Pharynx let his body lean against the wall behind him upon finally making it to his bedchamber, his body armor starting to weigh him down; despite the room lacking any actual windows, he could somehow tell that it was close to sunset.
The dark cyan changeling had spent almost an entire day trying to train the hive’s new army to fight and defend themselves, which didn’t sound so bad. That is, unless you had to keep physically demonstrating to them just to get it through their thick, pacifistic skulls.
He wasn’t sure how long those changelings had been keeping up the saccharine, peaceful activities, as well as the lack of self-defense and the shortage of battle skills. Whatever the case was, it took blood, sweat, and tears to get these guys back into their tough shells. But even then, Pharynx knew, he would have to repeat the process the very next day just to make the sure the lesson sticks.
“Back so soon?” a mare’s voice asked him in a snarky manner.
Pharynx glanced to see the dark purple unicorn with the fractured horn lying down on the bed nearby. It didn’t take him long to notice that she wasn’t in her own body armor. Instead, she wore what appeared to be a long, black cloak that just about reached her knees. Around her neck was a grayish purple scarf that draped against her right side.
Pharynx smirked upon seeing her. “How long have you been waiting?” he asked as he walked towards her.
“How long have you been out there?” Tempest Shadow asked teasingly as she sat up.
“Wish I knew,” the changeling grumbled, sucking in his breath through gritted teeth as he sat down next to her.
Tempest’s smirk deflated into a concerned frown as soon as she heard the changeling’s negative tone. “Sounds like someone had a rough day,” she said, trying to be more understanding.
“You think?” Pharynx eyed her as he folded his arms, letting out a huffy breath.
“You wanna talk about it, then?” the unicorn offered, scooting a bit closer to her boyfriend.
“Well, duh. Who else am I supposed to vent about the current state of the hive’s army to?” he firmly stated. “Because it’s gotten to the point where it’s nearly impossible to revert them back into their strong warrior-based nature.” Heck, it took me hours upon hours of physically demonstrating all the combat skills to them.”
Sighing yet again, Pharynx then started taking his black combat boots off, revealing his dark lavender socks. “My feet have been killing me ever since,” he said in annoyance.
Upon glancing back at Tempest, he noticed that he sea-green eyes weren’t focusing on him, but on his socked feet, which was weird to say the least. “You know,” she said, “I don’t think I ever seen you actually take your shoes off before. Like, ever.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without your armor on,” Pharynx snarked back.
“Touché,” the unicorn admitted with a roll of her eyes before adding, “but who knew you even wore socks with those boots of yours?”
“I never did. Until my brother insisted that I wear them ‘just to prevent blisters whenever you go out to battle,’” Pharynx replied, mockingly repeating the words that Thorax said to him. “But I highly doubt that they’re even preventing anything,” he complained continuously while pressing his soles against the bedcover that he was seated on. “Just... don’t get me wrong, I can already handle blisters; they’re just like paper cuts compared to muscle soreness. But I mean like, try telling that to some of the other changelings who start bawling their eyes out when they get a splinter or something. It’s like—”
That was when he caught the unicorn eyeing his feet again, watching his toes curl in his dark lavender socks. “T-Tempest!” he said, blushing in agitation, trying to regain his girlfriend’s attention. “A-Are you even listening to me?”
“Mm... Hey, Pharynx?” she asked with a grin.
“...What?” he stared back at her, curling his toes again. She’s gonna do something. I just know it. The changeling thought, feeling his feet shudder as he began to think of the many possibilities.
Tempest peered to the side, seeing if anyone was nearby, before looking back at the changeling and asking, “Can I see your feet for a minute?”
Pharynx’s eyes bulged once he heard that question. “S-Seriously?!” he uttered as he withdrew his legs to his chest.
Even though he already discovered that he was fond of having his midriff tenderly teased by his girlfriend, Pharynx wasn’t so sure about just lending her his feet right away.
Or was he...?
“You heard me,” Tempest smirked, her open hand just waiting to get a hold of his soles.
“Fine,” Pharynx uttered, knowing that complaining won’t get him out of this one.
The changeling lied down on the bed, firmly pressing his head against one of the large pillows. Hesitantly, he lifted his right foot over to Tempest; he wasn’t willing to let her have both of his feet yet.
Tempest merely smirked as she gently rested Pharynx’s foot on her lap.
His sole kept twitching and curling anxiously. “Wait, what are you even—“
“You’ll see...”
Pharynx felt his heart rate increase as he noticed Tempest slowly peeling his sock off and revealing his defenseless bare foot.
Pharynx curled his toes again, glaring. “I swear, if this is some kind of pedicure, I will—“
He jumped once felt her thumb press against his sole, squeezing his eyes shut as it started trailing up and down his foot.
After a minute, however, the changeling opened his eyes and lifted his head. He saw that Tempest had her palm against the top of his foot, and was using the pad of her thumb to gently stroke his sole.
Pharynx gritted his teeth as he began sweating heavily. Don’t laugh, don’t laugh, don’t laugh... he told himself. Don’t you dare laugh!
He giggled.
Of course, Tempest took notice of this. “Well...?” she asked him with a playfully sinister grin.
“This is nothing!” Pharynx stated, trying to ignore how much his foot was twitching in response to the tingling sensations.
“Oh, so you want more of this?” Tempest started using her entire hand to rub his sole. “Something more... intense maybe?”
Pharynx thought for a moment, before folding his arms and nodding sternly.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn ya,” Tempest stated, lifting her right hand.
And with that, she started using her index finger to give him some more sole strokes.
That one elicited a couple of giggles from the changeling.
“How about now?” the unicorn glanced at her boyfriend.
Pharynx’s body tensed up; not only was it difficult to keep himself from laughing, it was just as complicated to keep his left foot from kicking violently, since it wasn’t being held like his right foot.
On the bright side, however, Pharynx was no longer feeling any muscle pain in his foot. All he felt now was the tingling sensations of Tempest’s fingers.
For a while, all was tranquil... at least, until Tempest started going for the changeling’s toes.
That was when he started laughing.
“Gahahahahaha!” Pharynx flailed his arms, kicking his left foot while wiggling the toes on his right foot. “N-Nohohohohot the tohohohohoes!” His right foot then began squirming desperately, trying to escape the ticklish sensations.
Tempest’s eyes widened as she immediately let go of Pharynx, watching him collapse on the bed while laughing his carapace off.
It took a few moments for the changeling to finally cool down and let out the remaining giggles.
Pharynx looked up to see Tempest’s surprised expression. “Heh... Oops,” he said apologetically.
“Sorry about that,” Tempest remarked as she rubbed the back of her head, against her bright magenta mane, chuckling in shame.
“Nah, it’s my fault,” Pharynx admitted, sitting upwards. “I mean, I still kind of like it,” he quietly added.
“Wait...” Tempest turned to look at him. “You mean I should—“
Pharynx nodded, putting his right foot back on her lap. “Look, just keep going, okay?” he asked, now spreading his toes out.
“M’kay,” she replied, adjusting her seating on the bed.
Now sitting upwards, Pharynx silently waited to see what sort of sensations would come next. He even began to squeeze his eyes shut in suspense.
Soon enough, he felt Tempest stroking an index finger up and down his sensitive sole again, causing him to flinch and laugh a little.
Had there had been anyone else in the room with the two of them, Pharynx would’ve never admitted how much he enjoyed feeling ticklish sensations, specifically on the sensitive soles of his feet.
Speaking of which, it actually takes a lot of work to get the prince of changelings and general of the hive to admit that he actually likes being tickled. Pharynx already knew how much his brother, Thorax, adored having endless tickling sensations relentlessly attacking his body. He wondered how he would react if he found about his older brother’s not-so-tough-and-manly secret.
Pharynx just didn’t wanna think about it. At least, not for now. All he wanted to focus on was the gentle teasing and tickling.
Because now he felt Tempest pulling off the sock on his left foot.
He quickly looked at the unicorn and gave her a smug grin, curling and uncurling his toes in a flirty manner.
“So, Pharynx, my bugboy,” Tempest teased as she put his left foot on her lap, tracing an index finger around his heel. “I gather that you’re liking this?”
Normally, he wouldn’t answer those sort of questions with a flat out “yes”, but since he and Tempest were completely alone in the bedroom, he answered, “Actually... yeah.”
“Glad to hear that,” Tempest replied with a flirty wink. “Dunno if you already know this, but this is actually how I used to break some of the tougher captives back when I used to work for... well, You-Know-Who.” The unicorn stroked his arch.
“I envy those captives...”
“What was that?” Tempest glanced at him.
Pharynx’s eyes widened as his face went as red as his antlers. “Shoot... did I say that out loud?”
“Eh. No big deal,” Tempest muttered as she continued tracing her finger up and down his left foot, until she finally reached his cowering toes.
“Ack!” Pharynx wanted to laugh as soon as his weakest spot was being teased for the second time, but he knew better than to give up that easily.
Thankfully the sensations weren’t enough to drive him into hysterics. Yet.
“T-Tempest! Not the toes!” the general pleaded.
“Yes the toes!” Tempest teased as she poked in between the defenseless digits. “Can’t leave a single spot untouched now, can we?”
“Nohohoho...?” Pharynx giggled as he desperately tried to resist the urge to wiggle his toes.
“You know, I could stop if you really want me to.” The unicorn merely pinched one of the changeling’s toes and wiggled it. “Is that what you want?”
Pharynx shook his head, grinning.
“Suit yourself,” Tempest said as she started attacking his toes, finally eliciting endless fits of laughter from the changeling.
“Wait I—Gahahahahaha!” He arched backwards, laughing hysterically. “Nonononoooohohohoho!”
The changeling twisted, flailed, and thrashed upon the bed as the unicorn continued her ticklish assault. “T-Tehehehempesssst!” Pharynx said between his fits of laughter, attempting to reach towards her.
“Awww, does the big tough changeling want me to stop?”
“Nohohoho wahahahahay!”
“Are you sure?”
“I-I ahahahaham!” Pharynx protested as the tickling increased.
“Well, I guess I could keep doing this for a minute... or sixty.”
Pharynx’s eyes bulged at that one. “Okay, okahahahahay! I want to stohohohop now!” he begged.
“Really?” Tempest raised an eyebrow, still attacking the wiggling toes.
“Yes!” Pharynx was on the verge of screaming. “P-Please stahahahahahap!”
The sensations came to a screeching halt, giving Pharynx time to force the remaining giggles out of his system.
He withdrew his legs, panting for breath as he laid there on the bed, his head pressed against the pillow.
“...You okay there?” Tempest looked at him, mildly concerned. “Did I go too far or something?”
Pharynx looked up at the unicorn. “I’m fine,” he reassured as he gave her a teensy grin.
“Good. So uh... how are you feeling?” Tempest scooted closer to him. “Any better?”
“Never better.” The changeling grinned as he finally caught his breath. “I dunno how that even worked though.”
It was true. Somehow, the fun and rather bizarre method did work, because Pharynx was no longer feeling any ache within his foot muscles.
“Heheh. Well, I’m just glad you actually enjoyed it, right?”
“Heck yeah...” Pharynx sat up. “Thanks, Tempest. It really helped. Somehow..”
“Oh, come here, you,” the unicorn said as she reached out and gave him one more teasing stroke.
“Hey!” he snickered, flinching, at least until Tempest pulled him close, pecking him on the cheek.
And so, two simply laid in each other’s embrace for the rest of the night.
