#lee!robby

Normal, though, did not mean silent.

"God, that kick was garbage," Robby muttered, half under his breath as he scooped up a handful of popcorn.

Tory looked over at him with a furrowed brow. "Huh? He just sent three dudes flying across the room. How is that garbage?"

Robby pointed at the screen. "Because it couldn't happen. Look at that stance, his balance is all wrong. Throw a kick like that in a real fight, you're on the floor before you even land it-"

"Ohhhh my god," Tory groaned, tossing a piece of popcorn at him. "Do you ever just watch a movie? Or must you ruin every single one with your expert commentary, mister knows-it-all?"

He caught the piece of popcorn against his chest and chuckled at his girlfriend's sass. Popping the projectile into his mouth, he replied, "Can't help it. Bad choreography is what breaks movies for me, this is why I don't watch action movies."

The back-and-forth bickering faded into a comfortable quiet. The movie carried on, but Tory wasn't paying much attention anymore. She could feel the warmth radiating off Robby where his arm brushed against hers, could see the way his jaw shifted when he tried not to smile at his own stupid jokes.

She didn't know who leaned first, maybe both of them, but suddenly his face was closer, his smirk softening. Tory tilted her head just slightly, and then their lips met. (Help, I'm bad at describing kisses!)

It started tentatively, almost testing, but quickly deepened. Neither of them had to fight, defend, or posture. They pressed together, letting their guard down.

Tory's hand slid along the couch cushion, then found his side as she shifted for balance. Without thinking, she squeezed lightly-

And Robby jerked back with a sharp laugh, breaking the kiss.

Tory blinked at him, confused. "What?"

"Nnnothing," he said quickly, though his ears were already turning red. He cleared his throat and tried to look casual.

Her eyes narrowed as she replayed the event in her head. "Did I... just..." She smirked, realization dawning. "Oh my god, you're ticklish."

"No, I'm not," Robby replied, too quickly and too defensively.

Tory leaned closer, grin widening. "Oh, you so are!"

Robby turned back toward the TV, as if it would save him, but Tory wasn't about to let this go.

She tested her theory with a quick jab of her fingers into his side. The laugh that burst out of him was instant, unfiltered, and impossible to disguise.

"Ha!" Tory crowed, pointing at him triumphantly. "Busted~!"

Robby tried to stifle his grin, but it was useless. "That was- okay, but don't-"

"Oh, I'm definitely going to."

Before he could react, Tory lunged, straddling his lap and digging her fingers into his sides. Robby doubled over with laughter, his hands flying to grab hers, but she wriggled free.

"StoHOHop- TohoHORy!" he gasped between laughs, squirming under her weight.

She laughed too, not just at his reaction but at the sheer absurdity of it. Robby Keene, usually so stoic, controlled, and calm under pressure, was so easily reduced to a giggling mess under her hands.

"Oh, you're priceless," she said, mercilessly scribbling her fingers against his ribs. "All this time, and you never told me your big weakness!"

Robby tried to roll, tried to get leverage, but every time he moved, she pressed another spot and sent him into helpless laughter.

"T-ToHohHOHory, sehehEHeriously!!" He managed to catch one of her wrists, his grin wild and breathless. "Y-Youhuhu're gonna regrehehet thihihis!"

She leaned down close to his ear, voice dripping with mock-sweetness. "Not a chance."

Robby gathered what strength he could, twisting hard and managing to grab both of Tory's wrists. With a grunt, he rolled them so she landed on her back against the cushions.

"Gotcha!" he panted, pinning her wrists above her head. "You didn't really think you could get away with that, did you?"

His grin was smug, but it faltered when Tory only tilted her chin up, eyes gleaming. "Oh, wow," she drawled. "That was sloppy."

"W-what?" Robby frowned.

"You call that a reversal?" She smirked. "Alllll that trash you talked about movie choreography, and that's the best you've got? Were you even trying to get away?"

Robby's ears turned pink, but before he could retort that, actually, he acted pretty cleverly given the circumstances, Tory slipped one hand free and darted her fingers right back into his ribs. He yelped, laughter breaking through instantly, and his grip collapsed.

"T-TohOHoHory!! NoHOHOHO!!"

"Uh-huh," she said, gleeful at being able to throw him off his rhythm so easily as she shoved him onto his side and straddled him again. "Mister 'Oh, that's not realistic!'" she mocked with a nerdy impression of his voice, only making him laugh harder. "How's this for realism! Make fun of one of my favorite movies again!"

Robby cackled, squirming desperately as she dug mercilessly into every spot she could reach. His legs kicked against the couch, his laughter ragged and breathless.

"StoHOHOHOp!! OKaahaHAHAY okAhahaY okAhahAY!! YOuHUhU wiHiHiN!!" he finally gasped, his voice breaking into another helpless laugh as she targeted his stomach.

"You're damn right I win," Tory said, grinning down at him like a victorious predator.

At last, she eased off, but didn't climb off her position. Robby lay sprawled out, chest heaving, his hair a total mess.

Tory propped her chin on her hand, looking down at him with smug satisfaction. "You should've seen yourself. You looked pathetic~."

Robby shot her a halfhearted glare, still catching his breath. "Oh, oh, yeah? Remind me again when you don't want to use any dumb tricks." He groaned, dragging a hand over his face, but she caught the twitch of a smile at the corner of his mouth. "You're enjoying this way too much," he said.

"Obviously." She nudged his shoulder, gentler now. "Don't worry. I won't tell the dojo how easily I wrecked you."

Robby's eyes shot open. "You'd better not!"

Silence settled again, softer this time. Their laughter lingered in the air, replaced by the warmth of shared smiles.

Tory settled down onto her boyfriend a bit more, brushing the hair back from her face.

Robby's expression was softer than his teasing had been. "You're just insufferable," he murmured.

"Yeah," Tory whispered back, lips quirking. "But you love it, so really, who's the weird one here?"

This time, when their mouths met, the kiss was slower, steadier. No interruptions, no tickling, just the quiet honesty that neither of them often showed.

When she pulled back, Tory smirked against his lips. "You're still pathetic, though."

Robby sighed, smiling too. "And you have terrible taste in movies."

"Guess we both got problems."

"You sure you don't wanna head home?" Johnny called out to the near-empty dojo as the last few students walked out. "Carmen hasn't pulled off yet, you could ride home with her and Miguel."

"Nah," Robby replied. He was on the other side of the dojo, wiping down the mats before putting them back against the wall. "Someone has to keep this place from getting a health code violation."

"Hey, I clean this place after every session!"

"Oh, yeah? Then why was there dried blood still on this mat?"

"I left it there. As a reminder of what happens if you let your guard down."

Robby huffed a laugh, which made a spark of something really good go through Johnny's chest. Having his son back in his life was something that seemed impossible for such a long time, and now they got to spend time together every day, even if it was while cleaning a gross, sweaty karate dojo together.

They continued to riff and bicker while they cleaned and sorted the rest of the mats, put the training dummies back in place, and mopped the floors. Robby even fixed one of the fluorescent lights that Johnny had been too lazy to get to. Finally the two of them stood side by side, admiring the Cobra Kai dojo.

"Looks good to me," Robby said.

"Yeah, same, man. You did a good job on those floors." Johnny nudged Robby's shoulder with his own. "Somebody must've taught you the value of hard work."

"Yeah, his name is Daniel LaRusso."

"Shut up." Johnny bumped him again, a bit harder, smirking when he felt Robby return the gesture. There was a beat of silence, just this side of awkward, but not wholly unpleasant.

Finally Robby sighed, turning and heading to the locker rooms. "Alright, lemme just grab my bag-"

"Robby," Johnny blurted. His son stopped in his tracks, looking back in confusion. Johnny wavered for a second, then pushed through. "I really do appreciate this second chance, man."

Robby's face smoothed out as he huffed a little laugh. "I know, Dad."

"I mean it," Johnny continued. "Even after... you know, all the Kreese bullshit, and the pony tail dude, and LaRusso, and everything... I know we're on good terms now, but... you didn't have to let me back into your life."

Robby shifted a bit in place. He looked about as uncomfortable hearing this as Johnny felt saying it. "I mean... would've been kinda shitty to just ignore you after everything."

"No, it wouldn't," Johnny said. "You'd be completely within your rights to never talk to me again. I was an asshole, and a horrible father, and... I mean, you didn't really have a dad for so long-"

"Too long," Robby blurted. "Long enough."

Johnny's breath caught in his chest. "Yeah." He coughed, looking around awkwardly for a moment. "So- you know, I'm just- I'm gonna try my hardest to stop being a dick, for everyone, but especially you. And- you know. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be your Dad again."

Jesus Christ, he's so lame now. Having actual loved ones in his life again made him a sappy loser.

"I-" Robby started, and Johnny looked closely at him for any signs this was going to far. "I just-"

He sighed, cleared his throat, and finally looked towards Johnny again. "Thank you for... trying to be better, Dad. You are better. And... I love you."

Johnny let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "I love you too, kid."

They paused. Slowly Johnny walked towards Robby; he raised his arms, and after a beat Robby returned the hug. They stood in the middle of the room, just barely swaying as Johnny held his son.

"I love you," he said again, because fuck it, he'd take being cringey if it meant his son got to hear those words as much as possible. "I love you, Robby."

He had no idea what Robby was thinking, but he felt his son slowly drop his head onto his dad's shoulder. Johnny rubbed his back with one hand, the other cradling the back of his head. After a long moment wrestling with indecision, Johnny pressed a light kiss onto Robby's temple.

"Love you, kid."

He didn't expect a response, but after a few moments he caught a muffled response from where his son's face was buried in his shirt.

"What?"

Robby pulled back a bit; Johnny still couldn't see his face, but he definitely heard the smirk in his voice as he said, "Did Mr. LaRusso write that speech for you?"

Johnny froze. His arms were still wrapped around his kid. "You serious?"

"No, it was a great speech. Very, uh, emotional." Yeah, Robby was fucking laughing at him, the little shit. "Or did Carmen help you? You asked her what teenage boys like, and she told you they love hearing their parents say 'I love you' over and over?"

"You little shit." Johnny was baring his fucking soul to this kid, and Robby was making fun of him. This would not stand.

Johnny looked slightly down. Right under his chin was Robby's shoulder; he always changed into a tank top after practice. Before he could think about it, Johnny leaned down and blew a raspberry right on Robby's shoulder.

In hindsight, he didn't know what he'd been expecting. It didn't feel good in the slightest to admit it, but the truth is Johnny had no idea if Robby was ever ticklish. He'd never been around that long, and when he was it certainly wasn't the kind of thing Robby would've allowed before their relationship had gotten better. It wasn't even a normal tickle spot, Johnny thought- who the hell has ticklish shoulders?

Apparently... Robby does. Very much so.

Because his response to having his dad blow a raspberry on the crook of his shoulder, Johnny's half-shaven stubble scratching the skin while the rest of his shoulder buzzed with vibrations, was to squeal and immediately lose all ability in his legs.

"Jesus!" Johnny hissed, catching Robby when his son veered dangerously far to one side. "Was that- was that real? It tickled that much?"

"What the fuck-" Robby hissed in return, "what the fuck was that?" He tried to stand, but doing so would've pulled him out of Johnny's grasp, and on a whim Johnny locked his arms even tighter around his son's shoulders. "Dude, let me go-"

"Hell, no," Johnny said. And then he did it again: same shoulder, same spot, and same desperate giggles falling from Robby's mouth.

"Dad!" he gasped, his legs kicking wildly. "What are you-"

Johnny did it again, this time closer to his neck, and Robby's squeal turned into more of a scream. He slammed his head to the side, frantically rubbing his ear against the skin to stop the tingles.

"Fucking- are you serious?" he said. His ears were turning red, Johnny noticed, and his smile was wider than Johnny remembered seeing it in a while. It wasn't a smug smirk, or the measured-yet-cocky expression Robby wore after winning a sparring match. It was uneven, with lots of teeth, and looked very goofy.

So of course, Johnny immediately switched to the other side and blew yet another raspberry.

"Why?" Robby screamed, trying to slam his head down to the other side. "Dad!"

"Mhmm?" Johnny asked, keeping his mouth pressed against Robby's shoulder. "What's up, kid?"

There was no answer; his son was too busy laughing his head off at the feeling of Johnny's words sending tickly feelings all down his spine. He stamped his feet against the ground, straining against Johnny's hold, but his dad had the upper ground.

"I'm trying to be earnest, you dork," Johnny said, "and you make fun of me?" He ducked his head to go again, waited for Robby to try to protect his neck, then immediately attacked the other side.

"Do you think-" he blew a raspberry- "that Carmen had to teach me this?" Another one, this time moving one hand from around Robby's shoulders to squeeze haphazardly at his side. "Or LaRusso?"

Robby was giggling and cackling, his legs moving seemingly without permission from his brain. He tried to pull backwards, but Johnny easily switched his hold to around Robby's midsection, and now both hands were free to squeeze and vibrate all over his sides and stomach. Robby couldn't stop squealing, that was the craziest thing- Johnny never would've imagined his son could made that noise. Now that he heard it, he never wanted to stop.

"Yohohou- you said- you were gonahahahahaha stop-being-a-dick!" he shrieked, throwing his head back with laughter that seemed to echo off the dojo walls.

"This is just payback, man," Johnny teased. "Don't make fun of me when I'm being sappy and shit."

He waited for a comeback, but Robby's breaths were sounding more and more ragged, his body getting weaker and less fighty, and Johnny figured it was probably time to stop. He slowed his fingers and moved his hands so he was simply helping Robby stand upright as the teen caught his breath.

"You good?" he said. Robby coughed as his breathing slowed down, even though his face was still pretty red.

"You are-" he panted, before fixing Johnny was a hilariously inaffective glare, "such a dick."

Johnny grinned. "Like I said, it's a work in progress."

Robby rolled his eyes and turned his head, but he wasn't fast enough- Johnny saw the smile that still threatened to turn up the corners of his mouth. "Jesus Christ, man. Can we just go?"

"Hold on," Johnny said. Robby looked at him warily. "I love you, son."

"Seriously?"

Johnny squeezed his fingers once around Robby's waist, making him yelp. "Okay! Fuck! I love you, too!"

A beat, and then Johnny burst into snickers, finally letting his son go. Robby stumbled, barely catching his balance before he huffed and stomped his way toward the lockers.

"Love you!" Johnny yelled after him. Robby flipped him off, and Johnny laughed loud and bright.