Archive of Our Own ^beta

Johnny was happy. Or at least, he had been, until his partner's other boyfriend moved into their apartment.

He and Gyro had been living together for the better part of a year now, and Johnny could not have been happier. Sure, there had been bumps along the way- getting used to someone else's day to day life was hard, and melding the two together was even harder- but he loved them and Gyro loved him so it was okay. They could get over whatever trivial problems arose. 

If he was being honest, what had initially concerned him was Gyro's polyamorous orientation; Johnny had a tendency to be the jealous type, so knowing that they could have feelings for someone else was a terrifying thought- he didn't want to be cast aside, didn't want to be replaced. As he found out, it was never like that- Gyro's hatred of monogamy wasn't because they wanted to date around or couldn't handle commitment, they just thought that putting a cap on emotions was stupid.

"It's like saying you can only choose one family member," they had explained, "even though you care about all of them. You can love more than one person at once. It's ridiculous."

As he had found, love was not some limited feeling. Gyro had dated others and cared about them but never once treated Johnny any differently. They still loved him, still helped him around, still gave him their kindness and support and eventually their life when they got their first apartment together, located perfectly between the two's workplaces, down the street from a grocery store, and close to a Starbucks. It was small, however, making it difficult at times to get around in his wheelchair, but Gyro always took it upon themselves to rearrange the furniture enough and make sure he could fit between everything. 

But all good things must come to an end. 

There was a knock on the door, breaking the monotony of the rain pattering on the windows and snapping Johnny out of his mindless scrolling down his phone. It had been drizzling all day, the gloomy sky lulling him into a content peace. 

"Gyro, can you get the door?" He called into the other room, mentally comparing the space between it and him on the couch and how much effort he'd have to put in to getting up.

Footsteps signaled the arrival of his partner, rolling their eyes. "Sure, lazy."

He grinned in response, going back to his phone. Not meaning to eavesdrop, he couldn't help but overhear the exchanges made at the door.

"I'm so sorry, I would have called if I could, I didn't want to drop by unannounced and I have nowhere else to go-"

"Diego, it's fine, you're always welcome here, okay? Set your bags down, we'll get you dried off." 

More conversation he couldn't make out ensued, but the words of their exchange that he heard ran through Johnny's head and he came to a possible conclusion. "Hey, is that the guy you've been going steady with lately?" 

Gyro made their way back over to him, nodding. "You wouldn't mind if he stays with us for a while, would you? He's out of a place to stay right now and could really use a roof over his head."

Johnny shrugged. "Fine by me. It's funny though, I didn't know Diego was a popular name."

Their confused expression told him to elaborate.

"That guy from college, his name was Diego too."

"Oh, the one you say ruined your life?"

"Yeah, that asshole. Fuck that guy."

"Aren't holding grudges for that long bad for your health?"

"You're the doctor, you tell me." 

They chuckled, reaching out to run their fingers through his hair; the gentleness in their eyes made him melt just a little inside. 

"I'm gonna help him dry off, then we'll talk about where to go from here, okay?" 

He sat up, scooting backwards so his back rested against the arm of the couch so he could see the two when they came back in. That was when the boyfriend, Diego, came back to grab some dry clothes from one of the bags he left in the main room. 

Johnny's eyes widened. Even with his bright blonde hair ruined from the rain, the man's features were unmistakable- it was the same fucking Diego.

"Johnny?" His tone was accusatory and disbelieving, "What the hell are you doing here?" 

"Excuse me? I should be asking you that question." He growled; Johnny pulled his wheelchair closer so he could shift himself over to it, noticing Diego wince a little as he did so. "I live here."

"Oh my god. So you're the Johnny they told me about. Of course. Of course it's you."

This was the unfortunate time that Gyro stepped into the room.

"What kind of fucking joke is this?!" Johnny's voice burned with rage, but the hurt in his eyes was evident; something was wrong.

"Johnny, what's the problem?"

"Out of all the people in this world, it had to be him?! This lying, scheming, self-centered prick?! He ruined me!" 

He had never raised his voice like that at them before. "Johnny, please, just take a breath, we'll sort this out, and-"

"Oh, fuck you. He's an asshole, haven't you seen it? He's a complete and utter douchebag, why have you-"

"Look, whatever happened when you were younger is over, okay? Get over it! Diego needs our help and-"

"Well he isn't getting it from me." The screaming had ceased to a hard, unwavering certainty, unnerving both parties in the room with how quickly Johnny's tone had switched. If he wasn't angry enough before, he was now. 

He wheeled himself past both of them, grabbing his jacket and beanie off the wall hanger by the door as he started off. "I'm leaving. Have fun with that dinosaur fucker while I'm gone." 

Johnny slammed the door behind him and that was that. He felt so completely and utterly betrayed- get over it? Get over it? Isn't that what his whole life was centered around now? Trying to work around the damage that Diego had caused? And still, here that monster was, being treated with the same kindness and care that Gyro gave him. He didn't deserve it. Hell, no one deserved Gyro's kindness- not even him- but especially not that asshole. He didn't deserve to know how it feels to be loved.

Johnny realized halfway throughout the apartment complex, in the lobby on his way out the door, that he had no idea where he was going to go. He hadn't even grabbed an umbrella for the rain outside, but it did seem to be letting up a little- hopefully he wouldn't be soaked, wandering out on the city streets. 

God, he wanted a drink. 

He could go down to one of the bars he used to frequent before the incident- it would be so easy to slip back into the habit and let the alcohol take him, but he wouldn't. He spent too much time and effort getting sober just to throw it all away. He swore he'd never take another drink after that night.

He decided to go to Starbucks instead. It was close, on the corner of Mariposa and Bryant, and he had taken up coffee to fill the void left in him when he gave up drinking. He also had a certain friend that worked there that he knew would lend an ear if he needed one- he just hoped she was working today. If not, just a coffee would have to do. 

To his luck, the rain was starting to let up, but the chilly San Francisco air made him shiver and he pulled the sides of his jacket closer together as he wheeled himself down the sidewalk. Just a few more blocks and he could drown himself in all the caffeine he wanted.

He still couldn't shake this feeling of betrayal, though. He knew that Gyro didn't seek him out on purpose or anything, Christ, they didn't even know it was the same Diego, but the more he tried to push back this anger and frustration the more it fought back, nipping at his logical mind like a rabid dog with a taste for blood. 

The entrance to the Starbucks seemingly materialized in front of him while he was lost in his own head, the sweet aroma of baked goods and coffee inside instantly began to soothe the angry monster ravaging him inside. A familiar fuschia-haired figure at the cash register also gave him some relief, and she smiled when their eyes met. 

"Hey, Johnny!" She greeted him, "What can I get for you today?" 

"Just a black coffee, please." He reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet but was met with empty space. He then realized he forgot it back at the apartment, along with the keys, his phone, and an umbrella. Tears began to well up in his eyes but he fought them off- of course he forgot it, why wouldn't he? One disaster after the next, why would anything else be different? "I, um- fuck, I forgot my wallet, I didn't-"

"Hey, is everything okay?" She lowered her voice so as not to advertise his problems to the other customers, "I've got a break coming up in about five minutes, do you want to talk about it?" 

He nodded, averting his gaze from hers and keeping his line of sight trained on the ground. "Thanks, HP." 

Johnny wheeled himself over to a table in the back, keeping himself busy by counting the patterned brown, mahogany, and golden tiles decorating the wall; he had gotten up to two hundred and fifty four before HP, now with her worker's apron draped over one shoulder and a coffee in her hand, pulled out the chair next to him and sat down. Her white button-up shirt was, as usual, not made of the most opaque fabric and he could see the outline of her neon pink bra underneath it.

"Your manager's gonna pitch a fit if you keep doing that." He pointed out, but she shrugged.

"Well then maybe women's shirts should be made with better materials, or I'll have to go back into the men's section." She countered, but paused as she ruminated over her words again. "I did just get to a C cup though, what's the harm in showing off a little? He'll just have to deal with it. This is for you, by the way."

She pushed the cup of coffee over to his side of the table, motioning for him to take it. "Figured you needed it. It's on the house."

Johnny felt the beginnings of tears again but choked them down once more; he gave her a soft smile instead. "Thanks, H. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. So what's up? Partner troubles?" 

He nodded, tearing open a few packets of sugar and stirring it into his drink. "I met Gyro's other boyfriend today."

"And?" 

"He's gonna be living with us for a while. Not sure why, though. He can fuck off and die for all I care."

She raised an eyebrow, giving him an almost patronizing stare. "You don't know why? What, did you storm out of there or something?" 

"I, uh..." he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, realizing he did that exact thing. "Yeah. I kind of did."

"Johnny-"

"No, you don't understand, their boyfriend was this guy I used to know who made my life a living hell! That's who they've been seeing. I feel like shit." 

She pursed her lips, taking in this information before continuing. "So are you worried? That they'll leave you?"

Johnny shook his head. "No, it's- it's nothing like that. I know they love me, they wouldn't just up and leave like that, I'm not jealous or anything. It's that he doesn't deserve it. I mean, hell, I don't deserve Gyro but this guy is the scum of the earth. How'd he end up with them?" 

"You do sound a little jealous."

"It's not about what's happening with Gyro, though-" exasperation littered his voice, "It's about him. I don't want him in my life again. I don't want him in Gyro's life either, god knows what he'll do to them."

"Have you tried maybe telling them that?" She offered, "If you two just talked it out I'm sure they'd understand."

"But I don't want to talk it out." Johnny grumbled, crossing his arms on the table and letting his head rest on top of them; it was an uncanny representation of an angry child. "And I don't want to compromise on this, either. He fucked up my life, H. I don't want him back in it." 

"Forgive me if I overstep any bounds, but what exactly did he do?" She asked; he sighed, but relented.

"Remember when I used to be an alcoholic?" 

Granted, she had never been there when he had his drinking problems, but HP had been an important stepping stone in getting him sober. Their entire friendship had really evolved from the amount of times he'd get coffee to stave off the addiction at the times she was working. She had seen his ups and downs and the struggles he had with it and because of it, was very well acquainted with the alcohol-driven monster inside of him.

"Not personally, but yes." She nodded.

"I'd usually go barhopping with a few people from my classes, and he was always one of them. When we weren't fighting, we were drinking. And then getting into drunk fights. It was pretty bad. We got arrested once."

"That still doesn't answer my question, though." She pointed out.

He gave an exasperated sigh. "Look, I'm not going to comb through every single memory I have and give you every single occasion he was a douchebag, okay? There are a lot."

There was a pause; it sounded like he was overreacting just a bit, but she also couldn't forget how destroyed Johnny was when he gave up drinking. It wasn't uncommon for him to make mountains out of molehills, but she knew there were at least some grains of truth in what he was saying.

"Hey, what's the guy's name? I'm gonna look him up." HP pulled her phone out of her pocket, locating the Facebook search bar. 

"Diego Brando."

"Oh, he's hot."

"I thought you were ace?"

"Doesn't mean I can't appreciate the world's natural beauty." She flashed him a wink; Johnny stuck his tongue out at her. It was true, though- he was definitely a looker. Just another reason to hate him.

"Aww, there are so many pictures of him with horses, how cute. Hey, there's the college- you two also went to high school together?"

Johnny nodded. "We go pretty far back. Unfortunately."

"So what are you going to do about it?" She returned to their original conversation, turning off her phone and putting it away; he could only shrug. He honestly had no idea what he could possibly do to make this situation better.

"I should probably go back and apologize to Gyro," Johnny admitted, face flushed a slight pink from embarrassment, "I...ended up yelling at them for the first time today. It was a pretty shitty thing to do." 

Her eyes widened and softened a bit, less accusing- he had never, ever raised his voice at his partner. "You did? Oh, Johnny, that should have been the first thing you told me. If I had known it was that serious-"

"That is exactly what I've been trying to explain. He's just so...so cheap, and low, and is always taking advantage of everyone, and-" he stopped mid-sentence, a realization dawning on him. "Oh my god. He's probably going to fuck Gyro before I get to. That's what this is about, I know it, he just wants to use them and that's why he's here, that's why-"

"Okay, star-kid, take a breath and come back to reality. No one is going to use anyone. Gyro's better than that, anyways- they're a surgeon, for crying out loud, they're smart enough to know when something's a setup and when it's not. It's going to be fine." She reassured him, placing a hand on his shoulder as she maintained eye contact to emphasize her point. "Also, what do you mean by that? You two haven't...?"

It took a moment for her words to sink in. "Oh, uh...no. Not yet."

"You mean to tell me," HP retracted her hand and put it palms-together with the other, raising them to her lips in a sort of mock prayer, "that despite how long you've been together, and despite being the most painfully affectionate and cheesy romantics I have ever seen, you two still haven't gotten it on? This is your problem. You two just need to bone." 

"Oh my god could you have said that any louder."

"Yes. You're welcome for not. But you know that's your problem, right? You need to resolve that sexual tension."

"For the love of everything good in this world, please stop, you're ace, how would you even know?" The despair emanating from him was nearly palpable. In return, she gave him a friendly nudge.

"Look, I get cranky when I can't get my mocha frappuccino. And now we've learned that you get cranky when you don't get any dick." 

The light left his eyes as he accepted death. Goodbye, cruel world, it was nice knowing you. 

"Okay, okay, you know I'm just fucking with you, right? But seriously. You need to go back home and talk to them, you'll work it out, it'll be fine. Go apologize and explain how you feel. Without yelling."

Johnny nodded, slowly; he knew that was what he had to do, and although he didn't want to, Gyro deserved it. He hadn't mean to just...explode like that, and now it was his responsibility to fix it. Then discuss the Diego problem.

"Thank you. For the coffee, too. I'm not too happy about this still but I do feel better."

"It's no problem." She matched his appreciative smile, "now go save your relationship, I gotta get back to work."