Johnny wasn't looking at him, he was looking at the road. But out of the corner of his eye, he could see...Daniel had fallen asleep on the ride back. His hair was all ruffled, his breathing even and relaxed...he somehow looked even younger than usual. He somehow managed to make sitting shotgun in his car look like it was a goddamn luxury mattress.

Johnny pulled into the camp parking lot, and he was hesitant. He actually, ridiculously, thought through different methods of waking Larusso up. If it was Bobby or Tommy, he might have just yelled, or hit their leg or something. But with Larusso...Daniel wasn't different. He wasn't about to go pop the question because he gave it to him good, but he wasn't about to jolt him awake either. Johnny supposes he should feel a little proud. Nothing seemed to get Daniel to sleep, but one good session of getting dicked down seemed to have knocked his lights out to pitch-black.

Even so, he wasn't so affectionate that he was going to carry all these pizza boxes himself.

"Hey, Larusso," Johnny starts, gently shaking his shoulder. "Time to get up..."

Daniel groaned, eventually shaking out of his sleep and blinking, eyes finding Johnny's as he processed where he was, in Johnny's car and back at the camp. He glanced back at the pizza boxes, then at Johnny. "You brought those all back yourself." he commented, his voice thick with sleep. His eyes, even when half-closed with tiredness, were still Bambi-like. "You didn't wake me up?"

Johnny shook his head, embarrassment flushing his cheeks. "After my first time with Ali, uh...we both got, like, basically knocked out. I think it's, like, hormones and stuff? I just figured I'd let you sleep."

"Oh," Daniel replied, smiling crookedly. "Well, never thought I'd see you be a gentleman, Johnny. But thanks. I'll help you bring these back, obviously."

"Obviously," Johnny mirrored with a frown, and he wouldn't bitch about how difficult the task was to get them all in the car in the first place, but it was definitely not something he was willing to repeat.

The pair grabbed as many boxes as they could carry--about seven each--and made their way back up to camp. When they got there, they found the kids watching E.T., though they were happy to get up and rush to the tables in a tidal wave of complaints and sweaty, grabby hands.

"Took you guys long enough!" Jessica greeted bitterly, reaching over the kids' heads for a slice of pepperoni. "I was starting to think you took them all and had started a life together at the beach."

"Wow, very imaginative, Jess." Bobby supplied. "You really think Johnny and Daniel could make that work? I mean, just look at Daniel as it is!" he patted Daniel's hair down briefly. "Did you two have a cat fight and try to pull each other's hair?"

Larusso's face flushed, shaking his head. "There's a lot of boxes in the car--"

"Don't worry about it, we're helping," Bobby replied, and the four of them started back towards the car, Ali and Tommy staying to watch E.T.

"Seriously, Daniel, what happened to your hair?" Jessica insisted, running a hand through Larusso's hair to tame it. She must have been attempting a whisper, but the attempt was sore, as the silence after spanned on too long for Daniel to avoid the question.

It was eventually Johnny who answered with a scoff. "The idiot stuck his head out of the window like a dog," he replied. "Then he got all embarrassed 'cause a car of chicks came by and laughed at him—"

Daniel seemed to brighten at Johnny's improvisation, the same way one of the Cobras would when they tried to charm their way out of detention. "Whatever, Johnny. They were probably just laughing at you and the stupid music you were playing—"

"My music is great, Daniel, and music is the quickest way to a girl's heart—" Johnny continued, somehow not wounded by the jab at his music taste or even his ability to pick up girls. Girls were, weirdly, the furthest thing from Johnny's mind.

"We get it, you guys are a match made in heaven, bickering like an old married couple." Bobby interjected. "Really, Johnny, should I be jealous?"

"Oh, please, you know you're my number one man," Johnny grinned over the car as he started to gather the rest of the pizza boxes, not missing the opportunity to blow Bobby a kiss.

Daniel was looking at him with this incredulous, cocked eyebrow look that almost made Johnny laugh. "Are the whole group of you this gay?" he asked, starting back up the hill with his arms full of boxes.

Johnny seemed to teeter at the word, smile fading slightly as if Daniel had hurled it at him in hatred. "Nah, just me and Bobby. If we're both single by thirty, we're marrying each other."

"I never agreed to that, and it's not even legal--" Bobby started.

"Oh, hey, Daniel and I have the same agreement!" Jessica piped up from in front of Johnny, voice a bit of a huff with her arms full as well, though luckily the walk was short. "It's pretty convenient, having a backup."

"You do?" Bobby asked, at the same time as Johnny asked "Oh, really?" with every indication of a challenge in his voice.

"Yeah, of course I'd wanna be with Jess." Daniel replied, shrugging with some attempt at being casual. "She knows how to make really good mac-n-cheese, and we like all the same movies--except she likes horror movies--and she's a really good listener, and..." he trailed off, cheeks heating slightly. "Well, who wouldn't wanna be with their best friend?"

"Aw, Daniel," Jess beamed, and Johnny felt a flush of red heat his own cheeks. Here he'd been, joking around about dating Bobby, when Daniel and Jess had something genuine. Johnny couldn't even think of someone he'd be happy marrying right now, much less date without constant argument. "That's so sweet--"

"Got a crush, Danielle?" Johnny sneered, bumping Daniel's hip with his own.

"Leave him alone, Johnny," Jessica snapped back, her flaming curly ponytail swinging as walked. "You're just jealous that you don't have what Daniel and I have."

Johnny's steps stuttered at that, and when he noticed Bobby looking at him, he hefted the weight so it could pass off as him struggling with the boxes. But really, Jess was right. He didn't have someone like that, someone so dependable...someone he really thought he could love.

(He wondered--as queer as it may be in any sense of the word--from Jess's point of view. What would it be like, to be in a deal where he'd get to--have to--get to--marry Larusso when he was older? Sharing a house in the suburbs, teaching their kid to ride a bike--)

"Johnny?" he could hear Bobby's voice ask from beside him. "Did you just snort?"

"Oh," Johnny was startled back into reality. He supposed he found the idea of a future--the same future he'd once imagined with Ali--with Daniel so ludicrous, he'd actually snorted. "I guess I did. It's just...you're a really weird girl, Jess. And you've got a bad taste in men."

"Hey!" Daniel started to protest, but for once, Johnny ignored him.

Johnny could hear Jess laugh from up front, and though he couldn't see her face, he imagined she was making the same cocked-eyebrow face Larusso usually made. "I think my taste in men is just fine, thank you." she said, and from the indifferent way she said it, Johnny had a feeling he wasn't talking about Daniel.

When they got back to camp, Ali and Tommy had set up their chairs and plates for them. Johnny huffed as he sat down, glad at last to be eating, even if the pizza was slightly cold at this point. He usually ate a lot to begin with--Ali once said he ate every meal like it was his first and last--but now was different. He'd had an early lunch, and then his nerves had eaten away at him prior to his hookup with Larusso, then all that work bringing the pizza boxes back.

Five slices in, and he looked over at Daniel in the dark, the side of his face lit up in the eerie glow of the projected movie. Daniel was facing him, but he was slumped over in his lawn chair, eyes closed and hair ruffled again.

(So, after sex tip for Johnny and Daniel number one: Johnny needs to eat like a horse, while Daniel needs to sleep for twelve hours. Good to note.)

Even so, his breathing wasn't completely even, and he was half asleep. In his lap, Larusso's first two slices of pizza still rested on his Styrofoam plate, and only one had even been bitten out of.

Johnny frowned, leaning over slightly. Something compelled him, ached at him to move further until his forehead brushed Daniel's fluffy hair, but he stopped short. No need to get all cuddly--especially in front of the others--just because they had had sex. But. That didn't mean he had to completely not give a shit.

"Daniel," Johnny whispered.

"Mm?" Daniel stirred, eyes blinking sleepily at him in a way that looked so much like Cookies, who was now sleeping in Jess's lap. "Whad'ya want, man, 'm trying to sleep."

"You should eat something, don't go to sleep hungry," Johnny said, shrugging and shaking his head in a combination that probably read anything but casual.

"I will, I promise, just...resting my eyes for a minute..." Daniel replied, eyes closing again.

Johnny couldn't help but grin slightly. He was a stubborn bastard, even when sleeping. "Yeah." Johnny whispered. "Yeah, okay, Larusso..." he watched him for a moment as he rested, only for a stolen moment so as not to make it weird. Or maybe it was already weird, he didn't know what was weird anymore.

Johnny shook his head, standing and looking towards the dining pavilion, about to go for slice number six when Bobby taps his leg. When Johnny looks down, Bobby's giving him a peculiar look.

"What'd you just say to Daniel?" he asked.

Johnny suddenly felt his face flush, his hands growing clammy. Hell, maybe he didn't need another slice.

"Just that if he didn't eat his pizza, I was gonna take it from him." Johnny answers, and yeah, that's a reasonable answer.

"Oh," Bobby says. He's still giving him an odd look, like Johnny had suggested they brew beer in his bathtub (and, honestly, it was one time). "Okay, yeah."

"Yeah," Johnny shrugs in return, and he really hopes Bobby will just drop it. After an awful moment of that peculiar look, Bobby finally looks away, momentarily distracted when Cookies shuffles around on Jess's lap.

Johnny doesn't risk looking at Daniel the rest of the night, even if he finds himself almost wanting to. His eyes are transfixed on the projector screen, on which Elliott is pedaling his flying bike with E.T. in the basket. As they ride into the stars, Johnny can hear Ali sigh with adoration, and he hears Daniel's sleepy breathing.

He doesn't think he's registering anything at all.