My Cobra Guy

Episode Thirty-Eight

After his push-up routine, Johnny toweled the sweat off and practiced with the punching bag. He heard Daniel return but didn't greet him. If the little guy needed something, he would pop his head in. As angry and embarrassed as Johnny had been last night, he realized this morning that Daniel really didn't realize his mistake until it was too late. The guy was trying to do something nice for him. It would almost be sweet if it hadn't backfired and ended in disaster.

A loud banging sounded from the sitting room. Johnny ignored it. Or tried to. A few more bangs later and he cursed under his breath. Danielle must be putting up pictures or something. His concentration gone, he figured he would break for some water. Of course, he was also curious to see what his friend was up to.

Daniel was installing a wall mount shelf in the living room. He had a level leaning against the wall and a pencil in his mouth. Now he was lining up his marks and nailing the brackets into the wall. Johnny leaned in the doorway and watched him for a minute. There was something comforting in the sight of Daniel doing something so ordinary around the house. For some reason, watching him doing a "manly chore" made Johnny feel like he could truly call this place home. Why would something so simple make him feel like he belonged here? The feeling was confusing, but certainly not unwelcome.

Daniel had his eyebrows scrunched together in concentration. It was adorable. When Johnny realized he was smiling to himself, he cleared his throat. Best not let his dick try to get any crazy ideas when he was just trying to enjoy the moment.

"What's that for?" He hoped his tone was friendly enough.

"You'll see," Daniel called cheerfully.

"It's a secret?"

"More like a surprise." Daniel finally peeled his eyes away from his project to flash Johnny a mischievous smirk. "Can I ask you a favor?"

This better not be as disastrous as last night's surprise.

"Depends." Johnny returned his smile.

"Can you pick Sam up from Julie's in an hour? She promised to get back before lunch so she can work on a paper for school. It was the condition on letting her go last night."

Johnny's smile faltered. A car ride. Alone with Samantha. This was going to be a headache. The girl hated his guts and he wasn't even sure why. She and Miguel were practically dating now and Miguel was like another son to him. What did she have against him, exactly?

Daniel continued to smirk and Johnny narrowed his eyes at him. He was doing this on purpose. Daniel was pushing them together so they would work out their issues. Fine, Johnny would play along, for his sake. He would try to talk it out with the kid. But if she didn't want to listen, oh well, he tried.

Grabbing a glass and filling it with tap water, he approached Daniel. "Sure, fine. Need some help?"

"I'm almost done, but thanks."

There was silence for a moment as Johnny chugged his water. He glanced over to see Daniel watching him. He had this look in his eye. Johnny had seen it before and it made him uncomfortable. It was almost like, well, a sheen of lust. He cleared his throat again, gave Daniel a nod, and headed back to the inside dojo to finish his workout. He could get in a few more exercises before he had to pick up Miss Priss.

* * * * *

Julie, always ecstatic to see Johnny, waved goodbye as they pulled out of her driveway. Johnny felt weird driving Daniel's car, so he took extra care with it.

"When did you and Sophie become close?" Johnny thought it was a safe way to start a conversation with Samantha. She hadn't looked thrilled to see him instead of her dad, but she wasn't pouting or anything. She merely sat there quietly, as if lost in thought.

"Oh, Sophie is really sweet. She made me pancakes this morning. I never thought I would meet someone who knows every line to every Star Wars movie ever made."

"Sophie's a nerd? But, she lifts weights!"

Sam gave him a scathing look. "Who says she can't enjoy both? Honestly, Johnny, you really have to stop throwing people in these little stereotyped boxes. People can be a lot of different things, you know."

"Hmm," he didn't have a response to that. She was probably right. So many of the kids at the dojo were different than what he imagined they should be. Blane, with his obsession with purple and pastel colors, was an amazing student. Nathaniel and Bert were small but had big personalities and never had problems being heard. Mitch was often a follower, his ego bruised since being kicked out of Cobra Kai, but he was slowly finding his place with the others here. Chris might be huge but he was soft-spoken and gentle. And this was only what he noticed on the surface. He should pay more attention to the kids. Perhaps he would learn something new. Apparently, Sam was trying to teach him something about his own views.

"So, honestly, why do you hate me?" Johnny asked. Fuck it, might as well get it out in the open.

Sam gawked at him for a moment before turning her face back to the window. She took a few minutes before answering. "It isn't that I hate you. I just don't like the way you view the world or how you treat people sometimes."

"Fair enough," Johnny said.

Sam sighed. "I'm trying to learn to accept you like Dad has. And I'm trying to come to terms with this weird relationship you two have."

"What's weird about it? We're friends now."

"If you say so."

What the hell was that supposed to mean? They spent the rest of the ride in silence but Johnny wasn't uncomfortable. Maybe they had had a small breakthrough of sorts. At any rate, at least she had gotten her feelings off her chest.

As they stepped inside, Johnny reminded her, "Don't forget about your paper."

"Yeah, yeah."

They both stopped short, shoulder to shoulder, at the sight in the living room. Daniel was placing trophies and frames on the shelf he had installed. He was arranging them, turning everything at perfect angles for display.

"What the...?" As Johnny stepped closer, he blinked in surprise. Those were his trophies. They had been cleaned and polished to shining. Moving closer, his feet like lead, he saw that the frames held his newspaper clippings. Carefully flattened out behind glass, his victories in sports and karate championships were now clear for anyone to read about. He stood there in shock for a minute.

"I just, uh, thought that we should display some of your accomplishments. You live here too, so I want this place to feel like home," Daniel said quietly.

"It looks nice, Dad," San's voice was just as soft. She patted her father's shoulder before retreating to her room.

Meanwhile, Johnny could only stand there, emotions assaulting his brain. No one had cared to show off, or even notice, his trophies since his mother was alive. Seeing them lined up like that reminded him that he had had dreams once, that he had been young and full of life. He was older now, had wasted a lot of years, but, dammit, he still had a lot to offer the world. He was still full of life.

He wanted to thank Daniel but he wasn't sure what words could possibly convey his feelings, his gratitude for Daniel dusting off those fragments of Johnny's past; treasured moments that had been shuffled in cardboard boxes from one shithole to the next for so long. Now they were displayed proudly, like they mattered to not just Johnny but to Daniel, too. So Johnny merely stood there while Daniel stood beside him. Daniel rested a hand on his shoulder, understanding his silence. He did, didn't he? He understood Johnny better than anyone, maybe more than anyone in his life had ever tried to.

Fuck, why do I feel like crying. Pussies cry. You're not a pussy. Sam's face flashed before his eyes, her words about how he saw the world. Okay, fine, guys can cry. But not me.

Johnny cleared his throat but his voice still came out gruff. Even so, he could only manage one word.

"Thanks."