Chapter Text
Gyro Zeppeli is a busy man.
Naturally, surgeons have little down time at work. Between cases, he usually finds himself daydreaming about the beach. Sand between his toes, the sun in his face, a beer in his hand. But today, he’s thinking about his bed. The hospital has been swamped lately as families travel for spring break. Surfing injuries, car accidents, sun poisoning, every ailment you can think of has come through the hospital doors over the past few days. Thankfully once he’s off tonight, he’s free for a whole day! Naturally, he’ll be on call the whole time but still! A day to sleep in and enjoy his partners’ company. What more can a man ask for? Maybe a sub sandwich… Gyro hums to himself a little, making a mental note to grab a snack from the vending machine next time he leaves his office.
By the time five o’clock rolls around, Gyro is practically dancing down the hallway to punch out. The drive home is long, as usual, the spring break tourists have increased the traffic but for once he doesn’t mind. His favorite radio station’s been playing good songs back to back and that’s helped make the commute feel quicker. Uptown Girl loudly blasts from his Jeep Cherokee as he pulls in to his apartment building’s parking structure, leaving him to hum the remainder of the tune on his way up to the seventh floor.
Gyro knows that Johnny is working from home today. Last week, he interviewed a new hotshot jockey from Irvine Kentucky. The phone call lasted around four hours and, from what Gyro heard while eavesdropping through the door, the kid was a real comedian. Johnny’s been working on an article highlighting new, young jockeys with potential for stardom and thanks to the success of his sports journalism career, he’s earned the trust of his bosses to efficiently work from home a few days each week. Their home office has a computer, phone and countless journals filled with Johnny’s written commentary on not just horse races, but the equestrian sports industry as a whole. He’s even received an invitation to the Kentucky derby this year.
Johnny calls out a muffled greeting from the bedroom. Gyro drops his work bag by the front door, stripping off his clothes on his way down the hall. He balls up his uniform, shoving it into the hamper with an exhausted sigh.
“There you are,” Johnny’s all curled up in bed, the television playing Seinfeld reruns across the room. He’s got his red journal in his lap, twirling a pencil between his fingers. “How was work? Save any lives?”
“I saved a Snickers bar and a Pepsi from the vending machine. Does that count?” Gyro brushes out his hair with his fingers. It feels nice letting it down after keeping it up in a tight bun all day. “Fuck… I could sleep for the rest of the week.” He flops onto the bed, jostling Johnny around. He definitely won’t be able to finish writing like this. “Hold me… C’mon Johnny, I need ya!” Gyro reaches his arms out, grabbing on to Johnny’s plaid pajama pants, shaking his leg with a dramatic groan.
Johnny closes his journal, setting his work aside in favor of welcoming his partner into bed. The two settle into each others arms and everything feels good. Gyro holds Johnny close against him, needing this physical contact as he lets himself decompress after such a busy week. He can almost feel the weight of it all sliding off of his shoulders, down his back and out of his system. Johnny trails his fingers up and down the small of his back and Gyro rests his cheek against the top of Johnny’s golden blonde hair. It’s kinda damp… He must have showered before Gyro got home. He takes a deep breath, smiling as the scent of soap and aftershave fill his nose.
“You smell real good right now. Did you get a new shampoo or something?” Gyro asks groggily. He can barely keep his eyes open anymore. All he knows is that he really likes whatever soap this is. Sandalwood, greenery, woodsy-something. It’s familiar. Comforting.
Johnny hums a noncommittal sound. While he’s enjoying the cuddling, he’s still watching his show. An amused smirk works its way up his face as George Costanza bumbles around on the screen, the laugh track playing loudly behind his ranting and raving. “Nah. I’m outta shampoo so I just used Diego’s. ‘S probably why you like it.”
Oh yeah. That’s why it smells familiar. “I’ll put shampoo on the grocery list for you. Just tell me what kind you want and I’ll get it,” Gyro takes another deep inhale “Maybe I’ll make Diego go. I’m so tired. I’d resort to begging if it means…” Gyro trails off, nose wrinkling as he thinks for a moment. Diego. Of course he adores his boyfriend, but why does his name sound… Different. Like his overworked brain is trying to piece something together…
“If it means what?” Johnny tries to look up at him but it’s an awkward angle. Gyro’s gone stiff and silent. That’s weird for him. “Hello..?”
Johnny looks at him expectedly. Gyro looks right back at him, gears spinning in his brain. Then-
“Merda!!” Gyro practically leaps out of the bed, scaring the merda out of Johnny in the process. He darts to the closet, throwing on a barely cohesive outfit in a panic.
“What?! What is it? You’re freakin’ me out!” Johnny moves himself to the edge of the bed, ready to transfer into his wheelchair if needed. “Tell me!”
“ I forgot Diego!” Gyro blurts, genuine fear in his eyes “And he’s gonna kill me!”
Johnny’s silent for a moment, just taking in the sight in front of him. His 6’1, muscular, tan, Italian wearing a hideous combination of red basketball shorts and a green Yosemite National Park tee. He’s practically shaking in his flip flops at the thought of their 5’5 British boyfriend’s wrath.
Diego’s beautiful blue Mercedes Benz has been in the shop for two days now getting a new windshield, oil change and a fresh coat of wax. He’s gotten coworkers to give him a ride to and from work in the meantime, much to Diego’s annoyance. He doesn’t like asking for help, but he hates public transport more than asking for a favor. However this afternoon, Diego had called Gyro for a ride.
…
“Gyro darling, could you pick me up from work on your way home? That idiot temp worker bailed on me! Claims he has lunch plans with his girlfriend. I doubt that fool has ever even had one successful conversation with a woman,” Diego speaks quietly, clearly hiding in the bathroom to make this phone call away from his nosy coworkers. “I get off at five tonight but I don’t mind waiting for you if you’ll be a little later.” There’s a knock on the bathroom door and Diego holds the phone away from his ear to shout a quick ‘occupied!’.
“I get off at five too. That means I’ll be there around… hmm… Five twenty? Is that okay?” Gyro speaks through a mouthful of candy, his second Snickers bar of the day. He’d stepped into his office to take the call, pretending it was a patient in order to get a few minutes with his boyfriend.
“Sure. Gives me time to pack up and have a smoke,” There’s some muffled crumpling sound on the other end. It sounds like Diego is shifting around, either taking off or putting on his suit jacket. Then there’s a knock on the bathroom door, loud enough that Gyro can hear it this time. “Fucking arsehole… I said it’s OCCUPIED! Christ’s sake! I’ll see to you later. Love ya”
It’s all coming back to him now. Gyro can’t believe he forgot to pick up Diego. He snatches a watch off of the dresser, squinting at it. It’s past six thirty now. Might as well start planning his own funeral. He’ll leave his money and his precious bear to Johnny. He’ll have his medical equipment handed off to his work friends. He might as well just go out with dignity than await whatever Diego has planned for him.
“You’re totally screwed!” Johnny’s cracking up now, clutching his stomach as he laughs “Has he called you? Is he just sitting there on the curb outside the firm waiting? Oh man! The image of him sitting on the curb- that is real comedy right there!”
Gyro groans, hands dragging down his face as Johnny’s terrible, unhelpful commentary distracts him. He’s gotta call Diego. Right. Focus. He rummages through the hamper, feeling around for his cell phone. Not there. Turns out it isn’t in his work bag or in the bedsheets. He must have left it in the car. Damn. In a moment of desperation, he resorts to using the bedroom’s landline to call. Johnny sidles up beside him to listen in, a hand covering his mouth so Diego won’t hear him giggling.
Ring….ring.…ri-
“Hello?” Oh no. Diego’s voice is low and venomous. Gyro can hear the telltale sounds of public transport in the background. Indistinct chattering, loud engines, the rustle of other passengers’ grocery bags, kids yelling. Diego is on the bus. This isn’t good at all.
Gyro swallows a little before speaking. “H-hey baby! Look I am so sorry-“
Click.
Fuck.
“He’s pissed,” Johnny says. Again, that’s not helping. “What’re you gonna do? Who knows how far from home he is. Doubt you’re gonna go drive around all the bus stops to find him.”
At this point, all Gyro can think to do is damage control. He decides to order pizza from a place nearby. The order consists of one pepperoni pizza with onions and black olives, a ham and sausage pizza, and an order of cheesy bread. All of this is a crime against Italy but Gyro’s white ass boyfriends love it so he can’t complain too much. He and Johnny go through their movie collection and settle on Jurassic Park for them to watch, one of Diego’s favorites of course. They also agreed that they might as well pop open a bottle of wine too. They could all use a drink after today.
When Johnny answers the door to receive the pizza, he finds both the delivery guy and Diego standing there in the hallway. Diego looks handsome in his suit even though it’s a little rumpled. His hair is wind-tousled and, despite the look of absolute displeasure on his face, he still looks like he could be a model. Johnny may be a bit biased though. Diego brushes past the delivery boy, huffing some sort of insult under his breath as he stomps off to the bedroom to change. Gyro’s waiting there with three wooden trays set up on the bed, the ‘dinner in bed’ plan that he and Johnny put together almost fully complete. All they needed was slices of pizza on the plates.
Gyro crosses the room, going in for a hug immediately. Diego bristles in a manner similar to a cat, reaching up to grab the Italian’s face. He looks goofy with his cheeks smushed. Utterly idiotic.
“You. You left me at work,” Diego hisses, eyes narrowed “I stood out there like a damn moron for an hour. I called you six times!” His grip on Gyro’s face tightens. Gyro just lets it happen. “And I had to take the bus. What do you have to say for yourself, Zeppeli?
“‘M wreal shorry, bhaby. ‘M wreally shorry” Gyro gives Diego his best sad puppy eyes as his face is squished tight. Under this big show of anger, he knows Diego is more-so upset about being forgotten than the whole public transport thing. Diego lets go of Gyro’s face and he takes the opportunity to get on his knees in front of him, wrapping his tanned arms around Diego’s midsection. “It’ll never happen again, okay? I’ve just been a little mixed up lately. With my workload and getting called in late at night, I haven’t slept much. I know I upset you. It won’t happen again. You won’t be mad at me forever, right?” Gyro sticks out his lower lip, earning an eyebrow raise from Diego. “Oh pretty please, baby! Forgive meeee!”
It’s a terribly pitiful display. So much so that Johnny grimaces as he comes into the room, all three pizza boxes perched on his lap. He mumbles to himself, “What the hell is going on in here?” And as much as the sight is pitiful, bordering gross, Johnny feels a sense of fondness growing in his chest. These two… They’re pretty lovable guys. Even if they’re both ridiculously dramatic.
“He’s groveling,” Diego replies, seemingly relaxing as he runs his fingers through Gyro’s hair. The kind gesture is immediately ruined as he grabs a fitful of caramel blonde locks and yanks. “Next time you pull something like that, your balls are going in a mason jar on my desk. Understood?” Gyro nods frantically and, seemingly satisfied with this answer, Diego leans down to kiss his forehead. “Gimme a few minutes to change and wash up. Go ahead and start the movie.”
Gyro gets back up on his feet, earning a playful smack to his ass as Diego heads off to the bathroom. Johnny’s already in bed, his plate stacked high with pizza and mouth already full of cheese bread. He’s satisfied with this outcome too though they both knew that Diego wasn’t going to hold a grudge for long. The physical affection, food and ‘groveling’ certainly lessened his irritation.
“Y’know what? That went a lot better than I thought it would,” Johnny commented through a mouthful of cheese “He didn’t kill you. I’d say that’s a great outcome.”
Gyro waits around til Diego emerges from the bathroom, letting him situate himself in the middle of the bed between himself and Johnny. The three dig into their ‘dinner in bed’, sipping wine from juice glasses and dunking pizza crust in a communal ranch cup. Once the food’s gone, they snuggle up into a pile as the movie wraps up, feeling warm and drowsy. By the end of the film, they’re tangled up in the sheets and each others’ limbs, halfway asleep.
Since he’s the one who started the Diego Damage Control Date, Gyro gets up to clean up after everyone too. He starts up the dish washer and stores the leftovers away in the fridge. When he returns to the bedroom, he can’t help but smile at the sight in front of him. Johnny and Diego laying peacefully together, curled into the silky blue sheets, the comforter fluffed up around them. He’d take a picture if he knew where the camera was.
Diego cracks an eye open in their dimly lit room, motioning for Gyro to join them in bed. He rolls over to press his forehead against the Italian’s hairy chest, sighing against his skin. Gyro smells that familiar shampoo again. Sandalwood, cigarette smoke, expensive cologne, and a bit of fabric softener. Diego.
“You know… I’m not really mad at you. Not any more at least,” The admission is soft, a murmur against his chest “I was worried when you didn’t pick up the phone. Next time, for God’s sake, keep your ringer on. What’s the point of a cell phone if you don’t pick up…” Diego’s voice drifts off but he isn’t asleep. He sounds embarrassed, a little shy.
Gyro understands either way. Johnny is pretty straight forward with his emotions. If he’s angry, he’s easy to read. He’s not shy when expressing joy and when he’s embarrassed, his freckled face turns bright red. But Diego is different. He grew up in an industry where emotion was weak. He now struggles as an adult to be open with his feelings. And now, this quiet admission in the dark is a lot for him.
“I didn’t mean to forget about you. And I didn’t mean to worry you either,” Gyro cups Diego’s cheek, leaning down to kiss him. He tastes like toothpaste and mouthwash. “How else can I make it up to you?”
He can feel Diego smiling in the dark, not a cute smile. An evil one. “Well. Since I didn’t get my ride home, you can take me to work in the morning. Then, you can pick me up afterwards and take me up to the shop to get my car.” Gyro can’t stop the miserable groan from escaping his body. He’s so loud that Johnny’s hand reaches across Diego to smack his shoulder.
“Shut it… ‘m trying to sleep…” Johnny mumbles, growing frustrated by his bedmates’ chattering. “Why’re you two so noisy all the time?” This does not stop Gyro’s complaints.
“So you’re making me get up at six in the morning on my day off? Ti prego, amore mio! That’s terrible!” But those whines fall on deaf ears. Diego’s already made up his mind. The Brit grins to himself as he rolls over to cuddle against Johnny instead, leaving Gyro to wallow in self pity. So much for sleeping in.
Gyro Zeppeli is a busy man, after all.