One Infection - part 4

„So I forced the lift door open and ran away...”

„That still doesn't explain how you ended up here, Niall.” Liam said calmly, the knife still in his hand, though no longer pointing in the blond's direction.

„I went to the only place I thought safe... the main kitchen downstairs.” the Irishman replied, making Payno chuckle. „I then realised that the waiter's lifts there go into every single room in the hotel. Decided to hide here, since noone would come looking.” he looked at the brunette with his big blue eyes. „Do you believe me?”

„I want to believe you, Niall.” Liam responded, putting away the sharp utensil. „Come here.”

The two of them hugged, glad that they were safe. Payno even more so, when Nialler didn't try to tickle him during the cuddle.

„Just to be on the safe side though.” he said after careful consideration. „I think you should be tied down to the bed before we go to sleep, in case you turned into a gargalite during the night.”

The Irishman sighed, but nodded in agreement. „If that's what it takes for you to trust me, then so be it.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Liam woke up with cold sweat dripping down his forehead and onto his bare chest. He had a most unsettling dream. At least it could be considered unsettling in these circumstances.

He was dreaming of tickling Niall.

Panting slightly, Payno wiped his forehead, realising he was feverish. Slowly he calmed down and looked to his side. Nialler was sleeping peacefully under a blanket, just like he left him a few hours ago – with his wrists cuffed behind his back and his ankles bound together.

When they initially got ready for bed, both lads were sure they would find something in the room that would be usefull to safely immobilise the blond. However, they didn't expect to find two pairs of handcuffs. Neither of them wanted to dwell on the reason why their producer would have them in the first place.

As Liam watched the Irishman resting, his chest slowly rising and dropping with each breath, he noticed that Niall must have moved during the night. Probably trying to make himself more comfortable in his sleep. His body was tangled in the duvet, with his cute, ticklish feet sticking out.

Ticklish?

Did Liam really think that?

The brunette's heart skipped a beat. He just realised, there was an option they didn't consider before going to bed. What if HE was infected?

First the dream and now this... was this what it felt like when you were becoming a gargalite? Payno's mind was panicking. Truth be told, it wasn't the first time he thought about tickling his mates. He was very much into it long before the Steven's Pathogen outbreak, so it actually wouldn't be odd for him to think about it, especially since he already knew all his mates' most ticklish spots. The uncertainty was unnerving though. He wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, until he was sure, he wouldn't wake up as a gargalite.

And all he had to do, was tickle Niall and check his own reactions.

Liam slowly climbed off the four-poster bed and sat in front of Nialler's bound feet. They looked a pale shade of pink in the eerie moonlight. Payno gently dragged a single finger down the soft sole.

It twitched.

The brunette continued the delicate teasing, making the adorable little toes wiggle and earning a giggle from the sleeping boy. Niall was immensly ticklish, even deep in slumber.

The Wolverhampton lad smiled. He was enjoying this. One by one, he added the rest of his fingers, wiggling them with increasing speed over the sensitive flesh, watching mesmerised as the foot quivered before him and more and more giggles left Nialler's lips.

As Liam used his other hand to now scratch both soles, the blond finally woke up with a squeel of laughter.

„Whahahat's going ohohooon? Liahahaam, whahat are youhoo dohohoing hahaha?”

„Just testing something, Ni.” the brunette replied, still gently caressing the squirming feet in front of him. „I need to check whether I'm a gargalite or not and this feels like the best way. Do you trust me?”

The Irishman couldn't answer as he burst into a fit of giggles, when Payno's fingers reached his toes.  He wasn't scared though. The tickling was very playful, no different than the many times Liam had tickled him and definitely on an entirely different level than the torture he had endured at the hands of Louis and Zayn the day before. Plus, when the blond looked down, he didn't see a crazed expression, but a friendly smile on his best mate's face.

Relaxed, Nialler nodded, while still giggling madly, giving Liam permission to continue. In all honesty, he wasn't too adverse to the idea of being tickled. True, he was unbearably ticklish almost all over his body, but Niall found that fun and exciting. When he first heard the news about tickle-zombies roaming the streets, a little part of him wished for him to be captured and tormented. Though the ordeal he was victim to earlier was far more than he bargained for.

The blond's cheerful laughter filled the room, as Payno toyed with his mate's soles, playing 'this little piggy' with the adorable toes. Nialler's giggles even made Liam chuckle and soon both boys were laughing away at the hilarity of the situation. As soon as he stopped the tickling, the brunette reached opened the cuffs binding his bandmate and put them away on the bedside table. It took a while longer for Niall to stop chuckling, as phantom tickles still coursed through his body.

When the Irish lad finally settled down, the brunette resumed his place beside him on the bed, putting his arms behind his head for more comfort. Nialler looked at his friend's bare chest and abs, admiring his chisseled physique.

„Niall?”

The blond looked up, startled a bit, catching himself staring at Payno's armpit a tad longer than is entirely healthy.

„Yes?”

„I got a weird thing to ask of you...” the Wolverhamptoner said, as he gazed straight into his mate's blue eyes. „Do you think you could... you know... tickle me?”

„You actually want me to tickle you?” Niall asked surprised. „Why?”

„Well, firstly, I tickled you, so it wouldn't be fair if I didn't let you tickle me back. And secondly, with all this insanity going around, I fear that the joy of it had been twisted... I want it to feel like it used to. Just two friends hanging around, playing with eachother.”

Nialler smiled and quickly stradled his bandmate's waist.

„Any place you'd like me to start?” he exclaimed eagerly.

„Nah, surprise me.” the brunette replied with a Cheshire grin.

The grin soon turned to a wild smile with full blown laughter pouring out, as Niall's agile fingers spidered across Liam's muscular chest, fiddling with his nipples, squeezing his sides and firm abs. Payno giggled and squirmed, but tried as hard as he could to keep his arms up and give the blond unlimited access to his upper body.

At least until Nialler started wiggling his digits in the fragile hollows. The first touch caused the Paynster to squeel in happiness, followed by cackling laughter, as the Irish lad scratched along the upper ribs. The Wolverhamptoner couldn't take it any longer and dropped his arms to protect his sensitive torso. Niall stopped immediately, not wanting to hurt his mate.

„Thanks, Ni. I needed that.” Liam said with a smile, when his breathing calmed down.

„Anytime I can be of service.” the blond responded with a wink, getting off of his friend and wrapping himself in the blanket. „G'night, Lili.”

„Good night, Niall.” Payno said, covering himself in his own duvet and soon falling asleep.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As Liam woke up for the second time that night, he could feel something was wrong. A quick look to his side showed that Niall was still deep asleep next to him, his ankles cuffed to one of the bed posts like he left him... Wait what?

He didn't bind Nialler this time... and is he... giggling?

Suddenly he felt something touch his own sole and he instictively tried to pull it up, but found it impossible. The Wolverhamptoner looked to the foot of the bed, terror overcoming him. His legs were also secured to one of the bed posts, with two large figures on the floor, barely visible in the dim, light of dawn. As the person positioned closest to him leaned forward, he was able to recognise his face.

„Paul?”

Paul Higgins, their tour manager smiled at him, a redish flicker around his narrowed pupils.

„Morning, Liam.”

„How did you get in here?” Payno said calmly, though he wasn't fooled by the man's friendly tone.

He was perfectly aware that he and the other man, who he recognised as Paddy, his personal body guard, were gargalites. The brunette cautiously looked around the room, searching for a way to save himself and Niall.

„You forget that I'm your manager... I received keys to all the rooms in the hotel first thing we arrived. Security reasons.” the muscular man rasped. „Have you slept well?”

„Quite well, thank you.” Liam replied, trying to stall as much as possible. „Why do you ask?”

In the meantime, Paddy had gone from gently teasing Nialler's soles to furious scratching, waking the blond up to an instant mad fit of giggles.

„Oh, I wouldn't want you to pass out, before I'm satisfied with hearing you LAUGH!” Paul lunged on Payno's feet, digging his fingers into the soft, sensitive flesh.

Guffaws of laughter escaped Liam as he fell to the pillow, overwhelmed with the fierce attack. His panicked voice mixed with Niall's forming an incoherent mass of giggles and screams. The Irishman begged inbetween waves of laughter, though his pleas fell on deaf ears. The Paynster tried to lift himself and somehow free his legs from the cuffs, however every time he managed to sit up, Paul intensified the torture, causing the brunette to fall helplessly on his back again.

Both boys had trouble breathing, yet the tickling was relentless forcing more and more giggles out of the two. Just when they thought it couldn't get any worse, the doors to the room opened and a slim figure entered, nearing the bed on all fours. As it clambered onto the sheets, the bandmates noticed the long brown curls clinging to the pale, web-covered face.

Harry smiled a Cheshire grin at them as his hands assaulted the bare upper bodies of his friends. Frantic giggling on the Irish lad's part, together with wild bucking and howling from the Wolverhamptoner followed. Hazza changed his target unpredictably, jumping from tickling Niall's belly with both hands, through digging between Liam's ribs or squeezing his sides, all the way to scrathing the four armpit hollows at random.

Being already tired from the voracious feet tickling, the boys couldn't defend themselves against the chaotic onslaught. Unbearable ticklish sensations coursed through their bodies, making them squirm and thrash around wildly. Neither of them could control their reflexes any longer. Tears streamed down their reddened faces. Their movements became frantic.

Nialler fell into silent laughter, not being able to gather enough air for a proper giggle, while Payno flung his left and right as Harry tormented his ribcage. As he was flailing aimlessly, Liam accidentally hit the CD player next to the bed, turning up the volume and pressing 'play'.

The last song they managed to record for their new album before the outbreak boomed out of the speaker over the bed.

'You know I can't fight the feeling and every night I feel it!'
'Right now, I wish you were here with me~e ooOOoh!'

As Zayn hit the high note in the chorus, the gargalites suddenly stopped tickling and grabbed their ears, shrieking in pain. Paul and Paddy ran out of the room flailing and tumbling, while Harry, who was closest to the speaker, fell unconscious on the bed between Liam and Niall. The two boys panted, barely able to catch their breath, as they watched in bewilderment the whitish webbing on Hazza's body crumbling to dust.

„What... the hell was that about?” Payno asked, when he could finally form coherent words again. „Our singing isn't that bad, is it?”

„I sure hope not.” the Irishman replied, completely shocked. „Whatever it was though, it saved our lives.”

The blond was just about to check if Harry was okay, but Liam stopped his hand.

„Let's get these cuffs off first.” he said, shaking his head. „After we make sure we're safe, we'll settle what to do with him.”

To be continued.