A commission done for  Mothan

Proofread by  Sarnes

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Flick. The overhead lights in the evolved plusle’s humble home fluoresce to life, preceding a comforted sigh escaping from his mouth as he stands in the doorway with drooped shoulders. Stepping inside, without looking, Cobalt grabs a book off a nearby bookshelf as he pushes the door closed behind him with his foot. He makes his way to the middle of the room and flops his back onto the couch, opening to the bookmarked page of the novel in his hands. Shortly after, N, the formless abyss-colored entity, appears out of Cobalt’s chest, turning his head to look around the room and then down at the prosle.

“Whatcha doing down there?” N asks Cobalt in a low, flat tone.

“Reading.” Cobalt answers listlessly.

“Whattya reading?”

“A book.”

“What kind of book?” The ghost persists.

Cobalt drops the book down over his chest and stares tirishly up at N, who happens to be grinning. They exchange these looks for a handful of really, really long seconds, before Cobalt breathes a heavy sigh and closes his eyes.
“N,” he pinches the bridge of his nose, “are you bored right now? You’re bored right now aren’t you, I can tell when you’re bored.”

“Maybe. Was it obvious?” N cackles softly.

“Can’t ghosts see into the ether or whatever? Isn’t there something entertaining going on in there?” Cobalt chided the ghost.

“No, what the hell is that?” N stiffles a snorty chuckle.

“...Nevermind.” Cobalt lifts the book back up to his face. There’s another pause. N swivels around to the other side of Cobalt’s head to get a better view of the book he was reading.

“...You know, Cobalt,” N starts, “being fused together like this, I can hear the words in your head while you’re reading.”

“Wait, woah, seriously??” Cobalt’s attention was again put towards N and away from the book.

“Yeah, it’s like an audiobook for me.”

“So you can just… hear my thoughts? Why can’t I hear yours? Wait, don’t answer that, it’s because you don’t think, isn’t it.” Cobalt lets out a chuckle of his own and smirks.

“Ha ha,” N sneers, “You’re plenty capable of perceiving them, I think you’ve just been tuning them out without knowing it.”

“I have made an effort to tune you out lately… hm.” Cobalt becomes silent, focuses on his thoughts for a moment or two. “...I think I’m just tired right now. Though, I think I felt something? I’ll have to explore this later. Until then,” he cracks the book open in a forceful, dramatic way, before bringing his attention back to it.

“It takes time to get used to.” N continues the conversation himself. “Me? I’ve been doing this for a looooong time. I’ve possessed hundreds of people over the years, all these cute little creatures like you, powerless to stop me…” N gleefully reminisces with a hiss in his voice, the subject matter causing Cobalt’s expression to flinch. N sprouts a grin in the corners of his mouth as he continues: “Oh their reactions were so fun! The confusion, the whines, the embarrassment… Sometimes all it takes to freak someone out is to make them wiggle their toes~” Cobalt nearly jumps himself off the couch when he felt his toes start moving on their own.

“-AH!!” He yelps! “Ay ay AY Cut That Out Cut That Out!!” The prosle barks at the ghost in a tissy, kicking his legs, urging his toes to stay still.

“Hyehehehehe,” N cackles amusedly, “just like that, in fact.”

“Yeah ok very funny N you’ve made your point, you can stop it now..!” Cobalt pleads, attempting to bury his feet between the couch cushions.

“Ohh it’s just like back in the day!” N elates. “You know what else would reeeally get to people?” Cobalt gulps. “Tickling them”

“N-No, don’t you dare!” Cobalt puts the book up between him and the ghost and brings his legs in, meanwhile N extends two long spindly black sharp-fingered arms, looming them over the mouse and bearing his teeth. “I’m-I’m probably not even ticklish anymore, it’s been a LONG TIME!” Cobalt panics as N’s hands creep closer! “N I SWEAR I’LL SHOCK YOU!” Cobalt threatens back.

“Oh no you won’t~” The ghost responds confidently. “I’m stopping you from squeezing your cheek muscles, you can’t shock anything until I let you go~”

Cobalt freezes up. With nothing to say and nothing to do but widen his eyes, N proceeds to converge on him with those sharp ghostly fingers.

“N NO!!!” The moment those long sharp fingers made contact with Cobalt’s body it was clear to him that he was absolutely still sensitive; he screeches at the top of his lungs, N’s pointed fingers etching into the base of his midsection, slooowly creeping up across his soft warm skin. Cobalt convulses in place, twisting and turning and curling and flopping like a fish on dry land! He tries to push or hit N’s hands away but his arms would pass through them like they weren’t there. Giggling uncontrollably through his teeth, Cobalt curls himself into a ball with his stomach facing the couch and his arms hugged around him to try and shield himself from the ghost, but that simply prompts him to target the one place he didn’t hide!
“NGYEE!” Cobalt squeals as he feels N’s fingers quickly gliding down his leg and onto his heel. He instantly responds by kicking his leg out and pushing himself away, which sends him rolling off the couch and onto the floor. “Oof!” He thuds on his back. He is granted a moment of reprieve, huffing quick huffs up at N, who politely stares at him from above, a trace of surprise in his eyes.

“Your feet are awfully ticklish for someone who never wears shoes~” N teases. Cobalt quickly brings his legs in to try to maybe stand up and keep his paws away from that ghost, but just as quickly as he brought them in, his legs shoot out again.

“H-Huh?? Whah!?” He tries to pull them in again but they wouldn’t move

“I just want a teeensy bit of time with your feet before we’re done okaaay?”

Cobalt pants a few more times. Legs twitching and squirming in place. “Aughhhh…” He groans, throwing his hands over his eyes. N takes this as the go-ahead, so he goes ahead: he pokes all his pointy fingers onto Cobalts soles, the trembling in his legs ramp up even higher as he squeals into his hands. Upper body twisting and turning and pushing off the ground, letting his squealy laughter out into the room around him! N’s fingers poke and pinch and prod experimentally, testing each reaction they get. His toes seem to be the best spot, as when N aims his fingers there Cobalt starts pounding the floor with his hands! The torturous sensation continues on and on and on, the parade of seconds marching agonizingly slow. Sooner or later, N had to give the prosle his reprieve; he backs off, absorbing his arms back into his formless body. Cobalt is left a gasping sweating lump on the floor.

“Huff… puff… Did you…” the weary mouse begins to ask, “hh... get that… oh my gosh… out of your system… N..?”

“Pretty much.” N’s expression glows with gratification. “As long as I get to mess with you a little bit from time to time, I won’t complain much.”

“...Ah… That’s… hh… fair, I guess…” Cobalt takes a deeeep breath and pushes himself up to a seated position, leaning back on his hands. And faintly, just barely noticeable, his face appears to have reddened. N tilts his head a whole 90 degrees to the side.

“Ohh?” N swoops in close to Cobalt’s face, “is that a blush I seeee~?” Cobalt plants his palm in the center of N’s face and weakly pushes him back.

“Gh, yeah whatever, the toe wiggling might be flustering me, it’s not a big deal.” He pouts.

“Mmm, good to knoww.” The ghost hums deeply.

“Yeah… I bet it is…” Cobalt turns to look away, for a moment, but his expression changes to that of someone who gets an idea and he glances back. It might be a dumb question, but… “Are you ticklish, N?” The ghost’s face flinches at the question and before he had time to change the subject, Cobalt sends a quick dull poke to where he assumed N’s sides would be. Surprisingly, he was able to make contact as N’s ghostly form shoots backwards and away from the mouse’s finger.

“NYaha! No! I mean, er, curse you,” he gruffs through his teeth, “no more tangibility around you, then.”

“Hyehe, ahhh.” Cobalt chuckles into a lasting sigh. “Oh well.”

The End