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Chapter Text

Johnny woke to a cruel ringing in his ears and a bright sunlight beaming through his cheap curtains and directly into his eyes. Man, what a terrible hangover this was going to be. He slowly opened his eyes, wincing at the immediate pain in his head upon seeing daylight. He squinted at his clock. 9.47am. What time did he get back home again? Maybe 5ish? 6? Whose bright idea was it to make the campus bar open 24/7. Johnny felt a sudden lurch in his stomach. No time to get in the chair Johnny thought as he grabbed the first thing he could find next to his bed and let out a loud heave. Is this a cowboy boot? The fuck? God, he really did drink too much last night. Johnny coughed and spluttered at the sight of an unpleasant mixture of beers and cocktails from last night, now in reverse order, sitting at the bottom of the boot. Yuck.

“Hey keep it down will ya?”

…who was that? Johnny jumped at the sudden shout from the other room. Who the hell was in his flat? Pre-accident, it wasn’t uncommon for Johnny to wake up with a stranger in his bed, or even in a stranger’s bed, stumbling home after some party with some girl (sometimes 2 girls!) and wake up not even remembering her name. Those days were long gone now, Johnny hadn’t had company in about 3 years. Also, this was a man’s voice.

“umm.. h-hello?” Johnny’s voice sounded as rough as he felt. This really was going to be a terrible hangover. “who are you and what are doing in my flat?”

“It’s me stupido! The one and only Gyro Zeppeli”

Gyro? The name rung a distant bell in Johnny’s foggy brain. He vaguely recalled the bar, a flash of gold, maybe a karaoke song? and a sparkly cowboy hat to match the vomit-soaked boot on his floor. Okay, think Joekid. Theres a strange man in your flat, who apparently dresses like a cowboy, and you’ve just thrown up in his shoe. Fuck. Johnny slowly made his way to the edge of the bed and into his wheelchair. Johnny picked up the boot and dumped its contents out the window and into the gutter. Gross. He carefully wheeled himself into the kitchen/living room in his shitty studio apartment. The sight that met his eyes was enough to make him want to hurl again. Red plastic cups and open vodka bottles littered every surface, a mysterious pink puddle (probably a failed cocktail) on the floor. Even more sickening, there was a man, presumably Gyro Zeppeli, on his couch. Johnny could see long dirty blonde hair spilling out from a large cowboy hat sitting on top of his face. He was wearing a skin-tight purple top, embroidered with lime green stitching in spiral patterns across his chest, paired with baggy brown trousers, and holy shit is that a cape? A fucking cape?!

The hat spoke. “Morning Johnny-boy”

“Mornin’… uhh… what are you doing here again?”

“You asked me to stay so I did” Gyro said matter-of-factly.

“When are you leaving?” Johnny’s blunt reply.

“Nyo-ho-ho-ho” what a stupid laugh. “That’s no way to treat a guest! C’mon I’ll help you clean if you make breakfast”

And so that’s exactly what Johnny found himself doing, picking up the seemingly infinite amount of cups while Gyro was scrubbing the mysterious pink stain on the floor. As they cleaned, Gyro made overly friendly small talk that Johnny was only half listening to as he began to piece together the events of last night.

⭑

“Oh come on HP it will be funnnnnn” Johnny practically whined in her ear.

“I’ll go for one drink. We have finals coming up remember” Might as well relax a bit. Hot Pants was dressed up already and she had just dyed her hair. Why not flaunt it?

“I knew you would cave eventually” Johnny cheekily grinned as he prepared 2 shots of tequila rose, HP’s favourite.

They downed their shots and headed out of HP’s apartment and round the block to the student bar that was on campus. They had been neighbours during their first year of university, and now in their final year they had become the best of friends. Johnny and HP were polar opposites. HP wore mostly bright and monochrome colours, changing the colour every month or so. This month she had chosen hot pink, and wore a floaty pink dress with stripped sleeves with newly dyed pink hair to match. Despite her vibrant colour palette, HP was quiet and relatively shy at times. Johnny could not be more different. He wore baggy and dull jeans, paired with a faded blue and purple hoodie and a matching grey-blue beanie with faded pink stars dotted all over it. Despite his dull colour palette, Johnny was loud and outgoing, sometimes sounded a bit ruder than he intends to and loves a party. Any substance going round on campus Johnny has taken. Any bar hop or frat party Johnny has been to, gotten wasted and crashed on whatever bed was available. He learned that a lot of people feel pity for him, assuming he couldn’t possibly get home by himself in a wheelchair and offered him a place to stay. When Johnny is sober, he hates people like that. When Johnny is drunk and high off his tits, he takes advantage of his peer’s pity and sleeps on their sofa.

When they arrived at the bar, Johnny immediately downed two more shots to get a decent buzz going while HP sipped at a beer. The bar was decorated with a sort of tropical theme, with blow up palm trees and coconuts. Lame Johnny thought. The room was dimly lit with flashing lights bouncing off the giant disco ball that hung above a mechanical bull. Looks like they had finally fixed it, not that Johnny ever wanted to go on it, his legs would just swing uncontrollably and probably kick someone’s face in the process. Johnny and HP chatted over the loud music, catching up on each other’s lives. One drink turned into two, then three, then four. Soon enough HP was starting to get drunk and already making goo-goo eyes and some hunk across the room. Lame Johnny thought to himself once more. Still, it was good for HP to put herself out there more, so Johnny urged her to go talk to Mr Hunk while he went out for a smoke. The bar was hot and sweaty so the fresh air would be nice. Johnny turned to leave HP and Mr Hunk alone for a bit, but before he reached the door, he felt a tug from underneath his wheels. Johnny looked down to see some sort of fabric was caught underneath his wheels. Upon further inspection Johnny could see the fabric was in fact a cloak, and was attached to a tall man facing away from him with some big ugly hat on.

“Hey watch it asshole” Johnny shouted over the music

“Whoops sorry about that” the man replied turning to face Johnny and pulling his cloak free.

Johnny couldn’t help but stare up at the man. He had a surprisingly handsome face, despite his questionable beard grooming, and bright green eyes and tattoos that spiralled round his upper arms. He had long hair thick hair falling from under his hat that went right down to his waist, putting Johnny’s thin shoulder length hair to shame. Oh hello handsome. Johnny pushed the thought away, probably just the alcohol talking. He snapped out of his trance to realise that the man was now talking.

“The name is Gyro Zeppeli. Pleasure to meet you! Hey nice hat! Do you like mine as well? I made it myself” Gyro tipped his hat at Johnny.

Johny inwardly cringed at his strange manners “uh hello… I’m Johnny”

“Well hello Johnny-boy! Can I call you that? Johnny-boy? I like the sound of it nyo-ho! Let me buy you a drink yeah? Whatcha fancy?” He spoke with an accent, probably European.

“Um no thanks, I was just heading out for a smoke”

“No way me too! I’ll join you!”

Johnny did not appreciate the company but said nothing as he wheeled himself out and Gyro followed. The cool night air felt like a blessing after being inside the stuffy bar for so long, and even with Gyro’s endless yapping (something about Naples?) Johnny felt strangely calm. He zoned out a little, occasionally taking a drag of his cigarette while watching a pigeon peck away at a dropped sandwich.

“Nyo-ho-ho! Oh what a day that was! But enough about me what about you Johnny-boy? Where did you grow up?” Gryo’s obscene laugh snapped Johnny back to reality

“I grew up in Kentucky… moved to San Deigo for college”

“Oooo Southern!” Not really. “What did you do in Kentucky? What was it like there? Any siblings?” God, so many questions. Does he ever shut up? “What about parents? Who are you Jaw-nee?” Gyro said in a flurry, mocking Johnny’s accent.

“Kentucky is… fine I guess. I uh… I don’t have any siblings. My dad and I don’t get along. He threw me here first chance he got.”

“Well I’m sorry to hear that, he sounds like a real asshole”

Johnny didn’t like to talk about Kentucky. Or his family. It hurt when his dad kicked him out and sent him all the way to California, but he was grateful for the distance from his old life. Away from his dad. Away from Nick…

Johnny shook his head, pushing the thought of Nick to the back of his mind. Not tonight. “Yeah but he’s payin’ my rent so can’t complain”

They continued to make small talk, carefully avoiding the subject of Johnny’s past. Even though Johnny was so sure that he hated Gyro’s stupid laugh, his stupid hat, hits stupid cape, he was actually quite interesting to listen to. Johnny wasn’t sure what was drawing him to Gyro, it certainly wasn’t his excentric clothes, don’t even get me started on that outrageous belt, or his god-awful laugh, but he had a certain presence about him that Johnny found comforting. Maybe it was Gyro’s positive outlook and charisma that counteracted Johnny’s usual state of self-destructive misery that made Johnny feel at ease. But then again, maybe it was the alcohol.

Many, many drinks later Johnny was absolutely, positively wasted. The way he liked it. Gyro was drunk too, swaying slightly when he walked, his cape swaying with him. They laughed and giggled and shouted various “ooooooos” and teasing chants as HP and Mr Hunk leaned closer to one another. They sat and listened to the awful karaoke singers, making obnoxious honking sounds as if they were judges on X-Factor, and laughed at the dirty looks they got in return.

“You try it then assholes” someone shouted at them.

“Don’t have to ask me twice! Lets go Johnny” Gyro shouted back, springing up from the bar stool.

Oh absolutely not. No way. I can’t sing. Nope. “Not a chance Gyro. I can’t sing, plus I can’t even get on the stage, there’s no ramp”

“It’s only a small step, I’ll push your chair up! Or you can sit on the floor. You can even pick the song if you go with me! Pleaseeeeee?”

And that’s exactly where Johnny found himself. Out of his chair and sitting on the sticky floor of the stage, flicking through the song book.

“You like One Direction?”

“Obviously, who doesn’t?”

So that’s what they sang, What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction. Johnny sang quietly into the microphone, wishing the floor would swallow him whole. Gyro on the other hand, belted the chorus into his mic, dancing around the stage. It was strangely captivating. Gyro wasn’t a bad singer either, in fact, he was actually quite good. Johnny didn’t even notice he had stopped singing as he watched Gyro flaunt his way around the room, holding the mic in front of various unsuspecting students sitting around the bar, giving them a chance to sing along. Johnny watched as he enchanted the audience with his smooth dance moves and powerful vocals. He even blushed a little as Gyro turned to face him from across the room to point straight at Johnny while singing the line “you don’t know you’re beautiful.” Johnny struggled back into his chair, letting Gyro finish the song on stage and take an overly exaggerated bow to the now cheering audience.

“You never said you could sing!” Johnny giggled as Gyro waved goodbye to the audience from the side of the stage

“You’ll find that I’m a very musical person Johnny-boy. I write my own stuff you know”

“Oh yeah? Sing it for me! I want to hear”

 “Okay here goes!” Gyro laughed, cleared his throat and began to sing. “Pizza mozzarella. Pizza mozzarella. Rello rello rello relloooooo”

Johnny stared open mouthed at Gyro, stifling a snort. “That was. Um. Good?”

Gyro smacked his hand to his chest in fake offence. “Hey I never said I was a talented songwriter! I just write from the heart. Must have been hungry that day”

Johnny full on snorted then. “I promise I did like it. Just not what I was expectin’ from you”

“You’ve got so much more to learn about me Johnny-boy”

They ventured outside to cool off the adrenaline from being on stage and smoke a much-needed cigarette. As Johnny rummaged in his pockets for a lighter, he hummed a familiar tune to himself, nodding his head slightly.

“Hey you’re singing my song!”

“I can’t get it out of my mind, it will definitely be a hit in Europe”

“Really?! That’s what I’ve secretly been thinking as well”

“Do you wanna form a band?”

Gyro turned to Johnny in surprise. “YES I would love to form a band nyo-ho!”

“I used to play bass back in Kentucky, I’m sure I could pick it up again” Jonny hummed, lighting another cigarette.

“You’re full of surprises Johnny-boy!”

Johnny barely remembered leaving the bar. It must have been about 4.30am by the time he left. He and Gyro stumbled through the streets, laughing hysterically every time Gyro fell over or Johnny wheeled himself into a wall. As they approached Johnny’s apartment building, Johnny felt a strange longing as Gyro began to say goodbye.

“Stay” he interrupted

“You want me to stay?”

“Just for a bit! I’ve got more drinks in the flat, I wanna talk more band stuff. You can show me some more songs”

Gyro tipped his hat and stretched his arm towards the door to Johnny’s flat. “Lead the way Johnny-boy”

⭑

Johnny’s headache began to settle down as he ate the eggs he had prepared for him and his very much unwelcome guest, wondering if he would ever leave.

“I can’t find my other boot” Gyro muttered, scratching his head in confusion

“Haven’t seen it” Johnny said a little too quickly

“Oh well! It’s a sign of a good night last night don’t ya think? Nyo-ho”

“Yeah I guess” Johnny wondered if he would just have to keep this vomit-soaked boot hidden under his bed forever.

“Wonderful eggs Johnny! Be sure to fill up on these before our first rehearsal tomorrow!”

Johnny’s eyes shot up from his plate and stared at Gyro in shock. “What rehearsal?”

“Nyo-ho-ho! Can’t believe you forgot already! Our first rehearsal as a band tomorrow, remember?”

Oh right. The band.

Chapter Text

A band? A fucking band? Johnny couldn’t believe it. He did not remember forming a band, worst of all, according to Gyro, it was Johnny’s idea. So, was he in a band now? He didn’t want to be. Johnny was in this third year of college, he had finals coming up and was graduating next year. He didn’t have time to be in a band. Not that Johnny was super passionate about his education. He was an average C student at best, barely scrapping a pass. Still a degree would be nice, it would get his father off his back a bit. And with a degree he could get a job far away from Kentucky and leave that part of his life behind him. For good.

But he didn’t want to hurt Gyro’s feelings. He seemed so excited to have someone to make music with. Despite his friendliness, Johnny got the impression that Gyro was a bit of a loner. It must have been hard for him, moving all the way to California from Naples. Johnny wondered if Gyro was also running away from his home life, maybe he also had some hardship growing up and was trying to get away from it.

Johnny swallowed the rest of his eggs, numbly staring at Gyro as he excitedly talked about songwriting and what not. Don’t we need a drummer? A guitarist? Surely Gyro has thought this through. Johnny wasn’t too worried about his commitment to this band if they didn’t even have the full ensemble yet. They wouldn’t get very far with just a bassist and a vocalist. Might as well play along for a bit, nothing serious. Plus, Gyro was good company. Of course, Johnny still found him insufferable, his stupid laugh and his newfound habit for over staying his welcome in Johnny’s flat. But, he was strangely endearing, Johnny couldn’t help but feel intrigued by Gyro’s uplifting charm. Maybe a band with him wouldn’t be so bad after all. His grades had been slipping recently, and what better way to solve his problems than ignore them completely.

“What about a drummer? Or a guitarist? I don’t even have a bass anymore” Johnny asked.

“That Hot Pants girl said she’d do it”

Huh? “What do you mean HP said she’d do it?”

“Last night! She popped round after shagging that hunky guy, she was raging about his terrible bedroom skills. Not that I can relate to that nyo-ho-ho! I’m a very passionate lover” Gyro gave Johnny a wink.

Johnny chose to ignore that last statement. And he chose to ignore the strange flip-flop in his stomach at the idea of Gyro being a passionate lover. “yeah she plays drums but there’s no way she’s gonna join your band”

“Our band Johnny-boy”

“Our band yeah whatever. I don’t even remember HP coming round last night” Johnny rubbed his head, feeling his hangover headache return with full vengeance.

“You were long gone by then stupido. Passed out on the couch after 20 minutes. HP was the one that dragged you to bed. When she came back we got to talking and she seemed really up for it”

Johnny couldn’t believe it. HP was a total brown nose to all her professors, straight A student since first year. There’s no way she would distract herself with a band right now.

They continued to talk about the band as Gyro gathered his belongings; his hat, cape, and his singular boot. He mentioned something about letting Johnny borrow his old bass for the first few rehearsals until he got one of his own. He talked about all the songs he had written and ideas for when the audience could sing or clap along. He talked about his guitar, a bright green knock-off Fender Stratocaster covered in stickers of horses, yes, horses, and how it was his pride and joy. He spoke about his secret dream of becoming the next Freddie Mercury instead of the doctor his father always wanted him to be. Gyro talked a lot. He spoke with passion and had a child-like wonder in his eyes as he fantasised about becoming a full-blown rockstar. Johnny watched as Gyro scribbled down his address on a scrap bit of paper, signing his name and adding a little winky face at the end. Johnny barely registered Gyro leaving his flat as he sat there in a mixed state of exhaustion and disbelief. He flopped into his bed, carefully avoiding Gyro’s boot. Later’s problem. Johnny stared up at the ceiling. One rehearsal won’t hurt. It’s not going to be a huge commitment anyway. Its not like they had a crowd of adoring fans, hell, they didn’t even have a name for the band. Johnny wondered what elaborate and no doubt inappropriate name Gyro would come up with for the band. Johnny turned in his bed to face his beloved childhood plushie tucked in beside him. It was a faded pink… creature? Johnny was never sure what animal it was. It was pink patterned with yellow stars, it had long ears, misshapen legs, and a big orange beak. The beak always confused Johnny, it certainly wasn’t a bird, so Johnny just assumed it was a tusk. Hence the creature’s name, Tusk.

⭑

The next day Johnny woke early to have breakfast with HP before their first rehearsal. He sat groggily outside the café they had arranged to meet at, still feeling his hangover from yesterday. Johnny was never a morning person, he usually slept well in to the afternoon, most likely trying to escape whatever hangover he was battling from the previous night. HP came skipping towards Johnny, with far too much energy for 9 in the morning. HP of course, was a morning person. Johnny guessed she had been up since 6am and been to the gym, probably made some health freak smoothie with spinach in it all before Johnny even got out of bed.

“Hiya Jojo!” she chirped as she pranced towards him.

Johnny almost never let people call him Jojo. The only people with that privilege were, or was, his brother Nick, and now HP. She only started calling him that after Johnny sobbed uncontrollably into her lap on the anniversary of his brother’s death. Johnny remembered HP gently stroking his hair as he wailed, muttering reassurance in his ear. Of course, she asked first if she could call Johnny ‘Jojo’ to which Johnny replied with a sniffle and a pathetic ‘yes.’ It was nice for Johnny to hear that name again, even if it was still hurtful to hear. He was just happy that it was now HP calling him ‘Jojo.’ They were practically siblings at this point.

“Hey HP”

“How was your day yesterday? Felling rough I assume?” HP gave Johnny a playful shove

“I puked in Gyro’s shoe and found out I had accidentally started at band with the fucker”

“Yikes”

“Yeah yikes. More importantly, what the hell are you doin’ joining a band?”

HP shrugged. “I don’t know, I just had a terrible time with that guy from the bar and just thought fuck it. Also, I had just gotten a B on my last assignment! A fucking B?! Might as well give up all hope now”

Johnny rolled his eyes. Always the dramatic type. HP was incredibly smart, but she was a pain in the ass anytime she got a grade lower than an A. “Still not worth givin’ up on. Whatever its your choice, I’m just glad I don’t have to put up with that Gyro guy by myself anymore”

“Put up with him? You seemed pretty pleased with his company that night, I saw you drooling over him”

“I did not drool over him!” Johnny cried, mortified.

They ate in comfortable silence. HP opted for a pesto chicken panini, while Johnny sipped at a chai latte. He wasn’t hungry at this ungodly hour (9am, come on Johnny this is a very normal breakfast time) so he had opted for a coffee instead. While he waited for HP to finish eating, he pulled out his phone to check the route to Gyro’s apartment. 20-minute walk away, not too bad. HP would probably resent the idea of getting a bus anyway. If it was under an hour away, she will walk it.

They arrived outside Gyro’s apartment complex, which was significantly nicer than Johnny’s, it was a tall brick building with ivy creeping up the walls. They walked inside to see a concrete interior with cracks running along the walls. Less nice. Oh, and a broken lift.

“Shit” Johnny muttered.

“What floor does Gyro live on again?” asked HP.

“Fourth.”

“Do you think you can manage? I can drag you to bed when you’ve passed out on a couch but I don’t think I can carry you up 4 flights”

Now, Johnny was strong, he regularly worked out his arms and chest, and had no problem pulling his own weight around. But stairs were slow and awkward to manoeuvre, he could manage to sort of bum-shuffle his way up a short flight and just let his legs drag, but to go up 4 whole flights of stairs would be tricky. And slow. Reluctantly, he called Gyro.

Gyro came running down the stairs, muttering what was probably several curses in Italian. “I told those assholes to fix that months ago! My neighbour is 80 years old for god’s sake… Hey Johnny-boy! So um… how do you wanna do this?”

“HP is gonna carry my chair, but I’ll need your help getting up”

“Well Johnny I can offer you the best of services! I can give you a piggy back or a princess style carry, although that’s usually reserved for the extra special guests! It’s quite romantic nyo-ho!”

Johnny rolled his eyes. He hated being carried around like this. “piggy back is fine, you’ll have to lift my legs on to you though”

Gyro smiled “piggy back it is!”

Gyro squatted down so Johnny’s legs were at his waist, carefully picking them up and wrapping them around his torso. Johnny sighed and leaned forward to hold on to Gyro’s shoulders.

“Ready Johnny?”

“Yep”

Gyro straightened his legs to lift Johnny out his chair in one smooth motion and shifted Johnny up so it was more comfortable for him. Johnny tightened his grip and wrapped his arms around the base of Gyro’s neck, resting his head on his bicep so he could see past Gyro’s head. It was then Johnny realised how strong the man was, feeling his shoulder muscles move underneath his hands as he carried Johnny up the stairs. From up here Johnny could also smell Gyro’s sweet coconut shampoo in his hair, which was tied back into a low bun. Johnny could feel Gyro’s hair brush against his cheek, my god his hair is soft, how does he get it to smell that good? Johnny inhaled as deeply as he could without being obvious, just to get a proper smell of this man’s hair, nothing weird about that! He could also smell a hint of perfume on Gyro’s skin, something sweet and floral to match his coconut hair. Johnny closed his eyes, leaning his head towards Gyro to get another sniff…just to figure out what shampoo he’s using that’s all.

“Doing okay up there Johnny?”

Johnny snapped his head up. “uh yeah I’m doin’ fine… thanks” he felt his cheeks flush. Is he blushing?!

“Almost there Johnny-boy don’t worry” Gyro said, grunting slightly.

HP followed behind them, over taking them on the last flight of stairs so Johnny could have his chair ready for when he dismounted Gyro. She unfolded the chair quickly as Gyro looked like he was now struggling to keep Johnny up. He gently lowered Johnny back into his chair, heaving a sigh of relief when the weight was off his back.

“Thank you Johnny Joestar for choosing Zeppeli Airways. We hope you fly with us again soon nyo-ho!” Gyro grinned as he stretched out his arms.

Johnny giggled back at him, suddenly missing the comfort of Gyro’s shoulders. And his coconut hair. Normally Johnny absolutely hated being manhandled, even when it was absolutely necessary, but he decided that maybe it isn’t so bad as long as its Gyro that’s carrying him. Anything to smell his hair again. Because it’s a really nice shampoo okay? no other reason.

“Welcome to the Zeppeli casa!” Gyro opened the door to his flat.

His flat was pretty much what Johnny expected, the living room had ugly mismatched furniture, painting of spirals hung on the pale green wallpaper and the table had a decorative bowl filled with green balls. His kitchen was pale pink, much to HP’s delight, and featured a fridge that looked like it was from the 1960s. Johnny wondered what his bedroom looked like. HP and Johnny sat in the living room while Gyro made some much-needed coffee for them all. It was thick and black with far too much sugar, but surprisingly tasty

“This is real coffee, much better than your poor American excuse of a coffee” he said proudly. “Oh! We need guitars! Wait and I’ll grab them, see how this bass is on you Johnny-boy”

Gyro retuned a minute later with two guitars in hand. “This is my lady Valkyrie” he held up his green guitar. “And this little lady here is Slow Dancer. She’s all yours Johnny”

“Why the horse stickers?” HP asked.

Gyro shrugged “I was going through a phase, but I think it fits quite nicely with my cowboy gear! Speaking of, I’ll need to find that other boot soon, I’ll call the bar and see if I left it there”

HP stifled a laugh while Johnny stared at the floor. He would confess one day. The boot had been cleaned and was currently sitting by Johnny’s window to dry, but he couldn’t bring himself to give it back to Gyro just yet.

Johnny cleared his throat. “So can I try the bass? It’s been a while so don’t expect anything good from me”

Gyro carefully placed the bass into Johnny’s hands, resting it on his lap. It felt so weird to be holding one again, feeling the hard metal strings under his fingers, the smooth wooden neck of the bass and its shiny pick ups on the body of the instrument. Johnny hadn’t even touched a bass since Nick’s death. It was Nick that taught him to play all those years ago, letting Johnny play on his bass, a gift from their father. After Nicks death, their father refused to let Johnny touch any of his possessions, including the bass. And it hurt. Johnny lost all his passion for music that day. The wrong son. Johnny pushed the thought out of his mind as quickly as it came. Not here, not today please, he thought, feeling an unpleasant churn in his stomach. He shook his head away from his thoughts and focused on Gyro, who was playing a catchy riff on his guitar while HP drummed along with her feet. Johnny watched Gyro’s hands as they moved up and down the neck of the guitar with precision, his fingers creating intricate patterns across the strings and creating a slight scratching sound has he strummed. As Johnny watched, he subconsciously began to play along, copying Gyro’s rhythm and melodies. Gyro looked back at Johnny and smiled.

“And you said you wouldn’t be any good! I’ve got a good feeling about this band”

Johnny smiled back shyly at the compliment. It did feel good to be playing again. If only Nick could see him now. Would he be proud? Johnny hoped so.

After an hour or so of playing together, Gyro sprung up from the couch. “I’ve got an idea” he pulled out his phone and opened up a webpage.

SteelRecords.com

“This is our goal” he announced.

Steel Records was a very well-known label in the US, surely Gyro knew this? “How the hell are we going to get a record deal with Steel? We don’t have any songs released, we haven’t played a single gig, we don’t even have a name!”

“Fear not Johnny, we will play a show and figure out a name! I’m sure that bar we were at the other night will let us use the karaoke stage. We can release songs whenever, I’ve already got some stuff recorded and ready to go”

HP chipped in. “Johnny’s right though, how do we land a record deal with the Mr Steel?”

“Right here! He’s hosting a mini festival in New York this September! The favourite band with the most public votes gets the record deal and… holy shit $50,000! That gives us 4 months to make some music and make a name for ourselves, we can travel across America and play shows as we go! We can go on tour!”

This was all sounding a bit too crazy for Johnny’s liking. He could handle being in a local band that played the same bar every weekend or something. That was fine, but tours? A record deal? Fucking New York? No way.

“I don’t know Gyro… New York?! That’s all the way across the continent, I don’t know if I can…” Johnny glanced at HP, who was also looking a bit hesitant

“I agree with Johnny” she hummed. “Even if we just pack up and go to New York, the festival is in September, we wouldn’t get back in time for the start of 4^th year”

Gyro sighed. “I’m only here for 3^rd year as a part of an exchange programme, I’ll be going back to Naples in September anyway, might as well try to ‘make it in America’ before I go”

Johnny’s heart sank a bit. Gyro isn’t staying in the US? Surely he’s mentioned that before? Maybe he did and Johnny was too drunk to remember, or maybe he just didn’t listen.

Gyro continued. “We can play down at that bar until this year is over and see how we feel, we’ve only got a couple weeks left of term anyway. HP you’re in the student accommodation, right? You’ll be getting booted out over summer, and Johnny I’m sure your dad won’t care if you’re not in that flat for a couple months? We can take my van and travel across the country for a few months. The applications for the festival close in August, if we don’t get in then we can all go our sperate ways.”

HP thought for a moment. “I was gonna see my family for a bit, but we aren’t on great terms right now… fuck it, I’m in! As long as I’m not missing school.”

“That’s the spirit!” Gyro looked hopefully at Johnny. “…Johnny? Any thoughts?”

Johnny thought very carefully about this. He thought about what his father would say and how furious he would be, he thought about what his plans were for the summer. Realistically he wouldn’t do much other than sit outside and get high, which he could probably do on the road. He thought of Nick, and how he would have jumped at the first opportunity to start a band, and would probably be very angry if Johnny didn’t take his chance right now. Johnny looked at Gyro, full of hope in his big green eyes. Come on Joekid, say something!

“I’ll do it”

Chapter Text

Results day today. Oh joy. Johnny was not expecting much to be perfectly honest. He was currently flopped in his bed, feeling the exhaustion of the last couple weeks throughout his body. It had been non stop assignments, exams, and band practices. They had their practices mostly at Gyro’s flat (much to Johnny’s delight as it meant being repeatedly carried by Gyro), it was the most spacious and the neighbours didn’t mind the noise as long as they didn’t play late into the night. HP even moved her drum kit into Gyro’s living room until they were ready to leave California for their ‘tour.’ It wasn’t really a tour, they had one show planned, and it was tonight down at the karaoke bar where Johnny first met Gyro. After that, they didn’t have much of a plan other than to just start driving. Gyro had managed to convince the owner of the bar to let them play as a celebration of exams ending. It didn’t take much convincing, the bar would be packed with students dying to relieve some stress, and the band would play for free. Still, Johnny felt a twinge of jealousy as he watched Gyro bat his eyelashes and laughed a bit too hard at the owner, giving her a playful shove. Textbook flirting kind of stuff. Was that really necessary? She was gonna let us play anyway no need to get all touchy. Johnny scowled at the memory. Whatever. We got the gig. Johnny opened his phone to check his results, distracting himself from Gyro’s totally unnecessary flirting. All Cs. The usual. He passed and that’s all he cared about. No doubt HP aced every single exam, she was probably jumping for joy right now. Johnny wondered how Gyro was getting on with his exams. Maybe he too was jumping for joy, laughing in that stupid way.

Johnny let out a long sigh and heaved his body out of bed. Sound check was in just a couple of hours. What should he wear? It wasn’t exactly a casual affair. HP would probably be wearing something nice, and Gyro would definitely be dressed in something outrageously hideous. Johnny didn’t really have any nice clothes. He opted for function over fashion, usually favouring pieces that had pockets with zippers, so his stuff wouldn’t slip out his pockets due to him sitting down all the time. Johnny dug around in his closet, eventually settling on some faded cargo jeans and a grey top with a black star across the chest. Johnny hasn’t worn this shirt in years, it was a bit small for him now, hugging him tightly around the muscles on his chest and arms. Oh well, it would do for tonight. He could probably find some nicer clothes in a thrift shop somewhere while on the road. Johnny pulled a grey beanie over his head instead of his usual blue one and took a final look in the mirror. He looked dull. Hopefully he would blend in to the dim lights of the bar while on stage. Johnny would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous. He hated crowds, public speaking, performing, anything like that. Why the hell would I join a band then? The idea of actually performing as band seemed so impossible that Johnny didn’t really feel anxious about it till right now. Johnny took a final look at his dull and anxious looking reflection and downed a redbul before heading out. He would need all the energy he could get for tonight.

As Johnny rolled towards the entrance of the bar, he was met with an overly exaggerated wave from Gyro and HP, standing a bit too close to each other for Johnny’s liking. Since when were they all pally? Johnny shook the thought away, of course they were going to be friendly with one another, they were in a band together after all. He just didn’t want them to, you know, like like each other. Not that Johnny cared who they fancied… just not each other…

“Heya JoJo!”

“Hi HP, hi Gyro”

“Excited for tonight?”

“I’m shitting my pants to be honest” Johnny’s comment earned a snort from Gyro

“Nyo-ho! You’ll be fine Johnny-boy! C’mon, sound check is in like 10 minutes we better head inside”

Johnny followed HP and Gyro into the bar, feeling a scowl form on his face. He was really starting to feel anxious now, actually going into the venue made the whole thing so much more real. Johnny felt his chest tighten. The guitar he had carefully balanced on his lap started to feel heavy, making him sink deeper into his chair. Johnny gripped his wheels tightly and pushed through the anxiety bubbling in his stomach. He couldn’t show his nerves to Gyro, he’d probably kick him out in a heartbeat, find a new, much cooler, bassist. One that could actually get up and dance with Gyro on stage. Anyone but me. Johnny kind of wished Gyro had picked someone else. 2 weeks of practice after not playing a bass for years? Johnny was no where near ready to play a gig. A real gig with a real audience and a real stage. He just wasn’t ready. Was this even something you could ever be ready for?

“Johnny look they’ve added a ramp!” Gyro’s voice snapped Johnny out of his thoughts. He felt a strong hand on the top of his hat gently rotate his head so it was turned towards the stage.

“Huh how about that”

“Saves you from sitting on the stage floor, god knows how many drinks have been spilled on there”

The ramp was pretty reassuring. Playing on stage was nerve-wracking enough, at least now he could be nervous from the comfort of his chair. Johnny watched Gyro skip up the ramp excitedly and on to the stage. The stage was tiny, HP barely had enough room to set up her drums. Luckily they were using the house kit, so HP only needed to bring her breakables (cymbals, snare drum, and kick pedal). Just as well, HP’s own kit was definitely too big for the stage. Johnny joined the pair on stage and squeezed himself next to the bass amp. He had just enough room to sit without bumping into HP’s carefully constructed cymbal set up.

“Alright we will start with you, bassist. Just play anything. Let me know what you want in the monitors” A voice boomed from behind a small sound desk in the corner of the room

“Oh… uh… I just play anything?”

The sound guy chuckled slightly. “Anything you want, but if it sounds bad I will mute your amp” he joked.

Oh fuck oh shit oh fuck. Play anything? What do I play? Fuck. Johnny was not expecting this. He’d have to play? All by himself? Sure no one was in the room except HP, Gyro, and the sound guy, but still this was horrifying. Johnny was so freaked out he ended up just playing the E string repeatedly.

“Riiiight… okay…” the sound guy was definitely regretting his little joke. He asked HP and Gyro to do the same with their instruments, visibly more impressed with their musical skills than Johnny’s. “Okay sounds good to me, I just need vocals now. Whever you’re ready, cowboy” He nodded to Gyro.

Gyro cupped the mic with both hands and began to sing a chorus of one of his own songs Johnny hadn’t heard before. His voice was silky and controlled, hitting every note perfectly. Johnny watched in awe as Gyro’s jawline sharpened with every movement, the stage lights somehow further defining his face. Sure, Johnny had heard Gyro sing lots of times during practice, but this was different. Without music Gyro’s vocals were raw and powerful, filling up the room with every word that he sang. There was no denying it- Gyro was a very attractive guy. He definitely had the looks, but also was charming and charismatic. Most of all he had talent and passion. Johnny wasn’t exactly gay, he had been known to experiment a little with guys, but in a friendly way… right? He could recognise that Gyro had his good looks and an endearing (also slightly annoying) personality, but he would probably never like Gyro that way. It would be a bad idea anyway. Band members probably shouldn’t be fucking each other.

After some final sound checks, the band had a couple hours to spare before they were due on stage. They used that time to relax a bit at and get some food and a couple of free drinks from the bar. Johnny drank two beers at once. It wouldn’t get him drunk, he had built quite the tolerance over the years, but it would at least settle his nerves a little. He sat in silence and watched HP and Gyro apply their makeup for the show. HP wore her usual glittery pink eyeshadow, eyeliner, and blush. Nothing Johnny hadn’t seen before. He was much more interested in Gyro somehow making himself even prettier. Gyro carefully applied a subtle deep purple shadow along his bottom lash line, paired with mascara and a tiny wing across the eye. Johnny was mesmerized by the way Gyro lined his lips with a deep green pencil and applied a lighter shade of green lipstick to match. Johnny noticed that his stupid square patched beard had been recently trimmed and wow is that an eyebrow slit? He wore a loosely fitted purple shirt that was only partially buttoned with dark green flared trousers, decorated with frills along the seams. Gyro must have caught Johnny staring, because he leaned closer to Johnny, just enough so HP wouldn’t hear.

“What are you staring at Johnny?” He grinned, leaning closer until he was practically whispering into Johnny’s ear. “How do I look? Do I look good?”

Very. “I uh… yeah… you-“

“You guys are on in 5!” A voice shouted from behind.

All three of them jumped. Johnny was so busy gawking at Gyro he hadn’t even noticed the bar open. The room was already filled with about 30 people.

Gyro sprung to his feet. “Ooo! Nearly forgot these.”

He reached into his bag and pulled out a small plastic box. Inside the box were two casts of shiny gold metal, engraved with the words ‘Gyro Zeppeli.’ Fucking grills. This man had fucking grills for his teeth. Johnny thought back to the first night they had met, and the hazy flashes of gold throughout his memory. That explains that. Of course Gyro was the kind of guy to own grills. Johnny watched in horror as he put his grills in and strutted towards the stage.

No. no no no. Fuck. Shit. I can’t do this. Johnny felt panic begin to rise from his stomach. Gyro was motioning for him to come over. He numbly wheeled himself on to the stage. If Johnny could feel his legs, he sure as hell would be starting to lose feeling in them right now. His hands shook as he rolled into his spot next to HP and picked up Slow Dancer. Through the ringing in his ears and the loud thumping of his heart, Johnny could hear a cheer from the crowd as the band got ready to play. He could fainty hear Gyro introduce himself, Johnny, and HP to the audience. He sounded as if he were under water. Johnny’s vision began to form black splodges as his head spun.

The wrong son…

God no please not now. His fathers word echoed repeatedly in his mind, consuming his entire body with fear.

God took the wrong son from me…

“Hey” Johnny felt a hand on his shoulder. “I promise the nerves will go away as soon as you hit that first note. You’ll do great Johnny-boy” The hand moved from Johnny’s shoulder up to Johnny’s chin, tilting his head so he was looking up.

Johnny blinked furiously to try and clear his vision. Gyro was crouched in front of him, smiling softly. Johnny could only nod back at Gyro, as he felt that if he opened his mouth in this moment, he would probably need to borrow another one of Gyro’s boots. Gyro gave Johnny a final nod and stood back up to begin the show.

Johnny took a deep breath as HP counted with her drum sticks, and began to play. His hands were shaking and moved clumsily across his bass, barely hitting the notes in time. Strangely enough, Gyro was right. After hitting that first note it wasn’t so bad. Johnny slowly gained his confidence, even managed to tear his eyes away from the floor and look at the audience. Well, he didn’t really look at the audience, that would probably send him into cardiac arrest, but rather he focused his eyes on the back wall of the bar. Better than looking at the floor. Johnny actually started to enjoy himself. He played better and better with every song, and even cracked a smile whenever he caught Gyro’s eye from across the stage. Gyro was a natural of course, singing effortlessly and strumming his guitar with precision. He couldn’t move around the stage too much or jump into the audience like he did at the karaoke night because of his guitar. But he still captured the attention of every single person in that bar, encouraging them to clap along whenever he had his hands free. With each song the crowd erupted into roaring applause and cheers, even a wolf whistle as Gyro fully unbuttoned his shirt just before the last song. Johnny couldn’t help but stare (of course he did). Gyro’s smooth chest and stomach glistened with sweat under the stage lights. Wow. Just wow. Johnny almost laughed at himself. Now was certainly not the time to be checking Gyro out. Johnny looked away before Gyro could catch him staring (again) and prepared for the final song, and most importantly, his bass solo.

Johnny took a deep breath, enjoying his time on stage while he could. They had a 40-minute set, and it just flew by. Gyro said his final thanks to the crowd and announced that this was their last song, which was met with a series of playful boos. HP counted with her sticks for the final time for the night, and the band began to play. Johnny felt almost giddy with the excitement of it all, playing his guitar as hard as he could, truly feeling the music surrounding him. He played flawlessly, his fingers moving up and down the neck of the bass, plucking the strings in time with HP’s drums. Getting a bit cocky now, Johnny signalled for HP to speed up. She shot a confused look in return, but obliged. Johnny played faster and faster, feeling a sting in the tips of his fingers as he scraped along the thick metal strings, but he didn’t care. He just kept playing, his fingers rapidly increasing in speed. The crowd watched in anticipation, totally mesmerized by Johnny and cheering him on.

“Go Johnny go!” Johnny could hear Gyro shout into his mic.

With one final strum and a crash of cymbals, their show was over. The crowd was in stunned silence for a split second before jumping out their seats and roaring with applause. Cheers and whistles filled the room as Gyro bowed, flashing his golden teeth as he smiled. Johnny sat back in his chair, fingers aching. He looked around the room, there was maybe a good 50 people in the bar now, all clapping their hands and cheering. Cheering for him. For Gyro and for HP. But also, for him. For Johnny Joestar. Johnny couldn’t stop smiling. He shared a look with HP who was also grinning from behind her drums.

Gyro ran towards Johnny and quite literally dropped to his knees, throwing his arms around Johnny.

“Holy shit Johnny that was fucking awesome!” He yelled excitedly into Johnnys ear, clinging onto his neck tightly.

“Gyro! Oh my god you sounded so good!” Johnny hugged Gyro back, wrapping his arms around his torso. “Fuck I need a cigarette after that.”

It took them a good 10 minutes to make their way outside because of so many people coming up to congratulate them. Gyro of course, was thrilled to have his ego fuelled and took the time to have a polite chat with everyone that came up to him, even giving out his Instagram to those who asked. Johnny on the other hand, said a quick thank you and moved on. He wasn’t used to this many people wanting his attention. Usually when people congratulated him it was because he was minding his own business and people felt the need to tell him he was so brave for being in his wheelchair. He hated it. So, the feeling of people telling him he did a good job for something outside of being disabled was so foreign to him. He wasn’t quite sure how to react. He pushed his way through the bar, and past HP, who was already chatting up her next one night stand. At least it was with a woman this time. Johnny and Gyro grinned at each other, mutually deciding it was best to leave her alone for now. They made their way outside and enjoyed the blissful breeze from the cool summer evening air. Both of them were drenched in sweat after the show, almost enough to make Johnny remove his hat. Almost.

“So what do ya think Johnny? Shall we head to New York?” Gyro asked, lighting a well-earned cigarette.

“Mr Steel won’t know what hit him!” Johnny replied. “When you thinkin’ of leavin’?”

“I can go tomorrow?”

“HP will want to obsess over that girl for a bit.” Johnny chuckled. “How about on Friday? Gives us a couple days to pack”

“Then Friday it is. I’ll get my van ready”

“Hey wanna come back to mine for a drink? A little post gig celebration? We can watch a movie or somethin’. HP is probably occupied for the rest of the night”

Gyro laughed and passed his cigarette to Johnny for a drag. “That sounds delightful Johnny-boy! I hope you have High School Musical!”

They grabbed their instruments and headed back to Johnny’s flat, laughing and talking excitedly about what New York might be like. They clinked their cheap beers together and collapsed onto Johnny’s couch, feeling the exhaustion from the gig wash over them. They drunkenly sang along to High School Musical, (Johnny taking the role of Troy and Gyro was Gabriella, obviously) laughing at the absurdity of the film and pointing out all the plot holes. About half way through the second film, Johnny could feel his eyelids becoming heavy. He glanced over at Gyro who also seemed to be nodding off, clearly tired from all the excitement of the gig. Johnny felt a small smile tug on his lips as he slumped further into the couch. He let himself slip off to a peaceful sleep before he could even hear Sharpay sing Fabulous.

Chapter Text

Johnny hazily woke to the sweet familiar scent of coconut and a firm yet strangely comforting weight on his chest. He shuffled slightly in the awkward position he had woken up in (on his back with his neck twisted to the side, ouch.) but instead of his usual soft bed sheets, Johnny heard the faint crinkle of his cheap leather couch. Oh yeah that’s right, I passed out here… we watched High School Musical… Gyro also fell asleep… Wait. Gyro? Johnny’s eyes shot open to see a close-up of Gyro’s partially exposed chest. He was still wearing the half-buttoned shirt from last night. Apon further inspection Johnny could see that the weight on his chest was in fact Gyro’s arm slung lazily across Johnny’s torso, hand resting on his waist. Gyro was laying on his side with his back adjacent to the back rest of the couch, while Johnny lay on his back with his head snuggled in to Gyro’s chest. Okay. So, this was gonna be weird. Johnny bolted upright and attempted to scramble off the couch, only to look down and see his legs intertwined with Gyro’s. Johnny tried to pull his legs free while desperately trying not to wake Gyro. He’d laugh so hard at this and probably torment Johnny with their accidental cuddle for weeks. HP would be in hysterics if she ever found out.  

“…mhhhhmmphh… Johnny…?” Gyro grumbled. Mission failed. Fuck

“Gyro!” Johnny practically hissed. “Move your legs”

Gyro lifted his legs out the way and rolled into a more comfortable position, immediately falling back asleep. Johnny frantically dragged himself back into his wheelchair and backed away from the couch, blushing furiously. He breathed a tiny sigh of relief as he heard Gyro begin to snore, clearly unaware of what just happened. Johnny rubbed his eyes and took a moment to process the awkward awakening he had just endured. Did Gyro find it weird? Not that Johnny found it weird, just a bit… not normal? It’s not like Johnny could help the fact he was snuggled into Gyro, he was asleep after all! This was entirely the work of his unconscious body, probably just looking for something warm to sleep against. Plus, it was Gyro who put his arm around Johnny, and it must have been Gyro who wrapped their legs around each other because it was literally impossible for Johnny to do that. He looked over at Gyro, sleeping peacefully on the couch. His face had a calm expression and his eyelids flickered slightly from whatever dream he was having. He looked nice if Johnny was being perfectly honest. Even despite his smudged day-old make up, stale clothes from last night and messy hair, Gyro still looked rather handsome. He’s just got one of those faces. Johnny thought. It also helped that Johnny couldn’t see those hideous grills that blinded him with a golden flash of light every time Gyro would crack up at his own jokes.

Johnny figured his best course of action was to shower, change and prepare some breakfast for the two of them. Based on the last time Gyro stayed at Johnny’s flat, he got the impression that he would be stuck with his guest for a while. Johnny wheeled into his bedroom and took of his sweaty clothes from the night before, his hat, although now sitting crooked on top of his blonde waves, was still firmly on his head. Thank god. He washed up and put on his usual faded jeans and hoodie, as well as his usual blue beanie. He wheeled back into the kitchen to see Gyro was now lying face down on his stomach, with his arm bent at a jaunty angle wedged between his body and the back of the couch. That cannot be comfortable Johnny thought to himself, although Gyro’s loud snoring begged to differ. Johnny smiled slightly and peered into his bare fridge. There was a pack of sausages that were out of date today, a singular egg, and eight cans of beer. Well, it was barely enough for the two of them but it would have to do. Johnny fried up the sausages and singular egg, and put some toast on to try and bulk out the breakfast a little bit. He pushed the sausages around the pan mindlessly, flinching slightly any time a bit of hot oil spat out on to his arms.

“mmm smells good Johnny” Gyro said gruffly from across the room.

“Mornin’ sleeping beauty. Should be ready in five”

“All I head was beauty” Gyro grinned as he practically floated off the couch towards the smell of breakfast, the way that a cartoon character floats towards the smell of a pie cooling in a windowsill. Gyro squeezed into the tiny kitchen space with Johnny and rummaged through his cupboards, clearly making himself at home. “oooo stick these on” he said, tossing a can of beans to Johnny

“Yeah just help yourself to my cupboards why don’t you” Johnny said sarcastically, rolling his eyes at Gyro.

Gyro just flashed his grills at Johnny and sat down at the table with a knife and fork propped up in his hands waiting patiently for his breakfast.

Johnny placed two plates filled with sausage, egg, beans, and toast on the table and wheeled himself into place. “Eat up Gyro, we both gotta pack if we are leaving Friday… god that’s tomorrow isn’t it?”

“Yeth it ith Johnny-boy!” Gyro said as he yanked those god forsaken grills out his mouth, and to Johnny’s horror, he plonked them on the table.

“Are you fuckin’ serious Gyro.”

“Sheeeesh didn’t know the president was joining us for breakfast today. Fine I’ll put them away” Gyro huffed, putting the grills into their little box and tucking it away in his pocket.

Gross. And to think Johnny snuggled with that man.

As if on cue, Gyro spoke with a mouthful of egg and beans. “Sorry about trapping your legs this morning, I saw them start to slip off the couch last night and I didn’t want you falling”

“Oh” Johnny blushed for the second time that morning “Thanks I guess. Should’ve just let me fall though, given yourself a bit more space on the sofa”

“Oh but you looked so cute and cosy I just couldn’t wake you”

Johnny felt his cheeks go even redder at the comment. He just smiled and shoved another spoonful of beans in his mouth. “So Gyro. I’ve given you a place to sleep, fed you beers, coffee, and cooked breakfast for you. That means you gotta help me pack.”

“Fine by me!”

Helping Johnny pack ended up just being Gyro sitting on Johnny’s bed while he shoved some clothes into a duffel bag, occasionally holding up a shirt and asking for Gyro’s opinion. He said no to most of Johnny’s clothing, it wasn’t quite flashy enough for Gyro’s liking. Though he did admire Johnny’s taste for stars, they patterned most of his clothes and decorated his phone case, bed sheets, and even the duffel bag.

“How about this one?” Johnny said, holding up a white short sleeved shirt with blue accents.

“Hmmm I don’t know, maybe try it on?” Gyro said, clearly unconvinced by the shirt.

“Alright fine. Look away”

“Look away? What’s the matter? Waiting for the third date or something? Nyo-ho-ho” Gyro chuckled.

“No.” Johnny retorted, slightly mortified at Gyro’s little joke. “Just keep your eyes busy, pervert!”

“Ugh fine” Gyro muttered as he closed his eyes, covering them with his hands for emphasis.

Satisfied that Gyro could not see him, Johnny removed his hoodie, being careful not to take of his beanie in the process. Just as Johnny was reaching for the shirt, he heard a cry from Gyro.

“Holy shit you’re fucking ripped!”

Johnny’s hands flew to his chest to try and gain a bit of decency. “Hey asshole no peeking!”

“Sorry! I just opened my eyes a tiny bit! It was an accident!”

“Sure it was” Johnny said, eagerly reaching for the shirt so he could cover himself up. However, as he reached down, Gyro caught sight of the star-shaped birthmark on Johnny’s left shoulder.

“Wow is that a tattoo?” he asked.

“Birthmark actually” Johnny replied, turning his chair around so Gyro could see it better. “Pretty cool don’t you think?”

“Yeah that’s fucking awesome, is that why you like stars so much?”

“Part of the reason I guess” the other part of the reason being that Nick always loved stars. He used to think it was so cool that his little baby brother Jojo was born with a star on his back. Like a little piece of Nick that would always be with Johnny.

“Your back is fucking ripped as well” Gyro said quietly.

Johnny felt himself smile a little. Feeling brave, and clearly having his ego boosted by Gyro, Johnny lifted up his arms in an obviously fake stretch and began flexing his muscles as hard as he could. He turned back around in his chair and grinned at Gyro, now flexing his stomach and chest muscles, even adding in a few exaggerated grunts. Gyro did not smile back, but instead just looked slowly up and down Johnny’s chest, lips slightly parted. Johnny could feel a tension in the air. Oh god, was that weird? Was that a weird thing to do?

“Wow… who knew you had all that going on under your hoodie” Gyro said, his eyes locked on to Johnny’s v-line.

“Yeah well, I can bench press nearly 200kg” Johnny said, finally putting the shirt on.

Gyro nodded. “It shows. Shirt looks good, bit big though. You should crop it! Give the crowds a little sneak peak of those muscles”

“Maybe I will” Johnny smiled. Finally, Gyro smiled back.

He cleared his throat. “I should get going, I need to go pack my own shit, and also get the van ready. I can pick you up tomorrow morning around 9-ish? Then we will go get HP and hit the road!”

“Sounds good”

“Crop the shirt, I mean it” and with a playful wink, Gyro was gone.

Johnny sat on his bed where Gyro had sat just minutes before. He thought about what the next few months of his life would be like, most likely ‘roughing it’ in Gyro’s van through the states. Shit. Johnny hadn’t even thought about accommodation, would they get hotels? Maybe a hostel? Even a couple nights in the van, but there’s no way all three of them would fit in there comfortably. Plus, hotels would get expensive. And what about fuel? They would need to fill up the tank A LOT if they were driving all the way to New York. Oh god what about showers? Was Johnny really going to have to wet wipe his balls for the next four months? Gyro was probably used to it. He looked like the kind to have a wet wipe wash instead of a shower. Actually, maybe not. His hair does smell good after all Johnny thought. Okay so Gyro probably did shower. Johnny imagined him gently massaging his heavenly coconut shampoo into his hair, running his soapy fingers through his thick waves. Johnny could picture the soap running down his neck, his shoulders, his back, his torso-

Johnny immediately snapped out of his little day dream. Why on earth was he picturing Gyro in the shower. Ew. Gross. Johnny breathed a heavy sigh and forced himself back into his chair to finish packing. He stuffed in a few more clothing items along with his favourite blue pyjama bottoms with pink stars all over them, coincidentally matching to his beloved hat. He also picked up Gyro’s boot that was still shamefully hidden under his bed. It was obviously clean now, and probably time it was returned to its original owner. He shoved it in the top of his duffel bag and zipped it up, ready for tomorrow morning. Johnny spent the rest of his day mostly on his bed, playing his bass. What was it Gyro called it? Slow Dancer? Yeah that’s it. He liked the feel of Slow Dancer. It was no where near as comfortable as Nick’s old bass though. It fit Johnny perfectly. He remembered how Nick excitedly brought home a set of star stickers, carefully planning the perfect layout before sticking them on forever. If only Johnny could play that bass again, he’d give anything to be sitting on Nick’s bed with the bass in hand, tracing the stickers with his fingers whenever he was feeling anxious. Nick would talk him down and play a gentle tune on his guitar until Johnny felt better enough to join with the bass. Are you proud of me Nick? I’m in a band! Just like we dreamed! Johnny felt a small lump in his throat form. Even after years he still missed Nick with every aching bone in his body. Johnny had long stopped blaming himself for the accident, thanks to therapy, but he still feels that deep guilt come creeping up on occasion. Especially on bad days. He just can’t quite shake the feeling that it was his fault. Johnny lay in his bed for quite some time, thinking about Nick, about Gyro, the still unnamed band, and just everything that has happened in the last few weeks. He soon drifted off to sleep, a soft and light sleep that was definitely not going to be enough for tomorrow.

The first thing Johnny heard when he woke up was not his alarm, but instead a call from HP at 7am to remind Johnny to be awake. Johnny of course, did not care for the reminder, as Gyro wasn’t coming to pick him up for another 2 hours, meaning he could easily get another hour and a half of sleep. Johnny murmured some “uh-huhs” and “yups” to HP until she got off the phone, and promptly fell back asleep.

The next thing Johnny heard was still not his alarm, but rather his front door opening and an overly excited chirp from HP as she skipped into Johnny’s flat like she owned the place.

“Gooooooood morning Jojo! I hope you’re ready! Come on out we’ve got to go in exactly 50 minutes”

My god her cheerfulness was annoying sometimes. Especially in the mornings. “That means I still have 40 minutes of sleep left” Johnny grumbled back.

“Nonsense!” said HP, bursting into Johnny’s bedroom. “Gyro texted me, he’s leaving in about 10 minutes to come help you move your stuff”

“I mean it’s one duffel bag and a guitar, that’s it. I don’t really have a lot of stuff”

“Yeah so I see” HP looked disapprovingly at Johnny’s duffel. “Come on then, get up and get come caffeine in you so you’re not all grumpy when Gyro gets here.”

“Whatever shit pants” Johnny muttered, pulling his beanie over his bed head and dragging himself into his chair.

“Very funny” HP rolled her eyes.

Johnny sipped at his coffee while HP excitedly drummed her fingers on her own cup, talking in a flurry about their little tour. Gyro arrived shortly after, barely giving them time to finish their coffee, excitedly trying to hurry them out the door.

“Is this everything then Johnny-boy?” Gyro said as he slung Slow Dancer across his shoulder.

“Yeah, just let go brush my teeth and pack my toothbrush” Johnny replied as he wheeled towards his en suite bathroom. Apon returning from the bathroom, toothbrush in hand, Johnny caught sight of Tusk sitting on his bed. The small, well-loved, pink creature stared back at him, almost with a sad expression as if to say ‘please don’t leave me behind.’ Johnny hesitated for a moment, before picking up Tusk and giving it a reassuring squeeze. He gently balanced tusk on top of his duffel bag that was sitting in his lap, and gave a final glance around his room. In full honesty he was glad to be getting out of there and finally do something exciting with his life. He wheeled back into his kitchen where Gyro immediately clocked Tusk and lit up with glee.

“Awwwwww who’s this?” He cooed.

“This is Tusk. Had him since I was a kid.”

“Hmm… Tusk. I like him. Um… what is he?”

“No idea to be honest” Jonny laughed. “I called him Tusk because of this” He gestured to Tusk’s beak. Or maybe it was a tusk. To this day, Johnny still wasn’t sure what it was.

“Well, he’s cute. Oh! He gets to meet the rabbit, that’s my childhood teddy! We can make them have a little tea party nyo-ho!”

Johnny just laughed and rolled his eyes. “Right get out my flat everyone, I’m dyin’ for a little nap on the road.”

The three of them headed outside Johnny’s apartment building and were met with the sight of Gyro’s van. The “van” turned out to be a campervan. It was small and vintage looking, with the weird clunky overhang on top of the front window, and of course, it was green. Apon closer inspection, Johnny could see tiny spirals painted in a light purple all over the camper. The door, which was on the rear of the vehicle, was also painted, with one big spiral that spanned across the whole door. The van had such a charm to it that Johnny almost giggled. Trust Gyro to have such a fun looking vehicle, it suited him perfectly.

“Welcome to my travel casa!” Gyro said proudly as he opened the rear door to the camper, revealing its interior.

The camper was composed of a tiny kitchen, tiny bathroom, and a tiny sitting area. The kitchen was complete with a fridge, gas cooker, and even a little sink. Towards the front of the camper a table sat between two benches, topped with long cushions that matched the sage green exterior of the van. Above the seating area was a small hollow space that was barely a metre from its “floor” to the ceiling of the van. The space extended over the windscreen of the van, which explains the weird overhang. Along the top of the walls of the camper was rows of cupboards and a couple shelves, as well as a couple of plug sockets.

“Either me or HP will sleep up there” Gyro said, pointing to the crawl space at the top of the van. “Then the table folds down and you shuffle the cushions around to make the bed. Unfortunately, two of us will have to share. But there’s more than enough room for two people there.”

“Bagsy the upstairs!” HP said excitedly, climbing in to the van and throwing her bag into the top area.

“Then looks like we are sharing Johnny. If that’s okay? If not I’ll get HP to move.” Gyro said.

“Nah it’s okay, HP will want her privacy, plus it’s not like I can climb up there”

“Speaking of, I don’t think your chair is gonna fit inside without folding it, I’m so sorry Johnny! But I bought a little stool and screwed on some wheels so you can sort of move around, and your chair can get strapped to this bit of wall next to the door”

Johnny laughed when he spotted the stool that Gyro was referring to. It looked janky as hell to be honest, and no doubt the wheels would break within the first week, however it was a kind gesture, and Johnny appreciated it nonetheless.

Gyro continued “I also moved all my mugs and plates into these top cupboards so you can use the kitchen ones for your clothes and shit, since you won’t be able to reach the top ones”

“Thanks Gyro, I appreciate that”

HP then piped up from the top of the van. “Hey if there’s only two passenger seats, how are we gonna sit?”

“You and Johnny can take turns sitting in the back, there’s a little divider between the couches and the two front seats that can be folded back, so we can still chit chat! Or when Johnny inevitably wants his nap time, he can fold it up again nyo-ho!”

That last comment earned Gyro a playful thump from Johnny. “Whatever asshole I’m gonna be keepin’ that divider up at all times”

Johnny sat in the doorway of the camper and folded up his chair. He used his arms to shuffle himself fully inside and strapped his chair to wall space next to the door as instructed by Gyro. HP was already settled in the passenger seat and browsing through Gyro’s CD collection. Johnny pulled himself on to one of the benches, already plumping up a throw pillow so he could try and get some more sleep on the drive.

“I think that should be the name of our band by the way” Gyro said as he pulled his seatbelt over his shoulder.

“What is?” Johnny asked.

“Tusk!”

And with a swift turn of the keys, they were off.

Chapter Text

 “Hey so where are we actually going?” HP asked.

Good question Johnny thought. Where were they going to go? They had 4 months to kill before they needed to be in New York. Even then, they all would have to go back to college in late August for their final year if they didn’t get to play at Steel’s festival. What if they did get in the festival? They would have to miss the first few weeks of class. Johnny couldn’t afford any more absences. He slept through many 9am lectures and often skipped classes to either drink or get high. HP had never skipped a class in her life and there’s no way she would want to break that record now. Come to think of it, this whole thing was out of character for HP. Usually over the summer break she would already be studying for the next year, memorizing the entire curriculum before it had even started. So what the hell was she doing running away on this road trip?

“I’m thinking we should just get out of California first, maybe stop in Arizona for the night, should only take about 8 hours to get there” Gyro said, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel as he mentally planned out a route.

“mmm sounds like a good 8 hour nap to me” Johnny yawned.

“Or you can make yourself useful and give me directions” Gyro said, shoving his phone into Johnnys hands. “Get to it, map boy” Gyro teased.

“What directions do you even need? Just get on a highway and stay there” Johnny rolled his eyes and shoved Gyro’s phone into HP’s hands instead. Clearly he was still grumpy from being woken up so early. “Wake me up when we stop for breakfast.” And with that, Johnny put his headphones in and promptly fell asleep on the couch cushions in the camper, listening to the gentle hum of the engine that seeped through his headphones.

Johnny woke a few hours later to the sound of music that was not his own, but rather one of Gyro’s CDs blasting though the speakers from the front of the van. Johnny hazily sat up from the couch, wobbling a bit from the sway of the van, and peered into the front seats to see what HP and Gyro were up to. HP was mindlessly scrolling through something on her phone while Gyro tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, humming along to whatever niche rock band Gyro had burned on to the CD.

“Afternoon Johnny” Gyro turned his head slightly and smiled at Johnny. A real one. One without the usual blinding flash of hideous gold. “You’re just in time, I’m about to make a stop for some grub if you’re hungry”

Johnny’s stomach grumbled at the thought of food. He glanced at his phone and saw that it was near 1.30pm. He hadn’t eaten breakfast yet and they had been driving for about 4 hours now. “Sounds good, I’m starvin’ Where we gonna stop?”

“Theres a small town just a couple miles ahead, they’ve got a little retro style diner that looks good. I can practically taste that good ol’ American stack of pancakes already!” Gyro licked his lips at his imaginary pancakes.

They arrived at the diner and all clambered out of the van for a much-needed leg stretch. For Gyro and HP that is, Johnny stretched out his arms from his chair and wheeled around the van, happy to get some movement in his muscles again. The diner was a small modern looking building with a brightly decorated classic 60s diner style. Right in the doorway featured a life-sized Elvis statue that honestly gave Johnny a bit of a fright when he first entered the building. [see what I did there teehee] The diner featured a black and white square tiled floor and pale blue walls decorated with various licence plates, Elvis merch, football jerseys, and silly tourist gimmicks with boobs on them. Nice. The three of them sat in a booth and got their food ordered, sipping patiently at their milkshakes that Gyro insisted they all ordered to get the “true American experience.” While they waited, Gyro and HP talked about one of HP’s many life stories that Johnny had heard many times before so he just sort of zoned out. Johnny tried not to think about the fact that Gyro’s arm resting on the table was lightly pressed against Johnny’s own arm. That became increasingly more difficult as anytime Gyro snorted out his stupid laugh, he would grab Johnny’s arm and shake it as he became more and more hysterical. Johnny rolled his eyes. Come on HP isn’t that funny. Still, Johnny couldn’t help but smile at Gyro’s insanity. His laugh, stupid as it is, was quite infectious, and Johnny found himself quietly giggling along to the hilarity.

A sudden unexpected remark from HP fully caught Johnny off guard, and he laughed so hard his sip of milkshake shot out of his nose, splattering all over the table, and unfortunately, all over Gyro. Johnny coughed and spluttered loudly, sinking into his chair in embarrassment, while Gyro and HP fell into a silent laughter, Gyro clutching Johnny’s arm tighter than before.

“Right guys that’s enough. Maybe we should calm it a bit” Johnny muttered. He was still smiling though.

“Easy for you to say! You’re not covered in snotty milkshake” Gyro shot back through his laughter.

“… Um… everything okay here?” A waiter stood at the foot of their table, balancing three plates of food in her arms and raising an eyebrow at Johnny.

“Fine thanks… maybe just some more napkins would be great” Johnny replied, he couldn’t quite bring himself to meet her eyes.

The waiter placed the food on the table and left to retrieve more napkins for the group. HP and Gyro calmed themselves down enough to tuck into their food, Gyro drowning his stack of pancakes in a thick layer of syrup while HP smothered her halloumi burger with garlic mayo. Johnny took a moment to glance at both HP and Gyro. He felt… something. He stared down at his own plate of waffles topped with fried chicken and bacon. He was happy to be away from his numb misery in California for certain, but he still wasn’t quite sure what he was feeling now. But it was pretty good to feel something.

The rest of meal was uneventful and they ate in mostly silence. After the first couple bites they all realised how hungry they actually were, and eagerly inhaled their food. As they ate, Gyro searched on his phone for potential venues they could play while on the road.

“There’s a town not too far from the Grand Canyon that’s a bit of a tourist hot spot. Theres a couple bars and small gig venues that do local gigs, I’m sure we can call some of them up and see if they’ve got any openings for us” Gyro said through mouthfuls of pancake.

“Sounds good to me! Make sure to ask if they’ve got a house kit before we go so I don’t have to unload all my drums every time we play” HP replied.

“Also ask if they’ve got a DI box because I can’t balance the bass amp and the bass on my lap and I am NOT makin’ two trips” Johnny said, complaining as usual.

“Don’t worry my children! I played a few gigs back in Italy you know, I know what I’m doing. I’ll make sure the venues are accessible for Johnny and that poor little HP doesn’t have to lift a finger when loading in her drums” Gyro said, a hint of smugness in his voice.

“Watch it Gyro I’ll set your fucking van on fire” HP snapped, clearly not amused by his little remark.

Johnny laughed to himself, knowing HP was fully serious. You should never cross HP.

They finished up their meals at the diner and were soon back on the road. The drive to the next town went quickly, and they arrived just before 6pm. While on the road Johnny managed to find a local family-owned campsite they could stay at for a couple days while they were in Arizona. The site was only a 5-minute drive away from the small town Gyro had mentioned earlier, so it was an ideal spot for them. The campsite was small, only about 20 pitches, but mostly empty because not many people are keen to be living the outdoorsy life during the hot summer months in Arizona. They checked in at the little log cabin near the entrance and were escorted to their pitch by one of the family members with such an absurd last name that Gyro couldn’t stop giggling at. After being scolded many times by HP to stop laughing at poor Benjamin Boomboom, Gyro was able to compose himself enough to pay for their 3 night stay and begin setting up the van. Gyro carefully instructed Johnny and HP on how to connect the water pipes and electricity from the campsite to the van and how place the wheel blocks. After unpacking all their clothes, the three of them sat down to make a little game plan for the rest of their stay.

“I got an email back from one of the venues!” HP said excitedly. “There’s a local band headlining the venue on Sunday night and one of their support slots has pulled out, so we’ve been offered the spot!”

“Amazing! That means we’ve got tonight and tomorrow night to chill for a bit, maybe get a quick practice in tomorrow so we are ready for Sunday. Then after the gig we can crash back here and check out Monday” Gyro said.

Johnny just nodded along. He honestly wasn’t really sure what to contribute. Gyro had apparently done all this before back in Italy, and as always HP just knew what she was doing. Johnny was just happy to be along for the ride. Away from the California misery.

“Well” Gyro slapped his hands on his knees. “It’s our first official night of the Tusk Tour! I think this calls for a celebration don’t you think? The town is only a 20 minute walk away from here and after all that driving I think I need a drink”

Then Johnny piped up. “I like the way you think Gyro! You up for it HP?” That feeling from the diner began to return.

“No thank you boys. I think I want a quiet one after that journey. Still feeling a bit icky from the drive. I think I’ll make use of the shower blocks here and maybe set up some social media accounts for the band. That is, if you trust me Gyro?” Said HP.

“I trust you HP” Gyro smiled. “I’m sure you’ll be able to make us look good. Even Johnny! Nyo-ho-ho”

Johnny rolled his eyes. “Oh fuck off Gyro or you’ll be drinking alone tonight.” A fat lie, Johnny would never turn down the opportunity to drink.

“Don’t worry Johnny I know it’s hard when you’re next to me all the time but you are a very handsome man” Gyro stared straight at Johnny.

Johnny forced a half smile back, desperately ignoring the sudden burning in his cheeks.

HP raised an eyebrow at the pair. “Well I don’t need to hear this. I’m going for a shower. Don’t wake me when you stumble back here at stupid o’clock at night” She grabbed her towel from her bag and swiftly left the van.

“Just you and me the Johnny. Come on let’s change and get drunk. As. Fuck.” Gyro jumped up from the seat and reached into his cupboards for various clothes to try on.

Johnny watched as Gyro carefully selected an outfit similar to the one he wore when they had first met, long flared trousers with a tightly fitted deep purple button up shirt. Complete with his big stupid cowboy hat and cape. Johnny continued to watch as Gyro removed his current trousers and tshirt and pulled up his flared jeans and slipped the purple shirt over his shoulders. Fully aware that Johnny was watching, Gyro deliberately left his shirt completely unbuttoned and turned to face Johnny as he reached his arms up to take his hair down.

“Aren’t you going to change? I’ve basically just given you a full on strip tease. You can at least return the favour” Gyro grinned.

“That favour was returned back at my flat thank you very much. Plus, I don’t really need to change I was just gonna go like this”

Gyro looked Johnny up and down. “Nuh uh. You’ve been sweating in that jumper all day. At least change that. You still got that white and blue shirt?”

“Fine I’ll change. I’ve got the shirt somewhere here”

“Did you crop it?” Gyro asked

“Yes, but I don’t think it-“

“Wear it.”

“Whatever you say Gyro” Johnny shuffled himself over to his appointed kitchen cupboards and smiled to himself as he retrieved the requested shirt. He skilfully removed his hoodie without taking off his hat in the process, and pulled the shirt over his head.

“Really, the hat is staying on?” Gyro said flatly.

“The hat stays on” Johnny said firmly. “Besides, you’ve got a hat on”

“But this is so clearly a sun hat” Gyro gestured to his ridiculously large cowboy hat. Not much of a sun hat with all those holes Johnny thought.

Gyro continued “yours is a beanie for god’s sake. You’ll be roasting in this heat. Gloves as well?!”

“The gloves are so I don’t burn my hands on my wheels in this heat dumbass! I need these.” Johnny said back grumpily as he pulled his gloves over his fingers.

“Fine I’ll let you off. Come on hurry up lets get out of here.” Gyro said eagerly. “OOH one more thing” He said as he reached for -you guessed it- those god forsaken grills.

Johnny was really going to need a drink in him real soon if he was going to be looking at those golden monstrosities all night.

The walk to town felt like it took forever. Gyro was immediately regretting wearing his big cape out in the Arizona heat and was sweating profusely as they trudged through the campsite and out on to the main roads. Johnny’s arms were already getting tired in the heat, even though it was only May, it was well over 90 degrees. Oh what he would give for a cold beer right now. They continued to walk through a series of small alleyways that Gyro insisted were shortcuts according to google maps. They were a bit difficult for Johnny to navigate in his chair, definitely not the most accessible route, but it at least provided a bit of shade. Before long they arrived into the town centre area and began scouting the area for a decent bar. Johnny, clearly keen for a drink, insisted they just go into the first one they saw and call it a night, but Gyro had other ideas and started looking at the google map reviews. Johnny took the time to roll up and light a cigarette, breathing in the heavy smoke and slowly exhaling, letting the nicotine take its effect.

“Here! This is the one” Gyro exclaimed after thoroughly checking endless websites and beer prices.

“I don’t care where we go Gyro let’s just go somewhere”

“Alright alright don’t get your tits in a twist. Give me a drag of that cig and we will go” Gyro took the cigarette straight out of Johnny’s mouth, much to his annoyance, and placed it into his own, closing his eyes as he inhaled.

They arrived at the bar, with freshly rolled cigarettes safely tucked into Johnny’s hat and cracked open a well-earned beer. The bar was dimly lit and decorated with various iconic musicians; Mercury, Zappa, Jackson, you name it. It was pretty busy, but they managed to find a picnic style table that Johnny could easily sit at the head of without the faff of transferring out of his chair. This also meant that he was tucked in there for the night, as it would be too much hassle to wheel in and out of the small crowds throughout the bar, so Gyro was the one to get up and get their drinks. Johnny watched as Gyro sashayed through the bar, his big stupid cape swinging behind him. He tried not to feel a pang of jealousy whenever someone would stop Gyro to talk to him, whether it was flirtatious or not, Johnny couldn’t help but feel a little envious. If anything, he just felt a bit left out. And it also meant it would take longer for his next drink.

“So. Seeing anyone you fancy?” Johnny said, swaying slightly as he reached for the beer in Gyro’s hand.

Gyro laughed “Nah not really, though the people here do seem to adore the cowboy look. Do I detect a hint of jealously there Johnny? Nyo-ho”

“What? Pffft nah ‘course not, just a lot of people seem to have takin’ a liking to you. That girl there keeps givin’ you the eyes.” Johnny said, nodding towards a girl sitting across the room and staring directly at Gyro.

Gyro glanced over. “She’s pretty but not for me. Don’t really swing that way. You?” he raised an eyebrow at Johnny.

“Oh um. Haven’t really thought about it” Johnny said. A lie. Johnny thought back to the boy with bleached blonde hair. His best friend at the time. Sure, they kissed, but it was only once… maybe twice. Johnny remembered their bodies pressed against each other, his fingers running through Johnny’s hair… his hands pulling Johnny’s hips closer… they collapsed on to the bed, deep into their kiss. Snap out of it Joekid! Jesus this happened years ago! It meant nothing. Just two friends trying something out.

Johnny continued “I fooled around with an old pal once… obviously before I was paralysed… but never anything more than that”

Gyro looked surprised “You weren’t always paralysed? What happened?”

Johnny shot a look at Gyro. “You shouldn’t really ask a disabled person that… bit personal ye know?”

“Sorry! I didn’t mean any harm”

Johnny smiled, he knew Gyro was sincere. “S’alright. I’ve been paralysed since I was seventeen. I’ve been dealing with ableist assholes for four years now I’m used to it”

“What vertebrae?” Gyro asked.

Now Johnny was surprised “Oh, um mostly damage to T12. Why?”

“I am a med student you know! I’m nosey about these things”

This honestly made Johnny feel better. Most people jump straight to their burning and invasive questions, like ‘does your dick still work? How do you shit? Can you ever walk?’ It was sort of nice to talk to a friend with an actual medical understanding.

Still, he was keen to change the subject, the story of how Johnny became paralysed is not a nice one, and certainly not something he wanted to be thinking about right now. “Fancy a cig?”

“Always”

The sky had gotten significantly darker since they first entered the bar, which thankfully meant it was much cooler outside. Johnny took a cigarette out from his hat and lit it up, taking a long drag before handing it to Gyro.

“So, there’s really no one in there you’ve got you eye on?” Johnny asked again. Not that I care! Just curious!

“Only man I’m taking home tonight is you Johnny-boy! Can’t be wasting my moves on someone I can’t even take home with me”

“Oh yeah? What’s your moves then?”

“Second hand smoke is always a winner” Gyro crouched down so he was eye level with Johnny. “Like this. Breathe in when I tell you to”

 Gyro inhaled deeply on the end of the cigarette and leaned closer to Johnny, holding his chin and gently tilting Johnny’s lips just millimetres away from Gyro’s. “Breathe in”

Johnny obeyed, breathing in while Gyro exhaled the cigarette smoke directly into Johnny’s mouth. He breathed out slowly, almost not wanting to let go of Gyro’s smoke that filled his lungs. Neither of them pulled away, Gyro’s hand was still holding Johnny’s chin. Johnny stared into Gyro’s deep green eyes, they were hypnotizing. If Johnny looked hard enough, he could almost see tiny spirals in his pupils.

Gyro pulled away first. Johnny stared up at him, who was looking rather smug. “So yeah, that’s my moves”

Johnny cleared his throat. “that’s… that’s a smooth move” that something feeling began to return, spreading throughout his chest.

Gyro grinned, flashing his golden teeth at Johnny. “Told ya it was a winner”

They continued to drink the night away, right up until the bar closed at 3am. The pair were so giddy with the excitement of their first proper night away, giggling and struggling to walk straight as they made their way home. They made their way back through the alleyways, back through the campsite and practically fell into the van. Laughing at even the smallest of things followed by a series of shushing each other so not to wake HP up. They clumsily folded the table down and set up the cushions to form a mattress and flopped into bed, not even bothering to change into pyjamas. Gyro reached into one of his cupboards and pulled out a duvet.

“There. All cosy now” He hummed, slurring slightly.

Johnny giggled. “Do I get a bedtime story as well?” God, they were so drunk

“I can’t even think straight right now, bedtime story will not be coherent”

“I had fun tonight Gyro” Johnny said, turning on to his side to face Gyro

Gyro turned his head to face Johnny, their faces inches apart. “me too Johnny, but are you really gonna sleep with that fuckin’ hat on” he grabbed Johnny into a gentle headlock and ruffled the hat around.

“You bet your cowboy ass I am. It’s comfy” Johnny’s head was now resting on Gyro’s chest. Neither of them moving away.

Gyro took a deep breath. “Do you think you’ll miss home? I mean we are gonna be out here for a while”

“Nah, I don’t care about nothin’. I’m pretty happy just lying here” Johnny whispered back.

“Yeah well you’re also steaming, I think you’d be happy lying in a ditch”

Johnny smiled. “I’m pretty happy lying here… with you” Shit. SHIT. Why say that? That was weird. The fuck? We are friends not fucking gay lovers. Oh god why think about gay lovers right now. FUCK we’ve not even known each other for long!

Gyro just hummed gently, unaware of Johnny’s internal freak out. Johnny grew still, listening for a further response from Gyro. Thankfully he seemed to be on the verge of sleep. Johnny stayed awake, listening to the light breaths from Gyro as he fully drifted off to sleep, his arm still holding Johnny to his chest from the headlock. Johnny felt his head rise and fall along with Gyro’s chest, and soon felt tiredness tug at his eyes, willing them to shut. Johnny too drifted off to sleep, breathing in Gyro’s sweet mixture of coconut shampoo and cigarettes.

Chapter Text

The next morning was rough. Johnny opened his eyes slowly to see not Gyro lying next to him, but instead it was HP that sat up next to him on the bed. She sat mindlessly scrolling on her phone while Johnny tried to blink away the ache forming behind his eyes.

"Morning Jojo" she chirped. Far too loudly for Johnny's liking.

"Mornin'... what... where's-"

"Gryo went for a shower. We need to talk" She slammed her phone on the bedsheets and grinned at Johnny.

"Can it wait? I'm feelin' a bit fragile right now" Johnny muttered back grumpily. His head was spinning.

"Nope!" HP grabbed Johnny's hands and pulled them so he was sitting up. "So, what was all that last night?"

"Um. What was what?" Johnny said blankly.

"You and Gyro's little chat last night? When you came stumbling in, very loudly might I add, and were snuggled up in bed together?"

"We didn't snuggle!" Johnny immediately shot back, although in full honesty he couldn't quite remember the events of last night. For all he knew they could have been snuggling. Wouldn't have been the first time.

"Well, whatever you were doing I could hear every word" HP was practically shaking with excitement.

The fuck is she so giddy about? "I honestly don't know what you're on about HP" Johnny rubbed his temples.

HP clutched her chest "Oh Gyro I'm so happy to be lying here with you so I can gaze into your eyes all night long!"

"I definitely did not say that" Johnny glared at her. "And we definitely didn't snuggle"

"That's the gist of what you said! And you totally did snuggle! I saw it!"

"Whatever so what if we did. We are stuck sharing a bed after all. You keep hogging the bed above. Where else do I go?"

"You can't even get up there!" HP playfully shoved Johnny back down on to the bed and pounced on top of him. "Oh Gyro I loooove you so much I want to kiss and cuddle and hold hands with you all the way to New York!" She taunted, making exaggerated kissing noises directly in Johnny's ear. 

"That's enough of that" Johnny grumbled, pushing HP off of him as she giggled triumphantly.

"So" HP said, clearly not finished with this conversation "do ya like him?"

"What?! No 'course not! We're just friends for god's sake."

"I don't know... just friends don't really snuggle"

"Would you just drop that already! So we've snuggled once or twice so fucking what!" Johnny was becoming increasingly more irritated.

"Twice? What do you mean twice?" HP looked like she might explode if she didn't know all the details right this second.

"No I- I didn't mean twice... Just last night. Allegedly so."

"Oh my god after the gig at the student bar! Gyro stayed at yours didn't he?"

"Drop it HP" Johnny snapped. He was getting really pissed off now. "I don't even think I like dudes that way. You know that. Don't really swing that way"

"...You used to" HP muttered under her breath.

"I said drop it. Don't fuckin’ start with that." Johnny began to clamber out the bed, he refused to take this any longer.

“Johnny you can’t just deny something like that! I don’t get why you’re being to pissy you know I’m right” She glared at him.

“I already said I don’t like Gyro that way.” Johnny was near shouting at her.

“I wasn’t talking about that”

“Can you just fuck off about this HP. I don’t fuckin’ care what you think about something that is my business”

"You fuck off! Go shower or something you fucking reek! There's shower blocks at the top of the campsite. Go. Get out." Her face was unreadable.

Johnny sighed heavily and grabbed a towel, clothes, a 2 in 1 shampoo, and left the van without a word. He angrily wheeled his way up the campsite. HP's hushed comment replayed over and over in his mind. 'You used to'... how dare she bring something like that up right now. Johnny was more than livid. Sure, Johnny could be a bit snappy sometimes but HP was so far out of line. Johnny wheeled himself into the larger shower cubicle and shifted onto the provided seat. Flashes of blonde hair and a smooth English accent flooded through his mind. Johnny did his best to scrub the images out his head, willing the water would clean his mind as well as his body. Johnny furiously clawed at his arms as he unwillingly relived his past, he could practically feel his legs… running through the fields of Kentucky… running towards that stupid British blonde boy… Johnny’s breathing became shallow as he desperately tried to ground himself. His vision was starting to smudge and he had a painful ringing in his ears as he clutched the walls of the shower cubicle. Johnny tried to sit up to breathe better, fully forgetting he was in fact still in the shower and got a mouthful of water. He coughed and spluttered, still clinging on to the walls as his vision started to almost fully black out.

“Excuse me, are you okay in there?”

A sharp knock at the door snapped Johnny out of it. He’d recognise that Italian accent from anywhere.

“…Gyro?”

“Johnny? Is that you in there? Are you alright? Sounds like you’re drowning!”

“I’m fine Gyro… just… hungover” An obvious lie. The average hungover person tends not to have a panic attack in the shower.

Gyro hovered for a moment, hesitant to leave Johnny. “Okay as long as you alright… I gotta do my hair so I’ll just be round the corner”

“I’m fine Gyro, I don’t need a baby sitter!” Johnny didn’t exactly mean to snap at Gyro, but it seemed that everyone was choosing to invade Johnny’s personal bubble today.

Gyro said nothing, but walked away from the stall and towards the mirrors on the other side of the room. Johnny tried his best to finish his shower in peace, but after the water turned cold, he decided to just get out and get on with his day. He pulled his beanie over his still dripping hair and wheeled out of the stall to see Gyro finishing up the last steps of his hair routine, combing through what was undoubtably the millionth coconut scented product he had lathered through his hair.

Gyro smiled shyly at Johnny through the mirror. “Sorry Johnny, I didn’t mean to impose”

“It’s fine Gyro. Just gave me a fright when you knocked that’s all” Johnny tried to smile back, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

They walked back to the camper in silence. There was a slight tension in the air between them, but neither of them acknowledged it. Probably for the best. Johnny wasn’t really in the mood for a pep talk with Gyro, nor was he ready to talk to HP. Plus, he really was hungover. They arrived back at the van to make a plan for the remainder of the day, however HP was no where to be found. Again, for the best, Johnny truly did not want to deal with her right now. Still, in a foreign state he still needed to know she was safe.

“Do you know where HP went?” Johnny mumbled.

“Oh yeah she texted me, just went for a walk” Gyro replied with a slight tone in his voice that Johnny couldn’t quite figure out what it meant. “Said you guys had… an intense morning”

Johnny whipped his head towards Gyro. “What did she say to you?”

“Jesus Johnny! She didn’t say anything other than that, I swear” Gyro threw his hands up in defence.

Johnny huffed slightly, unsure if he fully believed Gyro. The silence between them was thick and uncomfortable. Johnnys head was spinning with the events of the morning. He just wanted to go back to bed and bury his head in his pillow until the voices in his head shut up.

“Johnny” Gyro’s voice was softer this time. “Whatever it is I’m sure its okay. You know what HP is like, she will cool off and come back to us in no time” Gyro hesitantly reached out and rested his hand on Johnny’s arm, gently tracing spirals with his thumb. The noises in Johnny’s head immediately started to quiet down. Funny that. Johnny took a deep breath in to try and gather himself a little more.

“I’m sorry Gyro. You’re right. I shouldn’t snap at you”

Despite his foul mood, Johnny did feel better from Gyro's comfort. He was right after all. HP was for sure going to come back and apologise any minute. 

"C'mon Johnny-boy let's get some breakfast in us" Gyro gave Johnny's arm a final squeeze before leaping up to rummage in the van’s cupboards.

Gyro, clearly forgetting that Johnny had put his clothes in the lower kitchen cupboards, chuckled to himself as he opened the usual cereal cupboard only to find Johnny's underwear. Johnny, of course, was mortified. 

"Get out my underwear perv!" Johnny shrieked. 

Gyro only laughed harder "nyo-ho! Johnny, do you like your panties sunny side or scrambled?”

Johnny scowled yet again, clearly not as amused as Gyro was.

“On a real note.” Gyro said between giggles. “We’ve got nothing for breakfast. I would have liked to have driven to the shops but I suppose we can’t leave HP with no van. So, we can either starve while we wait for her or walk.”

“Can’t really walk, can I?” Johnny huffed. He did not really feel like leaving the comfort of the van today. He was sat quite cosily in the still folded out bed and was readying up for a little nap.

Gyro rolled his eyes slightly. “But I’m hungrryyyyy” He almost whined.

“Walk yourself then. I’ll have a cig and maybe a joint for breakfast. Then sleep for lunch” Johnny settled further into the bed.

“Fine you can sleep. I’ll run to the shops, see if anyone here can lend me a bike or something. No cigarettes in the van, you can sit at the door for that. Joints are allowed indoors for hotboxing purposes but not without me and HP” Gyro grinned.

And with that, Gyro faffed around the van grabbing his wallet, keys, a couple shopping bags, and his stupid cowboy hat. Does he really need to wear that to a fucking Walmart? Surely not the cape too… nope he’s bringing the cape. Johnny almost laughed as Gyro reached for his cape and jumped out the van, waving goodbye to Johnny. Johnny dragged himself over to the doorway of the van and dangled his legs out, lighting a cigarette and watching Gyro ask their fellow campers if he could borrow a bike. It seemed absurd to Johnny that anyone would trust him enough to bring the bike back. Must be a European thing. But to Johnny’s surprise, Gyro came pedalling past on a bike that someone had kindly let him use, Johnny could also see Gyro was missing his cape. Thank god.

“Gave her my cape as a sort of deposit!” Gyro called from his newly acquired bike. “Just a guarantee that I’ll bring the bike back!”

Johnny smiled as Gyro pedalled away, nearly losing his hat in the wind. He stubbed out his cigarette and dragged himself back into the van, slumping back into bed to try and catch some shut eye while he had the van to himself.

“oh… hey” it was HP. So much for a nap.

Johnny made a half grunt in return.

“Johnny…” she said softly

“Don’t. Its fine”

“Its not fine Johnny, I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way. I’m sorry.” She sounded genuine.

“Its fine HP, really. I was just grumpy”

“I really am sorry Jojo, I should never have mentioned Di-“

“HP please, I’d rather just forget it. I’ve already forgiven you” Johnny shifted uncomfortably in the bed. He really really wanted HP to stop talking.

“…Okay… but I’m not sorry for making you go shower, you really did fucking stink!” She giggled and poked Johnny’s shoulder playfully. “So whatcha doin back in bed?”

“Nap time.”

“Awwww wittle baby Johnny-wonny needs his wittle nap” She hopped on the bed with him. Johnny was certainly not going to get his nap now. Oh well, time to settle for the next best thing.

“Gyro says we can hotbox the van” Johnny shot HP a mischievous look. “I’ve got a couple joints in my bag”

She grinned back at him “Always packing the essentials! I’m good to light one up later, say, what do you think Gyro is like high?”

“Unbearably annoying no doubt” Johnny giggled a little.

After a moment of silence HP tucked herself in next to Johnny. “I really really am sorry Jojo, you know I’d never want to hurt you like that”

“HP” Johnny warned.

“I know I know I am dropping it, I just want to make sure we are okay”

“I’m okay now, we are okay, I promise”

“Love you Jojo”

“Uh huh”

“Come onnnnn say it back you know you love me!”

“…love you too shit pants” Johnny let out a small smile.

They sat together for a while, cosy under the covers and chatting softly until Johnny could feel his eyes start to get heavy. He slipped into a light sleep, resting his head on HP’s shoulder.

Moments later, Gyro returned, knocking gently on the door. “Are we all friends again?”

“Shhhh, the baby is sleeping” HP gestured to Johnny slumped on her shoulder. “Yeah we are friends again”

“What even happened? What did you say to him?” Gyro asked.

HP’s face hardened. “I don’t think that’s your business Gyro.” Sure, HP was an asshole earlier but she will be damned if Gyro too was an asshole toward Johnny.

“Sorry! I’m just being nosey” Gyro said, backing up a little. In full honesty, he was a little frightened of HP. “Here look what I bought!”

He reached into his bag and pulled out a pink digital camera decorated with various Hello Kitty stickers. “Found it at Walmart and its so cool! Prints stuff out on both paper and stickers! Smile!” He raised the camera to capture the rather hilarious image of Johnny knocked out and using HP as a pillow.

“That is adorable” HP chuckled as Gyro proudly held up the newly printed photo of her and Johnny. “Now I believe you promised Johnny we could hotbox this bitch” She knocked on the van’s walls.

“We can smoke in the evening, knock us all out for the gig tomorrow”

“Sounds good!”

The rest of the day passed by smoothly, despite the rough start in the morning. Gyro fried up a huge breakfast for them all, which resulted in everyone being so full they had to take a couple laps round the campsite to walk off all the grease they had just consumed. They talked about their setlist for the next day, load in times, sound checks etc. HP proudly showed off the social media accounts she had set up for the band, as well as basic sketches for potential logos. They finished off the day by lighting one of Johnny’s joints, filling the van with smoke and sipping on beers. The day began to slip away, each of them settling in to bed, ready for their busy day tomorrow.

When Johnny woke, he felt calm. He had long forgotten his and HP’s little dispute the previous day. When Gyro and HP excitedly got ready for the gig, Johnny still felt calm. He felt calm as they drove to the venue, met with the promoters, met the other bands playing that night. Johnny didn’t even feel embarrassed during the sound check. He even felt calm when the venue opened to the public, slowly filling up with people.

He felt calm right up until he caught sight of a taller boy with blonde hair and an all too familiar scar on his cheek. Diego fucking Brando. Instead of the blissful state of calm, Johnny felt a storm of emotions flood through his mind. His first instinct was to run. He glanced around the room. It was a small venue, used as a bar most nights and had bands play at the weekend, but even for a Sunday night the venue was pretty packed, it would be impossible for Johnny to wheel himself out without attracting attention. Johnny looked towards the small door to the green room, unfortunately the room was small, and Johnny decided to stay out of it so he wouldn’t take up space in his chair. But right now, he didn’t have much choice. He spun around and made a beeline for the green room, desperate to get away from the crowd. Johnny’s breathing became rapid as he burst through the door, barely registering one of the other band members asking if he was alright.

“Johnny? Johnny what’s wrong?!” Gyro burst in to the green room. “why did you run away?”

“Gyro?” Johnny croaked

“Johnny! Jesus what’s wrong you look all pale and sweaty” Gyro crouched down to meet Johnny’s level.

“Gyro… I can’t play. Not tonight” Johnny gasped between short breaths.

Gyro softened his tone. “What’s the matter Johnny? What happened”

“Just saw someone I really don’t wanna see”

“What like an ex or something?”

Close enough. “Sort of”

Johnny was not about to explain the whole backstory about Diego right now. Or Nick…

“Okay okay shhhhhh shhh its okay Johnny” Gyro hummed, though he was internally panicking at the sight of Johnny.

“I can’t play if he’s there, I just can’t” Johnny whimpered, he was almost crying now.

“Do you want me to get HP?” Gyro asked, feeling helpless.

“NO!” Johnny didn’t mean to raise his voice as much as he did. “No… stay? Please stay here?”

“Okay I’ll stay, what can I do to help?” Gyro gently placed his hand on Johnny’s shoulder.

Almost instantly Johnny grabbed Gyros’ hand and clutched it in his own against his chest. “That”

“You wanna hold hands…?” Gyro had to stifle a laugh.

“I don’t know… its grounding I guess?” Johnny said quietly.

Gyro said nothing and just squeezed Johnny’s hand tighter. “It’s okay, I get it. Come on Johnny-boy breathe, nice and slowly”

Johnny let out a shaky breath he didn’t realise he had been holding.

“Are you sure it was him? I think I see my ex in public all the time and turns out its just someone with the same hair colour or something. Maybe it’s just that? It’s a big country, what are the odds this guy is at a random bar in Arizona on a Sunday night?”

“Maybe you’re right… I don’t know Gyro what if it was him?”

“Well it will be dark in the room, so once you’re on stage you wont even see the audience, plus we aren’t even sure if it is him? Who even is this guy anyway?”

Johnny violently shook his head. “Not now”

“Okay okay not now. Got it” Gyro gently pulled their intertwined hands away from Johnny’s chest and into his lap. “We can’t stay here forever Johnny, I hate to say it but we are on in 5 minutes, HP is ready and waiting”

“I suppose you’re right… if… if he is there, can we leave? Please?” Johnny looked into Gyro’s hypnotising eyes. He could feel Gyro’s thumb gently tracing a spiral pattern across his hands.

“I can’t promise that Johnny-boy, we’ve got a show to do!” Gyro said a bit too cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood a little. “But… if at any point if you’re feeling all anxious, I can keep doing this?” He squeezed Johnny’s hands.

“I don’t think I can play if you’re grabbing on to me like this” Johnny laughed slightly

“I didn’t mean just tonight” Gyro stared hard at Johnny.

Johnny nodded and lurched forward and threw his arms around Gyro, burying his face in his neck.

“Okay easy there Johnny-boy, I’ve got you it’s gonna be okay” Gyro stroked Johnny’s back, tracing his usual spiral pattern with his thumbs.  

“Thank you Gyro. I mean it, thank you” Johnny sniffled.

“Come on Johnny lets go, can’t keep our future fans waiting!”

Johnny reluctantly let go of Gyro, feeling a small wave of panic return, but powered through. He followed Gyro out the door and through the crowd. He wheeled himself up the ramp and on to the stage, keeping his eyes down so he wouldn’t see the audience. His ears were still ringing and he could barely hear HP count in with her sticks. He fumbled around the strings of his bass, clearly fucking it up. Gyro turned to face him and gave him a forced smile that clearly said “I know you’re upset but come onnnnn” Johnny couldn’t blame him. The more Johnny played the more he just wanted it to be over. Even when Gyro gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze he still couldn’t concentrate. Their set was only about 20 minutes long, but it felt like it lasted forever. When the last song finally came to an end, Johnny didn’t even wait for the applause to start before he was already packing up his guitar and getting the fuck out of there. He raced out of the venue and wheeled towards the camper that was parked round the back of the building. Locked. Fuck. Gyro has the keys. He sat and waited, maybe 10 minutes or so before he saw Gyro strut round the corner, cigarette in hand.

“That couldn’t have been easy, proud of you Johnny-boy!” Gyro said, handing Johnny the cigarette.

“Where’s HP?” Johnny asked.

“You know her, chatting up some guy, plus she wanted to see the other bands play”

“Oh… You can go back in if you also wanna catch the other bands, I can wait out here I don’t mind”

“There will be others. I think its best we take you back to the campsite”

“What about HP?”

“We can drive back and pick her up, but right now you should just get out of here, clear your mind a bit, come on I’ll lift you into the front seat if you want”

“Thanks Gyro” Johnny said softly, holding out his arms, keen to be back in Gyro’s strong grip once more.

They drove back mostly in silence, though Gyro did keep shooting worried glances at Johnny, which did annoy him a little bit. Made him feel like some sort of porcelain doll that could shatter at any moment. Even back at the safety of the campsite, Gyro kept asking Johnny if he was alright.

“I’m fine now Gyro, just a bit shaken up. I just want to go lie down” Johnny said, careful not to raise his voice, Gyro was being nice after all.

“It’s a nice night, why don’t we go sit outside, I have a picnic blanket!” Gyro said excitedly.

“Fine. But if HP wants picked up I’m staying here” Johnny replied.

Gyro laid down a pink tartan picnic blanket, grabbed some pillows, beers, and a random assortment of snacks, creating a tiny picnic for the two of them. Johnny lowered himself out of his chair and lay down on the pillows Gyro had laid out, Gyro following shortly after.

“Still feeling upset?” Gyro asked.

“I don’t know… maybe a bit” in full honesty, Johnny still felt pretty terrible, even though he was far away from the venue, he was still paranoid that maybe somehow Diego had followed them here.

Without a word, Gyro reached for Johnny’s hand and laced their fingers together. They stayed like that for a long time, staring up at the gradually darkening sky, not saying anything, but shared a mutual understanding that Johnny needed this. Maybe Gyro too. They stayed like that until Johnny felt himself drift off, finally feeling the sense of calmness return.

Chapter Text

“So, I’ve been thinkin” Gyro sat himself next to Johnny on the sofa, brushing their arms together ever so slightly. “Don’t get me wrong, I love Valkyrie with all my heart! I love playing the guitar on stage and doing all my silly riffs and solos” His eyes were bright with passion. “But I think I want to just sing, I want to run around, dance, get in with the audience, make a real show ye know?”

“So you wanna frolic on stage so what? What are you saying?” HP asked.

“I’m saying I think we should be on the lookout for another member! A new guitarist!”

“I dunno Gyro… this van barely fits 3 people, I don’t think we have space for another person” Johnny said.

“I know I know! They couldn’t stay here, they would need to have their own car I suppose, and somewhere to sleep. I don’t know how it would work, I just really want to make a real show. Something memorable!”

“I just don’t know if we can find someone willing to run away with us? There’s no way we can find someone willing to commit to a bunch of strangers till September” HP said, she had become the voice of reason in their little group.

“It doesn’t hurt to look! We can make a post on the Instagram or something… Please?? I can’t be shackled to a guitar till September I just can’t!” Gyro pleaded.

“Oh let the man have a boogie HP!” Johnny laughed

“If they have their own car and a place to stay then sure. You two might be alright snuggling it up every night but I am not sharing a bed with some random!” HP made sure not to look at Johnny as she spoke, this was still a touchy subject. Especially after the potential Diego jumpscare from last night.

Johnny blushed slightly. Admittedly they did cuddle a little bit last night, but only because Johnny was feeling so fragile! It was a scary night! Nothing worse than running in to a sort of ex in public who hasn’t been present since the accident, the last time Diego had seen Johnny he could walk. That’s how long it had been. Johnny quickly pushed Diego out his mind, though it was hard. All morning his head had been spinning, every blonde-haired person that walked past their van gave him a fright. Gyro could tell he had been on edge, and offered his hand for Johnny to squeeze whenever he was frantically looking out the window.

“I will make the circumstances loud and clear to anyone who is interested!” Gyro let out a squeal “EEEEEK I’m so excited nyo-ho! A new band member?! It could be literally anybody! Maybe we will meet the next Hendrix! Who knows?”

“More importantly, where are we going now? We need to leave this campsite in a couple hours” HP said.

“I’m thinking we drive up through Utah, maybe stop for the night if it gets late and then head to Colorado? See what gigs we can catch while on the way” Gyro said, already looking at maps on his phone.

The next few hours were spent packing up the van and Gyro having one last giggle at Benjamin Boomboom. They managed to get on the road by early afternoon, with HP taking a turn in the back while Johnny and Gyro sat up front. They drove for about an hour, with Gyro and HP doing most of the talking. Johnny stayed quiet, staring out the window and half listening to whatever song was playing on the radio. He could only think about one thing. Diego. Despite his total freak out from the previous night, a small part of him was longing to see him again. After all they practically grew up together. Just Johnny, Diego, and Nick, running through the fields of Kentucky. Skiving off school most days and getting high in the abandoned barns. Johnny almost smiled. He’d give anything to be back in Kentucky, just the three of them, smoking whatever scraps of weed and tobacco they could find. Johnny would tell his brother how much he loved him, he would tell Diego how he really felt about him, and finally stand up to his dad.

“What ya thinking about there Johnny?” Gyro said, snapping Johnny out of his trance.

“I dunno. Nothin’ much”

“Nothing? You’re staring off into space there amico”

Johnny sighed. “I was honestly thinkin’ of home. Kentucky”

“What about Kentucky?”

“I lived on this big farm, horses, cows, the lot. Diego and I used to smoke in the old barns and run around in the fields. Stupid teenage boy stuff. I guess I’m just missing the open air. And walking.” He chuckled slightly.

“Was Diego the guy from last night? The one you didn’t want to see?”

“Yeah” Johnny muttered.

“What happened? With Diego I mean? That was a pretty extreme reaction when you saw him” Gyro said carefully.

Johnny shook his head vigorously. “Not a nice story”

“Yeah but maybe if I knew what happened I can help? Talking it out is always helpful! Maybe-“

“I said no Gyro.” Johnny’s voice shook slightly.

“…Sorry” Gyro gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. “I just want to help”

“You can’t” Johnny could feel his head start to spin.

“Do you think of Kentucky often” Gyro was not ready to let go. It was rare that Johnny opened up like this, and Gyro was not about to waste the opportunity.

“Every now and again… whenever I think of home I just get this weird feeling of… a great big void of silence? I know that doesn’t make any sense but I dunno. My head is just a fuckin’ carousel most of the time”

“I think I get it” Gyro said quietly.

“I really wish that you could help Gyro, but I think I’m just a bit of a lost cause. Just constantly goin’ round in circles”

“My home back in Italy isn’t all sunshine and rainbows either” Gyro said slowly. Johnny noticed his usual bright green eyes had clouded over for just a brief moment. “My whole life I just did whatever my dad said. I’m becoming a doctor because of him. I think this road trip is kind of like my final rebellion, before I’m stuck following his career for the rest of my life…”

Johnny glanced at Gyro. His usual glow and mischievous glint in his eyes had faded slightly. The sight of it tugged at Johnny’s heart a little, a tiny ache in his chest.

“But” Gyro continued. “This always makes me feel better” He pointed to the glovebox in front of Johnny, urging him to open it.

“A CD collection?” Johnny said, unamused with the sight of the opened glovebox.

“No stupido! A happy song!”

Johnny scoffed. “Yeah cos life is truly like a fuckin’ Disney film and we all just have a little sing song until our cares have floated away”

“Laugh all you want Johnny-boy, but I promise if you sing along to the magic of my CD’s you’ll feel just fine!”

“Alright fine I’ll bite. What one should I play?”

“Look for one painted yellow with green spirals all over it, that’s my happy mix”

Johnny located the CD and popped it into the disc slot. Gyro cranked the volume up excitedly, to which Johnny immediately turned it back down.

“Not so loud! You’ll wake HP” she was fully knocked out in the back of the van, probably tired from drumming all night.

“She has her headphones on, she won’t hear!” Gyro turned the volume back up.

The first few songs Johnny didn’t recognise, but his ears perked up when he heard a familiar piano intro. Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy. One of his favourites. Gyro noticed the shift in Johnny’s body language and immediately sang louder, playfully shoving Johnny’s shoulder to get him to join in. Johnny rolled his eyes but quietly hummed along. Admittedly, Gyro was right, he did feel better. Not even halfway through the song Johnny caved and began belting just as loud as Gyro, shouting various ‘oooo loves’ and ‘lover booooyyyyyy’

“That’s the spirit!” Gyro cheered over the music. “Told you it would help!” he said triumphantly.

“I suppose you might be right, just this once” Johnny said reluctantly, he was smiling though, Kentucky was far in the back of his mind.

They drove late into the night, switching from Gyro’s happy mix to a much calmer CD, this time painted a deep purple with a silver splatter pattern. Johnny liked looking through Gyro’s various painted CD cases, each one decorated to match whatever mood the chosen set of songs were. Of course when Johnny asked about what each one meant, Gyro winked and said something about having to ‘wait for the right moment’

“What’s this one?” Johnny asked, holding up a CD case painted a deep crimson with what looked like black fireworks.

“That’s private” Gyro grinned

Definitely a sex playlist. “Private eh? Three guesses what this is for” Johnny laughed.

“Only a select few fine gentlemen get to hear that mix, I’m sorry Johnny I know you’re practically gagging for it but that CD is strictly off limits” Gyro smirked at him.

“I am so not gagging for it!” Johnny shot back, slightly mortified. “I wouldn’t touch you with a ten-foot pole with a bag of shit on the end of it”

“Mmm-hmm, says the one who was clinging to me all night” Gyro winked again.

“Hey come on you know it’s not like that!” Johnny turned in his seat to face Gyro. “I don’t think I even like dudes that way”

“think?”

“I don’t.” Johnny said, firmer this time. For a split second, Johnny swears he could have seen a flash of sadness spread across Gyro’s face. Only for a moment, whatever Gyro was feeling, he hid it well.

“I know I know I’m sorry” Gyro smiled back at Johnny. “But you said it yourself that you’ve fooled around before… just something to think about”

“Yeah, but I was like seventeen. Tried it and didn’t like it” Johnny’s voice grew quieter.

“I suppose I can’t argue with that”

Johnny turned to face out the window. He could feel his head start to spin again. Just like that he was back on the carousel. 

“Was it Diego? The one you slept with?” Gyro asked.

“Gyro” Johnny warned.

“Right yeah sorry. Not talking about him. I’m sorry”

“Just stop talking. I told you before this isn’t a nice subject” Johnny stared hard out the window, praying Gyro couldn’t see the tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

“Hey come here” Gyro said softly, taking a hand off the steering wheel and offering it to Johnny.

Johnny glanced down at his open hand, raising an eyebrow slightly.

“…No homo?”

“Shut up” Johnny snorted and rolled his eyes, but happily took his hand.

“We should stop for the night soon, fucking hell its nearly 2am” Gyro muttered, glancing at the glowing clock on the dashboard.

Gyro took the next exit and parked at a mostly empty service station, except a few trucks and a rather out of place looking sporty car. Looking at the maps on his phone, Johnny could see they were now well into Utah, maybe another few hours of driving before they hit Colorado. He could also see they were pretty much in the middle of nowhere, so there was no chance of getting a gig anytime soon, there wasn’t another town for several hundred miles. The three of them dragged themselves out the van for a much-needed stretch, and a quick stop in the main building of the service station for a quick piss and stock up on snacks for the road. HP opted for a series of granola bars and dried fruits, while Gyro and Johnny filled their arms with bags of chips, chocolate bars, and enough soda to feed a herd of children at a birthday party. HP took one look at the pair, slightly horrified at the amount of sugar they were carrying, and muttered something about ‘not enough protein.’ Gyro argued that his snickers bar was ‘just as healthy’ because it had basically the same nuts as HP’s granola bars. Johnny just rolled his eyes at their bickering and urged them to hurry up and get back to the van. It was late and he was tired, plus Gyro needed sleep if he was going to be driving again tomorrow. They piled back into the van, lazily folding the bed out for Gyro and Johnny, HP not bothering to help and instead climbing straight up the ladder to her own bed.

The next day was mostly driving, none of them had been able to find a gig in Utah, and so they decided to just keep driving to Colorado and see what they could find there. The new plan was to stay in Colorado for a few days, maybe treat themselves to a hotel for a night or two just to get a break from each other, and give Gyro a break from driving for days in a row. The drive through Colorado was gorgeous, endless mountains and valleys for miles. The sun reflecting off the mountains was breathtaking, both Johnny and HP had their faces pressed against the windows to get a better look at the view. Even with the stunning views outside, Johnny couldn’t help but glance at Gyro every now and again. His hair was pulled back into a loose bun, revealing various piercings in his ears that Johnny had never noticed before. The metal glistened in the sunlight, and Johnny could swear that Gyro himself was glistening too. He hadn’t thought about it much before (especially not while sober) but Gyro wasn’t a bad looking guy. Not bad at all. Especially now, no make-up, no stupid grills, no extravagant outfits, just plain and simple Gyro. He just had a sort of natural beauty that Johnny hadn’t really noticed till now. Then again, the surrounding landscape would make anything seem beautiful.

After nearly 8 hours of driving, they arrived in Denver in the early evening. The three of them pilled in to a nearby Olive Garden, eagerly munching on breadsticks as they planned their stay.

“I wanna stay here forever, its so fuckin’ pretty out there I don’t know how we could ever leave” Johnny said, spluttering bread crumbs everywhere.

“I agree, I think we should hang around Denver for a week max, see what we can find here, maybe do some touristy stuff if we have the time” HP replied.

“Theres a good few venues here too!” Gyro said though a mouthful of bread. “and a rehearsal studio, maybe we can get a practice slot in there tomorrow.”

“What about a hotel? I don’t you about you guys but I feel fucking grotty! I want a proper shower” HP said grumpily.

“Okay, hotel tomorrow night? I’ll book it just now, so I can request the accessible room, then gig practice?” Johnny said.

“Sounds good”

"huh... that's weird" Gyro looked at his phone. "Someone just sort of... requested us? Here look at this DM"

HP and Johnny took the phone from Gyro's hands and began to read-

Hey guys! Sorry for short notice but I had a friend recommended you guys to me and I'd love to have you play at my bar! I heard you're in Colorado just now so I'll send over the details if you're interested?

Thanks,

Tim.

"That doesn't make any sense, we just got here how does he know we are in Colorado?" HP furrowed her brow. 

"Do we take it? It's a bit fishy but a gig is a gig" Gyro said, reading the message again.

"Maybe we have a fan that knows this Tim guy?" HP said.

Johnny laughed "We've played two shows in two different states, there's no way. Plus, how would they know we are here?"

Gyro rubbed his temples "I have no idea. Maybe someone just happened to see our van here?"

"When do they want us to play?" HP asked

"Dunno. Should I ask?" Gyro squinted at the message once more. 

"Why not, no harm in asking"

Gyro typed out a quick reply. "Sent”

They continued with their meal, now with a heavy silence in the air. Johnnys mind was racing. Who could have recommended them? And how the fuck did they know that they were in Denver? It just seemed all too weird. No doubt that Gyro and HP were thinking the same things, Gyro kept glancing at his phone, anxiously awaiting a reply from Tim. 

"Oh my!" Gyro exclaimed suddenly.

"What?" Johnny said, looking up from his plate of pasta.

"He wants us tomorrow"

"Tomorrow?! What?"

"Tomorrow" Gyro said again, scratching his head in confusion.

HP put down her fork "Who even is this guy? Why is he so keen?" 

"I truly have no idea" Gyro said "... Well, are we taking it?"

"I'm not opposed" Johnny said. "Might look good for big Steel’s festival application? Shows that we are wanted I guess”

HP looked genuinely surprised, it wasn’t often Johnny thought ahead. “That… that’s kind of smart, man why didn’t I think of that?”

“Is that a yes then?” Gyro couldn’t help but get excited.

“Fuck it, why not” HP grinned along with Gyro.

The next morning was busy, all three of them scrambling around the van trying to grab their equipment for the gig that night. The morning was so chaotic Johnny barely registered the vaguely familiar sports car parked down the block from their van. Johnny watched as Gyro and HP both applied their makeup for the night, a process he’d seen many times before but was still somewhat fascinated by. He was particularly fascinated by Gyro, and couldn’t help but stare as he applied various shades of glitter to his eyelids and cheeks.

“Want some?” Gyro gestured towards his makeup bag. Fuck. He had definitely caught Johnny staring.

 “Uh… I don’t think so. Not really a dress up kind of guy”

“Pleaseeeee? You’ll look so pretty!” Gyro said, yielding a brush at Johnny.

Johnny blushed slightly “Fine. But don’t have me going out looking like some sort of drag queen”

“I promise to keep it minimal”

He wasn’t fully against wearing makeup, just never had the balls to try it out himself. Johnny also wasn’t fully against Gyro holding his face as he carefully applied a small black shadow under Johnny’s eyes.

“Done” Gyro said, holding up a mirror for Johnny to see for himself.

Johnny almost gasped at his reflection. Gyro had lined his eyes with a dark shadow, and a subtle sparkly highlight in his inner corner. Nothing big or extravagant, but enough to bring some life back into his face. For the first time, Johnny liked his reflection.

“Do you love it?” Gyro asked excitedly.

“I do… it looks… pretty!” Johnny beamed at Gyro.

“Then let’s go! We have a show to do!”

They drove a short while to the bar, which they discovered to be named ‘Mountain Tim.’ A very fitting name for a bar in Colorado. A very tall man dressed in a similar cowboy style as Gyro, presumably Tim, greeted them at the door and welcomed them inside. He proudly showed them around and took them though their sound check. He seemed almost in a rush to get them started, even though it was only 5pm. Johnny also thought it was strange that when prompted, Tim was quick to change the subject after Gyro asked who had recommended them to him. But he seemed like a very busy man, so Johnny didn’t let it bother him too much. After all, Tim wanted them there, it felt kind of cool to be sought out like this.

The show itself was uneventful, there wasn’t much of a crowd, just a few people who had come to the bar for the night and gave polite applause after each song. In full honestly Johnny was kind of glad, the whole thing seemed so fishy at first, but the night turned out to be very normal. HP did her usual routine of chatting up old men to score some free drinks after the show, while Gyro strutted around the room, clearly fishing for compliments. Johnny stuck with his own usual routine of going outside for a cigarette immediately after the gig, patiently waiting for Gyro and HP to follow so he could go and get some sleep. But both of them had been taking their sweet time, Johnny had burned through 3 whole cigarettes before Gyro finally emerged from the bar.

“You won’t believe this Johnny-boy!” Gyro practically skipped towards Johnny.

“Dazzle me” Johnny said flatly.

“I think I just found a guitarist!”

“What?! How?”

“I got to chatting with a guy in there! We pissed about in the green room for a bit and I gave him a shot of my guitar, he’s really good!” Gyro said.

“Who even is this guy? Where is he?”

“I sent him in HP’s direction so she could say hi, scope him out a bit ye know? His name is Dio, he’s a model! That’s right! A fucking model! He’s got this super awesome scar on his face as well, real rockstar looking guy!” Gyro was practically frothing at the mouth. “And oh! Johnny, you should hear him play, the guy has got real talent!”

Johnny stared back at Gyro. He felt sick. There was no way. Instinctively he started to back away, slowly reversing in his chair. He could feel a heavy pit form in his stomach and his heart begin to race. His head spun at a million miles an hour. There’s no fucking way… it just couldn’t be…

“Hey guys!” Gyro turned and waved towards the bar doors as Johnny watched his greatest fear walk towards him.

Diego fucking Brando.

Chapter Text

Before Diego even had a chance to respond, Johnny had already turned in his chair and was pushing himself as far away and as fast as possible. His heart pounded in his chest and his arms were burning as he gripped his wheels, willing them to move faster. He could faintly hear Gyro calling after him through the ringing in his ears, but he was not about to turn back. Diego fucking Brando. How the hell did he end up here? And why the fuck was he suddenly joining his band? Tears were spilling from Johnny’s eyes, blurring his vison, and unfortunately causing him to slow his pace down significantly. He felt sick. His stomach threatened to empty its contents right there in the middle of the street. Johnny heaved at the thought, taking a hand off his wheel to cover his mouth as a precaution.

“Johnny! JOHNNY! Where the fuck are you going? What is wrong with you?!” Gyro called from behind Johnny. He was getting closer. Shit. Johnny had to go. He had to leave right now. Fuck this.

“JOHNNY!” HP’s voice this time. She sounded a lot closer than Gyro. Like, right behind Johnny kind of closer. Johnny felt a hand grip his shoulder. “Johnny! Are you alright?” she said, softer this time.

Instead of a verbal response, Johnny could only manage a series of raspy breaths and an ugly sob like noise. HP walked in front of Johnny and knelt down to meet his eye level, finally stopping him in his path.

“Johnny… I think I know who that is… I’m right, aren’t I?”

Johnny nodded. Of course, HP had never seen a recent picture of Diego, but from the pictures Johnny had showed her whenever this particular topic came up, she could tell it was undoubtably him. She stared back at Johnny, and honestly, she looked just as fearful as Johnny did.

“Johnny! Jesus, what the hell was that?!” Gyro said, panting slightly as he caught up with the pair. “…Johnny?” Gyro looked down at Johnny’s face, it was scarily pale and his breathing was short and raspy.

“You deal with him, I’ll get rid of Diego” HP stood up and began sprinting back to the bar.

“Diego? …how? …what is going on? Johnny?” Gyro bent down to grab Johnny’s hands but was immediately swatted away. Not even Gyro could pull Johnny out of this. He felt so so sick. The world around him felt like it was closing in on him.

“I killed him…” Johnny’s voice was barely a whisper. But enough that Gyro could here. No… no please no… Johnny couldn’t stop the words spilling from his mouth. “It’s my fault he’s dead… I tried to save him I really did… my brother… he’s dead… it’s my fault…” Johnny was full on sobbing now. Years of therapy. Years of getting out of this mindset. All gone in about five minutes. All because of Diego. Johnny reached out to grab on to something, anything. But Gyro had pulled back slightly.

“I don’t think you should be telling me this…” Gyro croaked back. Now he looked pale. Who wouldn’t? For all Gyro knew, Johnny had killed a man. Not just any man, his brother.

“Please, take me home…” Johnny looked up at Gyro. “please”

“Okay right… okay… let’s get you back in the van”

“No. home. Back to California.”

“Let’s just get to the van first” Gyro gripped the handles of Johnny’s chair and took him to the van. He lifted Johnny on to the sofa and handed him a bottle of water. “What happened Johnny?”

⭑

Kentucky, 4 years ago.

“No shot. No way. Never gonna happen. You really think we can do that without getting caught?” Nick said, mildly amused at the ridiculous plan unfolding in front of him.

“If we go to the barn right round the back, the one with the hole in the roof, Dad won’t even notice” Johnny protested.

“Come onnnnnn Nick it’s a good idea, your dad is never gonna let you two out for 4^th of July, so why not make our own fireworks show? Pleaseeee I wanna get that all American experience!” Diego pleaded.

“How are we even gonna get fireworks? I can’t just casually say I’m going out the night before independence day and come back with a bag full of gunpowder!” Nick said.

“Yes you can! Dad lets you get away with everything. Not like me and Diego can even try, we are both still 17” Johnny whined.

“Fine fine I’ll see what I can get. I’ll shove some bags of candy on top so if he sees the bag he wont suspect anything”

Johnny and Diego both squealed with delight.

“Hey while you’re out can you get us some beers?” Johnny said, giving his brother his best puppy eyes.

“Fine”

“Best brother ever!”

“Yeah whatever Jojo. Just don’t say or do anything while I’m gone. If you piss of dad then I’ll be the one stuck on babysitting duty whenever you’re on a time out” Nick said, grabbing his keys.

“A time out?” Diego laughed

“No seriously” Johnny said. “My dad will do anything and everything to keep me inside. I think he’s ashamed of me”

“Can’t imagine why” Diego joked, looking up and down and Johnny’s figure, dressed in entirely black scrawny clothes and unbrushed hair that fell past his shoulders.

“It’s truly a mystery! The unsolvable case of Jonathan Joestar! Why does he look like a little rat?” Nick ruffled Johnny’s already messy hair.

Of course, their father’s hatred for Johnny ran deeper than just his appearance, but Johnny truly couldn’t figure out why his dad hated him so much. It didn’t help that Nick was somewhat of a perfect child, he had perfect grades, was going to their state’s top university, got his first job at 16, and was still sticking with it five years later.

“Right I’m off, don’t do anything stupid when I’m away, be back in an hour” Nick left Johnny’s bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Before they even heard Nick go down the stairs, Diego practically ran to Johnny from across the room and jumped threw his arms around him, planting a gentle kiss on his forehead.

“Jesus, Diego! What if he comes back in?! At least wait a second” Johnny hissed, pushing Diego away.

“Sorry” Diego said in a tone that indicated he was definitely not sorry.

“I’m just not ready to tell him that’s all” Johnny muttered, still pushing Diego further away.

 “You know he’s probably figured it out by now, there’s no way he doesn’t know”

Johnny stayed silent, staring at the blonde boy in front him.

Diego continued “Don’t give me that look Johnny, you live in a fucking mansion and I have not once stayed in a guest room. It’s not like you’re short of space, there’s no other reason for me to stay in here other than spending the night with you. So yeah. Nick knows”

“We’re just fucking, Diego. We don’t need to tell Nick about this, we aren’t dating so it’s not his problem” Johnny snapped. He hated it when Diego brough this up. Ever since they first kissed at a party a few months back Diego hasn’t been able to let go of the idea of telling everybody. Like they were in some sort of commitment. Nuh uh. Johnny Joestar does not do commitments. Plus, when this… whatever you call it… started, it was purely experimental. Johnny hooked up with plenty of girls as well as Diego, he was just with Diego to try something out.  

“I just think he should know…” Diego mumbled. “He’d be okay with it! He’s not like a mega homophobe or anything so what’s the harm?”

“The harm is my dad finding out!” Johnny almost yelled. “C’mon Diego you know what he’s like”

“…I’m sorry, really. I’m just sick of sneaking around. And I’m sick of being you experiment! I get that you have to figure this out but we’ve been doing this for months! I think the answer is yes”

“I just want to be sure” Johnny said, now grinning at Diego. “Come here so I can be extra sure”

Diego sighed, but took a step toward Johnny and gently brushed a stray strand of hair that had fallen in front of his face. Johnny couldn’t quite figure out what it was, but he could never seem to let Diego go. Fucking your best friend is bad enough, but fucking him while knowing that you could never love him? It seemed almost cruel. It wasn’t like Diego had dropped any L-bombs so Johnny figured it was okay to keep it up. Johnny also wasn’t quite sure why Diego kept coming back to him. Johnny knew he could be a real asshole sometimes, but could never figure out why Diego didn’t just call it off. But, it was really good sex. Johnny had hooked up with so many girls that when he told Diego the exact number he practically screamed. Sure, they were all good too, but whenever he was with Diego it just naturally felt more intimate, more real.

Johnny pulled Diego into a deep kiss, pushing their lips against each other. It felt like nothing in the world would break them apart. Johnny’s hands ran up and down Diego’s chest, face, hips, back, everywhere. All the anger in his gut fizzled away. He felt almost peaceful when he was with Diego, if it wasn’t for his racing heart. Diego let out a soft grunt, almost a pleading noise as he tried to pull Johnny toward the bed.

“Hey now we haven’t got that much time” Johnny said softly.

“Worth a try” Diego hummed as he buried his face in Johnny’s neck. “Come on get you consol booted up and we will play something till Nick gets back”

The two boys sat and played whatever fighter game they had selected for the night as they waited for Nick’s return, hopefully with the fireworks.

The next night was full of beers, giggles, and sneaking around Johnny and Nick’s father so he wouldn’t suspect anything. The three of them had decided to hide out in Nick’s room until it got dark enough to see the fireworks. They sipped their beers and discussed various methods to create phallic shapes with the sparklers that Nick had bought, snorting at the endless possibilities of penis-shaped sparks they could create.

As soon as it was dark, they waited for their father to fall asleep on the couch and set off with all the essentials; beer, vodka, fireworks, and sparklers. They snuck out the back door as quietly as they could and made their way across the fields to the barns. It was a bit of a walk, the Joestar property was huge after all, so to speed things up, Johnny turned and grinned at his brother.

“Race?”

“Oh you’re on!” Nick said as he took off and sprinted across the fields.

“Aren’t you gonna run?” Diego asked.

“Not yet, just giving him a head start” Johnny laughed.

“Yeah, I’ll see you over there, I’m not running through horse shit thank you very much”

The pair walked another few paces, before Johnny took off sprinting towards his brother, shouting a quick ‘see ya’ back at Diego. After less than a minute, Johnny was hot on his brother’s trail. He was always a faster runner than Nick. When they were younger Johnny figured that Nick always just let him win the races, curtesy big brother stuff, but as they grew older Johnny kept beating him in races, and not just because Nick was letting him. Johnny always thought his father would be more proud of him if he had taken up running professionally, he had a real talent for it, but none of that stuff ever interested Johnny. He just wanted to bum around for as long as possible before having to get a real job and all that adult stuff.

Johnny passed Nick with ease, sprinting past and shouting various jeers over his shoulder. He could see his brother panting and slowing down, and even further in the distance he could see a small blob that was roughly shaped like Diego. Johnny reached the barn, barely breaking a sweat as he watched Nick catch up, now resorting to a light jog so not to fully exhaust himself. Johnny laughed and tapped an imaginary watch on his wrist as Nick approached, gasping for air and muttering something about ‘letting him win.’ An obvious lie.

While they waited for Diego to arrive, they climbed onto the roof of the barn, carefully avoiding the gaping hole. The barn was mostly empty, expect for a pile of scrap materials, broken tools, and some buckets with God knows what liquid sitting in them. They sat on the edge of the roof, giving them a view of the firework display from the nearby town. They sat in silence for a moment, just watching the sky light up with beautiful sparks and distant bangs. Johnny tore his eyes away to glance at Diego, still making his way over across the fields.

“I’m okay with it you know… You and Diego” Nick said quietly

“What? How did you…?” Johnny was stunned, did Diego say something?

“He never said anything don’t worry! I just kind of figured it out… I’m sorry if I overstepped.”

“No it’s okay… I dunno I just want ready for anyone to know I guess”

“Well, your secret is safe with me.” Nick smiled at his brother. “Just be careful… I see the way he looks at you… just be nice, okay? I know what you’re like”

“I am nice” Johnny said. Though he knew his brother was right. He couldn’t keep stringing Diego along like this. But not right now, he wasn’t ready to let go just yet…

“Shame you can never see the stars on 4^th of July, too much smoke in the air” Nick said. Johnny silently thanked him for changing the subject, just in time as well, Diego had just arrived at the barn.

“Hey you two come down I wanna light some fireworks!”

The three of them set up a little light-up station, armed with emergency buckets of water, trying to be as safe as possible. Or about as safe as you can be while setting off fireworks unsupervised. They each took turns lighting the firework and frantically sprinting away before it went off. They hummed various ‘ooohhs’ and ‘aaahhhs’ as the fireworks lit up the sky, casting flashes of green, red, and golden sparks above them.

“Let me do the next one!” Johnny said excitedly, swaying slightly from the number of beers he had drank. He grabbed the next firework out the bag, crushing it slightly causing some of the gunpowder to spill out. Its probably fine, Johnny thought. He’d chuck water on the spilled powder after he had lit this one up. He skipped over to the spot they had been lighting the fireworks, not even noticing he accidentally kicked over their bottle of vodka. He pulled the lighter out his pocket and lit the fuse, watching the spark slowly climb up towards the main body of the firework. Satisfied that it was lit, he turned and ran a few paces back to Diego and Nick. Maybe if he had stood there for just a second longer, he could have prevented what happened next.

Diego was first to notice.

“Shit… SHIT” he turned on his heel and began running away from the barn.

Confused Johnny called after him “What? Where are you going?”

“What the fuck are you doing?! RUN!” Diego wasn’t a fast runner, but he sprinted with such a sense of urgency that he had already gained quite a distance from the barn.

Johnny turned back to see that the spark was no longer climbing the firework, but working its way down, getting dangerously close to the trail of gunpowder that Johnny had spilled. The vodka. Johnny felt true fear for the first time in his life. With horror he looked at the spilled powder and vodka mix, seeping its way across the ground below his feet. Shit. This was going to be bad. He grabbed Nick’s hand and took off, running as fast and as hard as he could. In his panic he didn’t even notice Nick’s hand slip away, he was falling behind.

The explosion was immediate. A loud unforgiving bang echoed though the farm. Johnny tried to keep running, but the impact of the explosion forced him to the ground. A deep pain shot through his lower back. He willed his legs to pick him up, to keep running, but he couldn’t move. He desperately army-crawled away from the now flaming barn, then he remembered Nick. He flipped onto his back and propped himself up by his elbows, hoping to see Nick was right behind him. The sight that met his eyes made his stomach drop. The barn was lit up with an angry blaze, thick black smoke rushing into the air. He couldn’t see Nick anywhere. He desperately crawled back towards the fire, pain took over his whole body as he moved. He just had to make sure Nick was able to get out.

“JOHNNY” Diego shouted from behind him. “GET OUT OF THERE”

Johnny ignored Diego’s calls. Please be okay please be okay please be okay. He moved closer, the heat from the fire burned his skin, causing him to let out a shrill scream.

“Johnny come on get up! We need to go!”

Another bang. Debris flew everywhere, striking Diego across his face. He winced in pain, Johnny could see blood begin to gush out of his cheek.

“Fucking get up Johnny! Run!”

“My legs… I can’t move” Johnny cried.

“FUCK” Diego cursed as he picked up Johnny into a sort of fireman lift and ran as fast as he could.

“Nick! You have to get Nick!” Johnny screamed. Please no please not Nick.

“I’ll go back for him!” Diego dumped Johnny on the ground and sprinted back toward the barn. Yet another explosion. More debris. Diego turned around again and ran past Johnny, away into the distance.

“Where are you going?! Diego!” Johnny shouted, his lungs filled with smoke, making his voice hoarse. He shouted again, this time for Nick. Any second now, Nick would come running from the blaze, he would be okay, maybe a little bashed up but he would be okay. Johnny screamed and cried and yelled until his lungs felt like they were going to collapse, begging for Nick to come out. His vision started to smudge around the edges, Johnny knew he was on the brink of consciousness. No please not yet please I’m not ready. He made one last call for Nick as darkness began to take over.

In that moment, deep down, Johnny knew. He knew Nick never made it out in time.

Johnny was always a faster runner than Nick.

Chapter Text

Johnny lay flat on his back where Diego had left him. Forced to watch the thick cloud of smoke in the air while the damp ground sunk into his clothes. He could feel the heat from the fire burning his face, his arms, his torso, but not his legs. He couldn’t feel anything below his waist. He wasn’t even sure what had happened, all he knew is that the explosion had knocked him to the ground and somehow, he couldn’t move. Just like that. Years of sprints, races, just walking. Gone. Johnny closed his eyes, feeling his consciousness begin to slip away again. Maybe this time will be it. I’ll see you soon Nick. Johnny thought back on all his precious moments in life, though it didn’t seem like his life was flashing before his eyes if he had to force it. This was a slow death, cruel and torturous. Like death itself was taunting him, giving him a taste of peace only to bring him back to consciousness again.

The next thing Johnny became aware of was Diego, half yelling half crying in his ear, begging him to wake up. Johnny’s whole body felt so weak, and his lungs felt thick with smoke that felt like fire with each breath. He used the little strength he had left and opened his eyes. He saw Diego knelt at his side, one hand clutching a blood soaked cloth to his face, the other hand resting on Johnny’s face. he looked dreadful, blood dripped from the cloth he was holding down his arm and soaked his clothes. Not that Johnny looked much better, he was bleeding out from god knows where, he could feel it all over his body. Hot and sticky, oozing out of him and seeping into the ground.

“Help is coming Johnny” Diego could barely whisper. “I called an ambulance, you’ll be alright”

“…Nick…” Johnny’s voice was hoarse.

“What?” Diego leaned closer to Johnny.

“They have to get Nick first”

“Johnny…” Diego’s voice broke “I tried Johnny, I couldn’t see him… I’m sorry”

“You ran away” Johnny began to cry.

“I ran to get help” Diego looked like he might start crying too.

 “I thought you were going to leave me here…”

“What?! No of course not! I went to get help! I need you alive Johnny” Diego wept.

Johnny could faintly hear sirens in the distance, but they were muffled, the ringing in his ears mostly drowned out the noise and his vision began to smudge again.

“See? Help.” Diego grasped Johnny’s hand.

Johnny could only hum in response. He felt like his whole body was submerged in water, waves threatening to pull him under. He could feel Diego tighten his grasp, stealing one last kiss on the back of his hand.

“We’re gonna make it out of this Johnny, I promise” Diego’s voice sounded so far away. Johnny tried to make out what Diego was saying, but he was quickly losing his grasp of reality again. “I love you Johnny…”

But it was too late. Johnny never heard him. The waves pulled him under.

Johnny could only remember the next few moments in a series of flashes. He was firstly aware of someone calling his name, but it wasn’t Diego. He remembers a bright light being shone into his eye, and getting lifted onto some sort of cloth. He then remembers being hauled into a van, presumably the ambulance, and more bright lights. As he looked through the open doors from the vehicle, he saw his father, knelt over something covered with a dark blanket. He could hear his father screaming, a raw and primal scream that could only be conjured by a grieving parent. Then he heard the words.

“God took the wrong son from me”

He saw his father weep over Nick’s body, but not his. Not the son that was still alive. He saw his father clutch on to Diego, but still not him. The doors slammed shut and Johnny felt a sharp prick in his arm. Maybe this time he would finally meet his fate. Tides will bring me back to you, Nick.

Recovery was hell. Johnny lay in that hospital bed for weeks, staring at the ceiling and only grunting in response to the nurse’s small talk. He didn’t have a single visitor. Certainly not his father, not even Diego. Johnny cried most nights, the Nick-shaped hole in his heart struck pain throughout his entire body. On one particularly bad night, Johnny had begged the doctors to just pull the plug, let him go be with his brother again. Of course, his wish was never granted, it only delayed his discharge date until the doctors were satisfied he wasn’t a danger to himself. When he was finally discharged, he was handed a plastic bag with his possessions, the clothes he was wearing the night of the accident, a handwritten letter, and a blue hat with pink stars. Nicks hat. Johnny never opened the letter. The hospital staff informed him that it was from Diego, as well as the hat. Johnny couldn’t bear to open it. He lay in that bed for weeks and not once did Diego bother his ass to come visit.

Johnny called his father to pick him up from the hospital. No answer. Should have known Johnny thought. He sighed and pulled out his phone to call an uber. He punched his address in to the search bar and went to select whatever was the cheapest option. Oh yeah. The cheapest uber was no longer an option, now that he had to book the accessible one. Five whole extra bucks for a place to put his chair? What a fucking joke. He sighed and clicked on it anyway. He just wanted to get to his own bed. Johnny lit up a much needed cigarette (graciously given to him by one of the nurses) while he waited for his ride. He felt miserable. He was terrified to see his father again, now without Nick as a safety buffer, he was stuck facing his father alone for the rest of his life. Nick… the thought of his brother felt like a punch in the guts. How could be possibly face home without him there? Would it even feel like home at this point? He felt a sob rise in his throat, but quickly pushed it back down. Not now. He clung to his bothers hat, holding it close to his chest.

The uber arrived after a short while, the driver stepping out ready to take Johnny’s chair. Johnny greeted him and wheeled himself towards the car, reaching for the door. He paused. Suddenly unable to think.

“Aren’t you getting in?” the driver spoke.

Right, yes. Get in the car. Johnny rested his hand on the door handle, pausing once more. “I… I don’t know how…” Johnny suddenly wailed. Sure, he’d been in and out of his chair before, but had only gone from chair to bed. This was new territory.

The driver seemed a bit taken aback by Johnny’s sudden cries, but quickly composed himself. “Hey its okay, look I’ll give you a hand. Have you done this before?”

“Only in the hospital, I’ve not gotten into a car like this before” Johnny sniffled.

The driver talked Johnny through how to shift himself into the back seat of the car, and after a clumsy transition, Johnny was buckled safely. The driver folded his chair and placed it in the space at the rear of the car, and they set off. Johnny felt so embarrassed. How pathetic that must have looked, sobbing in front of a total stranger who he was now stuck with for the next half hour.

Johnny clung to Nick’s hat for the entire drive back to his house. He didn’t dare bring it to his face for fear of smelling Nick’s scent. That would for sure send him over the edge right here in the car. As they pulled up to the Joestar property, Johnny sat and stared out the window. He felt completely frozen. Now that he was here, he had no idea what he was going to do. He swears he could see Nick looking out the window. He couldn’t bare it. He almost wanted to ask the driver to just let him stay, keep driving around so he would never have to go home.

“Need a hand getting out?” The driver smiled kindly at Johnny. There goes that idea.

“Um… yeah I think I do” Johnny said sadly.

“You’ll get good at it kid, don’t stress yourself”

Johnny knew he was trying to help, but the words felt like they just bounced right off him. If only he knew half of what Johnny had just been through. Johnny waved the driver off and made his way to his front door. Stairs. Fuck’s sake. This was almost comical at this point. Johnny wheeled himself round the back of the property to enter through the back door, which didn’t have steps to get in. He fumbled with his keys and managed to get into his kitchen. He made his way through his house, calling for his father. After no response, Johnny figured he was away out somewhere. Thankfully, both his and Nick’s bedrooms were on the ground floor, their father occupying the grand bedroom upstairs and using the rest of the rooms for a “work space.” Though it was really so he could go about his business without being disturbed by his kids. Johnny passed his own bedroom and went straight to Nick’s. He took a deep breath and opened the door. Big mistake. As soon as he saw the room, left exactly the way it was before the accident, Johnny broke down. He let out loud sobs that echoed throughout the whole house, heaving noises that shocked even himself. He made his way around the room, picking up various clothes, books, and figurines, just Nick stuff. He clutched onto all of them in his lap, soaking the precious items with his tears. He climbed out of his chair and into Nick’s bed. The same bed Nick let him sleep in whenever their father had been too harsh, the same bed the pair had sat on while Nick taught him how to play the bass. It was all too much. He lay in bed sniffling until he fell asleep, suddenly exhausted from his grief.

Johnny woke up fourteen hours later. He felt completely numb. He felt numb as his father stormed into the room, demanding him to get out. He felt numb when his father yelled at him to not touch anything, not even Nick’s beloved guitar. He felt numb as he was practically chased into his own room, strictly being instructed to never go into Nick’s room again. He lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling until he fell asleep for another fourteen hours. Johnny didn’t really get up to much in the following weeks, he had fallen into a deep depression and spent most of his time in bed. He felt awful. He felt awful every time his father urged him to get up, do something with his life. He mostly lay in bed stalking through Diego’s Instagram, watching him like a hawk. Asshole manged to land a modelling career the second he turned eighteen, posing in front of various cars, clothing stores, shoe shops, you name it. It filled Johnny with rage. How unfair was it that Diego got to travel the word, wear all these designer labels and get paid for it, all because of that stupid scar on his face that somehow made him desirable. Johnny wanted to tear him limb from limb, ruin his life the way that night ruined his.

Eventually his father got sick of Johnny moping around. He shoved a suitcase in his bedroom, ordered him to pack and get to college. It was then Johnny learned his father had paid for him to go to one of the top colleges in California, just so happened to be Nick’s dream college. Since Johnny never finished his last year of school, his father had to pay a little extra to get him in. Not that Johnny was thankful for the gesture, it was just the most convenient way for his father to get rid of him. At least he had the curtesy to register Johnny in counselling sessions. And so off Johnny went, whisked off to the other side of the country, forced by his father to live out Nick’s dreams.  

Not long after moving in, Johnny met HP. He hadn’t planned to make friends out in California, but after constantly seeing HP try to make small talk with him in his flat building and in his therapy group, she didn’t leave him much choice. Their first conversation was extremely brief;

“So… what are you in for?” HP sat herself next to Johnny.

“I killed my brother” Johnny intended for the statement to scare her off, he wasn’t here to make ‘lifelong friendships’ and ‘cherishing memories.’

“Me too.”

The pair had a mutual understanding of each other, knowing what it was like to bear such burdens. Of course, both deaths had been an accident, but you never truly stop blaming yourself for tragedies like these. They found comfort in each other, and had developed a friendship that resembled the siblings they should have had. They did everything together; skipped classes, drank, smoked, went to parties, the usual college experience. Johnny felt almost normal. And slowly, he got better. He even texted his father occasionally with updates on how his life was going. Not that he ever got a response, but at least he knew his father was reading the messages.

The years flew by. Towards the end of his third year in college, Johnny felt better than ever. He and HP would frequently go out after class, usually to the on-campus bar, they spent many drunk nights out, most of them ending with Johnny waving goodbye to HP and whatever mediocre man she had decided to hook up with for the night. Occasionally HP would get into a relationship for a while, none of which Johnny approved of, she always dated assholes. But, if Johnny was being totally honest, he was slightly envious of HP. He almost missed the excitement of the standard hook up routine; making eye contact with someone from across the room, shameless flirting, taking them home. There was something fun about it. Of course, Johnny was hardly going to get an opportunity like that ever again, let alone fall in love with someone. A small part of him ached at the thought, but for the most part, he was happy to wave HP off and spend his night alone. Plus, he always got a fun story from HP the following day. He liked the consistency. That was, until after a particularly drunken night, where Johnny had woken and immediately spilled his guts into a glittery cowboy boot that he had never seen in his life before.