A/N: I wrote this for various reasons. One, I couldn't get through the Internet, and I needed entertainment. Two, Dally/Pony needs more love. This idea was sort of inspired by a short song by Evanescence called "Good Night." That would be all. Enjoy now.

--

Dallas ran down the stairs, and started searching for Buck in the big crowd of drunkards. Finding anybody in this party is such a difficult task. When he couldn't find him, he went to the other side of the house. He found his luck and carelessly snapped Buck out of his concentration from playing his turn in pool.

Buck sighed, "What'ya want, Dal?"

"What's a couple doin' in my room havin' sex?"

"You think I know?" Buck said, "This may be m'place but I don't give a damn what goes on in them rooms upstairs, s'long as there's no bomb goin' off or somethin' like that. Go find somewhere else to sleep in,"

"Oh really? Where?"

"I don't know. That empty lot where y'all have your rumbles?"

"You crazy? It's fucking cold out!" Dally wasn't lying when he said that. Before coming to Buck's, Dally was having a fight with three Socs, which luckily ended quickly due to the low temperature. It was a pretty silly sight to see the Socs running back to their car yelling 'It's so fucking cold!'

Buck was becoming impatient. To play pool, he needed full concentration, and Dally wasn't really helping. "Alright fine, go sleep in...what's his name?...Darrel's house,"

Dallas was trying to prevent his impassive expression to change. He wouldn't admit to anyone that he was slightly nervous to see his own gang again. Not after his gunshot incident with the police when Johnny died. He never felt so vulnerable when he woke up in the hospital. When he received news in the hospital that Ponyboy fainted after he got shot, not only did he felt vulnerable, but also stupid. Stupid to not see that he had just made the youngest of the gang more shocked than he already had been. Stupid that he had let his emotions get the very best of him to the point he would have died himself. He was originally aiming to keep the youngest of the gang and the gang's pet safe and look what happened.

"Well?" Buck interrupted his thoughts.

Aw shit, Dally thought, I better have not pulled a softy face in front of these guys!

"Man, Dal, were you just spacing off right now?" One of the guys said across the pool table with a smirk, "Never knew you could be such a softy,"

"Can it, James," Dally said when he took out his balled fist, a sign that he was ready to fight. It was obvious to some that he didn't want to face his gang.

"Now, now, no fightin' while it's my round in here," Buck was becoming more impatient by the minute, "Now, your problem is solved, and can we please get back to the game now?"

Dally rolled his eyes and left the place. The temperature was certainly lower than it was before, and he lighted a cigarette.

He arrived the Curtis residence and sighed. It's never too late to head to the lot, he thought. Dally automatically changed his mind when a gust of freezing wind came over him.

What's he so worked up about? He's just going to sleep there for the night. Who knows? He might get up early before anyone even knows he slept there.

That thought made him more confident and opened the door silently. He threw away his cigarette before entering. Fortunately, no one was in the living room.

I'm worrying too much, he thought, they're asleep for Christ's sake.

The living room became pitch black once he closed the door. Luckily, he made it to the couch by the door without falling.

Before falling asleep, however, he heard a door opening from a distance. Aw shit, he thought. He'll have to end up dealing with one of the brothers.

He heard footsteps getting louder and closer. He saw a shadowed being entering the kitchen and the lights to the kitchen turned on. Right now, all he can see is the kitchen from the angle he is in and a table where they usually eat. He heard a faucet turning on and back off. It wasn't long until Ponyboy started sitting in one of the chairs with a glass of water in his hand.

Out of all people, he saw the one person he had feared to face with the most. He took in what he saw. Pony was pale, except for his eyes. His eyes were slightly red with black bags underneath them. He was slimmer and his young teenage muscles didn't stuck out anymore. His bleached hair was growing out chestnut-colored strands from its roots. The mere fact he was under the list of what made him like this didn't make Dally feel very hot.

"Hey, Pony," he blurted out.

Ponyboy got so frightened that he almost fell off the chair and turned to face Dally laying on his back on the couch. His frightened look didn't fade. Pony expected to have a glass of water in silence, but instead saw Dally, who's glancing at what it seems to be his weaker form than before. He was embarrassed to see tough Dallas Winston seeing him the way he is.

The tough hood glanced at the wall clock. It was almost one o'clock AM. Doesn't the kid have school in the morning?

"Whatcha doin' up this late, kid?"

Pony turned back around. Not wanting to make eye contact, he glanced at the wooded table. "I had another nightmare," He felt weak sharing this.

Dally started feeling bad at this point. If he had bad nightmares when his parents died, heaven knows how bad they are now. That explains the black bags under his eyes.

Pony sipped the last of his water and puts the container by the sink. He stumbled to the chair and collapsed on it.

It had been weeks since he last had a good night sleep. Every time he wakes up from a nightmare, he never seems to go back to sleep. An image from the nightmare he just had would come back and haunt him the minute he would close his eyes. At this point it was useless to go back to bed now.

"Ain't you gonna go back to bed?"

He had forgotten that Dally was there. Pony puts his head down on the table, using his arms as support and facing Dally, "I won't fall asleep,"

"Why wouldn't you? You look damn tired,"

Ponyboy didn't answer, and there was a long silence. Both were completely still in their places. Pony's eyes were slowly closing from exhaustion, and Dally took notice. When Ponyboy's eyes closed completely, he jolted in his chair.

"What happened, Pone?"

Pony panted in tight breaths, "This is what I meant, Dal," he said sadly. He rubbed one of his bloodshot eyes and laid his head back down.

Dallas got up from the couch and went up to the sleepy teenager. He bent down and brushed back some newly auburn strands back. Pony blushed at the gentle touch. He wanted to make up for the younger teen and pulled him up from the chair.

"You can try sleeping with me on the couch," He offered. Dallas would just might as well change his reputation from a tough, cursing hood to a softy, but he didn't care. All he cared was to make up to Pony.

Ponyboy accepted. He thought it was better than having to walk back to his and Soda's room. He was just too tired for that, and the couch was much closer. He probably would have chosen the couch if Dally wasn't there anyways.

Dally helped him exit the kitchen, turning off the kitchen light on the way.

Ponyboy was first on the couch, and then Dally laid down next to him, wrapping an arm around the younger teen. Pony blushed and buried himself onto Dally's chest.

He looked up, "Dally?"

"Yeah, kiddo?"

"You're not gonna do it again...are you?"

"Do what?"

Pony swallowed, "Try and kill yourself?"

His guilt returned. He didn't want to imagine how much stress he had gotten Pony through again.

"No, kid, I won't," he said, "And don't worry about that, okay?"

"You promise you won't?"

"I promise. Now be quiet and go to sleep,"

Pony lets out a groan and buried himself back into the older teenager's chest. Before falling sleep, he felt the gentle hand on his head return and heard a surprisingly soothing voice from Dallas close to his ear that said, "Good night,"