A/N: So I was just sitting around, after re-reading 'The Outsiders' for the first time in months, eating cheese toast and drinking hot cocoa, when I suddenly got this picture in my head. It was of Dally andJohnny, sitting on the Curtis's couch and drinking hot chocolate. I found the picture too adorable to resist, and I had to write a fic centered around it, which resulted in the first Outsiders fic I'd written in some time. It's good to be back. :) By the way, this fic is just meant as a strong friendship type thing, though I guess if you really wanted to, you could view it as slash.
Disclaimer: The Outsiders is property of S.E. Hinton, not me.
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It was midnight at the Curtis house and everyone was sleeping. Well, almost everyone.
For what seemed like the hundredth time that night, Johnny Cade opened his eyes. He gave a frustrated sigh and pushed himself out of the little bed of blankets he'd made; he just couldn't get to sleep. Quietly, so as not to awaken Ponyboy or Soda, who were both fast asleep, Johnny left Ponyboy's room. He headed into the living room, planning on watching TV by himself until he finally fell asleep, but was surprised to find that he was not the only one awake.
"What'cha up to, Johnncake?" Dally questioned, his light blue eyes focusing on the smaller boy. Johnny's expression was one of a deer caught in the headlights.
"Couldn' sleep," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes, which had been focused on the ground to avoid Dally's gaze, now flickered back towards the blond. Shyly, he asked, "What about you?"
Dally shrugged. "Not tired." Johnny noticed that Dallas seemed to be in one of his weird moods, the kind where he was very calm and generally easygoing. He rarely got those kinds of moods, so Johnny decided to take full advantage of it.
"Could I…um, y'know, hang out with you, then?" he asked timidly, testing the waters. To his relief, Dally just nodded.
"Sure." The blond scooted over to make room for Johnny on the couch, and the younger teen sat down beside him. Johnny stared at the TV, feeling slightly awkward.
"So, uh, what're we watchin'?" he asked.
"'The Fugitive'," Dally responded.
"Oh, that's cool." Silence fell between them as they watched the show, Johnny becoming deeply immersed in it. After about ten minutes or so, however, he began to shiver. Dally noticed this and put a hand on Jonny's shoulder.
"You cold?" he asked, the barest hint of concern in his voice.
"A little," Johnny admitted, not wanting to seem like a baby. Dally didn't say anything as he got up and walked out of the room, leaving Johnny to wonder if maybe he'd said something wrong. Those thoughts were quickly quashed when Dally came back, a bundle of blankets in his arms.
"Here," he said, tossing a couple to Johnny. The boy blinked in surprise, but took the blankets gratefully.
"Thanks," he murmured, smiling. A slight smile appeared on Dally's face as he shrugged.
"Yer welcome." Johnny decided that he really liked this mood of Dally's, if it made him smile like that. The two began to watch the show again, but another ten minutes later, Dally began to get antsy. Johnny cast many side-long glances at him, then finally, hesitantly, asked,
"You okay, Dally?" The blond looked at him with a strange expression on his face, one that seemed almost anxious, and he nodded.
"Yeah, 'm fine." Another five minutes and Dally finally hopped off the couch. "You want anythin'?" he asked Johnny. The dark-eyed boy was startled.
"Huh?" Was his articulate reply.
Dally sighed restlessly. "From the kitchen- ya want anything?" Johnny blinked, still slightly confused, but decided to answer before he possibly upset Dallas.
"Um, sure. A drink would be good…I guess."
"Anything in particular?"
"Not really…"
Dally rolled his eyes and strolled into the kitchen. Weird, Johnny thought.
About ten or fifteen minutes passed before Dally returned, carrying two mugs of hot liquid with him. Johnny's eyebrows shot up as Dally handed him one.
"Is this- Is this hot chocolate?" he asked, surprised. Dally nodded impatiently, setting his own steaming mug on the coffee table. Johnny took this as a signal that he should drink first, so he tentatively took a sip.
It was surprisingly good; there wasn't a ton of chocolate in it, like the kind that Soda usually made, and the warm temperature made him feel really good, as though someone had lit a fire inside him.
"Well?" Dally questioned, more impatiently still. Johnny grinned at him.
"It's really good, Dal. I like it." This answer seemed to satisfy the blond greaser as his features relaxed and he took his own mug of coffee (he hated hot chocolate himself).
"Uh…" Johnny began hesitantly. "It's real nice an' all, but what made you want to make hot chocolate?" Dallas looked at him with a shrug.
"Restless," he responded. "Happens t'me sometimes. I don't like sittin' still for too long."
"Oh." Another silence fell between them, Johnny bundled up in blankets and taking sips of the hot chocolate, Dally leaned back contentedly and watching the TV with mild interest. At about two in the morning, Johnny began to feel drowsy, and without thinking about it, he leaned his head against Dally's shoulder. His body stiffened and Johnny nearly moved back before Dally placed one of his arms around Johnny's shoulders.
"You tired?" he asked the younger boy. Johnny nodded sleepily.
"Uh-huh." But before he would let himself drift off completely, he shifted his body so that he could look at Dally. "Are you gonna stay with me?"
Johnny wasn't sure what prompted him to ask the question, but he was so tired that he didn't try to dissect it. Dally looked a little surprised, but nodded all the same.
"Yeah, sure. Just get some sleep, Johnnycake." Johnny smiled, giving another sleepy nod and snuggling closer to Dallas. Within seconds, he fell asleep, thinking about how great it was to have a best friend like Dally.
Dally looked down at the boy and smiled warmly; it was possibly the most affectionate smile he'd ever given in his life. Then (though he first looked around to make sure that absolutely no one was there to witness him), he leaned down and gently kissed Johnny's forehead.
"Sweet dreams, Johnny."