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He should have known that it had been too good to be true. As soon as Terence had said: “My friend John is throwing a party”, all of his alarm bells should have gone off. But they didn't.
On the one hand it was the sheer fact that nobody ever actually called Johnny Lawrence 'John'. This was just not something that happened. On the other hand, he would never have thought that Terence, the kid who's family had moved in next to Daniel a month ago, would actually hang out with a guy like Johnny Lawrence.
But he had been wrong in both of these assumptions.
This realisation hits him hard as he turns the steering wheel, prompting his car to roll gently up the driveway where a group of motorcycles is already parked. Of course he recognises them. How could he ever forget that night, when he took the brutal fall down the hill...
“Everything alright?”, Terence asks with light concern clouding his normally very carefree demeanour. Now that Daniel thinks about it, Terence isn't such an unlikely addition to the cobra gang: blonde, tall and good looking with a respectable tan, wearing a jeans jacket with several patches sewn on.
Suddenly, Daniel feels stuck, his body heavy and numb all around him. He can't move. Is this a trap?
“Danny?”, Terence asks.
It's the nudge to the shoulder that finally helps him snap out of it. “I don't think this is a good idea”, he says.
“What?”
“Me being here...”
“Are you kidding?” Terence stares at him, still too excited to lose his positive energy. “I know you're nervous because you've never been to a real party at someone's house before but you gotta relax a little. Just stick with me and it'll be fine, yeah!?” Before Daniel can answer, Terence jumps out of the car.
“Hey, wait!” Daniel gets out too. He locks the car and sprints down the garden path to catch up with his friend. Oh, well, unless he is walking right into an evil trap set up by him. In that case it would be just Terence. “Is this Johnny's house?”
Terence turns his head to look at him. “So you do know each other”, he says.
“What do you mean?”
“It's just the way John reacted when I asked if you could come.”
Daniel cannot help himself. He grabs Terence by the arm before he can ring the bell. “Why? What did he say?”
Terence wasn't there for the tournament last year and for some reason, he has apparently never heard about it either.
“I don't know. I just asked if my friend Daniel could come too and he asked: 'Daniel LaRusso?' and looked at me a bit weird and I said: 'yeah, you know him?' and he went quiet and then said: 'not really' but I could bring you, no problem. Is there a problem? I cannot really imagine you having beef with anyone...” And while he is still looking at Daniel, Terence presses the doorbell and Daniel completely freezes again.
Well, Terence's gonna find out soon anyway, no reason for him to explain. There is still time to run but for some reason, Daniel's feet stay firmly in place. He is not a coward and even though he didn't come here to fight, he will not avoid it either. If Johnny wants a rematch, he is welcome to it!
The door opens, and the music that was muffled before hits his eardrums with full force. He really has never been to a party like this. This should be exciting, but as soon as he sees the face behind the door, his hands contract into fists.
“Hey, Terence”, Dutch says with a grin that isn't quite friendly but also not really hostile. They grab each other by the hands and pull each other in for a brief hug that would be more of a chest-bump if their arms weren't in the way.
Then, Dutch's eyes dart towards Daniel, fixing him with his gaze. “And look what the cat dragged in...”
Daniel doesn't respond, which actually takes all his willpower. Don't escalate, be calm. He takes a deep breath but his fists stay clenched.
“Hey, come on!”, Terence protests. He turns his head to look back and forth between them: “John invited him, so don't be a prick.”
“Yeah, right”, Dutch sneers: “Johnny is really loosing his mind lately.” His eyes bore into Daniel's. “Come in, then.”
After a short, worried glance at Daniel Terence follows Dutch into the house. But when he realises that Daniel is keeping a distance, he slows his pace so that his friend can catch up to him.
“So, you're friends with all the cobras?”, Daniel hisses. His head is swimming, he doesn't know how to feel about all of this. Did he really just walk into Johnny Lawrence's house and witnessed his friend being greeted warmly by Dutch of all people?
“The what?”, Terence shouts over the music that is blaring out of the speakers, filling the whole ground floor apparently. He is still following Dutch, squeezing past people Daniel has maybe seen somewhere before.
Suddenly, he feels another sort of panic. Resisting the urge to grab onto Terence's shirt to not lose him, he keeps up with him as best he can.
“The cobras!”, he shouts back and Terence shakes his head.
“Don't know what you're talking about...”
“Cobra Kai!”, Daniel tries again: “The Karate Dojo.”
“Never heard of it.”
He should leave, Daniel thinks but then he actually sees him: Blonde, fluffy hair, blue eyes and cheeky smile. There's a beer in his hand but he is missing his trademark, red jacket. He's talking to his friends and smiling as if he didn't have a care in the world.
A lump forms in Daniel's throat. He cannot run away.
“Hey, Johnny!”, Dutch shouts and the other boy turns his head. “Look who's here!”
Of course he notices Terence first. His smile widens but never loses it's edge, his chin just raised a bit to look down on his guest even as he is greeting him warmly. Daniel can feel his stomach churn.
Johnny is hugging Terence much in the same fashion as Dutch did before but he actually embraces him a bit more, making it a hug instead of an attack. He says something to him, putting one hand on Terence's shoulder. Terence nods, pointing behind him.
Oh, shit.
Johnny's gaze falls on him and Daniel's whole body turns into ice. But he can feel a heat rising in his chest. The smile on Johnny's face is gone. His eyebrows contract, more a question than an angry frown. While Terence greets the others, Johnny seems to have forgotten about their presence altogether. He walks towards Daniel.
Before he can even think about doing anything, Johnny Lawrence is right in front of him. Since their last meeting, Daniel has grown a bit. They are almost the same height now, nevertheless he suddenly feels small.
“Hey”, Johnny says in a surprisingly soft voice: “Nice to see ya.”
“Really?”, Daniel snaps. The heat is taking over his body now, leaving little room for fear: “What's your plan, Johnny? Trying to lure me into a trap to beat me up again?”
“What? No!” He looks so genuinely surprised that for a second, Daniel is inclined to believe him, but only a second.
“Oh, come on!”, he says: “You knew I was coming here, you were basically waiting for me, so let's get it over with, yeah?” He doesn't even have to shout consciously any more to be louder than the music, it just comes naturally.
But Johnny is still wearing that puzzled expression. “Listen, man”, he says: “I wanted to apologise, that's all.”
Daniel blinks. And in Lack of a response, Johnny just continues talking. “I was really messed up, you know, Cobra Kai got into my head. But that's the past now. I...” He grits his teeth. “After what happened in the parking lot, I left.”
“Really?” That's all Daniel can say while his thoughts are running a million miles per hour.
“Yeah”, Johnny agrees: “Really.”
They look at each other for a moment.
“Glad to hear that”, Daniel finally hears himself say: “That Kreese guy was seriously messed up.”
Suddenly, a flash of anger appears on Johnny's face. He takes a step forward but instantly catches himself as he sees Daniel's reaction. His gaze darts down, to Daniel's left. “You didn't know him”, he says.
“No”, Daniel agrees: “I didn't.” He tried to kill you, he wants to say, how can you get mad when I insult him? But maybe, there is a small part in him that understands, that knows what Kreese might have been to Johnny.
“Yeah, anyway”, Johnny says. His face wearing a very neutral expression now: “I hope you have fun. Help yourself to some beer. And don't start a fight in my house, LaRusso.”
“Ha, ha!”, Daniel replies and he can see a hint of a smile on Johnny's face before he turns around and walks back to his friends. Terence is still chatting with them.
He takes a few deep breaths before looking around the room. When his eyes land on a sixpack, hidden under a table, he walks over there and takes one. After all, Johnny had invited him to do so.
The first beer, he downs almost instantly. When he is on his second, he is recognised by someone and dragged into a circle of people he vaguely knows. But with almost two beers in his system, he feel loose enough to chat with them comfortably.
Time flies and he is genuinely having fun, even though he cannot help himself but look out for Johnny out of the corner of his eyes. The realisation that Johnny Lawrence has actually apologised to him still has not really reached his brain and the alcohol is not helping him think either...
“There you are!”, Terence suddenly drapes an arm around his shoulder with a bright grin and enough alcohol in him to sway a little: “I've been looking for you. You ever smoked weed before?”
Daniel laughs at the question, shaking his head. “No.”
“You want to?”
A quick gaze at the circle tells him that he will not really be missed as everyone is chatting amongst each other so he allows Terence to pull him away. “Sure, why not?”
They walk out into the garden. The fresh air hitting Daniel and clearing his mind a little. It's quieter outside and gets even more so, the farther they walk away from the house. Only small groups of people are sitting outside. Terence leads then to one of them, three figures, sitting in a circle.
“Fuck off!”, he hears Johnny's voice clear in the relative silence: “Why don't you buy your own stuff for a change. Shit's expensive, you know.”
“Yeah, well, you got the money, don't you?”, Dutch counters and now, Johnny really seems angry.
He jumps to his feet, kicking the dirt, spraying sand all over Dutch who is still sitting down. “Fuck you, man!”, Johnny curses: “Seriously!”
“Not cool”, Bobby says but in the dark, Daniel cannot see who he is looking at.
“Seems like a bad time”, he whispers to Terence, but his friend, ever ignorant of negative atmospheres of any kind, just continues walking.
“Hey, John!”, he says: “You still got smokes to share? My friend here never had some.”
Johnny turns sharply, glaring at him for a moment. Then his gaze falls on Daniel and somehow softens. “Yeah, sure”, he says: “Sit down.”
“What the fuck!”, that is Dutch again: “Why you giving him some and not me?”
“Cause you've already smoked two almost by yourself.” Johnny sits down again right next to Dutch: “Learn how to pass, man!”
“Idiot!”
“Asshole!”
Suddenly, they both start laughing and Daniel is totally perplexed. He was sure they were going to start a fight any minute now.
Johnny turns around so that he has his back turned to his friends. “You gonna sit down?”, he asks.
They do, Terence to Johnny's left and Daniel opposite of him. He eyes him carefully, as Johnny pulls out a small, metal container, some leafs and tobacco. His movements are very relaxed. He must have several beers in him and by what Daniel has heard also smoked some weed already. Yet he is working with some concentration and precision.
It is a bit surreal, sitting here, watching him, without any hint of danger to himself. Daniel has never really seen him this relaxed and non threatening.
“Alright.” Johnny packs his stuff away and sticks the joint between his lips. Daniel watches as he gets out a lighter, holding the white, twisted tip in the flame and sucks in the air. A sweet smell wafts over to him.
Johnny inhales deeply and passes on to Terence who does the same. Suddenly, Daniel feels nervous.
Terence takes a second drag, inhaling. There is a bright smile on his face now. “Wow”, he says and passes back to Johnny. As soon as Johnny has taken the cigarette out of his hand, Terence lets himself fall down on the ground, staring into the sky. “This is awesome...”, he mutters.
Johnny smiles and shakes his head but Daniel cannot help but feel even more nervous.
“That's his second one tonight”, Johnny says. His voice very soft and low: “He's aright, don't worry. He's more of an 'enjoying in silence' kind of guy.”
Daniel still looks at Terence when he suddenly realises that Johnny is scooting over to him. He flinches and Johnny raises his eyebrows.
“Relax, LaRusso”, he mumbles: “Just gonna teach you how to smoke. I don't want to waste any of my precious stuff on you if you're just gonna puff it all out.”
Daniel tries. He unclenches his fists, tries to tell his body that this is alright, that there is no danger. But his heart is hammering in his chest nonetheless.
Johnny's knee is almost touching his now. They are both sitting with their legs crossed.
“Here you go”, Johnny says, stretching out his hand, holding the joint: “Hurry before it goes out and I have to light it again.”
Daniel cannot take it without their fingers brushing. Johnny is looking at him intently now.
“So, what you want to do is suck in some air and get some smoke in your mouth”, Johnny says: “And then, you take a very deep breath, inhaling the air in your mouth, filling up your lungs. Hold your breath for a moment and then exhale. Pretty simple.”
Daniel nods.
“Just imagine you drag on the cigarette and then your parent's come in.” Johnny mimics a shocked inhale, eyes wide and mouth open. Then he grins. “Just like that, you know.”
Daniel thinks he knows. He raises the cigarette to his lips and tries to drag some air through it.
“Shit, wait.” Johnny takes out his lighter. “We talked too much. Here.” He leans in, holding the flame against the now black and cold tip, making it burn again, while shielding it against the wind with his hands. “Now drag”, he says.
Daniel does.
“Now inhale deeply.”
It's hot and dry. Very dry. Daniel feels like the moisture is sucked out of his lunges. He cannot control his breathing anymore, cannot inhale. He tries not to but his reflexes are stronger and he violently coughs all the smoke out.
“Hey! Hey!”
He sees Johnny move towards him and instinctively flinches.
“Come on, I'm not gonna hurt you!” Johnny sounds almost annoyed as he takes the joint out of Daniel's hand and gives him a few, firm pats on the back.
“Ouch!”, Daniel says more out of reflex than actual pain but Johnny retreats immediately.
“Shit, sorry...”, he mumbles.
Daniel stares at him. That is the second apology he has gotten from Johnny Lawrence tonight. Maybe he really has changed.
Johnny shakes his head and takes another drag from the cigarette. Daniel watches in awe as he inhales, keeps the smoke in his lungs for a while and then exhales. “Hey!”, Johnny says, prodding Terence with his foot: “You want some more?”
Slowly, Terence lifts himself into a sitting position and stretches out his hand. As soon as he has put the joint it in his mouth, Dutch pats him on the shoulder.
“Give it to me next”, he commands.
Terence looks at Johnny questioningly, who just shakes his head. “Yeah, whatever.”
The cigarette is passed one last time. It's almost all gone by now.
“Just keep it”, Johnny mutters: “Not that I have to tell you.” Dutch blows some smoke in his direction as an answer and grins. “Shithead.”
They sit in silence for a moment. Daniel cannot tell if he is actually feeling something from the drugs or if it's just his imagination. Has he even had the stuff in his lungs long enough to make a difference?
He feels very light somehow, as if he could just stretch out his arms and fly away. Time passes or it doesn't, he doesn't really know.
When he lowers his gaze from the starry sky, he finds Johnny Lawrence staring at him.
Daniel grins. “What?”
“How's your knee?”, Johnny asks, voice pretty low and serious: “Has it healed properly?”
Somewhere, a voice in Daniel's head tells him that this is a serious conversation and his brain makes an attempt at sobering up. “'s alright”, he says: “Still gets a bit sore sometimes but...” He shrugs.
Johnny's face contorts as if Daniel had just screamed at him. “Sorry, man...”, he mumbles and Daniel looks at him, truly looks at him for maybe the first time.
“You really changed, haven't you?”, he asks.
Johnny shrugs. “I hope so.”
He doesn't know what to say to that so he stays silent.
“So, if you ever wanna hang out”, Johnny says: “You know where I live now.”
Daniel nods.
This isn't easy. There is something between them still, a tension he cannot quite grab or put a name to. Suddenly, he cannot sit still anymore.
“I'm gonna get another beer”, he says, standing up way too fast, his vision gone for a moment, lost in a sea of blackness: “You need anything?”
Johnny leans back, his elbows keeping his torso up. He suddenly looks very sad. “No”, he says quietly.
The noise and the warmth in the house hits him like a wall. The air is sweaty and it smells like beer. Daniel feels dizzy. Maybe he should just leave, go home. Why he decided to drive here is beyond him. Well, he hadn't anticipated meeting Johnny tonight.
As soon as he is back inside, he is dragged into conversation. People see him and talk to him and he just goes with it. It's taking his mind off the events in the garden.
Slowly, people begin to leave. As the girl he has been talking to for the last half hour says her goodbyes, Daniel grabs another beer and heads back outside to see how Terence is doing. Maybe they can find their way back home together.
Terence is still outside, talking with the Cobras, or maybe ex cobras, who knows... But there is one person missing.
“Where's Johnny?”, Daniel asks.
Terence shrugs. “Don't know”, he says.
Daniel looks around the garden, at the neatly trimmed grass and the perfectly square hedges. There is a gate not far away and he decides to walk through it.
It's really chill now but Daniel is drunk enough not to care. As he steps outside the garden, the faint noise of the music almost disappears. He sees a dark figure in the distance and walks towards it. Someone is sitting there on the ground all alone.
“Hey, Johnny”, Daniel says, ungracefully plopping down on the ground next to him: “What you doing out here by yourself?”
Johnny turns his head and smiles at him, that small, cheeky smile Daniel had first seen in the Cobra Kai Dojo and instantly hated. Now, it doesn't seem so bad anymore.
“I'm hiding from all the scroungers”, he answers conspiratorially: “Once people know you got weed, everyone wants some and it's really annoying. So I came out here to have the last smoke just for myself.”
He takes out another long cigarette, puts it in his mouth and lights it, sucking in the smoke with a pleased sound.
Daniel watches him. “Can I try again?”, he asks.
Johnny let's out a laugh. It's bright and humorous.
“You fucking punk!”, he says: “Didn't I just tell you I don't want to share?” But the smile is still there and Daniel smiles at him too. “And even if I shared, you'd just cough it all out anyway.”
Daniel presses his lips together. “Maybe I won't this time.”
“Yeah, right.” Johnny's eyes that are normally so bright are very black in the darkness. “I tell you what we could do”, he says: “We could share the smoke. This way I'm not missing out and you still get some.”
“Share the smoke?”, Daniel asks: “How's that work?”
“Simple”, Johnny leans in: “I smoke and you inhale what I breathe out.”
This is insane but thankfully, Daniel is too drunk to notice. So he just says: “Okay.”
Johnny looks like he wants to smile but is stopping himself. “Alright.”
He brings the joint to his lips, takes a big drag, breathing in the smoke. Then he leans forward, Daniel following his motion.
“Now breathe in”, Johnny whispers, his face so very close that Daniel can even feel the air coming from his lips while he's speaking. Then there is more, a steady stream of air that Daniel sucks in, warm smoke filling his lungs but without the bite from earlier. He closes his eyes and breathes in as much as he can, holding it until he cannot any more and breathing out all at once in a rush of air.
When he opens his eyes, Johnny's face is far away again, eyes looking at him curiously.
“Now the other way around”, Johnny says, handing Daniel the cigarette.
And Daniel takes it, fingers brushing against each other. He raises it to his lips, sucks in the air and inhales deeply. It burns and stings but he doesn't cough, leaning forward towards Johnny, so close their lips are almost touching. When he exhales, he can hear Johnny's breath loud and clear.
Johnny moves away and Daniel takes another drag. He can definitely feel it now, the lightness in his limbs, his head, time stretching all around him. Johnny grabs the joint from his hand and lies down on the grass, smoking steadily until it is all gone. They don't speak, just sit there in silence.
Daniel never comes round to Johnny's house again after that and Johnny never asks him.
35 Years later
Its almost night-time when the lasts students of Miyagi-Do and Eagle-Fang are leaving. They still haven't come up with a new name but it's more an annoyance than an actual problem. Their students are working very hard and Daniel is actually very proud of their progress so far. Maybe a little hint of aggressiveness, or as Daniel would put it: confidence, was exactly what their style had needed.
Overall, Johnny has really surprised him. Watching him deal with his students, he finally understands why Miguel has been so loyal to him through all of it. After a while, the asshole really grew on you.
As Daniel walks out of the Dojo into the backyard, contemplating the next lesson, he finds Johnny sitting on the Deck with a cigarette in his hand that is a bit too long and a bit to triangular to be a cigarette.
He raises his brow.
“You shouldn't be smoking that stuff here”, he says: “What if the students see you.”
Johnny shrugs. “They're all at home, ain't they? And I'm an adult.”
“Still, that stuff's illegal.”
A smirk creeps on Johnny's face. “You want some?”
Daniel shakes his head. He sits down next to Johnny.
“You know, there was a time where you weren't such a pussy”, Johnny remarks, lighting the joint, shielding it with his hands against the wind, while sucking in the smoke.
“Man, you're an idiot!”, Daniel says, with a smile: “Alright, give me some.”
“Uh, uh”, Johnny inhales deeply: “Not like that.”
When he exhales, Daniel watches the smoke come out of his mouth and nose, mingling in the air in front of him, a hot cloud in the cold of the night.
“You have to ask nicely, LaRusso, maybe then...” There it is, that smirk again that has made him lose his mind, not only as a teen.
Johnny takes another drag, inhaling the smoke with a smug expression, turning his head to blow it in Daniel's face, but suddenly, there is a fist in his shirt, dragging him forward, pulling him in and he is too surprised to resist.
Their faces are close, way closer than they should be, lips almost touching. When Johnny exhales slowly, Daniel closes his eyes and inhales.
It is different this time because he knows what they are doing. Back in the day, he was so naïve and innocent, not realising that Johnny was making a pretty solid move on him.
When Daniel opens his eyes, he sees Johnny staring at him, shocked but also curious.
“Remember that night on the beach?”, Daniel whispers, still not letting go.
Johnny shakes his head. “No.” He moves away, taking Daniel's hand and dragging it away from his shirt, his warm fingers encapsulating Daniel's only for a moment. “Don't do this.”
“What?”
“Whatever you're doing.” He puts his cigarette in his mouth again, smoking almost feverishly. The contents burn quickly, spurred on by his breath. “You're a married man, LaRusso.” While he speaks, his gaze wanders to the ground.
Daniel thinks. If that's the only obstacle...
“Maybe it is time I told you that I have a certain agreement with my wife”, Daniel says: “We both agreed that the other person is free to kiss their close friends as much as they like. As long as it's just a kiss.”
Johnny turns his head slightly. He looks at Daniel out of the corner of his eyes. “You've got a terrific wife, you know that?”
Daniel laughs. “Oh, believe me, she had more opportunity so far than me to take advantage of this agreement with her female friends. But usually I was present for that as well.”
“Lucky bastard!”, Johnny mutters. He takes one last drag of his cigarette, before getting up and putting it out on a nearby stone. Then he sits back down next to Daniel.
“So”, Daniel says: “Where does that leave us?”
“Us?”, Johnny shakes his head: “You ain't gonna kiss me.” His face is almost sad but his voice sounds suddenly angry. “I ain't that kind of guy.”
“What kind?”
“The kind that kisses married people.”
Daniel turns towards him, brows furrowed. “I told you it's okay with Amanda”, he repeats.
Johnny let's out a short laugh that sounds painful in his throat. “Yeah, well it ain't okay with me. I don't want a kiss, LaRusso, I want...” He stops, kicking the deck with his heels.
“What do you want?”, Daniel asks, his throat suddenly very dry.
Johnny looks at him, his head is hunched so he has to actually look up this time. “I want it all”, he says: “And I don't want to kiss you unless I can have that.”
Daniel swallows, His heart sinks. He has never seen Johnny so vulnerable. “I'm sorry”, he says very quietly.
Johnny shrugs. “Yeah, well, should've kissed me back then.” There is a pause. “Why didn't you?”
“I don't know.”
“I went more than half way and you didn't even move.”
“I don't know”, Daniel says again: “I'm an idiot.”
“Yeah...”
35 Years earlier
“Now the other way around”, Johnny says, handing Daniel the cigarette.
And Daniel takes it, fingers brushing against each other. He raises it to his lips, sucks in the air and inhales deeply. It burns and stings but he doesn't cough, leaning forward towards Johnny, close, so very close and he is way too drunk to be doing this at all.
Their lips are brushing, only for a moment and Daniel's eyes are widening in shock. But it is Johnny's face that truly makes his heart race. Because as their lips brush, Johnny closes his eyes and that is all Daniel needs to know. He throws away the cigarette and grabs Johnny's face with both of his hands, pulling him in, bringing their lips together properly this time.
It starts heated but soon Daniel realises how tentative and careful Johnny is, so he allows himself to relax a bit, to lose the urgency. Johnny opens his mouth wider, kissing him deeply, pressing his body against him, but all the while being so gentle and calm and everything Daniel had not expected from him at all, making it seem like he is cherishing every movement, every second of intimacy. It's not like a heated make-out session in the back of a car where you want to get to the point quickly but it's slow and deliberate and Daniel cannot remember ever being kissed like this before. And to think that it is Johnny Lawrence, Johnny Lawrence who is kissing him this way.
They separate but only their faces do, their bodies holding on to each other, still breathing the same air. Johnny opens his eyes and looks at Daniel with such an expression of wonder that Daniel's heart aches.
He pulls Johnny in, hugging him, holding him, their hearts pressed together, both beating frantically, just trying to be as close as possible to each other. Daniel feels Johnny's hand in his hair, warm and strong, puling him in further, so Daniel pushes and Johnny just follows him, down to the ground.
They are lying, pressed against each other from head to toe, Daniel on top of Johnny but just holding him, his face buried in Johnny's neck, warm and comfortable.
“What are we doing?”, Johnny Whispers.
Daniel raises his head to look at him and the expression on the other's face is incredible, soft and beautiful and Daniel leans in, kissing him again. “What do you think?”, he whispers against his lips and suddenly, a bright smile spreads across his face. “We're making out.”
“What if someone sees us?” Johnny's voice is very quiet.
“They're probably just thinking we're wrestling and I'm kicking your ass again”, Daniel answers, a laugh in his voice but something in Johnny's expression changes. His eyes dart off, to somewhere behind Daniel's left ear.
“Yeah”, he mutters.
“Johnny?”
Immediately, he looks at him again, expression still open and vulnerable.
“You know I'm sorry too, right?”, Daniel asks: “That first punch in the face was a bit much and I ruined your smoke on Halloween.”
“Yeah, you did...” Suddenly, Johnny is grinning again, that grin that is going to be the death of Daniel. How can he look so smug and cute at the same time? “And you did just now as well, throwing it away to kiss me... old habits die hard, huh, LaRusso?”
Daniel cannot help himself but shake his head and laugh. “You're such an idiot.”
“And don't you forget it!” Johnny pulls him in and kisses him again but it's short and quick. He pushed Daniel so that he rolls off of him to the side and they both sit up. Johnny looks around. “Where is it? Where have you thrown it, you little punk?”
Daniel rolls his eyes.
When they find the cigarette, it's full of sand but Johnny puts it in his mouth anyway.
“Ugh”, Daniel makes a disgusted grimace: “Now I'm not gonna kiss you again.”
But there's a sparkle in Johnny's eyes that makes him feel like he is wrong about that. A sly grin appears on Johnny's face as he looks at him while lighting the stub in his mouth. “You're such a fucking liar”, he says accurately.
35 Years later
When Daniel walks out of the house, he finds Johnny sitting on a bench in the backyard. Johnny likes being outside, even in cold weather. It's one of the many little things that Daniel finds curious and endearing about him.
“Hey”, Daniel says and Johnny's gaze shoots up, a smile appearing on his face immediately.
“Hey”, he answers very softly.
Daniel sits down next to him. “So, how was your meeting with the ex cobras?”
“Quite nice, actually.” Johnny raises an eyebrow and shoots Daniel a mischievous side glance. “And you know what Dutch gave me?”
“What?”
Johnny reaches in his pocket, producing a slim, white object that looks like a cigarette but not quite.
Daniel laughs. “No way! After all these years you finally got some back.”
“Uh huh”, Johnny grins, then wiggles his eyebrows. “You wanna smoke some pot with me, Danny boy?”
They both laugh at that, because Johnny always has to laugh with him.
“I don't know, it's been a long time.” It really has been, Daniel thinks. The party, the beach, the kiss in the moonlight. It all seems so long ago and yet so fresh in his mind.
“Suit yourself”, Johnny says with a shrug and gets out a lighter: “I just thought I'd ask you since I know how much you love smoking with me.”
Daniel studies his profile. Johnny is significantly older now than he was that fateful night but his smirk, the softness in his eyes, the brash nature, it's all still pretty much the same.
“Maybe it's time that I confess”, Daniel says thoughtfully: “That it's not the smoking I love but you.”
Johnny turns his head, taking the cigarette out of his mouth, smiling at him the way he only smiles at Daniel. He pulls him in with one hand for a quick kiss that still has all the tenderness and love of a 35 year long relationship in it.
“Believe me”, Johnny says: “I know.”