#ler!tory

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."