Featherscape Tickle Story Collection

Tricking the Ticklish Babysitter (MM/F)

The weekend was not supposed to be anything special, but maybe that's what made it that way. I had always preferred no plans over anything that would get in the way of my friends and I staying up playing Apex. That's usually what I did Fridays after school, and this week was no different. Sure, I'd have dad telling me to go to bed. Mom would passive-aggressively ask if I had homework to work on. Then there was my little brother to have to put up with. He'd storm into my room, talk way too much, and ask to play with us over and over again before I'd give in and let him into the lobby just to shut him up. Those were the typical Friday nights, the relieving transition between the slog that was 9th grade and the official start of the weekend.

I sat hunched over my computer desk, staring into the screen of the tenth game since I had gotten home. My headset was tucked up against my ears. My clothes for the day laid in crumpled balls on the floor. My room was usually messy, but just clean enough where I didn't have my mom nagging me about it every ten minutes. My backpack was thrown against the foot of my bed. I didn't want to look at it. I knew my assignments for the weekend and knew well that I wouldn't get to any of them until Sunday afternoon. I was taking as much time for myself as I could. Large portions of Saturdays were spent helping dad with work around the house and Sundays were more for 'family time'. We would go out for meals, see a movie, play mini-golf or something. It was pretty lame. I can't say that I hated it; more that I would rather be playing with my friends than answering my aunt asking 'so how's school' for the billionth time. Like, it's school, Aunt Darleen. It's just as boring as the last time you asked me.

After the twelfth game, I couldn't help but notice a strange silence in the house. Dad had not checked on me and mom was not telling me that dinner was ready. Even my brother was unusually quiet. At least for the moment. But the second that I started to think about it is when all that came to an end.

"Brandon!" my brother, Mikey, shouted upon barging into my room. "Come downstairs!" His speaking voice was louder than it needed to be most of the time. Mikey was still in 7th grade and went to the same middle school that I did. He had most of the same teachers as well. Despite being two years younger, he retained all of the energy and naivety of childhood, all of which I felt I had grown out of earlier than him. His face was beaming as he rushed in. His eyes were wide, his hair tousled slightly.

"What?" I asked sourly. "Why?"

"Nikki's over," Mikey said. I cocked my eyebrow back at him, pulling away from my screen.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Yeah, mom and dad left and now she's gonna order us a pizza," Mikey continued, his voice chipper. I backed out of the lobby and told my friends that I'd be backing out. I pulled off my headset, setting it down next to the keyboard.

"Wait, where did mom and dad go?"

"They told us," Mikey said. "They're going out of town for the weekend. Something about dad's job or something. I dunno, they left a note on the fridge."

"Oh," I said. I had completely forgotten about the trip. I would have been far more excited for the weekend if I had. It also only occurred to me then that I pretty much went straight to my room after coming home and haven't left since. I never saw a note or even Mikey, for that matter.

"Yeah, so, Nikki's checking in on us," Mikey said. I groaned a bit at the notion that we needed such supervision, but I knew Nikki well enough to not hate the idea of her being around. Rather that I just didn't want her thinking that I needed a 'babysitter'. I swallowed nervously and stood up from my desk.

"She's here now?"

"Yeah, she wants to know what you want for pizza," Mikey said. "What should I tell her?"