Chapter Text
Chapter 1
(January 8, 1966)
Two-Bit’s POV
It was the weekend, and I was bored. But I also knew how to find the fun or create my own. I knew that Steve and Soda were working at the DX all day, so I could only really spend so much time there before their boss would chase me out. Dally was probably stirring up some trouble with Tim Shepard. Johnny and Pony were probably talking about something philosophical. Darry was working all day at the roofing company. Mom was working at the diner, and my little sister Caroline was off at a friend's house all day. So it just left me, myself, and I.
I walked into the kitchen and fiddled with the radio. I heard the crooning of Elvis come over the airwaves. I thought about all the times I spent listening to the radio with Caroline, with my mom, hell, even my dad when he was still around. I had a lot of good memories surrounding it. Listening to our favorite music and our favorite talk shows on the radio. That’s when it hit me. I sat up straighter in my kitchen chair. I grinned from ear to ear. I could start a talk show with the gang. It would be fun and lighthearted. Letting us be us. We hadn’t had anyone representing us on air before. We needed it, especially after what happened in the fall. The problem was getting all the equipment. I could probably wrangle old Dally into helping me steal all the equipment we needed.
I decided to stop by the DX to see if Steve and Soda had seen Dally around.
“Hey Steve,” I said cheerily as I entered the DX. “Hey, Soda.”
“Don’t you go stealing anything, Two,” Steve grunted. “Our boss is already on your ass.”
I laughed at that.
“Don’t worry,” I said with a smirk. “I won’t.”
Soda cocked an eyebrow at me.
“So,” Soda said. “What brings you by?”
“I was wondering if you had seen old Dal around,” I said smoothly.
Steve squinted at me.
“Why do you need to see Dally?” Steve asked me curiously.
“He might be able to help me out with something,” I said cheekily.
“Two, please tell me you aren’t going to do something stupid,” Soda groaned.
“You’ll find out later,” I said evasively. “You’ll need plausible deniability just in case.”
Steve rolled his eyes.
“The last time we saw him, he was going to Buck’s with Tim,” Steve said. “Make sure you don’t get caught. You hear?”
I nodded and gave Steve and Soda my toothiest smile.
“No promises,” I called over my shoulder as I left the DX.
I hopped into my car and drove off towards Buck’s.
When I pulled into the parking lot, I saw Tim’s car, so I knew that they were still there.
Luckily, Saturdays at Buck’s were busy and loud, so I could talk to Dally without anyone overhearing us.
I saw Buck at the bar, so I walked over to him to see if he could tell me where Dally and Tim were.
“Buck!” I shouted over the noise.
Buck looked at me with glassy eyes.
“What do you want, Matthews?” Buck slurred.
“Where’s Dally and Tim?” I shouted. “I know they’re here because I saw Tim’s car out front!”
Buck just blinked at me a couple of times before answering.
“They should be upstairs,” Buck slurred.
“Thanks!” I shouted back.
I made my way through the crowd to the stairs that led to the rooms upstairs.
Dally’s room was at the end of the hall.
The door was closed, so I banged loudly so it could be heard over the noise that was filtering up the stairs from the bar.
After a few moments, the door swung open to reveal a disheveled Dally standing at the door and Tim leaning against the dresser in the room.
Dally looked me up and down while taking a drag of his cigarette.
“What do you need, Two-Bit?” Dally drawled.
“I need to talk to you, in private,” I said as I eyed Tim up and down.
Dally just narrowed his eyes at me for a moment and then turned towards Tim.
“I’ll get back to you later,” Dally said evasively.
Tim nodded and made his way past me.
“Matthews,” Tim said cooly.
“Shepard,” I replied.
After Tim was gone, Dally waved me into his room and shut the door behind me.
“What do you need, Two-Bit?” Dally asked me.
“I need your help picking up a few things,” I said. “The less you know, the better. I just need some help lifting some radio equipment. Things like mics, an on-air sign, sound boards, tape recorder, radio frequency interrupter, etc.”
Dally cocked an eyebrow at me.
“You need all this stuff because?” Dally asked.
“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I said,” I said with a smirk. “Once it’s all setup, it’ll make more sense. I just need your help to get it all, and then I’ll handle the rest.”
Dally rolled his eyes and sighed while putting out his cigarette.
“Fine,” Dally said. “Don’t tell me. But I’m always up for a challenge.”
I beamed at him and put a hand on his shoulder.
“That’s what I was hoping to hear,” I said cheerily. “Now let's get a move on.”
Dally begrudgingly followed me out to my car after telling Buck he would be out for a bit.
We made a few stops to pick up some of the material that we needed. Luckily, we didn’t get caught. Admittedly, it probably went much smoother since I had Dally's help. I probably wouldn’t have gotten out past the first place if it weren’t for him. Don’t tell him that, though.
After everything was said and done, I dropped him back at Buck’s.
“You’ll be hanging around the Curtis house tonight, right?” I asked.
“Probably, why?” Dally asked.
“Come around to see what I’m up to,” I said mischievously.
Dally got that familiar glint in his eyes.
“Then I’ll be there,” Dally said with a smirk.
After pulling away from the curb, I drove over to the Curtis house.
It was getting into late afternoon. I was hoping Darry wasn’t home, and luckily the truck wasn’t in the driveway, so I was in the clear.
I went into the house first before carrying in the equipment just to see if anyone was home.
When I walked in, I saw Pony and Johnny on the couch in front of the TV.
“Hey, kids,” I said cheerily. “What’s going on?”
Johnny looked up at me sheepishly, like he had gotten his hand caught in the cookie jar.
“Just watching some TV,” Johnny said quietly. “Is that a problem?”
I shook my head, put my hand gently on Johnny’s shoulder, and squeezed it.
“It’s not a problem,” I said with a smile. “Just trying to be friendly.”
Johnny nodded and seemed to relax a bit.
“Did you guys do anything else today?” I asked while plopping into Darry’s recliner.
“We went to Dairy Queen for lunch,” Pony offered. “Then we went to the mall to relax.”
I nodded.
“See any eye candy at the mall?” I asked cheekily. “Maybe some for Darry?”
Pony groaned while Johnny blushed.
I chuckled.
“Don’t sweat it,” I said. “Do you think Darry would mind if I stored some things in the garage? I just don’t want Caroline to get into it.”
Pony shook his head.
“I don’t see why not,” Pony said with a shrug. “It isn’t anything illegal, is it?”
I gave Pony a smirk.
“Why would you think that?” I asked.
Johnny and Pony looked me up and down.
“It’s not,” I added. “I promise.”
“Fine,” Pony said. “Go ahead.”
I nodded.
“Call me in for dinner,” I called.
I didn’t wait for a response as I headed to my car. I got all the equipment out of the trunk and lugged it into the garage.
It was getting late in the evening, and I didn’t see how dark it was getting outside.
I had lost track of time.
“Two-Bit,” I heard Darry call from the kitchen. “Dinner’s ready. Get your but in hear before it gets cold.”
“Comin’, Superman,” I hollered back.
I put the finishing touches on what I was doing before I made my way to the bathroom to wash my hands before heading to the table. I was the last one there. Everyone had already dug in. Darry had made lasagna.
“What were you working on in the garage?” Darry asked me as I sat down.
“A surprise,” I said cheekily.
Darry raised an eyebrow at me.
“Is it that something you were talking about at the DX?” Steve asked in between bites.
“It might be,” I said.
“Being evasive, aren’t we?” Soda said.
“I want it to be a surprise,” I insisted. “After dinner. You’ll see.”
“Do you know anything about this?” Darry asked Dally.
“I helped him get a few things,” Dally mumbled.
“I thought you said it wasn’t illegal, Two,” Pony said with wide eyes.
“It isn’t,” I said. “I swear. You’ll see.”
Darry narrowed his eyes at me.
“We’ll see,” Darry said.
After dinner, I helped Darry clean up.
“This isn’t dangerous, right?” Darry asked me.
I shook my head.
“I promise,” I said. “I wouldn’t do that to you.”
Darry looked me up and down and nodded.
After we were done cleaning up, I eagerly rounded everyone up and took them to the garage.
I turned on the lights, and everyone took in the radio setup that I built.
Dally cocked an eyebrow at me.
“What the hell is this, Two-Bit?” Darry asked.
“Say hello to Midnight Grease, everyone,” I said. “It’s our new midnight radio talk show. Prepare your segments because we air at midnight for the first show live on air.”