Just The Two of Us (Johnnyboy)

Chapter Five

Ponyboy and Johnny are standing alone in Ponyboy's room. It's silent beside the sound of Two-Bit's laughter coming through the door as well as Darry's muffled yelling, probably at Two-Bit. Johnny and Ponyboy are still holding hands, their fingers entwined together. Why does this feel so wrong, but yet so right. It feels like it's meant to be, but it's wrong. Right?

Johnny is breathing heavily and his cheeks are flushed. Ponyboy and Johnny look at each other, and Ponyboy feels a heartstring being plucked like a guitar. Alas, he's the first to break away. He goes to sit on Soda and his bed, still embarrassed. He has not even the slightest clue what to say. What was all of that?

"Ponyboy..." Johnny sighs. He looks over at him. His face is bright red and he's shaking. A quiver in his voice.

"Yeah, Johnnycakes?" Ponyboy asks. He's still real worried about him, and he knew that Two-Bit's comments didn't help. Johnny's parents would kill him if what he said was true. Even though it isn't true. At all. It isn't possible that it's true for either of them.

"What Two-Bit said... what do you think about that?" Johnny says, shaking slightly. His voice has a slight quiver. His face still red. Ponyboy is starting to feel new feelings about Johnny. Maybe Two-Bit was right about what he was saying.

But anyway, Ponyboy is surprised. He thought Johnny wouldn't want to talk about this at all, and Ponyboy was ready to never mention it again.

"Come here, come sit with me." Is all Ponyboy said. Johnny plops down next to Ponyboy and looks in his green gray eyes with his big brown ones before looking away down into his lap awkwardly.

"Uh, do you want some clothes to sleep in? You are sleeping here, right?" Ponyboy asks. He wants to forget about everything that happened tonight. Maybe it'll all be better in the morning.

"I could probably just sleep in this, Pony. But where would I be sleeping?" Ponyboy never thought about that. The thought of sleeping while snuggling with Johnny makes his heartbeat speed up.

"Uh, you can sleep here if you want. I'm sure Soda wouldn't mind. He could go to his real room." He says, stuttering. He just wants to get to sleep so this'll all boil over.

"So I'll be sleeping with you?" Johnny asks. He feels his cheeks heat up as he thinks of sleeping next to Ponyboy, despite having done it so many times.

"Um, if you want to. You don't have to. But we've done this before, right?"

"Yeah, yeah... but with everything Two-Bit was sayin' man. I keep thinking about it."

"Oh, um... Don't let him get to you, Johnnycakes. He was just kidding." But even as he said it, he knew that wasn't the truth. Was he just kidding, or was there really something between the two of them? Ponyboy had never thought about kissing Johnny before, but now that he thought about it, it didn't seem too bad... No! He needed to stop thinking like this. What would Darry say?

"I'm not sure if he was kidding, Ponyboy." Johnny says looking over at him with that same look Two-Bit mentioned. 'I see how you two look at each other,' he said. Maybe he is right. Maybe Johnny's lips are delicious.... No! Darry would be so damn mad. Meanwhile, Johnny is terrified about this himself. He can tell that his own voice has got a quiver to it and he's shaking. Oh... what his parents would do if they even just found out about this.

"W- what do you mean?" Ponyboy asks. "He was kidding. He had to be. That's wrong, you know!" He says, eyebrows knit together in worry and lips quivering. He doesn't want what Two-Bit said to be true; it was wrong and he knows it.

"If it's wrong then why do I feel this way? I'm sure you feel it too." Johnny says, lighting up a cigarette as he begins to smoke. Johnny sighs as he looks down at his lap. He's still shaking slightly. Johnny usually never ever speaks up like this.