A/N: I apologise in advance to my readers outside of the UK if things get a little too British here. Since I picture Big Daddy/Marcus having lived a significantly larger portion of his life in London than Johnny did I figure he's probably gonna be busting out a lot more of the lingo than Johnny would. (Also I maybe used too many apostrophes, please let me know if it's too distracting and I'll dial it down in future.)

Johnny couldn't remember the last time he got himself this worked up. Sweat dripped from his brow as a grunt escaped his lips, wet hair falling into his eyes as he gritted his teeth and tensed his muscles. He kept a firm grip on his tool and started tugging just a little harder. He was almost there, just a little more and he would finally feel the release he so desperately desired.

"Yes!" he cried out. The bolt finally came loose and he was able to turn it counter-clockwise a few times before removing it from its casing.

Ash simply snickered, having watched the entire scene play out in front of her. Things had been going well for the young ape when he first got under the hood of the car, taking several things apart with ease, but this particular snag he hit had him stuck for a short while.

"Fuckin' finally," Johnny muttered, throwing the wrench he was holding into a tray as he eyed up the rusty bolt he'd just removed.

"Wow, you finally got a bolt loose, it only took you, like, ten minutes," Ash commented dryly, offering a half-hearted round of applause.

"Oi, this bloody thing was awkward," he said, holding it up triumphantly. "I'd love to've seen you do better."

"No, no, far be it from me to argue with the professional," she replied, raising her hands up defensively.

"Anyway, this was prob'ly the most difficult part. The rest should be a breeze." As he spoke Johnny removed the casing of the headlamp unit, detaching a few wires and setting it aside.

"And all you're doing is replacing a few bulbs?" Ash asked, eyeing up the car suspiciously. The car looked a mess, the front having been taken apart almost completely. Granted, she had never replaced any before, but the few times she'd seen it done it didn't seem nearly as complex.

"Yeah. This model's a bit… weird. They make everythin' so complicated. Usually changing a bulb would take a few minutes, bu' with this one it's closer to half an hour, if you know wha' you're doing. You have to practically take the whole front of the car apart to do it, as you can see."

Below the tray of the unit Johnny had thrown the wrench into were several drawers, one of which he reached into to fetch the new bulbs. Ash continued to watch for a moment before letting out a loud yawn.

"You don' have to stay here, y'know," Johnny commented.

"Sorry, it's just… this is so boring." She hopped down from the small pile of tyres she'd taken a seat on and walked further into the garage. "I dunno how you do this every day. You still got some sodas in the fridge?"

"Yeah, should still be a couple in there," he called over to her as she rummaged through the fridge. "And I don't do this every day you know."

She located the last two cans and pulled them out, kicking the fridge closed and making her way back out to Johnny. "Really? Business not booming?" she asked, handing a can to Johnny which he gratefully accepted.

"No' really," he shrugged. "Not since, y'know… word got out."

"Oh." She should have figured. It didn't take long for gossip to get around and Johnny's father's incarceration, as well as Johnny's link to him, was quickly established amongst their customers.

"I mean, we didn' have many customers to begin with, but when they heard about wha' dad did… most of 'em got scared off."

"Yeesh, sorry big guy, I didn't know." Ash pulled the tab on her can and took a long swig, the cold drink a welcome relief from the heat of the beating sun.

"Eh, it is what it is." Rather than opening his can, Johnny pressed it to his head, sighing contentedly. Ash giggled at the sight. "Wha'?" he said.

"Nothing, nothing. Just, y'know, most animals drink soda rather than trying it out as a hat."

"Shut up," he chuckled. "That bolt was really hard work."

"Sure seemed like it. It certainly got some… interesting noises out of you."

"Oi!" Johnny flushed furiously.

"Relax Johnny, I'm just messing around," she smirked before taking another swig of her soda.

"Yeah, well, you missed out on your chance to find out what those kind of noises sound like," he smirked back, opening his can and drinking it as he heard the satisfying sound of Ash's drink being spat out.

"What the… actual fuck, Johnny," Ash sputtered in a mixture of coughing and laughing.

"You started it."

"Yeah, but I didn't expect you to have such a good comeback."

Johnny simply snorted. There was another joke there and they both knew it, but fortunately Johnny was good enough not to voice it. It was too crude and far too lazy. Their sense of humour was better than that… mostly.

"Anyway, once this one's done the next one'll take me a couple hours," Johnny said, pointing to the other car parked next to the one he was working on. "After that I'm headin' out to see dad, but I could spare a bit of time before startin' on it. You wanna catch something on TV before you bounce?"

"I'd love to but I really oughta get going in a minute. This gig is a pretty big deal, it might become something regular and I really want to make a good impression."

Johnny nodded, taking another sip of his soda before setting the can aside and picking up the headlamp casing. "A'right, just gimme like, ten minutes and I'll have this done."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I can give you a ride."

This time Ash snorted at the not-so-hidden joke. Johnny just rolled his eyes.

"You don't have to do that, it's only a ten minute walk," she said.

"Call it a thank you for keepin' me company," he shrugged. "Today woulda been a lot less interestin' if you hadn't come over."

"I am pretty good company."

"Yeah, yeah."

Ash just poked her tongue out as Johnny laughed and set about finishing his work. A few replaced bulbs and one new bolt later Johnny shut the hood and locked the car up, brushing his hands off on his coveralls.

"Right, gimme a sec to change outta this and we can get goin'," he said, heading back into the garage.

"Hey, don't mind me, you can strip here if you prefer," Ash said, grinning widely.

"Yeah, I'm sure you'd like that," he called out, grabbing his pants and jacket before making his way to the bathroom. He quickly stripped out of the coveralls and into his pants, already wearing his shirt. As he stepped out he hung the coveralls, shrugged on his jacket and fished his keys out of his pocket. "And you wonder why everyone's shocked when they hear it was you who turned me down," he teased as he passed Ash, grabbing her guitar case on his way to the truck.

"Big difference between wanting to date your hunky best friend and wanting to see him half-naked," she shrugged as she followed.

"Oh, so you're sayin' I'm hunky?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, setting the guitar case down in the bed of the truck and tying it into place.

"Yep," she said matter-of-factly. The two got into the truck and belted up, Johnny turning the key in the ignition. Once the engine came to life the truck pulled away and they were off on their way to the restaurant Ash would be playing at.

"Well, uhh… thanks, I guess?" Johnny said.

"No problem, hot stuff."

"OK, now I know you're just takin' the piss," he chuckled.

"Fine, fine. But you know, if ever you have your eye on someone then you should totally go for it. They're not gonna say no."

"Yeah… I don' think it's that simple."

"Sure it is."

"Oh, so you're saying if I have my eye on someone, he'll like me back?"

"Wait, 'he'?"

Johnny's eyes widened. Without even looking at her he knew Ash was grinning at him with an all too knowing look. "O-Or she!"

"Nuh-uh, too late. You like someone," Ash practically sang. "So come on, spill it. Is this guy someone I know?"

"Oh hey, look at that, we're here already!" he replied a little too loudly, pulling the truck up to the sidewalk outside the restaurant.

"Johnny…"

The gorilla sighed, finally turning to face Ash. "Look, I… I don't know. I don't know how I feel about him."

"Still early days, huh?"

"Yeah. Plus, I don't think he feels the same way."

"You don't think? Well don't wait too long to find out, big guy! You never know how long a good guy will stay single for, trust me."

"Oh? Had your eye on someone yourself then?"

Ash shrugged. "Maybe. But it didn't work out. I waited too long, so make sure you don't!"

"Yeah, yeah."

"So… do I know who it is?"

"No," Johnny said unconvincingly. Ash looked suspicious but decided to drop it. At least for now.

"Well, better get going," she said, unbuckling her seatbelt. When Johnny went about doing the same Ash stopped him. "Don't worry, I'll grab the guitar. Thanks for the ride."

"No problem."

Ash climbed out of the truck, reaching into the bed and untying her guitar case. With it in hand she waved Johnny off. "See you later, Johnny."

"Later," he replied, waving back before driving off.

All teasing aside, Johnny did find it both amusing and strange that Ash was offering him romantic advice. He almost felt that Ash was still guilty for turning down his advances, despite his assurances that he was fine with it. He watched her entering the restaurant through his rear view mirror before refocusing on the road ahead of him. Perhaps he could take her advice and be brave enough to approach Gunter, if only he knew for sure how he felt about him. And if it wasn't too late. He'd already mentioned dating, after all.

With a heavy sigh he made his way back to the garage. The rest of the day's work wasn't going to go by quickly.

Calatonia State Prison. No matter how many times he saw the stale grey walls Johnny would never find them any more welcoming. He supposed that was the point, though, jails weren't really known for their warm atmosphere. But there was warmth there, a warmth he would keep coming here to see as often as he could; his ever-doting father. Far more attentive than he'd ever been before his incarceration, but he couldn't complain, it was a nicer side to his father he didn't ever wish to lose.

Ignoring the nagging feeling of guilt that always plagued him as he set foot in the building, Johnny made his way over to the reception, stated his name and his father's name to the officer at the desk and proceeded to the visitation room entrance. He took off his jacket and handed it to another officer for inspection, stepped through the metal detector and then allowed himself to be frisked. Seeing nothing worthy of barring his entry, the officers allowed him into the room. It was an ordeal he could do without, but it was always worth it to see his father, no matter how painfully short the visitation times were. He'd made a promise, to his father and to himself, and he would keep it. It allowed him at least a small reprieve from his guilt.

Johnny was directed to a booth and he took a seat, picking up the phone in preparation despite his father not yet being there. He could vaguely make out his own reflection in the glass before him, noting how tired he looked. Perhaps a nap would be in order when this was over. Not that he wanted it to be over, he would give anything to spend the day with his father.

A small commotion came from the corner of the room, on the other side of the glass, and Johnny watched as a small line of prisoners filed in along with a couple of officers. Trailing behind them all was one who looked much larger than the others, a larger, more gruff version of Johnny himself. He was smiling as soon as he caught sight of Johnny though, who smiled back, offering a small wave. He took a seat opposite Johnny and picked up the phone, wasting no time to begin conversation.

"Johnny, it's great to see you," Marcus said. "It's been a long week, been lookin' forward to this. 'ow are ya?"

"Yeah, I'm good dad, how 'bout you?"

"Ah, y'know, still locked up," he laughed. "I'm kiddin'," he added, noticing how Johnny's smile fell.

"I know."

"Well lighten up a little, would ya? Wha's the matter?"

"Nothin' dad, just… nothing." He attempted to smile again but it didn't fool Marcus.

"Look, son, we've been over this, yeah? You gotta stop blamin' yourself. It was our plan tha' got us in 'ere, not yours."

"Yeah, I know. Jus' can't help it sometimes, y'know?"

"I know," Marcus nodded, smile falling. He looked his son over before speaking up again. "You're lookin' a little… smaller than last time I saw ya. You eatin' right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You know you can sell the garage off if you're strugglin' to get by."

"No, it's fine. Just a bit of a slow week for business, s'all."

Marcus grunted in disapproval. He really wished Johnny would look after himself better but there was nothing he could do about it. He knew his son wouldn't dare consider selling the garage, what with it being the address that he, Barry and Stan would be registered to upon their release, as well as a source of guaranteed employment.

"Dad, I'm fine, honest. I've gotten by this long, right?"

"Well, alright, long as you're sure. 'ow about that theatre, they not payin' you any more?"

"Not right now, no. We're between shows. It's prob'ly gonna be a few months."

"So wha', that director o' yours ain't got a show on an' he's just gonna leave ya skint?"

"That… is how it works, yeah," Johnny chuckled. "He isn't gonna pay us if we're not workin'."

"Well he oughta hurry up an' get that new show on, then. Been nothin' worth watching on the telly since the last one."

"Pfft, never thought I'd see the day when all you wanted to watch was a musical."

"Oi, you know it's different when I got you to watch up on stage. You're really somethin', ya know? An' I get to tell everyone 'ere that you're my son."

"And that actually gets you respect?"

"Damn right it does! And you know Stan an' Barry are chuffed to bits seein' ya make it, too. We're all proud of you, son."

"Thanks dad. Actually, there was somethin' I wanted to tell you."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"Well, I'm learnin' to dance for the next show. Mr. Moon reckons it'll give us new opportunities, so if we all decide to stay in theatre we can do more and become more successful."

"Yeah? You gonna become one of those Broadway stars then? Just be careful, plenty o' guys there might be lookin' to take advantage of a young man like you," he snickered.

Johnny frowned, clearly not as amused as his father. "Yeah, I… don' think that's somethin' I need to worry about."

"Hey, all I'm sayin' is there's gonna be a lotta queers there and you should watch your back."

"Dad, enough."

"Well, maybe not your back, but your backside, definitely."

"Stop!"

Marcus immediately fell silent, looking at his son curiously. "Well, what're you bein' so defensive for? Not like you're one of 'em."

Johnny's anger subsided, immediately being replaced with fear. He looked away, panicked. He'd backed himself into a corner and wasn't quick enough to think of an excuse for his outburst. His father would figure it out now. Of all the ways he imagined coming out to Marcus, this wasn't it. He'd even toyed with the idea of never doing it. He'd almost lost his father once, he didn't want to risk it again.

The pieces clicked into place quite quickly for Marcus. He went through a series of emotions as he contemplated what he had just discovered about his son, eventually settling on confusion. "Wait, but… I don' understand, Johnny. That girl you work with, you said you fell for her, yeah?"

"Yeah," Johnny replied timidly.

"But… wha', you're into men now?"

"I, uhh…"

Marcus frowned. He didn't understand what was going on. "Well, which is it then?"

Johnny finally turned to meet his father's gaze. He didn't look quite as angry as Johnny expected, but certainly still angry. "I… I, uhh…"

"Well?" Marcus said more sternly.

"Uhh… both."

"Wha'? Both? What do you mean, both?"

"I mean, I like both, dad."

Marcus just became more confused. Was it possible to like both men and women? He'd heard some animals go by the label of 'bisexual' before, but they were just kids who were confused or wanted attention, weren't they?

The silence stretched on between the two apes and threatened to consume the rest of their time together. Aware of this, Marcus decided to speak up, wanting to get to the bottom of this. "So you're… one o' those… bisexuals?"

Johnny nodded, looking away again.

"So, uhh… that's… that's a real thing, is it?"

Johnny turned back to his father. That wasn't the reaction he was expecting. "Uhh, yeah dad. That's a real thing."

"Huh. I always thought… well, never mind." He watched his son for a moment, noting the fear that was still lingering in his eyes. He didn't want to see Johnny like that. He didn't exactly understand how being bisexual worked, but he supposed he didn't really have to. He just had to accept it. "Well, my son's a bisexual then," he said simply, giving a small shrug of his shoulders.

Johnny sighed in relief. He'd prepared for many outcomes but was overjoyed to receive this one. Marcus wasn't rejecting it, nor was he making a big deal out of accepting it. It was just a fact.

"Look, Johnny, I don't really understand it, but I'll try," Marcus assured. "An' it doesn't make me love you any less."

"Thanks, dad."

"No need to thank me, s'what bein' a good father is about, right?" He offered Johnny a bright smile, one his son returned eagerly. "So… wha' made ya realise it, then? You got a bloke you're thinkin' of trying to pull?"

"Uhh… maybe?" he replied bashfully. "It's kinda complicated."

"Ain't no 'complicated' 'bout it," Marcus laughed. "Ya go after 'im, and either he's interested or he's not. Simple as that."

"Yeah, sure, simple."

"Things not go well with tha' Ash girl you were keen on?" He remembered how enamoured his son seemed to be with the girl, and honestly couldn't blame him. She was an impressive singer too, and seemingly a feisty young lady.

"Uh, no, that… didn't really work out."

"Tha' right?" he said, a smirk slowly spreading across his face. "Reckon she's into older blokes?"

"Ew, dad, gross."

Marcus burst out laughing. It wasn't often he could embarrass his son so any time he could was a victory. "Well, ya can't blame your old man for tryin'."

"Ugh…"

"Wrap it up, inmates!" one of the officers announced. "Visitation is over."

"Already?" Johnny whined.

"Well, at least you can start plannin' on 'ow you're gonna pull this fella you're after," Marcus smirked.

"Ew, dad, stop sayin' it like that."

Marcus ignored him. "And hey, if things don't work out with this bloke, at least now ya got twice the options. Some might say you're bein' greedy."

"Dad…"

"I'm just screwin' with ya son."

"I know," Johnny beamed. It was nice and more than a little relieving to know his father was already comfortable enough to make a playful jab at his sexuality.

The two looked around, seeing Marcus was the last prisoner left at the booths. The officers looked impatient, but were too intimidated to hurry the large ape along. In all honesty they didn't make particularly effective corrections officers, though Johnny figured there probably weren't many animals who would be brave enough to be effective against his father.

"Righ', s'pose I oughta get goin'," Marcus said, gesturing towards the officers. "Can't make 'em feel too bad. I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, see you soon," Johnny replied solemnly. Time was up now and it was always too soon. It never hurt any less to have to say goodbye.

"I love you, Johnny, remember that."

Johnny smiled, albeit weakly. "I love you too, dad."

"And get some kip, ya look bloody knackered."

"Will do."

With a final nod, Marcus got up and walked back over to the exit, the officers following him out. Johnny also got up to leave as soon as his father was out of sight, albeit at a much slower pace. He didn't want to leave, he never wanted to leave. But without his father to talk to it was pointless to stay. He tried to keep control of himself until he left the jail and climbed into his truck, finally giving in and breaking down in tears. There was so much to unpack in the conversation he'd just had with Marcus and not nearly enough time to do it. It felt so unfair and again he felt the nagging feeling of guilt. No matter how much his father tried to convince him otherwise, he would always see it as his fault that Marcus was in there.

Visitation hours were never enough and it was still going to be years before he could finally bring his father home. Their relationship had only grown in the two years he'd been in jail and Marcus almost felt like his best friend as much as he was his father. It just wasn't fair and there was nothing he could do about it.

After taking a moment to finally compose himself he turned on the ignition, beginning the short but lonely drive home. As much as it pained him, he tried to remind himself that it was only temporary. Soon it wouldn't just be him living at the garage, but his father, and possibly Stan and Barry too. Like old times, minus the crime. He looked forward to it. It just couldn't come soon enough.

A/N: Sorry not sorry for the beginning of the chapter. I've always been a sucker for the fake-out 'naughty' narration that I've seen others write, so I wanted to try it out too. I saw my opportunity and I took it, hehe.