if franky left in his tear ducts i’d like to think he left in the ability to feel ticklish as well.
with that being said franky (being the resident tk monster of the strawhats along with robin & luffy) always tries to sneak up on robin and tickle her, but fails miserablyyyyy every single time and of course suffers the consequences.
she goes easy on the other straw hats when it comes to tickles, but never franky though :3 she knows her boyfriend can take it heheh
also, franky’s back is probably his most ticklish spot, since its the only place on him without metal!! (im pre sure?)
Zoro is such a cute lee. I don't know, it's something about his gruff personality, enduring training, and his funny moments that makes him someone who would be ticklish. I hope it's canon because ITS SO CUTE. IM GONNA COME TO ODAS MAILBOX AND SEND HIM A LETTER ABOUT HOW TICKLISH EVERY STRAW HAT IS AND IM GONNA MAKE ***SURE*** IT SHOWS UP IN THE SBS.
I think Zoro is really ticklish under his arms because ticklish armpits are cute. I also think he is bad on his abs, because.... they're like really strong and he can't really defend against that type of attack he didn't train for it. He's also really good at tolerating tickles, as in he can hold in laughter for a long long time because he's just an enduring guy like that. He's SOOOOO cute.... Anyways, each Straw Hat targets him but, not too often, if that make sense.
WELL, very often for some, like Luffy. I think Luffy basically just likes to tickle everyone, he's so smiley, fun and bouncy, and he gets tickled back just as much because he probably wants to be as well. Zoro's probably annoyed by Luffy always tickling him, usually when he's training or when he's just napping alone or he needs to be woken up from his long naps. (Luffy also take naps, so Zoro probably returns that favor to him... but he wouldn't be caught DEAD doing that).
Sanji does NOT want to touch Zoro because of their rivalry, but you best believe when he found out he was ticklish, he would gloat and tease him by poking him, wiggling his fingers in his face, and using it as LEVERAGE. Zoro then retaliates by cussing him out- I don't really think Zoro would take the initiative to tickle Sanji- *COLLECTIVE CROWD BOOING* BUT *COLLECTIVE YAYING* I think that he would once he reaches that BREAKING POINT of being goaded.
Nami will tickle Zoro and use it as blackmail or extortion. She can and will extort berries out of him, threaten to show snail videos of him being tickled, and all that jazz. She is all about that hustle. Her nimble fingers and knowledge of mapmaking make her terrifying as a ler, but since Zoro is so strong, revenge is easy- but not often had because he gets TAXED for it.
Chopper tickles Zoro by accident usually when fixing him up, much like in one of my FAVE TICKLE FICS EVER, "Part of the treatment". Zoro, being much softer on the reindeer, is more lenient of his tickling, which can lead to his doing it on PURPOSE HEHEHEHEHE and both of them keep it a secret that Chopper can tickle him it's PRETTY PRIVELEGE.
Robin.... well she tickles Zoro on PURPOSE. He is among top 4 tickle targets, Luffy for being goofy, Usopp for also being goofy, Chopper for being cute, and ZORO for being so so so so mr not smiley serious face all the time. This is also like in one of my fav fanfics, "happy".... UP THE TK COMMUNITY BC IM TBH JUST SHARING EVEWRYONES FANFICS. and like.... it makes sense for robin to tickle zoro just look at this .
Franky prob doesn't tickle zoro often, and I really got nothing to say abt brook and jimbe... SAWRY but i wanna make hcs for franky brook and jimbe. I LOVE ONE PIEEEEEEEEECEEEEEEEEEEEEE
AND I WANNA TCKLE HIS ARMPITS BYE GUSY I HOPE U LIKED THIS LIKE AND SUBSRCIBE
Original request: "For Day 12, I wanna see Kay up to mischief since the Investigations Collection came out recently! Maybe some Lee Edgeworth and Gummy too?"
Author’s note: Wooo, time to (finally) celebrate the release of the Investigation Collection with a fic! Here’s Day 12 of Tickletober: “Mischief,” “Ancient,” and “Wall” from August’s Tickletober List, Crow’s Tickletober List, and Nim’s Tickletober List! I hope you enjoy!
Series: Ace Attorney Investigations
Characters: Miles Edgeworth, Detective Gumshoe, Kay Faraday
Word count: 1,576
Summary: Kay is playing an imaginative adventure game to obtain a ‘treasure,’ but Edgeworth’s lack of imagination disrupts her game; that is, until she gets a mischievous idea to rope him into her adventure. (Side note: There are no spoilers that are mentioned so please enjoy!)
---
Imagine a tense sequence of an adventure movie, where the hero is in the depths of an underground cave, slowly approaching a room with ancient treasure that’s perched on top of a pedestal. That’s exactly the image that’s playing out in Kay’s brain currently.
She tiptoes towards a rounded table near the entrance of Edgeworth’s prosecutor office, keeping her eyes locked on the ‘treasure’ she wants to obtain—the legendary, convenient stapler (that she took from Edgeworth’s desk).
“The adventure approaches the pedestal, careful not to set off any traps,” Kay narrates for herself in a quiet whisper. “And then…she makes a run for it!” Kay picks up speed towards the stapler. As she closes in on the treasure, her vision of the prize becomes obstructed. She stops on her heels as Gumshoe steps in front of the table with his arms thrown out like a goalie and in prime position to block any adventurer from passing through.
“Nice try, pal! But you’ll have to get through me first!” Gumshoe smiles as he plays along with Kay’s game.
“Drats! A wall!” Kay exaggerates her words. “Not a problem! I can just go around it!” She attempts to run around to both sides to find an opening at a different angle, but Gumshoe mimics her movements to block her path.
“Or how about going through it!” Kay exclaims right as she charges at Gumshoe. She tries to duck under his arms, but Gumshoe catches her. She stretches her arms as far as she can and flails them towards the stapler like she was swimming to it, although she’s just out of reach, even when trying to push her way through Gumshoe’s barricade.
Kay wiggles herself backwards out of Gumshoe’s hold and stares up at her ‘obstacle.’
“Sorry, pal, but you’re not getting past me that easily!” Gumshoe says.
“Well then! If I can’t go around or through the wall, then I guess the only option left is to make the wall crumble!” Kay balls up her fist in determination. However, under the guise of her determination, there’s a glint in her eye that’s practically brimming with mischief.
“Good luck with that. Because whatever you do, this wall will not brea–hehehehey!” Gumshoe’s last word morphs into giggles when Kay lunges her hands at the detective and starts tickling him. The strength to keep his arms up falters and he quickly squeezes them to his sides for protection, then twists to his right from her attack.
“Demolition by ticking!” Kay grins as she follows the detective's movements and scribbles into one of his sides.
“Nohohoho! My one weheheheakness!” Gumshoe continues to play along with the game. A giggly yelp comes from Gumshoe when Kay’s hand’s scribble at his belly, causing the detective to nearly fold in half.
“Kahahahahay, whahahait!” Gumshoe breaks character through his giggles. He leans forward even more, “Thahahat reheheheally tickles!” He loses his balance and collapses to his knees. His hands wrap around himself as Kay and her hands still follow him down.
“Ah ha!” Kay exclaims victoriously. She pulls her hands from Gumshoe, then races to claim her prize.
“Now to just grab the treasure!” She reaches out for it, and just as she’s about to grab it, the stapler is snatched up by another hand right in front of her.
“Hey!” Kay looks up at the stapler now in the hands of Edgeworth. The prosecutor has loose papers in his hand and seemingly needs the stapler for its intended function. “Mr. Edgeworth!” Kay places her hands on her hips. “That’s my ancient treasure!”
“It is not treasure, Kay. It is my stapler and I need to use it,” Edgeworth says while looking at his paperwork instead of her. He begins to trot back to his desk.
“Aww, come on, Mr. Edgeworth!” Kay follows his footsteps. “Where’s your imagination?”
The prosecutor straightens his stack of papers and taps them on his desk.
“It’s on vacation,” he says bluntly. He clicks the stapler to the corner of the pages.
“Boooo! You’re no fun,” Kay jokingly insults him. “It’s like talking to a brick wall.” Just then, Kay blinks as if her vision needs clarity. She straightens her posture as an idea clicks in that playfully devious mind of hers.
She points her index finger in the air as her classic, mischievous smile makes its second appearance. “But walls are meant to be broken!”
Edgeworth still has his eyes on his paperwork as he places it down, “Kay, what are you talking abo–hohout!” Edgeworth yelps mid sentence as Kay lunges her hands at him, pushing his back to the desk. She wastes no time as she scribbles into his sides, causing Edgworth to lean back and brace his free hand on the surface of the desk. His other hand still holds the stapler as airy snickers begin to release from the prosecutor.
“Demolition by tickling part two!” Kay smiles.
“Kahahahay! Get ohohoff mehehe!” giggles start to pour from Edgeworth as he’s momentarily pinned between Kay and his desk.
“Then give me the stapler back, Mr. Edgeworth!” Kay attempts to reach for the stapler, but Edgeworth holds it above his head. The pause in Kay’s tickling allows Edgworth to sidestep out of his pinned position and reach the corner of his desk.
“I will not!” Edgeworth backs away as Kay steps closer.
“Then if you don’t give it back, you’re a thief!” she points at him. “And there’s only room for one Great Thief around here!” Kay smiles as she approaches Edgeworth. Edgworth backs up further and rounds the corner of his desk to his chair.
“How can I be a thief if it’s my stapler?!”
“Use your imagination! Remember, Mr. Edgeworth?” Kay says before running towards him.
“Kay, no!” Edgeworth runs in the other direction and around the rest of his desk with Kay chasing after him. The prosecutor rushes towards the front of the room, where Gumshoe is now standing.
“Get him, Gummy!” Kay shouts with a grin. As Edgeworth attempts to run past him, the detective wraps his arms around the prosecutor and spins around with him to halt his momentum.
“Gotcha!” Gumshoe says.
“Detective, don’t you dare!” Egdeworth frantically tries to wiggle himself out of Gumshoes' hold. He manages to get his arms free; however, Gumshoe throws his own arm across the prosecutor’s chest and pulls him back, then he puts Edgeworth’s stapler-holding arm in a headlock with his free arm to trap it. Gumshoe’s hand that’s wrapped across the prosecutor's chest immediately goes to work by tickling his underarm. Another yelp is followed by deep giggles that encase the prosecutor’s form.
Kay approaches with her hands on her hips again. “Ha ha! Looks like you set off a tickly trap while you were escaping! That’s why you gotta be a skilled adventurer like me,” she grins before winking at Gumshoe. “Thanks for the help, Gummy.”
“No problem, Kay,” Gumshoe smiles.
Kay moves forward and assists Gumshoe, using her fingers to wiggle into Edgeworth’s belly. “Now, hand over the treasure!”
“Whahahat if I rehehefuse? Hahaha!” Edgeworth attempts to stand his ground as he wheezes through his words. A shriek suddenly comes from the prosecutor when Kay’s fingers crawl their way up to his ribs.
“Then you get your ribs tickled, that’s what,” Kay grins, knowing that Edgeworth’s ribs are his weak point.
“Ahahalright! I gihihive! Juhuhuhust tahahake the stapler!”
“What stapler? I only see treasure,” Kay teases him one more time.
“The treasure, ohohokay?! Tahahake it!”
Kay jumps up and immediately snatches her prize from his hand. Gumshoe releases Edgeworth from his trap, causing the prosecutor to squeeze his arms to his sides as he recovers breaths of air.
“Pleasure doing business with you,” Kay takes a bow to celebrate her win.
“Glad you’re happy now,” Edgeworth uses one hand to rub his previously attacked ribs. “I’ll just use a paperclip or something as a temporary solution,” he begins to turn towards his desk.
“Nah, you can have it,” Kay holds out the stapler.
“Wh-What?!” Edgeworth stutters. “Kay, why did we just go through all of that if you didn’t even want the stapler?!” he questions.
“Yeah, Kay. I thought you said earlier that the stapler couldn’t be replaced with anything else as the treasure,” Gumshoe adds.
“I did it to have fun, of course,” Kay answers Edgeworth's question. “You need to have fun around the office more often. You’re lucky that Gummy and I are here to help with that.”
Edgeworth opens his mouth to begin a counter argument, but Kay speaks first.
“Come on, Gummy! Let’s imagine a new scene! This time, we can be on a train heist!”
“Sounds good to me, Kay!” Gumshoe replies and the two go back to their spot near the front of the office, after Kay runs over to return the stapler to Edgeworth’s desk.
Edgeworth rolls his eyes and disregards what he was going to say. He walks over to his desk, takes a seat, and grabs the paperwork he was working on. He straightens out another stack, then glances at the stapler now on his desk. Kay and Gumshoe’s new game can be heard in the background of his work. It doesn’t distract him, nor does it bother him. Truthfully, it makes the office a bit more lively; it makes it feel a bit less lonely.
Perhaps Kay, as mischievous as she can be, is right. The office just wouldn’t be the same without them.
[ID: Several monochrome drawings of Kazuma and Ryuunosuke from Ace Attorney. The first shows Ryuunosuke sitting on the edge of the wardrobe, with its doors open. He's looking at Kazuma who is laying out a place to sleep on the ground. Kazuma says "A true bro doesn't let his partner sleep in a closet for 50 days. A makeshift futon will be better than nothing." Ryuunosuke asks "but what if someone comes in?" To which Kazuma replies "As you'll be made well aware soon, the door of the cabin can't be opened in any way when locked from the inside."
The second image is labelled "Ways Ryunosuke Naruhodo could have slept that aren't in the fucking wardrobe". Number one is the vertical split, which shows Kazuma and Ryuunosuke laying in bed parallel to each other. Between them is Kazuma's katana, and Asogi is saying "We have to leave room for Karuma." Number two is the horizontal split, which shows the two men laying horizontally in bed. Ryuunosuke says "I kind of like this actually. Sleeping all curled up." Eyes closed, Kazuma replies "maybe the closet isn't so bad for you then." The third position is head to toe, which shows them laying vertically in bed. Ryuunosuke's head is visible, while Kazuma's feet are visible. Laughing, he says "Kazuma stop! Your ribbons are tickling my feet." A second image shows Kazuma's annoyed face. His headband is spread out behind him over Ryuunosuke's feet.
Number four is taking turns. Ryuunosuke is on the bed, lifting up the pillow to reveal a large book with the Scales of Justice on the front. He asks Kazuma, who lays on the floor with his hands folded under his head, "You keep a law book under your pillow?!" The fifth position is sleepover style (on the floor). Both men are laying out on the floor, with Ryuunosuke propping himself up on his elbows and moving his feet in the air. Kazuma is on his back, and both are speaking. Ryunosuke says "Sooo Kazuma do you have a crush on anyone?" The sixth and final one is like true bros. Both men are on the bed, and Ryuunosuke is laying on Kazuma's chest. Kazuma has his arms around his bro, and both have their eyes closed. Kazuma says "sleep tight, partner." To which Ryuunosuke replies "Sweet dreams, partner." End ID]
Author’s note: It’s Great Ace Attorney’s time to shine! To the anon who requested van Zieks for the Hear Me Out Cake event, I AGREE! So, here’s a fic with him and Iris! (I paired them with a chocolate strawberry cake! Here’s the recipe where I found the image!) Enjoy!
Series: The Great Ace Attorney
Characters: Barok van Zieks and Iris Willson
Word count: 1,647
Summary: Iris wonders if Barok can drop his serious act for once and smile! She thinks she has just the right remedy to help.
---
When Iris invited him over for tea, he expected awkward periods of conversation where silence claimed the stage. What would he say to the little inventor? He thought he would be terrible company. To his surprise, however, Iris is the one who claimed the conversational spotlight. She chatted with him about the errands she did earlier in the day and the things she saw while on her walk. He is simply an ear for the ramblings of a child who is excited to spill everything—every ounce of information they witness—without the fear of being judged, and with the pure heart of someone who’s just happy to share. He, on the other hand, is offering little to nothing to the conversation.
They’re so different. Barok is quiet, reserved. He’s lost some of that sense of happiness that Iris radiates in her presence. Even so, carrying a conversation can still become tiresome. He can see Iris grasping for more to talk about, and he doesn’t know what to say to her to give her a lifeline. There’s a momentary pause in their discussion.
“Oh, I forgot to ask. How’s your tea, Mr. Reaper? Did I make it alright?” Iris asks from her seat across from him.
Iris is a smart girl. He should have known that she would be able to pick up on him being lost in thought.
She places her tea cup down on the table in between them. “Mr. Reaper?” she says his nickname like she’s had something on her mind this whole time. “If you don’t mind me asking, why is it that you never smile?”
Barok can tell from her voice that she’s been waiting patiently to ask this. He also knows that Iris isn’t asking out of curiosity; she’s asking out of concern. After his poor conversational performance, she deserves some substance of an answer. She’s mature enough to understand.
“I suppose I’ve learned to live without it. There were events that happened in my past that required me to be more serious than happy. Especially in my profession, happiness is a weakness. A stern face is more imposing.” He hesitates, remembering the time when he could smile. “I suppose my happiness diminished over the years to make room for the more serious side of me that was necessary to survive.”
She nods. “I understand having a serious side occasionally. It’s needed, in some cases. Even Hurley does it. But what about in situations like this when we’re just having some tea? Couldn’t you allow yourself to smile, at least once in a while?”
“I could, but it’s…hard for me to change my habits.” He glances at his tea and leaves it at that.
Iris sits up. She puts her hands on her hips, surprising Barok with how perky she’s acting after his response.
“That does it then. I’m making it my mission to make you smile again! Right here, right now!” Iris exclaims. A smile takes over her own face at the declaration of her “game.”
“What?” Barok sits there, stunned. He places his tea on the table. The little girl is already hopping off her seat, walking over, and climbing up onto the couch cushions next to him.
“Come on Mr. Reaper! Try it!” she sits on her knees, then reaches her hands up to poke the prosecutor’s cheeks. She pushes her index fingers up to stretch Barok’s mouth upwards too. It’s…an attempt, to say the least.
“Iris,” the prosecutor says, a little muffled from his cheeks currently in an unnatural position. He gently grabs the girl’s hands from his face.
“Come on, Mr. Reaper! Smile! Or am I going to have to use another method?” Iris’s voice sounds a bit more mischievous than he would like.
“I don’t think there is any other way.”
“Sure there is!” Iris explains, “It’s a simple one too. It’s called tickling!”
It takes Barok a second to actually process her words, but by then it’s too late. “Wait. Wha–AH!”
Barok flinches when Iris suddenly scratches at his sides, feeling her little fingers even through the fabric of his dress shirt. He curls his arms closer to himself in reflex. Feeling a wobbly smile start to twitch on his lips, he turns his head into his shoulder. He tries to keep his reactions subtle so he doesn’t reveal this side of him, but he’s afraid he’s already revealed too much.
“Ooh, is that a smile I’m seeing, Mr. Reaper?” The girl’s eyes sparkle with a sense of success.
“W-Well, I–” The prosecutor stutters, trying to keep his composure as the growing feeling of giggles rise up his chest.
Iris chuckles. “It looks like it’s working! I’m so glad! I wasn’t sure if this method would work on you for sure, but thank goodness you’re ticklish!”
“N-Now wait a minute!” Barok’s speech turns flustered at the direct mention of his current predicament. When her little hands go for his stomach, he lets out a soft yelp in surprise and curls forward. First comes the snickers, then the uncontrollable giggles as he leans back—deep, yet carefree giggles that are finally given a chance to be set free.
“Ihihihiris!” he says her name since it was the only coherent word that came to his scrambled mind. He instinctively leans back further to avoid Iris’s hands, but he tilts a little too far and topples over onto the cushions.
A smile beams on Iris’s face finally being able to see this part of the prosecutor. Continuing her game, she jumps onto the prosecutor’s lap like a kitten and starts poking and prodding at his tummy like the keys of her typewriter. Barok lets out another jolt of laughter and wraps his arms around his torso.
Iris giggles as well. “Now that’s a smile if I’ve ever seen one!”
“Ohohokay, Iris! Yohohou’ve proved your pohohoint! I cahahan still smile!” Barok says through his light swarms of giggles.
“I know I said I just wanted to see you smile, Mr. Reaper…” the girl says with a twinge of guilt. “But it’s so rare that I get to hear you laugh. You never have full belly laughs like this,” she emphasizes her sentence by delivering more scribbles to his belly.
Barok twists his head to the side, trying to hide his jovial looking expression, even though Iris has seen it clearly already. “Behehecause I have a reputation to uphohohold!”
“Yes, so you’ve told me. But hear me out though, Mr. Reaper. You have to admit that it’s nice to laugh once in a while, right?”
As embarrassing as his situation is, Barok can’t find any reason to disagree with her claim. He, being much taller and stronger, could easily stop her or gently push her from his lap, but he hasn’t. He enjoys seeing the little inventor happy, and will endure her game (even if it’s only for a little bit) if it makes her happy. He’s keeping up partially for Iris’s sake, but he’s also doing it for his sake as well. He forgot what it was like to laugh like this with the family and friends he cares about.
“I suppohohose,” Barok responds. His response is just enough to fill the excitement on Iris’s face again.
“Hooray! I knew you would understand, Mr. Reaper!” Iris cheers and takes his answer as a sign that she can continue. She scribbles her fingers up to his ribs to explore. Barok jumps and lifts himself a bit on his arms as he shimmies backwards on the cushions.
“Hehehey! Thahahat wasn’t ahahahan invitation!” he makes sure to say with a tone of playfulness. Iris hops off his lap and crawls in the ditch of the cushions between Barok and the backrest of the couch, so she can have easier access to reaching his ribs.
She detects the gem of joy in his voice. “But you agreed with me!” Iris throws a little tease his way.
“I did–hahaha!” he admits through his mouthful of laughter. “Buhuhut I—AHA!” Barok shouts when Iris finds another ticklish spot to scribble along his ribs. He scrambles to prop his back on the arm of the couch. “Buhuhut I retract my statement! Nohoho mohohore, Iris! Plehehease!” he finally caves into her tickles.
“Understood, Mr. Reaper,” Iris pulls away and rests her hands on her knees, still with a bright expression on her features. Barok, on the other hand, hugs his torso as his giggles fade and his breathing returns to normal. Like Iris though, his face also still has light remnants of a smile.
Barok pulls his legs off the couch. Although the little inventor sees his lingering joy, her own happiness begins to fade with worry.
“I hope I didn’t overdo it, Mr. Reaper,” she glances away and sheepishly rubs her arm. “I thought you could use the fun,” she looks up at the prosecutor with innocent eyes that say they were just trying to help.
He shakes his head. “No, it’s alright. You were correct. I should learn to put the serious demeanor away from time to time.”
Iris’s spirits lift a little upon hearing that.
Barok continues, “This isn’t a courtroom. This is teatime. A chance for relaxation with good company.” When he finishes his statement, he shows his soft smile to the girl.
Without another word, Iris plants her feet on the cushions. She swings her arms around Barok’s neck in a hug. He sits stunned for a moment. He can’t see her face, but he knows her smile is back where it belongs.
“And for the record, Mr. Reaper,” Iris says with her head on his shoulder, “You look much better with a smile.”
Barok can’t help but feel a calming warmth from her hug—and her words. He gently lays his hands on the girl’s back to return the hug.
Original request: "Hey there! Little late to the party, but seeing the tgaa reblogs for Barok and Albert has made me love them again, so can we please have day 1 anticipation/“ready?” where Albert is like. Studying the sensitivity of humans and uses Barok as a willing test subject. Love ur fics!"
Author’s note: Aaaah!!! Happy first day of Tickletober everyone!!! It’s time to kick this event off with Day 1: “Anticipation” and “Ready?” from August’s Tickletober List and Nim's Lovely Tickletober List! I hope you enjoy!
Series: The Great Ace Attorney
Characters: Barok van Zieks and Albert Harebrayne
Word count: 1,343
Summary: Albert has a hypothesis about the reactions of human sensitivity and needs to test it. Luckily for him, Barok has agreed to his giggle-inducing experiment. Enjoy!
---
“So according to past research, the senses provide the brain with information involving someone’s surroundings. It’s a tool for survival that we have evolved to keep,” Albert paces about Barok’s prosecutor office, looking at the notebook in his hand and tapping a pen to the page. “It’s theorized that our senses are heightened when an imminent danger is involved, which is effective for the senses like sight, hearing, and smell to be more perceptive. However, that begs the question if the sense of touch is also heightened during these circumstances!”
Albert’s eyes light up and he closes his notebook in one hand. He looks towards his friend Barok sitting in an armchair across from him. “Therefore, my theory is that a human’s sensitivity increases when the reactions of ‘survival’ are activated; however, it is a contradictory method of survival as it makes them more prone to feelings of touch.”
Barok nervously shifts in his seat a bit after the lecture. He watches Albert place his notebook down on his prosecutor’s desk.
“Albert,” Barok says, “I should have asked this before I agreed to be your test subject, but how exactly are you planning to test this hypothesis of yours?”
Albert blinks at his friend. “Did I not tell you how?” The scientist places a hand to his chin to recall their past conversation. “Oh, I didn’t,” he remembers. “I’m sorry about that, Barok. It’s very simple though, and despite talking about ‘survival’ methods, this won’t hurt a bit!” He chuckles, “Quite the opposite, actually. I’ll be using tickling to test my theory!”
Barok’s muscles suddenly tense and his eyes widen. He clears his throat to try and wipe away his surprised expression. “I…I see.”
“But if you feel uncomfortable with it, we do not have to follow through with the experiment,” Albert says with complete understanding.
Barok holds up his hand. “No, it’s fine. I agreed to help you and I will follow through with it,” the prosecutor willingly volunteers.
A spark of excitement returns to Albert’s face.
“Excellent! Then let us begin!” Albert clasps his hands together. He walks to the front of Barok’s sitting place. “First, a control variable.” Albert positions his hands like he was about to pounce at his friend. “Ready, Barok?”
Barok takes a moment to mentally prepare himself. He takes a deep breath and already leans back into his seat as he eyes Albert’s hands.
Barok responds, with hints of someone who’s possibly questioning their own decision, “Ready.”
With no time to spare, Albert dives for his ribs. Barok does a little jump and leans forward. Airy giggles, some restrained at first, start to release from the prosecutor. Barok instinctively turns his head into his shoulder to hide his childish smile. He sits back and gently grabs Albert’s wrists, but his grip loosens on purpose when he realizes that Albert needs his hands to do his experiment. There’s a small rise in Barok’s giggles when Albert moves from his ribs to his sides, but there’s no sudden bursts of laughter. It’s a very consistent stream of giggles.
“Ah, just as I suspected,” Albert pulls his hands away, allowing Barok a break. “Your reaction was smaller because you knew when the tickling was coming. Your body was expecting it.”
Barok tilts his head to get a grasp on the science, “Meaning that I was less sensitive just now?”
“Precisely,” Albert nods. “Now with the control variable out of the way, it’s time for the experiment!” Albert finishes his sentence by wiggling his fingers in the air, a slight smirk on his face. Barok instinctively leans back in his chair again, a bit more fearful than last time.
“Ready?” Albert’s grin seems to grow wider.
Barok attempts to regain his composure, though his eyes are still wide with uncertainty. He clears his throat and rolls his shoulders to sit up straight. “Ready,” he courageously prepares to take whatever is coming his way.
“Good. Now watch my hands,” Albert says while wiggling his fingers. After a brief pause, his hands dart towards Barok’s ribs. The prosecutor instinctively sinks deeper into the cushions of the chair as the hands approach, but Albert’s hands stop and wiggle right above his ribs, not touching, but close enough to nearly graze the fabric of his dress shirt.
“A-Albert!” Barok exclaims, taken aback by the sudden switch in tactics. A giggle slips as he watches his friend’s hands hover just above his ribs, “What are you doing?”
Barok reflexively squeezes his arms to his sides and giggles when Albert’s hands make a sudden move towards his sides, but they don’t actually touch him.
“Interesting. I’m not even touching you, yet you’re giggling already,” Albert observes. “Perhaps this is what is known as the ‘invisible touch.’ As predicted, the anticipation appears to be heightening your sensitivity. This time you don’t know when I’ll attack!”
Albert makes another sudden movement towards Barok’s belly, while the other hand air tickles his ribs again. The prosecutor jolts in defense with a small yelp and another giggle slips as if he is really being tickled. Albert can’t help but smile; he’s having a bit of fun seeing this.
Barok witnesses that silly smile on his friend’s face. He glares at the scientist while squirming away from his unpredictable hands. “Albert! Are you here to tease me or are you here to do an experi–MEHENT!” Barok’s sentence is cut off when Albert finally does go for his ribs, for real this time. A loud burst of laughter explodes from Barok as he tightens his arms to his sides and Albert’s fingers scribble into his torso.
“Aha! Just as I hypothesized! The anticipation created a much bigger reaction when you were actually ‘attacked.’” Albert smiles again, watching his usually stern friend beam with laughter. “Heh, I knew you were ticklish, Barok, but this is an even bigger reaction than I expected.”
“I didn't expect it eheheheither!” Barok giggles into his chest, beginning the first phases of curling himself into a protective ball.
“That’s the power of anticipation! It appears to heighten sensitivity when the body knows an ‘attack’ is approaching, but not when it’s approaching! Exhibit A…” Albert makes a swift movement to scribble into Barok’s belly and side. The prosecutor jumps back in his seat with a yelp and wraps his arms around himself. Laughter envelopes his entire form and he throws his head to the side to giggle towards the cushions.
“Ahahahalbert!” he turns his head towards his friend again and reaches out a hand. “Hohohold it! Stohohop! I can't take anymohohohore!” Barok giggles with a big smile on his face, not just from the tickling, but also with thankful hints of joy for being able to spend a silly moment with his friend again after so long.
Albert immediately pulls his hands back. Barok leans forward like a limp piece of paper as his chest rises and falls to catch his breath. As Barok recovers, Albert returns to his notebook and scribbles some notes in between the pages.
Barok sits up again, a hand still clutching his stomach. “Did you get all the evidence you needed?”
“I did indeed!” Albert looks up from his notebook. “I will need to do other research to back up my theory even further, but this has been an excellent first-time experiment. Thank you for your assistance, Barok.”
“It was my pleasure to help,” the prosecutor says.
Albert looks down and chuckles.
“Why are you laughing?” Barok asks.
Albert lifts his eyes towards his friend, smiling through his glasses. “I haven’t seen you laugh like that in a while. It brought back some good memories.” He glances to the floor, reminiscing, then glances back up again. “I hope you remember those good times too, Barok.”
Barok relaxes his muscles. A comforting warmth washes over him. “Rest assured, Albert. I do remember.” He pauses. A rare, soft smile crosses his features. He looks towards his friend to address him properly. “And it brings me great joy to keep making those kinds of memories with you.”
Another repost of an old fic as part of Tickletober (trapped) 🤭
Same as last time with a redraw ✨✍💖👌
I hope you enjoy it 🤭💖
___
Summary: Ash is staying over at Shorter’s place and gets his clothes mixed up. Shorter’s try to help his best friend quickly gets out of hand 😅
Notes: Beware ~ lots of tickles ahead 😉 (And cursy words 😂💥)
It also contains a tiiiiiny hint of ShorAsh 🤭🙃
(Please excuse any mistakes, English is not my native language 😆)
Another fic that is 3 years old! 😂🙈 And long af 😬🤣😲
But since a lot of you seemed to like the last Banana Fish fic I shared from the DokiDoki Timeportal I decided to revisit this one as well
🤗💪✨💖
Word Count: 4754
Shorter couldn't suppress a loud cackle as he turned around on the couch, placing his phone on the coffee table.
"What on earth are you doing?" he asked the blonde teen, appearing in the doorway to the living room of Shorter's resident in Chinatown, swearing like a trooper. There he was, his genius best friend, who could indeed be impersonated grace, when he wanted to, bundled up in a hoodie that was just way too small, even for his slender frame.
"Well, what does it look like, moron?!" Ash snarled back, desperately trying to free himself from this tiny piece of clothing, looking very much like a lunatic in a straitjacket. He hated to admit it, but he was helplessly stuck.
Curiously approaching the adorable mess that stood in front of him, struggling to bring that hoodie back over his head, Shorter took a closer look.
"Oh..." he noted softly, eventually recognizing the red hoodie Ash was “wearing” as one of Sing's. They must have been mixed up in the laundry somehow. Knowing Ash’s morningly survival capabilities, it didn’t take a lot of deducting skills to visualize how one thing must have led to another.
Ash had been staying over for a few days now, after finally giving in to Shorter's continuous attempts to invite him to his place. To his own surprise, he had ended up enjoying it quite a lot. Somehow he just got swept along by the older boy's upbeat personality, making him feel like a normal fifteen-year-old boy once in a while. But even for a skinny fifteen-year-old boy, this hoodie was a hopeless case.
"Need a hand?" Shorter asked his friend, who kept on squirming furiously. He even had to swallow down a giggle, seeing Ash blush slightly at these words, averting his eyes in embarrassment. The Blonde truly seemed to hate when he couldn't sort out his problems on his own. But in the end, he didn't have much choice. Displeased, he eventually agreed with a barely visible nod, frustration writ large in his face.
"But for real now... How did you even manage to get into this thing?"
Shorter grumbled in puzzlement as he tried to find a way to free his best friend from this misery, but as it turned out, the hoodie was a lot tighter than he had thought.
"Trial and success, obviously!" was the sassy reply he received.
"Pff... I wouldn't exactly call this a success." Shorter had to snicker at the Blonde's choice of words. He knew very well by now that Ash's extraordinary pride was nothing to be taken lightly, but given their situation, it was absolutely comical.
"Fuck it... This isn't working..." he added after a while,
"Put your arms up, they're in the way."
Reluctantly following Shorter's call, Ash let out a mewl of discomfort as the Chinese finally managed to pull the hoodie partly over his shoulders, revealing a black sleeveless tank top. His upper body was free, but now he couldn't see, as the hoodie was covering his face, keeping his arms snuggly in place above his head.
Bending over in an attempt to see why Ash was still so perfectly stuck, Shorter ran his fingers along the edge of the hoodie. But his try to figure out where he could get a good grasp on it was suddenly interrupted by a very uncharacteristic squeal.
"Sorry, did I hurt you?" the Chinese asked, startled by this unfamiliar sound.
"N-no... Just... get me out of this thing, will ya..." he heard Ash's gaspy voice muffled by the fabric.
Shrugging his shoulders, Shorter continued where he left off tracing the hoodie, letting his fingers slowly travel around Ash's stretched up arms. It was a matter of seconds before he was cut off by the next strangled whine that sounded even more pathetic than before, feeling Ash's body twitch away from his hands.
Driven by almost childlike curiosity, Shorter rolled up the collar of the hoodie to uncover a deeply flustered face, immediately hissing at him on sight.
"What the heck are you doing?!
Ouch! You're ripping out my hair!"
On the one hand, Ash was thrilled to be able to breathe again properly, now that his face was freed. But on the other hand, he couldn't help feeling genuinely triggered looking at the dirty grin Shorter was bearing. Inquisitively analyzing Ash's agitated gaze through those tinted glasses, Shorter decided to drop his question.
"Could it be... you're ticklish?"
Maybe Ash just felt particularly vulnerable, trapped with his arms up like this. Usually, he would have answered totally calm and collected, but something about Shorter's expression just made him blurt out a panicked, "NO!"
Much to his disliking, Shorter's grin only grew wider, hearing his angsty little outbreak.
Quickly trying to regain his composure, Ash put on the sweetest yet confident smile he could summon, elaborating his hasty answer, "I mean, don't be silly. Why would I be-AAHAH-!!"
Before he could even finish his sentence, a sharp poke to the ribs made the teen jolt in surprise.
"You sure?" Shorter commented, highly amused by the Blonde's hilariously obvious reaction.
Slowly retreating, staring wide-eyed at two hands eagerly wiggling their fingers in his direction, Ash clearly sensed that he was absolutely screwed. Not waiting for even a single second longer, he just started running.
"Oooh, bad choice!" he heard Shorter sneer from behind, immediately picking up the chase.
"Noho! Stay away from mehe!" Ash cried out, surprised by the squeaky sound of his own voice. Shorter wouldn't actually be so mean to use his helpless situation against him, right?
He wouldn't actually tickle him now, would he?!
Desperately searching his genius brain for some damn good reason to argue his way out of this mess, Ash started to wonder if he was perhaps just overreacting to this whole situation. It had literally been years since his brother tickled him as a child.
Maybe it wasn't even that bad after all this time.
Maybe he had even grown out of it by now.
But he still didn't feel like finding out!
Especially now, while he was still trapped in that hoodie, limiting his defensive abilities tremendously.
His heartbeat hammering against his chest, Ash made his way around the coffee table, hoping to bring some distance between him and the stupid idiot running after him, deviously smiling. His efforts were quickly put to waste, though, as Shorter just used the coffee table as a stepping stone to launch himself at the Blonde.
Laughing at the almost girly shriek that must have echoed through the entire house, as he successfully caught his target, Shorter instantly wrapped his arms around Ash's skinny waist, hugging him tightly against his own body from behind.
Flooded by a wave of adrenaline, Ash tried to wrestle himself out of Shorter's iron grip, even attempting to kick him in the groin, when he was suddenly distracted by a very unpleasant shiver rushing through his torso. Gasping in shock, he realized Shorter had started skittering his fingers up and down his side while keeping him trapped tightly with his other arm.
Fuck.
So much for growing out of it.
Cursing himself for believing in this wishful phantom even for a tiny little moment, Ash found himself squirming against Shorter's chest, trying to shake off the ticklish sensation that was slowly spreading through his body. Biting his lip to hold back the first giggles that were about to escape his mouth, Ash quickly understood that he was indeed still as ticklish as he had feared.
Or was it actually even worse?
Highly pleased with the reaction he was getting so far, Shorter let his hand travel a little higher, now gently digging his fingers into Ash's lower ribs.
"Gah! Stohop ihit!!" the Blonde whined in response to that, still trying hard not to crack, but his shaky voice was probably not very convincing.
"Hm? Why should I stop?" the Chinese asked in return, "Since you're not ticklish, this shouldn't bother you, amirite? :)"
"Or could it be…" Shorter dramatically faked an offended voice,
"... that.. you.. lied.. to.. me?"
Dragging out his sentence on purpose, Shorter accompanied every word with a squeeze from his other hand that was resting dangerously close to Ash's right hip, cracking the teen's facade at last. Involuntarily squeaking at every single touch on his waist, Ash just couldn't keep quiet any longer. Some more fingers gently clawing along his flat stomach eventually made him submit, breaking out into the most adorable giggle fit.
Hearing this sweet, almost angelic sound for the first time, Shorter had to admit that it caught him completely off guard. He had expected Ash to be a lot more boisterous than that. Lucky for him, the Blonde was facing the other way, so the slight blush rising on those tanned cheeks stayed unnoticed for now. He had seen Ash smile every now and then since they had first met in reform school about a year ago, but hearing the usually rather stoic blonde genius actually laugh, was a first. He couldn't resist the urge to just keep going.
Curious to find out how ticklish Ash really was, Shorter decided to finally use both hands to attack those vulnerable sides and ribs. Confronted with ten fingers at once now, Ash instantly collapsed back against Shorter's chest, almost knocking off the other's sunglasses with his elbow, his giggling growing louder and louder, slowly transforming into a bright, airy laugh.
"Oh... What's that?" Shorter kept teasing the smaller boy in his arms,
"Given you're not ticklish, you sure are laughing a lot."
"Ahaha-! shihihit! Okahay! Lihisten!" Ash tried to argue now, as there was no way to get out of this with physical strength alone, "Youhu've prohoven your poihihint! I am tihicklihish! Nohow let mehe gohoho!"
Giving an overacted sigh, Shorter pretended to think about Ash's proposal. Not without clawing his way further up the Blonde's torso though, drawing out more high pitched squeals as his fingers reached those clearly perceptible upper ribs.
"Right you are..." the Chinese commented, faking to be lost in thought, "But on the other hand, you really did lie to me."
"Ahaokahahahay! I lihihihied!!" Ash cried out in an utterly cute attempt to form coherent sentences through his laughter, "Buhuhut why wouhuld I say yehehehes?!"
"Hm... Touchè", Shorter admitted snickering,
"Worth a shot, but futile. I would have tickled you anyway."
Not even giving Ash the chance to answer, he chose to suddenly vibrate his fingers against those highly sensitive upper ribs, causing the younger teen to let out a surprised shriek followed by loud squeaky laughter, "NAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA-!! STAHAHAHAPTHAHAHAT! NOHOHOHOHOHO!!"
Ash was hopelessly overwhelmed by all those unfamiliar touches.
Unlike the Chinese punk, who seemed to bring his big brother vibes everywhere he went, being rather used to things like tickle fights, especially with the younger ones in his gang, Ash knew nothing alike. True, Shorter had been the only person so far who was allowed to touch him, despite his efforts to avoid physical contact with other people, but this was completely different from everything he had expected.
Eventually losing the strength to keep himself upright, his knees started to give in on him. Feeling the sudden extra weight in his arms, Shorter just followed along, sinking down to the floor, letting Ash slip from his hug onto the wooden ground, still shaking and giggling.
Gasping for air, Ash rolled over to the side in a quite pitiful attempt to crawl away from those evil hands when he felt a firm grip on his ankle, pulling him backward.
Squeaking in panic, as his body slid across the floor, his tank top riding up halfway in the process, he ended up being straddled by the taller boy, keeping him securely pinned to the ground lying on his side.
"Let's see if your lower half can keep up," the Chinese chirped, smirking back over his shoulder, as he was facing Ash's legs now, lifting the one he was still holding a little upwards.
Without further warning, he started squeezing and pinching the Blonde's thigh in search of new sensitive spots, causing Ash to explode with frantic laughter on the first touch.
He couldn't even see what Shorter was doing down there. All he knew was that it tickled like hell. All of it.
He felt those squeezing fingers wander up and down his entire leg, but there wasn't a single inch that was immune to these new tormenting sensations.
Desperately winding his body, Ash tried to shake off Shorter's assaulting hand, slowly making its way to his inner thigh, kicking his legs as much as he could under the other's grappling hold, but he wasn't going anywhere.
He could do nothing but submit to this maddening feeling, squirming and laughing his head off.
Just when he thought it could not get any worse, Ash suddenly felt five nails scratching across the bare skin of his knee, half exposed by his signature ripped jeans, screaming out with a yet unreached pitch of ticklish laughter.
"Oha! Seems like I found a weak spot!" the Chinese declared in a sing-song voice, as he began pinching around the kneecap, even letting go of Ash's ankle to dig his remaining fingers into the back of the same knee.
Failing miserably to curl himself into a ball of defense, Ash felt like combusting into flames. Every fiber of his body was screaming one single thing that soon found its way to his mouth,
"GYAAAAHAHAH-! NOHOT THEHEHERE!! PLEHEHEHEAHASE!! NOHOHOTHEHEHEHEHEREHE!!"
"Holy shit...", Shorter commented this renewed outburst in awe, chuckling to himself. He almost got that knee, he was tormenting with so much ambition, shoved into his face, as the blonde gang leader was thrashing wilder than ever under his merciless attack.
He had suspected Ash to be ticklish for quite a while now, but he was genuinely surprised by the Blonde's sensitivity. The only person he knew, who was even more ticklish than this, was the owner of that red hoodie, which had granted him such a precious opening.
Letting up on Ash's leg, Shorter turned back around, giving those delicate hips a few squeezes on the way, noting the exquisite reaction he got from that for the next time.
Ash was panting heavily beneath him as he effortlessly flipped him over on his back, settling down on the Blonde's slender waist, beholding a most adorable sight.
Two green eyes glistening with tears of laughter behind a few very messy strands of hair covering Ash's brightly flushed face.
"You... traitor…", Ash huffed, his chest still heaving up and down, his face forming an unwitting pout,
"You… said… you would… help me! And this… is what I get?!"
"Oh, I will help you, don't worry!" Shorter cooed sweetly in reply, gently poking two fingers up and down all over the Blonde's upper body, "But I just can't let such a perfect opportunity go to waste."
"Oppohortuhunity myhyhy ahahass!" Ash hissed back before he dissolved again in squeaky giggles, desperately trying to hide his face in his arm.
Most likely, he could have freed himself from this accursed hoodie by now if it wasn't for these greedy hands that kept roaming across his body. Every time he felt like getting a grasp on it to work himself out of this miserable cloth prison, a new wave of ticklish sensation flooded his nerves, draining his limbs from every last ounce of strength.
Digging in the younger teen's sweet laughing face, he could now actually see for the first time, Shorter took a brief moment to enjoy this precious view. Who would have thought that Ash's usually so pale face could light up with so much color. Or that his nose might scrunch up in such a cute way, as his eyes would squeeze shut almost entirely.
Realizing that he should probably stop tormenting his best friend soon if he intended to keep their relationship alive, Shorter decided to move in for his final attack. Seeing Ash squirm below him in this totally helpless position, his mind kept circling around one single question. How ticklish might those bare armpits be.
Quickly grasping what was about to befall him, Ash started to shake his head in panic,
"No.. Oh hell no... Please! Anything but that!!"
"I was wondering... Is this your most ticklish spot?" Shorter asked with an innocent tone, watching in amusement how those green eyes suddenly grew wide, while the Blonde's struggling intensified, as he kept lowering his wiggling fingers towards their new target.
"Nooononononowaaait! Pleeeahahahase! Noohohoho! I cahahan't! Stahahap!!"
Shorter couldn't hold back a giggle of his own, his hands now hovering just a few centimeters above those wide open armpits, "Why are you laughing already? I'm not even touching you!"
"Ihihi knohohohow! Fuhuhuck ohohohoff!" Ash whined back, shivering helplessly under this impending attack.
This was truly humiliating.
Not only was he actually still horribly ticklish, but his body would now even betray him in the most embarrassing way possible. Why did he feel so awfully vulnerable to a little teasing, giggling like an idiot every time those fingers dipped down so deceivingly, just to stop before actually touching him?
Nearly bursting with curiosity now, Shorter wasn't able to hold back any longer as he finally connected his fingers with the soft skin of Ash's defenseless armpits.
It was nothing more than a few gentle grazes meant to test him, but Ash was already gone. Arching his back, desperately squirming under Shorter's lightly scratching nails, he immediately descended into uncontrollable laughter mixed with more or less coherent pleas.
"Oh dear…" the older teen kept teasing him with a sickeningly sweet tone, "I figured you'd be quite sensitive here... That's the spot that gave you away in the first place... But if you can't even handle that much, how're you gonna deal with this?"
Applying more and more pressure, Shorter witnessed how Ash was just falling apart in his hands.
Eventually, kissing coherent words goodbye, Ash felt like going crazy.
This was just pure evil. Neither could he defend himself against those tormenting fingers, nor could he escape this hellish sensation driving him to the brink of hysterics.
Shorter was torn. As much as he enjoyed all these sweet new sounds he was eliciting from his best friend, sending the blonde teen back and forth from childlike squeaking to panicky shrieks just by alternating the strength of his touch, he didn't fail to notice that Ash's voice became more and more wheezy. Not intending to torture the young genius into oblivion, he decided to back off, giving Ash the chance to come back from his ticklish subspace.
Gently placing a few last pokes across his sides and stomach, Shorter finally retreated his hands, pulling the teen's black tank top back down on the way.
Ash was dead beat.
Gasping for much-needed air, he just kept lying there, a little stream of tears sitting on his bright red cheeks, his head feeling all giddy from laughing so much. He didn't even notice how Shorter used his exhausted state to free him from the red hoodie that had brought this calamity upon him until he received an affectionate ruffle through his messy hair.
"Don't die on me, will ya?" Shorter commented on this utterly adorable sight. Swinging the tiny red hoodie over his shoulder, the Chinese left the room with a chuckle.
Slowly opening his eyes again, beholding the artful wooden ornaments on the ceiling through his teary eyes, Ash couldn't tell if he had been lying there for just a few seconds or an eternity. With a tired mewl he slowly managed to raise himself from the floor. His body was still tingling all over as he dropped onto the couch, wiping the last remains of tears from his face, even a little amazed how hot his cheeks felt. They probably had the same shade of red right now as that stupid hoodie.
Still cursing the damn thing in his head, his trail of thought was suddenly interrupted by a piece of clothing dropped onto his head from behind, causing the teen to yelp in surprise.
"That should be yours now," he heard Shorter's voice before he felt a weight settling down next to him on the couch, "Sorry for the mixup."
Carefully inspecting the hoodie in his hands before pulling it over his head, Ash couldn't help grumbling out a silent complaint. This had been beyond embarrassing. He didn't even know what to say.
Noticing the pout on Ash's face, who was clearly trying to avoid any eye contact as he kept staring off into no-man’s-land, Shorter let out a sigh. He had to confess to himself that he got carried away, hearing Ash laugh for the first time. He had learned a lot about the blonde gang leader within the last few days and he couldn't shake the feeling that Ash had really enjoyed being treated like a normal teenager once in a while.
Yet again, it had taken months and a lot of work to gain Ash's trust and consent to be able to touch him. The longer he kept thinking about it, the more he could feel regret settling down on his chest.
"You're not... mad at me now... Are you?" Shorter carefully asked, watching the younger teen bury himself deeper into his hoodie.
Ash didn't say anything.
His emerald eyes kept scanning the wooden floor, still trying hard not to look at this best friend.
After a few more agonizing moments that definitely felt like ages, Shorter eventually perceived a softly mumbled "No..."
Sliding down even deeper against the backrest of the couch, Ash could feel the blush on his cheeks rise once again, a displeased whine escaping his mouth.
"It's just... This.. is so embarrassing…" the Blonde continued after a while. "I... hate this feeling... When I lose control over my own body..."
"Right... Didn't think 'bout that..." Shorter muttered, a hint of rue finding its way into his voice.
"So..." he warily continued, "Do you... hate being tickled?"
Now looking at the ceiling, Ash took a moment to think about his best friend's assumption.
True, he was not at all familiar with this kind of thing, and part way he had been thoroughly convinced that he would die right here on the wooden floor of Shorter's living room, yet it somehow felt like a weight had been lifted off him. Or maybe he was still dizzy from the lack of oxygen…
"I... don't think I really... hate it" Ash eventually concluded his thoughts, "I'm... just not used to it... that's all."
"I see..." Shorter replied with an ever so slight smile returning to his face, sliding a little closer to the blonde teen on his couch, "Then... you mind if I do it again?"
Startled at the sound of those words, accompanied by a gentle pinch to the side, Ash spun around, his gaze finally meeting with Shorter's through his sunglasses. Once again this day, the Chinese had to swallow down a laugh seeing Ash's expression going from killer stare to annoyed little kitten within seconds.
"Nhg... Have it your way..." the younger teen grumbled at his best friend. Ending their mini staring contest by sharply pointing his index finger against Shorter's forehead, forcing the other to tilt his head back a little, "But I swear on this godforsaken hoodie... If you should ever dare to tell anyone about this, you're gonna go down in history as the ugliest corpse this world has ever seen!
"Fair enough," Shorter chuckled in amusement.
Not that he planned on sharing his newly gained precious knowledge anyway.
"Now... About getting used to it..." he suddenly added after a few seconds, briefly enjoying the confusion rising on Ash's face,
"... that can be arranged."
Watching with delight how the Blonde's mouth opened and closed without a sound, Shorter used his baffled state to quickly wrap his arms around the younger boy once more. Letting himself fall against the side rest of the couch, Shorter just dragged Ash along with him, eventually trapping the bewildered teen between his legs, with the back against his chest. Not giving him a chance for recovery, he started to scribble his fingers all over Ash's stomach and sides one more time.
Gasping in response to this new, unexpected attack before dissolving into bubbly giggles, Ash couldn't help but facepalm internally on his level of idiocy. Shorter's intentions were just so obvious most of the time. And yet again somehow that stupid pineapple-head managed to make him lower his guard repeatedly.
"Whahahat the hehell are you dohohihihing?!" Ash whined, struggling to free himself.
"Well, I asked if I can tickle you again," he heard the Chinese punk happily explain behind his back,
"And you said yes."
"Ihihi didn't mehehean rihihigt nohohow!! Youhu jeheherk!!" Ash hissed back through his laughter, desperately trying to grab those tickling hands that kept gently poking and pinching their way across his middle.
"Oh, sorry! Should I make an appointment then for next time?" Shorter cackled at his own joke while letting one hand travel underneath the red hoodie, now wiggling his fingers over any inch of bare skin he could reach, smiling along with the high pitched squeal he received for that.
Ash felt like sinking to the very core of this planet.
There he was again. Helplessly laughing because of his own damn sensitivity. But somehow, it felt a lot different from before.
Less torturous.
More playful.
Maybe even a tiny little bit enjoyable?
Still, he had more than enough for a single afternoon.
Making use of his free hands, he mustered up all his remaining strength, gifting Shorter a deadly well-placed elbow to the ribs.
It proved astoundingly effective.
Panting for air like a fish out of water, the chinese punk instantly sank back into the couch before emitting a pathetic whimper.
"Holy shit... have mercy..." he chuffed after finding his voice again, eagerly trying to rub the throbbing pain out of his ribcage. "That's not... how... a tickle fight works... you little brute!" the older punk wheezed out, frowning at the smaller boy who was still lying in his arms, panting likewise to catch his breath.
"Pah... serves you right!" Ash grumbled back in a devoted attempt to sound offended. But he wasn't able to hide that slight smirk forming on his face as he crossed his arms before his chest after pulling down his hoodie.
Throwing his head back against the side rest of the couch, Shorter let a few moments pass, waiting for his breath to fully return. His ribs were still hurting like hell. Ash sure possessed a lot of strength despite his slimsy look.
Much to his surprise, though, the Blonde still hadn't moved an inch from this half-assed hug, originally meant to trap him. Shorter had freed him from his arms a while ago, but Ash didn't seem to bother getting up.
Fondly looking down on a head covered in messy golden hair, Ash's sweet laughing voice kept ringing inside his head.
"Jeez..." Shorter eventually let out a slightly melancholic sigh.
"You know..." he added after a while, notably unsure whether or not he should go on,
"You're... making it damn hard for me not to crush on you..."
...
Raising his eyebrows in astonishment, confronted with the non-existence of a much anticipated sassy reply, Shorter tilted his head to see what was going on. The Blonde was breathing peacefully, his head comfortably resting against the taller boy's shoulder.
It took him a few seconds to finally realize that Ash had indeed miraculously fallen asleep on him.
Feeling his face burn up at the speed of light, as he adjusted his sunglasses that were about to slide down his nose, Shorter kept staring down at the slender teen sleeping in his arms, in a wild mixture of bliss and bittersweet melancholy.
If only things could stay like this.
If only they could just keep lying there, without a care for this cruel world, enjoying the first rays of afternoon sun that were flickering through the window.
Running his fingers through Ash's soft, slightly wavy hair, gently wiping those messy bangs from his face, Shorter eventually gave in to the call of his heart, hammering against his chest.
"You would probably not approve this... " he whispered almost silently as he bent his head down just a little, placing a most tender kiss along Ash's hairline, "but please... just bear with me for now..."
You never fail to amaze me. For English not being your first language this is SO well written. And the artwork is STUNNING. Like wow - you don’t have to go that hard but you do and it’s AWESOME. Excellent work, Doki, as always!! 💖
