★┊[ puppy love
aka… four times johnny cade liked you, and the one where he loved you
warnings ~ mostly fluff, a little angst, first fic in a fat minute so give me some grace pls!
── .✦ a/n ~ omg, franny, posting? who wouldve guesseed!
This was the first time he’d ever seen you: glowing, sparkling, shining like the sun and carrying yourself with the confidence that most lacked. You were utterly magnificent. He'd nearly stopped in his tracks just to get an extra look at you.
"Hey, uh, johnny... you good?" Ponyboy mutters beside him, nudging him with his elbow to get his attention.
Johnny looks away, but not before getting one final glance at your -- clad in your frilly dress and lacy socks – and sighing to himself.
Little did he know, that one look was just the beginning for him; the beginning of his life being absolutely consumed by just you.
From that moment on, he'd see you in anything he could. The strawberry milkshakes from the dingo, the cheap jewelry from gas stations, the pretty pink flowers in people's yards. He saw you everywhere.
Then, he saw you in the hallways.
Not something similar to you, not someone with the same confidence as you, but you. Real, in the flesh, and equally as enthralling. And you were walking straight towards him.
"Hey, uhm, you're Johnny Cade, right?" You asked, a small smile gracing your glossed lips. God, you were beautiful.
"Uh... yeah. That's me." He must look like a weirdo... why were you talking to him? But somehow, you eyes lit up.
"I, uhm... I wanted to see if you'd like to catch a movie sometime? Only if you'd wanna, though..."
"I–..." Say something, goddamnit!
"I would like that." He can feel his hands shaking, his heart pounding in his chest violently.
Then, that sickly sweet smile appears on your lips, and his anxieties ease. "Perfect! I'll see you Saturday, then?"
"Uhm. Yeah. Yeah, you will."
Your smile somehow manages to widen, eyes twinkling with excitement. Johnny watches you walk down the hallway, curls bouncing, and feel his heartbeat quicken once again.
You and Johnny have officially been dating for six months. And because of that, the inevitable has needed to take place:
Meeting your parents. Your Soc parents.
He'd done his best to make himself presentable; did his hair without any grease, borrowed Buck's T-bird, and even managed to wash his clothes and ''borrow'' some of Darry's cologne.
When he arrived at your front door, he'd been sweating like crazy. Your favorite flowers in hand, he rings the doorbell.
The moment your face appears before him, his heart stops.
Your hair done up all special, wearing your favorite dress, your makeup all perfect and pretty.
"Hey Johnny!" You beam, grinning ear-to-ear at the sight of him.
"H–Hey, doll," he murmurs back. It's obvious he's nervous.
"I, uh, got these for you," he holds out the bouquet of flowers, your favorites.
"Oh, Johnny, they're beautiful!" Your grin (somehow) widens even more as you take them from his hands. "Come inside, you must be freezing!"
He shuffles inside your house – big, fancy, extravagant – and he sticks out like a sore thumb.
"Lemme show you off to my 'ma!"
You take his arm and practically drag him into the kitchen. There, standing at the counter, are your parents. On the left, your mother, smiling softly at him. On the right, your father, adorning an unreadble look on his face, stoic as ever.
"Ma, Pa, this is Johnny!" You bite your lip as you smile at them – and him.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs–" He begins, squaring his shoulders in an attempt to seem less nervous.
"Oh, sweetie, no need to call me that! Just call me Debbie, please!" Your mother interrupts cheerily.
Is she serious, Johnny can't help asking himself.
Your father, however, is being less friendly. His face is stern, unwavering, as he sizes up the boy before him.
"Pa?" You murmur, looking at him expactantly.
After several, tense moments, he speaks.
"Y–Yeah. At the DX, in the garage."
"Gotten in any trouble with police–"
Johnny sighs, before replying with a shake of his head. "No, sir."
For several moments, there's silence. Then, your dad sighs. And nods.
"Lets have dinner, shall we?" He gestures to the table littered with food.
You grin at Johnny, eyes lighting up.
"He likes you! He likes you, Johnny!" You pat his arm as you head into the dining room.
And for the first time that day, Johnny's nerves calm. Not because of your father's approval, but because of you.
It was one of those nights.
The ones where Johnny feels like giving up.
He'd been minding his own business all day, walking down the streets, trying to find a good gift for your one year anniversary. But of course, it had to be ruined. By Socs.
There was five of them. One of him. They cornered him into an alley, called him filthy names.
"Wonder why a broad like her would ever wanna associate with trash like you.
"Nothin' but a waste. Can't even defend himself."
So now, he sits in the lot, forearms resting on his knees, tears rolling down his cheeks.
Christ, he really is pathetic.
That is, until you arrive.
The gang had probably called you the moment they caught wind of what had happened. Naturally you came to his aid. You always do.
You rush to his side, worry etched across your soft features.
"Johnny... John, look at me." You murmur, kneeling before him now.
"Johnny! Come on, baby, look at me!" You're pleading now, voice higher than typical out of worry.
With a sigh, Johnny looks up, finally facing you. Revealing the black eye that mars his face, his split lip, and crooked nose.
Your hands come up to cup his cheeks, eyes scanning his face frantically.
"Oh, my sweet boy, what did they do to you..."
Suddenly, their words echo in his head. Pussy. Weak. Pathetic. Loser. Scum.
You flinch. Draw back. Stare at him in confusion.
"I said, get off me! I don't need your fuckin' help!" He's never raised his voice at you. Never. You stare at him as you back away, confusion filling your features. What has gotten into him?
"Johnny, I'm just tryna help–"
"Well, I don't need your goddamn help! I can fix my own issues, man!" He runs his shaky hands through his hair.
You watch him for several moments. The trembling of his frame, the look in his eyes, the dampness on his cheeks. You wish you could take away all his pain.
Without a word, you sit down beside him. Not touching. Not speaking. Just there. He sits a foot away, hunched over, breathing fast and trembling hard.
You don't need to. Your presence is enough. It always will be. To him, you're everything. Even if he pushes you away. Even if he does get angry. Because deep down, he knows you care. You may not understand, but you care. But that's enough. It always will be.
Over a year has passed since you and Johnny's first date. By now, you've been fully adopted into the gang. No longer are they standoffish, distant or cold. Now, you're one of them.
You'd always been kind to them, bringing baked goods or helping cook. You didn't treat them like a charity case, acted better than them, or force your way into their life. You were simply there.
Tonight, however, was different.
It was a summer afternoon. school had recently gotten out, the nostalgic vibes in full swing.
Johnny sits on the couch beside Ponyboy, while Two-Bit, Soda, Steve and Dally are caught up in a heated game of Blackjack – which Steve totally thinks Dally is cheating at, whom denies it every time (he's cheating). Darry stands in the kitchen, finishing up with the dishes.
And on the other side of the room, sits you, the sun casting a gentle orange glow over your face.
He watches you, silently. He watches you laugh at a joke Sodapop makes. He watches you reply sassily to a comment from Dally. He watches you banter with the entire gang like you've been there since the beginning.
Sometimes, it feels like you have.
Once again, he's enamored by how beautiful you are.
Your soft features, your tender smile, the easy way you talk and get on with his closest friends.
He spends so much time simply watching you, he doesn't hear Pony speaking until he's calling out his name.
"Johnny! Quit oglin' your girl and listen t'me!" He quips with furrowed brows.
An all-too-familiar cacophony of 'ooos' and 'aahhs' echoes throughout the room.
"Yeah, Johnnycakes, quit starin' at your broad all the time!" Dally smirks.
"I ain't oglin', nor am I starin'! Could 'ya blame me anyways?" He grumbles, pouting and sitting back in his seat.
Yet, his gaze still flickers back to you.
You, sitting there, smiling right back at him. Not mocking. Not annoyed. But content.
And in that moment, Johnny Cade realizes one thing that will forever be true:
You are his entire world.
