Fatal Tickles

"Shuichiiiii! Let's play a game!"

Kokichi looked up at the soft-hearted detective with big, purple eyes. Shuichi had no choice but to say yes. He was the one who asked Kokichi to hang out with him, after all. However, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy; Kokichi's 'games' always seemed to be life-threatening in some way.

"Alright, Kokichi. What kind of game do you wanna play?"

Kokichi bounced on the balls of his feet, brimming with energy. "Let's play rock paper scissors! I never lose!"

Shuichi exhaled in relief. That sounded innocent enough.

"Sure, we can play that."

"Buuuuuut let's make it more interesting!"

Oh boy, here we go...

"What do you mean, more interesting?" Shuichi asked apprehensively.

"Well, since this is one of your last events... if you win, you get to live! But if I win, I get to kill you!"

The look in Kokichi's eyes told him that there was no room for negotiation. Shuichi sighed defeatedly. He knew if he protested he'd never hear the end of it, so he agreed to Kokichi's terms.

The first game was a tie. The second one too. In fact, the next ten were all ties... until Kokichi finally won with paper.

"A-ha! I win!"

Kokichi seemed a little too excited about his prospective murder. His eyes sparkled with the joy of a child's. Shuichi found himself backing up slowly, looking for the nearest escape route.

"W-wait!!"

"Time's up, mister detective! How about this, since I'm such a caring and merciful leader I'll even let you choose the method of death! Nee-hee-hee~"

A cold sweat dripped down the detective's back. This was one of those times where he really wished he had the ability to tell apart Kokichi's lies from his honesty. Was he really going to kill him? Or was Kokichi just messing with him?

I have a choice, huh... an idea came to mind, but he was much too embarrassed to speak it aloud. His face grew hot just thinking about it.

"Tick-tock! You have ten seconds to decide before I choose something! Ten-"

"W-wait! I-I know what I want..."

"Weeeeeell? Spit it out already!"

Shuichi gulped, mentally preparing himself for what was to come next.

"I... I guess... t-tickling doesn't sound too bad..."

Kokichi's ears perked up when he heard the 't-word'. He cocked his head to the side with an expression of pure childlike curiosity.

"You want me to tickle you to death? Awww Shu, that is such a cute way to die!" He gave him one of his signature Kokichi smiles while the taller boy blushed profusely. Shuichi prayed he wouldn't come to regret this. He hadn't been tickled in years, probably since he was a child. He figured he had grown out of it since then.

Actually, he hoped to God that he did.

They were to begin at once. Shuichi was to lay flat on his back with his arms above his head, completely still. Kokichi straddled his waist, keeping him secure despite his small frame. The detective averted his gaze, feeling a little uncomfortable with another guy hovering over him in this way, waiting in anticipation for his 'execution' to begin.

"Any last words, Shumaiiii?" the ultimate leader teased while wiggling his fingers. Shuichi feebly shook his head.

"Can we just... get this over with?"

"Nee-hee-hee, you sure are eager to die!"

It hit him like a shockwave. Ten fingers suddenly spidered down his sides. With absolutely no power to resist, Shuichi's arms came down to protect his torso almost immediately, which only ended up trapping Kokichi's hands and making it easier for him. He burst out into loud cackles much to his own disdain.

"WAAAAAAH! AH-HA-HAHAHAHAHA!"

Shuichi tried, really tried, to fight his way out of the gremlin's grip, but it was no use. He tried to fight away his hands, push off his arms, kick his legs, and writhe away, but the more he fought the more Kokichi tickled, and the weaker he felt. Kokichi had him in a solid hold and knew exactly where to tickle to get the best results. He deftly moved his fingers from sides to ribs to stomach, never relenting or letting up. At one point he somehow managed to dig his index fingers into Shuichi's underarms, making him flail and blubber more than before. What made the whole thing even worse was his verbal taunting.

"Kitchi kitchi koo! Nee-hee-hee, I didn't know Shuichi was this ticklish~"

"KOKICHIIIIIII-EEHEEHEEHEEHEE! STOOOOOOOOOP! AH-HAHAHA-HAHAHA! OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOD!"

"Stop? But we just started! You're not even close to being dead yeeet~"

Kokichi's sing-songy voice only aided Shuichi's torment. When he gently stroked his victim's lower belly, Shuichi felt his stomach do flip flops. When he grazed his navel, Shuichi turned to jell-o. Every touch brought a new feeling of helplessness to the trapped detective. At this point he was certain the supreme leader was telling the truth when he said he'd kill him.

"AAAAAAGH! OHNOOOOOO-EEEEEEEK! STOPNOTTHERESTOPAHAHAHA-PLEEEEEE-HEEHEEEHEE-ZZ!"

No matter how much he begged, the supreme leader wouldn't give in. After a while, Shuichi lost track of time. What only ended up being about ten minutes of tickling felt more like days to him. Kokichi finally stopped when all he could get from his victim was silent laughter. He gave him three finally belly pokes before standing up and let the red-faced detective catch his breath.

"Mmmmm I think that's good enough, you look pretty dead to me!"

It took a few moments, but Shuichi was able to regain some composure. He pulled himself off the ground, taking in huge gulps of air to get his breathing regular once more.

"That was... torture..." he managed to spit out.

"That's kiiiinda the point of death by tickling, don't you think?" Kokichi grinned. "Anyway, I'm bored now. I'm gonna go get some panta. Maybe we can finish up this little execution later, okay?"

Before he could answered, Kokichi sprinted away, leaving Shuichi alone to process. He caught himself wishing Kokichi would stay before smothering the thought. A faint rosy color left in his cheeks, all he could think was...

That was actually... kinda fun...