Jack Marsh (2005), Friendship Otherwise - Toward a Levinasian Description of Personal Friendship

Not So Scary

So yeah, I needed some Ticklish!Frank in my life, and since the internet failed to provide for me I had to do it myself.  Yes, I'm a female who loves ticklish guys, DEAL WITH IT! XD I also love fluff so that is what you are going to get here.

M/M and FM/M Tickle Fic

WARNING: Some spoilers in here if you haven't watched the whole season of "The Punisher" yet.

Summary: Leo Lieberman is still a little unsure of Frank since she learned his true identity. But with help from her dad she finds that he's really not so scary after all. Some Frank/Lieberman family FLUFF!! <3

Word Count: 4,973

Frank shifted nervously as he stood on the porch of a house he'd been in many times before, though it had been a couple of months since his last visit; right before everything had went down. He had wanted to give things time to cool off, and allow David the much needed alone time with his family before butting his nose in again. Now that he had finally worked up the courage to return he was having a lot of doubts about how the Liebermans would react to his presence. It wasn't like this was a drop in visit. David had managed to contact him and persuaded him to stop by for a reunion, but still he really didn't feel as if he should be there. He'd been standing on the porch for several minutes now, debating on whether or not to ring that doorbell; staring at it like it was going to bite his finger off. 'What am I doing here,' he thought as with a low sigh he finally made his decision and turned his back to walk away just as the front door swung open behind him. "Frank? Hey, where are you sneaking off to? Get back here," David quickly walked through the door towards him, opening his arms wide as he embraced him, "It's good to see that ugly mug of yours again." Frank snorted in amusement as he tried to relax his tense body, patting the other man on the back. "Hmph. Good t' see you too, ya prick." David laughed as he let go, looking his burly friend in the eye. "Same old Frank. Don't ever change," he then began pulling Frank towards the house, "Come on, lets go in. I'm freezing my ass off out here." Just as they reached the front door David stopped, turning back around with his hands together he took a breath in pause before finally speaking again. "This is my family we're dealing with so could I ask you to try to keep the swearing to a minimum for tonight? It would actually be great if you just didn't say any variation of the word 'fuck'. At all." Frank scoffed as he frowned and shook his head in disbelief. Cursing was a natural part of his language. "What was all that bullshit about 'Don't ever change, Frank'?" "Well, that was then. This is now." "For Christ's sake, it was two seconds ago." "Please Frank, just this once I'm asking you as a favor. Show a little class," David's eyes were pleading with him and Frank found that he just couldn't say no as he sighed in defeat. "Alright, fine. I'll definitely try my best. This ain't in writing though," he said that last part sternly as he raised a brow, but it seemed to satisfy David regardless. "Perfect. Your best will have to do then. Please, welcome to my home," David smiled and ushered him in, quickly closing the door behind them to shut out the cold wind. Shaking the snow off of his shoes and jacket before tossing them onto the floor he then called out to his wife. "Saaaarah, he's here!" He turned back to Frank, "Listen, I just need to finish up in the kitchen and I'll be right back. Don't try to run off now." "Yeah yeah," Frank smirked as David slapped him on the back and then hurried off down the hallway. A moment later Sarah appeared from another room, not yet having any expression on her face as Frank started to get nervous. Then she locked eyes with him. "Frank!" She broke into a big smile and quickly hurried towards him, putting some of his worry at rest. "Ma'am," he smiled as he removed the beanie from his head before accepting the hug she had offered. "It's so great to have you back. We've missed having you around. I'm sorry, how rude of me, let me take your coat," she pulled back as she helped him remove his heavy jacket, also taking the knit cap from his hands. "Appreciate it," he muttered as he rolled the long sleeves of his t-shirt up his forearms. "I'll just go put this away and I'll be right back," she started to walk off before pausing and turning back, looking more relaxed and happy then he had ever seen her, "So glad you came by, Frank." "Me too, Sarah. Nice to see some familiar faces again," he smiled back as she then turned and walked out of his sight. He was starting to relax a bit himself seeing how good things seemed to be going so far. He looked around the house from where he stood before noticing David's daughter, Leo, sitting on the floor in the living room with some kind of dismantled home appliance next to her. He tensed a little, remembering her reaction to finding out that he was really Frank Castle, the Punisher, and not Pete Castiglione like he had claimed for so long. There was some fear of him now that she knew he had killed many people, and how she would respond to him now was what he had been dreading the most. He actually had to take a moment to gather himself before he worked up the nerve to approach her. Tentatively he walked over, not wanting to startle her as he kept the steps of his combat boots light. "Hi Leo," he spoke softly and causing her to look up, revealing the uncertainty towards him in in her eyes. "Hi, um...," her brow furrowed slightly as she seemed confused on what name to call him by. "Ya can still call me 'Pete' if ya want, sweetheart. Technically that is my legal name now anyways," he shrugged as she nodded before glancing back at the schematic on the floor beside her, giving him the opportunity to change the subject, "Whatcha workin' on there?" "Oh, the vaccum cleaner busted. The motor had a small short in it, but I think I got it sorted out now," she explained, not making too much eye contact with him as her father walked into the room. "Still not getting your hands dirty, huh David?" Frank smirked with a disappointed shake of his head. "Hey, why would I do that when I have this mechanical genius to do it for me?" David smiled with pride as he leaned down and affectionately rubbed Leo's back, "Besides, I told her we could just buy a new one, but I thought we would give her a chance first." "Yeah, she's a pretty smart kid," Frank concluded as he looked down at her knowingly, perking up when he saw he got a genuine smile out of her. "Just FYI, this is the five minute warning call for dinner, guys," David explained, receiving nods from the both of them before exiting the room back to the kitchen. "Need a hand with that?" Frank asked as Leo crawled over to the wall to plug in the vacuum before flipping the 'ON' switch of the unit; providing him with her answer as the motor roared to life again. "Attagirl," he grinned and gave a gentle nudge of approval to the now beaming Leo before making his way out, "Don't work too hard now." He wandered back into the front entry to find Sarah looking around for him, seeming relieved when she finally spotted him coming towards her. "Thought maybe you had left." "No ma'am. Just getting re-acquainted with my girl, Leo, over there. Think, uh, she's still a little bit scared o' me," he looked down at the floor in remorse until Sarah placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Don't worry, David has talked to her a lot about you. She just needs a little more time," she tried to assure him, receiving a nod. "Yeah, I know. Wasn't expectin' her to not act differently towards me," he shuffled his boots for a moment before clearing his throat, "Zach here?" "No, he's down at a friend's house for the evening. I had already promised him he could go before we knew you were coming." "How's he doin'? Not still bein' a pain in the ass, is he?" Sarah laughed and shook her head. "Actually he's doing much better now that David is back home. I mean, his acting up is completely non-existent now," she looked really pleased at that fact, but Frank couldn't help smirking. "Hmph, who knew David could be such a positive influence." "I heard that!" David barked as he walked in with oven mitts on his hands and holding a big tray of chicken, "Time to eat, kids. I've been slaving away all day on this." "Does that come with a side of botulism?" Frank asked with a grin just as David had turned to walk away, making him stop dead in his tracks. He slowly turned around to glare at his smart ass friend. "....No. It does not. Now come eat, you lousy piece of crap." Frank chuckled as Sarah followed him to the dining room with a brow raised, not understanding that inside joke between the two men. Dinner time seemed to go well enough. There was a lot of joking and laughing, though they made sure to stay off the topic of the things that David and Frank had gotten up to together. After dinner they all gathered into the living room with a couple of bottles of wine, though Frank politely declined the drink. An hour passed as they continued their dinner topics like David's new job, and how Leo was doing at school. The last bottle of wine was nearly empty now so Sarah made one last attempt to offer some to their guest. "Are you sure you won't have any, Frank?" Sarah asked from where she and Leo shared the loveseat, holding the wine bottle out towards him as he just waved it off. "Nah. Tryin' t' cut back on the alcohol. Besides, I think David has drunk enough for the both of us," he gave the man seated next to him a disapproving look, receiving a shrug in response. "Well I couldn't just let it go to waste now, could I? Besides it gives me the chance to show off what a phenomenal dancer I am," David hopped to his feet and began prancing and skipping around the room, making everyone laugh at his obvious lack of skills. He stopped when he got back around to Frank and awkwardly swiveled and thrusted his hips in front of the other man who leaned back into the couch to get away; disgusted, but still amused. "C'mon, get outta here with that," he laughed and gestured with a hand for David to back off. "What's wrong? Are you threatened by my incredibly awesome dance moves? Don't worry, it only gets better!" "I swear, David, if you put your naked ass in my face again then I'll put ya in the ground for real this time," he flinched internally after he said that when he noticed Leo look down at the floor uncomfortably. He cursed himself, knowing he needed to be more careful of his choice of words, hoping he hadn't set himself back too much with her. Luckily David kept the conversation rolling on a light note. "Aw c'mon, you know you loved it," he grinned proudly as he dropped down onto the couch and playfully nudged the other man in the shoulder. "What? Do I even want to know?" Sarah laughed, looking confused, but incredibly amused at the same time. "Yeah, this guy shares a little too much info with me sometimes once he's had a few drinks. And that ain't all he tried t' show me," he eyed David with a brow raised, referring to the way he had bragged about a specific endowment of his. "You know you were curious and wanted to see it. Besides it's not my fault I'm an open book and you're just a prude," David turned his nose up as Frank shook his head. "No, I'm a gentleman. There's a difference," Frank gave a wink to the two females seated across from him as David laughed loudly. "You? A gentleman? Ha!" "Oh, ya think that's funny? No, what's funny is that I did see it, and that right there is a joke in itself." "Pffft! Please," David scoffed as he waved a dismissive hand, "You were more than impressed." "Ya know I heard the police actually filed a missin' persons report for that thing," he joked as Sarah and Leo both began to laugh, encouraging him to keep it up, "Yeah, pretty sure I saw it on the back of a milk carton." "Alright, that's enough...," David started to sober, feeling offended at being the butt of the joke, but Frank wasn't done yet. "I'm guessin' ya married this guy for his personality, right?" He asked Sarah, who couldn't really answer from how hard she was laughing. "Frank...Don't push it....," David warned with his eyes narrowed dangerously. "You poor woman. It's a wonder ya even managed t' have kids." "This is your last warning..." "Now I know why he gave himself the codename 'Micro'." "That does it!" David shouted as he quickly lunged at Frank before he even knew what was happening and tackled him off of the couch onto the floor. Frank was surprised by the strength that his friend seemed to have as they wrestled around; his lanky build managing to provide him with some extra leverage. "Oh my gosh! David, get off of him!" Sarah demanded, but couldn't help laughing uncontrollably at her husband's childish antics. "Not to worry, dear! This man is absolutely impervious to pain!" David exclaimed as he continued to pummel Frank with the softest of punches, prompting him to mockingly prop his arms behind his head. "Especially when it feels like I'm bein' hit by a little girl. No offense, Leo," Frank grinned up at where she sat across from them; happy when she smiled back at him through a giggle. "Oh, I know he is. I did hit him with my car after all, and then ten minutes later he was fixing our garage," Sarah laughed, remembering the day she first met 'Pete Castiglione'. "Well that's no surprise, he does have a pretty thick skull. It's hard to get anything through to him," David smirked, thinking he had gotten the last word in as Frank simply returned the smug look. "Oh, so ya wanna play like that, huh? How about ya tell 'em about the sandwich, 'Micro'!" "Wha...The sandwich?" Sarah raised her hands in confusion with a twisted smile on her face, "What is he talking about now?" "Nothing!" David shouted as he grabbed the nearest pillow off the couch and attempted to smother Frank's face with it, though it was quickly ripped from his hands and flung to the side as Frank continued. "I won't go into detail, but see we was goin' on this mission in the middle of the night..." "No! Cease and desist!" David protested, trying desperately to cover Frank's mouth with his hands only to have them effortlessly pushed away. "...And I never realized what a selfish jerk your husband was until..." "Shut up!" In a last act of desperation to silence him David latched his hands onto the larger man's ribs and began tickling with earnest. He honestly did not think that would even work, but was delightfully surprised when Frank's words were successfully cut off. "...Until that day when he-Daahaa! Hey hey! Quihihit it!" He cracked into an even wider grin with husky laughter spilling out as he tried to squirm away from his attacker. That was the absolute last thing he had expected David to do and he was not prepared in the least. "Oh ho ho, looky what we got here! Do I detect a secret weakness?" David grinned wickedly, still not quite believing it as his long fingers moved faster along the sides of his writhing companion. "Gehh-Geddoffa me-heeheehee, ya bastahard!" Frank was doing his best to shove the curly-haired fiend away, though all the laughter had his arms feeling as limp as wet noodles, making his efforts less than effective. "Now you were saying something about a sandwich, Frankie...?" He teased, thrilled to be getting the one up on his disagreeable buddy, who shook his head between laughs. "Okaahaay! Ok ok! I won't tell! I won't tehehell! Now cuhut it ou-hout!!" Frank rolled around, trying to curl up and guard his upper body, but David was relentless and not backing down for a second. "No can do! I need to make an example of you! Now everyone will know that this is what happens when you dare to cross the all-powerful Micro!" He reached up further and dug his fingers into Frank's armpits, causing him to fling his head back with a roar of deep laughter. "Bwahahahaha! David!! Sto-hahahahah-ooop!!" He held back on his threats of death against the head Lieberman only because Leo was in the room and he was trying to keep those kind of thoughts about him out of her head. Though out of the corner of his eye he could see that both her and Sarah were fully enjoying watching his torment. "Coochie coochie coo! Now say 'uncle', big boy! C'mon, say it!" "Fuhuh...," Frank managed to catch himself as he uselessly swatted at the other man, "Screhehehew yooooou!!" "Oooh, such language in front of these beautiful ladies," David looked over to where his daughter watched with a high-level of interest. She seemed a lot more relaxed than when Frank had first arrived, and David had the perfect idea to help break the ice a little more between them. "C'mon Leo! Give me a hand here! Remember his rude comment about how girls hit?!" Frank wasn't too worried for he thought she still wouldn't be comfortable enough to get so close to him, but then he saw her slide out of her seat. His brown eyes widened immediately as she began to approach, knowing that facial expression of someone eager for revenge. "No no! I was kihihiddin'! I taahaake it baahaack!" Frank yelped in objection as he shook his head, but by then Leo's fingers were already scribbling over his belly. The new sensation combined with David still attacking his ribs and underneath his arms had Frank's laughter increasing in pitch, transforming it into embarrassing, hysterical giggling. "Leo, nohohohoo!! Eeeheheheheheeheehee!! I didn't....I didn't me-hee-an it!!" He was fighting the assault even less now that she had joined in, not wanting to risk accidentally hurting her. Of course he hadn't wanted to hurt David either, but he wouldn't have felt nearly as bad about unintentionally elbowing the guy in the face. "See Leo? He's not so scary. Your Uncle Frank is just a big ol' teddy bear, isn't he?" David laughed himself as Leo really took a look at the man wriggling desperately beneath them. Frank looked the least bit frightening with his body all curled up as he laughed helplessly from their actions. She could tell he was doing everything he possibly could to keep his arms from lashing out at them, which she found to be a very sweet gesture. She had gone back and read all the news stories about him that she could get her hands on, knowing he could obliterate all of them without any effort if he really wanted to, but instead he chose to make hardly any attempt to defend himself against them. He was just laying there and willingly allowing them to torture him out of his mind. He did carefully raise his knees in a feeble attempt to block her so Leo experimentally ran her fingers over his kneecaps, not too surprised to find they were sensitive as well. With a squeal he jerked his legs back down, but Leo pursued, sitting on his shins to pin his legs as she squeezed and tickled all around his knees. "No nohohohoo!! Gaahahaahah!! Thaahaat's not faahaahaair!!" Frank bellowed through intense laughter as his legs spasmed underneath her; the heels of his large boots thudding against the floor. "You've got him now, Leo!" David had stopped tickling and was just concentrating on holding Frank down as he rooted for his daughter. She nodded in agreement as she laughed along. "I can't believe he's this ticklish! I don't think I've ever seen him smile so much!" Frank had tears in his eyes now from laughing so hard, but he managed to look up and focus on the girl merrily working away at his knees. The fear towards him that he had seen in her eyes earlier that night was completely gone, and that made him happier than any one could ever know. Leo didn't fail to notice the change in her attitude towards him either. She had gone back to looking at him the way she used to, back when she only knew him as "Pete". He was the man her mother had accidentally hit with her car in their driveway, but regardless stuck around for their well being in the absence of her father. He was the man who encouraged her curiosity to be self-sufficient, and helped her with the household repairs, showing patience and offering advice when needed. He was the man who brought much needed comfort to her mother, and at the same time her brother; helping him to overcome the extreme resentment he carried for the loss of their father. He was the man who had sacrificed himself, almost getting himself killed so that her father could return to make their family whole again. She couldn't believe she had let the media distort her perception of him simply because he was The Punisher. He was not the bad guy that they had made him out to be. Yes, he had killed a lot of people and that made him a vigilante in the eyes of the law, but after learning what had happened to his family she found that she really couldn't judge him for it. All she knew was that despite his alleged violent tendencies he would never hurt her, or any member of her family. He cared for them, much like she expected that he had done for his own family and that was what kind of person he really was. From that moment on Leo had made a decision. The Liebermans were his family now, and she was going to make sure that he knew it. "Come on, you guys, let him up. Are you trying to tickle him to death?" Sarah asked in pity for him as she continued to sip from her wine glass, though it was evident on her face that she was clearly still enjoying the spectacle. "Mom, he's gotta surrender first," Leo explained as she looked back over her shoulder before turning her attention back to Frank, "So you ready to give up yet? Or does The Punisher not know how to surrender? I'll bet I can make you..." The young girl grinned as she scooted up his legs and plunged her fingers back into his stomach, tickling the hard muscles through his thin layer of t-shirt. Frank guffawed loudly as he twisted and squirmed to get free of David's hold on him, though not getting far with Leo also straddling his thighs to keep him in place. He simply couldn't stand it any more. When it came to pain his tolerance was extremely high for he was more than used to being beaten and bloodied on a weekly basis. The adrenaline rush he could muster during torture actually made his tolerance for the pain inflicted on him that much higher. But in this situation it was having the opposite effect. The adrenaline was causing him to feel more ticklish by the second, bringing his tolerance level way down. He didn't know exactly how to handle it. Though it was a funny thought to him that this is what could get him to beg versus being tortured by the likes of the Irish Mob and having a power drill ran straight through his foot. "Yes!! Pleee-eehehehehe! Please!! I gi....I gihihihive!! Ahahahaha-I caahaan't take no-ho mohohore!!" "Ooooh, make him say 'Micro rules, and The Punisher drools'. And then we can.....What? What are you doing?" David was baffled when Leo dismounted his friend as residual giggles continued to bubble out of him. "He surrendered, dad. We have to let him go now." "Awww you party pooper," David reluctantly released Frank and playfully stuck his tongue out, making Leo laugh as she got to her feet. "Th...Thanks kid.....Oh shh...shit....you two almost....killed me....," Frank panted out as he rested a hand on his chest, blushing at the state he'd been reduced to. "No we didn't, you drama queen. You're like a human cockroach, unkillable." "Yeah, but you can't tickle a cockroach," Leo giggled, making Frank blush even more as he smiled in embarrassment and covered his face with his hands. "Aw jeez, I can't fuckin' believe this." "Hey hey hey, what did I tell you about those f-bombs, cockroach boy?" David scolded, reaching in for a quick tickle on the stomach as Frank yelped and immediately curled back into the fetal position. "Ok, sorry sorry! Just don't do that no more." Frank flinched when David bent down towards him again, but found that he was just trying to help him off of the floor. "How come you never told me you were ticklish? I thought we shared everything with each other," David teased as he successfully got his friend seated back onto the couch. "Uh, never crossed my mind t' mention it." He actually had thought of it a couple times when in the past David had helped to dress some of his wounds. An occasional brush over his stomach or a poke into his ribs when applying bandages had had him gritting his teeth to stop from reacting. He knew David would've took full advantage if he knew back then, though of course he probably would've also punched him pretty hard back then for trying. "The fearsome Punisher is ticklish. I'll bet if Rawlins had tickle tortured you then you would've given him the computer password right from the start," David laughed at his own joke, thinking that there was definitely potential for that to have happened. "Luckily he wasn't as sick and twisted as you are," Frank gave a crooked grin as he playfully punched David in the arm, making the other man smirk. "You liked it. Don't lie." "Hmph, well I won't lie that it's been awhile. No one's tickled me since...," he trailed off for several moments as he became lost in thought. "Are you ok?" A soft voice brought him back to attention as he turned to his side to find Leo staring at him with concern. He smiled and just nodded. "Yeah, sweetie, just thinkin' about my wife, Maria. She loved t' tickle me, knowin' it would always make me laugh. Just one of the little things I miss about her," Frank sighed, trying not to show how painful it was for him to think of her. "Well in her honor I shall be happy to further continue where she left off," David grinned, reaching towards Frank with wiggling fingers only to be stopped in his progress by a large palm to the face. "I said I miss her doing it, not you, ya idiot," he rolled his eyes before chuckling softly as a smaller finger poked him in the ribs at his other side. "What about me?" Leo asked with bright, hopeful eyes as Frank smiled warmly and put his arm around her. "Sweetheart, you're definitely the next best thing t' her." "Heeeey, but I'm the best friend," David whined before he was roughly shoved to the side, now sitting on the far end of the couch with a mock pout. "He knows, hun. He knows," Sarah assured as she walked over to her husband, lovingly hugging him and placing a kiss on his scruffy cheek. "Fair warnin' though, I can get even," Frank smirked and lightly prodded the girl in the stomach, receiving a giggle from her in response. "Well then I'll have to be sure that I make it worth it, Frank," she said as he nodded until her words had processed, making him pause. "Ya called me Frank," he reaffirmed with a smile stretching across his now blushing cheeks. "I'm not afraid of Frank anymore. And honestly, I think I actually like Frank even more than Pete," she wrapped her arms around him, snuggling into his side as he pulled her closer. "Glad t' hear it, sweetie. Either way it's ok with me." "You're one of us now. Whether you like it or not you're a part of this family," she declared, making his heart soften even more. "Thank you, sweetheart. I promise I'll never let ya down. I failed t' protect my own family, but I sure as hell ain't gonna make that same mistake twice in a lifetime. I swear," his voice cracked slightly as tears threatened at the corners of his eyes. "We know. And we'll be here for you too, through all the bad times and the good. Hopefully mostly good though," Leo smiled, lightly tickling his sides to get his endorphins back up. It succeeded in halting his tears as Frank chuckled, allowing it for a few moments more. Finally he grabbed a hold of her hands to stop her as he looked to his other side to see David and Sarah smiling fondly at the pair. He broke into a smile of his own as he hugged the young girl even tighter. "David....Micro, ya may be the best thing that's happened t' me in a long time."