Content warning for a twisted ankle in this chapter. Nothing graphic, just that it hurts and is a bit red/swollen

The fans blowing in the Big Cabin provided a billowing wave of cool relief from the sweltering California heat, though Daniel still saw Jessica fanning herself as she collapsed on one of the couches next to him.

"Apparently, the group leaders are only giving us ten minutes in here," she huffs, licking at her Dreamsicle a little before taking an impatient bite to get to the vanilla center.

"Of course they wanna kick us out into the heat," Daniel replies. "It's easy for those old hags, they're just sitting in here on their asses all day." And, speak of the devil, but his mouth involuntarily thins at the mention. It's been probably fifteen minutes, and Daniel can still feel where Johnny had grabbed his ass. The bastard was messing with him, he knew, but he didn't know why his frustrating touch had to haunt his skin, even through his clothes.

"You alright, Daniel?" Jessica asks, always seeing through to whatever he was feeling. She handed him a Fudgesicle, as she knew he liked the chocolate treat best.

"Johnny, uh..." Daniel starts, and he doesn't even know why there's any point in mentioning it, other than that he just happens to tell Jessica everything. "You know that thing where football players slap each others' asses after a game?"

Jessica raises a brow at him, but nods, her look causing Daniel to crumple up his wrapper and stick the popsicle in his mouth just to shut himself up for a second. He looks over to the other side of the vast cabin to see Johnny lounging on one of the other couches, his feet in Bobby's lap while some of his poor campers were forced to stand. Johnny must have sensed someone looking at him, and when he turned to meet Daniel's eye, he gave him that Prince Charming smile that sent a zip of heat down his spine. Honestly, his stupid hormones. If some cute girl had grabbed his ass, he'd probably be all flustered, but Johnny Lawrence? Sure, Daniel was still so flushed he was starting to sweat, but that was more out of embarrassment than anything.

"Johnny did it to Tommy, so then I did it to Johnny--I mean, I know I'll never be best friends with Johnny or anything, but I figured I'd try to be one of the guys. I think he saw it as insulting or something, though, because he...grabbed my ass. And squeezed. Like, you know, you do to a girl." Daniel would bury his face in his hands out of sheer embarrassment if his hand wasn't currently occupied with a Fudgesicle. "I'm sure he and Bobby are laughing about it right now."

Daniel and Jessica looked towards Johnny and Bobby at the same time. The two just looked as though they were talking normally, not a hint of extensive comedy or anything.

"Speak for yourself about girls getting their asses squeezed," Jessica shrugged. "Sounds like you've gotten more action than I have in months."

"Jessica!"

"I'm just saying!" Jessica fired back defensively. "Anyways, I wouldn't worry about it. It seems like you two are getting along better, and I know at least that Bobby's not gonna make fun of you."

Daniel bit his lip, but he knew Jessica was probably right. There was no need to overthink such an insignificant gesture. "Alright, so, what do you want to do next?"

"Well, we were supposed to go on an introductory hike," Jessica says pointedly. "You know, show the kids around the trails? Until you and Johnny had to hash it out over gaga ball."

"Sorry," Daniel replies, but he grins like he isn't sorry at all. He's not, especially after his epic accidental win. "Let's go, I still haven't seen around this whole place yet."

And so, they gather up the campers before they can be kicked out, and they lead them to the trails. Tommy, Susan, and Ali take their campers to a different trail to avoid crowding, while Johnny, Daniel, Bobby, and Jessica take the trail close by the gaga ball pit.

"This is one of my favorite trails," Jessica says as they start their hike, ascending up a worn dirt path woven between the trees. "It's got some really nice sights for different kinds of flowers, and it ends at the waterfall, and--"

"And it's close to the haunted latrine?" Johnny supplies, his tone innocent and helpful.

"The haunted latrine?" Demetri asks from behind the counselors. "Man, I was hoping this place wasn't haunted!"

"A haunted toilet?" Daniel raises an eyebrow and scoffs. "Very juvenile, Johnny. And a load of crap, literally."

"What happened to make it haunted, counselor Johnny?" Samantha asks, holding onto Jessica's arm as she helped her jump over a particularly large section of twisted roots.

"I'll tell you guys the story later," Johnny insisted. "It's not the right atmosphere for a real scary story."

"Right," Daniel rolls his eyes. "Never knew you were a master storyteller, Johnny."

"I wouldn't underestimate his abilities, there," Bobby chimed in, grabbing his water bottle from his bag and taking a swig. "He's been scaring the campers ever since he started counseling two years ago."

"Hm," Daniel hummed in consideration. He knew Jessica had been a camper here for years before her first year counseling last year, but he hadn't thought about the others. "Have you been here just as long, Bobby?"

"Nope," Bobby replied. "One less year. After I met Johnny at..." he paused for a split second, mouth in an uncomfortable line. "Karate," he settles. "He convinced me to be a camper that next year, when we were 13."

Daniel wondered about the Cobra counselors for a moment more. He wondered why Encino assholes (or, he supposed, ex-assholes) had wanted to camp here. It was a seemingly class-less establishment, and he knew Ali's parents at least were as elitist as they came. Perhaps every kid needed a summer camp, just like every kid needed a high school, so they had to settle. Daniel wished he had the nostalgia factor of this camp--

Distracted in his thoughts and the sights around him, Daniel tripped on one of the thick, twisted roots along the ground, falling to the dirt with a blunt thud. Pain jumped in cracks like lightning up his calf, stemming from his ankle, which looked red. Only a few moments had passed, but the pain was unbearable as his ankle already began to swell.

"You alright, Daniel?" a voice asked, but any voices ringing in his ears was drowned out by the pain.

"Oh, god, I think he twisted his ankle," another voice said, but they were so distorted, Daniel couldn't tell Jessica from Bobby at this point. "He won't be able to walk."

Daniel covered his mouth, eyes welling up with tears as he tried not to take in the faces of the concerned campers, and screamed into his hand.

Daniel typically had a high pain tolerance--hell, he won a karate tournament after tearing his ACL--but this hurt like hell. His mind was swimming in just the pain of it, like he had went underwater in a hot tub, and couldn't process anything else.

Warm, toned arms were on his side, and Johnny's face swam in his vision. "Hey," he was saying, "I've got you, Larusso, come on." With that simple statement, he lifted Daniel up, and just like that, he was piggy-back riding on Johnny Lawrence's back.

"Fuck," Daniel whimpered, quiet enough so the kids wouldn't hear. Part of it was for the pain, and part of it was for the embarrassing situation. He found himself burying his face in the space between Johnny's shoulder blades, wanting to curse again at the fact that it was just as warm and toned as his arms. He grappled at the fabric of Johnny's shirt, gripping so tightly he was sure Johnny would snap at him, though surprisingly Johnny remained quiet. "Not you...anyone but you..."

"Seriously?" Johnny replied to that, shrugging a little to steady Daniel, and Daniel took a sharp intake of breath at another surge of pain that rocked up his leg. "I'm doing you a favor, man."

"I'd rather have Bobby carry me," Daniel whined. "You probably just couldn't get enough of touching me weirdly earlier."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Larusso, you've gone delusional." Johnny fired back a hair too quickly. "Besides, you're not Bobby's type, Danielle."

"But I'm yours, Jennifer?"

"Don't make me drop you, man." Johnny threatened.

"Don't," Daniel echoed, wrapping his arms around Johnny's shoulders stubbornly, as if resorting to clinging if Johnny did decide to drop him.

"I won't," Johnny said, and even if he sounded annoyed, he also sounded sincere, his voice a little softer than usual. A hail Mary "You're alright, Larusso." in a time of twisted ankle need.

"We should head back," Jessica said, and through Daniel's tears, the sight of her and her voice was becoming clearer by the second.

"But we were so close to the waterfall!" one of the girl campers protested.

"Yasmine!" Jessica snapped. "When someone's injured, we have to take care of them, we can't just--"

"I wanna see it," Daniel piped up. He could feel Johnny's hands where they held his thighs squeeze for a moment, though the movement was almost too insignificant to acknowledge.

Jessica looked at him incredulously. "Daniel, we need to take care of you. We can't just..."

"I know, it hurts like a mother, but I won't die." Daniel says. "As soon as we're done, we can get some ice at the Big Cabin. I'll be alright, promise."

Bobby reaches out, putting a hand on Jessica's forearm to get her attention. "Let's let him see it, Jess. See what all the hype is about. It really is beautiful."

Jessica nodded reluctantly. "Alright. It's about a two minute walk, a few minutes to take in the view, and then straight back to the cabin to see the nurse, alright? Johnny, do you think you can carry him that long?"

"Are you kidding?" Johnny laughed. "He weighs as much as my schoolbag, and I never carried my textbooks. I'll be fine."

"That explains a lot," Daniel muttered with snark, his voice near Johnny's ear, which he can see with a small dose of delight go red at the comment.

"You better not be wiping your snot on me, man." Johnny counters simply, and the world tilts as he starts walking, Daniel swaying on his back.

Daniel hated how he sniffled right at that moment. "I'm not," he insisted, sounding as though he had a head cold.

The walk there is uneventful, Daniel trying to distract himself from the pain by taking in his surroundings. There are some berries growing in bushes that Daniel can't identify, and a squirrel darts up one of the gnarly-rooted trees as they pass.

"I never realized there were woods, here, until now. I was so focused on the beach," Daniel says, and he tries to think he's making conversation with one of the other counselors, though he really only says it weak and quiet enough for Johnny to hear.

"Yeah, well, I like it here better, anyway. Less people, less sand." Johnny replies, and Daniel feels an odd twinge of familiarity in the statement, as if he's been granted access to more of Johnny than he asked for.

"Is this your favorite trail?" Daniel finds himself asking.

"Yeah," Johnny replies, that soft, reserved voice returning. Daniel feels that this is far too intimate; he's practically got his arms wrapped around Johnny's neck at this point, and he can both hear and feel Johnny swallow. He wonders if Johnny's heart rate is accelerated because of the extra weight he's carrying. Daniel wants to utter his thanks, if it weren't so mortifying. If it were anyone else, he would, but Johnny was vile. At least, mostly. "But not because of sightseeing or any of that girly crap. I like visiting the haunted latrine."

Daniel sighed, burying his head in between Johnny's shoulder blades again. "Right when I thought..."

"What?"

"Nothing."

A pause. Then, Daniel's world stopped moving as Johnny found his final footing on the dirt path. "Look, Larusso."

Daniel wasn't the most religious young man--his ma was always saying they should go to church more often--but when he looked up, he imagined this was what Adam and Eve saw in the Garden of Eden.

The waterfall, realistically speaking, was smaller than most, maybe seven feet across. Water splashed over the rocks, clear as day and sparkling in the sun. Pink and purple flowers bloomed in wild patches around the sides of the river flowing. Daniel breathed in the fresh air--unfortunately tangled with the scent of Johnny, which just screamed testosterone--and imagined a dip in the cool water on a day like this would be perfect under better circumstances.

"There's a cave behind the water," Johnny murmured, head tilted back so as only to talk to Daniel, as if not wanting to let the campers in on the secret. "Nice place to bring a babe."

"Oh, yeah," Daniel grinned. "Nothing screams 'romance' like doin' it in a dark, moist cave."

"I never said anything about 'doing it'," Johnny scoffed, a tad defensive. "Not that the advice could help you, anyway."

"Because I'm already so good at that kinda stuff?" Daniel asked, his arms tightening comfortably around Johnny's shoulders, the gesture unnoticed by him.

"Because you can't keep a girl to save your life," Johnny corrects.

Daniel pouts, settling on Johnny's shoulder like the world's largest and most annoying (or endearing, depending on one's angle on Daniel Larusso) parakeet. "You're ruining the view, man--"

"Are you two done?" Jessica asks pointedly before sparing one more look to the beautiful view. "Your injury is making me anxious, Daniel. We should really get it checked out."

Johnny turned to head back, and Daniel winced at the sudden movement sending another shock of pain up his leg. "Careful with the goods, Johnny." Daniel bit his lip to keep his eyes from welling up again. "Yeah, let's go back, Jess."

"Alright, let's get going, guys." Johnny called, and the campers gathered for the decent down the trail.

Things went smoothly and quietly for a while, Daniel again focused on the view rather than the pain. He felt bad, almost lazy, that he was the only one not walking, even if he was injured.

"It looks nice," Jessica said with a tap to Bobby's arm, glancing over at Johnny and Daniel. "Getting a free ride."

Bobby raised a brow at that, eyes curious. "Are you trying to ask me to carry you, Jess?"

If it weren't already hot outside, Daniel would think Jessica was blushing. "I mean...if you wanted to..."

"No need to be so indirect," Bobby replied, stopping and stooping as he allowed some of the campers to pass him by. "You can hop on, if you carry my bag."

"Deal," Jessica grinned, slinging Bobby's bag onto her back before getting on his back in a piggy back ride identical to Daniel's. She looked over at Daniel, and he never thought he'd seen her so happy, except for maybe at prom. "The view's nice from up here!" she called.

Underneath him, Daniel heard Johnny scoff, his footsteps hitting a little harder.

Daniel pouted, his ride not nearly being as fun and chivalrous as Bobby. "Well, sorry that I'm not a cute girl."

"Yeah?" Johnny replied, his voice that same soft tone he'd heard before, for that word alone before his voice hardened again. "Well, you should be."

The group is silent for a minute more as they made their way through the twisted roots, until Samantha spoke up:

"Why'd you agree to carry counselor Daniel, Mr. Johnny? I thought Mr. Bobby was gonna do it."

Daniel could feel Johnny swallow again. "Because," Johnny started, sounding much like when he was in English class, being called on without knowing the answer. "It's a lesson. Even if you don't like someone, in the wilderness, having teammates that have your back is crucial. I'm sure that when the time comes, counselor Daniel's gonna repay the favor."

"Oh, sure, see if I can carry you," Daniel starts, but when Johnny hoists him up to adjust his weight, Daniel is cut off by his own pained whine. "I said be careful with the goods, Johnny, Jesus. I hardly call this a favor, you slinging me around like a sack of potatoes."

Johnny halts, his breathing heavy. "Hand me my water, would you, you irritable little twerp?"

Daniel gets Johnny's bag off his own back, rummaging and handing Johnny his water, and he drinks half of it in half a minute. In their pause, they end up in the back of the line, the kids far ahead.

"We should've went earlier," Daniel muttered his confession. "To the nurse, I mean. This is starting to hurt really bad."

"You'll be alright," Johnny insisted, handing his water bottle back. "I twisted my ankle here a few years ago, and I was back on my feet after a couple days."

Daniel groaned, finding that place between Johnny's shoulder blades once more. Johnny heaved him up again, Daniel sitting up as his chest hit Johnny's back. "Fuck," he whimpered. "would you stop doing that? It hurts..."

"Just trying to make sure you don't fall on that little ass of yours, Larusso," Johnny insisted, trudging down the hill. "Besides, with all the whining and cursing, you sound like you're going through something that feels a lot better than twisting your ankle."

Daniel huffed against the back of Johnny's neck, trying to settle comfortably against his back for the remainder of the trip. Leave it to Johnny Lawrence to make even Daniel's whimpers of pain into something so needlessly sexual.