Pink
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So… Rumi hadn’t ever fully enjoyed couch time. It was hard to do that when she was paranoid about a sleeve rolling up or her shoulder shifting just enough to-
It made relaxation tricky, was the thing. Things were different now. She was still a little on edge but she was okay to sit on the couch in a crop top and her bandmates were… fine?
Well, mostly fine.
“Uuuuh… Zoey? What are you doing?”
Zoey didn’t look up from tracing the pattern up Rumi’s arm with her fingertips. “Hmm?”
Mira snickered and poked her. “Hey!”
That got Zoey to look up, her expression turning somewhat sheepish. She stilled her hand but didn’t let go of Rumi’s wrist. “Oh, sorry, should I stop?”
Rumi raised an eyebrow. “No, it’s fine, just… what are you doing?”
Emboldened by the permission, she started to trace the zig-zagging patterns again. “Just looking.” She tilted her head and grinned. “They’re pretty.”
Rumi scoffed and rolled her eyes towards the ceiling. “You don’t have to say that. It’s okay.”
Zoey’s delicate fingers stilled, and silence took over for several long seconds. When Rumi looked back down, they were both staring at her. “What?”
Zoey pouted, steel in her eyes. “I said they’re pretty.” She said firmly.
Mira nudged her. “Sorry Rumi, I think you’re outvoted.”
Oh. Oh. Rumi wasn’t sure if she wanted to cry or smile. She blinked heavily to avoid the former. “Oh… thanks.” She said, her voice quiet and fragile.
“You’re welcome.” Zoey said, and Mira’s hand squeezed hers reassuringly. Zoey’s tracing resumed, somehow more affectionate than before. Criss-crossing up her arm, towards her shoulder, around the base of her neck… crap. That tickled.
Rumi twitched when Zoey kept going, trying not to give herself away. Not to smile or jump or squirm, but her touch was so delicate and soft and nice that she knew she had to do something.
“Zoey-” She stopped, feeling the giggles fizzing up in her stomach and knowing that one more word would let them out and give her away. Zoey, for her part, only hummed a quiet acknowledgement at her name, seemingly too transfixed by the shimmering patterns to notice their leader struggling to keep it together.
And Mira. Mira was smirking at her. Oh no. Rumi shook her head at her, biting her lip around a nervous smile. She knew how this was going to go now, there was only one way for it to go, and knowing that, the inevitability, had her feeling all the more giggly and squirmy.
Rumi closed her eyes, trying to focus, and the second she did a hand playfully squeezed her side, and she- she snorted.
All three of them froze. Rumi’s eyes shot open wide.
Mira was the first to react, breaking into laughter and covering her mouth with one hand. Rumi glared and slapped at her. “Shut up!” She tried to scold while smiling herself. “That was not fair!”
Zoey’s eyes locked onto that spot on Rumi’s side. The patterns there were glowing a pale pink. Hmm. “Aww, Rumi, are you ticklish?”
Rumi froze. “Uh…”
“Uh?” Mira repeated, grinning wolfishly.
She shrank back, her patterns glowing almost as brightly as her face. “I, um…” She mumbled something incomprehensible and tried to curl in on herself as the other two gained on her.
“Aww, what’s wrong?” Zoey cooed in fake concern.
Rumi whined, wishing for her hoodie to hide in. “You’re gonna…”
Mira chuckled. “We’re gonna what?”
Her knees curled up. “Tickle me!”
“Oh!” Zoey beamed. “Well, if you really want us to.”
Wait. “Wait! That’s not- AH!” She squealed when Zoey faked a grab at her and jolted away. Right into Mira, who grabbed one of her arms and pulled it up, long fingers darting across her vulnerable stomach, lighting her patterns up like a Christmas tree and making Rumi flail and shriek with giggles.
Zoey’s face lit up. “Oh my gosh, cuuuute!”
Despite her best efforts, Rumi snorted again, her free hand chasing Mira’s as it scampered up her side and ribs, darting under her arm and altogether driving her crazy. “Wait!” She tried to protest between laughing. “Waitwaitwaitwait!”
To her surprise, Mira did so, though her hand stayed where it was, resting against her side, fingers gently playing against her patterns and keeping her twitching. “Well?” Mira said smugly. “We’re waiting.”
The thing was, no one had tickled her since she was little. Rumi had sort of forgotten what it felt like. Forgotten… that it was fun. She was trapped between Zoey’s bright smile and Mira’s mischievous hands and…
She didn’t want to go anywhere.
So, after taking a moment, Rumi weakly pulled at her trapped arm and tried to turn enough to launch a counterattack against Mira. Which immediately failed when Mira’s manicured nails started scratching at her stomach, sending her into a fit of helpless, bubbly laughter.
Mira grinned. “Really?” She said teasingly. “You thought that’d work?” Rumi was laughing too hard to reply, and it was honestly adorable. Even if her free arm kept almost hitting Mira in the face.
Quick as lightning, Zoey caught her other arm and leaned in close, smiling widely. “Did you?” She said knowingly, a warm spark in her eye. “Did you think that’d work?”
Rumi yelped and shrank back. Then jumped away from Mira. Ugh, which way could she even go?
Zoey giggled and leaned in close to her ear. “You are so cute!” She cooed, relishing Rumi’s giddy laughter and wide smile. And… oh. She giggled again. “Aww, Mira, she’s blushing!”
“No!” Rumi squeaked, trying to turn her head enough that she could hide her face in the couch, but her bones had turned to jelly.
“Oh yes you are!” Zoey sang quietly into her ear, then raised an eyebrow. Rumi’s patterns were glowing pale pink all over, fluctuating in brightness, but right behind her ear was constantly bright. Her grin grew bigger, and she quickly took a deep breath, pressed her lips to the glowing spot, and blew the biggest raspberry she could.
Rumi jumped so hard that she almost threw them both off, her laughter turning into shrieking, frantically shaking her head to get her off. “ZOEY!”
Mira paused, taken aback. “Woah,” She chuckled, “What did you do?”
Zoey grinned, nuzzling into Rumi’s neck to keep her giggling. “Rumiii.” She sang delightedly.
“Nooooo!” She whined, trying to guard her neck with her shoulders and failing.
Mira chuckled, tracing one finger over the patterns on her abdomen. “You’re glowing, you know that?”
No. She was far too busy giggling like crazy to notice her dumb patterns and whatever they were doing.
Zoey’s nose snuffled into that spot behind her ear. “You go all pink when you’re tickly.” She giggled, heedless of the fact that Rumi was all but entirely melted by this point. “And your tickle spots go extra pink.”
Rumi kicked her legs weakly. “Stop saying it!”
“Oh, for real?” Mira said, paying closer attention to the patterns and quickly noticing the brighter glow to her lower back. On a hunch, she let go of Rumi’s arm and raked her nails up both sides.
Her smile went soft when Rumi squealed and flopped forwards right onto Zoey, her face smushed into her shoulder and her arms wrapping around her. Zoey returned the embrace, continuing to growl and nip playfully at her neck and ears.
Rumi hiccupped. “Tickles!” She managed to squeak. It was the only thought in her head anyway.
Mira snickered. “Wow, I hadn’t noticed.” She said sarcastically, wiggling her fingers in a wave over Rumi’s back and earning another hiccup. Her eyes met Zoey’s over her shoulder in a silent agreement. They’d take advantage of this as often as they could. If only to see that huge smile on Rumi’s face.
It wasn’t like she was trying to get away.
They both eased off when Rumi’s laughter went silent. Mira’s hands wrapped around her waist instead, squeezing tightly, and Zoey nestled her head into the crook of her neck, smiling at her. Rumi was really adorable like this. Giddy and giggly, she almost looked like she was floating.
Once Rumi had caught her breath, Zoey gently kissed her cheek. “We love you Rumi.” She said warmly. Mira hummed in agreement.
Rumi huffed out a residual laugh. She felt… warm. And loved. “Love you guys too.” She mumbled, smiling more than she could remember ever doing.
Mira chuckled. “Guess we know what to do the next time you try to interrupt couch time.” She said, tracing one finger teasingly up Rumi’s spine and making her arch. “Think twice before pushing up another single.”
“Okay!” She said with a squeak. “Okay, I promise, no interrupting couch time. Couch time is sacred.”
Zoey laughed wickedly. “On pain of tickles!” She said, wiggling her fingers in the air. They all laughed, Rumi’s patterns maintaining that pale pink glow.
Rumi sighed, sagging in their embrace. “You guys are the best.”
“We know.” Mira said with a grin. “So are you.”
She huffed a laugh. “If you say so.”
“We know so.” Zoey said, squeezing her tightly.
Heh. “Okay.” Rumi didn’t know what it was about those two, but something about being here with them in this moment made her believe them.
