Help Me

Telling The Boys

Mikey

Rye's hands tickled Mikey relentlessly, although they were careful of his side and knee. He should've known what Rye was going to do... He should've known that Rye knew his one weakness. The thought vanished though, because within seconds he was laughing and giggling, his own hands fighting with Rye's in what he could see was already a losing battle. Rye was stronger than he was, and always had been.

His mind flashed back then, to his vain struggle with the man in the alley, and he breathed harshly... Everything seemed to slow down...

But then Rye dug his fingers in even deeper, and Mikey let out a howl of laughter, eyes watering. It all sped up again, and all he could focus on was Rye's face. Smile wide, watering eyes too, red in the face, and endless giggles as he continued to tickle Mikey. Mikey giggled continuously, but then the noises became more pronounced, gasping for breath. He'd never made noises like this before, and if anything it just made it all the more funnier.

He could see Andy, Brooklyn and Jack in the background, Jack holding the Go-pro up to film them.
"Rye... s-stop." Mikey let out a breath as he frantically wiped the moisture from his eyes, before throwing his head back as he belted out an even louder laugh. If he was being honest, everyone else's laughter was making him laugh even more. He could hear Jack giggling as he tried to keep the Go-pro still, Andy was howling his signature laugh, tears rolling down his cheeks, being brought to his knees, and Brook had a tight grip on the bunk beds to hold himself up with, his laughter mingling with everyone else.

It took Mikey a few seconds to realise that this was the first time the five of them had laughed together like this in over two weeks. He quietened down a bit, before Rye gently tapped his fingers on his side. The reaction was instantaneous, and Mikey couldn't stop the tears from falling down his cheeks. Rye had straddled him by now, and there was definitely no way he was escaping Rye. He met Rye's gaze, freezing momentarily when he saw the pure joy in his eyes, that was also surrounded by a sense of accomplishment. As for Mikey, he was just happy that everyone was smiling and laughing. It was like nothing had happened.

Well... Almost.

"Rye." Mikey laughed, "I can't..." He tried to say, but he found that he couldn't stop giggling.
"Can't what?" He laughed, his own tears staining his cheeks, giving them a sheen that Mikey had overlooked before. Mikey let out another loud laugh then, making eye contact with Andy. His friend's face was beet red, still on his knees from the intensity of his laughter.
"Andy-" And still Mikey couldn't stop laughing. He wondered how long it had been since he'd laughed like that. "Rye, you need to stop." Andy forced himself to his feet, but still laughing, "You're actually going to kill him." He giggled, holding his stomach as he struggled to stay on his feet.

Rye then sprung from him, collapsing to his knees on the floor, laughing even harder. Mikey panted for breath, and the five of them had trouble to stop laughing... Seeing as when any of them made eye contact they would just burst into fits of laughter again. Andy had to leave at one point, but they could still hear his laughter from the other side of the flat. Mikey wiped his eyes with his hands then, wanting to be the first to pull himself together. He met Rye's gaze, but this time they didn't laugh. He saw the small smile on Rye's face, and Mikey couldn't have been more appreciative to have Rye as his best friend. Rye had done this, made them all laugh like idiots. Maybe because he could sense that Mikey wanted to talk to them sooner rather than later. This way, there was some joy before Mikey had to open his mouth... This way the boys could see that there was hope for Mikey yet; hope that Mikey had overlooked before.

But for now, they five of them still had to calm down, for Andy was still giggling in another room.

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