We Need Eachother(Johnnyboy)

As Sweet As Johnny Cake Cade

Ponyboy's P.O.V.

"Ponyboy?"

"Yeah?" I answered. Sodapop came out of the kitchen slowly, his face swimming with nothing but pure serious business. Something I'd never seen.

"Where's the cake?"

Every swear I knew ran through my head.

"We're in a need to bake a new one, Two-Bit got here early."

Soda cursed and I heard kitchen pantries being opened. I had a feeling he had been looking forward to some cake since he was already starting on a new one even though dinner was soon.

"Wanna help me with this Ponyboy?"

Work didn't sound too fun to me right now, but staring at Johnny Cade did. "Nah."

"I'll help Sodapop." Johnny piped up.
I stared in disbelief. This boy was killing me. I wanted to stare at him and admire every aspect of him and he wanted to make a cake.

"M-me too!" I said quickly and Soda appeared in the entryway while Johnny looked at me.

"Thought you said you didn't want to help Ponyboy." Soda stared.

"I..I thought you meant with dinner. I'll help with the cake though."

I was a good liar.
I got up with Johnny and headed toward the kitchen.

"Inseparable" Two-Bit muttered as the three of us disappeared.

Johnny's P.O.V.

I stared at the batter in the upmost temptation to dip my hands in it and eat it. All of it. I was mixing it and some of it got on my fingers. After finishing I started licking it off, that was immediately followed with panicked yelling.

"JONATHAN CADE!" I flinched and looked at Ponyboy.
"YOU CAN'T EAT THAT! YOU'LL GET SALMONELLA!"

Soda was laughing but Ponyboy didn't seem to be one in the mood for humor.

"It's just-" I started but never finished.

"It'll make ya sick and I don't want you puking your guts out."

I pouted my lip a bit and licked what remained off.
"Alright...I won't eat no more."

"Shoot, you would've thought he had run into a burning church the way you called him out." Soda joked.
A joke of which me and Pony failed to see the humor in.

Soda frowned at the lack of laughter and tried to changed the subject.
"So, who pre set the oven?"

I looked at Pony, Pony looked at me, Soda looked at us, and then we both looked at Soda.

"We thought you did."
Soda shook his head.

Ponyboy sighed, "Guess we'll just have to wait."

Ponyboy's P.O.V.

After a lifetime of waiting, the cake was still not quite done. My patience was though. I sat in front of the oven, unblinking at the dull glow of the interior light.

"Uh Ponyboy?"
I didn't move my eyes but the sight of an unmistakable light blue Mickey Mouse shirt in my peripheral, and the strengthening scent of alcohol gave me all the indication I needed to figure out who was speaking.

"Uh kid," Two-Bit said again "you got a little uh..." He laughed, "Well, you're drooling. Gosh I think this boys in love!"

I quickly wiped my lip and sure enough, I was drooling.

Two-Bit bent down to look through the oven window. "Let me take a look see....Well she's a fine looking one! Woo wee!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah? Well she ain't yours to gawk at." No way in hell was I going to let him eat all of it. Again.

"Ya got a mouth on ya. You know that kid?" I just grinned at him.

DING!
"Hey it's done!" Johnny suddenly said from behind me.

I flinched. No. I jumped.

"Johnny why the hell do you gotta sneak up on people like that! It's weird!" I didn't know what I said til I said it. I didn't need the hit to the head I got from Two-Bit to regret it.

"Don't you talk to Johnnycake that way!"

Two-Bit exited the kitchen, making sure to give me a look that made both my gut and my head pain more.

What hurt more than all of that though, was the look of Johnny's face.

I looked at my feet in shame. "I...I didn't mean it like that Johnny...I just..The oven dinging and then you...and...and you just scared me is all."

"Oh it's alright."

He shrugged it off like it was nothing and went quiet.

"I'm sorry..." I mumbled and rubbed the back of my neck, shuffling my feet.

"You didn't mean it." He chuckled "It was kind of funny how high you jumped..."

My head shot up. "I did not!"

"Did too man, I saw it!"

"Not high..It was like a hiccup."

"Didn't know you jumped 15feet off the ground when ya got the hiccups Pony..."

"Oh you hush." I couldn't help but smile and he did too. "Want to help me put on the icing?"

We got the cake out of the oven and we waited for it to cool. I got two knives out and handed one to Johnny and together we frosted the cake.

I took my left over frosting and smeared it on his cheek.

"Man!" He wiped the frosting off and licked it. "Why'd ya gotta do that for?"

I just laughed. An answer good enough for the both of us.

We spent the entire time shooing off the others from eating any. We told them they had to wait til after dinner.

But between Johnny and I, we cut one piece out and split it.

We spent that short time before dinner standing in the kitchen giggling, wiping off the evidence from eachothers faces.

To me there was much more going on. To me this was falling deeper in love.