Work Text:
It was a fine day on the Hermitcraft server and Scar decided he was going to spend a little time working on some small details around his starter base before setting off to work on bigger plans. It really was supposed to be just a small tweak here and there, shifting a couple of things around in one spot, it shouldn’t have taken more than a few minutes and he’d be on his way again. Scar, of course, never was that lucky.
The tweaks themselves went smoothly enough, Scar smiled in satisfaction at his work, but his smile soon fell as he tried to pull his hands back down and found he couldn’t. Somehow, some of the string he had been using to keep things in place had gotten tangled around both his wrists. He tugged and twisted but the surprisingly strong threads held firm, keeping his hands stuck above his head where he had been reaching up. He silently cursed his luck and his own clumsiness as he continued to struggle fruitlessly.
“Um, hello? Anyone around? I, uh, need some help here!” he tried calling out. Unfortunately, both Grian and Mumbo had already left to go work on their respective mega bases, and the faint sound of Otherside coming from the basement of his tree told him there was little chance of Cub hearing him. He couldn’t even reach his communicator to call for help. He let out a small noise of frustration at the realization.
With little else to do, Scar let his arms relax a bit against the string as he wracked his brain for ideas. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing there like that when he heard movement behind him, but he immediately perked up at the sound. He hoped against all hope that it was someone who could help him and not a rogue creeper coming to kill him. Although, he supposed either way at least he wouldn’t be stuck anymore.
“Hello? Is someone there? I could really use some help over here!” he calls out. Much to Scar’s relief, he hears Keralis respond.
“Hm, Hello? Scar? What’s-?” Keralis cuts himself off with a surprised laugh as he spots Scar’s current predicament. “Scar, what happened?”
“I don’t know.” Scar laments. “I was just trying to fix something that looked a bit off up here, and now my hands are stuck! Please help.” Scar pouts dramatically as he tugs slightly at his hands, as if to demonstrate.
Keralis can’t help but chuckle at Scar’s theatrics. “All right, all right. How do you always get yourself into these things?” He playfully pokes the elf’s side. He was expecting to get a small noise of annoyance in response, perhaps even embarrassment. He was not expecting the elf to let out a surprised yelp and flinch away from him like he’d been burnt. Keralis froze, expression shifting from confusion, to realization, to a growing mischievous smirk. Although Scar couldn’t see the builder’s face from his current position, he couldn’t help but get a growing sense of dread and anticipation.
“U-um, Keralis? You wanna help me out here? I’m still stuck.” Scar’s voice wavered.
“Oh, of course! I would never just leave you stuck here! But first I think I want to…. Try something.” Scar could practically hear the smirk in Keralis’ voice, making his stomach do nervous flips.
“Keralis? What-?” Scar stutters before being cut off by another surprised yelp as he felt Keralis’ finger prod his other side. Then again at the side he’d originally poked. Back and forth, poking one side and then the other, making him twitch this way and that as wheezy giggles started to slip out.
“Well now, this is a fun discovery!” Keralis teases.
“Hehey now, h-hold on, Keralis!” Scar protests weakly.
“What? I’m barely doing anything! And already you’re all giggly and squirmy! Don’t worry, I’ll untangle you in just a bit, but first…” Suddenly, Keralis digs all ten fingers into Scar’s sides, smiling at the squeal he gets in response.
“Nohohohoho!” Scar whines, once again trying unsuccessfully to lower his arms.
“Yehehehes!” Keralis teases, mockingly imitating Scar’s giggly whine. “Hm, how about here then?” He wraps his arms around to claw at the elf’s tummy and Scar doubles over as much as he can, laughter rising in both pitch and volume. “Oh, good spot?”
“No!” Scar squeaks.
“No? It sure seems like it to me!” Keralis responds, his voice excessively cheerful. All Scar can do is slump forward and laugh, gasping for breath between fits of laughter. He tries, weakly, to squirm away from Keralis’ devilish hands but the builder easily follows. The fact that he couldn’t even lower his arms seemed to make it even worse, the helplessness of the situation seeming to intensify the sensation.
“What’s going on?” A familiar, inquisitive voice interjects.
“Hello, Cub!” Keralis waves cheerfully, his other hand continuing to torment Scar’s vulnerable tummy.
“Cub! Hehehelp! He’s- he’s going to kill mehehe!” Scar pleads through his laughter, squirming with renewed vigour.
Cub seemed to think about it for a moment before a smirk begins to form on his lips. “Well not like that he isn’t.” Cub says, strolling up casually to stand next to the pair. He turns to Keralis to address the builder directly, “you see, if you really want to get him good, you just have to do something like this.” Scar barely has time to process what Cub said before he feels the scientist’s fingers dig into the dips between his ribs, fingers vibrating between the bones. Scar practically screams, thrashing out of reflex but any attempts to escape the playful torment are once again foiled by the string still wrapped around his wrists.
“Cub!!! Nohohoho! Whyyyy!” Scar cries out.
“You know why.” Cub responds, sounding all too smug.
Keralis lets out a vaguely impressed “ooo” before copying Cub’s technique on the other side of Scar’s ribs. The elf chokes out a strangled yelp in response, his laughter quickly turning breathless.
“Pleheheha-! I cahahahan’t—I can’t breathe!” Scar barely manages to wheeze out. Both Keralis and Cub seem to get the picture, moving away from his ribs and lightening their touches. Cub moved to push the elf’s long hair out of the way so he could gently tease his fingers along Scar’s neck and ears, making him scrunch up his neck as he let out a stream of bubbly giggles. Meanwhile, Keralis decides to switch to gently scribbling his fingers up and down Scar’s sides, stopping just below his ribs before going back down to just barely graze his hips. The change in techniques at least gave Scar a chance to breathe, which he was grateful for, while still effectively keeping him in stitches.
“How did you even get into this mess, anyway?” Cub asks, far too casually, the way one might ask about the weather.
“I got-” Scar starts before being briefly interrupted by a stream of giggles, “I got stuck!”
“Well, that much I can see, that doesn’t quite answer my question though.”
“Cuuuuub!” Scar whines, “I can’t- I can’t explain while you’re t-tihihihickling me like this!”
“Oh, fair enough I suppose. What if I tickled you like this instead, that work better?” While one of Cub’s hands continues tracing maddeningly light patterns on Scar’s neck and ears, his other hand moves down to his underarm, digging his thumb into the hollow and vibrating it there.
“Ahh! Nooooohohoho-!” Scar yelps in response.
“Oh, maybe this will help get your brain working!” Keralis ever-so-helpfully offers, switching from gentle scribbling to kneading at Scar’s hips.
“Nohohoho! That’s worse!” Scar squeals. His knees begin to give out from underneath him, most of his weight now being held up by the string around his wrists. Scar can feel that he’s close to hitting his limit and begging for them to stop. Just before he does, however, suddenly a snap rings out, barely audible over his laughter. The elf collapses unceremoniously to the ground, the string that had been holding him up having broken off from wherever it had previously been secured.
“You ok there, Scar?” Cub asks nonchalantly, placing his hands on his hips as he stares down at the elf, who was sucking as much oxygen into his lungs as he could between bouts of giggles.
“I hahahate—I hate both of you.” Scar pants.
“He’s fine.” Cub says turning to Keralis with a slight smirk on his lips.
“Umm… guys? My wrists are still stuck together.” Scar holds up his wrists, string still tangled around them, tugging a few times to demonstrate.
“Oh, here, I help!” Keralis says cheerfully, squatting down next to Scar. Cub kneels down next to him as well and the two of them make quick work of untangling the stubborn string. With his hands now free, Cub and Keralis each take one of Scar’s hands and help hoist him back onto his feet.
“Thanks.” Scar sighs more than says.
“No problem, man. Should probably be more careful though, kinda hard to resist messing with you if you get stuck like that.” Cub says. Scar didn’t like the knowing smirk that accompanied that statement. Before he could say anything in response, Cub continues, “anyway, now that that’s settled, see you guys.”
“Bye, Cub!” Keralis waves as Cub flies off. “He’s right you know, be more careful next time.” Keralis punctuates his statement with a quick poke to Scar’s side, making the elf yelp in surprise.
“Yeah, yeah.” Scar acknowledges half-heartedly, rubbing his side where Keralis poked him.
“Bye bye!” Keralis waves as he starts to fly off.
“See you, Keralis.” Scar waves a bit shyly in return, watching him as he soars off into the distance. There’s one thing Scar is certain of at least, as he starts to sift through a nearby chest monster for some supplies for his next project, this wasn’t going to be the last time he ends up with his hands tangled up.