Tickletober Day 1: Secret
Summary: After a ticklish encounter, Killua and Gon both discover the secrets they were keeping from each other.
Word Count: 2,012
I'm back! Sorry for disappearing, but going back to has been... an adjustment 😅. Anyways, I'm back for Tickletober, and I'll do my best to update. I hope you enjoy! 💙
The smile on his face was blinding. Golden streaks of sunlight filtered through the shutters, streaming across his tawny skin; dazedly bright hair splayed across the cushions, enrooting itself into the depths of the couch, his head bent at an unnatural angle, body pinned in a mass of entangled limbs. Through the scuffle, Killua caught glimpses of him—his eyes squeezed shut, a flush blooming across his skin with the largest smile Killua had ever seen illuminating his face.
"Leheheohoriohoho!" Gon cried, bursting with brilliant laughter, as he squirmed hopelessly in his grasp.
"I don't wanna hear anything from you but an apology, you little punk!" Leorio growled with mock anger, a satisfied smirk on his face. He almost looked happier than Gon.
"Wahaihit! Nohoho! Nohohohot thehehere!" He squealed, after Leorio seemingly moved to a worse spot. It was hard to tell with all the squirming.
"Come on, I want to hear it! 'I'm sorry, Mr. Leorio! I won't do it again!'"
"I'm sahahaharry!"
"And?" He asked teasingly, but gradually eased up on the tickling.
"Ahahahand I wohohon't ahahgahain!"
Killua didn't know what Gon even did. He came rushing into the room after having heard Gon's screams, only to be greeted by… this. The two hadn't even seemed to notice him standing in the doorway.
Until Leorio finally eased up, releasing Gon and ruffling his head with a chuckle. "That'll teach you a lesson not to mess with me. Oh—hey, Killua! When did you get here?"
Gon peaked a glossy brown eye open, meeting Killua's, who immediately looked away, blushing after being caught.
"I heard the noise and came to check it out," he muttered, gaze firmly on the floor. "Then I found you two idiots."
"Hey, I'd be careful if I were you! Or else we might just get you next. Right, Gon?"
He laughed good-naturedly. Killua didn't know if it was because of what Leorio said or the fact that he hadn't stopped giggling since Leorio let him go.
"I'm not ticklish."
"Oh yeah?" Leorio challenged, a grin growing on his face.
"I'm not," he exclaimed bodly, raising his arms and crossing them behind his head with a smirk. "Go on. Try me."
Barking out a laugh, Leorio quickly strided across the room. "You're just asking for it now."
Despite his cool demeanor, Killua couldn't help the nerves spreading through him. He didn't think he was ticklish, but he actually wasn't sure.
He'd been isolated in his home his whole life until he left for the exam. And his family certainly wasn't affectionate. He was more likely to get a punch than a hug growing up. The only exception was with Alluka, and while they had a few playful interactions over the years, Killua always started it, and Alluka wasn't one for revenge.
So, he had never actually been tickled before, despite his false bravado. But, at the very least, he hoped his training would come in handy now.
Leorio crossed the room and stood in front of him, wiggling his fingers in a teasing way that made Killua's heart beat faster. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he was ticklish.
"You sure you don't wanna beg for mercy? I might take it easy on you if you do."
Killua only laughed confidently, making Leorio tsk and shrug, digging his hands into Killua's armpits, saying, "It's your funeral."
Then, after a moment, "Huh?"
There was nothing. No reaction from Killua. Not the slightest twitch of his lips, and his arms didn't budge for a second.
"Well then… I guess I'll just have to try somewhere else!" Leorio exclaimed, still confident in his ability to reduce him to a laughing, begging mess.
Again, nothing. Not at his stomach or sides or ribs or anywhere else he tried.
Dumbfounded, Leorio shook his head, "Are you… really not ticklish?"
"I told you, idiot," Killua shrugged, brushing past him to turn back to his room. "This was a waste of time," was all he said before he disappeared, leaving behind a disappointed Leorio and Gon.
It was hours later before the subject came up again. After dinner, Gon and Killua had returned to their shared room to settle down for the night, when Gon suddenly blurted, "Are you really not ticklish?"
"What does it matter?" Killua asked, a faint blush heating his face. He faced the wall, hoping Gon wouldn't notice from the other side of the room.
"I'm just surprised. I didn't even know someone couldn't be ticklish—is it part of your assassin training?"
Killua hesitated. "It's… a secret."
"A secret?"
"Yeah."
It was stupid. It was Gon. There was no reason not to tell him the truth, but he didn't know why he'd lied to Leorio earlier either.
The idea had been exciting, and Killua was never one to turn away from a challenge, so he let Leorio tickle him. And it did tickle, or at least he thought it did. It had never happened before, but it sent a weird, warm, fuzzy feeling throughout his whole body. Instead of laughing, he ignored it and carefully controlled his reactions to appear unaffected.
"What if…" Gon started, drawing him from his thoughts, "I told you a secret, and then you told me yours?"
He paused, considering it. It wouldn't be that bad for Gon to find out, and he was curious; he didn't know Gon kept any secrets from him.
"Fine, but you have to promise not to tell anyone."
"Yeah!" Gon eagerly shot up from his bed, running over to sit next to Killua, who reluctantly turned to face him, hoping his face wasn't as hot as it felt.
Gon offered his pinky in a surprisingly familiar routine, and Killua locked it with his own. "Pinky promise and if I lie, stick a thousand daggers in my eye! And seal it with a kiss!"
It didn't sound exactly like how Killua remembered Gon doing it with his Aunt Mito, but he didn't say anything, simply smiling at the subtle change.
"Okay, you first," Killua ordered.
Gon didn't hesitate. "I like being tickled."
His brows furrowed, "Why's that a secret?"
"I don't know," Gon shrugged, flopping onto his back. "I just haven't told anyone before. It's a little embarrassing…"
Killua flopped down next to him. "Well, I don't think Leorio or Kurapika would want to tickle you if you didn't like it."
"I guess... Anyway," he looked at Killua expectantly, "what's your secret?"
His face heated, and he shifted to lay on his side, facing his back towards Gon to try and hide his embarrassment. "It's stupid."
"Mine was too."
He sighed, mumbling, "I think I am ticklish."
"Really?" Gon exclaimed, shooting up. "But you didn't react to Leorio at all!"
"Yeah, but it felt weird. Like… tingly," he shrugged, burying his face in his hands to avoid Gon's gaze. "I don't know. That was the first time anyone's tried to tickle me."
"Hmm…" he hummed in thought, considering. "What if I tickle you?"
"What?!" Killua exclaimed, dropping his hands from his face to prop himself up on his elbows.
"Then we can find out if you're ticklish. Want me to?"
He frowned, toying with the bedsheet between his fingers. "What if… I don't like it?"
"Then I'd stop," Gon answered simply. "Promise."
That, he supposed, made sense for Gon to say. Still, it was an odd sentiment.
Touches, throughout his life, had been designed to hurt, a painful lesson he'd have to learn if he was to continue his family's business. It never mattered if he wanted it; in fact, his family seemed to enjoy it more when he didn't.
There was no casual affection, no simple comforts, no consideration. Nothing like the simple ease Gon's, and his other friends, touches promised. There was instinctive unease, the desire to build up a facade and hide behind it, the lessons to never show weakness, but none of that mattered now.
"Okay, you can try," he finally answered, taking a deep breath.
Because Gon and Leorio and Kurapika, they wouldn't try to hurt him. He was safe with them.
There wasn't even a moment to compose himself before Gon pounced on him, wildly scribbling his fingers across Killua's stomach. He gasped, wriggling beneath him as the tingly, electric feeling spread back through him, shocking his limbs and making his heart stutter.
"Okay so far?" Gon asked, grinning in that beautifully bright way that made it hard to look at him, so Killua brought his arms back up to cover his face again and nodded.
"I-It's weheheird," he giggled, slightly muffled by his hands.
"Good weird or bad weird?" Gon asked, stilling his hands to let Killua gather his thoughts.
"...Dunno," he mumbled, blush darkening.
"At least now we know you're ticklish!" He said, then, after a few moments of silence, "Want me to keep going?"
It was another few moments before he slowly nodded, "Y-You can."
"Then…" Gon reached out, grabbing onto his wrists and pulling his hands away from Killua's face, his own hovering a few inches above it. There was a weird feeling in Killua's chest that he didn't have the time to dwell on. "I want to see your face."
Overwhelmed, Killua turned away, looking at the wall instead. "Whatever."
He could practically feel the brightness emanating from Gon's smile without even looking.
"Ready?" Gon asked, releasing his wrists. Through the corners of eyes, he swore he saw Gon curling his hands into claws.
"Three…" he drawled, giggling to himself as he counted down. "Two…"
Killua just wanted him to get it over with already, which definitely was because of how annoying Gon was being, not because of the building anticipation that made it feel like his stomach was doing flips.
"One!" he cried, digging his fingers into Killua's ribs, making him burst into loud, wild, boyish laughter.
His arms shot down, shoving at Gon's who managed to masterly avoid him.
"Should I stop?"
There wasn't time to think about how embarrassing it really was, only how much fun he was having with his best friend, and how he was safe and comfortable and receiving an almost foreign affection. "Nohohoho!"
"Good, cause this is really fun! Right? But tell me when you can't take it anymore, okay?"
"Ihihi cahan tahahake ahahanythihing!" he boldly exclaimed, then squealed and shot his arms down when Gon prodded at his pits.
"Are you sure?" Gon teased, "I just started, and you're already laughing a lot."
"Shuhut uhuhup! I cahahan—cahan tahahake mohohre thahan yohohou!"
"Reall—hehehey!" he burst into laughter when Killua suddenly shot forward and latched onto his side, squeezing rapidly.
"Whahat? Cahahan't tahake ihihit?"
"Ohof cohohuhurse I cahan!" Gon managed between laughter, wriggling into Killua's ribs as the boys wrestled on the bed, targeting the worst tickle spots they could find.
They both put up a valiant effort, but Gon knew he lost when Killua latched onto his hips, kneading them.
"Wahahait! Wahaihit!" he shrieked, releasing Killua's sides to grab at his arms, struggling to escape.
"Bad spot, huh?" Killua smirked, doubling his efforts. "Come on, I win, right? Say it!"
"Yohohou wihihihin!"
"Yes!" Killua cheered, letting go of Gon and pumping his fist in the air.
Gon collapsed against the bed, Killua falling next to him, as they both desperately panted for air, still laughing together.
Once he managed to regain himself, Killua turned to look at him, an exhausted smile tugging at his lips. "That was fun."
Gon's own smile grew. "I'm glad… yohou… had fun. Should do ihit again… sometime," he wheezed between breaths.
"Yeah," he smiled. That weird feeling in his chest was back. "But it's way too easy to beat you."
"I'll win… next time! 'Sides…" Gon paused, allowing himself to fully catch his breath before continuing. "Besides, there's no way you'll beat Leorio. He's too good."
"He didn't get me earlier."
"Yeah, but you were using your assassin skills! Just wait until he really tries. He's unstoppable, and Kurapika helps him most of the time," Gon shuddered, making Killua laugh.
"That sounds fun."
Gon beamed, "Yeah."
