#windrixville

Johnny remembered it all too clearly. The church's roof caved in on him as the flames engulfed him. Ponyboy had gotten out safely, and he could live with that. But the pain rippled through his skin, scorching him. As the final scream for help left his lips, he fell unconscious. 

His cheek pressed against the ashy floorboard as he took what he thought were his last breaths. His back was numb on impact, and he felt the world slow down. Johnny’s eyes fluttered shut, accepting this as the end of his short-lived life.

16 years wasn’t long enough, no matter how many times he told himself it was. Through his shattered perspective on what life was, he mended slowly. He had found his friends, the tranquillity of smoking cigarettes and stargazing in the lot, and most importantly—you.

Johnny spent a few nights fading in and out of consciousness; he occasionally saw Ponyboy’s face, a nurse’s, someone from the gang. The beeping of his monitors was a constant, white noise that had become so familiar he was beginning to forget what life sounded like without it.

Johnny felt himself getting weaker and weaker every day. His energy drained just from flipping over. Johnny didn’t know how he’d live through this one.

Today you visited him. He was sitting up in his bed, head back in the pillows. The burns on his neck were hard to look at, and his weak, stuttering breathing made your heart clench. 

“Hi, Johnny…” you said quietly, putting your hand on his. Johnny twitched, his eyes fluttering open at the familiar voice. “Hi…” he struggled. You squeezed his hand tight. “Don’t talk too much, save that energy,” you said.

He was looking at you now; his black eyes still had the familiar sweetness to them, something only earned after years of hardship. “You’re still in the paper, and the gang is awfully worried. The Socs have started jumping kids on the street more than ever; they're real mad about Bob. Gonna rumble soon,” you rambled, knowing Johnny probably didn’t care about rumbles or editorials in the newspapers anymore.

Society had shunned him his whole life; getting appreciation this way didn’t make it feel like a real reconciliation.

“Fighting doesn’t do no good…” he croaked out. His thumb moved slowly up and down the skin of your hand. The only soft thing in this hospital. “You staying with me?” he added, after you fell silent. When you didn’t say anything, he mumbled, “Pretty bad off ain’t I?”

You shook your head quickly. “No, Johnny Cade. You’ll do just fine, don’t say that!” you shut him down quick. You moved to stroke his hair, the black shaggy bangs falling in his eyes. “No hair grease in here, huh?” you teased, adding a small smile. His hair was clean and ungreased, a bit charred from where the fire got to it. 

He made a small noise that was supposed to be a laugh. “No… The boys said they’ll bring me some soon,” he mumbled, offering you a smile that was filled with pain.

“It’s cute… ungreased, I mean,” you giggle a little, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Johnny now managed a smile, his cheeks even getting a little red. “Maybe I should wear it like that more often then,” he replied, his voice cracking at the end. 

“You hungry?” you asked quietly, seeing him wince from a breath too sharp. You noticed a shift in his energy. His breathing was heavier and his face more pained. It felt like the light was leaving his eyes. 

When he didn’t reply, you felt tears prick your eyes. “‘m real tired…” he whispered. You moved to call the nurses, and he pawed weakly at your arm. “It’s okay… stay. Sing me something… as you used to,” he pleaded, his eyes getting heavier. 

You nod slowly, sitting on the edge of the bed, stroking his hair. Slowly you sang some nursery rhyme that felt like magic when Johnny had first heard it.

You sang him back to sleep, listening to his heart monitor get slower and slower with every shaky verse.

Your voice cracked as tears spilt down your cheeks; despite the voice cracks, you kept singing. He always slept better when you sang. Back in the lot, he’d nuzzle close, his soft snores lulling you to sleep beside him beneath the stars.

It wasn’t long before the nurses rushed in, more doctors following behind, yelling code words. You were crying and yelling as they pulled you away.

And you couldn’t understand why. He needed you. Only you knew how to tuck his shaggy bangs away just right, how to hug him good enough to make him shudder. 

Johnny had fallen asleep to your voice a hundred times before. But nothing compared to this.

you woke up to the loud sound of an engine, blaring loudly. as you opened your eyes, you realized that you were at your stop, jay mountain. you dragged a half-asleep pony and a half-asleep johnny off the train along with you as you rubbed the sleep out of your eyes.

“y/nnnn why’d you have to wake me up?”, pony whined.

“it was our stop, pony. we would have missed it and the conductor would’ve found us. where’s this church dally was talking about now?”, you asked.

“why don’t ya ask those farmers over there, they ought ta know.”, johnny said.

“alright, pony, go over there and ask him for directions to ... jay mountain - is it?”, you asked.

“how? what do i tell him?”, he asked.

“just ask like a farm boy takin’ a walk or something. they’ll never know.”, johnny said.

“yeah, yeah, that’s a good idea. go over!”, you said.

“do i look like a farm boy to you?”, pony scowled.

“pony, stop whining and just go.”, you said sternly.

after fuming for a good minute, he finally went over to the farmer. making some story about playing army and our base being at jay mountain, he got the directions.

we climbed up the steep hill that lead up to the mountain and on the top was the huge church. although it was a bit rackety, it was still beautiful.

“c’mon guys, let’s go in.”, you said.

when you looked back at the 2 of them, they were both panting heavily.

“i thought you were a track star, pony. what happened to that now?”, you teased.

“oh y/n, you’re so on.”, pony smirked.

the three of you all raced to the front steps of the church, and of course pony ended up first. upon reaching the steps, he stuck his tongue out at you.

the 3 of you went inside to look at the church. windows were broken and cobwebs were everywhere but it was a good enough shelter and that’s what mattered.

“okay guys, so we’re gonna sleep in this room, near those benches, our supplies are going to be kept over on that table, and we’ll go out that back door to use the pump for water, alright?”, you asked.

“okay. let’s get settled in today and we’ll get our stuff tomorrow, alright pony and y/n?”, johnny asked.

“fine by me.”, pony said.

the three of you spent the rest of the day tidying up the messy church a bit, making it a bit more pleasant to live in.

at the end of the day, the three of you settled to sleep next to the almost disintegrated pews, you in johnny’s arms, and pony next to you two. although this was a tough time, the three of you were in it together.