Edited/rewritten in October 2006 because it's nominated for some awards… And the entire part where it needed some help before hand with the entire "grammar" concept… I don't own Jude the Obscure either but I have read it and I'm sorry if referring to it miffs you.
Will eventually contain slash (boy hearts boy), not as of yet but it's there…
Darry fell asleep reading a book Justin left for him. Jude the Obscure was a long book and something about it sucked Darry in. Seeing how circumstances morphed Jude's life related to Darry's, even though he could guess that Jude wouldn't end up being a happy man in the end. Darry started when the phone rang since he'd entered a very Pony-esque reading trance and set the book down, wondering who would be calling this late.
"Hello?"
"Darry?" Justin asked.
"What's wrong?" Darry knew the tone of voice. Johnny used the same hushed, pain-ridden tone when he needed help. It also reminded him of Dally; the pain made him determined and his voice told Darry so.
"Can you come pick me up?"
"Where are you?" Darry asked.
"I'm at the hospital."
"What happened?" Darry asked.
"Can you just come get me? They won't let me leave without someone over eighteen to drive me home." Justin asked. He sounded very tired. Darry could see Justin and a tired Justin but a Justin in the hospital frightened him beyond words.
"Yeah, where can I find you?" Darry asked.
"I'm in the emergency room." Justin said. He really sounded like Dally now. In the ER late at night and not divulging how he got there. Darry shook his head.
"I want an explanation eventually kid."
"I know. Can you hurry?" Justin asked. Johnny crept into his voice again.
"Why are you so anxious to leave?" Darry asked.
"They're going to call my parents soon." Justin said. Darry could've sworn the white knuckled, trembling Johnny was at the other end.
"All right, I'm coming."
Darry wandered to the emergency room and asked for Justin. The nurses seemed familiar with Justin's name and that disturbed Darry. A short, blonde nurse led him to where Justin was placed on a white bed, looking quite drugged up.
"We gave him some medicine for the pain." The nurse said, moving to his bedside and removing the iv, bandaging the small incision.
"What happened?" Darry asked.
"He didn't really say." Justin blinked up at Darry and the nurse left for the appropriate paper work. Justin sat up and rubbed his eyes. Darry noted stitches running across one of his cheekbones, another line dodged from his temple into his hairline and he was bruised and cut.
"What happened?" Darry asked, flinching at Justin's bare chest, lined with gashes and bruises, bound for fractures and his general disheveled appearance.
"Can we talk about it later?" Justin's clear eyes were hazy with pain medication and Darry sighed. They wouldn't have given Dally pain medication unless Dally was in a particularly bad mood and that would be for their sake, not his.
"I guess so." Darry pulled a sweatshirt around Justin's shoulders with a practiced gentleness and helped him walk to the truck.
Darry drove and noted that even on whatever pain medication they over dosed him on (that happened sometimes with smaller guys like Justin and Ponyboy) he kept to a tight personal space. He leaned on the door, dead asleep. Darry noted the blood stains on his jeans and the constant, weak shivering that crept through his thin clothing. If Darry wanted, he could ask Justin what happened now and he'd get a full, somewhat hazy but truthful answer. Darry didn't want a drug-induced answer. He wanted Justin to trust him enough to talk about it.
He wondered if he'd get an explanation whenever Justin was composed enough to speak. Someone would, eventually. Pony seemed close to the green-eyed boy. He was the only one who could tempt a sincere smile from Justin. That was a sight. Darry shook the thought from his head only to have it replaced by another. Justin laughed sometimes too. Two Bit and Soda proved that point on a few occasions. Soda brought genuine laughter and Two Bit made Justin blush; he'd usually cover his smile and give Two Bit a shocked look. Darry could understand the shocked look on Justin's part since Two Bit's humor boarded on ribald and obscure.
Steve had only succeeded in making Justin extremely uncomfortable a number of times. Darry shook his head. Steve didn't mean to push the younger boy away, it just happened. Justin took it well but didn't talk much anyway so it was hard to tell his feeling for Steve.
Darry wondered if anyone had ever told Justin about Johnny and Dally. He didn't talk about it, ever or he would be tempted to tell Justin. Not for emotional support, just so Justin wasn't completely unaware.
Darry wondered why everyone felt like they could confide in Justin. His gaze strayed to the boy as he slept and Darry blinked. He would guess it was his eyes. They implied trust without implicating Justin as naïve. Darry had never entertained the thought of Justin being naïve. He saw the signs of a poor home when Justin walked through the door. He wasn't as wary as Dally or as trapped as Johnny but it was still there. Darry hated having to compare Justin to his dead friends but it seemed to fit. Darry looked back to the road and stopped thinking.
When Darry pulled into the driveway, the porch lights remained off and Darry sighed. He walked over to Justin's side of the car and opened the door. Justin fell out onto him and Darry started, catching him at a haphazard angle. He didn't know why he was shying away from such a light burden and he fought to keep Justin from falling.
"Jesus, you are out cold kid."
Justin was out cold and showed no signs of waking even if Darry had dropped him. Darry chuckled and Justin slipped down, his thighs sliding down Darry's. Darry started and scolded himself, shivering at the touch. He didn't want to drop the injured teenager even if he wouldn't remember it tomorrow. He swung Justin into his arms and sighed in relief as the teen's head rested against his shoulders, eyes still shut. He didn't look any younger while he slept. It seemed only to hide his eyes. He looked pale in the darkness. Darry opened the door and was about to deposit Justin on the couch when he noted that Two Bit was already occupying said couch. Occupying the couch at a very haphazard angle. Darry rolled his eyes and noted Steve sleeping on the other couch. Their house was and always will be the head quarters.
Darry sat Justin down on his bed and carried the armchair into his room, yawning. He didn't work tomorrow but he could at least doze in the chair. Justin shifted and his eyes fluttered open. He readjusted his position so he could lie like a dead dog without impeding the blood flow from any of his limbs and yawned.
"Where am I?" Darry blinked. Justin had never been in his room; he'd barely even stood in the doorway. When he did, he looked very uncomfortable.
"My room. Steve and Two Bit are sleeping off a party on the couches." Darry said.
"Where are you going to sleep?" Justin asked, yawning and looking around.
"I have an arm chair, I'm keeping an eye on you." Darry said.
"You're too nice to me." Justin smiled and fluttered his eyelids and Darry wondered if loopy was an improvement on Justin's introverted personality.
"Someone has to treat you decent." Darry said, eyeing the boy.
"Don't worry about me." Justin waved a hand at Darry, as if brushing aside a fly.
"If this is you on pain killers, I'd hate to see you drunk." Darry said.
"It could only be good for you. I'm already laughing at the funny things you aren't saying." Justin said. He was giggling and smiling a lot.
"You should try to sleep. It looks like you're in bad shape." Darry said.
"I'll be fine. Can't keep me down." Darry poked Justin's rib and he started.
"Take it easy for a while, Short stuff." Darry said.
"I'm not short." Justin said.
"How tall are you then?" Darry asked, smiling.
"I'm sure everyone seems short from atop of your muscle bound head Mr. Universe." Justin muttered.
"Go to sleep before you get any loopier." Darry shook his head, laughing.
"Don't like loopy? I'd be the life of the party."
"I don't think they throw parties at the emergency room." Darry said.
"All right, all right. Consider me asleep. Jesus, you're like a mother hen." Justin said.
"A tall muscle bound mother hen?" Darry asked, chuckling.
"You can't hold that comment against me." Justin said.
"That'll haunt you for a while." Darry said.
"No fair." Justin pouted and Darry silenced his thoughts involving Justin's attempt at sulking.
"Sleep." Darry pulled a blanket over Justin's shoulders and squeezed his shoulder.
"I'm sleeping, I'm sleeping." Justin smiled and closed his eyes, curling slightly into the blanket. Darry shook his head. No matter what drug was in his system, his sulk looked more like a come on.
Author: I'm glad I caught some interest... where is it going? You guys can suggest things and I'll listen, might even write a chapter just cause someone asked me to. Hehe. I've got someone rooting for Ponyboy and Justin. Hehe.
Once again, I'm just rewriting this ficcie for posterity's sake. Enjoy.