#tickleween 2025

“Iiihihihhihtadohohohohori!” Megumi fell back into his chest, nearly flying off his log seat as his sides were mercilessly tickled. “Knohhohock it ohohohoff! Thehehere’s an oohohohpen flahahahame!”

“No worries, Gooms- we’re far enough from it. Tell you what-” Yuji wrapped both arms around him suddenly, pulling him back and completely off the log. Megumi let out a small ‘oof’ as he landed on his butt, still connected with the other. His shock didn’t last long once the tickling started up again. “There you go! No burns to worry about!”

“Thihihihis ihihihsn’t hehehelping! Ehahhahaha, gahahhaha- YUJI!” The brunette kicked and flailed on the ground, trying and failing to tug the iron-gripped hands off his torso while the pink haired boy laughed on. “Nohohohobahahahara, hehehelp! Goohohohojo!”

“Aww, Yuji’s comforting Megumi after the big scare!” Nobara cooed sweetly, giggling as she watched them wrestle. “What a good friend he is!”

“Makes me kinda jealous- I wish someone would comfort me like that.” Gojo mused with equal amounts of glee, rotating a marshmallow in the flames until it was burnt. “I’ll find solace in food. Want one?”

“Sure- just don’t burn it.” She turned away, leaving Megumi to his fate. Traitors, both of them! He hoped they dropped their marshmallows!

“Yuhuuhuji, Yuhuhuhuji stahhaap! I’m nohohohot scahahahhared!” Megumi cried out, gasping for air when the tickles finally came to an end. “Uhuuhhugh, you suhuhck!”

“Pfft- heehehehe!” The stronger boy giggled, delighted. He helped Megumi back up to the log while the others sat down, smooshing melted marshmallows between chocolate and graham crackers. “I knew you wouldn’t get scared over my scary stories- being the horror buff you are. I still wanted to make you scream, though.” He grabbed a marshmallow and toasted it, popping it into his mouth with reckless abandon. “Your turn! Tell us a good one, Gooms!”

“...Heh, fine.” He gave in, earning a chorus of muffled cheers. “Get ready. This one is actually gonna be scary.”

While Atsushi sat down and crossed his legs, Dazai collapsed beside him and tucked his arms behind his head with a contented sigh. Atsushi shook his head at the sight of his mentor, unsure how he could be so relaxed when they had so much left to do at the office… and when the weight of their recent battles was still fresh in everyone’s minds. 

How odd that on any given day, he could be sorting paperwork one minute and fighting for his life the next.

Desperate for a distraction from his thoughts, Atsushi drew his attention to a falling maple leaf, following its agonizingly slow descent, noting its colors, its shape, and…

“So what’s got you down all of a sudden?”

Startled out of his trance by Dazai’s question, Atsushi straightened. “Oh. I’m just tired.”

“Tired?! The day isn’t even half over!” Dazai sighed dramatically. “Man, I knew Kunikida was working you too hard.”

Atsushi shook his head. “It’s nothing like that.”

Dazai sat up. “Then what is it?”

Atsushi sighed and shook his head again. He really didn’t want to talk about it. Honestly, he wasn’t even sure if he could. To avoid more discussion, Atsushi turned his attention to an ant crawling near his hand. A moment passed, and just when he thought he was in the clear, he felt something tickle his ear. Atsushi yelped and swiftly covered it with his hand. He turned to see a grinning Dazai twirling a fallen maple leaf between his fingers, the tool used to tickle his protégé.

“W-What was that for?” Atsushi cried, feeling his cheeks flush with embarrassment.

“Hmmmmm.” Dazai chuckled, “I think I know what’s wrong.” 

Atsushi recoiled, wary of his mentor’s playful tone. “What are you talking about? I said I was tired!”

Dazai cracked his knuckles. “Yep! Nothing a little giggle therapy won’t fix.”

Atsushi’s jaw dropped, instantly understanding Dazai’s intentions. This wouldn’t be the first time, of course, but why now? And in such a public setting?! 

Dazai’s wiggling fingers slowly drew closer to Atsushi. “Here comes the Tickle Monster, Atsushi-kun!”

A shiver ran down Atsushi’s spine in anticipation. He couldn’t let this happen! If only he’d resisted Dazai earlier and pleaded for Kunikida to help, he’d still be safe at the office. So he made to leap away but it was too late. Dazai caught his sides and pulled him back, making Atsushi shriek. “Dazai-san! Wait! Please!” 

“Tickle, tickle, tickle!” Dazai teased, squeezing and digging into Atsushi’s sides. 

Atsushi fell back against Dazai, unable do anything but tremble with quiet laughter from the sudden attack. He closed his eyes shut to avoid seeing if they’d draw any attention to their spot in the park. And to avoid further embarrassment, he pressed his lips together tightly, stifling any laughter that would threaten to escape as Dazai continued his assault. 

“Wait a minute? This isn’t right…” Dazai gasped, moving up to scribble over Atsushi’s ribs. “Where’s the giggles?” 

Atsushi shook his head quickly, all while struggling to pry off Dazai’s hands. 

But Dazai wouldn't budge, instead, he tickled other spots to avoid Atsushi’s resistance which only tickled him more.  “C’mon, Atsushi-kun! This treatment won’t work if you aren’t giggling!”

Atsushi then made what sounded like a whimper as he kicked out his legs. Meanwhile, one of Dazai’s hands moved to his belly and scribbled there too. 

Dazai snickered. “I can feel them in there. Let them out, huh? You know you want to~” He whispered into Atsushi’s ear, “tickle, tickle~”

At the tease, Atsushi broke. “Ahahahaha!” He threw his head back, giggling hysterically. “Dahahahazai-san! Nohoho!”

“There’s the giggles I was looking for!” Dazai laughed along with Atsushi. “Oh, where do you think you’re going?! We’re not done yet!” Dazai followed Atsushi as he fell back onto the blanket and curled up, hiccuping with giggles and laughter as his mentor relentlessly tickled him for several more moments. 

“There, feel any better?” Dazai said when he finally let up on Atsushi just as he started to tear up from laughing so hard.   

Atsushi slowly pushed himself up, wobbly and giggly, while wearing a wide smile from his “therapy.” He nodded in reply. 

“You sure?” Dazai gave one of Atsushi’s knees a quick squeeze. 

“Yes!” Atsushi squeaked. “I’m okay! I’m feeling so much better! I promise!” And it was true. Embarrassment aside, he didn’t mind being tickled. Dazai’s “giggle therapy” was a good respite from his sobering thoughts.

“Great! Mission accomplished.” Dazai patted Atsushi on the shoulder. “But one more thing: Don’t be afraid to take a break every now and then, alright?”

Atsushi looked at Dazai, confused by the advice.

“You’ve been through a lot since you’ve joined the agency and that’s putting it mildly.” Dazai fell back into his reclining position on the blanket. “If you need to rest, just do it. You’ll never feel better if you don’t.” 

Atsushi hung his head, “but… there’s just so much to do. And who knows when–” 

“It’ll be there when you get back,” Dazai interrupted.

“But what if I don’t feel better?”

“You will. Just as like how the seasons always pass from one to the next.”

Atsushi turned away. “I don’t understand…”

A maple leaf landed on Atsushi's head and as it slid off, he caught it in his hands. Autumn was a kind of rest, wasn’t it? No, it was a kind of preparation. Soon the trees will eventually be bare and then dormant, allowing for winter to appear and coat everything in a blanket of snow until it’s time to wake up. And then when spring comes, the snow will melt and the trees will awaken anew. 

Just as spring can’t happen without winter, healing can’t happen without rest.

Atsushi smiled, understanding relaxing the tension in his shoulders he didn’t know was there. 

“No. No, I think I do understand.”

“Good,” Dazai said, his eyes already closed. “Now I think it’s time for a quick nap.” He yawned, “wake me up in a bit, okay?” 

His awkward feelings faded at the sudden discovery, and Takumi wiggled his fingers again with intention. Eito twitched more, his giggles steadily growing. Despite this clearly getting to him, he hadn’t let go of Takumi’s hands. If anything, he seemed to hold on tighter. 

Interesting, very interesting. “Does it really? And I’m barely touching you- too! I’m starting to see why you always wear those leather gloves..”

“Thahaht’s not whhihihihy- ehehahahha! Tahahakumi, stahhaap thahahat!”

“Then let go of my hands?”

“Buhuhut thehhey’re stihihihll coohohohld!” Eito doubled over, pressing his forehead against their conjoined fingers. His brow felt hot- was that due to his blushing or the cold? Either way it did funny things to the redhead’s belly. “I dohohohn’t wahahant yohoohu to geheheht frohohostbite!”

“Aren’t you sweet?” Takumi pretended his heart wasn’t racing at that, deciding to go for the kill as he gently scratched with his nail along Eito’s center-palm. The blonde squeaked and released him, pulling his hands back into his chest as he carried on laughing. “Whoops- sorry, did that tickle too bad?”

“Yehehehs! You did thahat on purpose!” Eito lightly kicked at him, yelping when Takumi pushed them both into the bed in retaliation. A few more tickles to his ribs had him giving back his retracted hands, in which Takumi carefully took once more. This time, he held Eito’s within his own, thumbs rubbing sweet circles against his skin while the blonde caught his breath. “O-Oohooh…they’re warmer now.”

“They feel better too. I should hold hands with you more often.” Whoops, that slipped. Both their faces flushed a brilliant red, but neither pulled away. Eito’s shy smile started to reappear, and Takumi cleared his throat as he looked at their joined hands.

Feeling a little reckless, he dared to intertwine their hands, watching Eito’s throat hitch some in response. “Is this..is this okay?” He asked, fear creeping into his voice.

“Yeah..this is just fine.” Eito squeezed his hands back, and Takumi’s heart fluttered as he began to smile.

“Hide,” Geralt hissed, pushing Jaskier aside. The bard quickly moved behind the nearest tree as the Witcher took a cautious step forward. The fog seemed to come to life around them, obscuring their surroundings. A way stone appeared with what appeared to be a shrine in disrepair beside it. Geralt realized they were at the site of the wraith’s attacks and its origins as well. He started to backtrack to Jaskier’s location. 

“Jaskier. The necklace–” As the Witcher turned he was confronted with the translucent, rotting face of a pale woman, baring a hideous mouth of sharp teeth. “Fuck.” 

With an ear piercing screech the wraith lunged at Geralt. 

“Necklace!” The Witcher barked, barely dodging the wraith’s attack. “Throw it! Now!” 

“What?!” Jaskier called back, trying to discern Geralt’s demand over the spectral shrieking. 

Frustrated, Geralt growled and rolled away from the wraith towards his companion. That was enough to make the wraith hesitate, which allowed Geralt to cast a sign at her feet once he was up. As the wraith screamed in fury within the trap, the Witcher ran to Jaskier, only to find that the necklace was no where in sight. He cursed and grabbed Jaskier, looking for pockets, pouches or any where that the necklace might be hiding on the bard’s person. 

Jaskier screeched from Geralt’s assault, suddenly panicked by not only fear but confusion. And not only that… “What are you doing?! W-Wahahait! G-Geralt!” He yelped when Geralt found a pocket in his doublet, “thahahat tickles! Ah! Stop it!” 

Ignoring Jaskier, Geralt pulled out the necklace and made for the wraith… only to find that she was gone. The Witcher grit his teeth, stifling his anger in favor of concentrating on the environment. His medallion now quietly humming, the wraith sure to appear again at any moment. 

“What the fuck was that about?!” Jaskier cried, stomping over to Geralt, his face flushed. 

“Shut up,” Geralt growled through his teeth, trying to step away as his cat eyes stared at the fog. 

Unfortunately, Jaskier followed, griping about his ruined sash and Geralt’s “wandering hands” as if the danger had already passed, “–and do you have any idea how much this cost?!”

Geralt had enough of Jaskier’s whining. Without a word, he grabbed the bard’s arm and led them to the shrine. “Ow! What are you doing now, you sodding pervert!?”

“Remember that superstition you brought up last night at the bar?” Geralt gladly let go of Jaskier to set the necklace on the shrine’s altar. 

Jaskier blinked, barely noticing that Geralt removed his silver sword from its scabbard and plunged it into the dirt. “Ah, my apologies, but I think you need to refresh my memory, dear Witcher. I said a lot of things last night,” the bard chuckled, his tone already changed to something more suggestive.  

Geralt rolled his eyes. And somehow Jaskier had the nerve to call him a pervert. “I’m not talking about what you said to the barkeep’s daughter. I meant your little tale about how a man’s laughter can keep away evil spirits.” 

“Oh! Yes, I remember now!” Jaskier laughed just as Geralt noticed something quivering beneath the leaves. “I wrote a ballad about it, actually. Would you like to hear it?” 

“No.” Geralt cracked his knuckles. “But there’s some truth to that superstition.” He looked at his companion. “We’re going to lure out this specter. And you’re going to help me.” 

Geralt’s direct gaze paralyzed Jaskier in place, as well as the realization that the wraith was still a threat. “Surely you’re not suggesting I perform a comedy act in the middle of a specter-cursed forest, are you?” He giggled nervously. As the bard rambled on, Geralt moved behind him. “That would be silly! Besides, you never laugh at my jokes. In fact, your laughter is so rare that the last of this poor altar would collapse upon hearing–EEK!” 

Geralt said nothing as he grasped Jaskier’s sides and squeezed them repeatedly. The bard yelped again, grabbing the Witcher’s hands to try and pry them off. “Have you gone mad?!”  

“You said you wanted to help,” Geralt stated, keeping alert even as his fingers began digging into the bard’s sides. “That’s why you came along, isn’t it?” 

Failing to remove Geralt’s hands, Jaskier could only writhe and yelp. “I am hehe– I’m h– I’m hehehehere to observe y-y-your heroism!” Not help you bait monsters at my expense, he wanted to shout but he was too tickled to finish. Of all the Witcher’s many skills, he never expecting tickling to be one of them…

“And this will be a great tale for your next performance.” Geralt smirked, unable to help himself, “The Mighty Witcher and His Ticklish Bard.” Then his hands quickly ascended to dig into Jaskier’s armpits. 

“GAHAHAHAHA!” Jaskier fell back against Geralt, cackling and squirming. “D-DAHAHAMN YOU!” With his arms clamped down, he was now helpless with hysterical laughter worthy of upsetting any ghost. 

A gust swept by their feet moments later and Geralt’s medallion rattled viciously. The wraith manifested before them. Geralt shoved Jaskier out of the way and spun out the specter’s reach, grabbing his sword in the process. Jaskier whimpered and scrambled to hide behind the way stone. 

Geralt performed a series of slashing towards the wraith, drawing her closer to the altar as he removed a pouch of moon dust from his belt and threw it at the ground. She shrieked as the dust settled, recoiling from its effects. Geralt raised his sword once more and plunged it into the necklace, shattering the dark orange gem. 

The wraith dissipated with a bone chilling howl, leaving a fleeting image of a kneeling priestess at the altar before the autumn wind whisked it away. 

Jaskier poked his head out from behind the way stone, “did it work?” The dismal fog around them was fading, revealing a warm-colored forest coated in twilight. “Ha! It worked! It actually worked!” 

“Of course it did,” Geralt sighed, sheathing his sword. He walked over to the altar, scooping the necklace’s remains into an empty pouch. 

Jaskier pondered, “‘the key to a specter’s demise is a little chuckle… enough to make one’s knees buckle’… hm, I think I’m onto something here.” 

“Your laughter didn’t do anything besides make my ears ring,” Geralt said as he approached Jaskier, furrowing his brow as usual. 

Jaskier’s eyes went wide. “You must be joking, surely…” But when Geralt did nothing but stare, Jaskier instantly blushed. “Then why–why did you–?!” He held his head and shouted, “you were fighting a monster, Geralt!” 

“Because you pissed me off,” Geralt said, shoving the pouch of broken necklace into Jaskier’s hands. “Next time I’m given anything to help with a job, don’t touch it, understand?” He started to walk away, grumbling, “I don’t care how much it matches your boot laces.” 

Jaskier looked at the pouch in his hands, simultaneously troubled and amused by the events of their recent adventure. Perhaps they were both mad…