A/N: Woa sudden inspiration. Not just a drabble or short fic, but a longer one this time! And I produced it like woop and surprised myself but okay. Story is sfw!
Prompt I received on here: Ladybug faces off against an Akuma with an obsession with tickling, and she learns that her costume doesn't protect her from tickles.
Only after accepting the prompt, I realized that this would need a lot more than plotless tickles. The birth of an Akuma always has a backstory, so in the end I just created some kind of Miraculous Episode with a new villain: The Tickler ! Yay me. Oh and Hawk Moth's text is in italics, hope it's understandable.
Summary: Ladybug and Cat Noir face off against a rather surprising kind of Akuma: one with an obsession with tickling, born from an even more surprising source.
Themes: Tickling, family, some LadyNoir fluff
Word count: 2778
Miraculous: The Tickler
"No, stop it h-haha quit it P-hahaha stop!" Marinette protested through her laughter, but her father wouldn't stop prodding her ticklish sides with his fingers.
"Muhaha that's what happens to little losers, Marinette! Tickle attaaack - dad style! Coochie coochie coo!" Tom taunted, and this time Marinette exploded. By some miracle she managed to wrestle herself free, jumped off the couch and glared at him.
"I'm not a little child anymore, papa! Don't ever tickle me again!" She stomped her foot angrily to make her point, and then she ran off to her room, huffing in embarrassment. Tom sighed and sat back down. Teenagers.. It was awful how fast she had grown up.
He took the wireless game controller from the table and stared at it. Maybe it was childish after all. But whenever Marinette lost at a game, he always loved to playfully tickle her and hear her joyful laughter. Well, not that joyful anymore… But she used to love their tickle games. He sighed again as he sadly thought back of the memories. Was she really getting too old for this?
"Ahh fathers can be so emotional, his little baby is growing up! All he wants is to hand out some loving tickles.
Why not help him a bit? Fly away my little Akuma, and evilize him!"
"Aw Marinette, weren't you a little harsh on him? He's your dad! I bet he's really hurt now!" Tikki tried to argue with a still annoyed Marinette.
"But it's embarrassing! I have nothing against tickling, well I am really ticklish but.. He won't stop treating me like a child! If I were to have tickle fights, it should be with my friends or lover. Like… Adrien!" Marinette sighed dreamily at the thought of it, and Tikki rolled her eyes.
"Marinette…" she sighed with a look of disapproval.
"Alright alright. I'll apologize to him.. later. I'll text mom she should bring back something delicious to help him cheer up, she's out grocery shopping anywaaa-" Both Marinette and Tikki yelped in shock when a loud bang was heard from downstairs, followed by a roar that sounded.. angry.
"Is your dad alright?" Tikki asked hesitantly, and Marinette quickly went down to check.
"Papa?" she asked while she carefully climbed down the stairs.
"Wat's going oaaa!" She nearly fell down the stairs when a giant flying hand (!) was launched at her, and she just in time jumped to dodge it.
"What the-" She then immediately understood when she saw her father. There, in her own living room, stood a dark giant (well, her father's size) and it looked totally different and was just purely the definition of evil.
"Oh no! He got akumatized!" Marinette cried out, and she quickly dove away when another floating hand was coming for her. The Akuma was using the game controller to create and controll a bunch of mechanical hands that tried to grab for Marinette, but she managed to dodge them all.
"Told you that you had to apologize! Now run!" Tikki warned, and they quickly fled out of the house. They heard the Akuma make a loud yelling noise, but as soon as Marinette found an abandoned spot just around the corner, she quickly said "Tikki, spots on!" and transformed into Ladybug.
"Alright! Now let's go back and…" she froze when she heard loud screaming laughter coming from the streets, and she and Tikki exchanged confused looks with each other. Laughter? Now that sounded a bit different from the usual panicked screams whenever an Akuma was on the loose. She quickly ran back, and watched the scene from a safe spot on the roof.
"Well, that's…" she said awkwardly, and Tikki nodded. This was by far the weirdest Akuma they'd encountered so far.
"Let's say we should at least be happy he's not destroying things or trying to hurt people," Tikki said, and Ladybug nodded her head with a shocked expression.
People were being attacked by the hands that were produced and controlled by the Akuma. Well, not just attacked. They were being tickled mercilessly until they collapsed into a puddle of helpless giggles.
The Akuma laughed loudly, then he stomped through the street, making a horrifying noise with each footstep he took.
"I am The Tickler, and no one's going to stop me!" the Akuma roared while he attacked more innocent passengers, and Tikki silently took her words back of him not being destructive when the giant suddenly angrily kicked a car and sent it flying.
"Hahahaa! Feed on their laughter my evil Akuma! But don't forget about that deal of ours!"
"The Akuma must be in the controller, and he's using it to controll those awful hands as well! We have to get it!" Ladybug said, slightly disturbed by the sight of the tickle fest, and she jumped off the roof and made herself ready to attack. But as she ran towards the evil Akuma, she was unprepared for one of the hands that suddenly grabbed her ankle from behind.
"Eeeek!" She flailed her arms before losing her balance and falling facedown onto the ground. The Tickler turned around and smirked when he saw her.
"Good! Now get me those Miraculouses!"
Ladybug struggled and tried to pull her leg free, but the hand had a tight grip on her. She flinched when the Akuma approached her, his own hands aimed at her with wiggling fingers. Oh no.
"No! Ah! Let me go!" she protested as she kept fighting against the hand that held her ankle. Three other hands finally let the poor guy they were attacking alone, and they flew over towards her while the guy caught his breath.
"If it isn't Ladybug. Say, do you like to be tickled?" The Tickler said in a low voice, now having his full attention on one of his targets. Ladybug struggled heavily when the hands caught her wrists and other ankle, and pinned them down, leaving her completely immobile.
"No, I don't! Now let me go!" Ladybug's protests fell on deaf ears. The huge Akuma squatted down when he finally reached her, and he wiggled his fingers in a threatening way.
"I swear you can't get me I'm not ticklish at all not even a little bit I - aaahahaha!" Ladybug's ramble bluff was cut off by her own laughter when The Tickler teasingly poked her side repeatedly with one of his fingers.
"N-no don't! Stop - hehehee T-Tikki h-help!" Ladybug cried through her hysterical giggles, but Tikki was rendered helpless as well as caught between a rare form of amusement and sympathy. She really wanted to help, but somehow seeing Ladybug giggling like she was now, it was kind of… funny.
"Tickle tickle!" The Tickler chanted, now using both his hands to walk his fingers up and down her sides. His victim bucked and thrashed, and her reactions when he suddenly moved to tickle the back of her knees made him chuckle. He mischievously dug in and squeezed the sensitive flesh, causing her to howl with hysterical laughter.
All Ladybug could do was laugh and squirm, and she was partly relieved that she was lying facedown. As if he could read her mind, the evil Akuma suddenly let the hands flip her around so she was on her back. He let the hands that held her wrists pin her arms above her head, leaving her entire torso completely vulnerable.
"Noohohoho that's enouhehehehe s-stop it plehehease!" Ladybug squealed when The Tickler scribbled his fingers all over her stomach. She tried to twist her body, suck in her stomach, and pull her arms and legs free, but she just couldn't move.
People who had been running around in panic now watched the scene from a safe distance, a bit confused but slightly amused by this strange tickle monster wandering around Paris.
"Coochie coochie coo, Ladybuuug!" The Tickler teased, and Ladybug cringed at the way she was treated. Her suit was useless as well, the fabric only seemed to make her even more sensitive since she couldn't remember being this ticklish. The Tickler now reached up, and Ladybug screamed with hysterical laughter when he dug his fingers into her ticklish armpits.
"Eehehehe n-not thehehere s-staaahahap!" she laughed, but The Tickler was merciless. This was really unbelievable. She? Ladybug? Helpless against this crazy tickle monster?
And the fact that the teasing voice sounded like her father's and they were having an audience made it all even worse. She was slightly aware of phones that appeared to record the scene, and she could already imagine it being a hit on YouTube: superheroine Ladybug tickled to death. Ha, those ungrateful little pricks.
They might as well try to help her, even if tickling didn't seem to be that damaging - this was serious. A real Akuma was tickling her to death! And where the hell was Cat Noir at a time like this?!
"Right, I thank you for the show but I'm running out of patience now. Just grab the jewel!"
Remembering the deal after hearing Hawkmoth's order, The Tickler snickered and now slowly moved his hands up, never stopping the tickling. Ladybug was still giggling continuously and gasping for air, and she desperately tried to move her head when the Akuma's hands reached her neck. He slowly fluttered his fingertips up her neck towards her ears, and the heroine let out a high pitched squeak.
"N-noooo hahahahaa don't you dahahaare!" she managed to say when she realized he was close to stealing her miraculous. Right then, finally Cat Noir showed up. He attacked the Akuma from behind, and they both tumbled down and rolled away from Ladybug.
Seeing the controller on the ground where The Tickler had dropped the item, Ladybug tried to struggle free to grab it, but the hands were still frozen at their place and holding her.
"Cat Noir! Grab the controller!" Ladybug yelled, and Cat Noir who was still struggling and fighting with the Akuma looked up and nodded.
"Alright!" Dodging the Tickler's blows at him, he sped towards the item, but he yelped when the Akuma was quick enough to reach out his long arm to grab his tail.
"Aaaah!" He was yanked backwards, and the Akuma managed to grab the controller before him. This made him able to produce more hands, and they all aimed for Cat Noir.
"Noooo this is crazy!" Cat Noir yelled as he was chased, and he cringed at the way the hands were wiggling their fingers at him.
"Don't let them get you - and help me get out of this!" Ladybug yelled from her helpless position on the ground, and she squealed hysterically again when The Tickler ordered two hands to tickle her sides and ribs.
"I'm alright! I'm not ticklish!" Cat Noir said as he kept running around to avoid the hands.
"Thehehen why haha a-are you runnihihing?" Even in this position, the two were having this discussion and Cat Noir giggled.
"Well…" As he was running, one hand suddenly attacked him from the front, and it clawed evilly at his stomach.
"Eehehee!" Cat Noir jumped and angrily swatted the hands away before they could pin him down like what happened to Ladybug.
"N-nohot ticklish huh?" Ladybug said between her own giggles when she heard his laughter. Cat Noir giggled hysterically as he was poked and tickled by hands that shot at him from all sides, but he was quick enough to hit a few of them away each time. He finally twirled around and used his staff to knock all the hands to the ground at once.
"Ha, why didn't I do that right away?" he mumbled to himself with a proud smile, and he then quickly ran over towards Ladybug who was still being tickled.
The Tickler was approaching her again, his hands clutching the controller tightly. He was going to take her jewel, he had to be quick! Cat Noir sped towards him and jumped on top of him. The Akuma wobbled and tried to hit him with one hand while he tried to get his precious tickle-hands to keep on tickling.
Cat Noir was much faster, and he jumped again and hit the controller out of The Akuma's hands with his staff. This time he grabbed it and not knowing what to do, he randomly did some things. After accidentally adding two extra hands to tickle Ladybug with, he finally got the hands to let go of her.
"Ladybug, catch!" He barely gave her time to recover and he threw the controller at her. Luckily she managed to catch it, and she smashed it on the ground.
"Now away with this thing!" She stomped a few times on top of it to destroy it, and still breathless from the tickling, she went to save the world from The Tickler.
"No more tickling for you little Akuma. T-Time to de-evilize!" she brought out, and Cat Noir watched happily how she de-evilized the tickle monster.
"Bye bye little butterfly!" Ladybug released the butterfly and inhaled for a short moment.
"Miraculous Ladybug!" All mechanical tickle-hands that had spread all over the city to bother ticklish Parisiennes now disappeared. Ladybug sighed in relief and looked down at the street. Her father was his old self again, and he scratched his head in confusion.
"Wha-what am I doing here?" he mumbled. Ladybug stood on the roof with Cat Noir by her side, and she watched how her mother returned from her grocery shopping and stopped where her father was. She said some things and he looked shocked, so Ladybug assumed she probably saw the tickle-hands around the city.
"Well, that's that. Saved the world from a crazy tickle monster!" Cat Noir said, and he rubbed his hands together with a satisfied grin.
"Yeah yeah, and wait. What was that with you and not being ticklish? You totally lied!" Ladybug said, and Cat Noir blushed.
"Uhm well, call it bluff? I am ticklish. But thought by saying that I could save myself, you know? I'm not as ticklish as you are though. I never knew humans can be so ticklish behind their knees!" he teased, and he reached down to tickle the said spot experimentally.
"No ehehe!" Ladybug squeaked and she pushed him away. Then realization struck her and she glared at him. The Tickler only tickled her knees when she was in her facedown-position. After turning her around, he had been focused on her upperbody only.
"Cat. How long have you been watching?" she said with suspecting eyes, and Cat Noir sputtered and giggled nervously.
"E-eh j-just a w-while you know eh I just had to think up a strategy first and aaahh!" He turned around when an angry Ladybug chased after him.
"Okay okay sorry! You were just so cute, you have an adorable laugh you know?" he explained himself while running, but this made Ladybug growl even more with halfhearted anger. She finally managed to catch him with her yo-yo, and she proceeded to tickle him with both hands.
"Haa! Take that!" she said mischievously, letting her fingers attack his body without mercy. Within just a few minutes, she managed to tickle him until he squealed helplessly, begging her for mercy. Ha, it's what he deserved!
"Hi papa, sorry about earlier," Marinette apologized to her father when she came back home.
She was exhausted. Being tickled sure sucked out some energy. After she tickled Cat Noir mercilessly, he had managed to turn the tables. He tickled her until she was forced to admit he was the most handsome superhero in the world. Ugh. That bastard. Never had she been tickled so much in just one day.
"It's okay Mari, I guess I shouldn't have treated you like that. You're right, you're not a little child anymore," her father said, oblivious of what happened earlier because of all this.
"I don't mind you tickling me that much, maybe without the childish tickle talk - and the 'coochie coo' and just a reminder that I am not a little child anymore… and be merciful.." Marinette mumbled in a way to make up for her earlier outburst, but her father stopped her from rambling and gave her a big hug.
"It's okay daughter, I understand," he said. Marinette smiled at him and gave him a kiss on his cheek.
"Thanks papa!" she said.
"I just guess you shouldn't lose next time, or the eeevil tickle monster will come and get you!" he growled, his voice suddenly low and evil instead of childish and playful. Well, that sure brought back memories. Marinette shook her head with an awkward giggle as her father rushed towards their game console.
"Heyy! Where's my controller?!"
The End
Writers comment 1: It's actually not been so long since I got into this adorable TV show, so I had to watch some more episodes to be able to write this.
Writers comment 2: I thought it was funny how Marinette calls her father 'papa' instead of 'dad'. I never realized until I needed to research this.
Writers comment 3: I always disagree when Ladybug and Cat Noir call it 'saving the world' when it's only their surroundings that seem in endangered, but oh well.
Writers comment 4: I remembered how disappointed I was when the Game of Thrones character called The Tickler wasn't really a tickler, so yeah I liked to take the nickname and actually make a real tickler with it.