Chapter Text
Daniel felt giddy. Like he was going to start hysterically laughing.
He blamed being drunk.
He’d bumped into Johnny at the bar. He’d stared at Johnny, eyes wide, the anger over his spilt drink getting sticky on his shirt and arm fizzling out.
Johnny looked good.
And he’d been smiling.
And he watched recognition hit those blue eyes, the laughter and smile changing to a smirk, an arm wrapping around Daniel, pulling him along to a table full of familiar faces.
“Look who I just bumped into!” Johnny had called.
“Dude you gotta stop bumping into girls on purpose. Oh, shit! Daniel?” Bobby had asked.
Johnny kicked Tommy’s shoe, “Move over man.”
Tommy looked up, totally plastered, head wobbling, blinking, squinting up at them and then scooting. Daniel sat down next to him, urged to sit, motioned to sit, by Johnny who sat on his other side, close, a warm heat, arm around the back of his chair, practically still around his shoulder.
Tommy studied him close.
“You look like LaRusso,” Tommy said gently poking Daniel’s cheek.
Johnny swatted his hand away from Daniel.
“It is him, dude you’ve had too much.”
“Yeah that’s the last of the drinks for you man,” Bobby said snapping up his drink.
“We’re in the middle of catching up after the summer,” Johnny said softly, breath warm against Daniel’s ear.
“I’m going,” Dutch said slamming his palm against the table, grinning. “So I was driving my bike and—“
It was weird. To be sitting amongst them. A part of their boys night, listening to the stories they swapped, catching up over the last couple of months since they’d seen each other, laughing at their stories, relaxing. The dumb shit they’d been getting into.
It made him get lost.
Lost in their tales.
He forgot.
Why he was there.
Until Johnny patted his shoulder.
“Your turn.”
He’d looked at Johnny, so close, his nose practically brushing against Daniel’s and if he moved his head enough, just right, they could kiss.
“Hold on,” Jimmy said, squeezing around Dutch, getting up. “I’m getting us another round or heck, I’m getting us a pitcher because we haven’t seen, or at least I haven’t seen LaRusso since highschool graduation so this is going to be a long tale.”
“Well hurry up man,” Johnny said eyes not leaving Daniel’s.
He looked so good.
Sometimes Daniel would see groups like this. Old friends catching up and he yearned to be a part of it. He yearned for moments like this where someone turned towards someone and checked for that spark, for that flame, to see if the feelings they carried, amongst the ashes could be fanned into anything, if it’d automatically spark up again.
Tommy tugged on Daniel’s sleeve and Daniel dragged his attention away from Johnny, their noses kissing as he turned.
Tommy motioned for Daniel to come closer, cupping his hand around his mouth towards Daniel’s ear.
“Your final fight with Johnny…fucking cool as hell. Badass.”
“Thanks?” Daniel said looking at Tommy who grinned at him, then leaned his head drunkenly against Daniel’s shoulder.
“Okay please say you didn’t start. Tommy drink some water, I also got you fries,” Jimmy said shoving a glass of water and fries in front of Tommy who perked up, sitting up fast, head bumping into Daniel’s.
Jimmy sighed setting down the pitcher he’d brought.
“Sorry man, he got here first and apparently ran into a bachelorette party that he congratulated and helped with carrying all their drinks so they bought him like five shots before the rest of us got here. And he didn’t tell us until after we’d done three more shots.”
“Anyway, Daniel, what’s been up since graduation?” Bobby asked.
“Yeah kind of surprised you’re still in LA,” Dutch said. “Or you just visiting the old man?”
“He’s in Boston at the moment,” Daniel said softly.
“Let him start from the beginning,” Johnny said as Bobby poured him a glass from the pitcher.
Johnny gave Daniel's shoulder a gentle squeeze.
Daniel debated smiling as brightly as he could and just saying that nothing interesting had happened.
He debated just talking about the shop.
He debated just talking about the good stuff.
He’d locked everything up, buried it under everything. He didn’t even tell Mr. Miyagi everything, but as he looked down at his beer he saw the scars that remained on his knuckles.
He swallowed hard.
He’d try.
He’d retreat if he had to.
“After graduation I went to Okinawa,” Daniel started, looking into his beer.
He heard someone start to say something but it stopped, was swallowed. They were listening.
“Mr. Miyagi’s father was dying and Ma was going to Fresno and my dad died so I knew what that was like, to be at the bedside of a father whose dying. But Mr. Miyagi, he hadn’t seen his dad in like forty years. He was going home an outcast, a runaway, he was going back to a fight waiting on the shores. He thought he was going to say goodbye to his father and then…maybe…going to die as well.”
There was a murmur, a sound.
“He’d been challenged to a fight to the death because the girl he loved had ended up in an arranged marriage engagement with his childhood best friend and he’d protested it. But he didn’t want to fight his best friend, didn’t want to kill him, didn’t want his death to be on his hands, so he ran. Ran to Hawaii, then to California, married, went to war, and then now he’d have to go home. And when we got there…that man was there, ready to pick up where they’d left off. A fight to the death over honor.”
Daniel pressed his fingers against the glass, dragging his fingers across the condensation.
“There was this guy, the nephew of the man, Chozen, who would not leave me or Mr. Miyagi alone. He’d beat me up, he attacked the girl I was hanging out with, Kumiko, with him and his friends, he threatened my life multiple times, started destroying Mr. Miyagi’s father’s house after he’d passed, threatened me with weapons and then there was a big storm. Mr. Miyagi ran out into the storm and saved his best friend and they managed to put it all behind them, but then Chozen at the summer festival after the storm and after fixing everything threatened Kumiko’s life, either I fought him to the death or she died. So we fought.”
The table was quiet, he could almost pretend they weren’t there, that they weren’t listening, that he was just talking to himself, to his drink.
“I won.”
“You killed a man?” Tommy whispered, eyes wide.
“No. I…uh…honked his nose like Mr. Miyagi had done to Kreese. I didn’t want to kill him. I didn’t want to fight him. Afterwards Kumiko was suppose to come back with me and Yukie, Mr. Miyagi’s old love who hadn’t married his best friend and had been waiting for him, was also supposed to come back with him. But it didn’t end up happening. They stayed. Well Kumiko is now dancing, she went to a school in Tokyo. But I…I was supposed to go to school when I got back but how do you do that? How do you survive a fight to the death and then just go to college? How do you live a normal life? I thought I’d figure it out when I talked to Ma. But she was gone when I got back. The apartment complex was being torn down and she’d moved back to Jersey. Gone. So I moved in with Mr. Miyagi and decided to open up Mr. Miyagi’s Little Trees with my college tuition instead. Because he’d lost his job and I’d lost my home.”
Johnny gave his shoulder a squeeze, a half hug, holding Daniel.
“It was nice at first. I could focus on doing something for Mr. Miyagi who’d just lost his dad and I didn’t have to think about my future or anything. And I made a new friend, Jessica.”
“Damn you just make friends with girls everywhere you go,” Dutch said with a sigh. “How lucky.”
Daniel chewed on his lower lip for a moment.
“I also met this guy. Tall guy. Friend of John Kreese’s.”
Everyone around the table stiffened at the name.
“He came to Mr. Miyagi’s and apologized on Kreese’s behalf for everything. Told me he’d been in Korea and had just heard and had been late, late to Kreese’s side and that he’d died.”
“Bullshit,” Dutch said.
“No that fucker is still kicking,” Bobby hissed.
“He said, Kreese had died from a broken heart because all his students had left him.”
Johnny was quiet. Stiff at his side and Daniel didn’t dare raise his head. He didn’t think he could handle whatever look had crossed Johnny’s face at the mention of Kreese.
“I was invited to the All-Valley to defend my title. They changed the rules so I only had to fight in the final fight,”
“What?” Tommy asked. “But—that’s unfair.”
“I talked to Mr. Miyagi about it and he said that it was a waste of time. So I didn’t pursue it. But these guys started showing up, started fighting me, beating me up, beating up Jessica, destroying the shop, stealing our bonsai, our product, trying to make me compete. And Mr. Miyagi wouldn't train me so I started training on my own with Jessica. And this guy, that guy…that man he said he’d teach me. Defended me against those guys and I thought I’d found someone like Mr. Miyagi. Someone, on my side.”
Daniel swallowed hard, blinked hard, looking down at his beer.
“I started to believe him. Believe what he said about Kreese being dead, about him sincerely regretting what had happened before he died, that this guy wanted me to win against Mike Barnes and his friends. And so I learned…Cobra Kai.”
There was a hiss intake of breath. He couldn’t pinpoint from where. Like a press against a painful bruise.
“After we lost all the bonsai I went to get the bonsai Mr. Miyagi had brought with him from Okinawa because he said it was worth a lot. Jessica went with me because she liked rock climbing and after we got it, Barnes tried to kill us. He was going to kill us, leave us in that hole without anyway out while the sea rose around us unless I signed the forms saying I’d compete. He broke the bonsai. Ripped it in half. Threw it in the ocean water. The only thing Mr. Miyagi brought with him to the states and it was nearly destroyed because of me. Jessica nearly died because of me.”
Daniel’s vision burned and blurred.
“I signed the papers and we got out and Mr. Miyagi healed the bonsai, but…I was so damn scared. I was getting into fights, I punched a guy in the face for harassing Jessica at a dance and was covered in the guys blood. That man taught me his method of Cobra Kai.”
Daniel set his glass down, rubbing at his knuckles.
“I trusted him and I punched through 2 by 4’s, kicked through them, nearly broke my bones, but I was desperate. I was scared of these guys. I hurt myself and I hid it from Mr. Miyagi. Because Mr. Miyagi said he wouldn’t train me. And then…then I realized this wasn’t what I wanted to learn. I didn’t want to be this type of person and when I went to confront him, to tell him I was going to quit. He showed the game he was playing. He’d been toying with me. Kreese was alive. He was there. They were laughing at me. And the guys that were harassing me? That’d nearly killed us? Those were their students. And I still had to fight in the All-Valley against a dirty fighter.”
“You won,” Bobby said softly. “I saw the news, that you won your second All-Valley.”
“They wanted to destroy me. Worse then the last All-Valley,” Daniel whispered. “And they were winning the crowd over. Everyone believed he was a good…a nice person. He knew all the right words. So it was horrible trying to get them banned after I won. No one believed me. What he’d done, what they’d done. That the whole thing had been rigged, a game to get revenge for that one loss in 85 against me and Mr. Miyagi.”
Johnny pulled away from him, that warmth at his side gone. He got up and walked away and tears fell from Daniel’s eyes.
That’s what he’d feared.
The worst thing.
That they wouldn’t believe him either.
Or that they’d dismiss him.
He didn’t know why he’d told them.
Why he’d bothered.
Because he’d hoped.
And hope just was such a waste.
He’d gone to the bar because Mr. Miyagi’s was too quiet without him there. Because he wanted to give Louisa some peaceful time to herself. Because he’d felt bad about himself and wanted a drink, to be around others. Because he’d wanted to talk to someone.
There was a thump and Daniel looked up startled.
Johnny’s face was full of grim determination.
“What’s the bastards name?” he asked.
Daniel looked at the yellow pages, the thick Valley phone book.
“Johnny—“ Bobby said.
“No, don’t Johnny me, we can’t do shit about the guy in Okinawa, but I bet this bastard’s still in the Valley,” Johnny said. “What’s the fuckers name?”
“Terry Silver…Terrance,” Daniel said, tongue feeling unwieldy in his mouth, voice wobbling. “He owns Dynatox.”
Johnny flipped through the pages, scanning the names, digging around. Looking for phone numbers, for addresses.
“Got it.”
“What?” Dutch said scrambling up, leaning over the table, all the cobras leaning over, looking at the book.
“Let’s go,” Johnny said, scribbling the phone number and address on a dirty napkin.
“Johnny, we can’t drive, we’re drunk,” Bobby said gently.
“The old man— er…Mr. Miyagi’s out of town. Anyone else around?” Johnny asked.
“Louisa’s staying with us. She’s—“
“Perfect, we’ll ask her to pick us up.”
“She’s going to say no,” Daniel said. “I don’t want to get her—“
“Daniel, we’re doing this,” Johnny said gently brushing tears off of Daniel’s cheeks.
It was so gentle that it just made more tears fall.
They believed him.
They knew what Kreese was capable of, and they knew. They understood.
People finally understood.
Finally believed.
A cracked sob broke through from his chest and Tommy pulled him into a hug, gently rubbing his back.
“What’s Mr. Miyagi’s number?” Jimmy asked gently.
Daniel sniffed, pressing his cheek to Tommy’s shoulder, writing the number down on the napkin and Bobby took off through the crowded bar with it.
Johnny sat back down, hand on Daniel’s shoulder, rubbing gently. “Hey man, you’re not alone okay? Not this time.”
“Louisa is on her way,” Bobby said reappearing at the table. “I paid the tab, so we can go outside and wait for her.”
“Come on Daniel,” Johnny said wrapping an arm around him, hooking it under his shoulder and Daniel leaned against him as they got up, out of the booth, out of the corner they’d taken over and Daniel sunk against him gratefully.
Outside it was sticky and warm and Daniel should’ve pulled away, Johnny was too warm, but he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to pull away from the hand that ruffled his hair, from the ex-cobras who stood around him, close, talking quietly in the night.
Was there a plan?
What were they going to even do?
Daniel didn’t know, and he didn’t care.
Louisa pulled up with her car and Dutch walked up, leaning against the door, against the window talking to her quietly. She listened. Looked thoughtful for a moment before nodded and then with a flourish Dutch opened the back door.
“All aboard the car of revenge,” Dutch said.
Jimmy sighed, gently guiding Tommy to the car.
“I figured tonight would end with all of us in jail anyway so why not?”
“That’s the spirit,” Dutch said with a grin. “How about you o holy father?”
“Shut up,” Bobby said rolling his eyes slipping into the back.
“Daniel you want to sit up front or you want to sit in the back?” Dutch asked. “We’re going to have to double up.”
“You can sit on my lap if you want,” Johnny said.
It was murmured in an almost promise and Daniel nodded.
“Cool I’m up front then,” Dutch said with a grin. “Hello Mrs. Pierce thank you for joining us on revenge night.”
“One moment,” Johnny said letting go of Daniel and jogging down the side walk a bit and down an alley.
“Man, if you had to piss you should’ve done it before we left the bar,” Dutch called shaking his head.
“It’s not that,” Johnny called back, returning with a bag that he shoved into Dutch’s hands.
“You stealing shit?”
“No, I still had my beer on me, traded it for that.”
“One beer?”
“And the cash in my pockets,” Johnny said slipping into the backseat and then holding out his arms to Daniel who carefully found a place for his legs, sitting down on Johnny’s lap.
Johnny’s arms wrapped around his waist, holding him so tight.
He felt…oddly safe.
He hadn’t felt that way in a long time.
He leaned heavily against Johnny while Louisa drove, following Dutch’s directions, parking a little down the road from a dark mansion.
“Looks like no ones home,” Dutch said.
“How can you tell?”
“You think this is the first time I’ve done B&E?” Dutch asked turning to look at them with a grin. “Who do you think I am?”
“Alright, we’ll follow your lead then,” Johnny said, gently patting the side of Daniel’s thigh. “You wanna come or you want to stay in the car with Louisa? No shame in any choice.”
“I’ll come in,” Daniel said, carefully popping the door open and climbing out, followed by the guys.
He was here.
He wanted to be brave.
He wanted to see what the type of man who messed with him, what kind of place he lived in.
Dutch tossed the bag back to Johnny and they walked in.
Dutch unlocking the front door with a practiced ease.
They were quiet, as if they’d walked into a graveyard, as if they were in a library, creeping through the halls.
“What do you want?” Johnny asked quietly.
“What do you mean?”
“Do you want to take anything?”
“Take something?” Daniel asked.
“Yeah. You see something you like, let’s take it,” Johnny said.
Steal.
Steal from Terry Silver.
Johnny looked through his bag, cans rattled, stopping before a wall, shaking a can.
“Shouldn’t we leave it empty? Like make it so he doesn't know someone broke in?” Daniel asked.
Johnny gave him a look, a look Daniel didn’t fully understand.
“I don’t know about you, but sometimes I can’t sleep,” Johnny said softly. “Sometimes I can’t breathe. Panic attacks, anxiety, whatever bullshit the doc wants to call it. I bet this guy, I bet Kreese, they’re sleeping fine. Like they don’t care. Don’t realize what they destroyed and don’t think about. Let ‘em know someone broke in. Let ‘em struggle to sleep, feel unsafe in their own home, that even with all this money that they think protects them that the rats will get in still and gnaw at shit.”
Johnny shook the can of spray paint and flicked off the can lid, looking thoughtful then smiling, a wild smile, like Dutch. “It’s the same shit he did, he didn’t know you but he went after you on behalf of his friend. So let’s do the same. Let him be confused.”
Daniel felt a shock, a spread of warmth in his chest and walked, he’d come back. Let Johnny do whatever he was going to do.
Daniel wandered through the house, the indoor dojo, through a bathroom with big odd bath. Dutch had found cigars and was smoking one sitting in an office, going through files with Jimmy.
“Want one?” Dutch offered.
“No thanks,” Daniel said.
“Bobby already did a run through. No one’s here, so you can relax. Plus Louisa will honk if she sees someone coming. But according to this calendar he’s out of the country,” Jimmy said.
Daniel looked around, hands shoved in his pockets before heading out, finding the kitchen, Tommy sitting on the counter top eating some chips, offering some to Daniel. He took a handful.
“There’s a shit ton of nice booze,” Tommy said. “I think I’m going to carry them to the car.”
“Okay,” Daniel said.
He kept walking, exploring, looking around the house.
He found bedrooms, looked at the things in them. At jewellery, at rings, at gold and silver and gems and he kept walking.
He found a room with swords on the wall. Lots of swords. On display as if they meant something. Something important.
Daniel took the swords. Plucked them from their spots of honor. He found a golf bag, emptied the golf clubs from the bag, put the swords in the bag and for his own amusement put the golf clubs on the spots where the swords had once been.
He wandered around, moving things. Furniture. Until he saw a bunch of vases. He stood in the hallway, he heard footsteps and turned to look at Johnny.
“Swords? Nice,” Johnny said looking at them then out at the hall. “You want to take them home or you want to break shit?”
“These might be like artsy. I don’t want to break art,” Daniel said softly.
“Then lets go to the kitchen. You can break all his fancy glasses and mugs and shit.”
Daniel walked with him back to the kitchen.
Tommy was gone, but Dutch was there, with Bobby staring at the stove.
“What if we fuck up?” Bobby said.
“We make sure everyone’s out first.”
“It’s too much.”
“Well let’s ask,” Dutch said turning towards Daniel. “We’re thinking of leaving the gas on. Just a smidge. What do you think?”
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Jimmy found some sketchy shit in his files. We were thinking of making it look like he blew up his own house to get the insurance payout and to hide stuff,” Bobby said. “But yeah, it’s dangerous.”
“Buuuttttt—“ Dutch said letting out a ring of smoke from his cigar. “The bastard nearly had you killed and then tortured you in the All-Valley right?”
“Yes.”
“And had all of your bonsai stolen.”
“Yes.”
“I vote we burn it down.”
Daniel looked at him thoughtfully.
“Let me do one more walk through,” Daniel said.
“Want me to take those to the car?” Bobby asked motioning to the bag of swords and Johnny’s spray paint.
“Yeah,” Johnny said handing it over and Daniel handed him the bag too.
Daniel walked through the big empty mansion, Johnny walking with him, hands in his jacket pockets, quiet. Their footsteps echoing.
“I’m sorry—“
“I’m sorry—“
Johnny laughed softly, the sound warm and echoing. “Why are you sorry?”
“I froze,” Daniel said. “You're the only one in danger who I froze with. I mean I climbed up a tower in Okinawa to rescue a little girl. But you were in danger and I…it’s been eating at me.”
“I was shit to you,” Johnny said. “I did my best and you won. What happened, what Kreese choose to do, it wasn’t…your fault. You were…cool.”
“But, I saw what happened and I couldn’t move.”
“You were injured.”
Daniel grabbed Johnny’s hand pulling him into a room, turning to look at him, holding his hand. “Having a bad sensei, having someone you trust manipulate you like that. It’s terrible.”
Johnny studied him a moment then pulled him into a hug, a tight hug resting his head atop Daniel’s.
“Yeah, and if I’d left you alone you never would’ve met Kreese or Silver. I’m sorry.” His arms tightened around Daniel. “I’m sorry, I thought about reaching out to you, I wrote you a thousand letters that started with that, with I’m sorry. But then I thought it might be better to not hear from me. I didn’t know it just got worse, even worse after. That your life got more dangerous and that worse people popped up. I’m sorry that you were alone, that you got tricked. I should’ve reached out.”
Daniel gripped Johnny’s jacket tight in his hands.
“I believe you, we believe you, because we know,” Johnny said softly. “You’re not alone okay?”
Daniel nodded sniffing.
He was tired.
Exhausted.
Like some one had scooped everything out of him. Left just raw aching inside.
“You said you didn’t go to college right?” Johnny asked after a while of holding him close.
“Yeah.”
“You want a college experience?” Johnny asked.
“Sure,” Daniel murmured, wondering what sort of crazy shenanigan or game Johnny would come up with.
Johnny pulled back, studied him closely for a moment, cupping the side of his face before leaning in, kissing him.
It was a good kiss.
Daniel got so lost in it that he didn’t even notice they’d moved onto the bed.
It took a long time for his brain to catch up.
When it did, when his options were laid out before him he slid his hands under Johnny’s shirt, feeling the muscles there, the expanse of skin, smiling when he heard the sounds Johnny made in return.
How long had it been since he’d let someone close, this close?
He always froze.
Always got skittish.
But Johnny believed him.
Johnny knew him.
Understood what it was like.
And his hand on him, slipping into Daniel’s jeans, felt remarkably good.
Johnny stopped kissing him, and Daniel was about to complain, was about to reach for him, to pull him back into a lip bruising kiss, when Johnny dragged Daniel’s jeans down his hips and cool air hit his skin for a brief moment, before Johnny's mouth was on him, swallowing him down.
Daniel’s fingers went into Johnny’s hair, squirming, moving shallowly into that warm mouth, that took him with such practiced ease.
He cursed, mind going blank, finding a way to move that felt good, meeting Johnny’s bobbing.
However he thought he’d spend his evening, his sad drinking night, this hasn’t been it. Johnny giving him a blow job hadn’t been a card he’d expected to even exist. Let alone when he arched up, fingers tight in Johnny’s hair, till he saw stars for Johnny to stay still until he finished, tongue just gently coaxing the rest of it out, for the feeling of a swallow that he didn’t register as he laid on that big bed, a little dazed, until his fingers relaxed and Johnny didn’t move.
It was warm and wet in his mouth, keeping him warm.
Weirdly patient.
Oddly waiting.
“Johnny,” Daniel said once he settled back, pushing himself up. “I came, you can…”
It was hot, hotter than he expected to look and see Johnny with his dick in his mouth.
“Hmm?” was hummed and Daniel cursed softly.
“What sort of college did you go to?” Daniel asked. “You’re too good at this.”
Johnny grinned.
“Hold on,” Daniel said, and Johnny didn’t move, incredibly still and Daniel breathed carefully, pushing himself up. Wiggling to try and get out of the rest of his jeans that were trapping his legs. If Johnny wanted to keep Daniel’s dick in his mouth, well Daniel wasn’t going to complain, but he wanted a little bit more movement, more options, more freedom and Johnny seemed to understand, carefully helping free his legs, letting his clothes fall to the floor of the bed. He moved carefully, wrapping his legs around Johnny.
He was surprised, by how still Johnny held. It reminded him of seeing Johnny sitting so perfectly in seiza.
Karate had been ruined for both of them in different ways.
But damn Daniel would like to see Johnny in his gi again.
He was waiting. Waiting for instructions. For what Daniel wanted from him and Daniel didn’t know. He wanted to know what other tricks Johnny had picked up in college. Is this all he’d done?
Somehow that made him sad.
Because he got that.
He understood that lonely feeling. That desire to just be touched, but he struggled with it. Got too scared. He gently reached down for Johnny, cupping the side of his face.
“Johnny,” Daniel said softly.
He didn’t know what to say, what he wanted exactly, but it was more.
“Can we…do something…together?” Daniel asked, voice catching in his throat because Johnny had made a swallowing movement. Johnny pulled back, slowly, letting his tongue and lips drag wetly.
“Yeah,” Johnny said, his voice different, a little wrecked, a little thicker, sitting back, fluidly moving into seiza and Daniel sat up, moving so one of his legs was over Johnny’s hip, reaching for the zipper of Johnny’s jeans, helping him out, relieved to see him hard as well, pressing his spit slicked dick against Johnny’s and wrapping his hand around them both as best he could, getting used to the angle, to the movement, to the feeling and looking up at Johnny who was watching him with a look Daniel hadn’t seen.
Fondness.
Care.
Vulnerable.
Trusting.
He got it. Daniel understood. He understood why Johnny had acted. Had jumped at the shot. Regret from so long, wishes for something different, yearning for a better future, for a good nights sleep, for a chance to feel safe.
Daniel kissed him.
Tasted himself on Johnny’s tongue.
Being human meant being a mess and they were human. Damaged, in pain, and there was a chance they’d still hurt each other, find new ways to create cracks. But Daniel hadn’t felt quite so good, quite so understood in such a long time that he wanted to try. He wanted to keep Johnny in his life. He wanted to see whatever Johnny had offered him through. He wanted to hear more of the moans echoing off the walls that weren’t just his, the quiet sounds Johnny was making whenever they paused kissing, the way Johnny arched a little towards his fingers when he pushed Johnny’s shirt up and rubbed at his nipples. Enjoying the soft sting of Johnny’s fingers digging into his thigh for purchase as he rolled his hips, fucking Daniel’s hand, against Daniel.
Daniel had a feeling that Johnny wanted it too. Knew Daniel understood him, was hoping, tentatively that maybe, together they could right themselves. Help one another back up again.
The hungry way he kissed Daniel, the way he said Daniel’s name, reverent. Like Daniel was amazing. They came together and Daniel debated if he could go a third time. Curious about the other tricks Johnny had picked up in college, a curiosity that fanned up again as Johnny grabbed the blanket, gently using silk sheets to wipe them clean, zipping up his jeans and getting up off the bed, scooping up the rest of Daniel’s clothes, dressing him while Daniel laid on the bed catching his breath with such tenderness Daniel nearly cried again.
It bubbled up in his chest, the gentle way that Johnny was touching him. He pulled Johnny down into a hug, caught him off guard and the sound, an oof, a huff of air escaping when Johnny landed on him.
“Hey,” Johnny said softly. “You okay? Was that too much?”
“It was good,” Daniel murmured into his neck, breathing him in.
“Want me to carry you? My concern is that the guys might’ve run with their lets burn the place down and forgot to make sure everyone was out first.”
“Can you?” Daniel asked with a watery laugh.
Johnny made a sound like he was offended, pulling back a little, pressing a kiss to Daniel’s nose. He grabbed a soft blanket that was off the edge of the bed, unsoiled and wrapped it around Daniel and scooped him up.
“See? Not a problem.”
“Why are we taking the blanket?”
“In case you want a nap. Or in case this turns you on,” Johnny said with a grin, flexing.
Daniel laughed. “Go over to that dresser, I’m going to take something small.”
“Okay,” Johnny said walking over to that jewellery box and Daniel looked around in it.
“Huh,” Johnny said.
“What?”
“This is kinda cool,” he said looking at a ring with red stones in it. He studied it for a moment before putting it back.
Daniel studied them all then scooped up a handful.
“Ready to go,” Daniel said.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Johnny carried him through the halls and out past the pool and to the car. The trunk was full, Tommy slammed it shut and Bobby was leaning against the driver’s side front door, Louisa started the car as they got in, sitting in the back, Johnny’s arms around him and Daniel placed his hand over Johnny’s, slotting his thumb under Johnny’s rubbing it absently against his palm.
Bobby let out a call, like a bird and Tommy slipped into the backseat. The front door opened and Dutch and Jimmy came hurrying down to the car. Bobby slipped into the front seat as the other two hurried into the backseat.
Louisa took off into the night and Daniel turned watching the house in the distance, the mansion. They were on the highway, driving and following the signs towards the I-70E.
He could see smoke in the distance.
He wanted to watch it burn.
But he could see it in the distance as they merged in with traffic, as they made their way out of town. He watched until he couldn’t see any more. Then he shifted, carefully lifting his legs up, letting them lay over Jimmy and Dutch’s laps.
Dutch hooked his arms around Daniel’s legs, turning to look at him grinning.
“You see what Johnny wrote?”
“No.”
“He drew a dick in neon orange,” Tommy said with a giggle.
“And he wrote, Send our regards to Kreese in hell.”
“And what did you end up doing?” Daniel asked turning to look at Jimmy and Dutch.
“Burned some of his files, but stuck some in a way that they wouldn’t burn, but it’d look like he tried to burn the place down on purpose to hide those sneaky corporate documents,” Jimmy said, throwing an arm around Dutch and the other around Johnny. “Can’t wait for them to find it.”
“And if they don’t?”
“The place will still be ashes, so win win.”
Daniel settled, curling up against Johnny, relaxed, watching the landscape pass. He fell asleep part way through the night, then his stomach growled, waking him up.
“Can we get some food?” Daniel asked.
“We’re quite literally fugitives of the state,” Bobby said.
“So no pizza?” Daniel asked.
Johnny laughed softly, warmly.
“We’ll stop and get something to go up here,” Louisa said.
“What’s up here?” Daniel asked.
“Las Vegas,” Louisa said. “I figured we’d book a place for the night, then continue on in morning.”
Daniel nodded, yawning.
They stayed at a cheap motel away from the strip and piled into a greasy diner. It was oily but comforting, hit the spot.
Louisa ate with them, herding them quietly back to the motel, the guys all crashed on whichever of the two beds while Louisa took the room next door.
Daniel slept curled up with Johnny, waking up occasionally to Tommy’s arm or leg flopping onto him.
In the morning they got powdered donuts and shitty coffee and continued on. To where Daniel didn’t know, didn’t care, watching the roads pass, the more distance between them and LA, from the Valley the better he felt. The days passed, crammed in the back of the car, occasionally moving around, sometimes he drove and Louisa slept, sometimes he sat up front, sometimes one of the cobras sat in his lap, hooking their arms around his shoulders and whispering things in his ear. Little secrets.
Dutch told him that Johnny had spotted him at the bar. Had told them, “I think that’s Daniel.”
And they’d debated it for ten minutes.
Bobby had told him that Johnny had written a bazillion letters, had tried calling. Kept chickening out.
Tommy told him that Johnny had used his go to move on girls on Daniel and had asked if it’d worked with a knowing smile. The oops and bump into.
It was a shitty move, but it had worked.
Break him of it, please, they begged him.
Jimmy gave him snacks, murmuring that Johnny couldn’t sleep all that well, had wondered if Daniel had the same issue. If because of them Daniel couldn’t sleep. That it added to the stress, the panic.
That they were happy to see him.
Honestly.
Earnestly.
Not just drunk.
Not just for old times sake.
And Johnny murmured to him, touched his arms gently and told him how beautiful he was, would press kisses against his skin, his neck, his jaw when no one was looking, when he thought no one was looking.
He had fun on that mad dash across the country. He enjoyed when they turned up the radio and sang along to songs. He enjoyed annoying the hell out of the cobras by crawling on top of them all on the backseat and falling asleep spread out over them. He liked when they stayed at motels and Johnny was in the shower and he’d slip in with him, touching him and watching him blush as Daniel got to figure out what he liked, all those embarrassingly vulnerable moments he cherished.
Louisa pulled up in front of a three story grey house and let out a sigh. “Alright boys, we’re here.”
“Where’s here?” Johnny asked.
Daniel looked at the house, spotted a familiar silhouette in the window talking to a girl and shoved the door open, scrambled out of the car as fast as he could.
“MR. MIYAGI!” he yelled, too loud for seven am, running up the steps and through the doors, embracing the old man as soon as he turned, surprised but smiling so warmly.
“Ah, Daniel-san!”
“So this is why you don’t knock,” the girl said with a frown, eyeing Daniel.
“Daniel-san meet Julie-san, Julie-san this is Daniel-san.”
Daniel heard the guys work their way up the steps, tentative, slow, unsure, until Louisa pushed them forward, gently.
“Welcome to Boston boys,” Louisa said.
They settled into the big house while Louisa and her granddaughter caught up, learning quietly from the news that the authorities had found the arson to be suspicious, possibly fraud, possibly to hide documents they were piecing together, that which survived the fire.
And Daniel slept even better than all the nights since the bar curled up with Johnny knowing that as soon as Terry Silver stepped foot back in the states the authorities would be after him. And it was a sweet revenge, as sweet as pie.
Johnny was sleeping in their bed, all stretched out, taking up an obnoxious amount of space, flat on his stomach, hair a mess, from where Daniel had had his fingers tugging at it the night before. Daniel looked at the box of things he still had, that he’d kept all the long years since Boston. A city they went back to, frequently, were debating living in permanently.
Daniel rolled over laying on top of Johnny, pressing a kiss into his back, and picked out the ruby ring from the box, gently sliding it onto Johnny’s ring finger, curious to see if he’d notice, if he’d remember.
A memento from their first time.
It glittered in the early morning sun.
Daniel got up, putting on a robe and heading off to make breakfast, to start the coffee and looking around their home, built on a stolen fortune. A painting sold here and there. A vase. The jewelry and jewels. Some of the swords. But Daniel kept some of it. The ring, his favorite sword. Some of the booze.
When the smell of coffee filled the house he heard movement, looking at Johnny who came out of their room yawning and stretching, taking in the expanse of skin and he walked over pulling Daniel into a hug, kissing his cheek.
“Mornin’,” Johnny said softly.
“I don’t mind this, but you always forget, the chair's going to be cold if you sit down without any pants,” Daniel said turning to kiss him, patting Johnny’s ass.
Johnny sighed, cupping Daniel’s face in his hands. “But I don’t want to miss a second.”
“Of what?”
“Your pretty face.”
“Then give it a ten second stare, burn it in your mind, go grab some pants and come back,” Daniel said.
Johnny stared, brow furrowed, studying him intently.
Daniel made a face, sticking his tongue out, grinning when Johnny burst out laughing, the focus destroyed, earning a kiss on top of his head before Johnny turned to go put something on.
Daniel waited for him to notice, a little impatiently as he sat down with his coffee, eggs, bacon and toast.
Johnny returned in shorts, filled his plate, a mug and then sat down next to him. He drank his coffee, waking up, reaching out and gently touching Daniel’s hand, taking it in his his own, yawning and running his other hand through his hair then wincing.
“What the—?” Johnny murmured.
Daniel laughed softly, getting up. “Oh, oh no,” he said. “Let me help.”
He gently untangled Johnny’s blonde hair from the ring, freeing his hand.
Johnny frowned looking at his hand and Daniel sat down on his lap, watching him, watching the gears that were half asleep start to move. Puzzled first, a ‘where did this come from? Did I put this on before bed?’ look. Then the curious way he moved his hand, studying the ring closely before he recognized it, turning to Daniel, eyes wide.
“You stole it?” Johnny asked.
“I prefer to think kept it.”
“You picked it because I said it was cool?” Johnny asked.
“Yeah, is it weird? Do you like it? Is your head okay?” Daniel asked gently smoothing Johnny’s hair.
“I love it,” Johnny said.
There was a glassiness to his eyes and Daniel smiled at him softly, fondly.
“Not as much though, as I love you,” Johnny said kissing him with a loud smack then grinning, peppering Daniel with the kisses that tickled until he was laughing and arching away from Johnny, until he turned on him, fingers posed, knowing all of Johnny’s ticklish spots.
An eye for an eye.
His heart was warm when he heard Johnny’s breathless laugh, following him from where he’d tried to escape, trying to hide beneath a pillow, a soft blanket that’d followed them from apartment to apartment to their home. Smiling, leaning down, kissing him, not worried if breakfast got cold, not worrying about much of anything, happy and content enjoying the slice of pie they’d taken for themselves.