✨Requests Open✨

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It was morning on the island of Paradise, and Nickel and Balloon were on the beach, working on a sand castle.

The pair had been discussing the events of the previous day’s challenge as they worked, adding scoops of sand to their pile, which was just beginning to take shape.

“And then they tried to team up on you!” Nickel scoffed. “Like I was going to let that happen.”

Kneeling, Balloon patted down another level of sand. “I suppose we were going to lose either way.”

Nickel pushed a small amount of sand forward with his foot. “It’s a good thing you’re so easy to make laugh. Otherwise, Bow and The Floor would have gotten the one-up on us.”

“Psh, I don’t laugh that easily.” Balloon mumbled to himself.

“Are you kidding?” Nickel replied, having heard the comment. “All I have to do is blink to get you fighting a smile!”

Balloon eyed him, unamused. “Oh yeah? And I assume you’re ‘Mr. Stoic?’”

“Uh, duh.” Nickel rolled his eyes. “Unlike you, I don’t crack up at two sticks and a piece of hay.”

Balloon shifted in Nickel’s direction, a smirk appearing on his face. “Wanna bet?”

“What do you-”

Before Nickel could finish, Balloon was suddenly in his face. He reached out and gave the coin a light shove back.

Nickel fell backwards onto the sand, landing with an oomph. He snapped to attention as Balloon approached him.

“W-woah, hey-!” Nickel cried out as Balloon moved to sit on his legs, straddling the coin. “What, uh… what are you doing?”

Nickel attempted to conceal some of his panic, as he wanted Balloon to know that he trusted him, despite his current, startling behaviour.

“Oh, not much.” Balloon replied in a casual manner. He hovered his hands near Nickel’s sides, before giving each a light poke.

Nickel flinched in response, his eyes growing wide as he realized what Balloon was planning.

“Don’t. You. Dare.”

“What?” Balloon grinned, gently pinching Nickel’s sides. “You said that you don’t laugh easily, so this should be no problem for you.”

Nickel struggled against Balloon, biting his lip to hide the smile on his face, as the tingling at his sides seemed to intensify. “N-no!”

“I’m not even doing anything.” Balloon chuckled. “You’re doing it to yourself by moving around all squirmy-like.”

“Then let go!” Nickel exclaimed, kicking up the sand.

“If you say so…”

Balloon then released Nickel’s sides, giving him a moment of reprieve, before immediately digging claw-shaped hands back into the metal surface.

“WhaHA- NAHAHA!” Nickel thrashed around on the ground, wildly kicking his legs.

“What? You said to let go, so I did.” Balloon commented, continuing the action.

“THIHIS IHIS WOHOHORSE!” Nickel cackled.

“Hey, you never specified what to do after letting go.”

“BAHALLOON! PLEHEASE!”

Watching the coin frantically roll around on the ground, Balloon decided to ease up on him.

“Okay, okay.” Balloon slowed his hands to a stop, remaining on top of Nickel.

As Nickel was regaining his breath, Balloon felt something press up against his back. Turning around, he saw that Nickel was trying rather unsuccessfully to knee him.

“Great plan, bud.” Balloon turned back. “Really hindering me there.”

“Okay, I think we’ve had our fun.” Nickel huffed. “Time to get off.”

“Alright.”

Balloon shifted so that he was still sitting on Nickel’s legs, but now faced away from him.

Nickel blinked.

“Uh, Balloon? Not sure if you know, but that doesn’t exactly count as getting off. All you did was turn around.”

“Mhm.” Balloon seized one of Nickel’s legs in his hand, causing Nickel to grow anxious.

“H-hey! I thought that you- aAH!”

Nickel suddenly yelped, as Balloon experimentally fluttered his fingers along the underside of his knee.

“Keep going, I’m listening.” Balloon responded, as though they were having a regular conversation.

“S-stop thahat!” Nickel attempted to keep it together, but couldn’t prevent the occasional giggle from escaping.

He swung his free leg toward Balloon, but couldn’t quite reach. Balloon gave a small snicker. “Don’t worry, Nickel. You’ll get me one of these days!”

“Shuhut uhup!” Nickel giggled, half from Balloon’s tickling, and half in response to his teasing.

Balloon then stilled his fingers, placing Nickel’s leg back down onto the ground.

This time, instead of trying to knee him, Nickel quickly sat up, attempting to push Balloon off with his body. Balloon, however, wouldn't budge, and Nickel just ended up falling back down onto the sand.

Balloon shifted so that he was facing Nickel once more.

“You really want me off, huh?”

Nickel looked up at him with a scowl, which Balloon could tell was not entirely genuine.

“Yes.”

“Alright, I’ll get off for real this time.”

…

“... After one more quick thing.”

“No! Balloon! I swear, if you-”

Nickel was cut off as Balloon placed his hands on either side of the coin, gently holding him in place.

“Balloon…”

Balloon then took a large breath, signalling to Nickel what was about to happen.

“Wait! Wait, wait, wait! Balloon!”

Leaning down, Balloon blew a raspberry against Nickel’s centre. Nickel shrieked, flailing around on the ground.

“NAHAHA! BAHAHAHA-!”

Giggling at the sight, Balloon finally pulled back, moving off of Nickel.

After a few moments, Nickel, noticing the absence of a weight on his body, immediately shot up into a sitting position.

“So, who’s laughing now?” Balloon hummed at the breathless coin.

“Don’t talk to me.” Nickel grumbled, kicking sand at Balloon.

Balloon blocked the sand with his arms, giggling.

“Come on, let’s go finish the sand castle.”

Nickel rolled his eyes, watching as Balloon kneeled next to the mound of sand. As he repeatedly scooped handfuls onto the pile, Balloon’s preoccupied state gave Nickel an idea.

A smirk creeped its way across Nickel’s face as he rose.

What’s that saying about throwing rocks in a glass house? Nickel thought to himself, as he silently approached Balloon from behind.

Oh well, doesn’t matter. Balloon was about to experience the meaning first-hand, if Nickel had anything to say about it.