The last place Johnny had expected to wake up was on Daniel Larusso's couch. There's a bottle of water and a couple aspirins on the table next to him, along with a plate of breakfast.
"Didn't have to go all out," he mumbles as he sits up, rubbing his face. Still, he takes the medicine and downs nearly half of the water bottle before picking up the fork Daniel had put out.
"Feeling any better?" comes Daniel's voice while he walks into the living room, taking a seat next to Johnny.
Johnny looks at him as he's eating Daniel's eggs, which he would never admit he loves. "Don't you have a job?"
Daniel already looks tired of Johnny's attitude, but he doesn't say anything. "I took off today. Someone has to take care of you."
Johnny puts the fork down and wipes his mouth on his sleeve. He looks tired, although he'd rested comfortably on Daniel's couch. "I'm a grown man. I don't need to be taken care of."
Daniel sighs and reaches out his hand to Johnny's shoulder. "You're in a rut right now. Everyone needs help sometimes. Even men as old as we are."
"I don't need help," Johnny mumbles, shrugging Daniel's hand away. That wasn't true. Johnny needed help. He's needed help for a long time. The thought of asking for it made him feel weak, though. He feels like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. It wasn't just the divorce that had hit him. Everything had piled up to this point, and he finally felt completely lost.
Daniel can see this, too. The past between the men doesn't sway his empathy and concern for Johnny. Nobody deserves to suffer this much. That's something Daniel has always believed.
"Come on, let's do something while the kids are at school. It's just us two." Daniel says with an encouraging smile, earning a scoff from Johnny.
"The divorce is still fresh, not looking for another relationship just yet." Johnny was joking, which Daniel caught on to, smiling and shaking his head.
"Let's at least go out for a nice, peaceful lunch later. No fighting, no beating each others ass, no worrying about our ex wives. Just enjoying each other's company and thinking happy thoughts."
Johnny shrugs, leaning back on the couch. "You won't let me say no, anyways."
"You're right," Daniel says as he stands up, "I'll find something for you to change into now, go ahead and take a shower."
