~Cicada~ Johnny Cade x male reader

The Peace in the Golden Light

(Please forgive any dialogue or timeline innaccuracies, it's been a second since I've read the book 😔)

          Suddenly, out of nowhere, Ponyboy faceplants running out of a little cellar under the church. I laugh as Johnny's dark eyes widen, and grinning slightly at the younger kid's antics. We all head inside and Johnny and I set our bags on the table. Practically breathing down Johnny's neck, Pony eyes all of the things we purchased. When Johnny gets to the book, Ponyboy picks it up and exclaims, "Gone with the Wind!? How'd you know I've always wanted this?" Johnny grins proudly and sheepishly responds, "We saw the movie together a while back and I figured you could read it to us." Ponyboy chuckles gratefully.

        Then, the younger boy eyes the peroxide. I take note of this and listen up nervously, wondering what he's going to say. Ponyboy picks it up and inquires, "Peroxide? Why do we need peroxide?" Just like clockwork, Johnny flips out his switchblade with a click and eyes Pony. His eyes widen as Johnny does so and he nervously spouts, "You're not thinkin'...."

          "We're gonna cut our hair, Ponyboy. And you're gonna bleach yours," Johnny cuts him off. Pony spouts all sorts of objections, but eventually realizes that Johnny isn't backing down. I understand where Ponyboy is coming from, because I also fought Johnny on this when he first presented the idea, but I knew that he was right and that we needed to disguise ourselves. After a moment of bickering, Ponyboy sits in a chair and Johnny takes his place behind him. Every tuft that falls from his head, Ponyboy winces. Eventually, he's got a short haircut, and Johnny starts to bleach it. Ponyboy sighs, and it almost looks like he's gonna cry, so I look away. It hurts a greaser's pride when they cry in front of people, and Ponyboy's already lost enough of that, so looking away is the least I can do.

          Then, it's my turn. "Don't hurt me too badly," I chuckle nervously. Johnny sighs and grins slightly. "I can try, but I can't promise ya anything." With that, he grabs a strand and starts sawing away. I hiss through my teeth as he pulls and cuts, as the combination hurts more than you'd think. Every tug and sawing motion drags another sound of pain out of me, but I don't say anything. I just sit there and take it. After he's done, he hands me a cracked mirror. He only took about an inch or two off, not a lot, but enough to frame my face differently. It doesn't look half bad. Maybe in another fairer life he could've been a barber.

         I look down at the mess of (h/c) and brunette hair at my feet and sigh. Now, it's Johnny's turn. Ponyboy comes scrambling back behind the chair at this, eagerly taking the switchblade and enacting his revenge on Johnny, making smartass remarks every time he seethes from the pain. Honestly, it's sort of amusing.

          By the end of it, we all look at least slightly different from before. Hopefully enough that we don't get profiled. Afterwards, to try and lighten the mood, we play a game of poker with cigarettes. Johnny beats us. Badly. By the time we're done, though, it's practically sunset. I'm a little hungry, so I make a sandwich, and the other two go outside. I take my time, since I've got nothing better to do, and by the time the sandwich is made I'm left wondering why they aren't back in yet. I don't know what they possibly could be doing that would take so long on the back lawn of an old abandoned church, so I go outside with my freshly made sandwich to investigate.

         The sight I'm met with is almost otherworldly. The sky is so gold it puts even the most abundant gold mines to shame. There's almost no clouds in the sky, the sun pale in comparison to the yellow tint it casts on the land below. I suppose Ponyboy must've said something insightful before I came out here, because Johnny has this thoughtful look on his face. I hadn't even looked at Johnny until this point. The golden gleam from the sky glints off of his tan skin in an ethereal manner, and his deep dark eyes are filled with wonder as he stares up. His now shortened hair blows slightly, stirred by the wind. A sight for sore eyes.

          Johnny breaks out of his thoughtful stupor to look at me. Grinning slightly, he waves me over beside him, and I do so immediately. He returns his gaze to the sky, and I do as well. "I've never seen anything like it," I says suddenly. I look at him as he speaks. Now that I'm closer, the effect of the golden skies are multiplied by tenfold. It wouldn't be an exaggeration for me to say that he was the most gorgeous being on the Earth. "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he mumbles, smiling slightly. I find myself doing the same as I say, "I can think of one thing more beautiful." Johnny processes this for a moment, a confused look crossing his face, then forced his eyes away from the view to realize I'd been looking at him.

          I suddenly scramble to backtrack as I explain, "I mean, it's just, not in a weird way, y'know?  It's not anythin', just forget I said that." Johnny still wears a puzzled expression for a moment before chuckling. "I understand, I think, man. Don't worry about it." I let out a breath of relief as he says so, then realize Ponyboy's still out here.  I turn my head and see him slack-jawed behind me. Then, his surprised look turns into a knowing smirk. I forgot that this kid is an English nerd. The one thing about English nerds is that they're insanely good at finding context clues and reading between the lines. I glare at him and he gets the hint, throwing his hands up in surrender and walking inside.

        Johnny and I follow suit after too long, and we have Ponyboy start reading to us. He lays on Johnny's lap, the latter sitting on the floor with me beside him. I've got to say, this book is pretty interesting so far. We get through a couple chapters before Pony conks out, dropping the book onto his face as he does so. Johnny and I find humor in this, laughing heartily, yet softly enough to not wake the sleeping boy below us. Johnny and I talk for a minute, about whatever we can find to talk about in our bare environment. After taking for maybe an hour, Johnny's eyes start to get heavy. Mine follow suit, as his yawns seem to get more and more contagious. He falls asleep, and I do soon after, resting my head on his shoulder. My last thought before I fall asleep:

"I'd love for things to stay this peaceful forever."