up after the blonde and even moved over her, getting on top to pin her down. Once she had that position, the real tickling would begin. ”You give up?” She picked up the pace, working Leah’s sensitive spots with renewed vigor. ”I can do this aaaaaaaaalllllllllllllll day!”

Leah was absurdly ticklish. It had never been a weakness to come up in her childhood. Edgar wasn't exactly the type to tickle over giving her a shove or a stiff punch to the shoulder, so it had never really been a problem until now. She scooted as fast as she could in the opposite direction of Felina, trying in vain to outrun her pursuer.

She fell back asleep she was pounced, legs flying up in the air with the momentum of the brunette straddling her midsection, working to pin her down. She flailed and trashed, batting wildly at each probing finger working to make her giggle. She was finding it hard to breath, unable to even protest anymore without her works being absorbed into her fit of laughter.

She shook her head, rejecting defeat. There was no way she would ever submit for tickling… or at least she hoped she could convince Felina of that because at this point she was considering it. She was laughing so hard her eyes watered a bit, blindly swatting at the kicker's arms, trying to grab hold and remove the offending agents of tickletown.

Felina was crying, too. Just a little bit.

It was silly, she knew. She was a grown woman. Most women her age were out on the town around this time, flirting with guys, hitting the clubs, strutting their stuff, enjoying the nightlife. Most of them hadn't gotten into a tickle fight since they were, what? Six? Seven years old. So dumb.

And yet, here she was, tickling the living embodiment of cuteness. And she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this happy.

She eased up on the tickling, just enough for Leah to form cogent words, circling her sweet spots but not diving back in just yet. ”These nails of mine? Perfect for tickling.” Her lips widened into a Cheshire smile. ”Let me hear the word. U. N.C. L. E.”

"C-curse your tickle talons!" She cried out between gasping fits of laughter, unable to so much as thrash anymore. She was rendered almost helpless now, breathlessly trapped beneath Felina, doing her best to move her arms to shield her body and bat at those propping fingers to keep her at bay. There was no real way for her to keep up though, not from this position. It was clear defeat was inevitable.

"Uhn… Unh…" In desperation she gave one last buck, not getting really anywhere in the process. She seemed to be on the verge of trying to get the word out to surrender when she was jolted by the slam of the apartment door.

"What in the actual fuck is this?" Edgar loomed in the entryway, stacked pizza boxes in one hand with a can of cherry soda and sprite, the other at his side in a tightly clenched fist. His eyes were narrowed and dark, glaring down at the two women like an arbiter of death come to reap souls.

His nostrils flared, lowering the boxes to the floor part of the way before letting them just flop from his fingers, the two cans rolling off the side after a jostling bounce to land cushioned on the rug. He stepped up into the main room, heavy boots thudding with each step as his glare honed in on Felina with laser focus.

It was fun. Until it wasn’t fun, anymore.

Felina was on top, with Leah’s bubbly self exactly where she wanted her. The blonde had put up a fair game, but the victor was clear here, and she was intent on pushing this advantage until she came out on top. Just a little more, a little more and she’d give in…

But the slamming door jolted her right out of the moment. She threw a wild glare at Edgar as he stomped her way, looming over him like he was about to make good on his earlier threats.

She slid off of Leah, careful not to knee her in the process, and stood up to face her brother once again, not willing to back down an inch. Not over this. ”It’s called ‘having fun’. You should try it sometime, Ed.” She huffed, blowing a few stray hairs out of her face. ”Can you turn off the whole alpha-male act for just a couple minutes? It’s getting old, fast.”

Leah was jolted by the sudden yelling, started into silence as she tilted her head to look towards her brother upside down. Her eyes were watered with the aftermath of Felina's tickle torture, laying still on the rug even as her friend climbed off of her. She wasn't sure what to say or do… she had seen Edgar mad before, but this was something different.

"Fun huh? Screwing around with my sister after I straight up told you not to pull this shit." He stepped away from the door, slowly circling towards the two with clenched fists. His casual stance bordering on lazy had been burned away leaving someone who visibly appeared on edge and beyond reasoning with. Even in his match with the brunette he had never come across as this openly threatening.

"I humored this whole thing. Got your shitty pizza, even had to stop at a second place on the way back to get your sprite. All you had to do is sit around and do normal people crap and this is what I walk in on, right? Oh yeah, I'm the bad guy sure." Edgar shifted his boot beside the table leg, dragging it off to the side to clear more of the open space, fixing to fight if need be.

"Ed, it's not li-" Leah softly started only to cut off by a wilting look from her sibling.

"Can it L. It's done, she's had enough "fun" today." Edgar's gaze shifted to Felina, staring down at the other woman. He jerked his head towards the door. It wasn't an offer to leave but a silent demand, one he wasn't looking likely to repeat without his fists being involved.

Felina had been here before.

Not exactly here, no, but growing up with older brother in a family of fighters, she was no stranger to confrontation. Rodriguez blood ran hot, and family reunions could be like a powderkeg, waiting for the wrong thing to be said by the wrong person at the wrong time. Not to mention school, where boys would always think they could score points with their silly little homies by taking on the little ladyboxer.

She was no stranger to the principal’s office, either.

So when Edgar came stalking in, brewing for a fight, clearing a space, it was almost automatic. Up on her feet. Fists raised. One leg out in front of the other. Round 2, right here, right now.

She might’ve done it, too, if Leah hadn’t spoken up, even for that brief moment. She paused, looking between her friend and her friend’s brother, and that was enough time for reason to slip back in. A much as she dearly wanted to kick Edgar’s head off his shoulders, it wouldn’t solve anything. At best, it would just wreck her friend’s apartment, get the cops called on her, and probably jeopardize their relationship. It wasn’t worth the trouble. Not even by half.

Felina closed her eyes, straightened up, and took a nice, long breath, chest rising and setting. When that moment passed. She turned to Leah with the most serene, calm face she could muster, and nodded her way. ”Call me, okay?”

She went to collect her shoes, not even bothering to put them on as she walked to the door. She dipped down to pick up the Sprite - no sense in letting a free drink go to waste. ”Thanks, Edgar.” She’d started out again, opening the door, when she had a mind to say just one more thing to the man. Eyes narrowed, she flipped her hair to the side and looked over her shoulder, meeting his gaze for the time in a minute.

”I’m going to remember this.”

And she was gone.