Ponyboy was sitting at his desk in the room he shared with Soda, his head on his crossed arms looking at the piece of paper on said desk. From the front room he could hear the t.v. going and people making a racket. His two older brothers were out there along with Two-bit, Johnny and Steve. The only one missing was Dally, his boyfriend. Pony chuckled lightly at that thought.
They had been going out for almost a year and boy had things been different. At first they couldn't get enough of each other, ever. It didn't matter where they were or what they were doing, if they wanted to make out, they did. That had all started to change for the last few months.
In the living room he heard the door slam and a chorus of 'Hey Dally' then things went back to normal. Ponyboy sighed deeply after about 10 minutes. Dally knew that he was home he had, barely, heard him ask Darry. Months ago Dally would have come in and come right to him as soon as he knew Pony was home. Now he'd rather spend time with the rest of them then even so much as kiss the younger male.
Wiping the moisture that started to pool in the corners of his eyes, he pushed away the homework on the desk. It didn't need to be done for a few days anyway, it was only Friday night.
Spinning in the chair, Pony grabbed his radio and set it up. He put his head back down and turned the thing on just to cringe as static blasted out of it. Turning it down and sighing he needed to remember to smack Soda for messing with his stuff. Again.
Turning it the first thing he came to was an overly cheery radio DJ announcing a new song from someone that he had never heard of. When the music started and it was twang-y he knew why. Not being one big on country songs, he was about to change it, but the melody about fit how he felt so he left it on.
We didn't care if people stared
We'd make out in a crowd somewhere
Somebody'd tell us to get a room
It's hard to believe that was me and you
Ponyboy gasped a little at how true the words were and how much it seemed they applied to him and Dally. He can't remember how many times they were told to get a room and how many times that they did.
Now we keep saying that we're ok
But I don't want to settle for good not great
I miss the way that it felt back then I wanna feel that way again
Once again the lyrics seemed to be speaking what he was feeling. Every time that he wanted to talk to Dally about what was going on, Dally just said they were fine. Pony didn't want just good.
Been so long that you'd forget the way I used to kiss your neck
Remind me, remind me
So on fire so in love. Way back when we couldn't get enough
Remind me, remind me
Pony pressed his ear closer to the radio his eyes getting a bit misty.
Remember the airport dropping me off
We were kissing goodbye and we couldn't stop
I felt bad cause you missed your flight
But that meant we had one more night
It wasn't an airport in Pony's memory it was a bus station. Dally had to go somewhere and would be gone a week and Pony couldn't stop kissing him. They didn't hear the bus leave till it was too late. It was easy for Dally to change tickets, but it wouldn't be till the next day. Pony and Dally spent the night in each others arm's, neither sleeping at all.
Do you remember how it used to be
we'd turn out the lights and we didn't just sleep
Almost every weekend and over the summer they would spend the nights together and most night didn't sleep. Either at Buck's or Soda would take his own bed. Until a few months ago when they just slept. He couldn't remember the last time they had made love. It squeezed his heart that he couldn't.
Remind me, Baby Remind me
Baby remind me
Oh so on fire, so in love
that look in your eyes that I miss so much
Remind me, baby remind me
I wanna feel that way
Yeah I wanna hold you close
Oh If you still love me
Don't just assume I know
What bothered him even more was that he couldn't remember the last time that Dally had said 'I love you'. Well in a way that didn't just sound like it was to fill the silence in the room. They said it almost every day, but it lost feeling a while ago and Ponyboy almost never said it first, because he wasn't truly sure Dally did love him.
Do you remember the way it felt?
You mean back when we couldn't control ourselves
Remind me
Yeah remind me
All those things that you used to do
That made me fall in love with you
Remind me. Oh Baby Remind Me
Yeah you'd wake up in my old t-shirt
All those mornings I was late for work
Remind me
Dally used to love when Ponyboy would steal his shirt or something and refuse to give it back. It almost always made him late but Dally didn't care. Until later that is. One morning he just looked at Pony and said 'Come on, I'm late' in such a cold tone that once Dally left, he cried him self back to sleep.
Oh baby remind me
After the song ended Pony put his head down and cried hard. Once he was done he decided he needed some fresh air. After going to the bathroom and splashing water on his face he went to grab the coat of Dally's that he always wore and stopped.
"No, I'm not going to wear it, lets see if that gets to him," Pony kind of growled.
So he grabbed his old hoodie that hadn't been worn in almost a year. Walking in the living room, he looked at everyone real quick.
Two-bit and Johnny were laying on their stomachs on the floor watching Mickey mouse. Steve was by the arm rest of the part of the couch Soda was on next to him was Dally and Darry was in his chair. Soda and Johnny gave him a wave which he nodded to. Dally was looking at him with shock, more looking at the jacket he wasn't wearing.
Dally opened his mouth to say something, but Ponyboy cut him off with shifting his gaze to Darry.
"Do you mind if I go for a walk?" He asked, seeing all of them looking at him in somewhat shock at not even acknowledging Dally.
"Sure little buddy, just be back soon and be careful its getting dark,"
"I will," And he walked out the door with out a look at any of them.
He was half across the lot by the time he heard the foot steps that he hoped he hear. Pony turned and looked at Dally.
"Yes?"
"Yes? You come out of your room and then leave, barely looking at me and all I get is a yes?"
"Yes," Ponyboy said, pushing his hair behind his ear, that the wind had dislodged.
"And why aren't you wearing my jacket?"
Ponyboy took a deep breath, he needed to keep his emotions in check if he was to get through this.
"Dally, do you love me?"
What ever Dally thought Pony was going to say that certainly wasn't it. He looked at him odd and raised an eyebrow at him.
"What kind of question is that?"
"A legit one," Pony stepped closer to him. "Do you love me?"
"Of course I do, you know that,"
"When was the last time you truly told me?"
"I tell you,"
Ponyboy put up a finger cutting him off.
"I said, truly told me. Not those 'I love you's' you throw out every day,"
Dally opened his mouth but was cut off again by Pony.
"When was the last time we made love, hell, when was the last time we fucked,"
Dally's eyes were wide as Ponyboy stepped closer.
"When was the last time that we spent the night just telling each other that we loved each other. When was it last that we were told to get a room and listened to them, even though its just a rhetorical statement,"
Dally felt tiny pricks of tears at the corners of his eyes. He couldn't remember.
"When did you last come to my house just to see me or come up behind me and kiss me on the neck or just hold me because you liked being that close to me,"
Pony turned away and took a shuttering breath.
"Dally," He said in such a heart breaking tone that it nearly broke him. "When did you last kiss me,"
Dally felt the world close up around him and the air knocked out of his lungs. This was the person that he cared about more than anything and that's how he felt.
Pony turned and looked him with tears pouring down his cheeks.
"Dally, I think," He took another shuttering breath. "Were over,"
Dally gasped. "No," He sobbed, thinking it for a second it wasn't good for his image, then didn't care in the next second. "No no no, Pony no I don't want to lose you,"
"Then remind me,"
"Of what?"
"Why I should still be with you, why I shouldn't just leave you right now," Ponyboy was shaking and the tears were pouring even harder down his cheeks.
Dally opened his mouth a few times and closed it, not sure how to put into words what he felt.
Pony shook his head slightly and started to turn away when Dally grabbed him and pulled Pony to him.
"Don't leave me, we'll work on it, we'll be better I'm sorry just don't, just don't leave," He sobbed, holding Pony's face in his hands.
"Dally," Pony whispered huskily through the tears.
"Please just don't leave me," Dally pleaded.
"I won't tonight, but if things don't get better, I can't say I won't walk away,"
"They will, they will," He smiled, even though he sobbed again.
"They better," Pony started pulling away again only to be brought back against Dally's chest.
Pony looked up at Dally as the older male wrapped his arm's around him.
"Can I kiss you?" Dally whispered.
Pony smiled slightly and leaned forward and Dally caught his lips half way.
The kiss wasn't fast, it was just slow and steady and full of the love that had been missing.
As they stood there in the lot kissing, Pony knew that things weren't completely fixed and it would take time for all the cracks to disappear. Things were defiantly looking up though.
But only time would truly tell.
Authors note!
I don't own either the outsiders or Remind me (that's by brad paisley and carrie underwood) Thats what in italics
Yes I know that there wouldn't be this song back then but when I heard it, it made me think of them.
And yes Dally is a little OOC from what he's like in the books. Yet I would hope that almost losing someone that he love's as much as he does Ponyboy in here, he would have a heart and cry like a normal person.