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Johnny is not in love.
Or, well, he's not admitting he's in love.
There are things that Johnny will admit. Assassins aside, he's enjoying the Steel Ball Run more than he's enjoyed anything in years, and part of that is waking up next to somebody he's glad to see in the morning. Seeing Gyro injured tears at him badly enough that he can't chalk it up to needing to learn more about Gyro's steel balls. He likes Gyro's smile, stupid letters on his teeth and all.
He'll admit these things if pressed, but he absolutely will not say that he's in love, because that's stupid. Two men can travel across the country together and not be in love, they can risk their lives for each other and still not be in love. Gyro isn't anybody special, Zeppeli family traditions dating back yada yada years aside.
It's the truth. Gyro's not special. He's just special to Johnny. But Johnny's not in love.
Gyro is not in love.
He's definitely, completely not in love.
Johnny is kind of a brat, and anyone who will tell you otherwise is a liar. He panics too easily, cares about himself first and everyone else as a far second, and is willing to do incredibly stupid things just for the chance to get mobility back.
Gyro would be a liar if he said he wasn't endeared to him, flaws and virtues alike. He wants to see Johnny succeed, and there's no one else he would rather ride with. He'll ignore the race to go chasing corpse parts with him. Gyro wants Johnny as his second place after his first, but truthfully, it would be alright with him if those places were reversed.
Those things aren't love. Gyro isn't sure what love would be, but that isn't it.
It isn't immediately after the Sugar Mountain incident that Gyro admits it. At first he's too busy being grateful for being alive. It isn't until later, as they ride forward, that he takes a look at Johnny and really thinks about Johnny giving up corpse parts for him.
He knows Johnny. There is nothing in this world more valuable to Johnny than the corpse parts, no riches, no races. He will stop at nothing to get the corpse and to walk again.
He gave those up, willingly, to an enemy in exchange for Gyro's life. Not because he expected repayment, or because he still needed to learn more about the spin. He gave the parts up because Gyro's life was more valuable than even the corpse parts.
Gyro swears under his breath. Johnny looks briefly back at him before turning back to the path.
He doesn't owe him a thing. He doesn't need to. Gyro already loves him enough to do the same if the positions were reversed.
Johnny figures it out much less dramatically.
He is drinking Gyro's coffee when he comments, "I could spend every morning like this for the rest of my life."
Gyro turns to grin at him. "You like the drink that much? I'd share my secrets with you, but then you won't have an excuse to travel with me anymore."
"It's not just the coffee." Johnny falls silent as he works out in his head what he wants to say, finally coming up with nothing that isn't embarrassing. "You know what, never mind."
Gyro looks confused for a moment, before answering, "I wouldn't mind doing this after the race. But every morning might be a little much, you'll have to cook for me sometime or it won't be fair."
Johnny thinks about spending time together with Gyro with nothing hanging over their heads, and his heart feels light. "...I'd like that."
"I'm holding you to that as a promise. I'm nobody's personal chef, not even yours."
Gyro goes back to his breakfast, and Johnny considers that about the time he starts thinking about spending the rest of his life with somebody is about the time he should admit that he's in love, if only in his own head.