Little Johnnycakes

Chapter Two

The next morning I woke up to see Johnny sitting up next to me. He was leaning against the headboard of the bed.

"Morning, kiddo."

He jumped a little but smiled when he saw I was awake.

"Hi, Darwy." His voice was really soft, almost like a whisper, but a little louder.

"How long have you been up?" I didn't want him to be alone for long.

He shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well, why didn't you go in the living room? I'm sure Steve, Soda, or Two-Bit are out there," I told him. Ponyboy would still be sleeping. He looked forward to Saturday. He didn't like to get up before nine on weekends.

"I wanted to wait for you. And," he leaned in closer and whispered in my ear, "Two-Bit smells funny."

I chuckled. "Yeah?"

Johnny nodded. He was most likely referring to the heavy stench of beer. Two-Bit almost always had some sort of alcoholic beverage in his hand.

I raised my arms above my head and pretended to take a whiff. "Well, I don't know about you, but I think we both need to take a shower." He giggled as I started messing with his messed up black hair. His hair was so soft and long.

Johnny gave me a hopeful look.

I smiled. "Yeah, you can take a bath."

He grinned. "Bubbles?"

I laughed. "Sure, kid. I'll see if we have any." We both climbed out of bed. I grabbed him some clothes from my bottom drawer. Johnny stood next to me until we both walked out of my room. Two-Bit was passed out on the couch and Steve was sitting on the floor watching TV. He was eating some chocolate cake. Sodapop came running out of his room in his boxers and DX shirt. His DX hat sat on his head and was flipped backwards. He liked to wear it that way.

"Morning, Darry. Morning, Johnnycakes," he greeted before sitting down on Two-Bits legs and pulling his jeans on. Two-Bit didn't even stir.

Johnny waved but didn't say anything. He was back to being quiet again. I mean, he was always quiet but he seemed to be more open towards me. He was nervous around everyone else.

"Time for a bath, kiddo," I told him. Johnny darted into the bathroom. I chuckled and followed him. After shutting the door, Johnny started stripping. I helped him with his shirt. While he busied himself getting his pants off, I started the water. I made sure it wasn't too hot. He liked his baths warm but never too hot. I liked taking hot showers to help my sore muscles after a rough day at work.

"Bubbles?"

I turned around and saw Johnny standing next to me. He was naked. All his clothes were thrown in a pile.

"Let me check." I opened the cabinet underneath the sink and started moving the bottles of shaving cream around. Finally, I found a bottle of bubblebath in the back corner. I grabbed it and grinned triumphantly.

Johnny grinned again. "Can I do it?" He asked.

"Sure, kiddo. Just be careful. Not too much." I handed him the bottle and watched him as he carefully poured the liquid into the water. After a few seconds, he gave it back to me.

"Nice job," I told him before checking the tub.

"Time to get in," I said. I picked up the little boy and gently placed him in the water. He already had a few toys in there to entertain himself with. That was probably the main reason he liked baths more than showers.

I picked up a cup that I had on the side and filled in with water.

"Ready?" I asked. Johnny nodded and I watched as he squeezed his eyes shut real tight. This was his least favorite part, which is why I always did it first. That way, it'd be over with and he could enjoy the rest of his bath time. I poured the water over his head and quickly refilled it, repeating the process. When all of his hair was wet I handed him a washcloth so he could wipe his face. I grabbed the shampoo and started massaging his scalp.

"Stand up," I said after I finished washing his hair. He did and I lathered the washcloth with soap before gently washing his body. He winced as I went across a bruise on his shoulder.

"Sorry, baby."

"It's ok," he said, softly. No it wasn't. The bruise was an ugly mix between purple and blue. I hated seeing bruises and cuts on his body. He was too little for that kind of treatment. No one deserved that. Especially not Johnny.

"Time to get out, kiddo," I told him after I finished. He nodded and pulled the plug. The water began to gurgle down the drain. I wrapped him in a big towel and picked him up and set him on the toilet. He was shivering.

"We'll be quick, 'k?" He nodded. I quickly dried him and got him dressed. It wasn't long after that I heard Johnny's stomach grumble. I chuckled.

"Hungry?"

He giggled but shrugged. Once again, I wondered how long he'd been up. He followed me into the kitchen and I picked him up and set him on the counter. Looking back in the living room, I saw that Two-Bit was still sleeping and Soda and Steve were gone. They were working the morning shift at the DX.

I started to put my hands on Johnny's shoulders, but remembered the bruise, so I settled for placing both my hands on his knees.

"Listen, kiddo. You can wake me up, you know that right?" I asked Johnny. He shrugged again.

"You can wake me up whenever. If you need anything you can wake me or anyone in the gang up. Ok, baby?"

"Yeah, Darwy."

"Good." I kissed his forehead before grabbing some ice from the freezer and wrapping it in a washcloth. "Put that on your eye. It'll make it feel better." I knew it was hurting him. He never really complained about the injuries his dad caused. He just came over and I'd give him some medicine and ice or a bandage if needed.

Johnny stuck the ice on his eye.

"Ok, kid. What do you want for breakfast?"

He smiled. "Cake."

He might as well have been Johnnycake Curtis.

Okay, this chapter kinda sucked but I really wanted to write about Darry giving Johnny a bath. I don't know why, I just did. So...yeah. Anyway, please review! Let me know how I'm doing with this story so far. Also, I need some ideas. I have a few but I need some more. Thank you!