Lukas sighed as more incorrigible noises left his brother's mouth. Emil had gotten the flu a week ago, and had been complaining just as long. He had stopped when Lukas threatened the doctor, only to start up again when he realized he had about as much choice in the matter as a dog did with going to the vet.

At the beginning of the week Lukas had been sympathetic (though it didn't show) but it had slowly turned to sighs, and then to annoyance, and finally irritation. His brother was usually very calm and quiet, but the cold had turned him into a monster. A bratty, complaining, stereotypically teenager-like monster. He was sick of it. Everyone was sick of it actually, but everyone didn't have to live in the same house as him.

Currently Emil was laying on his bed; nearly drowning in all the blankets. And groaning, but that went without saying at this point. Mathias had come over to 'help', but his version of helping was just overlapping Emil's complaining with his own, which made his headache worse rather than the better he had hoped for. Not that he had expected much.

It was sad he expected anything.

For more than a second he had considered leaving them both alone in the room until they lost their voices, before deciding Emil didn't need that type of torture; despite his new attitude. Besides, the chances they lost their voices at the same time were hopeful at best.

And there was the fact he might be arrested for animal cruelty. Speaking of cruelty. . .

"Hey!" Emil shouted out. "Don't do that!"

"Do what? I didn't even touch you!" Mathias shouted right back. Seemed like he was going to have to be the mature one again.

"Yes you did!" Knees cracking, Lukas got up. Words had stopped working almost as soon as the cold had started.

"Even if I did, there's like twenty million blankets on you. You wouldn't feel anything!" Mathias said, poking Emil to prove his point. Noticing the small flinch that Mathias missed, Lukas couldn't help but wonder, "Was he . . . ?"

"Would you stop thaAhhh," said Emil, his voice rising quite a few notches as Lukas squeezed his side through the blankets.

Three things happened at once. One- Emil froze like a deer caught in headlights. Two- Lukas raised an eyebrow and berated himself for forgetting. And three- Mathias smiled that smile. You know, the one where one side of their lip is slightly higher than the other, and their eyes show their mischievousness in a way words never could. The one that always caused sparkles to appear in their eyes, and happiness in your heart. The one that was magical.

Yeah, he was definitely smiling that smile.

Mathias dived onto the bed in a matter of seconds; his fingers immediately finding Emil's ticklish stomach, somehow managing to get to it through all the blankets. For a few seconds the only sounds that came from Emil were high-pitched grunts and the beginnings of giggles that were stopped as quickly as they came. Lips twitching every second, Emil tried not to laugh, and with all the blankets protecting him it wasn't nearly as hard as it should have been. Lukas would have to change that.

Honestly, the stupid Dane couldn't do anything right, could he?

Slinking his hand through the blankets, Lukas scribbled his fingernails against Emil's ribs. His arm snapped down, but instead of stopping Lukas it just made it impossible for him to move his hand away. Strangled laughs and snorts were pouring out of Emil's mouth, but it wasn't the laughter he was hoping for. A slight frown lit his face. If he remembered correctly, Emil would always try not to laugh at first, but then-

Lips twitching upwards ever so lightly Lukas maneuvered himself so that he was sitting behind Emil's head, who had curled up in a ball in an attempt to escape both of their fingers. Slinking his other hand under the blankets as well, he slowly began to squeeze his brother's sides.

The dam finally broke and laughter- true, beautiful laughter- poured from his mouth.

"AhahahHAaha L-Lahakus!" His own laughter cut him off before he could finish.

"Yes Emil? Is there something you wish to say?" Lukas said, moving his hands up and down Emil's stomach slowly. His brother had been so obsessed with growing up lately his laughter had become an endangered species, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't care. Luckily, it seemed he had just found a way around that.

"S-Stahahp!"

"Why ever would I do that? You haven't laughed like this in such a long time, I'd hate to take it away from you so quickly," Lukas responded playfully.

"Fuhuhuhck y-yohohou!" Lukas gave a fake gasp.

"Emil!" he said with fake astonishment. "You know cussing isn't allowed! I guess you'll just have to be punished." A wicked smile came over his face as he finished his sentence. He remembered using this trick on Emil when he was a kid and it never failed to get him laughing. Apparently Emil did too, if his wide eyes were anything to go by.

"Nonononono. AHHahahAHAha! Dohohn't!" Emil pleaded through his laughter.

Lukas ignored his brother in favor of drawing small circles into his skin with one hand while wrestling the blankets away with the others. His laughter just seemed to increase. Looking down slightly in confusion, Lukas saw that Mathias was not only still here, but had somehow managed to get Emil's shoes (which were ridiculously long) and socks off and was quickly dragging his fingers over them again and again. And Emil was laughing again and again. With a small smile , Lukas got up from the top of the bed and pulled the blankets of completely.

Emil made a last-ditch effort to grab the blanket, but instead his arms were caught and pulled over his head as his armpits were attacked. Immediately his already hysterical laughter turned even more hysterical. First he bucked his hips up, and then he tried (and failed) to pull his arms down, before pleading with Mathias and Lukas to stop. It became a sort of pattern. A regularly broken pattern (Emil would try to curl into a ball, Mathias would find that spot between his toes that made him sequel like a girl, ect.) but a pattern nonetheless. Right now he was in the pleading stage.

"Pleahahahase! StohohohOHOhop! AHAHahahhahHha."

"Hmm," Lukas pretended to ponder. "You did ask nicely," he paused as if considering it, "but I still haven't punished you for cussing. "

Silence. Then, "THIS ISN"T IT!"

"Inside voice Emil. And no, this isn't it." Lukas said as he started to raise Emil's shirt just the slightest bit. If he just yanked it up (as Mathias would have) them Emil would freak out and start panicking. He had always been self-conscious for some reason. It was odd, considering no one else in the family had that problem, but it was just the way things were.

Lukas let go of Emil's arms (which snapped down to his sides) and began to draw small circles on the bottom of his stomach. The frantic laughter from before disappeared; replaced with small giggles that Emil was too tired to stop. Even as the circles went up his stomach ever so slowly they brought the shirt up. Not that Emil noticed. Too many giggles were leaving him to notice much of anything actually. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Lukas realized that Mathias must have slowed down his tickling too.

After a minute or so, Emil's shirt was finally high enough, and without any warning Lukas lowered his head and blew. Emil's laughter peaked once again, but it was less frenzied and more tired than the other times. Lukas chucked softly as he stopped.

"That was it," Lukas said as he got off of his brother. A weak glare was sent his way, but it was caught off with a cough and Lukas felt a familiar worry settle in his stomach. He had forgotten about Emil's cold in all the excitement.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Emil gave him a look that clearly said he thought he was on drugs, and responded likewise.

"Are you kidding me?" He said astounded. "You spend like twenty fuc- like twenty minutes tickling me- while I had a cold, mind you- and then you ask me if I'm okay? A bit backwards isn't it?"

"Hey," Mathias spoke up. ("Damn, just when I thought he lost his voice.") "It's not his fault you're so ticklish." He squeezed Emil's side to prove his point, but the only thing he proved was that it was possible for guys to squeak.

"Leave him alone. I think he's had enough tickling for today." Lukas spoke up.

"More like a lifetime," muttered Emil.

"If you keep grumbling like you have the past week I may be tempted to change my mind."

"I haven't been grumbling!"

"Uhh, dude?" Mathias cut in. "You've been grumbling."

"Have not!" Emil exclaimed; face screwed into a pout.

"Have too!"

"Have not!"

"Have-'"

"Both of you shut up."

"Aww, you love us Lukky."

"And I question my sanity for it every day."