Hold your Hand || Johnny Cade x Reader

⚡ waffles ⚡

When he was finally able to get up and remember and move, Johnny gathered himself and forced himself to stand. Everything hurt - he scanned the area for his knife, something dull in the back of his mind reminding him that it was gone. His face hurt - he gave up, and tried to wrap his jacket tighter around him as he stumbled away..

He found himself at Ponyboy's house, naturally; the only place he seemed to be sure there was help to be found. He didn't knock. He would've usually; the door was unlocked, but he'd always felt bad barging in unannounced. This was different. He was- desperate-

"Johnny!"

Someone was with him- and someone had called Darry over. They asked him questions... too many questions. He remembered everything, but he wouldn't talk. Couldn't talk. He felt so, so stupid. And so tired. What time was it? The sky had been dark... Where was Ponyboy? Darry and - who else? Darry and Two-Bit were crowded around him, and he felt them fussing with his clothes and rubbing stuff on him, and heard them opening cupboards and slamming them shut. Talking about did he need to go to the hospital? Someone else was there- Ponyboy had awoken, and Johnny heard him cussing as he took in the sight- Johnny wanted to apologize, but he was so tired. Too tired. 

And then they left him alone. They'd laid him down on... the couch. Had he explained anything to them? Anything at all? He must've. He must've. [Y/N]. He was asleep. 

***

A sharp knock startled [Y/N]; she whipped her head around to find its source. Her window. 

Her window?

[Y/N] crept tentatively towards it, not scared, exactly, but tired, and hoping that whoever was there was someone she even vaguely wanted to see. But of course, there was only one person she "even vaguely" wanted to see. She couldn't stop thinking about him... it was so odd. Shaking her head, she marched deliberately to the window and threw it open. 

Billy grinned at her. 

[Y/N] sighed heavily. "Billy, what are you doing here? I don't want to talk to you and you know it."

Billy ignored her, shoving past her into her bedroom. She didn't even question how he got through her window. Billy was Billy, and he did what he wanted. He could've knocked on the front door and asked her parents to let him see her - and it was 10 pm - and they would've assented. That was concerning enough; he came through the window because it was a challenge, and because he could. 

"What do you want, Billy?" she repeated, exasperated. He could be infuriating. Utterly infuriating. 

"Oh... I had to talk to you about that, uh, that Johnny kid."

[Y/N] felt hot and cold at the same time. Hot- with anger, and simply at the sound of hearing Johnny's name. And cold. With fear.

"What?" she snapped. "What did you do to him? Don't tell me you hurt him. Oh my gosh, is he okay?-"

Billy scoffed. "Calm down, babe. What do you care, anyway? Just let me finish."

[Y/N] shut her mouth, used to this; her eyes blazed defiantly nonetheless.

Billy sat on [Y/N]'s bed. "Yeah, I- c'mere baby, what are you doin'?"

She was standing by the window, that's what she was doing. 

Billy shrugged. "Suit yourself. Yeah, we jumped the kid. He was, uh- he was a-walkin' past this ol' alley, and we jumped out- me an' a few buddies, an' we got him real good." He laughed. 

[Y/N] did not laugh. "How dare you, Billy? Why would you do such a thing? You- you make me sick."

Billy blinked. "Why d'ya care so much? You saw what he did to me anyway."