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Kara rests a hand on her boyfriend’s bare back. She had only woken up a few minutes ago, and as soon as she touches him, she sees his eyes beginning to flutter.
“Good morning,” she mutters, a smile on her face.
He smiles too, but with eyes glazed over in his sleepy state. “Good morning.” His voice is raspy, just how it always is in the morning.
She sighs contentedly.
“Five more minutes,” Mon-El groans.
She giggles, “okay.”
Despite his eyes closing again, she doesn’t remove her hand. His back is soft, like a baby's skin, and it brings her comfort just to touch him. After a minute, Kara moves her fingers along the wide expanse. She feels his muscles and massages his shoulders. She chuckles, then remembers a nursery rhyme her earth mother used to tell her as a child. Kara acts out the motions along his back, though doesn’t speak the rhyme as he sleeps.
Two fingers walk up his spine, then she makes an ‘X’ at the base of his neck.
Walking through the jungle, ‘X’ marks the spot.
She draws out, dot, line, dot, line, dot, dot, dot.
She makes her fingers walk again, then gently drags her nails back down.
Spiders crawling up your back, snakes slithering down.
She repeats this twice, then crawls up again, before giving his shoulder a light pinch.
Here comes the spider, to bite you on the neck.
Kara squeezes his shoulder, then tries not to giggle as he blows a bit of cool air onto him.
Tight squeeze, cool breeze… do you have the shiveries?
Mon-El doesn’t budge. Kara takes this as an invitation to do it again.
Here comes the spider, to bite you on the neck ,” she says in her head, traces on his back, tight squeeze, cool breeze- ”
“What are you doing?” He mutters, face partially pushed into the pillow.
Kara freezes, fingers suspended in the air. As soon as he turns to look at her, a confused expression on his tired face, she cracks. Giggles erupt from deep in her throat. Her eyes close as she avoids eye contact.
“What are you doing?” He asks again, clearly amused.
“Nothing!”
“Kara-”
“Go on your back,” she says while hiding her face in her own pillow.
He doesn’t. To her disappointment, he sits up.
“Mon-El!”
“What?!”
“Get back down!”
“Why? What were you doing?”
“Nothing!”
“Show me! Do it again.”
She finally looks at him. He raises an eyebrow in hopes to convince her.
“Okay. Turn around.” Kara sits up and crosses her legs while Mon-El does the same. He waits patiently for her touch. “Stay still.”
“I’m not moving.”
“It’s a nursery rhyme,” she explains, trying to build up the confidence to do it while he’s awake and expecting it.
“Okay.”
“That my earth mom used to do on me. It’s called, I think, Spiders Crawling Up Your Back .”
“Are there lines?”
“Mhm.”
“Okay, show me.” She takes a deep breath, audible, which makes him laugh. “Why are you nervous?”
Her raised hand drops. “I don’t know!”
“Show me! I wanna know!” She can’t see his face, but knows his lips are turned into a pout.
“Okay. Stay still.”
“I am!”
“Okay! It goes,” she goes through the motions again, “walking through the jungle, ‘X’ marks the spot. Dot, line, dot, line, dot, dot, dot. Spiders crawling up your back, snakes slithering down. Spiders crawling up your back, snakes slithering down. Here comes the spider, to bite you on the neck. Tight squeeze, cool breeze,” his muscles tense at this, “do you have the shiveries?”
He chuckles. “Shiveries?”
“The tinglies. Tingles on your back. Like goosebumps.”
“Ah.”
“Do you have them?” She giggles, moving in to kiss his shoulder.
“I do, yes.” He’s still laughing, too.
“Do you want me to do it again?”
“Yes.”
She does, and then does again. After the fourth or fifth time, he bounces around to face her.
“Okay, you turn around, I want to try.”
“Try on me?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you think you got it?”
“I think so.”
“Okay.” She turns. The minute his fingers even graze her skin, she shivers.
“You good?”
Kara only giggles again, nodding.
“Okay.” Mon-El starts moving his fingers. “Walking through the jungle, ‘X’ marks the spot. Kara, you keep moving,” he references her consistent laughter.
“I can’t stop it!”
“Dot, line, dot line… what was next?”
“Dot, dot, dot.”
“Right.” He pokes her three times. “Dot, dot, dot.” Mon-El shifts, licking his lips. “Spiders crawling up your back, snakes slithering down.” Kara shudders both times. “Kar-”
“Shh, just keep going!”
He laughs. “Here comes the spider, to bite you on the neck. Tight squeeze, cool breeze-”
“Ah!” She jumps. “That was cold!”
“So was yours!”
He ignores that, then kisses between her shoulder blades. “Do you have the shiveries?”
Laughter breaks out from both of them. After a moment, he pokes her. “Well, do you?”
“I do.”
“Did I get it all right?”
“You did.”
“Yes!” Mon-El fist pumps the air. “Can I do it again?”
“Sure.”
He runs through it again, and like she did, a couple more times. Kara shivers at the same parts each time, making him laugh more and more. By the end of his fifth round, she’s almost bent over at the waist from a full belly laugh.
“Okay, stop, stop, stop!”
“Are you okay?” He gathers her in his arms.
She nods, collapsing against his chest. Tears drip from both of their eyes. Happy tears.
“Oh my god,” she mutters, recovering slowly.
“One more time?”
“No!”
“Awh, come on!” He scratches up and down her back, once, quickly.
Kara wiggles away from him. “Mon!”
“Get back here!” He grabs her and holds her close, now attacking her in kisses.
She tries to get away, but his grip is too strong. Kisses soon become tickles, and she cries out until she’s gasping for breath. “Stop! Mon, stop!” She laughs, still. If she were to grow serious, he would stop. After another minute, though, he finally does. He gives her one last, big smooch to the cheek, then releases her. Kara sits up across from him as she regains her breath. She wipes a tear from her eye, then he reaches forward to wipe any others that threaten to fall.
“You okay?” He asks, genuine.
She nods, “yes.”
“Good. Coffee?”
“Please.”
“Alright. Let’s go get some coffee.”
The couple crawl out of bed together. Kara dons on a pair of sweatpants and a shirt before leaving the room, but her boyfriend stays in his boxers. Mon-El opens the door for her, blowing on her neck as she passes.
“Mon!” She whips around, swatting air.
He grins.
Kara walks backwards, facing him, to the kitchen. She keeps an eye on his face and hands, expecting him to reach out at any moment. As soon as she thinks she’s safe, he tickles her sides.
“Mon!” She exclaims again. “You’re full of it!”
“You started it!”
Kara shakes her head in amusement at him. When she starts to fix the coffee, he grabs her and hoists her onto the counter. “What?”
“Stay.”
She watches as he works the machine. In under a minute, it begins to brew. Mon-El comes to stand in between her legs. He rests both his hands on her knees, then kisses her dearly.
“I love you, Kara.”
“She kisses his nose, then again, his lips. “I love you, too.”