Chapter Text
Therapy always made Johnny tired.
Johnny was slightly dozing off again in the car. He often did that, glad he wasn't the driver.
He didn’t like listening to the car radio, so he always brought his earphones with him and listened to music, as always. His legs were glued together, and he leaned slightly against the window to look outside, admiring the green, wide fields and sometimes spotting horses that spent their time eating grass or lying down.
His hands rested on his thighs, one of them tightly gripping his phone while he played with the earphone cable, lost in his thoughts.
Gyro, on the other hand, drove while nodding and humming along to the songs on the radio. They were the same ones over and over. His eyes occasionally wandered to Johnny and then back to the road. He tapped the steering wheel with his index finger and reached back with his right arm to grab something. He knew he had some sweets left over from Italy.
He tapped Johnny on the shoulder and handed him the gummy bear bag, which Gyro struggled to open. When Johnny didn’t respond, Gyro tapped him again until Johnny unplugged one earphone, looked at Gyro, and said, “Huh?”
Gyro handed him the bag. “I want some too, don’t eat them all,” he joked, as Johnny took a few out of the bag.
Gyro sighed and broke the silence again. “Hey cazzo, what were you thinking about?” He knew when Johnny was lost in thought. It most likely always happened. He knew it was about Johnny’s past. No matter what, he couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“Nothing much. Just a few things, you know,” Johnny mumbled while eating some gummy bears. “They’re great.” He switched the topic, “You should bring a whole box of them.” Johnny smiled a bit.
“Oh, mi amor,” Gyro slurred, placing his hand on Johnny’s thigh and stroking it gently. “Next time, I’m taking you with me to Italy.”
Johnny looked down at Gyro’s tanned hand, with well-groomed nails painted in a nice green tone. He loved it when Gyro touched him softly.
“Sure, why not?” Johnny replied, leaning back into the seat. “I want to eat some real pizza again, not that crap we have here.” After Gyro made some homemade pizza from his recipe, Johnny loved it. Homemade always tasted better. “Can we eat pizza later again?” he asked, putting his hand on Gyro’s, who nodded and smiled.
“Of course. We just need to get the ingredients, and then we’re good to go.”
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**The Store.**
Johnny hated it, especially because of the looks he got for being disabled. He could walk, but not very well or for long. He used crutches more than his wheelchair.
It took them approximately 15 minutes to get to the parking lot of the store. Gyro got out and took the crutches to give them to Johnny when he opened the car door. Johnny sighed and followed the taller man into the store, staying close and following his footsteps. He wasn’t very fast, but at least Gyro slowed down for Johnny’s sake.
Gyro wandered through the vegetables and fruit section while he sent Johnny off to get the other items.
Johnny took a small basket and hung it over the grip of his crutches; he wouldn’t be able to carry things otherwise, plus he didn’t want to be independent all the time from Gyro.
When Gyro was back in Italy, he took care of himself for a week. It went both well and poorly. At least he wasn’t completely alone. He took care of Valkyrie and Slow Dancer more than he took care of himself. He made sure they were well-fed while Gyro was gone.
They both lived in the countryside, in a house with a wide field for their horses. He often lay down in the sun with Slow Dancer. He was so glad that he and Gyro moved far away from his father—still in the same country, but far away.
After a while of being lost in thought again, he looked up to find the Energy cans but couldn’t reach them. He leaned one crutch against the shelf and stood on his tiptoes, still unable to reach it. Being on crutches and having a poor posture didn’t help either. He could attempt to step on the bottom shelf, but the fear of falling would embarrass him more than just asking for help.
So, he looked around and approached a worker to ask for assistance. It wasn’t that hard; it was normal to ask for help when others couldn’t reach certain items. He shouldn’t be seen as weak for doing so.
Johnny returned to Gyro with a few different items. Finding him wasn’t that difficult—it was rather easy. He was tall, blond, and gorgeous. Gyro placed his items into the basket. “Got everything?” he asked.
“Yeah, I did,” Johnny nodded and headed straight to the checkout. Gyro paid and went outside with Johnny. He talked a lot when he was with Johnny, and Johnny loved that.
Back in the car, they drove home, a 40-minute journey. They had a few neighbors, one bus stop, but lots of fields. It was quiet and safe—safe from all the pain and misery Johnny had gone through.
He could have left the country with Gyro, but where would they even move? Italy? No, he couldn’t speak Italian. The UK? No, he hated their accents, and everything around him reminded Johnny of Diego and his past. Australia felt too far away and way too hot. Other countries had their own languages as well, so it seemed hopeless. They stayed in the U.S., in Kentucky. Gyro could speak English pretty well, even though he sometimes mixed Italian with English when talking with Johnny at home, which he didn’t mind.
On their property, they often saw stray cats and dogs from the neighbors wandering around the neighborhood. Johnny loved to pet the dogs and cats that sometimes snuggled into his lap.
Every day was the same. Johnny went to his part-time job in the morning while Gyro attended university. Afterward, Gyro picked Johnny up, either from the city or from therapy, since he was at the university longer than Johnny was at work. Johnny would often wander around the city after work, sometimes buying himself a treat and sitting down to wait for Gyro’s message saying he was done for the day.
The thought of Gyro being away longer when he got his medical degree and started working in a hospital made Johnny shiver. He would feel more alone than before. Maybe it was time to find friends. His coworkers were fine, but they weren’t his vibe. He got along with them, but that was about it.
Before continuing with his depressing thoughts, Gyro interrupted him by laying his arm around Johnny’s shoulders. “Hey, are you alright?” he asked. “You've been staring into the void for too long.”
Johnny rubbed his eyes and nodded. “Yeah, don’t worry.” He then went into the living room to lie down on the couch, putting his crutches down and letting out a big sigh. He closed his eyes for a moment and wrapped his arms behind his head, watching Gyro put their groceries away in the kitchen, organizing everything neatly.
Johnny opened his eyes and grabbed his phone to check social media, as usual. He didn’t really post much; he preferred to watch videos that kept him company while Gyro was busy. He was tired and could easily fall asleep right then. He yawned, and his eyes wandered over to Gyro, who was already making the dough for the pizza. Johnny hadn’t really eaten anything that day except for some gummy bears and a coffee earlier. He often forgot to eat when he was lost in his thoughts.
“Ciccino,” Gyro called from the kitchen, then came over to Johnny, hovering above the couch and looking down at him. “Are you hungry?” he asked with a smile.
Johnny loved it when Gyro spoke Italian.
He shook his head, not even looking away from his phone. Gyro snatched the phone from him with a grin, and Johnny snapped, “Hey! Give it back!” He sat up and tried to grab it back, but it was pointless—Gyro was way too tall.
“No, no, tato.” Gyro snickered. “Only for a kiss.”
Johnny rolled his eyes, leaning in closer to Gyro to kiss him. Gyro smiled, mumbling against Johnny’s soft lips, “Mi sei mancato così tanto, amore.”
“Te amo, mia piccola stella,” Gyro continued, unable to stop. Johnny felt like he was drowning in affection, and it felt so good. Gyro’s hands wandered down to Johnny's hips, making him jump slightly in excitement. Gyro's thumb slid under Johnny's shirt, causing him to huff. His cheeks flushed red as he opened his eyes. “H-hey, wait…” Johnny gulped and gently pushed Gyro away a little.
When Gyro stopped, he blinked at Johnny with a confused expression. "What is it, amore?"
Johnny bit his lip and looked away, feeling ashamed. "It's too fast."
At least Gyro respected his boundaries and nodded with understanding. "Don't worry, mio caro." He gently stroked Johnny's cheek and gave it a little squeeze before heading back into the kitchen after returning Johnny's phone.
Johnny always felt rushed whenever Gyro wanted to do more than just kiss and cuddle. This was his first relationship—no, his first healthy relationship ever.