Author’s note: It was only fair that I wrote a fic for Roy after I wrote a fic for Johnny, Lol. I still love these 70s boys and I just want to see them being absolutely silly again. I’m letting the self-indulgence run wild again. I CAN NOT BE STOPPED! Mwahahahaha! I hope you enjoy! (Also this is sort of like a part two to the first fic, Friends Will Be Friends, buuut it can be read in either order!)
Series: Emergency! (1972)
Characters: Johnny Gage, Roy DeSoto, Chet Kelly, Captain Stanley
Word count: 2,953
Summary: Johnny seeks playful revenge on Roy for exposing a lighthearted fact about him to the other members of Squad 51. With the tables turned, it’s now Johnny’s turn to find out if Roy shares the same giggle-producting ‘condition’ as he does.
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Johnny thought it would be so much easier to get back at Roy for that little ‘prank’ he pulled on him the other day, but when they have to run out on emergency calls (what feels like) every five minutes and fill out paperwork when they get back, it’s difficult to plan a counter attack towards his paramedic partner.
He forgot about it for a few days as they focused on work, but today—today has been slow, and even their emergency runs have been less serious (thankfully). It’s the perfect time to enact his revenge.
If he can figure out how, that is.
As soon as Johnny and Roy come back to the station after a run, the captain asks to speak with Roy in this office. Perfect.
Johnny walks towards the rec room, but once Roy and the captain are out of sight, he speedwalks towards the room. When he slides in, he sees Chet at the stove pouring himself a cup of coffee.
“Chet!” Johnny approaches him. “You have to help me get back at Roy.” Johnny looks over his shoulder to make sure the person in question isn’t coming in.
“For what?” Chet asks, confused.
Johnny huffs out his nose. “Remember when he…” he pauses to clear his throat. “Remember when he found out I was ticklish a few days ago?”
“Oho yeah, that was great,” Chet goes to take a sip of his coffee—he clearly remembers the event from before when Johnny was sprawled out on the couch, giggling his heart out.
Johnny ignores the chuckle in Chet’s response. “Yeah, well, I want to get him back.”
Chet finishes his sip. “Then why don’t you just go up to him and tickle him? It really is that simple. I’m surprised you didn’t think of that big plan, Gage.”
“I can’t just go up and do it!” Johnny states. “It’s got to be when he least expects it. It makes it more effective that way-”
Just then, Captain Stanley and Roy walk in. Johnny halts his conversation, trying to act normal.
“So he really got tangled up in a tree saving the girl’s cat?” the captain asks.
“That’s what happened while I was covering for B-shift, Cap,” Roy says with a smile. “Hard to believe, I know. The man who got stuck, he’s alright though,” Roy takes a seat at the table right in front of Johnny with his back facing him and the stove. Chet flashes a smug, closed-mouth grin toward Johnny. Johnny glares at him.
The captain sighs and takes a seat across from Roy while gently tossing some papers on the table. “Well, as ridiculous as it sounds, we still have to file the paperwork for the run.”
As Captain Stanley and Roy discuss at the table, Johnny and Chet have a silent argument about their previous conversation. Chet nudges Johnny and points at Roy with his eyes. He lifts his eyebrows up and down, smirking with his look to say, Do it now. Johnny shakes his head and mouths, No, but Chet persists by silently pestering him; he tries to push the paramedic towards Roy, to which Johnny sneers at Chet and resists against him.
Their quiet, and very obvious movements catch the attention of the captain. “What are you two doing?”
Roy turns to look at them and Johnny and Chet immediately face the captain. Johnny puts his hands in his pockets. He shrugs, “Nothing.” Chet snickers into his coffee cup. Johnny tosses another glare at him.
Captain Stanley sighs like the equivalent of rolling his eyes and adjusts himself in his seat before continuing to talk with Roy.
Once the two at the table are distracted again, Chet nonchalantly gestures towards Roy with an impish smirk, purposely trying to push Johnny’s buttons. Johnny growls under his breath. He mouths with his lips, Fine! and widens his eyes to show that, even if he’s going along with Chet’s idea, he’s been successfully annoyed.
After taking a reluctant moment to recalculate his plans, Johnny quietly takes a step towards Roy. He takes another step, then another, like he’s tiptoeing to him in the short distance between him and the table.
Like before, Captain Stanley sees the moving paramedic in his field of vision and flicks his eyes towards him. Johnny puts a finger to his lips and points at Roy. Captain Stanley, partially curious of what’s on the younger paramedic’s mind and where this is going, doesn’t say a word.
However, Roy, observant as he is, takes notice that the captain’s attention has been shifted away from him for longer than average. While he's mid-conversation, Roy leans an elbow on the table and goes to turn around, but halfway through his turn—he’s too late. Johnny plunges his hands into Roy’s free sides.
“Gah!” Roy jolts like he was jumpscared before clamping his arms down to his sides, already wiggling like a worm. “Johnny!” He tries to hold back the giggly storm gurgling in his throat, but airy huffs of laughter through his nose quickly slip out.
“Aha! So you’re ticklish too!” Johnny practically cheers, enjoying his spoils as he scribbles into his partner’s sides through his paramedic shirt.
“O- Only a little-” Roy attempts to play it off while snickering and letting out puffs of giggles. He leans back into his chair and tries to nab at Johnny’s wrists while the younger paramedic easily maneuvers past Roy’s defenses to curiously poke around.
“A little?” Johnny grins at his own question.
“Oh no, not this again,” the captain sighs and leans a hand on his chin, but he ends his statement with a smile that’s clearly enjoying the sight.
“Hang on, Cap! I never got my turn!” Johnny defends himself, elated that he can get Roy back with the same tactic he used on him.
“You didn’t need a turn!” Roy argues and elbows at his partner. “Ca-AHP! Hehehe-he’s tickling mehehehe!” Roy’s giggles escape when Johnny slips his fingers under his armpit. Fortunately for Roy, he’s able to reign his giggles back into airy huffs so Johnny doesn’t get the satisfaction of thinking he’s won yet.
“Yeah? And what do you want me to do about it? This is your own mess you got yourself in, DeSoto,” Captain Stanley says. In response, Roy accidentally lets short chuckles slip here and there like a cough, causing him to hide his wobbly smile into his shoulder. He’s resisting the urge to simply jump out of his chair.
“Aww, come on, Cap? You don’t want to get involved and save Roy from Johnny’s torment?” Chet says with layers upon layers of sarcasm.
“Absolutely not.” Captain Stanley stretches back in his chair with his arms behind his head, getting comfortable for the show. “Let them fight it out and get it out of their system.”
“Ohoho, thanks!” Roy spills a snarky remark along with his airy laughter as he alternates between wrapping his arms around himself and trying to nudge Johnny’s hands from his ticklish spots.
“Hey, don’t be like that Roy! We’re all friends here,” Johnny says, beaming.
“I dohohoubt that right now!”
“You’re just being stubborn. Like how you’re being stubborn holding in all your laughter! Come on, Roy! You’ve gotta be more ticklish than this, right?” Johnny says, determined to hear an unrestrained version of Roy’s laughter.
Roy’s snickering grows more prominent and his smile even wider. He’s barely keeping it together, but he can’t let Johnny best him at his own game so easily. That alone gives him the motivation to try and hold out a little longer.
Well, until Johnny’s fingers drift to his belly.
“Oho-Kay!” Roy jerks to the side and leaps out of his chair after wiggling out of Johnny’s hold; he stumbles around the table and dashes to the other side of the room—only the problem is, the other side of the room is a dead end. He didn’t think this far ahead.
“Now where do you think you’re going?” Johnny chases after him.
Roy whips around to try and stop the other man barreling at him like a football, “Waitwaitwait-AH!” Johnny basically crashes into Roy with a ticklish punch, digging a scribbly hand into Roy’s stomach while his other wraps around his friend’s back like a loose headlock. Roy immediately folds in half with a bundle of giggles tumbling out and grabs onto Johnny’s arm that’s tickling him as support.
“Ah, I found a sweet spot, didn’t I?” Johnny observes. As if responding to Johnny’s claim, Roy collapses to the floor.
“I’ll take that a yes,” Johnny answers himself before leaping down to the floor next to Roy.
Roy is already half-way curled up into a ball when he makes a futile attempt at trying to wrestle Johnny’s hands away. In seconds, Johnny easily finds an opening at Roy’s ribs and resumes his tickle attack.
“Johohohohnny!” Roy compacts himself into a tighter ball and rolls on his side as soft, airy giggles finally rush out of him. He can’t stop himself from wiggling as Johnny gleefully explores his newfound ticklishness.
Johnny grins as he takes a comfortable seat next to Roy. He utilizes the opportunity that has (literally) landed in front of him to return some similar teases Roy used against him—teases that involved pretending to call a certain hospital they work with, Rampart Emergency, about a patient who's got the giggles.
“Uh, Rampart, this is Squad 51. We have a collapsed victim here due to a case of severe ticklishness. They are conscious, but they are giggling profusely. I’m examining them for any signs of internal injuries.” Johnny leans over to get a better view of Roy’s face. “Now Roy, this is very important. Your life could be on the line here, so you have to tell me the truth, okay? Does this tickle?” Johnny sneakily scratches at the back of Roy’s ribs.
“Hehey!” Roy jumps and rolls onto his back, playfully swatting at his partner’s hands. Even through his laughter, he can clearly hear Johnny’s smirk. “Whahahat do yohohou think?”
“Alright, now what about here?” Johnny reaches over to squeeze his other side.
Roy barks out a laugh and slams his elbows to his sides. “Johohohohnny!” Roy nearly cackles, though his giggles stay consistently light and bouncy.
Chet shouts out like an excited viewer watching a sports match, “Check his stomach again, Johnny! Just to make sure.”
“Ah, yes of course. Good thinking, Chet,” Johnny responds.
“Wahahait! Wait, Johnny!” Roy quickly snatches Johnny’s wrists into his hands. “Dohon’t- Don’t even think about it!”
“Hold still, Roy,” Johnny can’t help but giggle. “I have to check to see if your abdomen is ticklish.”
“It is! You already know it is!” Roy has a silly smile still plastered on his face while he gives his partner puppy-dog-like eyes.
“But it never hurts to double check,” Johnny persists with a grin, trying to pry Roy’s hands away from his stomach.
Captain Stanley shakes his head. “Now why did you have to go on and add fuel to the fire like that, Chet?”
“Because it’s funny,” Chet replies. The captain turns and gives him a joking side eye. “What? It is!” Chet adds.
The captain lets out a snort of laughter, “Well, I can’t argue with that.”
Suddenly, their attention is shifted back to the paramedics when Roy lets out a giggly, “Gahack!”
Johnny has Roy’s tummy in his clutches now. A stream of chuckles, giddy with child-like energy, releases from Roy. The older paramedic folds himself forward and curls his knees closer to his chest. He playfully shoves at Johnny’s shoulders and clutches onto his partner’s wrist that has pinpointed the center of his belly like a beam of wood that’s pinning him down.
“Johohohonny!” Roy leans back on the floor and momentarily giggles towards the roof, his smile wide and free. Before long, he sits back up and goes right back to play-fighting his partner. His cheeks flush a bit from hearing his own giggle-filled reactions.
Johnny can’t contain his smile—Roy’s pure and cheerful-sounding laughter is absolutely infectious, dare he say adorable. Roy is a smiley guy, but he’s usually not someone to combust into uncontrollable giggles, unless he hears a really good joke, so it’s always a treat when Johnny or his pals can get Roy to laugh so carefree like a happy kid.
Johnny savors every moment, continuing to press into his tummy and tease his partner. “Hmm, your abdomen seems normal to me. I don’t see any signs of internal injury, which in your case is lucky because someone in your condition could definitely bust a gut with how much you’re laughing,” Johnny smirks from ear to ear. “You still haven’t answered my question yet by the way.”
“Whahahat question?!” Roy exclaims.
Johnny scoffs, jokingly offended by Roy forgetting his inquiry. “You still haven’t told me if it tickles or not right here, Roy. How am I supposed to treat you for your case of the giggles if I don’t even know where it tickles?” Johnny reveals the biggest grin, extremely proud of the deviousness of his own words.
Roy’s sorry he asked. He shouts, “Yohohohou can’t tell? AH!” Roy snatches at one of the hands that sneakily slid up to his ribs.
“Sorry, what did you say, Roy?” Johnny feigns innocence.
“Ahahalright! Alright!” Roy caves in, taking a second to respond through his hearty chuckles without a hint of malice in his words. “It tickles! Cohohome on, Johohohnny! Let me breheheheheathe!” Roy almost wheezes out while getting one last lighthearted shove in at Johnny.
“Heh. I guess it would be bad if I sent my partner to the emergency room over this, huh?” Johnny jokes. “Okay, Roy. I gotcha.”
Johnny pulls his hands away, allowing Roy to wrap one arm around himself while his other hand keeps him propped up from the floor. His belly rises and falls as he replenishes his oxygen, and he exhales an airy handful of remaining giggles left in his system.
Johnny leans back on his arms besides his partner and stretches out his legs. He sways his feet side to side like a pleased schoolboy, waiting for Roy to recover before being the first to speak.
“Are you alright, Roy? Do you need me to check your pulse? Your respiration- BP?” Johnny says half seriously before flashing his partner a smile.
Roy tilts his head towards the younger paramedic, “I don’t need you ‘checking’ anything else.”
Johnny chortles and pats him on the back. Roy is recovered alright. The younger paramedic stands and lends a hand out to his partner to help Roy back up on his feet.
Roy fixes his uniform that had gotten a little ruffled in their game. He takes a few steps towards the table, where Captain Stanley finally breaks his silence.
“You sure you’re alright, DeSoto? You look a little worse for wear,” Captain Stanley keeps himself from snickering at his own joke. Chet on the other hand does the snickering for him.
Roy insincerely nods at the two of them. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m alright. No thanks to you two. You know you two could have jumped in and helped me.”
“Well, it’s only fair that we didn’t help you if we didn’t help Johnny,” Chet supposedly reasons. “Besides, you looked like you were having so much fun, Roy. We didn’t want to spoil it.”
“Yeah, who are we to stop you from having a little fun?” the captain says.
Roy opens his mouth to object, but Johnny nudges him in the arm.
“See? They get it! I mean, I know I certainly had fun,” Johnny emphasizes his point by placing a hand on his own chest.
Roy throws the captain and Chet a fierce glare, and then turns to Johnny to do the same, but Roy follows it up by fumbling his words. “Yeah- Well I- ... I- … Well- ”
Roy huffs, frustrated that his tongue is tied at maybe the worst time, but he’s certainly not denying their claims.
Roy locks onto Johnny with wide eyes, seeing that knowing smirk on his partner’s face. “Fine!” Roy finally admits to the room, begrudgingly, though he can’t hide the lingering touch of a smile on his face. “Are you happy now, Johnny?”
“Very,” Johnny grins at him. Roy rolls his eyes and begins to walk out of the room. Right as Roy reaches the doorway, Johnny speaks up again. “Oh, and Roy?”
Roy turns around.
“We’re even now, right?” Johnny asks.
Roy nods his head. “Yeah, we’re even.” As the older paramedic turns, he sneaks in two final words with a hidden grin, “For now” and walks out to the Squad.
Johnny stands there, blinking with his eyes as big as saucers. “F-For now? W-What did he mean by that, Cap?” Johnny frantically looks to his captain for an answer.
Captain Stanley shrugs. “That’s for you to find out and us to watch, pal.”
“Better watch your back, Johnny,” Chet sings with an eager smile.
Johnny puts his hands on his hips and looks towards the rec room’s entrance, reasoning with himself that Roy is just trying to put him on edge. Yet again… Roy is no stranger being the mischievous type, even if it is rare. He’s definitely overthinking it now– which is exactly what Roy wanted him to do. Ugh!
Just to be on the safe side, maybe he shouldn’t brush off his friend's words completely. Johnny planned to get Roy back, and even though he succeeded, it feels like he’s the one who should be on high alert. Johnny has to admit, that was a pretty good play on Roy’s part.
He huffs out a chuckle to himself. Nice going, Roy. You got me again.
I love Roy coming to the rescue once again with the fire extinguisher. Cap scolding Chet and telling him to go wash down his skies. Johnny yelling out the door, “We’ve got a fire at the station!”
It is with deepest sadness that I am posting this to let all the Emergency! family know that on 12 May 2023 actor Michael Norell passed away.
Mike portrayed Captain Hank Stanley in the show and was very much loved by both fans, cast and crew.
His family had asked that the news be kept private until now.
His obituary is at https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/michael-norell-obituary?id=52019510&fbclid=IwAR3c-s-sWm4LgdH7Kte063pV4-2ZwWG2d6je6jbq6ZHrgTeuZTWk33-_Rws
Author’s Note: IT’S HERE! My Emergency! fic is FINALLY here!!! I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, omg it was so much fun to let the self-indulgence run free. I love these 70s goofballs. I won’t lie, I was a little embarrassed at first writing this one because it’s my first “live action” show I’m writing for 😭, but I faced my fears and got over it the more I continued working on it. I hope you enjoy! And even if you’re not an Emergency fan, maybe this fic will convince you 😏 (Jkjk… unless 👀) (EDIT: Now on AO3! Link here!)
Series: Emergency! (1972)
Characters: Johnny Gage, Roy Desoto, Captain Hank Stanley, Chet Kelly, (and a cameo by Marco and Stoker)
Word Count: 3,311
Summary: While out on a run, Roy discovers a lighthearted fact about Johnny that he just can’t stop smiling about. Johnny refuses to admit it, so when Roy proves Johnny wrong, Roy decides to have some fun with his friend that soon leads to the whole station listening to the sound of laughter.
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Johnny Gage and Roy DeSoto have been friends for years. They’ve gone on countless emergency responses together as paramedic partners, fought fires alongside their other members of Squad 51, saved lives, and have even rescued one another from dangerous situations. Considering how much time they spend with one another, one would think they know everything about each other. (Well, minus that time Johnny forgot Roy’s favorite vegetable).
But occasionally, the two learn new facts about each other, and Roy, on their last emergency response, may have just learned a big one about Johnny.
It was by complete accident. It all started while they were leaving the home of a lady they just treated; Johnny slipped down a few steps at the bottom of her stairs with his hands full of their equipment, falling with a thud.
“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.
It’s back to business for now, but once the run is over, Johnny may or may not have to take the opportunity to get to know Roy better. After all, Johnny has to return the favor—and returning the favor is just what good friends do for each other.
