#bonding<33

Link held his lips from curling into a smile and approached his friend as he imagined the outcome of what he was about to do.

“I only see fairness Mr. Hero! Out of the goodness of your heart and the-hehAH-” The merchant was suddenly interrupted by his own voice.

“Ticklish?” Link smirked and retracted his hand from Ravio’s hip.

Ravio’s heart skipped, a new feeling of giddiness and fluster lighting throughout him.

He scrambled to answer, “What-PPFSH n-no…?” chuckle “Nope.” He crossed his arms and held his sides.

“I think you are!!” The grinning hero approached him as he shuffled back.

Butterflies flutt- no, swarmed in his stomach. The not so subtle excitement for where this was going teased at his nerves. Ravio felt the connection of playfulness sparking between them, a feeling he was very ready to welcome after so long without.

“N-Now this has nothing to do my deals, buddy!” He protested, his voice wavering as he tried to suppress the anticipatory giggles creeping up his throat.

He grasped the merchant’s hips once again, “Well I have to get you back somehow!” he retorted winking, unable to keep that smirk off his face as he began to squeeze and knead into the spot, recalling the way he reacted when he did it the first time.

“WAIT-waihahait hero we can tALk aboUT THIHIS” Ravio stumbled over his words and backed into a counter, spilling out giggles and trying his best not to fold like a lawn chair from the fingers attacking his ticklish hips.

His false voice had already been slipping from the moment Link had first taken him by surprise, but that bit of control he had left was now completely gone, and Ravio was kicking himself. Just some tickles to fully tear down the grouchy guise of his so well-hidden voice? Really?

Link payed no mind however and slipped under his leather band, beginning to squeeze his sides, the other instinctively scrambling to escape the ticklish sensation and tripping over himself, quite literally falling into laughter as Link followed him down to the floor.

The blonde boy easily removed the midriff accessory and went straight back for his sides, squeezing up and down and spidering in circles. Ravio twisted and turned, squealing out a waterfall of giggles and frantically pushing Link’s hands away as his legs tried their best to kick from under him.

“You laugh softer when I go down here…” two squeezes to his lower sides.

“And you laugh harder when I go up here…” three squeezes travelling up them. Ravio belly laughed as the cogs in his mind turned with Link’s. What was he-? oh no.

“So…” He locked onto his target.

“WaHahahit naHAhah—HAH!” he barked out suddenly, before trailing off into awkward and nervous giggles, giving Link as pleading of a stare as he could give through the mask of his hood.

“Bad spot?” Link chuckled, starting up again the moment after he spoke, skittering up and down Ravio’s ribs - leaving his loud and frantic laughter to answer that question for him.

Ravio’s hood jumped about along with him and began to lift, the slightly quietened sound of his laugh becoming clearer, and realisation hitting him in the face as light creeped in.

He scrambled to clutch onto his hood and keep it down, which unfortunately for him, was an obvious mistake and too perfect an opportunity for Link to miss. The blonde quickly shoved his hands under Ravio’s arms and scribbled into his hollows, a grin spread across his face.

The squeal he let out was unbelievable, getting a snort out of Link himself as he curled in and clamped his arms down, refusing to let go of his hood.

Which didn’t help, trapping Link’s wriggling fingers and sending all the more ticklish sparks buzzing along his nerves. He spluttered and amusingly squealed out as many half-hearted protests as he could.

“IHihi- th-this wihihill rahAHAISE YOHOur priHIces si-hihIHAH-SIGNIFICANTLY!-AHAH”

“Threatening me in this situation? Really?” The boy smirked, slowing his tickles a little.

“Well whahat are yohou gonna do? You cahahan’t tickle me to deheath Hero.” Ah. Rookie mistake.

“Oh you wanna test that theory?” He set his hands back on the giggler’s ribs, twitching them a little.

Ravio tensed and felt himself gaining an even wobblier (and wider) smile on his face, squirming, “Wahait-wAItwaitWAIT yohou wouldn’t-” He spluttered, convincing his arms to move down and hold Link’s.

More and more giggles seemed to bubble out of him in anticipation and nervousness. And the light squeezing to his ribs Link was kind enough to provide him with weren’t messing with him any less either.

Anyway, turns out he would go there. He definitely would.

“MR. H-HEHEHEHAHAHAHAA!! LIHIHINK!” The merchant was screeching with laughter, grabbing desperately at his attacker’s hands as they kneaded into each sensitive bone.

Link couldn’t help but smile as he vibrated and wiggled his fingers into the ticklish crevices of his rib cage, digging out every cackle and wheeze he could find. He absolutely deserved this.

“NOHOHAAHAHAT THEHERE!! PLEHE- I’M GONNA DIHIE!!!” Ravio threw himself about like a fish out of water. Wasn’t this guy was supposed to be a rabbit?

Link strategically placed his fingers on every bone he could, paused for a second, and tased as quickly and evilly as he could as his friend arched and gasped and bursted into another round of harsh cackles, falling into a hyper-giggle fit in between every shock.

His laugh was so funny and contagious, it reminded Link of his own. His smile was wide and his heart was so warm with affection he almost forgot the reason he started all of this.

He had missed these kinds of moments. The times where he’d get into trouble with his friends, where they’d laugh together for ages and his biggest worry was waking up late for work, when his responsibility for the kingdom and the princess was still in the past.

This was the happiest he’d felt in a while, for once he felt like there was nothing wrong with the world, like it was just him and Ravio. Just him and this strange, funny, stupidly ticklish ‘merchant’.

Link dazed in the moment before snapping back to reality, meeting before him a wheezing, snorting, curled up Ravio, realising he’d been practically murdering the guy this entire time.

He slowly halted his attack and patted his friend on the shoulder, moving to sit off his legs.

All his thrashing had yet again revealed a glimpse of the underneath of his hood, only a little. Link wouldn’t look any further but just enough to see his smile. To which he felt his own butterflies fluttering in his stomach, it was so playful and happy, so genuine.

Residual giggles filled the air, “O-Oho my gohoddess I thought you wehere gonna kill me!”

Link scoffed, “Don’t be dramatic! You’re not earning any sympathy from me, the amount of times I’ve fallen in battle and you’ve snatched your items back immediately! You greedy guy!!” He scurried his fingers over Ravio’s stomach, earning a squawk and another round of laughter.

“HEhey thahat was the deheal!! And I thihink we knohow who’s fault it is anyway judging by ‘the amount of times I’ve fallen in battle’ buddyYHA- HAHAHAH” He flailed as another attack was launched again by an ‘irritated’ hero.

“OKaY OKAHAY stahahap!” Ravio snorted and shoved Link as he sat up further.

“I didn’t overstep did I?” Link gave him a nudge.

“No, not at all. It was…fun.” Ravio’s tone was warm and lighthearted, one that spread through the room.

“You’ve learnt your lesson?” Link raised an eyebrow, smiling.

“Yes yes I have.” he giggled, head in his hands.

“…I don’t have to lower the prices though right-OKAYOKAYIMSORRY”

No matter what he pulled Link couldn’t seem to shake his affection for the merchant, being somewhat drawn to him and feeling their bond grow despite only short moments of interaction.

And this seemed to be mutual.

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