#switch!whiteberry cookie

[fluffystuffies]

Songs of Joy and Laughter [Cookie Run]

Summary: Some time has passed since the rift incident and Greenbell Cookie is more than happy to spend some time with her best friend. Unfortunately, the event still effects her (and Whiteberry Cookie) to some degree. On the fortunate side of things, Whiteberry Cookie remembers a certain thing the two of them used to do, which is perfect for cheering up!

Words: 5913

hello hello! i started playing Tower of Adventures a little while ago and i absolutely LOVED the Greenbell Cookie event-aaand then I got this idea and had to write it out- still very new to Cookie Run so first tickle fic for this game time yay! (also the actual tickling part doesn't start until like 2k words in cause i like to take my time with these kdjgkdj and a little hurt/comfort in the beginning for the soul-)

anyways, enjoy! :D

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A cool breeze ran its way through the soft blades of grass adorning Windy Hill, swaying them so gently one would think the hill’s namesake itself was caressing them like a hand would over a drowsing bread cat. If one listened closely, perhaps they could hear a rhythm within the subtle taps of the grass blades towards one another.

Greenbell Cookie could faintly make out a basic rhythm within the breeze, her teal-green eyecing squinting as she attempted to visualize it onto a music sheet. It was a shaky image, as she was musically skilled, but her ability to actually compose her own music waned in comparison to bringing laid out music sheets to life (her best friend was more fitted for composing).

Even so, she found herself humming the notes she could see, eyecing closing contentedly as the breeze lightly lifted her light green hair.

“That’s a nice melody.”

Greenbell Cookie squeaked, her humming abruptly cutting itself off. “Ah-!” Jam rushed to her face as she remembered that she wasn’t alone.

There was a light chuckle from beside her, belonging to Whiteberry Cookie, her closest friend, soothing green eyecing squinted in amusement. “Startled you, did I?”

Greenbell Cookie’s face somehow became even redder. “Of course you did! You know you did!” she pouted, lightly pushing against her friend’s shoulder. It barely made him move.

Another light laugh left him. “Anyways…where did you hear that melody?” he inquired, still smiling. “It doesn’t sound like any of the songs we’ve done recently.”

“Ah! Um, well, I heard a rhythm in the breeze and I was, um, trying to hum it…” She felt a little silly explaining it like that, feeling her face warm even further and faintly wondering just how red it could truly become.

It wasn’t helped by the laughter that once again sprouted from Whiteberry Cookie, his shoulders shaking.

“Hey, don’t laugh! I thought it was a nice melody!” Greenbell Cookie protested, pout deepening.

“No no, I’m not laughing at you! I do the same thing. Why do you think this is my favorite place to write the songs you all play?” Whiteberry Cookie explained, hugging his ever-present book (turned folder by this point from how many music sheets he stuffed into it on a regular basis) to his chest.

“Oh!” Greenbell Cookie vocalized, embarrassment for a different reason blooming on her face. “Right.”

Whiteberry Cookie once again chuckled. “Your face is all red again,” he commented, nearly laughing again at the resulting squinted look on his friend’s face.

“Oh, shush!” Greenbell Cookie said with a small smile that she couldn’t stop from emerging. Her face finally cooled down as she hummed. “I only wish I could write it down like you can.”

“It takes some time to get a creative flow going for sure. But if you decided to take it up, I’m sure you’d get the hang of it in no time.” It was a statement said with all amounts of sincerity and an equally gentle smile.

“Maybe…” Greenbell Cookie mumbled, frowning in thought for a moment. “Though I guess for now, we leave the composing to you!” she finished with a smile.

“Happy to be here,” Whiteberry Cookie responded in kind with a small mock half-bow, drawing a small giggle out of his friend. 

After a moment, his eyecing drifted to the sky and Greenbell Cookie watched as he settled down on the ground, adjusting his wings as he laid there, book still clutched in his arms. 

Greenbell Cookie didn’t waste a second and followed his lead, the back of her head hitting the grass. She wiggled slightly to get comfortable with her wings then let her eyecing move in the same direction as his.

“It’s been a while since we’ve done this, huh?” the berry-infused cookie stated after a moment.

Greenbell Cookie hummed, “I suppose it has…” She paused. “I wonder if I can find a cloud that looks like a cake hound like that one time…”

“You mean the squashed Bear Jelly?” Whiteberry Cookie asked immediately with a mildly amused look in her direction.

“It looked like a cake hound when I was looking at it, I swear!” the flower-inspired cookie replied with faux-annoyance and another weak push to her friend’s shoulder.

Whiteberry Cookie just gave another light laugh, soon going back to watching the bright blue sky and the puffy white shapes that trudged their way through it.

Neither one of them spoke for a few minutes. The only sound that traveled through either of their ears was the soft breeze that continuously made its path across the hill that earned its name through it.

Greenbell Cookie found herself closing her eyecing after a while, sighing contentedly. It had been some time since she had allowed herself to relax as much as this. Even when she was having fun with her other bandmates, there was always a nagging in the back of her head that made her a little too watchful of her movements. Or made her self-conscious if she spoke or hummed too loud. Then she would start thinking about other cookies watching her and she would find herself red in the face and unable to speak above a whisper.

Here, she was within the comfort of her best friend and their mutual, yet quiet banter. It was nice.

Eyecing still closed, she reached out to her side for her friend.

Her hand met the grass and her fingers fumbled around for the cookie she was feeling for, face scrunching up until her eyecing shot open and she sat up with a panicked noise. “Whiteberry Cookie?!” she called out in a rush, looking from side to side.

She stopped when her eyecing landed on the cookie she was looking for, right where he had been prior, just having moved just out of her reach. 

His book was on the ground beside him and in his right hand he held a small, yellow flower that looked freshly picked. His eyecing were widened slightly, probably at her reaction.

Greenbell Cookie felt jam rise to give her face a deeply flushed color. Oh. Right. She was–Whiteberry Cookie was–

Right. They were…out. He was there and so was she. They were out.

The flower-inspired cookie lowered her gaze to the grass, running a hand over it. The red gradually began to leave her face, disappearing just enough to give her a rosy complexion rather than a cherry one.

Admittedly, it hadn’t been long since they had both escaped the rift. Maybe two weeks at most. And while Greenbell Cookie had improved considerably from checking up on her friend every chance she got to make sure he wasn’t gone again, she still had moments.

She could still remember every route she had taken to find him. Every route that had led her to a moment of terror before the sparkle and shine of the star brought her back to the hills. She could remember the taunting of the illusions the labyrinth had conjured, never touching and only watching, pale imitations of the cookie she wanted to save. She could remember the falsity that had taken her friend’s dough, muttering her name like a mantra and hugging her close as though she would disappear if it didn’t. She could remember forgetting and the consequences of remembering as it sunk her down.

She had nightmares of those times. Even more so nightmares of Whiteberry Cookie forgetting her. Of the cookie she had known for years looking at her as though she were a complete stranger. Somehow, those were the worst ones.

“Greenbell Cookie? Are you alright?”

Said cookie jumped slightly, looking at her friend for a few seconds, then down at the ground once more. She considered explaining but from the way she felt her throat closing up and how her eyecing was growing misty, she had a feeling she wouldn’t be able to get the words out at the moment. At least not without a sob escaping her first.

And honestly…she just wanted to hug him. To make sure he was there. To make sure she hadn’t woken up to another loop.

She looked back up, her lips trembling as she held her arms out.

Whiteberry Cookie’s face grew concerned. Then his eyecing widened slightly as realization came over him. “Oh.” He frowned, immediately scooting over and wrapping his arms around her, allowing her to hold onto him.

Greenbell Cookie let a shaky sigh escape her as she sank into her friend, comforted just by the fact that she could do this. If she hadn’t found him…

She hugged him tighter. She had found him. He was here and so was she. The rift had closed and neither one of them were ever going near another one again.

“Are you okay?” Whiteberry Cookie asked after a moment, loosening the hug slightly but not letting go. 

Greenbell Cookie swallowed, hesitating on speaking. “I…thought I had woken up and you were still…” she trailed off.

“I’m not anymore,” Whiteberry Cookie responded almost immediately, adjusting slightly. “You saved me, remember? I’m here now and I owe it all to you, Greenbell Cookie.”

“I remember…” And she was more appreciative now than ever that she did. Every memory she had ever had was one she held close to her being now, knowing the disorienting cloudiness that came with forgetting everything. “I-I should be braver now but…I’m still scared,” she admitted, breath hitching as her vision blurred.

“That’s alright. I don’t think anyone can just…get braver just like that. But you still went through all of that, and we’re both here now because you pushed through your fear,” Whiteberry Cookie said, leaning his head on hers. “If it…makes it any better, I was scared too.” Greenbell Cookie perked up in surprise at that, sniffling. “I had faith in you, but…I was scared when I forgot your name. Then I started to forget other things, like my favorite color, favorite food…and…I was scared that I was starting to fear less because of it,” he confessed.

“Oh…” was all Greenbell Cookie could say. She hugged him tighter as she tried to get more words out. “I forgot a lot while I was in there but…you were in there the whole time. I already know it was scary…”

“It still kind of is. I guess we’re both still trying to be brave,” Whiteberry Cookie said with a small chuckle. “...are you feeling any better?” he asked after a moment, concern evident in his tone.

Greenbell Cookie thought about letting her friend go, but the thought of him being just out of her reach once more just made tears well up in her eyecing again. “J-just…a little longer…” she responded, voice wavering.

Whiteberry Cookie leaned back into her with a soft exhale. “Okay.”

She felt a hand slowly rub up and down her back as she struggled to keep herself from outright crying. “I-I’m just really glad I found you…” she whispered, finding that was as loud as she could go.

“Me too,” Whiteberry Cookie replied softly.

There was silence for a couple minutes, save for Greenbell Cookie’s poorly-muffled sniffling. Then she reached up around Whiteberry Cookie’s arm to wipe at her eyecing, breathing shakily.

“O-okay, I think I’m okay…” she said, letting go and continuing to rub away her tears.

“You sure?” the berry-infused cookie asked, furrowing his brows. His arms were still slightly raised as though he were ready to supply another hug if needed.

Greenbell Cookie just nodded with a watery smile. “Y-yeah. I just want to enjoy the rest of the afternoon with you.” It would do her no good to think about possibilities that wouldn’t happen. At least not now. Not when she was trying to relax.

Whiteberry Cookie frowned for a moment, then relaxed his expression, smiling softly. “Do you want to lay back down? Maybe we can spot the squashed head of one of our bandmates,” he joked lightly.

The flower-inspired cookie gave a wet giggle, swiping at her eyecing once more. “Enough with the squashed comments! One is enough!”

“Never,” he responded simply and laid back down, his friend following suit.

Though with every poorly-hidden sniffle that escaped his friend, he couldn’t help his eyecing darting over in concern. While the statement of wanting to enjoy the afternoon wasn’t untrue, he wasn’t entirely convinced of how content she was. The last thing he wanted was for his best friend, the one who had gone through all that strife just to find him (she had spilled everything that she could remember to him the moment they had both had an afternoon of quiet. She had cried then too), was for her to be unhappy. 

The first thing he thought of was to give her another song he wrote, but he didn’t have any current ideas and he briefly wondered if it was too soon after the last incident. He was…also worried that his determination to get his friend a gift would be the cause of another unfortunate accident.

Whiteberry Cookie hummed as he lightly ran his hand over the grass beneath him, flinching at the weird sensation before perking up with an idea. A small smile made its way onto his face before he dropped it into a neutral expression, looking over at his friend.

Greenbell Cookie felt…mostly calm now, though her eyecing still felt puffy and sore from the crying she had been unable to stop. 

“Greenbell Cookie?” 

Said cookie full-body flinched at the sudden address before she looked over at the cookie next to her. “Hm?” she wordlessly questioned with a hum.

“Could I…have another hug?” Whiteberry Cookie asked, almost timidly.

Greenbell Cookie’s eyecing widened slightly. Her friend was hardly ever timid asking for things like that. Moreso, it was rare for him to ask for affection in general. Not that he disliked it! He was just content with others coming to him rather than him taking the initiative.

Keeping all that in mind, how could she possibly refuse him?

“Of course,” Greenbell Cookie said as sat up with a small smile and held out her arms, watching her friend sit up with a similar expression. Then he moved closer and she wrapped her arms around him, feeling him do the same.

She smiled blissfully, resting her chin on his shoulder. 

Then she felt his arms move to wrap themselves around her further and she furrowed her brows in mild confusion. 

Before flinching violently when she felt his hands wiggle themselves against her sides. Her eyecing went wide as they both stilled. “Whiteberry Cookieee…” she uttered nervously, hands tightening their grip on his clothes.

Her friend hummed and she gave another full-body jolt as his hands moved again, this time only doing a light tapping where her sides met her belly. She felt him smile against her shoulder before the tapping became a miniature dance where his fingers moved in a set of wiggling circles.

“Whitebeheherry Cook-EEK!!” she squealed out as she began to lose control of her movements, lightly squirming in an attempt to get away from the tickly attacks that were happening from both sides. Still, her friend held her close and continued to climb his fingers up her sides to her ‘ribs’, beginning to move and press his fingers into her dough like he was playing a piano, wiggling them with each contact. She pressed her forehead into his shoulder as her own shook with laughter.

“It’s been a while since we’ve done this too, hasn’t it?” Whiteberry Cookie commented as though his friend hadn’t become an out-of-control Jelly Worm in his grasp. 

“Buhuhut wahahahihiy nAHAHAOW?!” she questioned through a barrage of squeaky giggles. It barely sounded like a sentence at that point.

Whiteberry Cookie just chuckled lightly, keeping his grip on Greenbell Cookie tight but not too tight, holding on just enough to keep her from squirming completely out of his hug. Though he did not make it easy on himself as he continued to dance his fingers on his friend’s sides and ‘ribs’, occasionally pressing down and causing another jolt and bout of laughter to escape the one in his arms. “Do I need a reason to want to see my friend laughing and happy?” he asked, mostly rhetorical. 

Greenbell Cookie just started wiggling more, flinching occasionally like she was being shocked with static every time she felt her friend’s fingers scribble into her dough. He had switched from prodding to a more gentle approach, making slow circles to the bottom of her ‘ribs’ that would occasionally speed up suddenly, and that just made it all the worse for her. “Buhuhut I was alrEHEHEADY HAHAHAPY!!” she managed to get out, inhaling with another squeak, having moved up just enough to grip her friend’s shoulders in some forgotten attempt at escape and throw her head back as laughter continued to pour out of her. “You dihihihidn’t NEHEHEH-EEEK!”

She let out another squeal when the berry-infused cookie suddenly started squeezing the dough around the center of her belly, letting up for only a split second before doing it again, sending her into another squirming fit. It was sudden, continuous, and it was still somehow unbearably gentle, like he was handling a newly bought instrument that he had yet to break in. “WHIHIHITE-EEK-BEHEHERRY COHOHOOKIEEE!”

“Mhm?” said cookie questioned with an acknowledging hum. “What is it?”

“WHIHIHIHIYYY?!” Greenbell Cookie squealed out again.

“I thought I already told you that,” Whiteberry Cookie stated with a smile and a raised brow. “I wanted to cheer you up a little and I remembered something we always used to do when we were younger.” Then he laughed. “And it would seem it still works. You’re still as squirmy and ticklish as ever!” He punctuated his statement with a wild clawing-squishing motion of his fingers onto her sides, making her laughter pick up even more and earning him a hand pressed into the side of his face. He was still smiling. 

“ShuhuhUSH!” Greenbell Cookie protested, though any pouting she attempted was quickly squashed by her proceeding laughter. She had always been too sensitive for her own good, even the slightest playful poke enough to get her to squeak. Her best friend had taken advantage of this many times when they were younger and it had only recently petered out when he had begun composing the songs they would play.

Though it would seem that the action had never truly left their friendship.

“Oh!” Whiteberry Cookie suddenly perked up with an idea, soft smile becoming a rare grin. “I think I just had a burst of inspiration!” His fingers stopped their attack only momentarily.

Greenbell Cookie’s eyecing widened as much as they could while being squinted in uncontrollable laughter. That was never a good statement to come from her friend when he was like this. “Whihihitebeheherry Cohohohookie…” she giggled out, anticipation worming its way into her stomach and sending a flight of butterflies fluttering within her.

Whiteberry Cookie just smiled and readjusted his grip, loosening juuust enough for Greenbell Cookie to squirm more freely. Then he attacked again, this time much more frantic in his movements, going from prodding to poking to quick little scribbles on her sides, back, belly, and any other ticklish spot he could reach. One could akin it to plucking the strings of a guitar or a harp.

Greenbell Cookie found herself unable to keep still whatsoever, giggles equally as frantic as her friend’s movements pouring out of her. Her limbs flailed about, knocking into her friend several times (of which she could only barely manage a quick apology before her laughter and sudden squeaks of surprise overtook her vocals again). She felt fingers gently prod and then quickly scribble on the left of her ‘ribs’ and she nearly started thrashing.

Eventually, she found herself with her back facing her friend (with every amount of care taken to accommodate her wings, which had lowered downwards instinctively to make way for his arms) and she soon came to a stark realization of what he had been trying to do. Her giggling died down to only slight tittering, but it was clear even the slightest tracing would still be enough to send her into near-hysterics. She could barely see her friend’s face from this angle but she could only imagine the look he had and that sent a flash of nervous anticipation shooting through her.

Whiteberry Cookie’s smile widened, a mischievous glint appearing in his eyecing before he closed them, expression turning serene. “Now, I have a certain tune I want to create in mind, but I don’t think either of us have an instrument right now…so you’re going to have to help me out,” he stated calmly, peeking open an eyecing and allowing his smile to grow once more. Then he hovered his hands over his friend’s stomach, flexing his fingers.

“EEK!” Greenbell Cookie found herself squeaking out before he even started tickling her again.

Whiteberry Cookie let out a startled laugh, fingers stopping their movements momentarily. “I haven’t even touched you yet!” he exclaimed, teasing pausing for a second.

The flower-inspired cookie felt her face redden and she struggled slightly to get her hands mobile enough to press them to her face. “Yohou knohohow I can’t hAHAndle teheheasing…” she mumbled, embarrassment amplified by her own statement. She had to stop being so transparent with what worked on her!

“Then I’ll get right on with it, if that’s what you want!” Whiteberry Cookie responded simply before bringing his fingers down onto his target before she could wriggle away.

Greenbell Cookie let out a brief shriek when she felt rapid scribbling on her belly, the fingers moving so fast they might as well have been vibrating. “NAHAHO!! Hahaohow is thihihis heHEHELPING?! YoHOHOU’RE JUST TIHIHICKLING MEHEHEE!” she struggled out, a wide smile becoming a constant staple on her jam-red face for the time being. “YOHOHOU-NAOHOHOHO!” She cut herself off when the rapid tickling moved up and down her sides, accidentally elbowing her friend in the midst of her squirming (even so, he didn’t slow just yet).

“You’re helping plenty! Listen, even your laughter is in-tune! Perfect for what I want to write!” Whiteberry Cookie said, switching tactics once more. He slowed down his movements, crossing his arms over his friend and moving his wiggling fingers into her underarms. Due to how he positioned himself, the flower-inspired cookie’s arms had no choice but to move upward, giving him ample access to the new spot. 

“Ihihit’s NAHAHAT-!!” Greenbell Cookie tried to say, sputtering out into a collection of riveting high notes in the form of pitched squealing. 

“Maybe I’ll use a red pen so I can be reminded of how red your face is! It’ll be more vivid that way for sure!”

Greenbell Cookie tried to say anything of note in response, but the only thing she could manage was another, “SHUHUHUSH!!” before dissolving back into laughter as her friend targeted her underarms, using a single finger to circle into her pits and occasionally wiggle as though he were scritching the chin of a bread dog. At this point, it seemed like all she could do was laugh. 

Her laughter, despite her protests, did seem to change tune as the berry-infused cookie began using different tactics in session, leaning his head down with his eyecing closed as though he were concentrating.

A quick scribble to her underarms rewarded him with frantic, high-pitched giggles and rapid leg kicks.

A switch over to the dough of her belly gave mild hiccups in place of each inhalation.

A swirling of his fingers on her sides made peals of squealing.

“Perfect! I think I almost have it down now!” Whiteberry Cookie commented with a small, satisfied nod.

Greenbell Cookie could only continue the cycle of laughter, eyecing squinted shut as her face became redder with each comment.

Yet even as she was being mercilessly tickled, she still was able to think about Whiteberry Cookie’s first comment. It had been a while since they had done this. She had, embarrassingly enough, quite enjoyed those moments, especially the occasions where she was able to get her friend back. Those always dissolved into a ticklish back-and-forth filled with so much laughter it had made tears appear in both their eyecing.

The warmth from both the memories and the affection from her friend brought a new sensation of playful butterfly wings brushing against the inside of her dough, giving Whiteberry Cookie an even bigger advantage over her sensitivity. She felt…content. Happy.

This new feeling made an impact on her laughter, turning the tune up a notch and resulting in even happier high-pitched giggles. She was still squirming (she had always been a wriggler) but there was less fight to it now. If she had less energetic movements while being tickled, she would have sunk into him contentedly.

Whiteberry Cookie noticed the slight change and his smile briefly dipped further into fondness, tiding the mischief for a few seconds. Before the mischief took back over and he moved his criss-crossed arms down ever so slightly, running his fingers over his friend’s ribs. They moved with a scribbling, tracing flow as though he were strumming a harp and his musical prowess showed itself very clearly despite the fact that he had not touched an instrument in a while.

“I’m nahahat an instruMEHEHEHENT!!” Greenbell Cookie sputtered out, head falling back into her friend’s chest.

“I don’t know, you’re sure singing like one!” Whiteberry Cookie replied. “Maybe I should pick up the Greenbell Cookie rather than the Bud Bell again!” It was such a silly statement that it made both of them laugh (though one obviously much more than the other).

“Yohohou’re sohohoHAHAHA-” she tried to say ‘silly’, but once again she was interrupted by a sudden onslaught of clawing motions where gentle harp-playing had once been. And once again, any response she had was lost to laughter.

His tickling attacks continued, switching both seamlessly and abruptly in tactic, keeping her guessing and frantic in her laughter and movements. Much like his tendency to work on multiple things at once, he never stayed in one routine.

And throughout it all, Greenbell Cookie let her giggling and borderline shrieking go freely, her legs deciding to be the most mobile part of her with how hard they were kicking by this point.

Eventually though, Whiteberry Cookie slowed down his movements once again, mainly because he was just a little concerned at how red his friend’s face had gotten. He didn’t quite stop completely though and kept one hand drumming against the flower-inspired cookie’s stomach, the other one wandering off to occasionally wiggle a finger into the dough on her side. “You okay, Greenbell Cookie?” he asked, smile turning completely fond by this point.

“Yeahahah…I-EEK!-hehehe…” Greenbell Cookie managed to drag out, ending on a squeak then a string of giggles. 

It was then that Whiteberry Cookie completely let up, releasing her and letting her ragdoll onto the grass. “…are you feeling better?” he asked, looking down at her while still sitting up.

Greenbell Cookie exhaled another set of breathy laughter. “Yehehes…” she wheezed out, eyecing having slipped shut as she rode out the residual giggles. “I thihink…I needed that…”

Whiteberry Cookie tilted his head slightly as he laid down next to her. “Well then, it’s a good thing I remembered how ticklish you are. Not that it would be easy to forget,” he lightly teased with a move to poke her side again.

Greenbell Cookie somehow sensed the motion and quickly opened her eyecing, snapping her head over to him, startling a laugh out of him. Then she cracked a smile and giggled at her own reaction. “Hey, you can be just as ticklish as me, so don’t start!”

“A little bit late for that, don’t you think?” Whiteberry Cookie asked with faux-innocence, though the illusion was ruined by the mildly teasing grin.

Greenbell Cookie pouted.

He chuckled at her.

She pouted harder.

Then her own comment made her perk up slightly, flipping her pout into a small smile. Which slowly but surely grew into a soft grin of her own. “Hey Whiteberry Cookie, do you want to know what my favorite part always was before?” she asked vaguely.

Whiteberry Cookie, having noticed her sudden facial change but not quite clocking what it meant yet, raised a brow with his mouth back to its neutral form. “Hm?” 

Then his eyecing widened when he felt a poke to his side, body curving away from the offending appendage. His eyecing darted between her hand and her face.

“Revengeee…” Greenbell Cookie whispered in her most sinister voice (which sounded more like a mouse trying to sneak its way into a collection of cheese wheels). She giggled in spite of herself.

Before Whiteberry Cookie could sit up and perhaps attempt an escape, she briefly flew upwards, then landed just next to the top of his head, looking down at him like he had done to her prior. His widened eyecing stared back up at her. 

“Greenbell Cookie.”

“Whiteberry Cookie.” 

“You don’t have to-”

“Ohhh no! You’re not getting out of this that easily!” she said before he could defend himself, darting her hands down to his neck and wiggling her fingers into the space below his chin.

Almost immediately, her hands got trapped as Whiteberry Cookie’s shoulders hiked up in an unsuccessful attempt to protect his neck. Of course, it hardly helped and she resorted to light scritching where she could mobilize her fingers. “Greenbehehell Cohohookie…”

“How the tables turn, hm?” the flower-inspired cookie stated with a determined (and slightly smug) expression. She continued her light tickling, not having to adjust herself nearly as much as her friend did with her. Whiteberry Cookie had never been a squirmer, more inclined to scrunch and squish himself away from the offending tickles, even though it never worked in his favor. As an almost compliment to it, Greenbell Cookie was always gentle, never seeming too calculated in her attacks and always feathery in her movements.

Luckily for her, gentle tickles seemed to work better with Whiteberry Cookie.

“I wahahas juhuhust cheheheering yohohou up!” the berry-infused cookie protested, curling up his entire body to lie on his side, getting only a mild reprieve as Greenbell Cookie slipped her fingers out from beneath his chin.

“Well, allow me to return the favor!” she replied, moving herself to accommodate his new position and half-draping herself over him to gently squish his sides. Which rewarded her with a rather undignified, squashed-sounding laugh in comparison to his usual soft laughter. “Now who’s squashed?” she teased.

“Stihihill your clahahaouds!” Whiteberry Cookie responded, lighter laughter returning (though it was soon interrupted once again by another moment of squished giggles).

Greenbell Cookie’s smile morphed into a pout. Then it wobbled into another grin when she couldn’t keep it on her face any longer. “Okay, that’s it,” she declared, lifting her hands.

The berry-infused cookie’s eyecing widened. “Waihihit, Greenbehehell Cookie-” he started, before letting out a bout of half-suppressed laughter that ended up sounding like a prolonged snort.

Greenbell Cookie had placed one hand on each side of his overturned body, moving her fingers as though she were opening the world’s least secured jar of peanut butter. They twisted around in a rough circle while the tips traced in a flurry of movements right on the center of his stomach and just where his wings met on his back. This left him with nowhere to curl to escape, resulting in a trapped, shaking Whiteberry Cookie.

“GreehehenbEHEHELL COOKIE! I’m sohOHOHOrry!! Plehehease!” he pleaded, trying unsuccessfully to curl his head into his arms before the tickling movements on his back forced him to arch back. Then curl inwards because of the fingers on his stomach. Trapped, indeed.

“No you’re not,” Greenbell Cookie stated matter-of-factly.

“Nohoho I’m nohohot…”

“Then more tickles for you!” she pronounced, speeding up her movements for a second. Then she had a thought and switched to a gentle squishing motion on his belly and an agonizingly light scritching motion on the spots just below his wings, her experienced fingers able to perform two acts at once.

“AHEHEHE-! I chAHAHAHANGED my MIHIHIND! I AHAHAM SOHOHORRY!” Whiteberry Cookie quickly amended, pressing his hands against his forehead. His softer chuckles were quickly devolving into a collection of various sounds, the most prominent being half-snorts that he managed to make by trying to stop the action from happening with little success.

“You’re just saying that now!” Greenbell Cookie accused, not stopping her movements for a second. 

“Nohohoho?” he tried, suppressing another snort when his friend wordlessly ran a single, scritching finger down his ‘spine’, stopping her fingers on his belly momentarily. 

Greenbell Cookie decided to put a stop to that newfound habit, moving the hand that had been on his stomach over to his hip area while simultaneously tracing her hand up to his shoulder blades. Then she attacked with mirrored movements, wiggling two fingers into the hip she could reach and doing the same with his shoulder blades.

Whiteberry Cookie jolted, eyecing squinting shut as he arched his back, laughter starting out in his usual, melodic tone before being interrupted by the snorts he was now failing to stifle. There were a few squashed laughs here and there, only further encouraged by the attacks on his back and hips. Even his legs were starting to twitch with the want to kick out, instead muffled into a light cycling motion.

Greenbell Cookie listened to him for a moment, finding her own laughter starting to kick up again just from the sound of the other alone. She remembered now why it was so easy for her friend to turn the tables back on her even once she got the upper hand: she couldn’t help but laugh along with him, leaving her movements clumsy enough for just the right amount of time.

Though this time, it seemed like luck was on her side with no signs of a fight from her friend or another attempt to get back at her.

Instead, he just laid there on his side with laughter pouring out that was getting less and less restrained the longer it went on. (Truth be told, he had…also missed this. Perhaps just as much as his friend had. And after the rift incident, they both needed a revisit from one of their old playful habits.)

Eventually, the one-sided laugh-fest turned into a mutual cluster of giggles and snorts, Whiteberry Cookie still being on the receiving end, but getting more than a little break with how Greenbell Cookie’s tickling motions were becoming clumsier and clumsier until all she could do was squeeze his sides in small intervals. It soon ended with Greenbell Cookie draped over Whiteberry Cookie, who had returned to laying on his back. Both of them were giggling for a while before it petered out to soft breathing.

Greenbell Cookie didn’t bother rolling off of her friend, knowing that she didn’t weigh nearly enough to strain him. She just closed her eyecing contentedly and judging from the increasingly slow breaths the cookie beneath her was taking, he had done the same.

The breezes running over Windy Hill continued their path, both cookies silently appreciating the company of the other. Silently appreciating the unfortunate event that was far behind them now.

“This is going to happen more often now, I hope you know.”

“And I hope you’re ready for me to fight back!”

A chuckle. “I don’t doubt it, Greenbell Cookie.”