Archive of Our Own

Daniel LaRusso was on the way home from the grocery store, carrying a pumpkin, while he looked like a pumpkin himself, when he crossed paths with Johnny Lawrence of all people.

Of course that jock had to carry three pumpkins with the size of an airplane..

Daniel prepared himself for some stupid comment.

“LaRusso?” he heard Johnny’s voice but didn’t turn around. “Shut up, Johnny.” he just said and kept walking.
He didn’t want to hear him insult his outfit or make fun of the fact that all of “the hills” side of the valley was invited to a super fancy Halloween party and Daniel did not get an invitation.

“Are you coming to the party tonight?” Johnny asked and Daniel huffed angrily. He knew it.

Daniel turned around and looked at Johnny, who was balancing his pumpkins and looked like an idiot with his stupid pretty hair and his red cheeks.

“Yeah, right.” he said sarcastically and shook his head while he turned around to keep walking.

Stupid Johnny Lawrence with his stupid, neat light blue sweater and that stupid.. hair..

“You should go to the party.” Lucille insisted, trying to cheer up her son, who was still in a bad mood though it was hours later.

„I don’t even have a costume.. Plus, you need an invitation.“ Daniel reminded her while carving his pumpkin.

“But you said everyone is going.” Lucille said and Daniel looked up. “Yeah, everyone probably got an invite! The party is in Encino, some rich kid I don’t even know is throwing it. Ever since Ali broke up with me, I don’t get a golden ticket anymore.”

“You don’t need one..” Lucille said with affection and kissed the top of her son’s head. “You just have to wear a mask and you go a little later when no one cares about invitations anymore.”

Daniel rolled his eyes and wanted to reply something, but the doorbell rang and he left his mother with the pumpkin to open up.
To his surprise, no one was there, but when he turned around there was an envelope pinned to the door with a bloody knife.

“Mom?” he called and Lucille hurried to the door. “What is it?”

“I might not need a mask after all!” Daniel smiled and stepped out to see if he could spot the one who delivered the message and he actually saw someone hurry around the corner. He thought he had seen that light blue sweater earlier that day and against his will, his heart started beating a little faster.

Was Johnny Lawrence of all people inviting him to the party?

“There’s a hole in our door now..” Lucille mumbled and pulled out the knife, checking if it was actually fake blood. “You sure that’s an invitation and not a threat, honey?”

Daniel laughed. “It’s Halloween! And I’m going to a party!”

Daniel wasn’t sure if it was an upgrade from his shower costume or his lowest low he ever reached, but he had the choice between the over-sized Halloween sweater he was wearing all day, together with his orange shorts and a pair of soccer socks in the matching color, pretending to be a pumpkin by choice, or a plain white sheet with cut outs around his eyes and calling himself a ghost. The pumpkin at least looked like he chose a theme and not an emergency resolution.

Daniel was nervous, he never made any new friends his age after Ali in the valley, but maybe a party could change that.
His invitation was marked as a ‘plus 1’, that meant he hadn’t been directly invited by the host, an invited guest made him his plus 1 and he was eager to find out if it was really Johnny and why he wanted him there.

Daniel wasn’t dumb, he was fully aware that this could be just a prank but even if, he made it to the party! He was a valid guest, walking through the decorated hallway, passing all kinds of unrecognizable people in more or less creative costumes.
Daniel stopped on the way to the drinks and snacks table. He spotted Johnny and the Cobras in the crowd, all standing together, yelling into each other’s ears because the music was so loud. Michael Jackson’s thriller started playing and Daniel started to get in the mood, but he also remembered the Halloween where Johnny and the Cobras chased him and beat him up.
This time, they weren’t wildly dressed up, all their costumes looked like last minute choices and Daniel felt a little superior. At least he looked like something. Johnny was only wearing one of his signature red jackets but with the arms cut off, wearing sunglasses on top of his head. He looked over and Daniel looked away quick, getting busy with choosing a drink.
He saw Johnny coming over from the corner of his eye and pretended he didn’t care, trying to ignore his heart beating faster again.

Daniel could feel Johnny’s presence behind him, his face coming closer and then his voice in his ear..

“You came!”

Daniel turned around. “What are you going to do about it?” he yelled against the music, pretending he wasn’t suspecting Johnny at all and took a sip from his drink… That fruit punch was heavily spiked, Daniel, who wasn’t drinking alcohol much, started to feel it in his system immediately.

Johnny looked confused. “What do you mean? I’m just saying hi! I’m glad you came!”

Daniel wasn’t buying it. “Why?” he took another huge sip and started to feel a little light headed.

Johnny was struggling with an answer. “Because.” he finally said and shrugged.

“And you forgot your costume?” Daniel said while fully forgetting that he was just wearing what he wore before and didn’t bother to find a real costume either.

“Hey, what are you talking about, man? I’m Marty McFly!” Johnny said and Daniel choked on his drink. “Really.” he managed to say after a few coughs and grinned after he realized Johnny wasn’t just serious but also deeply offended.

“Stop laughing, pumpkin..” Johnny poked the nose of the pumpkin on Daniel’s sweater and they both cracked a sheepish smile.

“Okay okay, let’s call it even. We both suck this year.” Daniel suggested and Johnny laughed. “Nah, you look cute. That’s why I wanted you here.” Johnny admitted and Daniel frowned. There it was. That was the prank.
Okay, Daniel thought, it’s on! Let’s see who is pranking who this time.

“Aw, come on.”, he replied, putting on a shy smile while running his fingers through his hair. He would play along and in the end it would be Johnny who would give up first.

“I mean it!” Johnny said and looked around. He spotted a free couch and grabbed Daniel by the wrist. “Come!”

Daniel stumbled along and almost spilled his drink. It all happened so fast and someone else was heading for the couch too, so he ended up on Johnny’s lap instead of the spot next to him. Johnny took the chance and wrapped his arms around Daniel. What the hell was happening? Daniel emptied his cup quickly and looked at Johnny.

“Sorry..” Johnny grinned. “You wanna go somewhere else?”

Daniel thought about his next step, what was Johnny’s game?

“What if I like it here?” Daniel asked to buy himself some time and hated himself for actually liking it.
He hadn’t forgotten that Johnny told him he was alright after the tournament. He knew he quit karate and they basically never bothered each other again. They even occasionally greeted each other from time to time, but somehow Daniel never stopped being aware. He was always ready to counter whatever shit Johnny would throw at him.
Now he was on high alert, but enjoyed it in the weirdest way possible.

Johnny’s eyes on him were soft, his hands gentle.. What was his game?

Daniel wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol, but he felt Johnny’s face come nearer.. Was Johnny moving or was it him? Was it the room? Daniel licked over his lips, his eyes flickering between Johnny’s eyes and his mouth.

What was happening?

He was about to close his eyes and let himself fall into whatever was about to happen, totally forgetting to be aware of a prank and then the music stopped and he startled.
He knew it. This was a prank and everyone would laugh at him for falling for Johnny Lawrence…

No one was laughing, though and Johnny looked confused too. Some guests loudly complained and started to boo.

A guy, dressed up as a mix of a zombie and a host, grabbed a microphone, tabbed on it and almost killed every guest with a way too loud, too high pitched tone, coming from the boxes all over the place.
Johnny buried his face in the crook of Daniel’s neck and tighten his embrace a little.
Was this not Johnny’s prank? Daniel was too confused.

“Hello everyone! Welcome to our Halloween party, the greatest in the valley!! To those who don’t know us,.. why are you here? Ha ha ha, just kidding, I’m Greg, me and my sister Greta are your hosts for tonight..”

“Gosh I hate him already..” Daniel mumbled and to his surprise, Johnny chuckled.

“Is he your friend?” he asked and Johnny shook his head. “Barely know him. But he invited all the cool kids.”

“Yeah, right..” Daniel rolled his eyes, remembering that he disliked Johnny Lawrence for a reason.

“He missed one..” Johnny whispered and Daniel felt his hot breath in his neck. He froze for a second and waited for the chills he got to go away.

Was Johnny planning anything at all??

Daniel forced himself to not let his guard down while they listened to Greg, who announced a party game and started to explain the rules. The guest would be randomly picked to join two teams, battling each other. One team would be the serial killer team, the other the victim team. The goal was to survive the most killers by collecting their masks or kill the most victims with marking them with their individual color.
There were more victims than killers, no rules for teaming up or surviving alone. A plastic cauldron was making the round and everyone had to pull a piece of paper that decided who was a killer and who was a victim. The killers were supposed to dress up in a new costume in a different room, while the victims only got a white T-Shirt so their clothes wouldn’t get dirty.
Johnny and Daniel both drew their lots and unfolded the paper.

“Killer..” Johnny said, not even thinking about for once to keep it a secret.

“Victim..” Daniel sighed.

“Wanna trade?” Johnny asked and Daniel looked at him. “I don’t wanna play at all..”

“Me neither..” Johnny agreed and then a smile grew on his face. “Hey, let’s meet upstairs in the bathroom. We hide and lock the door until it’s over.”

Daniel got suspicious but still wanted to play along with whatever Johnny suggested.

“Alright. How do I know it’s you?”

“Look at my shoes.” Johnny said and Daniel looked down. Johnny was wearing the same Chucks he once kicked his face with the first time they met. Yeah, he remembered those camouflage Chucks..

The boys parted and Daniel accepted his white T-shirt in exchange for his lot. He put it on while he followed Greta to the room where the victims started with mixed feelings.
Part of him had an unexpected craving to be close to Johnny, another part of him remembered all the things Johnny had done to him 1984, when he moved to Reseda and it still made his stomach twist.

Everybody gathered around as suddenly, the light went out entirely and the entire house was only lit by black light, making all kinds of spooky decoration glow in neon colors. Daniel thought it was pretty cool but he really wasn’t in a mood to play a tag game. He immediately started heading for the bathroom upstairs.
He had no idea what was waiting for him there, but he would find out soon.

Johnny changed into his killer costume, a black robe with a white ghost mask. That would make a cool killer in a scary movie, he thought when he looked around and found himself surrounded by the chosen ones, who wore the same costume.
The game was a pretty cool idea, but there was only Daniel LaRusso on his mind.
Johnny had no idea when he started to look at that annoying kid from Newark differently, but when he saw him earlier that day, he just knew he had to strike now or never. He also thought LaRusso would be more of a challenge, but he wasn’t complaining.

The moment the lights went out, he started heading towards the bathroom. It took him a little longer because he met a group of white shirts along the way, but managed to eliminate them all with a splash of color from his weapon that was a fake knife with some ink inside. His color happened to be neon yellow.

On the way, he passed something that looked like a dead body in a pool of blood and shuddered.
Greg and Greta surely put a lot of money and effort into the props and decoration.
When Johnny finally found the bathroom, he froze. There was a trail of blood on the floor he was sure hadn’t been there when he went to pee for the first time. He shook it off, that was all part of the game, to make it feel more real. No one would die in this house tonight. It was Halloween!

Johnny opened the door slowly and dropped his knife. He was prepared for everything but not what he found in there.
He slowly took off his mask and dropped that too.

“Daniel?” Johnny asked and his voice broke. It was the first time ever he called him by his name.

Daniel LaRusso was lying on the floor with his back against the bathtub, bent double, his T-Shirt drenched with blood.
He groaned weakly when he heard Johnny’s voice and managed to look up. “Johnny..”

Johnny stumbled through the room and dropped on his knees next to him. Daniel was pressing a whole ton of toilet paper against his stomach, where the most blood was and Johnny was too terrified to even touch him.
He remembered the dead body he passed and started to feel sick. Was a real killer among the players?

“Hey..” he whispered with a shaky voice. “Just.. don’t move, I’m gonna go and get help, okay?”

Daniel’s empty eyes found his and he swallowed. “Don’t go.. don’t leave me Johnny.. I.. I don’t wanna die alone..”

A tear was running down Johnny’s cheek and he nodded. He carefully pulled Daniel’s upper body on his lap and ran his fingers through his hair.

“It’s gonna be okay..” he whispered helplessly and Daniel started to cough blood.

“Oh my god.. Oh god this is all my fault..” Johnny started to whine, “I gave you the invitation..” he confessed and with the guilt in his heart and Daniel LaRusso, slowly dying in his arms, he suddenly couldn’t stop crying.

“I’m so sorry, Daniel.. please hold on. Please don’t die..”

It was quiet for a moment and all they could hear was the dull music from outside, screams and laughter from the other players, mixed with Johnny’s silent whimpers.

“Okay okay.” Daniel raised his arms in defeat and got up. “You won.” he wiped the fake blood off his mouth and looked at Johnny, who looked back at him like he saw an actual ghost. “What?” he stuttered and Daniel poked his arm.
“You really thought I didn’t know you were about to prank me? I tried to outsmart you but I can’t do more than die so you win, I can’t beat that act.” he laughed but looking at Johnny, he slowly realized that Johnny wasn’t laughing and looked actually terrified.

“You weren’t playing..” Daniel realized quietly and more tears ran down Johnny’s cheeks while his face was like a mask. He wiped over his eyes and shook his head. “No..” his desperation was suddenly replaced by anger. “No, asshole, I wasn’t playing, I thought someone stabbed you for real, man! You scared the shit out of me! I thought… I was.. you were..” Johnny’s voice broke and the anger faded.

Daniel lapsed into silence. The moment he found the fake blood in the bathtub, he thought he had the best idea ever to get back at Johnny Lawrence, to out-prank him on whatever he had planned for him this evening.

“Why did you invite me then?” he asked quietly and Johnny looked helpless again.

“Cause you looked so cute when I saw you earlier and I wanted you here, okay? I told you. I didn’t make that up. I wanted to ask you out on a date forever but never knew how.. I thought if I invite you here we could hang out together or something..” Johnny sniffed and Daniel felt awful.

He used the way too long sleeves of his sweater to dry the tears on Johnny’s face before he leaned in and breathed a kiss on his lips.
Johnny swallowed and they locked eyes.

“How about we call it even for that Halloween when you scared the shit out of me, hm?” Daniel suggested softly but Johnny shook his head. “There’s no excuse for that Halloween.. but if you say yes when I ask you out on a date, I would feel a little better.”

A sweet smile grew on Daniel’s lips and he nodded. “Yeah, if you ask me out on a date, I’ll say yes. No more games okay?”

“Okay.” Johnny smiled and then his smile turned into a mischievous grin. “Unless..”

“What?” Daniel asked curiously, not able to stop smiling.

“Wanna prank the others?” Johnny asked and it took a moment until Daniel understood but then he laughed.

“Hell, yeah! Let’s do it!”

Johnny stood up and picked up Daniel, who dramatically collapsed in his arms.

He kicked the door open and started running through the house while he constantly yelled:

“Help! Someone stabbed Daniel LaRusso! There’s a real killer in the house!! Help!!”

(loosely based on this drawing ^^; <3)