#ler!kou

"Hanako!" Kou's voice echoed through the corridor. "Give it back already! I know you've got it!"

A faint laugh drifted from one of the nearby classrooms. Kou shoved the sliding door open and, sure enough, there Hanako was, perched casually on a desk like he had been waiting the entire time. The stolen charm dangled from his fingers, swaying back and forth like bait on a line.

"You really should be more careful, Minamoto-kun," Hanako drawled. "If a dangerous spirit had gotten hold of this instead of me..." He pressed the charm against his cheek, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Well, let's just say you'd be in trouble~!"

Kou clenched his jaw. He knew better than to lunge at Hanako right away... ghost or not, Hanako was slippery. But the smug way he twirled the charm, the smirk plastered across his face, it was too much.

In two strides, Kou closed the gap, grabbing Hanako by the wrist before he could vanish. He slammed him back against the wall with a forceful shove, one hand pinning his shoulder while the other wrestled for the charm.

"Ooo, scary exorcist boy finally caught me~!" Hanako sing-songed, even as Kou pinned him harder. "What now? Exorcise me?"

"Don't tempt me," Kou muttered, frustrated.

Hanako only smirked wider, clearly enjoying every second of it.

As Kou tried prying the charm from Hanako's hand, his fingers brushed against Hanako's side. Immediately, Hanako jolted, a sharp squeak slipping out before he could swallow it down.

Kou froze, eyebrows shooting up. "...Wait a second."

Hanako's eyes went wide. "No. Don't you dare." He reflexively vanished the charm while Kou was distracted.

Kou grinned slowly, recognition dawning. He experimentally wiggled his fingers near Hanako's ribs without touching, and Hanako stiffened against the wall, trying and failing to act composed.

"Oh-ho," Kou said, voice brimming with triumph. "Oh, you're ticklish~!"

"I am not!" Hanako snapped too quickly, cheeks flushing. "That was just nothing, don't get any ideas."

"Yeah, right... Wait, where's the charm? Hanako, where is the charm? It was just here!" Kou shifted his grip, keeping Hanako pinned with his forearm while his free hand darted straight for the ribs he had brushed. He jabbed lightly, and Hanako buckled, laughter bursting out before he could swallow it down.

"S-STohohohOhoP IhIHihIT!! KohoHoHOU, ThHhahaAT's- AHahahHA! NoHOhOHOT FahAHHAIR!!"

"Oh, it's more than fair," Kou replied, kneading up and down Hanako's ribs. "You stole my charm! Consider this payback."

Hanako twisted and squirmed, trying to phase out, but Kou had him pinned too tightly for him to slip away. Every squeeze sent him into another fit of laughter, his bratty remarks crumbling into squeals.

"Y-YouHUHu're- YouHuHU're paHAHahhAThHEhETIC!!" Hanako wheezed, though his voice cracked halfway through. "Th-THiHIhiS DohohoeSn't- EeheHEHven TihiHIhICKle!!"

"Doesn't tickle, huh?" Kou dug harder into the upper and lower ribs, remembering the squeak from earlier. Hanako immediately dissolved into helpless laughter, legs kicking against the floor.

"GhAHhaAHAH!! KOUHUhUHu!!! Q-QuIhihIHiT IhIHIHIT!!" he gasped, head tipping back against the wall.

Kou smirked, leaning in. "No way. Not until you tell me where you hid my charm. Or maybe I'll just stay right here until you admit how ticklish you really are~!"

Hanako's only reply was a high-pitched giggle that broke into another squeal as Kou wiggled his fingers under his arm. He jerked violently, kicking out in protest, but the laughter from his mouth betrayed him completely.

"Y-YoUhUhUHu're crUHuHuHUEl!!" Hanako managed between peals of laughter, thrashing under Kou's grip.

Kou only grinned wider. "And you're a terrible liar. Now, where's the charm?"

Hanako's response was wordless laughter, his bratty façade cracking with every second Kou's fingers dug into his ribs and underarms. For once, Kou had the upper hand, and he wasn't about to let Hanako wriggle free so easily. Kou's grin sharpened as Hanako squirmed beneath his hold, laughter echoing off the walls of the empty classroom. Hanako's cheeks were pink, eyes squeezed shut, legs kicking helplessly against the wood floor as Kou dug mercilessly into his ribs.

"Oh, you must be kidding me," Kou said over the noise, his tone teasing but competitive. "You're acting like I'm breaking your bones. All it takes is a couple fingers~?"

"SHuHUHUHT UHuhUHUHP!!!" Hanako squealed, twisting violently. "IHiHiHTS- NNNGHAHahahAH!! IhIHiHiT's NoHoHOt FuhuHhUhUNNY!!"

"I wouldn't be so sure," Kou chuckled, and then, just to test a theory, he let his hand hover threateningly near Hanako's knee.

Immediately, Hanako's laughter hitched into a squeal before Kou had even touched him, his whole leg jerking backward. "D-dohohon't! Don't even thihihihink about ihihit!"

Kou raised an eyebrow, fingers still wiggling in the air. "I don't even have to touch you, do I~?" he teased, circling his hand slowly just above Hanako's knee. Hanako shrieked again, his laughter growing frantic, as if the anticipation alone was unbearable.

"Stohohohop, stohohohp, stohohoHop!!! Ihihi hahahate youhUhuhu, Mihihnahmohohoto!!"

"Fitting," Kou said, smug. "Ghost boy taken down by air tickles. Amazing."

With a wicked grin, he finally pressed his thumb and fingers into Hanako's knee, giving it a quick squeeze. Hanako exploded.

"AHAhHAHHAHAHA!!! K-KoHOHOHOUU!!! NOHOHOT THAHAHAAHAHAHTTT!!!" His body bucked, legs flailing so wildly that Kou had to tighten his hold to keep him in place. Every squeeze sent him into a fresh burst of frantic, high-pitched laughter, completely unguarded and raw.

Kou chuckled with him, shaking his head. "You're unbelievable. You dish it out all the time, but you can't take a little payback?"

Hanako managed a breathless, "IHIHI CAHAHHAN'T TAHAHHAAKE IHIHIHIT!!!!" before dissolving into another scream of laughter as Kou switched back to kneading his ribs with both hands.

By now, Hanako's bratty remarks were falling apart completely. His giggles cracked into squeals, his words reduced to broken fragments.

"STAhhaHHAP-!! N-NOhOhOhOHO moHoHohohoHore, KoHOhOHUHUHU!!! IhIHIHI CAHHAhaHAN'T-!!!"

"Ah, sure you can," Kou teased, fingers spidering up into his underarms again. "You're the great Hanako-sama, right? Don't tell me you're tapping out already."

Hanako's only response was to thrash harder, kicking the floor with those ridiculous little leg-kicks, laughter tumbling out in frantic bursts. His face was flushed scarlet, eyes watering as he twisted in vain against Kou's hold.

Kou leaned closer, smirking. "All you have to do is tell me where my charm is. That's the deal. Otherwise..." He fluttered his fingers lightly against Hanako's ears and neck, barely touching.

Instantly, Hanako squealed, his laughter jumping an octave as he tried to duck his head away. "N-NoHoHoot thAHhAHahat!!! KouhuhuhU, plehEHehease!!!"

Kou chuckled, keeping the touches maddeningly light. "So this is the worst spot, huh~? Good to know~!"

Hanako shook his head furiously, unable to stop laughing. Finally, with a ragged gasp, he cracked. "O-Okahahay! Okahahay!! Ihihi'll tehehehelLl yoUHuHUHU!! J-JuhUHUHUSt stAHhahaAP aLLreHEHehAddy!!!"

Kou paused, fingers hovering. "...Go on."

"Iihihihit's-" Hanako broke into another giggle fit as Kou teased his ribs again, "-u-uhuhunder thehehe chahahalkboard, behehehind the erahahaser tray!! I h-hihihid ihihit thehere!!"

Kou's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but the desperation in Hanako's voice was hard to ignore. "You better not be lying."

"I'm nohot!" Hanako squeaked, still giggling even though Kou had eased up. "J-juhuhust- nnngghahahaa!! Quihihihit ihihihit!!"

Finally, Kou pulled back, letting Hanako slump against the wall. The ghost sagged, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath, cheeks pink and hair sticking in every direction. His laughter still lingered in little aftershocks, bubbling up whenever he thought he'd calmed down.

"Y-youhuhhu're thehe wohohorsttt," Hanako whined, glaring weakly. "An absolute monster."

Kou rolled his eyes, brushing his hands off as though satisfied with a job well done. "And you're way too ticklish for your own good. Don't steal my charms next time."

Hanako huffed, though the corner of his mouth twitched like he was fighting a smile. "Y-you'll pay for this, Minamoto. Mark my words."

Kou raised his hands defensively, backing up a step as Hanako wiggled his fingers menacingly in return. "Oh, no, you don't. You're not getting me that easily."

Hanako's smile returned, a little worn but no less mischievous. "We'll see about that~!"

Kou huffed, stepping over to the chalkboard and pulling the charm out from behind the tray, exactly where Hanako had said. He tucked it into his pocket, giving Hanako one last victorious grin. "Guess I win this round."

Hanako shot him a glare that was only half-serious, still giggling faintly under his breath. "Enjohoy it while it lasts.

“let me see!” kou whined, trying to pry the camera out of mitsuba’s hands. he wasn’t having any luck, though, surprised that mitsuba was a lot stronger and quicker than he looked. no matter how swift his arm was, mitsuba was already a step ahead of him.

“no! they’re my pictures!” mitsuba shouted, shaking his head. he was never too embarrassed to show kou his pictures, but most of the ones he took today were of kou. kou just looked.. really photogenic today and he didn’t realize just how many photos he had taken of the exorcist until he looked back at this. there were too many to count, and he know he could not show those to him!

he couldn’t deny that he was almost tempted to just give in and show him, deal with the embarrassment. kou just seemed to want to see the photos so badly, the determination plain on his face, it was actually pretty.. cute.

“why can’t i see? i always see your photos!” kou pouted, still trying to snatch the camera and still failing. mitsuba didn’t really have a plausible excuse for it, since he did always let kou see his photos.

“b-because you don’t deserve to see these ones!” mitsuba had to admit, his excuse was, well, it was horrible but it was the first thing that came into mind and he was under a lot of pressure.

“huh? why not? let me see!” kou made a face of confusion before turning his focus back to the camera. finally, kou did a small leap and managed to get close enough to just about grab it before...

he missed. mitsuba barely dodged, twisting his body. mitsuba would have believed that this was a close call, a success... if he didn’t suddenly squeak when the finger jabbed him in the armpit instead.

the two boys stopped, staring at each other in silence, ignoring the rosy blush rising on mitsuba’s cheeks. then, kou smiled, broadly, opening his mouth to speak.

“mitsuba.. are yo-“

“no, i’m not!” mitsuba denied instantly, hugging the camera tightly. he squeezed his eyes shut, too embarrassed to look at kou. when he didn’t hear anything else, he peeked one eye open. the previous expression on the exorcists face was now replaced with a smirk that could mean nothing but trouble. “d-don’t even think about it!”

“why not? you aren’t ticklish, so it should be fine, right?” kou laughed, before tackling mitsuba to the ground. mitsuba’s hurriedly protected the camera, grasping it tightly to prevent letting it get any fall damage.

“you idiot! the cameRAH!” he snapped, but was interrupted by his own laughter. the exorcist latched his hands onto mitsuba’s sides firmly and squeezed them, drawing out a startled giggle before mitsuba could even process what was happening.

“you seem pretty ticklish to me!” kou exclaimed, giddily. how could he not be excited after finding out his friend was ticklish? he wasted no chance in hearing mitsuba’s laugh.

“i-ihihim nahahat tihiklish!” mitsuba shook his head, wildly, squirming to fight kou’s ticklish fingers but it was no use. he couldn’t move an inch and he was too busy laughing to think of an escape plan. he was stuck and there was nothing he could do about it but endure what was coming.

“hm? are you sure?” mitsuba didnt answer, refusing to admit that he was ticklish. “well, i guess i’ll have to prove you wrong!”

the exorcist slid his hands lower, stopping at his hips for a moment if anticipation before digging his fingers into the soft flesh.

“you’re ahahaha pehehervert!” mitsuba figured saying that wouldn’t make kou stop but it was worth a shot. both luckily and unluckily, it didn’t. if anything, if might’ve made it worse since the sensations seemed to have gotten more intense. but if he was being honest, did he really want it to stop? he hadn’t laughed how he is now in a long while, maybe it could last a little longer?

“if making my friend laugh makes me a pervert, then so be it!” kou chuckled, still way too happy. he decided now would be a good time to change spots, so he removed his hands, giving mitsuba a moment to breathe.

“are you doNEHEHE!?” mitsuba cried out, unexpecting the fast movement of kou pinning his arm over his head, scribbling and poking at his armpit. “n-NOHOHOHO!”

if anyone thought kou’s face couldn’t get any happier, they were wrong. he looked so excited, someone could have thought he had won the lottery.

“you’re so ticklish here, mitsuba!” kou stated the obvious, keeping his same quick pace on his armpit.

“Y-YOuhuH DUMBAHAHASS! nAhaHAHA!” mitsuba flailed wildly, kicking out his legs. he was reaching his limit and this had to stop before he actually died of laughter.

when kou quickened his already fast movements, he knew that he couldn’t take anymore.

“STAHAHAHAP!” mitsuba shrieked as kou finally halted his tickling. mitsuba gasped for air, trying to find his breath. kou lied on the grass beside him, waiting for mitsuba.

“are you alright?” kou asked when mitsuba finally seemed to be breathing normally. mitsuba’s blush came back tenfold.

“i can’t believe you! tic- doing that to someone as cute as me!” he pouted, crossing his arms in annoyance. he, then, turned away from kou. “but yes, i’m okay..”

kou’s previously worried expression faded in an instant and his smile reappeared, maybe even wider than before.

“mitsubaaa!” he suddenly shouted loudly, before hugging mitsuba, startling him. it was a bit of an awkward angle since they were laying down, but a hug nonetheless.