You let out a sigh as you turned in bed opening your eyes. Another night without proper sleep declared your mind. You did your best to not wake up your boyfriend!minghao as you slowly sit up. You reach for the drawer to your night stand and look for one of your usual assistants, sleeping pills.
You really try not to resort to them, but tonight has been hard. This was the third time you had gotten up in the span of the night. You were tired of battling your mind constantly running only to wake up shortly after you thought you won. You start to open the bottle when you hear movement behind you and turn to look at your sleepy boyfriend.
"Is everything alright?" He asked with a soft tone.
"Yeah, just having trouble sleeping again" you respond a bit frustrated
He looks down at your hand and you try to hide the bottle
"You promised no more sleeping pills"
You knew he was right. You had been trying to get out of the habit of relying on them. It honestly wasn't good to let your body become dependent on them in the long run.
"I know, I know. I just really want to sleep and nothing else has been helping and..."
He should know better than anyone as he's been helping you out. You've tried exercise before bed, drinking tea, keeping track of your sleep schedule, and trying to make your bedroom the most comfortable place you could. He was with you throughout the various ups and downs of the methods yet nothing had stuck. He looks at you sympathetically and reaches out a hand.
"Come here, I'll tell you a story"
You feel the corner of your mouth curl up a bit, "Alright"
You take his hand and lay back down in bed. Minghao begins his story with a soft tone. He tells you about a young boy who meets an old man reminiscing his hometown and slowly you feel yourself drift away as he takes a moment to kiss your forehead gently hoping this time you manage to stay asleep a bit longer.
Sangyeon - my second boss who gave me chocolate for my birthday, would always have happy faces and exclamation points in her emails, and was overall a great person
Jacob - the friend I made during my programming class that helped carry me through the course because they put me in there by mistake, had cute curly bangs
Younghoon - the cute bookstore clerk that would always be nice to me and make small talk when I went in to buy unhealthy lunch choices
Hyunjae - the coworker that let me drive the golf cart around campus even though I had never driven anything and still didn’t have a license (It didn’t go well...)
Juyeon - the cute raccoon I saw wandering around campus on my first week of uni and thought “ah so this is what it’s like here” lol
Kevin - the coworker/friend who danced to kpop with me at work once, only knew monsta x songs, got me to appreciate red velvet’s rookie
New - my professor who didn’t bother to tell us he wasn’t coming to class so we all waited like 30 min for him only to leave and bump into him eating at the student center
Q - my first boss, unhinged but in the best way, would always play music out loud, and step out of the office to nap outside
Haknyeon - the coworker who would always go to events with me for the free food, was surprisingly funny without trying, and showed me a cute video of sheep running once
Sunwoo - that one kid that hit on me and asked for my number while I was at work. I panicked, said thanks, then walked away oops
Eric - that one group partner who saw me eat cake and ice cream at 7am before class and didn’t judge me. In fact they asked where I got it and if they could have some
You're currently in your bedroom doing your best to stay awake during your weekly zoom class. Your professor is going on and on about some theory and what they're going to have for dinner or something along those lines. Honestly you tuned out like five minutes ago and are kind of lost. The sleepiness taking over isn't helping either. Another thing not really helping is your College boyfriend!Yunho who is laying on your bed as you sit on your desk chair. He lets out a muffled laugh as your chin slips from your hand that was holding it up and you almost wack your face against your keyboard. You're glad your camera wasn't on and turn your head to shoot a glare in his direction. He just smiles and walks towards you.
"Almost done?" he asks. You nod tiredly looking back at your screen seeing your professor finishing up the lecture.
"Want to nap or go eat?" He looks down at you.
"Eat, then nap?" You ask hopefully. He smiles nodding back and leans down to kiss the top of your head.
how/when do you think johnny or dally realized their feeings for the other?
okay forgive me for accidentally writing an entire drabble for this but i needed to - this happens before johnny got jumped by bob
Dally and Johnny had spent the day walking around town, seeing what all was going on and checking in with friends when they saw any. Eventually it started to get dark, so Dal offered to walk Johnny home, saying he'd probably sleep on the Curtis's couch that night because he was too lazy to go home himself. Johnny had tried to say that it was still light enough out for him to get home on his own, but Dally had already made up his mind.
Of course, when they finally neared the Cade residence, they could already hear the sounds of Johnny's parents screaming at each other. Before Johnny could open his mouth Dallas had already turned to start walking towards the lot, grabbing Johnny's collar and tugging on it telling him to follow. Johnny smiled at that.
Once they got to the lot, Johnny watched as Dally sat back on his heels and struck a match, lit a cigarette with it, and then tossed it into the little ramshackle fire pit the gang had built. It was a dry autumn day, so the collection of sticks, old newspapers and other trash started to burn with ease. Johnny walked around Dallas to sit back in the old car seats that the boys had dragged there about a year ago. Dallas stood up, stretching his back for a moment before turning and flopping down next to Johnny.
"I thought you said you were gonna sleep at the Curtis's?" Johnny asked in an almost concerned tone.
"Oh, well excuse me. Didn't realize you wanted to be alone," Dally smirked. He leaned forward, about to stand up, before Johnny grabbed his arm.
"It- it's okay, I don't mind," he said sheepishly.
Dally stared at him with a snide grin, "Yeah?" He slowly leaned back in the chair, raising his arms up to rest them behind his head.
It was quiet for a moment, and Johnny stared up at the dimming sky. A cool breeze went over the both of them, and although he was wearing his jacket Johnny couldn't help the shiver it sent down his spine. The cold always cut right through him. Using his heel to give him traction he pushed himself up closer to Dally, his head just barely resting below the other boy's arm. He took a deep breath in, and a slow one out, and when he opened his eyes again Dally was holding the cigarette he'd lit - offering it to him.
He took it and put it to his lips. As he took a drag from it he heard Dally say "Ah, it probably won't warm ya up too much. It's a menthol." It did quite the opposite in fact, as it sent another shiver down his spine and the cold infiltrated his lungs. The air was so dry and the taste was so crisp that it suddenly made him cough, and he yanked himself forward so he didn't cough straight up in the air. At that he heard Dally laughing.
Johnny turned to look at him pointedly with a good-natured grin. "You could'a warned me, dick."
"Aw come on, I didn't think it'd kill ya, princess." Dally looked away when he said that last word. He had a smug look on his face, because he knew the reaction it would get.
Johnny shoved him playfully, and he did so a little harder than he'd meant to apparently, because he burst out laughing when Dally lost his balance and slipped right off the seat.
He was still laughing when he heard Dally mutter "You little-" before he felt the older boy's arms wrap around his stomach and pull him in close. At first Johnny tried to wiggle out of his grasp, still giggling to himself, but Dallas had a firm grip on him and he pulled him in so that Johnny's back was against his chest. Johnny felt the weight around his waist lighten a bit as Dallas snatched the still-burning cigarette from Johnny's hand and put it to his own lips. The older boy's chest rose slowly where it was pressed against his back, and Johnny's smile softened. One of his hands, which had previously been trying to pry Dally off of him, was now absently resting, grasping the back of the other's hand. He felt the slow descent as Dally blew out a trail of smoke, and Johnny looked up to watch it snake through the air.
Dally's arms squeezed him tighter for a moment when he sighed, and Johnny suddenly realized that he never wanted this to end. The warmth that enveloped him, paired with the way their breathing had started to match one another's slow and lulling rhythms - it felt like home. It felt like... love.
Sorry, i always default to focusing on johnny's narrative, also this was WAY longer than i meant it to be 😅
To begin with, I want to give full disclosure: I didn't know shit about vinyl records until like 2 days ago, and there was a lot I had to learn about records and stereos so I could be as accurate as possible. In this post I'll go over the music that Johnny and Dally buy at the record store in chapter 7 of my fic, "I Don't Think He's Ever Seen a Sunset".
Before I could start writing, I did a thorough search on the musical artists greasers listened to in the 50s and 60s. Of course, Elvis Presley was an obvious answer, but I wanted more than that. According to what I found, greasers' taste in music had a good variety; mostly depending on where they were located in the United States and what circles they ran in. An important note to remember is that greasers are just a "genre" of people, and their taste in music is decided on a communal as well as personal scale. So I tried to stick with a few artists whose names just kept popping up. Those artists were: Eddie Cochran, Johnny Burnette, and Chuck Berry.
The first song mentioned in chapter 7 is "The Train Kept A-Rollin'", specifically the cover done by Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio in 1956. In the chapter, Johnny hears Dally mention Tiny Bradshaw to the store clerk. Tiny Bradshaw was the original artist of the song, however Johnny Burnette's version is a rockabilly rendition of it. A fun fact about Johnny Burnette's version is that it's believed to have been the first use of an intentionally distorted guitar in the rock music genre. (Of course, let's not forget that the use of an intentionally distorted guitar had already been present in blues music! Remember: Rockabilly was heavily inspired by black music, and we should always remember to give credit to the original creators, especially when those creators aren't well credited in the first place.)
I truly believe that "The Train Kept A-Rollin'" by Johnny Burnette would be one of Dally's favorite songs. It reminds me of him in so many ways, and I just think it fits his entire persona.
On the flip side of that single was "Honey Hush" and I won't lie to you, this song is very problematic. This song was also a rockabilly rendition of a previous blues song, this one being written by Big Joe Turner. The lyrics to this one are heavily sexist and even involve implications of domestic violence. I'll say this once, and then just put an asterisk next to any other songs that this applies to: I only included this song because my autist brain would never allow me to be untrue to these original pieces of history.
The next songs to be mentioned are from Elvis's second studio album, also from 1956. This album is absolutely beautiful and I love every song on it; excluding Old Shep, because that song is Depressing As Hell. I won't go through every song on this album, but I'll talk about the ones I mentioned in my fic.
"Rip It Up" is the first song on the A side of the record, and to me it is the epitome of a young adult's life in the 50s and 60s. This song, as well as "Paralyzed" and "So Glad You're Mine" just feel like Johnny's kind of music to me. Upbeat with a hint of dramatics, paired with romanticism as well as the idea of living a happy life despite having pretty blatant problems. (Also, "I'm gay every morning, and at night I'm still the same" just kills me every time I hear it.)
The second single the boys find is Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" from 1958, which I feel is just an absolutely perfect song for The Outsiders as a whole. It's an example of a song that both greasers and socs could enjoy and find understanding in, though I think a greaser would definitely find more enjoyment in it than a soc would given that it's a rockabilly song about struggling with money issues. Now, in chapter 7 I remarked that the boys would most likely not enjoy the flipside of this single, "Love Again", but I need you to understand: I am in love with this song. The lyrics are very clearly aimed towards Cochran's female audience, which explains why the boys wouldn't like it, but (as a man) I have to say that the melody is just so nice.
After that they found another one of Eddie Cochran's singles, "Twenty Flight Rock" from 1957, and I tell a short story about Dally, Johnny, Steve, and Two-Bit going to see the movie "The Girl Can't Help It". I mention the actress known as Jayne Mansfield, who was apparently quite the sexual icon back then! It would make sense that Two-Bit would be obsessed with this platinum blonde woman, who was featured in Playboy magazines and starred in some very spicy movies. Also, here's a fun fact that I just learned while writing this: She's Mariska Hargitay's mom?? You know, as in the actress of Olivia Benson from Law & Order: SVU???? I'm absolutely stunned by this because I found this woman under very different circumstances, but Mariska Hargitay is my QUEEN.
Okay, sorry for that tangent, back to the music…
"Twenty Flight Rock" was first featured in the movie "The Girl Can't Help It" and was later released as a single a year later, with a flipside of "Cradle Baby". Once again, the B side song is problematic, but hey: *
Last but not least we have Chuck Berry's album Chuck Berry is on Top, released in 1959. Again, I won't talk about every song on this album, just the few I mentioned. "Sweet Little Rock and Roller" is a good greaser-esque song about, well, a sweet little rock and roller dame. Then there's "Roll Over Beethoven" which is about someone wanting to hear a certain song on the radio. And finally, "Johnny B. Goode". This is a classic song that everybody knows, and when I had the idea of the guys using it to poke fun at Johnny I just had to include it. Besides, let's be honest, with that guitar riff?? That's a greaser magnet! Disclaimer, though: Chuck Berry is actually a pretty shitty person apparently, so…
Now, as you might have noticed, all of the songs and albums I listed were released after 1955 and before 1960. I'll be honest, I didn't do this on purpose - but, I will say it sort of makes sense! Not every song is going to be a greaser hit, and I imagine when groups find songs they like they hold on to them for years. I also believe that, based on their upbringing, the gang is likely a little "behind" when it comes to music. From my own experiences growing up, I always managed to find songs well after they were released, but I'd fall in love with them nonetheless. Also, during this time, music from Britain had begun creeping into the US, and I don't think our All American Boys would enjoy that very much. True American rockabilly was starting to get drowned out by British rock and roll, and that would make it hard to find new music a greaser would proudly enjoy.
So, this has been my deep-dive on the music I included in chapter 7! My personal favorite songs are: The Train Kept A-Rollin' by Johnny Burnette (and the Rock and Roll Trio), and Love Again by Eddie Cochran. If you have any songs from this time period that you want to bring to light, please tell me about them!!
Finally: Here's the playlist, please enjoy :)
In order of when they're mentioned in Chapter 7, and I've included some honorable mentions (after "Johnny B. Goode") as well!
