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A peaceful tranquility floated around the room, with the only sound being a delicate turn of a page. Nezumi and Shion sat at opposite ends of the couch, each reading their own book. Their home was always full of petty bickering and energy, but the calm that surrounded them was a nice change of pace.
Nezumi was only a few chapters into his book when his eyes started drifting off the page, and onto the boy across from him. Shion was totally engrossed in his book, and his lips moved as they mouthed each word. The light that filtered throughout the room shone off his eyes in such a way that made them appear more striking than usual, a bit more violet than their usual red. As he turned a page, a hint of a smile became evident on his face. Shion had such a serene air around him, and Nezumi couldn’t look away.
Out of the corner of his eye, Nezumi saw Hamlet - no, one of the rats, he refused to use the names Shion had given them - skitter up Shion’s arm and perch on his shoulder. The white haired boy turned his head and smiled.
"Hey there, you want me to read to you?" he asked.
Hamlet sniffed at Shion’s hair in responce, his whiskers grazing over the sensitive skin of his ear. Shion scrunched his shoulders and giggled. “Stop that, it tickles.”
Nezumi was watching the entire time, and he chuckled, grabbing Shion’s attention. “You’re ticklish?” he questioned.
"Yeah, a bit," Shion replied. Nezumi smirked impishly, closing his book and placing it on the table. Shion took notice to the shifting atmosphere. "I… I used to be, at least. I’m probably not as ticklish as I was when I was younger," he added, aiming for nonchalance.
"Probably?" Nezumi asked, starting to inch forward. Shion had put his book down, as well, and scooted to the very edge of the couch. Nezumi continued, "In other words, you don’t know for sure? I think we should test this."
The rats had scurried away, as if they’d gotten wind of what was about to ensue. Shion had a nervous smile on his face, and subtly shook his head no. He knew he was ticklish, and very much so. Safu used to exploit this weakness of his when they were children, and she would constantly hold it above his head. Shion leaned away from the other boy. “Nezumi…”
"Shion…" Nezumi mimicked.
"I don’t think this is necessary," he tried to negotiate before his fate was sealed.
Nezumi cocked his head, as if considering his options, but suddenly, he pounced. Shion had anticipated it, and was up on his feet, narrowly escaping Nezumi’s hands.
Shion ran as far away from Nezumi as possible, still within the room. He put his hands out as defense, and his body was flat against the wall.
Chuckling, Nezumi rose from his sitting position and casually walked towards Shion.
"Come on, don’t run away, I just want to find something out. Think of it like a science experiment. You love those types of things, don’t you, elite?”
Before he could come any closer, Shion once again darted away. However, this time, Nezumi was right at his heels. They circled around the room multiple times, but their little game of cat and mouse didn’t last long, as Nezumi caught up quickly and grabbed onto Shion’s wrist, pulling him closer. With ease, he scooped him into his arms and dropped him onto the couch.
"I’ve got you now," he teased as he himself crawled onto the cushions.
Instantly, Shion felt arms encircle him from behind, so that the two were in a spooning position. Desperately, he tried to pry his way from Nezumi’s grip, but to no avail. The black haired boy was the stronger of the two, and they both knew it.
Deft fingers began to prod at Shion’s sides, but he bit his lip and took deep breaths to prevent himself from laughing. He though that maybe, just maybe, if he didn’t react, Nezumi would stop.
"Hm, you’re not laughing, maybe you actually aren’t ticklish," Nezumi wondered out loud. Shion wanted to jump with joy; his theory was seemingly accurate, and he would surely break soon if the tickling didn’t cease. But Nezumi leaned in close to his head, and whispered, "Or maybe, I should do this." He promptly blew into Shion’s ear.
The unfamiliar sensation made Shion jerk suddenly with a surprised shout. It felt odd, but it was effective. In no time, he became a mess of giggles and was shaking his head vigorously. Nezumi continued to blow bursts of air, but to mix things up, he stopped and peppered kisses on the sensitive skin instead. The break of pattern made Shion gasp, and he let out high pitched squeals accompanied by some snorts. Nezumi would never admit it, but in that moment, he thought that his target had never been more adorable.
"W-wait! Nezumi! I cahahan’t!" Shion sentence was cut off by his uncontrollable laughter.
"You can’t what? I can’t understand you," Nezumi nuzzled his nose against Shion’s pinna, making him whine with protest.
Though he was hindered by Nezumi’s firm embrace, Shion managed to move his hands up to his head, and he covered his ears to protect them from the onslaught, lifting his arms up in the process. However, Nezumi quickly shifted gears, and dug his fingers into Shion’s now vulnerable underarms. Shion screamed with laughter and yanked his arms down, but by doing so, his ears were once again exposed.
With his fingers still trapped and wiggling under Shion’s arms, Nezumi continued to blow puffs of air. The combined efforts caused him to absolutely shriek, and his struggled increased. Shion realized with dread that he was trapped; no matter what he did, he would be vulnerable.
"I’ll let you choose. Which spot do you like better?" Nezumi whispered, making sure to brush his lips teasingly against the edge of Shion’s ear. "Here?" he asked, digging his fingers harder into Shion’s armpits. The shorter boy yelped with laughter, his squirming growing more and more desperate.
"Nezumi! Come ohohon!"
Ignoring his protests, Nezumi resumed, “Or here?” He started once again, showering the shell of Shion’s ear with kisses. He noticed tears pricking at the corners of Shion’s eyes as his laughter intensified.
Nezumi’s movements halted suddenly, much to Shion’s relief. “So, which spot do you like better?” Nezumi repeated.
Shion couldn’t answer, because 1) the aftershocks of the tickling left him giggling and panting, and 2) he couldn’t even choose. Both spots were extremely sensitive, and the results would be torturous either way.
After catching some of his breath, Shion turned his head so that he could face Nezumi, subconsciously making his best puppy dog face. Nezumi looked down with a boastful grin, raising his eyebrows in question.
Shion gulped. “I….” he trailed off, bracing himself.
"You took to long," Nezumi said, and proceeded to nuzzle Shion’s ear and attack his underarms once again with renewed energy. This is too easy, he thought to himself, starting to feel a bit pitiful.
Once Shion’s laughter grew silent, his cheeks wet with tears, Nezumi finally stopped altogether, retracting his hands and sitting up. Shion, on the other hand, remained laying on his side, his face red from either laughter or embarrassment, Nezumi couldn’t tell.
"You’re… evil…." Shion huffed, and covered his face with his hands.
"Come on, now," Nezumi responded, reaching over and gently prying Shion’s hands away. He pulled the other boy closer to him, and the two were leaning shoulder to shoulder on the couch.
"I’m gonna get you for that, you know," Shion threatened.
Nezumi chuckled. “I’d like to see you try.”
Shion wanted to spit out a witty reply, but he was too exhausted to even try. He rested his head on Nezumi’s shoulder, and sighed contentedly.