𝕀𝕕𝕗𝕔 (𝕁𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕪)

september

Dallas and Johnny's relationship was never purpose, that's what he had realized after Johnny had left the club. Dally was sitting down on the bed, he had left Two-bit and Ponyboy there. it was now two a.m and he was drinking himself silly. well, more he had drunken himself silly. He was about to cry, but Dallas Winston didnt cry, but then again Dallas Winston only cared about his reputation. But he also didnt. Dallas was a puzzle with multiple missing pieces that people had given up on finding, but then Johnny came along, determined to find those pieces. And what had Dally done? He himself had given up on him, deciding to cut other pieces to fit him. That brought him to where we are now. Dallas Winston was a broken puzzle with the wrong pieces shoved into him. Really sad.

Johnny on the other hand had woken up from his sleep, sobering up. Betsy was still at the club and her mom was out, the sky was crying it's grieving tears from losing its sun yet another night, causing her to push away the moon and stars. He saw as the raindrops fell on his window, as he took a painkiller. He took out his record player, he sighed before putting on the same record as before, the familiar notes rang in his ears, "Tell me pretty lies,"

Then he decided to go out, he stood up and got out a cassette player and a cassette of the song playing now, the cassette player he had brought from a home. A gift from Ponyboy. 
He put on his headphones as he walked out of the room. The song echoing in his mind as he walked to a familiar hotel. 

Dally was able to walk downstairs without falling two stories and dying, somehow. He hadnt given up on Johnny Cade cause god dammit he loved Johnny Cade, but Johnny did not love him. Johnny wanted him to stop, and he was gonna do just that, stop. Go back and say they couldnt find him and stop the whole search. Because that's what Johnny Cade wanted. 

But he just needed to see him one more time, feel him one more time, touch his face and kiss him and tell him that he loves him, always and forever one more time. Then he'll leave. He'll leave and Johnny will never see or hear him again.

"Dally?" He looked up, suddenly he was outside face to face with the person he was going to find. Poor Johnny was confused, he hadnt remembered what had happen due to the alcohol intoxicating his brain. "Dal- are you drunk?" The other was staring at him as if he hasnt seen him in a year, "youre- yoooure one to talk," Dally slurred and Johnny, though confused, sighed. "Come on, i'll take you to sober up." He mumbled, and Dally didnt struggle.

________

Once at Carly's house, he could hear the same music he was hearing earlier, he had forgotten to put away the record player, "that's what i was forgetting," he mumbled as dally laughed, claiming he knew the song. 
Johnny took him upstairs where he passed out, only for an hour before waking up and throwing up all he had eaten last week. He thought he had gotten kidnapped till he saw Johnny come to him with a painkiller and a water bottle. 

Twenty minutes had passed since he had taken it, the room was filled with silence, Dally on the bed and Johnny on the floor. "Dally," Johnny mumbled, he felt a knot in his throat. He had been thinking of what to say, "Dally you need to leave,"
"Just hear me out please! Okay, give me one chance to completely open up to you with no lies, Johnny that's all I'm asking for!" The other begged, stumbling over his word, despite being sober "No! Dally we- We never worked!" Johnny said, now they were both standing up and facing each other. "We have to admit to each other we never worked!" Johnny said, his breath shaking. "I just need you to give me-" Dally said, whispering, he reached for Johnny's hand and the other couldnt bring himself to take it away, "Ten minutes, to tell you. No excuses." He finished, holding his hand. Johnny looked at him, tears welling in his eyes. "No excuses," He repeated. granting him permission to explain. 

So sitting back down on the bed the younger of the two sat nervously for the worst, "When i was younger i grew up with my parents, obviously. Um, i had this mom. She had blonde hair, fair skin, and hazel eyes. She always wore this bright red lipstick. I have it in my drawer." Johnnys eyes widened a bit. 
"The second time i got suspicious was when i had found lipstick in his drawer, it was red. I was looking for Curly's blade, i saw him take it and Curly was pissed off about it,"  
Ponyboy's voice echoed in his head as he remembered the day Pony had explained how he had caught Dally. 
"My dad, well my dad looked the same. younger obviously, my mom loved him though. Uh-" He fiddled with the dog tags around his neck, a habit he always had. "My dad cheated on her, before and after i was born. I was seven maybe eight or nine when i began to see. See my mom crying or actually see my dad cheating. I didnt know what was going on. Every time i saw her crying my dad came home with new shoes, new dresses, new jewelry." He continued, "the fifth time that couldnt fix it. So he brought up drugs to her. I guess that's when she lost it. The sixth time she caught him, a month later, she went out for a book. It was a month before my birthday. I had bugged her about my present. And so she finally let me open it. There was a jacket, and these." He fiddled with the dog tags more. "The jacket didnt fit me, she said it would when im older. She got in her car. she started screaming. And she didnt turn the street corner. She went through the park. She crashed into the lake and she-" He stopped he took a shaky breath, tears threatening to spill until a hand tightened slightly around his own, Johnny's hand. "She died that day. ruled as a car malfunction or whatever, i know it was suicide. I passed by your house, Johnny. I knocked one day, dad said you werent home so i guessed that was you saying you wanted me to leave, and i guess what you said at the party was too. I love you, Johnnycake." He turned to Johnny, cupping his face. Before the other could say anything Dally had leaned in and kissed him, though not wanting the moment to end he pulled away, "always and forever." And just like that he was gone. Leaving Johnny quiet in disbelief. It wasnt until he left that he whispered in a hushed tone, "what?"

the end.

of book ii. (ily all too,)