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George giggled as he was jostled again, keeping his hold around the god.
“Give it back!”, he yelled, reaching for the goggles. He yelled as he was almost thrown again.
XD laughed, holding George’s goggles just out of reach and keeping care to make sure George didn’t fall off his back. He had snatched the boy’s goggles off his head a few minutes ago when he was getting too sassy, and the boy had jumped on his back like a little monkey.
“Not until you apologize!”.
“I didn’t even do anything!”, George’s voice was shrill with playful energy, still grabbing wildly towards the goggles.
“You were being a brat! You called me the ‘god of being an idiot’!!”. At that, George broke into laughter and started to slide down XD’s back.
“You are !”.
XD must have felt George sliding down because suddenly there were large hands grabbing at his thighs as he slipped. The unexpected touch made him squeal and suddenly, he was on the floor.
“George!”.
“That hurt!”, he cried out through hysterical giggles, but he was rubbing at his thighs.
“Where does it hurt?”, XD kneeled down next to him and tried moving his hands. George’s giggling kicked up in octave as he panicked.
“You dropped me on my butt!”.
“Did you pull a muscle?”, XD pulled away one of his hands and grabbed at George’s thigh. He screeched and yanked away. “Whoa! What’s wrong?”.
“Don’t do that!”, George’s face was starting to burn under the attention and he had completely lost control of his giggles.
“Are you hurt?”.
“No!”, George cursed how flustered he was getting, but XD kept trying to touch his legs. “I’m okay! I’m okay!”.
“Yeah?”, XD tilted his head in amusement at George’s state.
George sat up and tried to shake off his giggles.
“Why are you so giggly?”, XD asked and scooted closer. Suddenly, he darted his hands towards George’s legs. They stopped before they touched him, but he squealed and burst into laughter anyway.
“Don’t!”, he cried as covered his legs.
“Don’t what? What’s gotten into you?”, XD laughed. “You’re so jumpy! Why are you blocking your legs?”. George huffed out forcefully, trying to calm his laughter. Was XD playing dumb or did he really not know why he was laughing? He tried to think back to any other time XD had tickled him and came up empty.
“It um…I’m just ticklish there…”, he stuttered.
“Ticklish? What’s that?”. George’s eyes widened a little at the question.
“You don’t know what tickling is?”.
“No. I don’t just know everything George.”.
“Well. It’s like a touch that makes you laugh. So, my thighs are ticklish…and when you grabbed them it tickled so I laughed.”, George’s blush darkened more and more as he spoke.
“You look like you are going to explode. Did the tickling embarrass you?”.
“No! I’m just…uh.”, George shook his head in frustration over his hot cheeks. “I just didn’t expect to be tickled. I don’t know!”. XD laughed at him again. George had to hold himself back from yelling ‘Shut up!’.
George yelped as XD pressed him to the floor and straddled him.
“Hey!”.
“I want to tickle you more!”.
“Wh- no ! You can’t!”.
“Why? Where else are you ticklish?”, XD grinned and pressed George to the ground by his sides. Then…he squeezed. George squealed and twisted in the hold.
“Don’t do that!”, he burst into giggles and shoved at XD’s hands.
“Does it tickle?”, XD asked in a teasing voice, then got to work right away pinching and squeezing at George’s sides. George struggled for a few seconds, hoping that XD would be too inexperienced to tickle him well, but exploded into uncontrollable laughter as he attacked just the right spots with just the right amount of pressure.
“ Stop! ”, he shrieked and bucked up against the weight holding him down. He smacked at the hands and twisted, squealing as the tickling didn’t let up at all. “Okay! Okay! Okay!!! You tickled me!!”, he cried out in desperation. XD giggled.
“You are so cute like this!”.
“Please!”, he squeaked out.
George flopped against the ground in a heap of giggles when XD released his sides.
“I like tickling. It’s your thighs too, right?”, XD grinned mischievously.
“No!”, George yelled and grabbed for XD’s hands. They were batted away easily and George shrieked at XD got a hold of the ticklish muscles. “ No!! ”.
“I don’t know…they seem pretty ticklish to me.”. George twisted and howled with laughter. He was no match for XD’s strength.
“No more!”, he cried.
XD stopped suddenly and pinned George’s wrists down at either side of his head. George giggled hysterically.
“XD!”, he whined.
“Georgie. Can you please show me more tickling?”, XD asked sweetly. George opened his mouth to respond, but only flustered giggles fell out. It’s not like he didn’t want to help his friend out and make him happy…he was just so ridiculously ticklish and the idea of letting himself be tickled seemed impossible.
“I’m too ticklish…”, he muttered softly. XD grinned wider.
XD moved George’s wrists together above his head so now he had a free hand hovering over George’s squirmy body.
“Nononono!”, George broke into panicky giggles.
“I’ll go slow!”. George nodded a little, but shrieked in fear when XD’s large hand neared his ribs. He kicked helplessly at the floor behind XD and shook his head.
“XD!”.
“Yeah?”, XD flashed a toothy grin. George could only shake his head and giggle.
When the fingers touched down to the ticklish bones in his ribcage, George screamed bloody murder.
“George!”, XD laughed as he plucked George’s ribs like a guitar. The mortal threw his head back and laughed crazily. How could XD be this good at tickling when he was just learning? “Ooh, you’re really ticklish here!”.
“Please!”, he peeped out through his hysterics. XD stopped and laughed.
“This is so much fun! Can I try one more spot?”. George whined through his giggles, but gave a weak nod.
Before George even recovered, there were five fingertips pressed and shaking into his stomach. He barely had a second to gasp before exploding into hysterical laughter.
“ XD!!! XD! XD please! Please!!! ”, he begged desperately through his laughter. There was no budging either of XD’s hands. XD just smirked and leaned in closer, observing George’s each and every reaction. He squealed when the god found a particularly good spot. “Okay! Okay! ”.
George’s laughter raised in pitch for a few more seconds and cut off into squeaky giggles when XD stopped.
“I love tickling!”, XD announced and pulled George up to cuddle his limp body. George giggled dizzily and sank gratefully into the hold. “Thanks for teaching me how to tickle, Georgie.”.
~•~
Dream rolled his eyes as he took in the aroma of the house.
“Mushroom soup again?”.
“Complain and you will get none .”, George snapped, making Dream giggle as settled in.
Conversation was easy as George finished dinner and served them both. The topic George wanted to talk about least came up a few minutes later.
“So you were supposed to hang out with XD today, right?”.
“Ugh! Yeah. We hung out.”, George slurped down a spoonful of hot soup and hoped Dream would think the blush taking over his cheeks was from the heat. One glance up at the other boy told him no .
“What? Did you guys get into a fight or something?”.
“No. No, nothing like that.”, George shook his head and focused his eyes on the soup bowl. “Just. I taught him some new stuff he didn’t know about humans. He didn’t know about…tickling. He tickled me by accident and when I reacted he wanted to learn more. I tried to let him, but it was really hard.”, George explained. He could almost feel the ghost of XD’s fingers prodding at his sides. Dream didn’t respond.
George looked up to find Dream with his hand over his own mouth.
“What! I was just trying to be a good friend!”, George snapped, defensive.
“You’re such an idiot, George!”, Dream burst into laughter. George watched him break down with a mix of embarrassment and confusion. “XD knows what tickling is! Are you stupid?”. George stared at Dream with wide eyes for a few seconds.
“ What?! ”.
“Why wouldn’t he know what tickling is! George!”.
“I don’t know! He seemed sincere!”, George yelled, then covered his face and whined into his hands. “Wait…that’s why he was so…ugh!!”.
“So what?”.
“Nothing! Nevermind!”, George huffed and dropped his hands, trying to go back to his soup.
“No, tell me!”.
“Good at it! Whatever!”.
“Awww he tickled you really good?”, Dream teased.
“ Stop! ”.
“Too good for an amateur, huh? Did he make you scream?”.
“ Dream!!! ”, George yelled and stood up, grabbing his bowl of soup and threatening to throw it at the other boy. Dream gripped the table to avoid laughing himself out of his chair.
~•~
Dream and George walked slowly through the forest together. George had been fine when they started their trek towards their destination, but as they went on he was getting flustered at the conversation.
“And you’re sure he’s ticklish?”, George whispered.
“Yes! Growing up, me and him were in plenty of tickle fights. I’m not going to lie, he won a lot of them, but he’s definitely ticklish.”.
“He’s going to win.”, George hissed out.
“Probably…but you won’t go down without a fight!”.
“I don’t want to be tickled!”, he whined.
“George, you have to get him back!”.
It was the next day, and George and XD had plans to meet up again. Dream was going to hide and watch, and George was going to enact his revenge.
“His worst spots are his ribs. Go for the kill. Be rough, George. He’s a god, you can’t really hurt him.”, Dream nodded as he spoke.
As they neared the clearing, Dream found a tree with a low branch and pulled himself up.
“Good luck!”, he whispered before disappearing into the leaves.
George found a tree to sit against and played with his fingers while he waited. His stomach was filled with nervous butterflies and he had the urge to get up and run.
“Georgie!”, XD’s voice pulled him from his thoughts and he smiled at the sight of his friend.
“Hi XD!”, he said as he pulled himself up and fell into his arms for a hug.
“I missed you!”, XD yelled and spun him around playfully. George couldn’t help but giggle.
“I missed you, too.”, he rolled his eyes as he was placed down, but he was smiling despite the attitude.
Before he could lose his nerve, he sprung into action. He tackled XD down and dug his fingers into his ribs before they even hit the ground. XD barked out a laugh of surprise, but George was pinned before he even knew it.
“Wha- hey !”, he struggled under the hold and fell helpless to the nervous giggles bubbling up his throat. “Okay, I’m sorry!”.
“Get over here, Dream!”, XD called out into the field. There was a rustling before Dream hopped down from the tree and bolted. XD disappeared and reappeared directly in his path and Dream crashed right into his arms with a yelp.
“ Fuck! XD, no please! I was just watching!”, Dream begged as he was dragged through the clearing easily. He scrabbled his feet against the ground and clawed at XD’s arms, but it was no use. “Nononono!”.
George crawled backwards as XD approached, but XD grabbed his ankle and yanked him back.
The two boys were smushed together on the ground.
“So. Tickling, huh?”, XD smirked as he held them both down effortlessly.
“I know you tricked me!”, George said, cursing just how squeaky it was.
“Yeah? It was so easy. Awww you don’t know what tickling is? Here, tickle me all over! ”, XD perfectly mimicked George’s voice, but the teasing words made George blush darkly.
“That’s not what I said!”, he yelled.
“And you ? Little sneak. You told on me?”, XD leaned in close to his mortal counterpart, making the boy burst into giggles.
“Let us go!”.
“Yeah! Let us go!”, George echoed.
The two were getting more flustered with each passing second. The thought of being tickled silly while pinned down together was ridiculously embarrassing.
At the same time, XD attacked one of each boy’s sides. They squealed and twisted against each other. They both tried to shove away the offending hands, but even together, they were no match against a god. After just a second or two of tickling, they were screeching with laughter. The tickling hands attacked their sides and stomachs and ribs, darting around as they squealed and laughed like children. They were helpless and could do nothing but take it. They felt so small. Pinned down by a god. Dream twisted and wheezed, clawing at the grass. George screamed, flailing and kicking desperately.
“I’m so glad you two volunteered to teach me more about tickling!”.