sore ribs || the outsiders imagines

killer's thank you // j.c.

no warnings. enjoy !

— Johnny was never one for birthdays, or any sort of attention in general. He felt safer that way. I mean, who could blame him? You certainly couldn't. After all he'd been through, no one could really blame him for acting the way he did. Scared and quiet, yet sweet and tougher than anyone you'd known, all at once. He never asked for more than he was given, though perhaps he wished for it. He did what had to be done, nothing more, nothing less.

  But maybe, every once in awhile, Johnny wished he could feel a little special. He'd never admit it - but sometimes he did. And it made him feel awful. It made him feel guilty. He recalled how when he Mrs.Curtis was around - she'd always at least give him a card, if not throw him a party. She was more of a mother to him than the one who'd "raised"

  He didn't ever nag on anyone for not remembering his birthday - in fact, the only people who had it memorized was Ponyboy and, surprisingly, Two-Bit. And now - you.

You'd known him since kindergarten, but you never really got to know him till two years ago.

  He'd been trudging towards his next class when he saw a group of kids pestering you - and decided he couldn't stand by this time. Later on he'd get a beating from Bob and scars from his rings, just for standing up for you. Sometimes you hated yourself for not being able to handle yourself. Maybe Johnny wouldn't have gotten so messed up had you been able to push your way through Bob and his friends that day.

  But Johnny said he'd do it again if he had to.

  You didn't want to overwhelm him with anything to big, especially since he'd been super jumpy lately. But you wanted to do something for him. He deserved something, if not the whole world.

  "What if he doesn't like it? Is it too much?" you pondered a lot, pacing around the empty lot. Two-Bit and Ponyboy stood next to you, taking in what you'd done to the place.

  It was a warm day, not too cold or not too hot, and you'd come up with the idea to do something with the lot. With the help of Two and Pony, you'd managed to throw a little get together.

  A banner hung from two stakes, the words 'Happy Birthday, Johnny' written across it in blue paint. An old but sturdy table was set up with some chairs, covered in Johnny's favorite dishes and a chocolate cake that Soda and Darry had made early in the morning.

  "Shoot kid, he'll love it! And if he doesn't, I guess I'll just have to love it for him! Besides, my birthday's just around the corner!"

  "Sure Two-Bit, in June! That's a good two months from now." Ponyboy laughed, kicking at the dirt of the lot.

  "Like I said, just around the corner!' You smiled at him. Two-Bit was good at what he did - making people laugh and smile. He was just a good guy to have around. He made Johnny laugh the most. How could you not love him for that?

  You looked down at your watch. 2:17 PM, is what it read. Dallas was supposed to be bringing Johnny by any minute now, but, knowing Dallas, they'd either be ten minutes early or two hours late. You hoped it was the latter.

  "You know Y/N - it was real nice of you to get him that hammock. Now he won't have to sleep on the ground out here or in the back of one of those pickups," Ponyboy commented. You nodded.

  "I know he sleeps out here a lot - and sometimes he won't come to my house even if I tell him it's okay. I'm sure it's the same for you. A hammock was the least I could do." Ponyboy hummed in agreement, Two-Bit elbowing you and nodding towards the entrance of the lot.

  You squeezed your palms together anxiously, watching as three boys rounded the corner into the lot. Darry, Sodapop, and Steve. Whew.

  "You ready? Dallas is just on our tails- saw Johnny and him walking this way a block back." Darry grinned, ruffling your hair before pulling Ponyboy under his arm. Sodapop and Steve moved towards Two-Bit and joked around a bit.

  "Yeah I think so," smiling, you tucked a strand of hair behind your ear and pushed yourself up onto your toes, "hey, thanks for all the help by the way. Couldn't have done it without you or the rest of the boys."

  Darry nodded. "It's the least we could do for Johnny. He's a good kid." You nodded in a solemn agreement, and Darry turned to the rest of the boys - letting Ponyboy out of his grip and playfully shoving him towards Sodapop.

  The boys began laughing and hollering, cracking jokes and messing around. You stood to the side, watching them with a wide and heartfelt smile.

  Everything was gonna turn out okay. You could feel it. Things could've gone so wrong - they still could. But they weren't going to. It was all going to turn out okay.

  Suddenly, the scratching of gravel could be heard from behind you, and there you turned to see Dallas and Johnny. The rest of the boys stopped dead in their tracks and stared.

  Dally patted Johnny on the shoulder and moved towards the table - taking a seat and kicking his feet up on the edge of the table. Johnny stood baffled, his warm brown eyes growing larger in adornment.

  You swiveled on your heels to fully face him, crossing your arms hurriedly and gently biting down on your bottom lip. You watched as his eyes scanned the old lot, and you could almost see them swell with tears.

  "Do you like it?" You took a step towards him cautiously, tilting your head to the side.

  He shifted his weight, leaning on his left foot and reaching his fingers up to his lips. Was he nervous? Overwhelmed? Did he hate it?

  "Like it?" He muttered, "it's great!"

  You visibly perked up, laugh softly. "Yeah?"

  "Yeah." He repeated, pulling you into a gentle hug. He smelled warm - like vanilla. Comforting. Home.

  After only seconds more, far too short, really, he pulled away from you and made his way towards his friends. They swarmed him with laughter and hugs and nuggies- nothing but love.

  Again, you watched the lively young boys ramble, and your heart was filled with a warmness you had never felt before.

  The evening was fun - filled with that warm feeling. Johnny couldn't stop smiling, and that had you absolutely reeling. He rarely smiled anymore. But here he was, doing it non-stop.

  After what seemed like hours of laughter, a few presents and some gifts, Johnny found his way back to your side - laying next to you in the Hammock you had gotten him. He seemed confident. Comfortable.

  He adjust himself so he was laying on his side, propping his head up with his hand. Smiling down at you, you found yourself completely lost in his bambi eyes.

  "Happy birthday," you exhaled, the opiate of the moment completely captivating you.

  Johnny laughed softly, running his fingers down the side of your face till they met your bottom lips. He drew them back and pushed them through your hair, caressing your forehead gently.

  He sighed, leaning down to press his chapped lips to your own - a chaste kiss, loving and sweet. A thank you.

  A thank you for the hammock you lay in now.

  A thank you for the party you'd thrown together for his sake.

   A thank you for loving someone like him — someone so broken.

  A thank you kiss.

  A kiss from a killer.