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Mersault wasn't built for comfort.
The cold metal of the structure that held Dazai was more like a surgical instrument than a restraint chair. His wrists were firmly restrained by the rigid arms of the seat, and his ankles, slightly separated, were secured in a pair of metal stocks embedded in the floor. Every inch of that entirely white room existed to remind its occupant that there was no escape, only time.
Fyodor stood before him, calm as always. There were no guards, no surveillance, no worries. All of this was part of another one of his plans, this time, out of sheer boredom.
Dazai tilted his head slightly, his lazy smile intact despite the position. "Ahh, you got me, Fyodor. But now what? Are you going to just stand there staring at me?" He said, his nonchalant tone hiding his real surprise at seeing him there. How had he gotten out of his own cell? To begin with, how had he freed himself from that chair? Was it just another one of his plans? How could he not have foreseen that?
Fyodor crossed his hands behind his back. "You remain unbearably theatrical, even reduced to an object, Dazai"
"Ah, that hurts more than a blow" He replied playfully. "Imagine the terror of dying without an audience"
There was a brief silence, the white light vibrating slightly on the ceiling. Dazai observed every microexpression of the Russian, searching for some indication of the next move in that invisible game of chess.
Fyodor, in turn, studied him as if Dazai were a mathematical problem still without a solution. "Tell me, Dazai," He began. "when someone loses all their tools, when only their own body remains, what is left of human 'superiority'?"
Dazai raised an eyebrow. "That's a lot of philosophy for a single question" He said, sighing, as he tested his restraints once more, frustrated that they held him in place.
Fyodor took a few slow steps toward him, his gaze turning to the ground, then fixing on the pair of exposed and vulnerable feet in front of him, a tiny smile floating on his lips, as if he had found the answer he had been searching for.
Dazai's eyes followed the movement, first with disinterest, then with a pang of warning. What was he planning? If he was going to kill him, he wouldn't be wasting his time, would he?
Fyodor crouched before the stocks, then sat down on the soft, cushioned floor of the room. "What remains," He continued, "is the stark truth. The reaction that cannot be calculated" And without any warning or sudden movement, his fingers touched one of the exposed soles of Dazai's feet.
He immediately froze, any response stuck in his throat. "Huh...?!" The first touch was light, purely experimental. The second, however, deliberately precise.
His fingers slid again, tracing tortuous lines on the sensitive sole, exploring with irritating precision. Dazai instinctively pulled his legs away, pressing the sole of his foot in a more direct response, but the restraint did not yield. Laughter escaped before he could contain it, short, surprised, indignant. "F-Fyodor, what are you—hahahahaha! Hey!"
"Fascinating" Fyodor murmured, his fingers tracing lazy paths. "Even you, such a dangerous and calculating man, lose control with a simple stimulus"
"I-I didn't lose control!" He said, between laughs. What... nonsense...! Was he trying to break him like that? Dazai's mind raced, while his body reacted against his will. "Y-You—hahahahahaha!" He continued, laughing. "Do you intend to go down in history as the first villain to torture by tickling?"
Fyodor interrupted the movement. "Torture? Oh no, don't misunderstand me. This prison is a bit boring, so I'm just killing time" He said, smiling.
"Huh???! At my expense?"
"I won't deny it's a little fun either" He continued. "You built yourself up as someone above the world, Dazai. But all it takes is a little stimulus and you become just like everyone else"
There it was, Dazai thought. So that was it, he didn't want to hurt him, he wanted to reduce him. He wanted to prove that, stripped of power, allies, posture, and inside that prison, he was just another human, predictable, vulnerable, laughable. "Wow, did I impress you that much?" He said, taking a deep breath, regaining control. His smile returned, crooked, but sharp as a blade. "Funny..." He continued. "I was thinking exactly the same thing about you"
Fyodor tilted his head slightly. "Really?"
"Only someone desperate to prove something would try to win a war with such an unfair method"
The silence that followed wasn't empty, it was laden with yet another of Fyodor's conclusions. Even imprisoned, even exposed, Dazai was still playing. Even when his body failed, his mind did not kneel.
Fyodor remained motionless for a few seconds, assessing the response. Dazai's comment hadn't offended him, on the contrary, it seemed to have interested him even more. "Desperate?" He repeated softly. "No, I'm just curious. You've built your entire existence around control, I want to see how far this will go"
Dazai swallowed hard, but kept a smile on his lips. "I must comment that you are choosing the strangest method in history"
His fingers touched the sole of his foot again. This time, Fyodor used both hands, one on each sole, alternating between lightly scratching with his fingernails and tracing slow, almost distracted lines with his fingertips. There was no hurry, no anger in his movements, no explicit sadism. Everything about him retained the same analytical air as always, which, in that context, was extremely dangerous.
His body trembling slightly, Dazai closed his eyes tightly, struggling to maintain his composure, but it wasn't long before he began to squirm in his seat and laugh again. "Ahhh...aahahahahahaha! Stop it!" He tried to pull his legs away again, his body arching against the metal frame. "T-This is ridiculous! Hahahahahahahaha!"
Fyodor observed each reaction like a scientist facing a novel experiment. "Look at that," He reflected. "His mind remains sharp, but his body rebels. He doesn't respect his ideals, he only reacts"
Dazai shifted in his seat, growing increasingly restless as he moved up along the soles of his feet. He could feel him focusing on the middle of them, tracing their arches as if mapping his weak points. "Hahahahahahahahaha! You've always been so poetic and philosophical?!" He gasped, his shoulders trembling with constant laughter. "Are you going to write a book about my ticklish defeat?"
Fyodor couldn't help but laugh, finding it amusing that he hadn't abandoned sarcasm even in that controversial situation. His fingers moved up a little more, reaching the arches of his feet, alternating the rhythm, sometimes quick and light, sometimes slow enough to anticipate and fear the touch.
And the worst part wasn't the contact, it was the waiting. "Hahahahahahahaha! D-Don't make that dramatic pause...!"
Fyodor tilted his head slightly. "Why not? The beauty of it lies in the unpredictability of the method" He said, tracing his toes lightly and quickly. "And in the change of target"
"Hahahahahahahaha!" Dazai let out a startled laugh when he felt the touches on his toes, immediately clenching them defensively. "I-I call that a low blow...! Injustice!"
As he continued to tease him, Fyodor could see the tense smile mixed with laughter on his face as he struggled not to explode completely, also noticing the way his feet trembled and constantly wrinkled, as if he were about to collapse completely at any moment.
Dazai bit his lip, trying to keep the growing laughter under control, his eyes closing as he struggled to endure the sensations. "Aahhh...Ahahahahahahahahaha! Stop thahahahahahahat!"
"You know what's most interesting? No matter how much you fight, mock, or try to trivialize it, your body has already answered everything for you" Fyodor commented, ceasing his movements for a moment.
Dazai took a deep breath, trying to compose himself, his lips still curved by the remnants of laughter. "So, you completed your experiment?"
"Not entirely, only part of it" He resumed poking and lightly running his fingers along one of his soles.
Dazai shuddered again, squeezing his eyes and teeth shut. "Y-You're unbelievably persistent...!" He said, crushing his foot as he tried to move it away from the provocative touches. "Y-You're trying to prove I'm no different, but you know what's funny...?"
Fyodor didn't answer, only stared at him with a hint of curiosity in his eyes as he continued his movements.
"Even laughing, I'm still here, talking to you, thinking, playing..." He opened one eye, which shone not with fear, but with defiance, as he stared at Fyodor. "T-Then go ahead. Tickle me, shrink me, make me laugh—hahahahaha!" A new laugh escaped. "But remember, as long as I keep talking, I won't be defeated"
Fyodor's fingers hesitated for a brief, almost imperceptible moment. It was the first time he had witnessed someone laugh not because they had been defeated, but because they refused to be. "Let's see how long you'll maintain that pose and that speech" He said, accepting the challenge and resuming his fingering, this time more assertively and intensely.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA NO, NO!" Dazai shuddered with a hysterical laugh as he was overwhelmed by the new ticklish sensations. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pull his legs back, the restraints holding him firmly in place.
Fyodor continued, letting his nails dig into the skin whenever he pressed against the soles, tracing the wrinkles that formed on the surface of his skin. During the previous exploration, he noticed that he squirmed more whenever his fingers provoked his arches, so he decided to focus there.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA NOT THERE!" Dazai yelled, wagging his feet as much as the movements allowed, but there was no way to stop it. "STOP IT HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Fyodor gave a wry smile. "Ahh, looks like I hit the jackpot with your soles, huh?!" He commented, as he resumed stroking the entire length, amused by his complaints and frantic laughter.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Dazai pulled at his restraints, closing his eyes tightly as Fyodor relentlessly attacked him, completely overwhelmed by the sensations. He tried to push his feet away from the offending fingers, his toes curling and flexing in response to the tickling. "NO, NOHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He exclaimed amidst laughter, shaking in his seat and further crushing the soles of his feet as he felt him approach his toes, in an effort to keep them tightly restrained.
"Ohh, you're being too easy and predictable now" Fyodor said, grabbing his big toes and pulling them back, stretching the soles and allowing access to those sensitive areas.
Constrained in that way, there was nothing Dazai could do to stop him. He could feel the way he was diving under and between his toes, exploring every sensitive spot they had to offer. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't physically break free, forced to endure the relentless onslaught. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NO, NO! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!"
Fyodor spent a few more minutes there, leaving not a single spot on his feet untouched or unexplored, until he ceased his movements again.
Dazai gasped, his rapid breathing slowly returning to normal. He was a mess, his hair disheveled from the constant agitation, his face flushed, with tears threatening to escape his eyes. "You're completely crazy..."
"I'd just say unpredictable" Fyodor said calmly. "You live anticipating people. You read intentions, calculate routes, predict outcomes, but the unpredictable has always been the limit of reason"
Dazai stared at him with a mixture of fascination and irritation. Fyodor was right, he could never have predicted this, not because it was effective, perhaps somewhat, but because it was absurd. Fyodor wasn't seeking pain or direct submission, but rather disorder, something that didn't fit into models and patterns, so it was a perfect method. "You know all this says more about you than about me, right?"
"Don't take it so personally" Fyodor replied, his voice and expression serene.
"Someone who believes the world needs to be purified, but chooses tickling as a method, is afraid of something they can't classify: the human being" He laughed briefly.
"You romanticize it too much"
"Perhaps, but you rationalize it too much"
Fyodor sighed. "I see you can still speak..." He said, quickly tracing his sole again, making him jump in place. "And react"
"Of course, reacting isn't losing, so if that's your experiment, Fyodor, take good note of the result" He let out a soft, almost provocative laugh. "Even when you break the script and deviate from traditional models, I still improvise and manage"
For a moment, the only sound in the room was Dazai's breathing. Fyodor remained motionless, seated opposite him, then smiled. "Admirable" He murmured. "You really know how to improvise, but so do I"
He then stood up calmly, as if nothing extraordinary had occurred. Dazai followed his every movement with his eyes, his body still sensitive, but his mind already rebuilding itself. "Are you leaving already?" He teased. "And here I was starting to think this was a special encounter"
Fyodor didn't answer. He simply walked to the metal door of the compartment and pressed the side panel. The mechanism slid silently, and footsteps echoed in the corridor.
Dazai raised his gaze slightly, perhaps expecting a guard, but what he saw didn't fit either scenario. Chuuya, his former partner, entered. His posture was rigid, no spark of irritation, no irony, no imminent explosion, just silent obedience.
Dazai's heart skipped a beat, even though he didn't show it, but the smile remained. "Wow..." He murmured, with feigned nonchalance. "You traded the guards for premium company, Fyodor?"
Chuuya didn't react, didn't even look at him.
Fyodor turned to the newcomer. "Did you bring what I asked for?"
Without saying a word, Chuuya extended his hands. In them was a dark cloth bag, simple, almost harmless at first glance.
Fyodor received it carefully and partially opened the fabric. Inside were small objects, instruments that didn't hurt, didn't cut, only disarmed.
Dazai felt a chill and a shiver run down his spine. He had never been so surprised, and for the first time in his life, he was completely lost.
Fyodor looked up at him, a smile on his lips. "You were right, Dazai. Breaking the script is effective, but keeping the stage is even more so, so now, I won't be alone in this anymore" Chuuya remained motionless beside him, like an obedient shadow.
Dazai chuckled softly. "You really know how to turn a meeting into a spectacle" Inside, however, his mind was spinning. Chuuya... in that state... bringing this up. So you're part of the game too, aren't you? He thought, looking up at his silent former partner; it was a good time for him to give some kind of signal...
Fyodor turned his attention back to the cloth bag in his hands. He opened it completely this time and held it at chest height. "Since you appreciate improvisation so much" He turned to Dazai, tilting the bag slightly, making the objects jingle softly and showing him its contents. "Which one should I use first?"
Dazai stared at the contents for a second longer than he would have liked. Feathers, brushes, paintbrushes. Nothing there hurt, and yet, everything was a threat. "Villains usually don't ask my opinion before tormenting me"
"Consider it a privilege" Fyodor winked.
Dazai took a deep breath, his smile returning with its usual lightness. "In that case, go with the feather. It's classic, elegant, it suits you"
Fyodor nodded, satisfied, picking up a pair. However, instead of moving towards Dazai, he turned to Chuuya. "Go ahead"
Dazai blinked once. "...What?" His body remained still, but something inside him stirred.
Fyodor took a step back, moving away from the area near the stocks, taking a seat in the audience, next to one of the walls. "I want to observe" He explained. "The experiment will be more honest this way"
Chuuya took the pair of feathers from his hands and approached the structure, without looking at Dazai. His movements were precise, mechanical, as he crouched and sat down in front of his trapped feet.
Dazai maintained his smile. "You know, Chuuya..." He said in a light, somewhat nervous tone. "If this is some elaborate joke, it's gone too far"
No response. And then the feathers touched his skin. The contact was almost imperceptible at first, a light brush, tracing the curve of the soles with a treacherous delicacy.
Dazai immediately tensed, his breath catching as he felt the soft bristles of the feathers brush against his soles. He bit his lip, his feet trembling slightly but unable to recoil.
"You thought this wouldn't affect you, didn't you?" Fyodor commented, letting out a laugh, noticing the smile and the tense expression on his face. "But it's fascinating the damage something as simple as a pair of feathers can do"
"S-Shut up...! The audience doesn't speak!" Dazai exclaimed, internally cursing him. He tried not to smile, however, the constant blows along the soles of his feet were too much and he soon gave in. "Damn it! Chuuyahahahahahaha! Stop it ahahahahahaha!"
Chuuya followed the command precisely, passing the feathers slowly, then in small, quick movements, alternating intensity. He let them pass over his heels, circle the center of the soles, and follow the path of the arches, this last movement generating greater agitation on Dazai's part.
"You're really weak there, huh?" Fyodor commented, bringing his hand to his chin, only to see Chuuya focus on his toes.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA NO! CHUUYA!" Dazai shook himself, his toes curling in defense.
"It doesn't matter who performs the act, the result is the same" Fyodor said, as Chuuya ran the feathers along the bases of his toes, as well as the spaces between them, lingering as he sawed into each of those sensitive crevices.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, STOP! GET OUT OF THERE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Dazai screamed, barely able to curl and squeeze his toes as they were attacked by the feathers.
"You heard, Chuuya" Fyodor ordered, making him now use the tips of the feather shafts to run them along the arches of his feet.
"AHHHH! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA NO! NOT THAT!" Dazai let out a scream, writhing in his seat and laughing in agony and ticklishness as his arches were explored. He tugged at his restraints again, unable to think straight. He was normally a calm and controlled person, but this was pushing him to the limit. "STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!"
"Now, alternate" Fyodor ordered again, causing Chuuya to now run one feather between his toes and the arch of his foot with the pointed side of the other.
Dazai shook his head in disbelief, unable to believe it as he struggled and was reduced to hysterical laughter. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA YOU TURNED MY EX-PARTNER INTO A LAB ASSISTANT?! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He managed to say, closing his eyes tightly in an attempt to block the sensations, but there was no escaping the tickling.
Chuuya continued like this, tormenting his weak points for a few more minutes, before Fyodor ordered him to back off.
Dazai's laughter still echoed for a second longer before dying in an uneven sigh. He returned to staring at the empty face in front of him. "If you're still there, this would be a great time to reveal yourself"
Chuuya didn't answer. Fyodor tilted his head. "You keep talking to him" He analyzed. "Interesting, you still bet on the possibility of choice"
"Of course I bet on it, it would be very boring to live in a world where no one can surprise you"
Fyodor didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned his attention to the cloth bag. His fingers moved more carefully now, pushing aside feathers and brushes, until they revealed something that had previously blended into the shadows inside the fabric: small metallic nails, attached to delicate supports that fit on the fingers.
Dazai blinked. It hadn't been so visible before.
Fyodor removed one of them, letting the white light reflect off its surface. "Let's change the method" He announced. "The feathers are too gentle"
Dazai's smile faltered for a microsecond. "Ahhh, you're not going to let me choose this time?"
Fyodor turned to Chuuya. "Use this" He said, handing him several items to put on all his fingers.
Chuuya received the objects without reaction, but obeyed. "Before that, apply the oil to the soles of his feet" Fyodor added casually, handing him a small bottle with a translucent liquid as well.
Dazai's eyes widened. "Oil? Hey, hey... this is already entering other territory..."
Chuuya opened the bottle and poured the liquid into his own hands. The smell was neutral, almost nonexistent. Then, he spread it along the soles of Dazai's bound feet with slow, even movements.
The contact, even without tickling, elicited an immediate reaction. "Hah! T-This is already unfair enough..." His skin was now more sensitive, each touch would be amplified.
Fyodor watched attentively. "Anticipation is an essential part of the response" He commented. "The fear of the stimulus is often more effective than the stimulus itself"
"You talk as if—Ahh!" Dazai startled when he felt Chuuya dive between his toes. "As if he were writing a manual…!"
Chuuya finished spreading the oil and fitted the metal nails onto his toes.
Dazai swallowed hard, it wouldn't hurt, but it would be impossible to ignore. The first touch was delicate, the cold tips tracing the oily skin in a slow, light line.
"Ahhh, s-shit! W-Wait! Chuuya, if you're there it would be great if—AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NO, NO! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He exploded, interrupted when he felt the movements become constant again along the soles of his feet.
"Fascinating..." Fyodor murmured, as if analyzing a classical performance.
Chuuya wasn't being gentle at all, scribbling his fingers along the entire length of the soles. They danced in all directions, targeting the many sensitive areas Dazai's feet had to offer. He tormented his heels for a few seconds, moving up to the middle of the sole and then to the arches, producing increasingly explosive reactions.
Dazai's body arched against the structure. His laughter grew louder, more broken, more uncontrollable; he could never have predicted the intense sensation of that cold metal, the oil facilitating the movements and amplifying the sensations. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! SERIOUSLY! CHUUYAHAHAHAHAHAHA YOU DON'T NEED TO BE SO PRECISE! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He managed to say amidst desperate laughter, as he tried his best to control himself, clenching his teeth to contain the laughter, which lasted a total of two seconds before he exploded again. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA! STOP, STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!"
Chuuya, of course, didn't listen, soon hitting his toes again, working on the bases, then tracing the length and digits before returning and diving into the sensitive spaces. Even though Dazai's toes weren't immobilized, he couldn't keep them tightly closed, which provided plenty of access and time for him to work individually on each one. It was as if he were perfectly aware, it was too precise.
His laughter increased even more, his toes proving to be truly more sensitive. This was gradually making him more desperate, since no matter what he did, Dazai couldn't escape the tickling, forced to endure the sensations as they shot through his feet. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! FOR GOD'S SAKE! CHUUYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Fyodor just watched. "See," He said calmly. "Even when the touch changes, the result persists. His body responds, but his mind tries to maintain the form, clinging to his former companion..." He emphasized, while at the same time he couldn't help but laugh at his reactions, finding it funny how he desperately tried to move and escape, his muscles contracting more and more.
Dazai laughed so hard he could barely hear what he was saying, too distracted by the incessant tickling. He felt as if his sanity was slowly slipping away, those metal nails punishing his sensitive skin. Tears began to stream down his increasingly flushed cheeks as he wondered how much longer he would have to endure this.
Fyodor raised his hand. "Stop" He ordered once more.
The movement ceased immediately. The metal nails parted, but Dazai's laughter still echoed for seconds, as if his body was slow to understand that a truce had been granted. He gasped heavily as he struggled to catch his breath. He was grateful for the relief, his body trembling slightly from the residual sensations. His cheeks were damp with tears, and he was sure he probably looked deplorable.
"You can change the method as many times as you want" He gasped. "But I'm still the one who chooses what that means. I won't give you the privilege of seeing me silenced!"
Fyodor tilted his head slightly. "Still insisting on this? How curious"
"Always" Even imprisoned, even laughing, even surprised, he still refuses to be reduced.
Fyodor turned back to the cloth bag. This time, he didn't look for something hidden, he took out two common, almost banal objects: hairbrushes with dense, flexible bristles.
Dazai frowned slightly, not abandoning his sarcasm. "Hairbrushes?" He let out a short laugh. "So you sent him to empty the closet of a cheap hotel?"
Fyodor handed both to Chuuya. "Use both"
Chuuya positioned himself again, armed with a brush in each hand.
Dazai felt something different this time, a strange apprehension. Brushes weren't delicate, and besides covering a larger area, there was no way to anticipate anything.
"Give a small sample, Chuuya" Fyodor said, and in that same instant, he attacked.
"AAAHHHH!" Dazai didn't have a chance to prepare or finish his thought before bursting into laughter as he felt the plastic bristles brush against the lubricated skin of his feet. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NO, NO, NO! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Fyodor chuckled as he struggled in response, the bristles sliding easily. "Intense, huh?" He commented, raising his hand to stop Chuuya.
Dazai gasped, staring at him. "This has gone beyond any experiment, it's only going to prove the exact opposite of what you want"
"The opposite?" Fyodor asked calmly.
"That even when I lose control of my body, I still choose not to give you what you want!"
"Hmm, that makes sense" Fyodor murmured, bringing his hand to his chin. "Perhaps I should just enjoy the show then, right?" He smiled, ordering Chuuya to resume his movements.
Dazai's eyes widened. "NO, NO, NO, WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAIT!" And that was all he managed to say before bursting into laughter as he resumed dragging the brushes up and down his soles.
Chuuya wasted no time, moving the brushes up and down, side to side, and in circular motions along the entire length of the soles, focusing on each point individually. He tested his heels, center, and arches, the latter two eliciting more desperate reactions.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STOP, STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP! CHUUYA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" This was worse than anything he had experienced so far. It was utterly torturous, it was as if he could feel each individual bristle being dragged against his skin. He squeezed his eyes shut, his face growing increasingly flushed as fresh tears streamed down his cheeks, his muscles tensing as he futilely tugged at the restraints.
"Much better..." Fyodor scoffed, leaning back against the wall. He honestly hadn't expected that reaction from Dazai, he'd even thought he might be immune, like him, so he was glad his deduction was wrong. He noticed how he squirmed and thrashed about, but no matter how much he struggled, no amount of agitation seemed to help, the restraints held him firmly in place.
Chuuya made no move to retreat, instead, he rubbed his entire heel and moved up the side arches, shifting the brushes in circular motions as he reached the transverse arches, interspersing with the centers of the soles, until he remained only on the arches, the size of the brushes ensuring that his toes were also hit.
Dazai shook his head from side to side in denial, as if that somehow relieved him, besides still not being able to believe this was happening. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! JUST STOP! CHUUYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA PLEASE!" He begged amidst hysterical laughter.
"Oh..." Fyodor murmured, genuinely surprised, as a smile floated across his lips.
"FYODOR! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! MAKE IT STOP! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Dazai's eyes were tightly closed as he was forced to laugh, tears streaming down his flushed, glowing face as he writhed in the structure. This was pure torture, and he had no idea how much longer he could endure it. "PLEASEAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Fyodor was already tempted to grant him a sign of mercy, until he heard a noise in the corridor, raising his hand to signal Chuuya to cease the attack. "Stay there" He said, getting up to go outside and investigate.
The compartment fell silent, except for Dazai's panting breath as he recovered, still somewhat dazed from the relentless attack. He leaned against the wall behind him, his head drooping slightly to the side. "Someone's going to have to compensate me for this..."
"Pfft..."
Dazai blinked. "...Chuuya?"
The noise became clearer. "Hah... hahahahaha" Chuuya laughed, bringing his hand to his face, his shoulders trembling. "Man, you should see your face"
Dazai's eyes widened. "What...?"
Chuuya straightened up, his gaze now lively and mocking. "What was that? Wasn't it you who was begging me to regain consciousness? Did you really think I was obeying that crazy Russian like a puppet?"
Dazai was silent for a second. Then another. "You were pretending?!"
"From the beginning, idiot. You used to be smarter, didn't you, Dazai?"
"YOU MADE ME GO THROUGH ALL THIS ON PURPOSE?!"
"Oh, shut up!" Chuuya crossed his arms. "I'm literally here to save you. A little gratitude would be nice."
"Gratitude?!" Dazai let out an incredulous laugh. "You turned me into the main attraction of a tickle torture circus!"
"Oh, please" Chuuya rolled his eyes. "If it wasn't me, it would have been that guy anyway"
"I was being humiliated in real time!" He retorted dramatically.
"That's for sure!" Chuuya laughed again. "I didn't know I was so ticklish"
"Oh, shut up!" Dazai snorted. "You could have warned me!"
"And ruin everything? That guy isn't stupid, if you knew, he would have noticed"
"Even so—"
"Even so, nothing!" Chuuya leaned forward. "You trusted me, right?"
Dazai looked away for a split second. "Unfortunately"
Chuuya smirked. "Then stop complaining"
There was a pause. Chuuya looked at his still-bound feet, then at Dazai's face, smiling untrustworthyly.
Dazai narrowed his eyes. "Don't you dare, get me out of here, you idiot!"
"Who are you calling an idiot???" Chuuya roared. "You know what?" He reached for the cloth bag lying on the floor.
"No, no, no, don't even think about it!" Dazai reflexively squeezed his feet.
"Look at this interesting thing" He picked up a pair of electric toothbrushes. "You deserve to be punished for being ungrateful!" He declared.
Dazai shuddered at the mere sound of the toothbrushes being switched on, barely having time to complain before Chuuya pressed them against the soles of his feet. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! NO, WAIT!" He was hit full force by the intensity of the sensations. "YOU'RE THE WORST KIND OF HERO! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Complain less. You should be thrilled to have me as your hero, that's what you should be thrilled about" Chuuya mocked.
Dazai's laughter echoed through the room, a mixture of indignation and defeat.
On the other side of the wall, in the surveillance room, Fyodor watched everything through the cameras. There was no surprise in his expression, only a glint of curiosity in his eyes, his interest completely renewed. The relationship between those two was indeed inexplicable and very interesting.
"Now the show has begun" He murmured, sitting down to watch.