A/N: y’all I’m not even gonna lie, I was so tired today and lacked motivation… 😭
I still wanted to post something tho, so I did my best :)
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It was a lazy Saturday afternoon. The gang had all congregated in the Curtis living room, the air thick with the smell of leather jackets and cigarette smoke. Johnny was flipping through an old comic book, Two-Bit was playing with his switchblade, and Darry was busy fixing a leaky faucet in the kitchen. Soda, Pony, and Steve were engaged in some loud chatter while Dally lounged on the couch, trying to look as uninterested as possible.
“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.
And though Dally wouldn’t admit it, he felt significantly lighter.
