#lloyd the bystander lol

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Show Me How It's Done

This could take place anywhere between Season 2-4! I wrote 4,000 words in two nights, I don't know what beast possessed me to write this.

Fandom: Lego Ninjago

Summary: Zane gets into a tickle fight for the first time.

Warning(s): Swearing

Disclaimer!! This is a SFW tickle fic!

Zane had never been in a tickle fight before.

He’s seen them plenty of times, especially ever since he joined the monastery. In fact, he couldn’t recall a time he’s ever seen so much tickling to this degree before he met his fellow ninja brethren. 

Despite this, Zane has never found himself on the receiving end of such affection. 

“NohoHOHOAHA!! COHOLE. GIVE ME THE CONTROHOLLER!!”

“Not gohonna HAHAPPEN Zaptrap!!”

“Oh, First Master. SHUT UP YOU GUYS!” 

He’s calculated that there is a high probability he will experience that tonight.

He has finished dinner by the time the sun has set well past the mountains. The next phase would be for Zane to exit the warm kitchen momentarily so he may gather everyone, usually in a one-by-one fashion. Someone could be found in the training room, or in their collective bedroom. Not too long ago, he had found Lloyd in the latter, peacefully reading his preferred comic book series. Wu, no doubt, would be mediating and waiting for Zane’s arrival. Nya, more often than not, could be found hunched over her latest work. 

Lucky for him, the last three were gathered in the living room. Unluckily for him, he caught them in the middle of a heated argument. In the literal sense of Kai, being the elemental master of fire, looking seconds away from smacking a bickering Cole and Jay with the nearest thing - being a pillow.

Predictably, Zane watched as Kai snatched his weapon and whacked his closest target. His victim, happening to be Jay, sputters on the floor in a protective ball.

“Yeah, get him Kai!” Cole cheered, eager to have someone on his side.

Then Kai turned to him, furious and equipped. “Hey, wait a second-!” Nevermind, Zane supposed, as Cole blocked blow after blow with light chuckles. 

“SHUT!” Cole didn’t prepare for the whack on his side, toppling him next to Jay.

“THE!” Jay shrieked at the next smack, or perhaps from the sudden weight of Cole.

“HELL!” The two yelped, shoving at each other or in an attempt to be ready for the next blow - Zane was unsure.

“UP!!” With a final whack, eliciting giddy giggles from the heap, Kai suddenly abandoned his weapon. Instead he dove into the pile, pulling even more shocked gasps and squeaky giggles.

It wasn’t difficult to see why, Zane let out a sigh of fondness, gazing at Kai’s devious fingers poking sporadically at any limb he could reach. It didn’t seem to matter if it was Jay’s rib or Cole’s tummy, they were squirming to get away from their friend’s wrath. 

“Ahahaha!! Kahahai!!” Cole swiped at the offending fingers, missing hilariously far in the process, before giving a quick pound to the floor. “Nohoho!”

Jay was no better, hugging his arms against his stomach did no good when Kai scribbled at his neck and ears. “Cuhut ihit out!! Pffftehehe!”

“Do you honestly,” He pointedly jabbed at their tickle spots, grinning sinisterly when they flinched in unison, “think I’m going to let you knuckleheads ruin my night? No! I’m trying to relax, dumdums.” 

“But you-!” He weasled a poke under Cole’s arm, prompting one of the highest squeaks he’s ever heard from the elemental master of earth.

“-and YOU!” Jay made a choking noise impressively akin to a pterodactyl, shoving Kai’s hand away from his sensitive sides.

“Are being so loud that all of Ninjago City can hear you!” In a proper show of his anger, Kai finished his dramatic scolding by going a step further. He stuck one hand on each of their tickle spots, right on Jay’s tummy and left nestled under Cole’s arm. The two waited with baited breath, quietly giggling with frightened eyes. 

Though Kai looked anything but frustrated, underneath his playful expression was something sappier. But at the moment, Kai looked downright evil with a massive grin over his face. 

With no warning, he started to squeeze.

The whole room erupted into chaos once more.

“AAAAAAAHAHAHA!! NONONONONONO!!”

“KAI! KAI KAHAI KAHAHAAAAA-”

“CUHUT IHIT OHOHOUT!! NOHOAHAHA!”

“DOHON’T! YOHOU AHARE SUHUCH A-HAHAHA!!”

The hysteria seemed to increase upon realizing Kai wasn’t switching spots anymore. Zane noticed he was, however, switching his techniques. In growing interest, he saw Kai adjust accordingly to his laughing victims. Jay got some silly and adorable snorts to match the quick scribbles dancing over his tummy, while a weakening Cole hiccuped everytime Kai’s claw hand grazed his skin.

Ironically, Kai was being nearly as loud and prompting his friends to be continually disruptive. (However, Zane wouldn’t quite call it that.)

Zane was almost too distracted to notice Kai’s wandering gaze. Almost.

He let Kai redirect his attention, taking in with sudden warmth at the way his smirk softened around its edges. “Oh, hey Zane.” He said it with such casualness, as if Cole wasn’t trying to claw out his shoulder or Jay wasn’t trying to kick his legs. “What’s up?”

Zane let out a sigh, unable to hide his amusement. In complete honesty, he didn’t want to. Nor did he want to break up this moment, but the longer they stayed the colder the food got. “Sensei Wu, Lloyd, and Nya are awaiting our arrival for dinner.” 

He absentmindedly wondered if Kai could hear him over the laughter, but it seemed his voice reached him just fine. He got the point, and gave a final tickle for a few long seconds before backing away.

Jay practically flopped onto Cole, babbling something nonsensical while Cole fanned his flushed face. The two were a combined giggly mess, and Zane was very enamored by their loopy smiles. A quick glance at Kai proved he was in a similar state. 

He broke free of it after a few moments, “C’mon. Dinner’s ready.” He extended his hand, a peace offering.

Cole instantly smacked his hand away, clearly not so trusting after that experience. Jay was in the same boat, squinting his mirthful eyes. “Shuhut it.” Jay snapped, surprisingly sassy for someone who just got tickled. 

Zane figured he should step in, if they ever wanted to at least arrive for dinner. He walked past the threshold, ignoring a gaping Kai in favor of offering his two hands. 

Albeit shaky, Zane heaved his fellow ninja up with ease. He hovered nearby, as Jay was looking weak in the knees as he leaned against Cole, but no falling occurred. Mission successful, as far as Zane cared.

As they took a brisk walk down the hall, Zane was acutely aware of Kai taking the lead. He seemed eager to lead the way.

Cole and Jay seemed far too eager to follow him.

When they finally sat down, and ate mildly lukewarm food, Wu wasn’t too disgruntled. Nowadays, getting the ninja to actually sit down in one place was more of a blessing. There was minimal small talk, which came to a surprise for the whole table. 

Except for Zane. 

In-between bites, he secretly watched Kai do his best to hide his flinches. Jay and Cole sat on either side of him, far too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence, proceeding to be pests. 

Jay would lean over to grab a plate, just in time for Kai to inhale a bit too loudly into his rice. Cole stretched his arms to lay behind him, and Kai would scoot closer to the table to pointedly stare at a stain from long ago. They were coordinated, sharing minimal glances behind their resident hothead’s back, as if they were plotting something. 

Zane, like a good brother, said nothing. 

The end of dinner soon arrived, perhaps too soon for Kai’s liking, because he was the first to silently place his dirty dishes in the sink and scurry away. Cole and Jay, of course, were right behind him. All the while looking more devious by the second, causing Nya - ever so observant - to raise an eyebrow in their last seen direction.

It was Lloyd’s turn to do the washing, and usually Zane would assist. But at the moment, he believed he was currently Kai’s only witness and maybe even savior. So, he spared the younger an apologetic smile and his dirty plate, he moved from one room to another.

It didn’t take long for him to find the others. 

He soon heard the sound of laughter, and followed the trail back to their shared bedroom. The door was creaked open, and silently - as a ninja should - he snuck in, closing the door behind him. 

It truly was a sight to behold. 

Kai was pinned on his side, refusing to lay flat one way or the other as he tried to thrash his way out. But that didn’t work in his favor either, because Cole sat steady on his hip and kneaded carefully into his ribs. Jay focused on trying to find a good spot on his back, darting quickly to his shoulder blades that somehow managed to twitch away in time.

“Gehet. Off.” Kai gritted his teeth, face pink in determination to hide the growing laughter in his chest. 

Cole chuckled apathetically, while Jay hummed mockingly. “Nope!” He popped, expertly following whenever Kai moved - more like spazzed, now that Zane had a closer view. He certainly looked seconds away from breaking, a wobbly smile growing on his face.

A well timed squeeze from his hip, and a poke to his neck, was all it took for the walls Kai built to come crashing down. 

Ironic, once again, that Kai was just as loud as the other two had been moments early. 

“NAHAHAHA!! Stohohop ihit!” 

“HA!” Jay laughed, “Not a chance, dude!”

“You deserve it.” Cole sang under his breath, leaning in closer to Kai’s sensitive ears. Zane’s enhanced hearing picked up on his teasing, his voice bonderline sly. “Tickle, tickle, tiiickle…” 

Kai’s face was pink before, but now a bright red flush spread from his cheeks to the very tips of his ears. “SHUHUT UHUP!!” He screamed, voice crack and all.

Jay gave a disappointed tsk, tsk, tsk. “Do you hear him, Rocky?!” 

Cole hummed with an exaggerated frown. “He’s so rude, Blue Jay.”

“We’ll give him a peace of our minds!”

“That’ll teach him a lesson.”

“FUHUCK OHOFF!!” Kai interrupted, desperately grabbing at the ground to pull himself up. He had taken the plank position, leaving no chance for Cole to poke his belly button. (“Aw man.” Cole seemed bummed about that.) But he had not taken into account that Jay could still reach over and squeeze his hips too. (“Gottem.” Jay snickered.) Kai flopped back to the ground, back at square one with a new level of hysteria in his loud laugh.

He usually sounded hearty whenever he laughed, and now wasn’t an exception. It was only a little different, Zane documented. It sounded as though it came from his chest rather than his gut, reaching a higher pitch. He sounded youthful, which is a quality Zane was happy to attach to his laughter. 

 “Gehet AWAHAY frohom meheHEHE!!” 

In a moment of clarity, Kai’s rocketed his head up. Zane made eye contact with very hopeful eyes.

“ZAHANE!!”

In a moment of déjà vu for Zane, he titled his head. Kai started to pull himself up again. “Yohou gohotta hehehelp mehe!!”

“No, he doesn’t.” Cole scoffed, prodding at his ribs to send him tumbling back down. Again. “He didn’t help us earlier!” 

“Zane would never convert to the dark side, especially not for you Kai!” Jay then took on a thoughtful tone, contrasting to his quick and skilled scribbles. “But,” He slowly dragged out, directing a very deviously curious expression his way. “I’m not opposed to some extra help.”

Cole shot him a glance, and a matching sinister grin. “Whaddya say, Frosty?” 

Zane, suddenly put in an interesting situation, decided this was as good a time as any to get some experience. Much better than getting jumped later in life, as these three tended to do more often than not. 

This didn’t mean he would play nice. He was being polite, civil even. But when he gets an opportunity, he isn't one to let it waste.

“I’m sorry to say I do not have much experience when it comes to tickling.” He easily admitted, choosing to pretend he didn’t see Cole and Jay’s share a wide-eyed devious glance to each other. He shuffled near, closing in on Kai as he sat on the floor. The poor guy was growling out every threat he could, far too giggly to have any real impact on the elemental master of ice. Zane turned to the current offenders. “Could you demonstrate?” 

Cole gave a show with cracking his knuckles. “Gladly.” 

Kai yelped, his threatening dissolving into a heap of giggles. “Nohohahaha!!” He scrunched his shoulders, as if that would stop the tickling on his back. 

“Now, y’see Zane,” Cole began, “There are many techniques and they work differently in different places.” Zane nodded his head, leaning in with interest as Cole started performing a kneading motion with his thumbs.

The reaction was instant, Kai started to wildly thrash. He screamed bloody murder, but laughing too hard for Zane to pick up any coherent words. He turned back to Cole, who had a monstrously wide grin that showed his canines.

Kai flared this way and that, but Cole followed easily. Never once easing up. “You don’t want to be too rough.” Zane saw him mouth the words, but it was a slight strain to hear over Kai’s shrieks. 

Jay, however, swiftly got bored after a few moments of staring. “Oh, oh, oh!” He cheered, clapping his hands together in glee. “I want to show him something!” 

Cole huffed, but traded his kneading for some light tracing - keeping Kai suspended in a light giggle fit. Zane watched with slightly wide eyes as Kai stopped all squirming, now melting into his arms to hide his face. 

Cole warmly chuckled at Zane’s reaction, or maybe at Kai’s whining. “He’s fine, Zane. Just a little embarrassed.” He bent down lower, his fingers inching too close to the back of Kai’s ribs. “That’s all it is, isn’t it, matchstick? You’re too ticklish, aren’t cha?” 

“Down here, Zane!” Beckoning to his name, Zane left Cole to tease a slowly melting Kai into a puddle in favor of joining Jay near his legs. The shorter was already wiggling his fingers, as if he couldn’t help himself. 

“Rough is fine and all, but quick and light is where it’s at!” Jay promptly snorted to himself. “Hey. That rhymed.” 

Zane smiled, allowing Jay to direct his hands above the back of Kai’s knees. The latter placed a hand on the calf, stopping a sudden jolt in surprise. “There are the classic spots, but sometimes the goldmine is right under your nose.” 

Before he could inquire what that meant, Jay began a slow descent. He gave a wink to his student, before beginning to slowly claw the back of Kai’s knees. 

The recipient gave a high-pitched yap, giggling at a much steadier pace. “JAHAY!!” Kai kicked his free leg, leaving Zane to dodge the flailing limb.

“This flusters him more than it tickles.” Jay casually mentioned, beginning to pick up the pace. His expression took on something more manic, but downright devious. “But you can do this-!” He dropped the jellyfish motion for something quicker, spidering and scribbling the back of his thighs too. 

Although funny to watch Kai kick his free leg back and forth in ticklish agony, making a delightful set of noises to match his chuckles, Zane was feeling semblances of sympathy. These two could be ruthless, this wasn’t the first time they’ve taken such devious routes.

But for Zane, who was drifting his gaze to Cole’s very exposed back, he was about to turn the tables. 

“Ah.” He hummed, moving away from a confused Jay. He positioned himself carefully above Cole, putting a finger to his lips when Kai’s eyes widened. It was high time for a game changer, he had never participated in their antics before.

Zane lifted his wiggling fingers. “So… like this?”

With no prior warning, he shoved his cold wigglers right under Cole’s arms and quickly skittered.

The reaction was very rewarding. 

Cole was unprepared for such a surprise attack. He let out a loud screech, slamming his arms down. But the damage was already done, Zane’s fingers were perfectly stuck and left to use every technique he was taught. It was like a fun little experiment! 

The pokes got hard flinches. The clawing got loud guffaws. The scribbles got giggles. (That did rhyme, Zane thought with amusement.) Only when he kneaded, making sure to really dig in with his thumbs, did Cole collapse - falling off of Kai in the process. 

Zane followed after him like a hawk, bending in half just to pinch the very top of his ribs. 

“ZAHANE!!” Cole howled with laughter, frantically shaking his head. His laughter took on a slightly higher pitch too, but Zane was sure that was mostly due to the shock factor. Knowing that could make it tickle more, Zane continued to switch techniques so no pattern could be found. It earned some of the loudest laughter he’s ever heard come out of Cole, thrashing around like his life depended on it. “WHAHAT THEHE HEHECK?!” 

“Rocky!” Jay cried in woe, only to yip in surprise as Kai began to freely move around. He attempted to pin him back down, grabbing onto his legs, but that did nothing but empower a very tickle hungry Kai, hell bent on revenge, from pouncing.

The look on his face was murderous, but hilarious combined with his red face and even crazier hair. “YOU’RE SOHO DEAD, WALKER!!” He growled.

Jay comically gulped. He didn’t need to be told twice before he tried to high-tail it out of the room, but did not get far before Kai tackled him back to the floor. It wasn’t long before Jay’s frantic laughter joined the mixing pot. 

“Thanks Zane!” Zane loosely heard behind him, perhaps a little too eager to tickle his friend to tears. It was exhilarating, he felt strangely powerful. 

“It was time for a change.” Is all he said, simple as that, and not that he was taking Cole’s happy expression in great stride. It wasn’t every day that Cole went down without a fight. As the element of earth, he always had an advantage of strength in their sparring matches. 

Zane, suddenly feeling a little mean, decided to give teasing a try. He leaned in, just as Cole did with Kai, and gave a big smile. “Does this tickle, Cole?” 

“WHAHADDYA THIHIHNK?” Cole sassed through his teeth, head tilted back in mirth as he tried to get a grip on Zane’s arms. He missed, of course, Zane took a steady position behind him.

Zane frowned, quite close to Cole’s neck in the process. “That did not sound very kind.” 

“WAHAIT!! ZAHANE NOHO!!” Cole shriveled back into a ball as the unfamiliar cold breath of air passed his neck, scrunching his shoulders to protect himself.

That met him with a hum of disapproval, “That was rude as well. How will I tickle your neck now?”

Cole actually squealed, rocking back and forth. “JUHUST DOHON’T!!” 

“GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!” 

Zane turned his head, momentarily distracted by the call of a dragon. 

Only, it was not a dragon. Instead, he was met with the sight of Jay crying from laughter. He was utterly incoherent, making funny noises as Kai planted raspberry after raspberry into his tummy. Jay balled a fist full of Kai’s hair into his fingers, not quite tugging and not quite shoving either. He was paralyzed in ticklish agony as Kai tickled one of his worst spots. 

It was quite deserved, Zane thought. That trailed off, however, as he suddenly was met with a force trying to push him onto his back.

Cole, seeing the opportunity, decided to roll over. If he couldn’t grab Zane then he would find other means to take him down. Zane, slightly stunned, watched as Cole maneuvered himself onto his knees. He planted his whole body weight onto Zane, reversing their positions.

Oh dear.

“Oh dear,” Zane said just that. A sudden ball of nervousness began to tingle through his systems, staring directly up at a breathless Cole. His face still held an adorable red tint to it, but his grin was massive and shining with mischief. 

“Shohouldaha thought ahabout thahat one, buhuddy.” Cole giggled deviously. 

Zane opened his mouth to say something, anything possibly, but that proved to be a mistake. Cole chose that exact second to squeeze his sides, eliciting a gasp out of the master of ice. 

Zane went slack, stiff as a plank board, his hands trembling over Cole’s arms in confusion. He didn’t know whether to push or pull, and if it would even do anything to stop him. He’s never been in this position, and now that he’s here none of his theories compare to the real thing. 

Tickling felt… tingly. It reminded Zane of shivering, but it was constant. Strangely, even though Cole was tickling over his sides, the feeling spread to his ribs and stomach. Which tickled even more in the process.

Cole, taking Zane’s quiet stubbornness for a refusal to laugh, changed his tactics. He went for his ribs, his hips, his stomach - anywhere he could reach, he gave it a quick scribble and moved on. This left Zane in a constant state of squirming, occasionally moving into Cole’s tickles rather than away. 

"Oh, yeah! I don't think I've ever tickled YOU before..." Cole trailed off, over his giggle fit, and instead, humming curiously as though this was a normal conversation. Zane suddenly empathized with Kai’s earlier plight. It was flustering, and Cole knew this.

Cole looked his way, smiling impishly. "Where are you ticklish, buddy?"

Zane puckered his lips, unable to stop the shaky smile from growing further up and up his face. He didn’t know what to say, so he shook his head. Cole, seeing it as a challenge, amped up his intensity. 

“Then I guess I’ll have to find out!” He sighed, as though it were a chore. “Cute smile, though. Never seen something like it.”

Now, that is something Zane could respond to. “Thahank you.” There was a little giggle slipped in there, sounding foreign to Zane’s own ears. Cole looked more surprised, and very humored, that he’d responded at all. 

“Course, Frosty,” His smile morphed into a soft smirk. “You wanna giggle for me? Where’s your tickle spot, huh? Is it… here?” 

Cole pointedly spidered up and down Zane’s ribs, bidding a small squeak. 

“Or right here?” 

A squeeze to the hips made him slip out another tiny giggle. 

Cole then slowed down, causing Zane to tense up. He watched as Cole menacingly wiggled his fingers, not close enough to tickle but close enough to trigger phantom shivers. 

His grin was wicked. “Or maybe… it’s…”

He didn’t get to finish that sentence. 

“What are you guys doing?” 

Lloyd, for gracious timing once in his life, stood in the doorway. For how long, Zane didn’t know. Cole didn’t see this coming either, lifting his head up as his expression switched to something more sheepish. 

“Hey Lloyd,” Cole greeted, still very much laying on Zane.

“Sup,” Kai greeted next, still very much present in the room with a slightly delirious Jay next to him. Speaking of, Jay weakly waved his way. 

“Hey.” 

LLoyd held in a snort, entering the room with his toothbrush. “You guys are going to bed, right?” 

Correct, Zane now recalled. It was definitely time for bed. For no reason in particular, going to bed sounded very appealing. 

“Aw, man.” Cole pouted, wrapping his arms around Zane in a hug. Zane, not so trusting at the moment, tensed up again. 

“But I was just about to find Zane’s tickle spots.” 

Kai whipped his head around, eyes gleaming. “Really?!” He gasped. 

Zane squinted his eyes, pinning Kai under his gaze that dared him to even try. Especially after he rescued him. 

Kai shrunk back a little, coughing into his hand - only to yawn soon after. “Nevermind.” He waved off, getting off the ground. “We’ll do it in the morning.” 

“Pardon?” Zane croaked, as Kai helped Jay off the floor. He faintly registered Cole getting up too. 

“Yeah,” Jay followed suit out of the door, yawning the whole way. “We’ll get you later Zane. Time for bed.” 

The two joined Lloyd out to the bathroom, leaving him alone with Cole. Zane turned his head, finding a hand waiting for him. A peace offering. 

“C’mon,” Cole smiled, some goodhearted teasing still in there but mostly sincere. “Next time.” 

Zane thought about it, and no second longer did he wait to take his hand. 

“Alright.” He agreed, although he didn’t think he had much choice. “However, do not expect to ‘get off the hook’.” He warned, because he deserved as much.

Cole chuckled, escorting him out the door to join the others. “Wouldn’t expect anything less, popsicle.”

Zane deadpanned at the nickname, while Cole huffed out some more gigglish snickers. Zane couldn’t find himself to be angered, however. He could only find himself theorizing about his next attacks and tickle strategies. 

Yes, he thought to himself. There’s always tomorrow.

[most-tragic-character-tournament]

That’s a tough conflict OP lol, esp since you’re stuck as the overseeing bystander playing neutrality. If it’s any consolation if Antigone loses bc I think Jinx is winning this one. It’s like when Reigen (Lloyd) tragically died in front of Sans (Antigone) (if someone makes an edit of this I will screech. Lloyd did get buried under rubble, and Antigone with the blue eyes and meglovania playing? Oh the revenge against Creon! Revenge for a thousand years! She’ll kick you like the football in Greek! Dripping mascara with the glow and all. Or Skulkin!Antigone) anyways, and Sans went up against Cecil (Jinx) and lost, so. It’ll match history at least.

Holdup. Lloyd got buried under rubble. Antigone killed herself after getting buried alive. Guys the fics write themselves. *grabby hands* gimme the angsty hurt/comfort. gimme