I dont own anything. This takes place right after Johnny was beaten up by the socs. Enjoy :)


Johnny sat silently in the lot, holding his knees to his chest and clutching his switchblade protectively. He gently rocked himself back and forth trying to ignore the painful cut up the side of his cheek bone from where that soc had hit him with his large ring.

Johnny shivered as a gust of wind blew open his jeans jacket. He uncurled his legs and began switching his blade open and closed, praying he'd never have to use it, praying he'd never be jumped by the socs again.

He stopped dead when he saw a shadowy figure saunter towards him; it seemed to Johnny that his prayers had gone unanswered. Like always.

"Hey Johnnycake, how you holdin' up, kid?" Johnny exhaled upon seeing Dally. With his black leather jacket on and a weed dangling carelessly from his mouth Johnny thought Dally looked tuff; Dally always looked tuff.

Johnny answered him with only silence; Dally rolled his eyes in an imitation of Two-Bit, though he wasn't expecting much of a response anyway.

"Why me?" He whispered to the ground.

"Why any of us?" Dally shrugged coolly, Johnny whipped his head around; he hadn't meant for Dally to hear him.

The younger greaser turned his head from the elder, not willing to let Dally see his tears. Johnny didn't cry often, he was a sensitive kid and all and he had gotten used to the almost nightly beatings from his parents, but the way the socs had mercilessly attacked him, the way they enjoyed it, Johnny felt so helpless, so scared.

"You're okay kid. I won't let any of them madras-wearing good-for-nothing socs get to my little Johnnycake again." He mussed his hair affectionately, "Want one?" Dally lit himself another cigarette and offered the pack to Johnny, which he gratefully accepted.

The kid took a long drag on his cigarette before turning to Dally. "You know, I heard some of them kids around the school sayin' never meet your hero, but I don't get it: I've known you almost all my life and I still think you're the tuffest guy I know."

"Don't" Dally said abruptly, harshly. "I let everyone down eventually, don't trust anyone but yourself, kid, especially not a hood like me." He took another drag on his weed.

Johnny looked up at Dally, his onyx eyes the size of dinner plates, Dally looked over at him and sighed, "Shucks, Johnny, don't look at me like that; I'm only tryin' to help you."

"But Dally," Johnny started, voice barely above a whisper, "You're my hero, you're so much braver than me and tougher, if it had been you gettin' attacked by them socs today you would have taken them all no sweat." Johnny looked at his hands that were folded nervously in his lap.

"You really do look up to me dont'cha Johnnycake?" Johnny nodded almost instantly and Dally smiled despite himself.

Dally threw his arm across the younger boys back and they sat there like that for a while.

Johnny couldn't have been happier; he loved Dally, he knew somewhere in the far back of his mind that he loved him more than a brother, more than anything.

"Dally…" Johnny began nervously,

"Yea Johnnycake?" Dally looked at him just as Johnny flashed a rare smile.

"I think…" But Johnny couldn't make the words come, he didn't want to wreck the moment; It could wait because his love would always be there.

"Nevermind." Johnny decided, snuffing out his cigarette on the ground.

"C'mon kid, tell me" Dally nudged the dark-haired boy gently.

"Those socs ain't got nothing on us." Johnny said optimistically

"Things are rough all over." Dally reminded, grimly.

"Yea" Johnny agreed half-heartedly, feeling his bruised ribs.

"Let's go, kid" Dally stood up and brushed himself off, Johnny nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a car screech somewhere in the distance, "C'mon Johnnycake you're alright" Dally offered his hand which Johnny immediately took. The kid decided this was good enough, but in the back of his mind he knew their friendship wouldn't always be enough for him.