𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 ~ 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬/𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬

Johnny💙

Caring for You

The house next door was a loud house. There was always someone yelling, sometimes a woman, and other times a man. Every night their porch door would slam, and someone would sprint down the sidewalk, their sneakers slapping against the pavement. I never thought much of it. I figured it was just a couple having a hard time. But I never knew they had a child. A son to be exact. I was sitting on my front step, picking at dandelions in the moonlight when there was yelling, and banging next door. I looked up to find a boy making a run for it, but a man, I assume his father, grabbed him and slammed him onto the sidewalk. Then the man swore at the poor boy then went back inside, slamming the door so hard the house shook, and somewhere inside of the house glass shattered. The boy laid there on the sidewalk, his shoulders aching with each sob. I dropped my dandelions and ran to him.

"Are you alright? Can you hear me? Are you injured?" He looked up at me, his eyes looked black in the night. He wiped at his tears quickly.

"It's okay. I'm not judging you. Are you alright?" I said, grabbing his hand before he could wipe away more tears.

"Y-yeah. My arm is just scraped up." He stuttered. There was a gash on his head too. I stood and held my hands out. He put his hands in mine hesitantly, and I hauled him up onto his feet.

"Can I fix you up?" I asked, pushing some of his greased up hair back. He flinched slightly under my touch. My heart was broken for this poor boy.

"Oh, no. Really Miss, I'm fine." I squeezed his hands.

"Please? You don't look so good. I mean- You're handsome, just you're all scratched up." I stammered. He gave me a sideways grin as I blushed.

"Alright," He said. I let go of one of his hands and led him to my house with the other. My parents were out, so I wasn't worried about having to explain this to them. I let him into the bathroom and flicked on the light. He looked at himself in the mirror and winced. I began digging through the cupboards, searching for my first aid kit. The boy sat on the edge of the bathtub. I found my first aid kit and set it on the counter, sifting through its contents.

"I'm Johnny Cade, by the way." He said. We locked eyes in the mirror. I smiled.

"Y/n Y/l/n. I wish we met on better terms." I said. He returned my smile and nodded. I wet a washcloth with warm water and pressed it to the wound on his left temple.

"Does this happen every night?" I asked.

"Pretty much," He replied simply.

"I'm so sorry, Johnny. You don't deserve that." He shrugged.

"It's just the way it is." I put my finger under his chin and lifted his head until his eyes met mine.

"It doesn't have to be that way." I said. He didn't respond, instead moving to touch the pendant resting on my collar bone.

"I have nowhere to go, Y/n. I spend most nights out at the lot."

"You sleep outside?" I felt tears prick my eyes.

"Yeah." He responded, letting the necklace fall back to my chest.

A tear must've slipped down my cheek because he wiped it away with the pad of his thumb.

"Don't cry, Y/n. It's okay. I'm alright." He assured me, cupping my face. I turned back to the kit, grabbing a big band aid and ripping it open. I turned back to him, and smoothed the band aid onto his temple.

"You could stay here," I whispered. His eyes widened.

"No, Y/n. I can't. Listen, you're sweet and all but-" I cut him off.

"Johnny you can't live like this! They're going to kill you eventually. Stay here. My parents are really kind people, besides we have an extra room. Please, Johnny. I care about you." Johnny was a sweet kid, I could tell. He didn't deserve to be beaten to death, and he needed somewhere to call home. I cared about him, even though I had just met him. I cleaned his arm scrape as he stayed silent, thinking. When I was done I put the kit away and washed my hands. He washed his hands and followed me out into the kitchen. I poured him a glass of water.

"I'll stay. For now. I can't promise that it will be permanent." He said finally. I smiled.

"Alright." I responded. I showed him the guest room, and let him get settled in. I gave him a pair of my fathers pajamas and put his dirty clothes in the wash. I went back to say goodnight, and before I could leave he spoke.

"Y/n?" He asked.

"Yeah, Johnny?" I questioned.

"Could you stay?" His gaze didn't meet mine.

"Sure," I responded. He scooted over and I slid under the corners next to him. I turned the lamp off and turned to face him. He gazed at me and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Thank you, Y/n." He whispered.

"For what?" I asked. He smiled slightly.

"For caring about me." He responded, tracing my jawline with his finger. I returned his smile

"You deserve to be cared about," I said. He smiled and kissed my forehead. A blush returned to my cheeks.

"Goodnight, Y/n." He said, closing his eyes.

"Goodnight, Johnny," I replied/ I flipped over so my back was to him. A bright smile took over my lips and I knew that me and Johnny would only get closer as time went on.

Sorry it took me so long to get this done. I've been super busy lately. I hope you enjoyed it. :)