"Have you ever been tickled, Squall?"
Squall and Rinoa sat opposite each other on their bed, the Commander's back resting against the backboard. Squall frowned at Rinoa's question. He also didn't like the mischievous glint in her warm brown eyes. As though she were planning something. He pressed himself against the backboard protectively, fighting the instinctive urge to check his junctions.
"Nope. Never." And it's going to stay that way, he thought to himself resolutely.
Rinoa was now scooting towards him, with one of her hands hovering dangerously by his side, a finger sticking out as though she were about to poke him.
"Do it and you're dead meat."
Rinoa lowered her hand and pouted. "You're no fun. I just want to see what your laugh sounds like."
"I don't laugh."
Rinoa just stared at him blankly. It made him begin to realize the absurdity of what he'd said.
Finally, Rinoa let loose a long-suffering sigh and shook her head. "You don't have to be a scrooge all the time, you know."
He knew Rinoa was just kidding around, but that word—scrooge—hit a tender nerve. Zell had called him that once before as well and it didn't sit well with him.
"I'm not a scrooge," he muttered sourly, crossing his arms. "I just don't like to laugh." He tensed at the look on Rinoa's face. "What?"
Without warning, Rinoa began tickling Squall's sides, making him laugh as he tried to dodge her attacks. He was unable to, however, as he was quickly rendered immobile from his hysterical laughing fit. Rinoa, laughing as well, intensified her assault, intent on extracting more than simple giggles from the stoic Commander. She trailed her fingers over his sides and onto his stomach. Squall was desperate to breathe—and even more desperate to get away from her torturous fingers. In his haste, he kneed her in the face.
Rinoa tumbled backwards and slipped off the edge of the bed. She rose back up rubbing her chin and realigning her jaw.
"I didn't break your jaw, did I?" Squall scrambled forward on the mattress and cursed himself for using brute force on his girlfriend. She'd just been having some fun with him, after all.
"Nope. I'm good."
Squall released a shuddering sigh of relief. Thank Hyne…
"I didn't know you were that sensitive, though. I thought I was gonna give you a heart attack for a second there." Rinoa smiled at him warmly.
Squall felt heat rush to his face. "I'm not sensitive. I just—it's just never happened to me before. That's all."
Rinoa crawled back onto the bed and pulled him into a hug. "I'm just glad I got to hear your adorable laugh. You should laugh more often, Squall. It sounds so cute. Like a happy kid."
Mortified at the comparison, Squall wished he could pound himself for not speeding out the door the second she'd introduced the topic of tickling. "I don't want a cute laugh," he mumbled.
"Okay. It's deep and gruff and oh-so-masculine. Is that better?"
"...a little."