"What an odd video..." Gary said, staring at the screen. Rookie was showing him the viral video of Cookie the penguin.
"For some reason humans find ticklish penguins cute." Jet Pack Guy said, rolling his eyes.
"It is a good thing I'm not ticklish," remarked G, turning back to the notes he had been writing about the effect of snowflakes on fish scales.
"You're not ticklish?" Rookie said, raising one eyebrow suspiciously.
"No." said G shortly. Rookie smiled mischievously and poked G in the side. "Hey!" G jumped in surprise. He poked him again, and G flinched away from Rookie's touch. Rookie's smile turned to a grin as he realized the scientist had been lying.
Rookie tackled G to the floor of the lab, tickling him like crazy. G bit his tongue to keep from laughing and tried to shove him off, but Rookie was surprisingly strong.
"Rookie...gehet...off...me," said G through clenched teeth, trying to hold back some very un-G-like giggles. Then Rookie rubbed his flipper's into the scientist's stomach, and it was all over. He burst out laughing, squirming and trying in vain to escape.
"News flash, G," Rookie said, grinning. "You're ticklish." He tickled him harder, causing G to laugh so hard he ran out of breath, and then he laughed silently. Meanwhile, Jet Pack Guy was doing a classic Jet Pack Guy *facepalm*.
Finally, Rookie let up, and G laid there for a minute or two, gasping and giggling and catching his breath. He hadn't laughed that hard in ages.
"You, Rookie... are completely... out... of your mind," G said breathlessly, picking himself up off the floor and holding his aching sides. Rookie just smiled. G had been a bit down lately, and Rookie knew he had needed a good laugh.
And deep down, G knew it too.