#marco lopez

“Are you alright?” Roy quickly asked his partner who landed on the bottom step. He wrapped an arm around Johnny’s ribs and lifted him, like he’s done plenty of times before when they’re both fighting fires.

And that’s when Johnny jumped.

“O-kay!” Johnny exhaled and jolted his elbow closer to his chest as Roy pulled him to his feet, an airy chuckle lingering at the end of his exclamation, like he was trying to play it off with a laugh.

“What happened?” Roy questioned, concerned that he might have hit an injury gained from the fall. However, an instant scoff from Johnny proved to Roy that pain wasn’t the cause of his reaction.

“I’m fine, fine. Nothing to worry about.” Johnny shrugged it off before picking up the handles of the equipment cases he dropped. 

Roy was fortunate that his partner wasn’t hurt, but Johnny’s flinch, his slight giggle, and nonchalant response to his question left Roy curious. Then, the pieces of the mystery quickly formed a logical answer. A smile began to grow on Roy’s face.

When Johnny knew he was being met with an odd silence as he fiddled with his grip on the equipment handles, he looked back at Roy, only to see the big smile that had appeared on his partner.

“Oh, wipe that smirk off your face. It was nothing. Really,” Johnny said with a higher pitch at the end of his words and walked out of the house. Roy just shook his head, still smiling, and followed him out. Neither of them mentioned a word about what happened on the drive back, so it seemed like it was forgotten.

But Roy doesn’t need to say a thing—yet. He knows from experience that Johnny is his own biggest weakness when it comes to hiding something.

The paramedic duo returns to the station; Roy parks the squad vehicle, then the two of them head towards the station’s rec room.

Johnny saunters in first. “Hey everyone!” he cheerfully greets two members of Squad 51 sitting at the table, Chet and Captain Stanley, before heading straight for the pot of coffee on the stovetop. Roy walks in soon after.

“Hey, guys. How was the run?” Chet asks from his seat.

Johnny pours himself a cup of coffee. “Oh fine, fine. Nothing to write home about,” he shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head, a little too exaggerated. 

Roy takes a seat at the table with a subtle hint of his grin returning as his eyes watch Johnny’s performance like a TV show he doesn’t want to miss any part of.

“Huh, really?” Chet questions, also knowing Johnny well enough to tell that something is off. Chet, being the instigator he is, stands up and walks closer to Johnny. He casually leans back on the counter. “Because it looks like you have something on your mind.”

“Chet, you are looking way too much into this.” Johnny pours Roy a cup of coffee. “It was just a regular run. We get them all the time.” Johnny moves away from Chet to hand Roy his coffee.

“Okay, if you say so,” Chet sighs, but he sighs in a way that says he doesn’t believe Johnny’s story in the slightest.

Johnny easily walks into the trap. 

“Okay, if you really want to know, an older woman called in having trouble breathing,” Johnny explains like he is defending himself, “It was a case of hyperventilating, and we took care of her. Simple as that!”

“And then Johnny fell,” Roy finally adds to the conversation.

Johnny’s heart drops like he’s been betrayed, “Roy!”

A smirk grows on Chet’s face, but Captain Stanley immediately grows concerned.

“You fell? John, are you alright?” the captain asks.

“I’m fine-” Johnny gives a quick response to Captain Stanley to reassure him, though Johnny has more pressing thoughts on his mind. He puts his coffee on the table and turns to his partner, “Roy-”

“Oh, so that’s what you were embarrassed about,” Chet rubs it in.

Johnny inhales. Before he can say a word, Roy hops in first.

“Actually, no. That’s not what he’s on edge about,” Roy’s grin only increases.

“Roy-” Johnny shouts through his teeth in a panic, but he tries to play it off afterwards to his other station-mates with an awkward smile and an airy laugh. 

Roy continues, finally revealing what he’s been waiting for, “Did you know that Johnny is ticklish?”

Johnny takes a sharp inhale, then rubs his face and neck while turning his head away, trying to play it cool.

Chet and Captain Stanley look at one another.

“Really?” Chet asks, his growing excitement being heard in his words.

Johnny reveals his face to them, like he had just re-entered the conversation. He shakes his head and puts his hands in his pockets. “No, I’m not,” he shrugs casually, though his teammates see through his fidgeting.

“Well, you certainly jumped when I grabbed your side,” Roy takes a sip of his coffee.

“Now Roy, that was just a reflexive reaction,” Johnny attempts to reason. “We have to check for reflexes all the time.”

“That was not just a reflexive reaction,” Roy argues.

“Yes it was! That’s why they call it a ‘knee-jerk’ reaction! O-Or in this case a side-jerk reaction!”

Roy looks up at him, “A ‘side-jerk’ reaction doesn’t even exist. That’s called a flinch.”

“I know what a flinch is, and I’m telling you, I didn’t flinch!” Johnny defends. 

“Well-” Roy huffs, getting fed up with Johnny’s stubbornness. “What’s the matter if you’re ticklish anyway? There’s nothing wrong with being ticklish.”

“I know that! It’s just that I so happen to NOT be ticklish!” Johnny exclaims.

Roy rolls his eyes from the ridiculousness of their debate. He glances back at Johnny to see if his partner is sticking with what he said, and just by Gage’s determined look, Johnny isn’t going to budge an inch.

To finally pull the truth from him, Roy reaches up and gives a pinch to Johnny’s side like a quick snake bite. The younger paramedic leaps back with a “Gack!” and grips his side.

Captain and Chet chuckle to each other. Roy holds back his laugh, but his smile continues roaming free. Johnny looks at Roy in utter disbelief, eyes wide and mouth agape, that he really just did that.

“Not ticklish, huh?” Roy grins up at his partner.

Johnny glares at him. “That was a lucky shot.” 

Roy exchanges glances with Johnny, like they’re in a momentary stand off. Suddenly, Roy’s chair screeches backwards across the tile as he gets out of his seat, menacingly. 

Johnny side steps before he starts backing up. Roy takes slow steps to follow him, a smirk curling on his lips.

“R-Roy-” Johnny holds up hands as he keeps moving backwards towards the wall. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, you know what I’m doing,” Roy grins as he corners his friend. 

“N-Now, Roy!” Johnny’s legs hit the front of the couch. He grips the arm of the sofa for support. “You don’t want to do this!” 

The Captain responds to the ordeal, “Well, if you’re not ticklish, then there shouldn't be a problem.”

“But, Cap!” Johnny’s argument is cut short when Roy takes a large stride at Johnny, which shocks the other paramedic into tripping backwards right into cushions of the sofa.

Johnny scrambles to lean back on his arms, but he freezes when Roy steps to the front of the couch and stands over him. Roy’s grin is even wider than before, and if Roy of all people is getting this look, Johnny knows he’s in trouble. Roy flexes his fingers into claws, poised and out at the ready.

“Oh, this is going to be fun,” Roy says with a, shockingly, devious inflection. “You know, I’ve been waiting for something to come along that would help me get you back for all your quips over the years, and I think I just found it.”

Johnny puts his hand out like he was calming down a wild dog that was looking at him like a freshly cooked steak. “Roy! Roy! Let’s talk about th-is!!!” Johnny quickly wrestles Roy’s wrists in his grasp when the other lunges his hands at him. Johnny starts squirming to dodge Roy’s evasive hands and guards himself from Roy’s persistent attempts to land a hit on him.

“Roy!” Johnny lets out a chuckle in anticipation, right before a yelp leaps out from his throat. Instantly, giggles start overflowing from Johnny as Roy gains a solid hit at his side, his wiggling fingers latched to the spot. Johnny clamps his arms down and alternates between wriggling on the sofa and gripping onto Roy’s wrist as he fills Station 51 with his giggles.

Roy gets comfortable and sits on the sofa next to Johnny’s legs, trapping his partner in between the couch and his tickly clutches. He slips his other hand through Johnny’s defenses and into the fray, scratching along Johnny’s other side through the fabric of his paramedic shirt. Johnny jolts in the same direction in an attempt to shield his middle.

“Hold still, Johnny. This won’t hurt a bit,” Roy says as if he is treating a patient, though his big grin is still plastered on his face.

“Ohoho, real fun-hehehehey!” Johnny curls up his torso and tries to pull a knee to his chest when Roy scribbles at his belly. Johnny shoves an arm at his partner.

“Thank you. I’m glad you finally think my jokes are funny,” Roy jests and takes Johnny’s spat as a compliment.

“Ohohoho, shut up!” Johnny replies through peels of laughter that’s turning more high-pitched by the minute. 

Chet, being Chet, just has to butt in, “Do my eyes deceive me or is Johnny laughing from being tickled? I thought you said you weren’t ticklish, tough guy? You heard that too, right Cap?”

Captain Stanley nods, joining in with the teasing. “Oh yeah. I heard it loud and clear. Seems like John was lying. Who would have guessed?”

“Wohohould yohohou two–EEAAH!” Johnny yelps, then bursts into cackles when Roy’s hands crawl up to his ribs. “Rohohohohoy!!!” Johnny kicks his legs and hugs his arms close to himself “Cut thahahat ohohohout!” 

“Uh oh. That’s not good. It looks like we’ve got a severe case of ticklish ribs here. I better phone this in to Rampart Emergency,” Roy says as serious as he possibly can given the circumstances, but he can’t wipe the smirk off his face.

“DON’T eheheheven think ahaha-about it!” A flicker of butterflies flutters in Johnny’s stomach for a second, thinking that Roy might actually tell their friends over at Rampart Emergency Hospital about his heightened ‘reflexes.’

Roy lets out a few airy chuckles from his nose. To mess around with his partner even further, Roy treats Johnny as if he is responding to an emergency, “Rampart, this is Squad 51. We have a victim here who’s giggling uncontrollably. They’re squirming around too much to get any vitals. It appears that the victim's ribs are the most sensitive and are causing massive outbursts of laughter.”

Johnny elbows at Roy, “Yohohohou’re gohohoing to break my ribs at thihihihis rate!” 

“Why are you being dramatic? I’m not even close to breaking a rib,” Roy says with a smile.

Captain Stanley, hearing Roy’s joke about calling Rampart Emergency, plays along with the paramedic’s game by pretending to respond to the ‘call’ Roy made. “51, this is Rampart,” the captain says like one of the medical professionals at the hospital they work with, “Apply direct pressure to the ribs and the torso area and observe any change in behavior.” 

“CAP!” Johnny exclaims through his giggly struggle.

Roy smiles at the captain, then returns another devious smirk at Johnny. “Ten-four, Rampart. Direct pressure to the torso.”

Johnny feels the split second of Roy’s fingers preparing to perch themselves between his ribs. Johnny quickly grips onto Roy’s wrist, his giggles increasing in speed with his words, “Nohoho! No! ROY! Dohohon’t you DA–AHARE!” Johnny bucks like his heart was just shocked with four hundred volts of electricity from a defibrillator when Roy digs into his partner’s ribs with an increase of tickly pressure. Johnny tosses his head back as cackly laughter bursts from him like a busted fire hydrant spewing with fountains of water. His quick intakes of breath between his giggle breaks sound like a creaking door hinge, but it’s endearing alongside his other giddy sounds of joy. 

“Wow, that made a difference,” Roy grins as he continues to playfully claw around the paramedic’s torso.

“YOHOHOHOU THINK?!!!” Johnny twists his whole body towards Roy and tries to shove him off the couch with his knees.

Roy huffs out a snort in response, then answers his partner by giving a quick squeeze to Johnny’s knee. The younger paramedic yelps through his giggles and yanks his knee away from the tickly surprise.

“Well, reflexes are all in order. That’s a good sign,” Roy jokes, “I think the victim is going to make it.”

“Ohohoho greheheat! Thahahanks!” Johnny half-scoffs, half-groans through his laughter at Roy’s joke.

As if the station couldn’t get any more rowdier, two more of Squad 51’s firefighters are heard re-entering the station; the sound of tapping steps on concrete is followed by a shout aimed towards the inside of the rec room.

“What’s all the commotion in here?” Marco says as he appears from around the corner and walks towards the doorway with his fellow firefighter, Stoker, right behind him. “Did Chet finally say a funny joke?” Marco enters the room with Stoker, only for them to both pause near the doorway when they see the true cause of the loud laughter they heard. Marco smiles at the scene. “Never mind. It’s just Johnny finally getting what he deserves.”

Stoker replies with a smile too, “I’ve seen Johnny get into a lot of messes before, but this one takes the cake.”

“Are yohohohou all just going to stahahand there, ohohoho-or are you gohohoing to help mehehehe?!”

“We are helping, John,” Chet replies. “A little laughter here and there is good for you, you know.”

“Ohohoho, shuhuhuhut up, Chet!” Johnny shouts at him like a brother.

“Hey, that’s not a very nice thing to say to someone who’s trying to help you,” Chet says sincerely, but Johnny knows sincerity is part of his sarcasm. “Roy, tickle him for that!”

“Nohohoho! Wahahait! AHA!” Johnny squeaks and clamps his arms down when Roy scratches at his underarms after hearing Chet’s request, causing Johnny to kick out his legs and release more streams of high-pitched giggles. He lets out a snort and tries to fight through the tickles to get another shove in at Roy.

“Kelly,” Captain Stanley lightly hits the other firefighter’s chest with the back of his hand and gives him a disapproving look that’s about to scold him.

Chet defends himself, “What? Oh, come on, Cap. You’re enjoying this too. Plus, you heard him. Johnny started it.”

“Yeah, I know, but we don’t want to kill him,” the captain jests. He turns to the paramedics. “Let him up, Roy.”

“Aww, but Cap…” Chet whines.

Roy responds through his smile, “Cap is right. Alright, I’ll take it easy on him.”

Right away, Roy moves his hands away from Johnny. The other paramedic, squished into the couch, wraps his arms around himself and sputters out a few more giggles; he turns on his side as he half-way curls up in the cushions. Once his giggles fade after a moment, his breaths turn into pants like he had just climbed a cliff while lugging pounds of rope on his back. 

Roy reaches a hand out to shake Johnny’s shoulder, still smiling, “Are you alright?”

Johnny playfully slaps at his hand. “Get away from me,” a slight chuckle trails with his warning. Roy huffs out a laugh.

Johnny pulls his legs towards himself, then swings them forward so he can finally sit up next to Roy. He grips the edge of the cushions and stares at the floor as he takes another breath.

He shakes his head, noticing the tuck of his uniform is slightly askew. He narrows his eyes at Roy. “Look what you did,” he lightheartedly scolds his partner before he tucks back in his shirt.

Realizing that he’s hearing the silence of his own breathing, Johnny looks up and whips his gaze across all of his station-mates. 

“Well, are you all going to keep staring or what?” Johnny says.

“Nah, I guess not. The shows’ over,” Marco replies first, grinning. “It was pretty entertaining though, and we only saw the tail end of it. That’s how you know it must have been good.” Marco glances at Stoker. Stoker nods in agreement, also unable to remove the smile of his own face.

Captain Stanley casually replies, “Oh yeah, it was a pretty good show. You missed all the action in here.”

“You should have seen him earlier,” Chet says, “I’ve never heard Johnny squeak so loud before.”

“Ha ha, very funny. You’re all so hilarious,” Johnny says with a dry sarcasm.

“Oh, come on,” Roy nudges him, “You’re not going to sit there and tell me you didn’t have fun, are you?”

“Fun?” Johnny scoffs and puts a hand on his chest to accentuate his point, “Fun for you maybe, but not for me. I was the victim here, remember?”

“Now wait a minute, you weren’t really a victim,” Roy argues.

“Was too! Name one reason that makes you think I had fun.”

Roy quickly counters, “Well for starters, I didn’t hear you say stop once. If you told me to stop, I would have stopped-”

“I was too busy…giggling my head off to say anything!” Johnny disputes after briefly pausing to gather his frantic thoughts.

“Well, you sure had time to say a lot of other things!”

“And just what is that supposed to mean?”

“You know perfectly well what it means.” Roy gestures to the crew, “Everyone heard you. They’re witnesses!”

“Oh yeah? Well, let’s see how you-” Johnny lunges his hands at Roy and Roy catches his wrists at the exact same time the station’s alarm hollers.

Burrrrr! Burrr! Buzzzzz!

Johnny glares at Roy and yanks his hands out of Roy’s grip while their other teammates spring into action; their shoes clack across the floor as they exit the room to reach the fire engine.

“Saved by the bell,” Johnny groans at Roy before leaping off the couch and catching up with the others. Roy follows his partner, but not before revealing one last smile. He runs out the door and joins Johnny in the squad car.

“KMG365,” Captain Stanley responds to the dispatcher on the radio. Moments later, with the sirens blazing, Station 51 takes off on another emergency response.