Chapter Text
Tattered and far too bloodied, Gyro and Johnny had encountered and miraculously defeated yet another stand user sent after them by Valentine. They had already made it this far in collecting the corpse parts and were determined in finishing this race in first with all parts in hand. This plan seemed to be going well so far, at least up until now. A majority of their things were now destroyed and they had to waste precious time in setting up camp and getting some rest all in thanks to their current condition. Johnny immediately scoffs and dusts himself off all while insisting that he was fine, spitting out a thin stream of blood as he reaches up to mount Slow Dancer. Gyro of course was quick to stop him, running over and grabbing his arm in concern.
“You and I both know it’s best for us to rest now while we can. Besides, look at you Johnny. I don’t need you passing out from blood loss if we continue on.” He lets go of Johnny's arm as he looks around and ponders what to do next.
“We don’t have enough supplies for us to make it the rest of the way. Our only option is to stop here to rest and think up a new plan.” He reaches over for his bag, which had been practically torn to shreds sometime during the fight. Digging through it he tries to salvage whatever he can, pulling out their shared canteen and now ripped map. He squints at it as he turns it every which way, doing his best to read it between the many tears and creases.
“It looks like there is a pass just ahead. We can get up at sunrise and continue forward. We should pass by a creek before long.” He pauses as he thinks to himself.
“If all works out we can fill up on water there and maybe catch some fish.” He looks around once more before folding the map and tucking it into his pocket. I’ll work on starting a fire, could you set up our bed rolls? Once that’s done I’ll take a look at your injuries.” Any other time Johnny would protest this further and insist that he is fine but he’s been around Gyro enough to know that he is just as stubborn as the young jockey, especially when it comes to anything medical related. With a simple nod he grabs their packed beds that had been thrown off with the rest of their stuff in the chaos and landed in a nearby shrub.
Humming an unfamiliar song Gyro finishes lighting the fire, his grills shining in the glow as he lets out a quiet “nyoho”. Johnny had found rest upon his bed roll, sitting up and watching the Italian with a hint of a smile present on his face. His company was the only thing keeping Johnny sane throughout this whole race and he would be lying if he said he wouldn’t miss him once everything was over.
“You good?” Gyro glances over to Johnny and makes his way over, grabbing some ointment and bandages on his way.
“Yeah, just thinkin’ about a few things.”
“What, were you admiring how handsome I look by the fire light?” Gyro smirks.
“Oh Gyro you’re so handsome! No wonder the girls beg to be all over you!” Gyro’s attempt at impersonating Johnny with a rather terrible southern accent causes the other man to let out a snort, smacking Gyro away.
“That was awful. Besides, every girl I’ve seen you try to talk to immediately turns you down. I think you’re starting to lose your charm Zeppeli.” Gyro gasps and grabs his heart as he lets out an array of fake cries.
“You Americans are so rude… I can feel my heart breaking into pieces.” They continue joking around together as Gyro removes Johnny’s shirt and inspects his many injuries.
“Merda Johnny… Some of these wounds are far too deep. Are you feeling any pain or discomfort?” Johnny simply shrugs in response.
“Nothing I can’t handle, I told you I’ll be fine.”
“So stubborn, might as well be a mule.” Gyro mumbles as he opens the ointment and begins cleaning Johnny’s wounds.
Before long the bottle is emptied and bandages all used with a majority of his wounds being tended to. As Gyro wraps the final bandage around his forearm he pats Johnny’s shoulder, struggling a bit to stand up fully.
“That ought to do it. Try to leave it on as long as possible so everything can have a chance to heal.”
“What about you?” Johnny looks up to the other man who glances down at him in confusion.
“What do you mean?”
“Your injuries. They look just as bad as mine. You shouldn’t have wasted what was left of our supplies on me.” Gyro glances down to his bloodied shirt and lets out a chuckle.
“I didn’t even think about that…” He hesitates.
“I’ll be alright Johnny, don't worry about me. Besides, I have my teddy bear! He always has a way of making me feel better. You know, sometimes I think he may be magic. One time when I was little I got a big scratch on my face but after cuddling Teddy all the pain went away!” He grins to Johnny who rolls his eyes.
“This isn’t something to joke about. You should know more than anybody that y-”
“Wait a minute. Where is Teddy!?” Gyro begins frantically digging through his bag and looking around the camp for any signs of the stuffed bear.
“Did you pack him when we left our last camp?”
“Of course I did! What kind of father would I be if I left him behind?” Gyro gets up and looks around further, searching between bushes and looking under all their supplies that had been thrown around and ruined in the fight. Johnny watches him from afar, letting out a sigh as he watches this grown man freak out over a stuffed animal. Of course he had to pick the crazy one.
After a few minutes Gyro comes back without saying a word, sitting down next to Johnny with a lump of stuffing in his hand.
“...Is that?”
“Yes. He didn’t make it.”
“Oh.” Johnny looks down and plays with a rock by his feet, unsure of what to say.
“I’m sorry. Maybe we can get you a new one at the next checkpoint.” Gyro simply hums as he picks at the stuffing in his hand, the harsh frown on his face hard to miss.
After some time of sitting in awkward silence the two prepare to get some rest. Gyro throws a few sticks into the fire and checks their horses, who were tied a few feet away, and lays in his bed roll along Johnny who was already in his and dozing off. He closes his eyes and waits to drift off to sleep, but it never seems to come. He tosses and turns, doing everything he can to try and get to sleep but nothing seems to work. His body starts to ache thanks to his injuries and all his moving around so with a deep sigh he gives up and glances to the stars above him. If his teddy bear was still in one piece he would be able to sleep just fine. Johnny knew Gyro loved his teddy bear but the older man would never admit to anyone that he needed it to sleep. Surely Johnny would laugh at him for such a thing and tell him to grow up.
Hours pass and Gyro still lays awake, the sound of crickets and Johnny’s light snores starting to drive him mad.
He needed the comfort of holding onto something. Why this was the case he wasn’t sure. He’s sure it’s something to do with his childhood to some level but he would rather not think back on such a thing. With how things are going though he needs to get some well needed rest more than ever. But how could he if he doesn’t have his beloved stuffed bear?
“Hey Johnny?” no response is given, only a light snore. Gyro does his best to lean over and try to get as close to the other as possible.
“Psst, Johnny!” and again there was no response.
Oh, per l'amor di Dio.” With a sigh he moves an arm to shake Johnny awake. After a few harsh shakes Johnny jolts awake, looking around and sticking a finger out to attack whatever may have woken him.
“It’s just me amico mio.”
“Oh. What the hell are you waking me up for? What happened to getting some rest?”
“Yeah about that…” He plays with the fabric below him as his cheeks grow red in embarrassment.
“I can’t sleep. Would you mind if I laid a bit closer to you?”
“Is this because of your teddy bear?” Gyro can hear the slight hint of annoyance in the other man’s voice and immediately feels his heart drop.
“Just forget it. I’m sorry to wake you.” He’ll find a way to fall asleep sooner or later.
“Wait Gyro I didn’t mean it like that. If you want to lay over here I don’t mind. Just don’t snore in my ear or anything.” Johnny says this final bit in an attempt to lighten the mood, which seems to work based on the look Gyro gives him. After a bit of struggle he manages to move himself over just beside Johnny and tucks himself back in. With a whisper of thanks he closes his eyes once more.
But he still can’t sleep.
Gyro mumbles an array of Italian curses and looks back up to the stars, cursing whatever god may exist above for clearly having some kind of grudge against him. Surely they were looking down on him and laughing. He wouldn’t be surprised.
“Johnny? Are you still awake?” The younger man grunts in response as he shifts around a bit.
“Can I lay my arm around you? Not in a weird way… I just think it will help me sleep you know?” There's a brief moment of silence before Johnny mumbles something unintelligible to him. He’ll take that as a yes. Gyro moves to lay on his side and inch a bit closer to Johnny, practically spooning him as his outer arm comes around to hold onto him. Almost immediately a wave of comfort seems to wash over Gyro as he relaxes his head back down onto his pillow. The warmth of Johnny’s resting body mixed with his familiar musky scent he had grown so used to throughout this race helps lull him to sleep, snores combining as they both rested throughout the night.
The sun rises far too early for Johnny’s liking and with a low grumble his eyes squint open, burning a bit as they adjust to the bright environment. He rolls over to check on Gyro and jolts a bit when he sees just how close the other man is. Gyro laid practically clinging to Johnny, his arm and leg wrapped around him and his mouth wide open as his loud snores and terrible breath hit the other right in the face. Johnny turns away and pushes him off, unable to help the laugh that escapes him.
“What the hell are you doing? And what did I say about you snoring in my ear?” After a few more shoves Gyro’s eyes open as he finally moves off of Johnny to stretch.
“Buongiorno. Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah except for you waking me up in the middle of the night and clinging onto me like I’m your girlfriend.”
“You said it was okay! I did tell you I couldn’t sleep and this seemed to help so thanks a bunch!” He stands himself up and walks over to check on their horses as Johnny is left sitting there utterly confused.
In truth he hadn’t really heard what was last asked of him and had fallen asleep by the time Gyro had fully moved himself over.
The two continue on with the race like nothing happened. They stop by the creek and fill their canteen while managing to catch two fish they would save for dinner. After a quick dip to clean themselves, Gyro taking extra time thanks to his still open wounds, they mount their horses again and head towards the next checkpoint. The way there is surprisingly peaceful thanks in part to the nice weather and lack of other racers nearby. They spend most of their time talking about an array of different topics, Gyro taking far too long arguing that Italian food is much better than any American food he has tried. Eventually though the sun begins to set and they have no choice but to set up camp once more. The routine is all the same, with Gyro preparing the fire and Johnny laying out their bed rolls once more. The fish they had caught earlier lay cooking above the fire and Gyro busies himself with sharpening his knife.
“Gyro?”
“Hm?” He keeps his attention on his knife.
“Do you think we are doing the right thing?” Johnny looks out to the open plain as Gyro glances over to him.
“Sure I do. Why wouldn’t I?”
“I just… you keep getting hurt because of me. I’m the one that dragged you into all this. What if we don’t make it? Surely the President will seek us out even after the race.”
“Then we just have to kill him before he can us.” Gyro shrugs as he sticks his knife in his pocket and stands to check the fish still cooking. After one last turn over the fire he grabs both, handing one to Johnny and digging into his own. They don’t share any words as they eat, Gyro happily savoring the flavor of his meal while Johnny ponders between each bite. Surely some part of Gyro cared and was worried about what would become of this. How could he not?
The fire had started to die out as they finished their meal, dropping the bones to the dirt below as Gyro patted his stomach. Letting out a content sigh he looked over to Johnny with a grin.
“That sure hit the spot! What do you say we get some shut eye? Another long day of riding ahead, but if I’m not wrong we should be reaching the checkpoint by evening. I can’t wait to hear the crowd shout my name as I cross in first, nyoho!”
“Pretty bold for someone who hasn’t gotten first at any checkpoint so far.” Johnny states coldly as he makes his way to his bed, tucking himself in as Gyro curses at him from afar.
Sleep for him wasn’t any easier tonight. No matter what he tried he just could not fall asleep, unlike Johnny laying next to him who was out like a light. He was rather envious of him, but more so angry that he let some stand user destroy his beloved teddy bear. If he knew at the time he was sure he would have stomped his unconscious body once or twice as some strange way of revenge.
Had it been hours by now? Perhaps only a few minutes? Frankly Gyro hadn’t the slightest clue. Ever since his head hit the ground he was tossing and turning like their dinner he had just roasted over the fire. The great Gyro Zeppeli similar to that of a cooked fish… how nice.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” He mumbles. It seemed now his only option was to lie awake and hope his eyes eventually grew heavy. He would much rather choose that over bothering Johnny again and dealing with his cold and quickly angering gaze.
“A sudden familiar southern drawl sounds over the crickets chirping nearby and causes him to jump under the covers, yelping as he glances over to the source of his rather embarrassing startle.
“Everything alright over there?” Johnny asks, scratching his head as he yawns.
“Just peachy. Did I wake you again?”
“Nah, I h~” his words are cut off with yet another yawn.
“I have to take a piss. You know how it is.” With some effort he gets himself out of his bed roll and begins crawling over to a nearby tree as the older man looks away.
“Haha yeah...” Before too long Johnny is back under the covers letting out a sigh as he closes his eyes. It was easy for him to drift off to sleep on nights like this where the air was cool and stars bright above him. It reminded him of the nights he would lay out with Nicholas being taught the many constellations in the sky. A reminder of better times.
And it was moments like these that he could find peace through all the chaos of the race.
That is if it wasn’t for Gyro and his sudden insomnia.
Johnny found it quite hard to count sheep between the loud rustling of fabric mere feet away from him. He could tell Gyro was trying his best to be quiet, a hint of hesitation somehow audible between each rustle. Just as Johnny opens his mouth to speak up everything goes silent. Oddly silent. With a hint of caution he peeks an eye open and, while it was hard to see very clearly in the dark thanks to the fire now being mere ash, he can tell that Gyro was sitting up with his head in his hands. He stares for a few seconds as he fights with the imaginary angel and devil sitting atop his shoulders. The angel whispers “go comfort him. Help him out, he is your friend after all.” All the while the devil pokes at him with its pitchfork. “Just leave him be. He’s a grown man unable to sleep without a teddy bear. It’s sad really. Why waste precious sleep on such nonsense?” Were this the start of the race he would gladly listen to the little devil on his shoulder. After his accident he had lost any semblance of empathy. He swore to put himself first and never trust another again. And yet here he was getting up and grabbing his bed roll, moving over to his friend and placing it just beside his. Gyro quickly raises his head out of his hands and a hint of worry pokes at him once he sees Johnny so close. Shit. I definitely woke him up.
“Mind if I lay here?” The younger blonde gets comfortable as the other simply blinks in confusion. Gyro is too taken aback to give an answer, and even without confirmation Johnny nestles himself under the covers all while acting as if this wasn’t out of the ordinary. It takes some time but eventually Gyro joins him, laying down but with his eyes still open and lingering on Johnny. This is strange, right? He must be doing this to make fun of him, to spite him for what happened last night.
Gyro is about to speak up and express his confusion when Johnny brings an arm up to wrap around him. And once again such a simple thing made all his frustrations disappear. His body relaxes as his own hand reaches out and hesitates above Johnny.
Was this okay?
It didn’t matter. Laying here with Johnny felt right. There was a feeling of safety. Security.
Trust.
He rests his hand around Johnny, pulling him closer as a smile meets his lips. With a light whisper he falls asleep with ease.
“Thank you.”