#ler!johnny

“So, you’re telling me you’ve never been tickled before?” Steve asked incredulously, staring at Dally.

“What’s it to you?” Dally grumbled, feigning indifference.

“Aw, come on, Dal. Everyone’s been tickled at some point,” Ponyboy chimed in, grinning.

“Not where I come from.” Dally retorted, rolling his eyes.

Darry, having overheard the conversation while walking back from the kitchen, couldn’t help but join in.

“I think we should enlighten Dally on this age-old form of entertainment.”

The room seemed to hum with anticipation. Even Johnny looked up from his comic book, eyes wide with interest.

“Alright, fellas. What do you say we all give Dally a proper introduction to the world of tickling?” Two-Bit suggested, cracking his knuckles for emphasis.

The gang needed no further encouragement. They moved quickly, surrounding Dally, who for the first time looked genuinely unsure.

Before Dally could react, Darry pinned his arms above his head, Ponyboy and Johnny each securing his ankles.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!” Dally squirmed, frantically trying to escape.

“Relax, Dal… all in good fun!” Said the oldest of the group, tightening his grip to ensure nobody got punched in the face.

Two-Bit was the first to strike, skittering his fingers up Dally’s sides and back down again. When Dally jolted away with a yelp, Sodapop struck at the other side, leaving the victim trapped between the two.

“EEK- STOHOHOHOP YOU IDIOTS!” He squealed and squirmed, any trace of stoicism completely thrown out the window.

“So, how’s that tough persona holdin up, Dally?” Grinned Soda, letting a hand wander up to the Dally’s armpit, eliciting a snort, the normally stoic boy tugging at his arms to try and defend himself.

“SHUT UHUHUP! I’LL K-KILL YOU AHAHALL!”

Unfazed by the empty threat, Johnny and Pony exchanged a glance before each of them went for their target’s knees.

The variety of tickling seemed to only make things worse; each member seemed to have their own unique tickling technique that when combined, created a storm of sensations.

Two-Bit’s was mostly rapid skittering, while Soda tended to lean more towards playful pinches. Ponyboy’s style was a combination of Two-Bit’s and Soda’s, whereas Johnny’s was light and tender. Even Darry transferred one of Dally’s wrists to the other hand so that he could restrain him with one hand and tickle him with the other; his tickling was more strategic.

“GUHUHUYS! ENOHOHOUGH!!”

Seeing that Dally couldn’t take much more, Darry lightened his grip on Dally’s wrists.

“Alright guys, let him breathe.”

Everyone pulled back, pleased with their little experiment.

“Well, Dal, I’m glad we’ve established that you’re capable of expressing joy!” Two-Bit grinned, punching Dally in the shoulder.

Dally glared, though there was a noticeable lack of tension in his body in comparison to earlier.

A/N: As a Johnny Cage fan since MK9, I love how Johnny SINGLE-HANDEDLY managed to get people who never played Mortal Kombat to love it. Its honestly too funny 😭 But! I love Johnny, he was always a fun little character. Nonetheless. It was fun writing these due to his goofy personality. Do enjoy!

• Right out of the way, he might as well have a sixth sense of telling if someone is ticklish and how to get them laughing, where to poke, etc.

• His energy is infinite so his hands will be jumping all over the place and tickle anywhere he can reach. He likes to jump from spot to spot. Very all over the place.

• He’ll stop once someone needs him to. He pushes people a little bit, but as long as they’re laughing and trying to push him off, he’ll stop for them. He’s kind hearted.

• …Although. You will certainly persuade him much easier if you feed him a compliment or two… or three… or many.

• “You want me to stop? Alright alright… BUT! First off! Who’s the most talented movie star out there? What was that? Say that again? Can’t hear you over the laughter!”

• He will also playfully put on a announcer voice and say things like “And the most ticklish fighter in the world goes to…!”

• He’ll often shove someone back down when they try to get up. If they have long hair? He shoves it in their face. Wearing a hat? In their face so they can’t see. Etc.

• He’d also probably take photos with the person quickly while they’re smiling then quickly go right back to tickles.

• His goal is just to make the person laugh any means necessary, including silly actions to make sure he succeeds.

• Once he knows someone is ticklish, he’d probably take a jab at their sides every so often and have a big grin that basically screams his cockiness. Almost as if he’s trying to say ‘I still know’ and so he can dangle it over their head.

• He’d also give a eyebrow raise whenever someone who’s ticklish snarks off, and wiggle his fingers as if to send the hint that they should watch it or else the movie star is gonna rush over and do his usual mischievous (and slightly annoying) acts.

• Despite all of this, this is probably as often as the rest of his antics. He’d tickle someone every so often just as he’d shove a camera in someone’s face every so often with the flash on.

• That being said, he knows when to be serious, and knows when someone is being direct with him. He’s a actor and knows what to look for in body language.

• …He’d still give a little poke though.

• And that leads to the flip side of things.

• He’s someone to slowly back away with his hands up and go ‘woah woah! Lets get rational here.’ With a nervous smile.

• He’d consider running but his ego says it’d be too cowardly, however, he can’t handle when someone stares at him in a dead serious manner yer clearly has the intent to tickle him. He’ll run. The seriousness makes Johnny panic even more so he’ll bolt it. Other than that, he’ll stand his ground.

• He’ll constantly grab at the other person’s hands to block them. If you’ve played MK11, you remember the mime time move where he’ll act like a mime and if you hit him, he’ll basically reflect the attack/block it then immediately hit the other person (sorta similar to his fatal blow in MK1) so think of it like that. He’ll grab hands when they come at him and try and flip the tables.

• He will flail, he kicks, he’ll wiggle, he will do anything to dodge the tickles. So sit on his waist and he’ll be a sitting duck. Straddle him or pin him or else you’ll have. 50% percent chance of being kicked.

• Once the tickles actually start? His hands will auto focus on getting your hands off. His nerves freak out and therefore his hands flip out and frantically try and get the sensations off. But he’ll usually give in after the first minute because he loses most of his strength.

• But his actual laugh is extremely contagious, it probably sounds a little goofy and a touch more high pitched than his normal laugh, but it’s a contagious laugh that’s loud. He’ll also sometimes start silent laughing at his limit.

• He’ll start backpedaling the moment the tickles start.

• Johnny maybe bold with his actions, such as when he takes pictures when tickling someone, but if someone takes a photo or dare I say a video of him, his face will go tomato red. He isn’t a man easily embarrassed, but there’s things that make him tomato red, and that’s one of them.

• If that video is ever mentioned, he will quiet down fast too.

• He’ll be a major giggler after the tickles stop. He’ll just slowly get up as he giggles, fixing his shades with a giggle. The tingles will linger for a moment with him.

• He’ll usually be mellow for the next 30 minutes or so too. He’ll be quieter and less obnoxious, but he’ll chat normally.

• Johnny also likes teasingly going ‘hey, 20 bucks a second’ just to quickly say it’s a joke in case someone tries to tickle persuasion into him, one look that hints tickles, he’ll quickly clear it up.

• Over all, Johnny thinks it’s amusing to do it to others, and is greatly embarrassing when he’s on the receiving end. But… it’s mostly fun, so that’s what matters to him!

"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.

“Ya know, I’ve been thinkin'…” began Ponyboy, breaking the silence. “About everything that’s happened… and how life can change so fast.”

Johnny looked over, his brown eyes filled with thought.

“Yeah, it’s been an awful lot… but right now, it feels, you know.. normal. Just two pals hangin' out.”

Johnny spoke in his typical timid manner, a manner that Pony had grown accustomed to.

Suddenly getting a mischievous idea, Ponyboy smirked.

“You know something, Johnny? You’re always so timid. You ever consider, oh I don’t know… breakin outta your shell?” He nudged the older boy with his elbow, a playful glint in his eye.

Johnny chuckled. “What d’ya mean?”

In the blink of an eye, Ponyboy pounced, both boys tumbling in the soft grass and wrestling for a moment before the younger got the upper hand by darting a hand to Johnny’s side.

“Tickle fight!” He exclaimed, wriggling his fingers all along the soft skin, eliciting a surprised yelp from the older boy.

“AH- P-Pony, no fahahahair!”

The dark haired boy squirmed and struggled, trying to break free from the tingling sensation in his sides.

The blonde laughed along, endeared by the joyous smile on his friend’s usually solemn face.

“Well, look at that! I gotta admit, Johnny… your smile is mighty cute!” He teased, not missing the rosy hue that colored the elders cheeks.

“Don’t sahahay that! It’s embarrassing…”

In a moment of desperation, Johnny reached for the younger boy’s ribs, giving a quick squeeze and successfully turning the tables.

“Wha- Johnny! Q-Quit ihihit!” squealed Ponyboy, retracting his hand in favor of defending himself.

Johnny giggled, amused by the silliness of the situation.

“What’s the matter, Pony? Can’t take what you dish out?”

Once again, in an effort to reclaim power, the blonde willed himself to reach out and scribble his nails against Johnny’s tummy, earning a loud squeal.

“EEK- Nohohot thehehere!!” He kicked his legs, throwing his head back with bright, contagious laughter, cheeks flushed bright red.

Though hysterical, he persisted with tickling back, though it was now much weaker.

Ponyboy continued to giggle, tickling with one hand and trying to bat Johnny’s hand away with the other.

“Haha! J-Just give up, Johnny! Y-You know I’m gonna wihihin!”

But Johnny refused to quit, switching to squeezing at his friend’s hip with as much energy as he could manage.

“N-No wahahay! Y-You give up!”

The two rolled around in the grass, each one tickling and trying to get the upper hand. The stress of recent events weren’t on either of their minds as they laughed without a care in the world.

Eventually, they both just lay side by side in the grass, red faced and panting from all the tickling.

Ponyboy looked over at Johnny with a smile glued to his face, still trying to catch his breath. “So, who won?”

Johnny giggled, meeting the blonde’s gaze.

“I think we both did…” He said contently.

Suddenly, Johnny shot up with a gasp, his big brown eyes widened.

“Pony, look at that!” He pointed at the horizon which showcased a beautiful blend of orange and pink, the bright yellow sun adding an almost surreal glow, painting a portrait of beauty and tranquility.

“Wow…” The younger gaped, sitting up and taking in the enchanting view, utterly speechless.

The pair watched the setting sun, basking in its breathtaking glow.

Once the sun set and the boys were greeted by the moonlight, Johnny was the one to break the silence.

“It’s good to be alive…”

It was a simple statement, but one that held more meaning than anyone could ever know.

“Yeah… it really is.”

And so, basking in the pale moonlight, the two friends stargazed and took comfort in each others company.