Here we go! Johnny and Two-Bit, requested by VoicesOffCamera. :) I hope you guys enjoy it! Just a heads up, this may be the last update for just a couple of weeks. I'm going on a trip with some friends and I'm not sure if I'll have time to write or not! So I'm not positive but we'll see!

Story Five

Two-Bit and Johnny

"We Couldn't Get Along Without You"

Johnny winced as the broom came back down and hit him. He'd heard of kids being chased out of the house with brooms before but this was much more extreme. He scooted away from her and squeezed his eyes shut, wishing the beatings would stop.

And then… The next hit didn't come. Johnny looked up to see Two-Bit standing there, blocking the broom. Johnny scooted away more then got to his feet. Two-Bit loped to his side and wrapped an arm around him in support.

Swearing viciously, Two-Bit helped him to the park while Johnny got his bearings. "You okay, Johnnycake?" he asked, turning his stormy gray eyes to him. Johnny shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't a talkative guy, he never had been. But he was feeling particularly quiet right now. He generally was after being beat or hollered at.

Not to mention that while he felt grateful to Two-Bit, he couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed that Two-Bit had had to help him at all.

Two-Bit sighed and sat down on a park bench. "What happened?"

Johnny slowly sat down beside his friend and stared out at the kids playing on the slide. After a few minutes of feeling Two-Bit staring at him impatiently, he said quietly, "Nothing special."

He heard his friend scoff but didn't look over. More silence fell between them. Johnny listened to the kids squealing with laughter and joy and wondered what it was like. What was it like to have a childhood with parents who loved you and took you to the park? He tried to imagine a childhood where he didn't have to wear a sweatshirt or a long sleeved shirt when out with one of his parents to hide the bruises.

"Well, okay," said Two-Bit with a tone of finality. "That's just fine. I'll just sit here until you talk to me about it."

Johnny glanced over at his friend, who had turned his gaze to the playing kids. He sighed and turned away again. He already knew he could easily outlast Two-Bit. If it were Ponyboy with him this wouldn't be a problem. They sat in silence all the time. But that kind of thing didn't appeal to Two-Bit. Two-Bit liked to talk. A lot. Johnny had figured that out within five minutes of meeting him.

Johnny watched as a young boy fall while climbing up to the slide. The kid sat on the ground for a few minutes before he started bawling. Johnny's gaze flitted to a young woman sitting with her friends under a tree. She got up and met the child as he started running to her. Then she hugged him close and rubbed his back.

It made Johnny's stomach flip with envy. As hard as he tried to not be jealous of people with good parents, he couldn't help but wish that he had that. He'd witnessed it first hand at the Curtis house and even though it had been directed his way a lot it just wasn't the same as going home to it.

He heard a long, drawn out sigh beside him and a small smile tugged on his lips reluctantly. His eyes darted to his friend, who was drumming his fingers on his knee. He started making a humming sound in his throat as he did it and fidgeted.

Johnny waited for him to give up, truly fighting a real smile now.

Then Two-Bit let out a long groan. But he didn't say anything. Johnny realized that he had just done what many teachers had tried and tried to do. He had shut up Two-Bit Mathews. Two-Bit would sit there for hours if Johnny didn't say anything. He wanted to talk about it. He wanted to help.

"I'm sorry you had to do that," Johnny finally whispered.

Two-Bit slowly looked at him, obviously not expecting that. "What? Be quiet? It's good for me sometimes I guess. That's what everyone says anyway." He rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean, man."

Two-Bit nodded slowly, looking at the grass at their feet. "Man, I'd wrestle a gun away from someone for you. We all would. A broom don't seem like much."

"You shouldn't have to…."

"Shucks, kid… The world ain't perfect. But if you want the truth sometimes I wish we could trade families. I think you deserve mine more than I do. You deserve more than most guys."

Johnny looked up, surprised and touched beyond belief.

Two-Bit sighed. "I know it bugs ya somethin' awful. I try to make up for it. But I know there ain't nothing I can ever do. What got her so mad this time?" he asked softly.

Johnny turned his dark gaze back to the ground, feeling his ears grow hot. "I accidentally broke a plate… She didn't like the way I was sweeping it up. Took the broom from me then called me…" He trailed off but he knew he didn't have to finish.

A tense silence fell between them and he knew Two-Bit was growing angry. His friend had always hated the way his parents yelled at him, especially the names they called him. The main one was stupid. That was their favorite and it was the one that got to him the most.

"Listen here, Johnnykid." He went on to call Johnny's parents every bad name in the book, throwing in a few Johnny hadn't even ever heard of before. "You don't listen to them, ya dig?"

Johnny nodded, throwing his friend a smile.

Two-Bit sighed, seeing through the fake smile instantly. "I know this ain't ideal. But you know what? Someday you and me are gonna have a place. One of the other boys can move right in with us and it'll be a party every day." He threw an arm around his buddy's shoulders. "Maybe you, me, and Dal. Boy, that'd be fun. Think of all the trouble we'd get into."

This time the small smile on Johnny's face was genuine.

"Instead of coming home to fighting and the like you'd come home to a lot of cheerful swearing and laughing. And, of course, my wonderful jokes."

Johnny scoffed, feeling his smile growing. "Yeah, alright."

Two-Bit grinned at him. "I take real offense to that."

"I imagine so."

"Look at Johnny getting' mouthy."

He chuckled lightly and shook his head. Two-Bit loved it when Johnny got mouthy with him. It didn't happen too often but it always made Two-Bit's grin grow wider.

"Ah," Two-Bit said, looking towards the sky. "We couldn't get along without ya kid. I mean it." He fixed him with a rare, serious look. "You keep us good an' as honest as we could possibly get. It ain't easy to find a guy you can count on and when you do…" Two-Bit looked back at the sky. "Well, you best treat him right so he don't find himself better pals."

Johnny looked up. He'd never heard Two-Bit talk like this. "Thanks Two-Bit," he said softly.

"Ain't no problem."

Johnny chewed on his bottom lip before saying, "Boy, I sure miss 'em."

Two-Bit looked at Johnny strangely then understood and nodded slowly. "Yeah, kid. I know."

The death of Mr. and Mrs. Curtis had shaken them all up. It was a reminder of how fragile life was. Besides, they'd know what to say. They always knew what to say.

"They were awful proud of you," Two-Bit said softly. "You know that? For always bein' such a good friend no matter what kind of day you had at home. You could've taken it out on any of us but you never did. They mentioned it to me lots."

Johnny looked at him gratefully. "You too, man. They loved you like their own."

Two-Bit smiled at him then made a face and looked up. "Did you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

"I swear, I felt something wet. Didn't you feel it?""

"No."

Thunder cracked and it started pouring. Both boys jumped to their feet and started running down the street.

"I told you!" Two-Bit hollered, laughing joyously.

"Aw, shut it!" Johnny chortled, pulling his jeans jacket up over his head the best he could.

Two-Bit let out a whoop as he picked up his speed. The two of them reached the Curtis house and slowed their pace as they got to the safety of the front porch.

Johnny let his jacket fall to its normal spot on his shoulders and shook his head to try to get some of the water out of his hair. Two-Bit was still laughing loudly. He grinned at his friend and shook his head.

As Johnny reached for the door handle, Two-Bit stopped him. "Listen, kid. I mean it when I say we couldn't get by without you. So don't you ever start thinkin' you don't matter to no one. We need you a hell of a lot more than you think. And, just so you know, it don't matter if your folks are proud or not. I'm proud. So is the gang. And so were the Curtises."

Johnny nodded his head slowly and Two-Bit watched him for a moment, as if trying to decide if Johnny really got it or not. Then he nodded, seeming satisfied, and opened the door.

"We're ho-o-ome!" he called loudly.

"Yeah, I know," Steve said dryly. "I could hear you laughing from out there."

Two-Bit grinned and spread his arms. "I know how to make an entrance."

"Or something," Steve muttered. Two-Bit tackled him to the ground without any further prompting and the two wrestled for a few minutes.

Johnny glanced around the house at everyone, taking it all in. Two-Bit and Steve were the loudest with their wrestling match. Second to them was Soda, cheering loudly and happily from the couch. Ponyboy was at the table with his homework and Darry was standing in the doorway of the kitchen with an amused grin. Dallas strode out of the bathroom and cocked an eyebrow at the two wrestling on the ground before rolling his eyes with a grin.

Johnny thought about what Two-Bit said. He still thought he needed them way more than they needed him but Two-Bit's words had hit him hard. They meant something for sure. Days like today was usually when he'd talk about killing himself. He knew Two-Bit had sensed that and wasn't about to let that talk start.

Sure, a lot of people had parents who cared. But a lot of people never had a group of friends as great as this one. That was an area where Johnny was lucky.

Did it make the pain from his folks stop hurting? Not at all. But it made life a hell of a lot more bearable.

As Two-Bit pinned Steve and let out a triumphant whoop, Johnny laughed to himself and stepped over the pair of them to join Ponyboy. Sometimes all he needed was to have someone to be proud of him and, almost more importantly, someone to stand by him.

Remember you can request and I'll add it to my list. :) Thanks for reading!