Work Text:
Kreese has Johnny in a choke hold and Daniel’s insides churn. His knee is killing him, but he does his best hurrying after Mr. Miyagi on his way to stop that madness. Pleas of the other Cobras echo all around the scene, let him go’s and stop’s making LaRusso’s head dizzy for a second and then it looks like it’s finally over. Mr. Miyagi gets the situation under control, making the Cobra’s Sensei let go and push Johnny to the side. The boy stumbles to the ground, immediately surrounded by his best pals.
There is nothing left for Daniel to do but watch his own Sensei deal with the arrogant asshole with a hurt ego. The technique of putting him into his place is truly something to admire and it makes the boy's jaw drop, seeing a huge man tremble in front of his not-so-feeble old man of a teacher.
It takes just one trick to make sure Kreese is left on his knees, with his knuckles bloodied and eyes wide. Mr. Miyagi completely disregards his whimpering as he steps away from the Cobras and their Sensei.
“Come on, Daniel-san.”
The Japanese man starts towards the car once again and the boy knows he has to turn around and follow, but there's something inside of him that's keeping him rooted to the spot. He looks from Kreese to Johnny to Miyagi and back to the Cobra boys, again and again, then finally takes a step back, intending on getting into the car and leaving.
Daniel makes a few steps that feel even more difficult than before, now for a completely new, additional reason besides his busted leg.
“Johnny, man, can you stand?” A voice reaches LaRusso and he turns his head just in time to see Lawrence stand up, pushing himself away from the crowd of his friends.
“I'm fine,” he nods, protectively reaching out a hand to stop Bobby when he tries to follow him. “Fine, okay? Just… let me… I'll talk to you tomorrow, guys.”
And that's the last he hears of Johnny, as he stumbles further through the parking lot, seemingly in no particular direction, since Daniel is pretty sure he lives on the opposite side of town.
Well then. There's nothing left to think about. The boy opens the car door, his grip on his trophy tightens. “Mr. Miyagi, I'm sorry…” Daniel frowns at him. “I… please, tell my mom and Ali that I'll celebrate with them a bit later.” He places the prize on the passenger seat next to his teacher. “I can't leave. Not now.”
A few long moments pass, the old man looking back towards the Cobra Kai squad and then at his student.
“Miyagi understand,” he nods with a sincere smile and waves his hand dismissively. “Now go. Fast.”
“Fast…” Daniel chuckles, gaze dropping to his injured knee. “Yeah. Thank you.”
He pushes himself forward and drags his leg along, trying not to make the pain worse. The car with some of Johnny's friends bypasses him as he heads in the opposite direction, the one the blond boy himself has disappeared in.
The parking lot slowly gets less crowded and despite a few people still trying to approach Daniel, he manages to sneak out of the people's sights, broken pieces of Lawrence's trophy securely tucked under his arm now.
The booming atmosphere of celebration and neverending congratulations gradually dullen as LaRusso limps away from it, slowly but as determinedly as ever. Fences on the side of the pavement, lampposts and benches serve him as support as he advances on his way to finding his rival.
Daniel has got no way of actually knowing where the blond boy took off to, but his legs lead him in the most logical direction. Call it a wild guess, but it proves to be a correct choice when the dark haired boy finally reaches the closest beach entrance and sees a lone figure sitting about half a mile away from him.
“Oh, goddamn,” he rolls his eyes and steps on the sand, feet immediately sinking in it, making him double the effort he puts into walking.
It takes a while, moving with such additional difficulties, but Daniel does reach the person he has been looking for. A little out of breath, but with a content little smile, he tosses the pieces of Johnny's prize on the ground and groans in relief.
The boy is startled for a moment, collecting himself immediately and taking in a shaky breath. “The fuck are you doing here, LaRusso?”
“Jeez, man, I’m beat,” Daniel sighs as he drops right next to Johnny, completely ignoring his question. “Couldn’t you pick a place somewhere closer? Have some respect for the injured?” he nods at his outstretched leg with a soft smile.
“I didn't ask you to follow,” he retorts, brows furrowed. “Why are you here anyways? You should be somewhere else, celebrating your win and all.”
“Yeah, well…” he shrugs simply.
Silence falls between the two of them and Johnny doesn't turn to look at the other boy anymore, choosing to just stare at the lazy waves in front of them.
Daniel, on the other hand, couldn't care less about the view right now. His easygoing smile fades away slowly the longer he studies his opponent’s face. Even in the dim lighting provided by the stars above, his complexion still looks redder than usual. His lower lip trembles, a barely noticeable detail that currently wouldn't be perceived by anyone other than Daniel. Blond eyelashes flatter and a few tears escape despite Johnny's best attempts at keeping them inside.
“Hey, Johnny, I-”
“Don’t,” he cuts him off with a warning, the back of his hand wiping the wet tracks off his cheeks.
“It's alright, man, I promise,” the boy reaches for his shoulder, but Johnny shrugs him off immediately, head turning sharply to face Daniel.
“What the hell are you talking about? Nothing about this whole situation is alright! I lost! I am Sensei's best student and I lost to you! I'm a fucking loser!” His gaze falls to his shuttered runner-up prize and the tears well up even more. “Are you here to rub it in? To gloat?!”
Daniel barely manages to open his mouth to object when Johnny speaks up again, voice breaking with each sentence: “If I'm not number one, then what the hell even am I? A damn loser…” He kicks the sand with his bare feet, hands digging into his blond locks as he groans in frustration.
The emotional tirade fades into another silence, this one heavier with emotion than the previous. Seeing this boy, always obnoxiously loud and unapologetic in everything he does, break down like this is surreal. But then again, the strongest always seem to break unexpectedly and violently. And it hurts Daniel to see the blond boy like this now.
“What do you mean who are you? You're Johnny Lawrence,” he starts, steady and sure. His hand is on Johnny's shoulder once again, this time with more purpose, leaving no chance of escaping. “The most badass boy I know. And losing just this one fight doesn't make you a loser, not by a long shot.”
A sad chuckle gently rocks Johnny's body and he hums in an agreement that's clearly full of sarcasm.
“Maybe that's not what you've been taught, but Johnny, you gotta believe me. Kreese is-”
“Don’t talk about him,” a muffled plea comes from where Johnny's face is tucked into his knees.
A nod, even though the blond boy refuses to lift his head to see it. “Okay. I won't. Not about him anyways. It's about you. You were awesome out there. And if I was any good – that was also because of you.”
The dark haired boy moves his hand to Lawrence's back, keeping the contact light, but persistent, hoping it conveys the intended message. The other doesn't pull away and that's considered one hell of a progress in LaRusso’s books.
“Me?” the blond questions incredulously. “How so?”
“Well, you see, you pushed me to my limits every day. Spurred me on from the start.”
Johnny's head finally rises and his glassy eyes meet Daniel's baby browns. “Are you telling me that my bullying you was a good thing?”
“Ehhh, yeah?” He raises his eyebrows with an awkward smile and thinks about it some more. “And n-no… I guess not really,” he shakes his head, “but maybe I wouldn't be able to get as good as I am now without thinking about you.” Daniel shrugs and the realization of his own words catch up to him the moment he sees Johnny's eyes widen. “Not like that! I just… whatever, get off my ass, man!” he chuckles and falls backwards, hitting the cool sand with a soft thud. He shakes his head in disbelief at his own words.
This little crisis of his gives Lawrence a very much needed opportunity to focus on something other than his loss and his teacher. He turns more to face the other boy, who is now laying on his back with his palms covering his face because of sheer embarrassment.
“You're a freak, LaRusso,” he mutters and it comes out harsh, but when Daniel eventually pries his hands off his face, he sees a subtle smile dancing on Johnny's lips.
“No, I'm not!” he protests, nudging the blond with his good leg.
“You just told me you were glad I bullied you for weeks!”
“I said you made me stronger!” the dark haired boy whines and somehow it makes Johnny drop the subject.
“Right, okay.” He huffs and his eyes drift along Daniel's body until they reach his lower half. “How’s… your knee?” he nods at it, biting his lip nervously.
“Fine,” LaRusso props himself up on his elbows to sound more reassuring. “It almost doesn't bother me.”
Johnny acknowledges it with a grunt, expression still clouded by something Daniel cannot pinpoint at the moment. “Bobby didn't mean to…”
“I know,” he interrupts before the blond can fixate on it any further. “He apologized right away. Plus, after I had some time to process, I kinda figured out who was to blame for that.”
Johnny turns his head away with a soft groan, fist digging into the sand just for the sake of squeezing something and turning it to dust.
“But it's whatever,” Daniel hurries to assure. “I'll get better in no time, nothing to worry about.”
Johnny nods to that, muttering a soft you better as his eyes drift to the trophy pieces still lying in front of him. The shining in his eyes resumes and he sighs, frustration evident in his posture.
“Why’d you carry these here? The dumpster was right around the corner.”
“Wha- a dumpster? No way, man, it's yours! You earned it!”
The blond shakes his head with a sad chuckle. “It’s nothing, I've got a bunch of winner trophies, I don't need one that's gonna remind me of my first failure.” He pushes one of the parts aside lightly. “Take it if you care so much.”
“Alright then,” he just shrugs, lowering himself back on the ground and breathing out in relief.
The stars have gotten more prominent since he arrived here, so there’s so much more to look at now that the most urgent issues have been somehow settled. The feeling of having to say something has dissipated and Daniel just lets himself be here.
His heart misses a beat or two when Johnny follows his suit and lays back right next to him. It feels almost like a dream because if Daniel was asked just a few hours ago about the probability of this specific scenario, he would say that it is impossible in this universe.
But here they are, laying side-by-side, listening to the waves caressing the sand on the beach, watching the constellations above. And for a moment it feels like there wasn't any tournament to begin with. No winners or losers because none of this is relevant, not right now.
Right now the only thing that matters is this boy, a few inches to Daniel's right, breathing slowly and peacefully. LaRusso is no mind reader, but in this second he chooses to believe that his rival has forgotten about the pending conflicts.
Johnny lets himself glance towards the dark haired boy, but as soon as he spots the boy already gazing at him, his defenses come up. “What the hell are you looking at?”
“Nothing.” He just blinks at him innocently, keeping eye contact.
“Stop staring at me.”
“Sorry,” he whispers with a smile, not looking sorry at all.
“Sorry, my ass… Why the fuck are you whispering?” he utters, squinting at the dark haired boy as his own voice drops lower to accommodate him.
“Don’t know,” Daniel breathes out, shrugging. “Just because.”
Lawrence bites the inside of his cheek, holding himself back from something as he searches LaRusso’s face. “Quit smiling like an idiot.”
“Can’t help myself.” His grin widens even more, making Johnny frown in confused annoyance.
“Why?”
“Feeling happy,” he chuckles and sighs, watching the other boy raise his eyebrows.
“Right.”
Lawrence drops this argument, turning on his back once again to stare upwards. His face muscles twitch slightly as he fights to keep his expression neutral, but the moment he gives up a soft, almost secretive smile emerges on his face, making Daniel double down with his own overflowing joy.
“Now what are you smiling at?” he teases.
“Your stupidity, obviously,” he murmurs and Daniel's cheeks hurt from smiling this wide.
“Well, I'm glad my stupidity could cheer you up.”
The blond boy just hums in agreement, his eyes drifting closed. And the other follows his lead as well. It feels like some kind of meditation as they disconnect from reality and simply breathe, bodies stretched out on the soft sand.
Their minds get quieter second by second and after a while there's no telling how much time has passed with them engrossed in this shared subconscious realm.
The eventual soft rustling of sand is the thing that pulls Daniel's mind back from the trance. He blinks his eyes open and sees Johnny standing up from the ground.
“Come on, get your ass up,” the blond commands.
“Yeah, okay,” he pushes himself to sit up, struggling to bend his knee without bothering it too much.
Johnny rolls his eyes watching the scene. “You’re pathetic,” he turns around and grabs his arm, though the movement is way too gentle in comparison with his brisk attitude.
“Thanks,” Daniel chuckles and places his hands on Johnny’s forearms for balance, eyes meeting the taller boy’s gaze once he regains his footing. Their locked gazes create such a palpable tension that a knife could cut into it easily.
Time freezes as LaRusso tightens his grip on his rival, a hundred thoughts rushing through his mind at once and there's only one way to shut them out.
He pushes himself forward to reach Johnny's face and plant a chaste kiss to his cheek. The peck is there in one second and in the next second there is the distance between them once again, the only thing that's different is Johnny's petrified expression.
“Wha-” he shakes his head to snap out of whatever trance he's fallen into. “Was that a fucking pity kiss, LaRusso? What the hell?”
“No,” he shakes his head, suddenly conscious of his demeanor. “Not pity. Affection.”
“Disgusting…” the blond frowns and Daniel's heart sinks in his chest immediately, lips parting to apologize for making the other boy uncomfortable.
But the thing that stops him from doing so is Johnny leaning down to press their lips together, making Daniel's brain short circuit. The lips-on-lips contact is nothing but innocent; it's over in a blink of an eye, but the results of it prove to be long lasting. The dark haired boy chuckles softly and the corners of his mouth rise slightly as Johnny's cheeks turn pinkish.
“Come on, move it,” Lawrence drags him forward, turning his face away to hide his quickly spreading blush.
Daniel lets himself be dragged for a few seconds, too dumbfounded to object, when finally he comes to his senses. “Oh, wait, hold on,” he squats on his shaky legs to pick up the pieces of the trophy.
“You really wanna hold on to that junk, don't you?”
“Yeah, if you don't mind.”
"Don't give a shit,” he shakes his head as Daniel chuckles and collects everything, a plan already forming in his mind as he leans on Johnny's shoulder for support and they trace their steps back to the parking lot they left from.
In the morning, the moment Johnny walks out of his house, he freezes in his tracks. There it is, his runner-up trophy, glued back together and looking as good as new. Next to it on the ground lies a piece of paper. The boy crouches down and unfolds it.
Thought you might want this back so it can remind you about the first official fight with me ;)
And looking at this prize today feels like a damn honour, so the blond proudly picks it up with a smile tugging at his lips. His attention attracts the rattling of the metal fence on his left as a certain boy climbs over it to get off the Lawrence residence territory.
“What a moron,” he shakes his head, seeing LaRusso finally jump on the ground on another side.
The dark haired boy turns around and flashes him a beaming smile. Johnny can't help but return it, butterflies swarming in his stomach when Daniel blows him a kiss. The only thing he can think of at the moment is flipping the boy off, but the offensive gesture lacks its purpose. It only causes some joyous giggles as the dark haired boy hops into his car and drives away and Johnny's gaze drops to the trophy in his hand and a neatly scribbled note.