“Ahoy, there, would you ladies like a taste of the circus with our new cotton candy ice cream?” Steve Harrington greeted from behind the Scoops Ahoy counter. “Ew, that sounds gross! We want chocolate chip - extra sprinkles” the two teenagers instructed. “Great, coming right up” Steve answered with an annoyed sigh, feeling dumber every time he had to say the silly cotton candy line and wondering how long it'd be before his wrist wasn’t able to scoop out anymore ice cream. “Alright, here you go” Steve added as he handed them their cones and took their money, happy to see that they were the only people in line.

“I’m taking my break! Be back later!” he called out to Robin before practically jumping over the counter. “Your break isn’t for another 5 minutes!” “Cover for me!” Steve answered as he distanced himself from the food court before Robin could tell him to come back. The Starcourt mall was as busy as usual that Thursday, not as bad as it was during the weekend but it was still enough to make Steve sick of dishing out ice cream; thankfully he’d discovered his own way to recharge between shifts without even leaving the mall.

“Leroy, my man, how’s it going today?” Steve asked the Mattress Mania manager with his put-on charm. “Same as always, Steve” the slightly older guy answered like he wasn’t exactly happy to see him. “Come on, dude, it’s almost the weekend! I’m sure you have a hot date or something to look forward to” “Not really…” “Well, maybe you’ll get lucky between now and then. Anyway, I’m gonna head to my favorite spot; just wake me up in about 30 minutes, alright?” “Yeah, whatever” Leroy answered just as unenthused as ever before the confident 18 year old made his way toward the back of the rather empty store.

Leroy was a pretty vanilla person without much interesting about him at all and even though Steve was chummy with him, they weren’t friends, barely even associates but he still allowed him to take naps in the store. His boss rarely ever showed up and Steve would often slip him Scoops Ahoy coupons in return, a good enough deal as far as Leroy was concerned; it wasn’t like he got enough customers to be worried about it anyway. The Mattress Mania manager normally passed the time at his desk flipping through magazines but today the mall had given out a directory of sorts, a guide to the various stores/restaurants of Starcourt.

Leroy looked through it as if he didn’t already know everything there, now mostly looking through the staff photos to see if there were any potential girls he could pursue like Steve had mentioned; maybe he would get lucky if he just put himself out there. The food court looked especially promising as he scanned through the pictures and restaurants; Ronny’s Pretzels, Sbarro, Scoops Ahoy…”Wait, Harrington? Steve Harrington?? That’s who works and Scoops Ahoy and who’s been napping in the store?!” Leroy asked out loud as he made the startling connection in his head.

Unbeknownst to Steve, Leroy was Jonathan Byers’ cousin and unbeknownst to Leroy until today, he’d been letting Jonathan’s biggest high school bully nap in his store. Of course Jonathan and Steve were cool now but the last Leroy had heard about Harrington was how horrible he was to his cousin, how miserable he’d made him at school. Leroy may have been a vanilla kind of guy but after being bullied himself, he’d hated Steve without even knowing him and now that he did, he couldn’t just let it go.

Hawkins’ ‘it’ boy woke up to a sudden jab into his side, forcing his eyes open and his body to jerk the other direction. “HeheY! What the hell was that??” Steve asked as he tried to move around on the bottom level of the bunk beds until something stopped him, a pressure around his arms and wrists and ankles he was quickly discovering the more he squirmed. “The hell is going on?!” Steve demanded to know before another sharp poke landed just above his hip. “HheeAhEY! Cut it out! Who is that??” Harrington asked with confused frustration until he turned his head far enough to see Leroy sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Leroy!? What the hell are you doing, man?? Did you tie me up?! This isn’t funny, dude, come on - let me outta this!” Steve insisted while fighting to get loose but the rope work was solid, keeping his wrists and arms tied behind his back with his legs bent and ankles tied together. Both sets of bondage were also tied to the top bunk’s under-railing to keep him from moving around too much. “If I would’ve known who you were I wouldn’t have let you take free naps in my store” Leroy pointed out with a stab into his ribs, watching Steve violently buck away. “The hell are you talking about??”

“I think you know my cousin; you were pretty shitty to him” Leroy added before squeezing into the back of his upper thigh. “AAOhaSTtOoHP! I don’t know what you’re talking about so just let up alright? Come on!” Steve assured with more distress in his voice. “You’ve got quite the reputation, Harrington…everybody thinks you’re some hot shot but you’re really just an asshole” Leroy explained as he used both hands to pinch around Steve’s lower sides/hips. “AAOohAOhASShIIITnNNOOO! LlLLeEEAaVVEEmMEEaALLoOOonNEE!” Steve shouted with high pitched shrieks every syllable or so.

“I know exactly who you are; my cousin told me all about you” Leroy elaborated as he pulled away and Steve’s body relaxed on the twin bed, his eyes wide with angered disbelief as he caught his breath. “I don’t know your cousin, okay? And you can’t just tie me up and tickle me - that’s like, really weird and messed up! The hell is wrong with you, dude?!” “I think you know Jonathan Byers, don’t you? Didn’t you break his camera?” Leroy jogged Steve’s memory but before the smooth talker could respond, Leroy sank into the back of his thighs and started squeezing just a couple inches below his butt. “AOhOAhaoHASSHIIiITAhaH! NoONNoAOhAGGEETTOoFFMmEEMmAAaNN!! FFuUAhAUucCKK!!” Steve howled with his back arched and his beautiful hair flying back and forth as he did everything he could to get away from the vengeful hands.

Leroy pulled back after a minute or so and Steve tried to get his wits back about him, huffing in and out into the comforter, “We’re alright now…me and Jonathan are good so just let me out, seriously!” “Prove it” Leroy answered before reaching up and getting another animated rise out of the ladies’ man. “AAhooHAohAOHAOh IIMmNnOooOTTLlLyyIInNGGAHAhAA!!” Harrington tried to convince while pinballing between Leroy’s stiff fingers tasering into his ribs on either side, the jabs timed out just right to give Steve the illusion that he could avoid getting tickled if was fast enough.

“I had a bully when I was in high school too…he thought he was hot shit like you do and I always wanted to give it back to him. I couldn’t do that but I can make up for it now” Leroy explained as his jabs got increasingly faster, daggering up and down his vulnerable ribs through the Scoops Ahoy uniform until Steve was floundering in place like a fish out of water. “AAhoAoOKoOKAOAohASSttTTOHOHPP!!” His laughter had become more thunderous this time, more full-bodied and more overwhelmed but Mattress Mania was still dead and there was still nobody to hear him freaking out.

“Holy shit, man…this is crazy! I told you, your cousin and I are fine…ask him yourself!” Steve suggested, getting more desperate and more frustrated the longer it went on but Leroy didn’t buy it, instead switching his focus to the feet strung up beside him. Steve felt a single pull of his shoelace and the knot of his left sneaker come undone, “Alright! Alright, alright!” Steve spoke up to stop the shoe from coming off. “I was shitty to Jonathan. I was a real dick but I swear I’m not like that now! Really!” Harrington assured with the heel of his sneaker already half-way off, praying that was enough to persuade Leroy but only a few seconds later fresh air started creeping across his socked foot.

“Shit! No, Leroy! Dude, this is bullshit - untie me now!!” Steve demanded with panic masked as faux authority but Leroy didn’t give in and ripped the other blue sneaker off moments later. Harrington’s toes curled with dread in the white tube socks and an outline of sweat on the cotton soles gave away how long he’d been on his feet that day taking orders and scooping ice cream. “Whew! Your socks look clean but these shoes are a real stink bomb!” Leroy announced after a quick sniff. “Put them back on then, asshole!” Steve fired back as if to counteract the embarrassing comment. “...sure, I’ll put them back on” Leroy answered after a few seconds as he scooted up toward the head of the bed and forced the ripe shoe across Steve’s face.

“The fucCK!? Get that shit off me!! Ugh, STOP!” Harrington argued with fiery protests and shook his head around but couldn’t stop Leroy from tying the sneaker around his head with the opening firmly across his nose/mouth. Steve struggled with the rank shoe and tried to shake it loose from his face until something suddenly touching his feet made him freeze, paralyzed by the initial stimulation until Leroy started scratching along the upturned soles. “WWOoaohaohAnNooNNAohAOhAnNoOHAoahA!! SSTThOhOpPP!! SSTHohOoPP!! DDUuDDEECCoOmMEEOONN!!” Steve burst with violent thrashes on the bed and his feet wiggling in place.

Leroy grinned at the wild reaction and doubled down, scratching in short bursts up and down the fresh feet with impressive control thanks to the ropework around his ankles. “Who knew the great Steve Harrington was so ticklish?” Leroy taunted while working over the trapped soles. “AAhohAAhoHAGGeETTOoOFFF!!” was all Steve could say as he laughed into his sour sneaker and tried to escape the bunk bed setup. Leroy spent a lot of his time playing video games in the arcade so his fingers were fast and nimble, perfect for keeping up with whatever way the feet tried to jerk away.

The short scratches eventually ended and Steve couldn’t help but take a deep breath of relief but the next thing he felt was his socks tighten around his feet and a pulling down at the toes. “Hey! Stop - don’t take my socks, man!! Shit, leave them on!!” Steve ordered as Leroy tugged both toes at once, using the bit of extra fabric for a good grip and pulling until both tall socks slipped off with one final yank. “Fuck!” was all Leroy heard as Steve realized how exposed his feet were, his toes curling again with nervous anticipation and fear of what was to come. Harrington stressed against the ropes again as hard as he could as if the stakes had gotten much higher, trying with all his strength as the suspense drove him crazy but he didn’t realize Leroy was too busy climbing onto the top bunk.

He had an even better look at Steve’s feet from up there, taken back by how lush and rich they were. The balls were wide and his toes were on the shorter side with a bright pink tint to the soles and tips of his toes from walking around in the shoes and they gave off a milder version of the tangy flavor from his sneakers. Leroy had removed the mattress on top so he had access from that angle and reached down between the rails to really have a go at Steve’s inviting bare feet.

“AhAOhNOO! oAHOHaohAHOHnOonNoahoha!! GGEeTToOoFF!! AhoAohAOhAohAA!!” shot out of Steve with a wide-eyed red alert once Leroy was dragging his nails across his buttery soft soles and Leroy finally feared him being overheard by the rest of the mall but he was willing to risk it. Leroy’s nails were admittedly a little longer than he liked after forgetting to trim them but it made for a much more brutal tickling as he started clawing down both feet in a winding motion to cover most of the soles each time. “AAAhoAHoahaNNOONAOhAOHAlLEErRoOoYySSTToOPP!! IImMmmGGOOnNNaADDIIEEE!!” Steve warned as if he really didn’t think he could handle it or at least in hopes of scaring Leroy into stopping but no mercy was shown.

The 22 year old geek didn’t even respond to Steve’s outbursts, knowing it was just evidence of how horribly ticklish his feet were and it was no wonder. He couldn’t get over how smooth and supple they were, how almost delicate the soles felt under his fingers like he shouldn’t even be touching them. It wasn’t like Steve would’ve known how incredibly nice his feet were or cared to pay any attention when he peeled his socks off after a long day but he’d underestimated just how sensitive they were, far worse than he remembered or cared to admit.

“FFFuUuCCkKIinNNGGSSTTOhOHPP!! IiHhAAVVEETToOOGGEetBbACCkKTToOowWoORRkk!!” “Your next shift doesn’t start for another 10 minutes, Harrington” “AAHOAohaSSshIIiTtaohaOHA IILLGGiiiIVvVEeyyYOOuUFFrEEE IiCCEeCCreEEAAMM!” “Hmm…toppings too?” “AhAohAOoKOoKKK!” Steve shouted once Leroy started scratching faster after not getting a quick enough response. “Good luck explaining that to your boss” Leroy teased as Steve thrashed around on the bed until the comforter was all messed up under him and more and more sharp squeals started breaking up his regular muffled laugh.

Leroy soon took special interest in trying to narrow down the sweetest spot of Steve’s feet, paying close attention every time he raked down them to listen for any spikes until isolating his next target. Of course he didn’t tell Steve what his plan was when he stopped clawing along his feet; Steve thought it must’ve been over as he took deep breaths of his sweaty sneaker but only a few moments later Leroy’s sinister nails landed at the top of both light pink arches and really cut loose.

“OAOAOAFFFUuUCCCKK!! AohAOhAANNoONoHAOAHAO!! AOHAoHAoaHAAAOHAOhAOoHhMmYYGGoOODDAOHAOHAA!! SSTTHohOPPP!!” Steve practically screamed into his shoe like he’d gotten a taste of his worst nightmare as Leroy concentrated on just the arches, scribbling between his heels and balls with deliberate, harsh, swift scratches. Leroy’s eyes lit up and the part of him that wanted to punish every bully he’d ever had took full control, indulging in Steve’s ticklish misery and smiling at how easy it was to wreck the teenage feet.

“Leroy, what the hell is going??” a new voice asked only about a minute later and convinced Leroy to back off. “Jonathan…what are you doing here?” “I told you I was gonna bring you that new X-Men comic. Wait, Steve??” Jonathan asked like he wasn’t sure what he’d walked in on. “Oh thank God - Jonathan! Help me out!! Your cousin is fucking crazy!” Steve called out but it was a bit hard to understand him with the makeshift gag. “I got Steve back for being such a prick to you” Leroy explained. “You’ve gotta untie him, man…this is nuts” “Yeah, even you weren’t this weird, man!” Steve added to help convince Byers.

But Jonathan’s awkward disposition shifted a bit after the comment, realizing Steve still had a bit of that old high school dick in him. “...was he tickling you, Steve?” Byers asked like he wanted to make him clarify. “Yeah, just untie me!” “Really? You must be pretty ticklish then from what I heard earlier” “Just help me out, man!” Steve dodged but Leroy could see Jonathan turning, recognizing this as his chance for a bit of payback too despite their current standing. “Alright, I’ll help you out” Jonathan answered as he moved closer and sat on the side of the bed but just when Steve thought it was over, two hands shot into his armpits before he could clamp his arms to his sides.

“NnOaoHAoaHaoHAA WWhAATThHEEHhEELL!?? YYoOuuURREeSsuUppPOoSSEddDTToOoHhEELLPPMmEE!!” “Sorry, I guess I’m just too weird” Jonathan fired back with the same devious pleasure on his face that Leroy had before. The amateur photographer wiggled into the base of both pits with tight fingers and refused to give Steve any room to block him out by keeping his hands deep in the tender underarms. Leroy was happy to see his cousin take advantage of the golden opportunity and sat at the foot of the bed before cranking things up even higher with another scribbling all over Steve’s grade A feet. Neither cousin stopped until Steve was scream-laughing and full-on begging them as humbly as he could, keeping it going until there was only a couple minutes until Steve’s shift started. Jonathan had no idea his pits were his second worst spot when he’d chosen them but the combo of that and his feet at the same time destroyed Steve worse than he knew possible.

The next day Steve was back at Scoops Ahoy serving the Friday crowd per usual but almost like he had a hangover or something. “What’s wrong with you? Some girl cancel on you?” Robin teased. “No, just tired” “Good thing Mattress Mania doesn’t care if you sleep there” she answered just before the next customer in line caught Steve off guard. “I’m here for my free ice cream. I like extra sprinkles and chocolate syrup too” Leroy announced. “Sorry, we don’t just give out free ice cream” Robin interrupted. “Yes! Yes we do…he’s a special customer” Steve assured, confusing his co-worker. “What are you talking abo-?” “He’s just special, alright? Trust me.”