Too Tough Makes You Soft

A/N: Hi again! This is just a one-shot. Dally is alive but poor little Johnny isn't. Sorry! :/ I hope you guys like it though! Feedback is always great and much appreciated. Thanks again! Please R&R!

Ponyboy's POV:

I roll over and try to find the warm body that's supposed to be lying next to me but I only groan when it's not there.

'Why the hell is he up so early?' I think.

Then I remember. His hours were changed so he had to go into work a half hour earlier than he used to. Well that's not cool. Now I have to lay here for another half hour all alone. Shoot, might as well get up. It's not like I'll actually be able to sleep without him anyway.

"Hey, it's Friday." I say quietly, excited by my revelation.

I fling myself out of bed and nearly kill myself when I trip over a pile of clothes and books in the floor. I stumble out into the living room and find Two-Bit sitting on the floor in front of the television with a beer in his hand watching none other, than Mickey Mouse. In all honesty, I don't know what's wrong with that kid. He's a freak! I'm not saying that I don't like 'em, I'm just sayin' that his mother might've dropped him on his head a few too many times or somthin' to that effect. Maybe he just came out like that, I don't know, but I know one thing, and that is: that kid is weird. He's nice and all, real funny too, but he's a little off sometimes when it comes to reality. Know what I mean? Maybe you know somebody like that. It's not that you don't like 'em; they're just a little, well a lot, strange. Any-who, he says hi to me and I ask him where Darry is. He just shrugs his shoulders, not taking an eye off that d*** television and acts like he's never seen, heard of, or known a Darry, when he's sitting on the floor in his house! I roll my eyes leave tryin' to find him. I finally find him walking out of the bathroom, apparently yelling something to Soda over his shoulder as he closes the door behind him.

"Hey Pone, you're up awful early. What'd ya need, kiddo?" he asks.

"Oh, nothin' really. Just wanted to know where you and Soda where. I forgot that his hours changed and I couldn't sleep." I confess, not exactly making eye contact with my older brother.

"Sorry I forgot to remind you Pony. I sorta forgot myself until I heard the shower running and thought who the hell would be usin' the shower at five in the morning." He says back, laughing a little bit at himself and flashing me a rare half-smile. "Wanna lie down in my room? I'm done in there for now."

I shake my head 'no.' "I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. I'll just eat breakfast, I guess." I say and start walking into the kitchen. I freeze when Darry grabs my arm and turns me around to face him.

"Soda told me Ponyboy. He said you were havin' real bad nightmares last night and barely slept a wink. C'mon, kid. Come into my room and I'll lay with you, if you want me to." He says softly and real concerned.

"You don't have to do this Darry. I'll be fine." I state unconvincingly, it even sounds fake to my own two ears.

"Come on baby. You need to rest before you go to school and we have time." He presses.

I give in and let him lead me into his room. I never really realized how much bigger it was than me and Sodapop's room. Well, maybe it just looks bigger since it's so clean. There's not an item out of place and you can actually see the white carpet and it's actually white! Two-Bit's right. Darry would be a Socs if it weren't for us. I crawl into his bed and lay right on the edge. I wanna make sure he has enough space. I sure don't want to make him mad. I feel him lay down sort of in the middle before he rolls over to stare at my back.

"Ponyboy, what're you doin' all the way over there. We've got the whole bed." He says quietly.

"I just wanted to make sure you had enough room. You're not used sleepin' with somebody else." I point out.

I hear Darry laughing softly.

"What's so funny?" I ask rolling over to face him.

"When you were a little tiny thing, maybe two years old, you were scared to death of Sodapop, Mom and Dad. All you would do was sit on the floor and hug my leg. You wouldn't sleep in your crib, in Mom or Dad's bed and certainly not with Soda. You would sit outside my door and knock on it for about a half hour before I'd get tired of it, open it, pick you up and lay you down with me. You would never wake up crying or screaming and the only way you would fall asleep was if you were curled up into my chest, holding my thumb and sucking on it. You were the sweetest little thing I'd ever seen. I've missed you Pony." He says tears starting to well in his eyes as he grabs ahold of me, hugging me while he cries silently.

I wouldn't have known he was crying at all if I hadn't heard him sucking breath every few seconds. I hug Darry back and nearly start bawling myself. Darry's not like this and it hurts me a lot whenever he is.

"I'm sorry Pone. I didn't mean to, it just sorta happened, kiddo. I'm sorry." He whispers, pushing the hair out of my eyes and kissing my forehead.

"Aw, it's ok, Dare. I – I've missed you too." I whisper in reply.

We lie there for a good twenty minutes or so, just curled into each other. I feel safe in Darry's strong arms that wrap around me. I start to squirm, quite desperately needing to take a leak, and Darry releases me and also gets up. Once I finish in the bathroom and dress myself appropriately for school, I go eat breakfast. Apparently, Darry's already eaten. I think Soda's already left with Steve and Two-Bit's getting ready to take me to school as soon as I finish with my hair. Some days I like to try something different with it and see if anybody notices. It works sometimes. Two-Bit's yellin' at me to get out of the house before we're late. I take one last look in the mirror and pick up my backpack before yelling goodbye to Darry and running out of the house.

Darry's POV:

Man, I love that kid. Hell, I love both of them. When Mom and Dad died something happened to Ponyboy though. He just sort of shut me out. I mean, I know I've changed a lot but I get scared to death for them both. What if they get into trouble and the state takes them away! I could never forgive myself! I try to push those thoughts out of my mind and as I'm walking down the short hallway, I notice that Soda and Pony's bedroom door is shut.

'Sodapop just shut it before he left.' I tell myself trying to ignore the nervous/panic feeling rising from the pit of my stomach.

I go into the kitchen to get my lunch fixed knowing I'll be late for work if I don't leave soon but that closed door just keep gnawing at me and I can't take it anymore! Something's wrong! They never close the door! The only door that is ever shut in this house is the front one and that's a rarity. I take a deep breath and tell myself that everything's fine before I turn the knob and open the door. At first, I don't see anything that's wrong. Not including the foot and half piles of clothes and other crap on the floor. I walked around to Pony's side of the bed where, believe it or not, it's a little cleaner. That's when I see one of my biggest nightmares has come true. Soda is lying completely limp in the bed; the covers are nearly over his head. I swallow the humongous lump in my throat and gently pull the covers back, revealing Soda's white face.

"Soda? Sodapop? Look at me little buddy. Say something." I plead while brushing my hands over his face and chest. He's far too warm. He must have a sky-high fever but I just want him to open his eyes. "Soda c'mon, sweetie. Wake up. Wake up!" I yell in a high-pitched, choked voice, shaking his shoulders.

I move my hand down to his bare chest and know his fever has to be in the hundreds. The only relief I find is the feeling of his heart beating slowly and softly against his ribcage. His hand twitches and I watch him struggling to open his eyes. I didn't know it was possible, but his face drains even more. His lily-white face is a grave contrast to his shiny, tan body.

"D-Da-Darry?" He croaks.

"Hey, little buddy. I'm right here." I say softly, stroking his forehead. "What happened Sodapop?"

"I don't know. I just, woke up and felt real lousy. Pone was havin' nightmares and I had to stay with 'em. Felt real sick. Think I threw up a few times. I can't really remember all that well. It's sorta, fuzzy." He explains in a hoarse whisper.

"Okay, okay. D'ya anything?" I ask already knowing the few things I was getting him.

"Aspirin." He says weakly.

"Yeah, aspirin. Got it." I reply. "I'll be right back. Don't move."

I don't wait for his response as I step out of his bedroom and head towards the bathroom, then the kitchen. Thermometer, cool cloth, large bowl, blanket, aspirin and a glass of water are what I bring back into the room with me. I carefully tug him into a half sitting position before handing him the aspirin and giving him a sip of water. His eyes are dull and barely open by the time I lay him back down. He doesn't protest when I take his temperature, its 101.6 degrees Fahrenheit, I was right, he was too warm; or when I lay the cloth on his forehead and place the blanket overtop the sheets when he starts to shiver. He starts scaring me when starts moaning like he's been shot or something awful. I don't know what to do! The boys are hardly ever sick and when they are, it's bad.

"Shhh, Sodapop. You're going to be just fine, little buddy. You hear me? You're going to be okay." I murmur to him, stroking his pale cheek. "Do you know how you could've gotten this sick, buddy?" I ask not fully expecting an answer. "Did you eat anything yesterday that could've done this?"

"Burgers." He whispers.

"Come again?"

"Burgers. Steve, made burgers yesterday, at work." He says quietly.

"WHAT?! You ate a hamburger that Steve made?! What's wrong with you?! You know you can't do that!" I shout angrily and shocked that Soda would actually put that in his mouth.

"I didn't know," Sodapop starts.

"You didn't know what?!" I yell. "You didn't know that that hamburger was probably way undercooked? You didn't know that burgers have e coli in them if they're not cooked properly?! You didn't know that a bad burger can kill you?! You didn't know?! What I'm hearing is that I forgot! I didn't think about it! Not me, no I'd never get food poisoning! You gotta think about stuff like that boy!" I'm furious. I can't believe that he was so stupid as to eat anything that Steve puts in front of him.

"Gee, thanks Darry. I'm so glad you love me. I think Pony's right. You'd rather see us in a boys' home or dead than see us here with you, ruining your life." Soda sneers.

"Soda!"

"Yeah, yeah, you sure do love us don't you Darry. Yeah, go off yellin' at me 'fore I even get the chance to tell you what happened. Just let the state take us Darry. You've got a year 'fore I turn eighteen and Pony's got four. Believe me; neither of us'll ever bother you again. Nope, we'll just live together in some big city, being cool guys, pickin' up all the ladies. Maybe I'll play some music on the street while Pony paints or writes or draws somethin' amazing. Yeah, we'll never see you again 'cause you ain't carin' about us anymore, Darry. So you can just get out." Soda says in slur of anger and sarcasm.

I stare at Soda and I feel deep anger boiling up from somewhere deep inside.

"How dare you think I don't care about you!" I scream. "I've given everything I have to you! I gave up my dreams, my plans, my comfort, to give both of you boys a chance at life! If I'd ever wanted you in a boys' home, I would've done it as soon as Mom and Dad died! I wouldn't have waited so long. And I'm glad you think you're so smart Sodapop Curtis. You know I would give my life to make this a better situation, but this is as good it's gonna get! Get used to it or get out. I can't afford to keep a bratty, teenage boy in the house if he's ungrateful for everything everyone's done for him, everything people have given him. It's not my fault that you got food poisoning from a hamburger Steve Randle cooked for you! You should've used your head! God gave it to you for a reason and it was not to grow hair on to attract all the other blondes! I thought I didn't have to worry about you as much as Ponyboy because you had some sense in that brain of your's. Sense enough to not act like an a**hole!"

Soda glares at me long and hard. "I hate you." He growls. "I HATE YOU!" he screams at me with pure lividness in voice that was thick enough to suffocate someone.

Before I know what I'm doing, I feel my hand connect with Sodapop's face very hard, sweeping his weak body across the bed. He's as limp as ever and he's nearly falling over the side of the bed but in the heat of the moment, I don't give a crap. I storm out of his room, slamming his door behind me and curse all the way down the hall to my room at myself and my younger brother. I call my boss and tell him that a family member is having major health problems and then I call the DX, briefly cuss Steve out when he answers and tell him that Soda's seriously sick because of him. When I hang up, I hear the front door slam shut and wonder who's here and why. I see Dally strolling on in, taking his two-hundred and fifty dollar black leather jacket off and starting to sit down on the couch.

"What're you doin' here Dally?" I ask.

"Why'd you care?" he asks lighting up.

"Soda's sick and he needs to rest and things to be kept quiet. You're not exactly the one to do either of them." I reply.

"Huh," he says before taking a long drag on his cigarette. "Let me see 'em and I'll go."

"Why? What do you care?" I ask, certainly not in the mood to negotiate. I think I'm starting to shake now. I was so mad at Soda and I feel just dreadful for smacking him like that.

"Just let me see the kid. How bad's he?" Dally asks, pausing his drag to wait for my reply.

"He's not doing so hot, but he should be fine."

Dally just nods his head yes and stands, walking towards Soda's room. I sigh and follow close behind him. He opens the door and steps inside. I can hear him trying to suppress a gasp. He drops to his knees next to Soda. The kid's whole torso is flopped over the side of his bed. I feel sick to my stomach. I watch Dally lift Soda's head and upon seeing the slight bruise across his right cheek and the fact that he's passed out cold, whips around and stands up getting in my face big-time. I, for one, have never liked face-talkers. You know, those people that stand ridiculously close to you when they talk and all you can see is there face and you can't even focus on their words 'cause they're so close, yeah, that's me. So by Dally doing that I was more than ticked.

"You hit him didn't you. You smacked him right across the face and knocked him out. You make him sick too, just so you could beat on him." Dally growls low and dangerously. "How dare you do that to Soda!" He yells suddenly pushing me backwards out into the hall. "You big, fat, lyin', no good piece of s***! How dare you do that to him! Son of a b****! He's a f*****' kid for God's sake!"

We both start attacking each other in the living room. He's at my stomach and I'm at his throat. Somehow I find myself lying on my back with Dallas Winston lying on top of me in a head lock gasping for air.

"Dally, he has food poisoning. You know I'd never do that deliberately." I say breathlessly, still trying to fight him. Get him off of me or get him unconscious. "You didn't hear the crap he was saying. I snapped…yeah, I didn't mean to, but I did. You know I've never….wanted….to hurt him." I choke out.

I hear Dally gasp before falling limp in my arms. I immediately release my grip on him and scramble out from underneath of him. As I stand over top of him, I begin to shake harder. Adrenaline keeps getting the best of me lately. The sight before me scared me. It scared me a lot. Dallas Winston lay totally still on the floor. His eyes are closed and he's completely unconscious but I can see his chest rising and falling at a steady rate. Dally and I are close in age. Looking down on him, I can tell that he is quite attractive. He has nice features and facial structure, his physic is strong and sturdy, I can see why most girl fall over drooling whenever he passes them. I can hardly even believe the events of the past twenty minutes and I have to get out of the house. I grab my keys and start the truck, letting it run a minute before taking off.

Dally's POV:

I open my eyes and it takes me a few minutes to realize what happened and where I am. I throw myself onto my feet and gingerly touch my neck where it's sore as all get out. I stumble into Soda's room. The kid's still half slung over the bed, still out cold. I gently push Soda back into his bed in a normal lying position just he starts to come around. His eyes flutter open and he starts calling for his Mom.

"Shh, kid. It's okay. It's goin' be okay." I murmur.

"Dally?"

"Yeah it's me." I respond.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." He whispers and starts to gag.

My eyes dart around the floor lookin' for something the kid can puke in and find a large bowl that kid Darry must've brought in. I get Soda sittin' up and he starts vomiting in it. The kid looks like a bus hit him and ran back over him again. His sweatin' like a hog, his face is whiter than a piece of paper and his eyes are dull beyond belief. Once he finishes puking, he sinks back into his pillow. I give him a sip of water not knowin' what else to do. I ain't ever had kids before. I don't like little kids, ya know? I just don't like 'em. Guess that wasn't such an intelligent move on my behalf. He just threw that up too. He starts shaking more and calling for Darry and his Mom.

"Look kid. Darry just went into town and asked me to watch you, okay? He'll be back, but you gotta sleep alright? Or he'll pound my head in." I lie, at least about the first part.

"But," he tries to protest.

"Shut up kid. Go to sleep." I demand really wanting to light another cigarette, but the smoke probably wouldn't be too good for Soda.

The kid sighs and tries to snuggle down further into the blankets.

"I've been sick all night. I started yellin' at Darry, blamin' him for everything. He started yellin' back at me. He hit me, Dally. He hit me. I deserved it. I know I did. But I didn't mean what I said, Dal. I really didn't." he starts sobbing.

"Yeah, I know you didn't kid. But look, if you're tough like me, you won't get hurt. Ya hear me? Ya gotta be tough. Ya can't get hurt anymore. This gang can't take anymore. I can't take anymore." I confess brushing the hair out of his eyes. "Just go to sleep, kid."

Soda closes his eyes for a minute and then opens them again. "Lay with me." He requests softly.

I raise my eyes to look at him signaling him to repeat what he said.

"Lay with me, Dally. I can't sleep without somebody with me." He says quietly. His eyes are so desperate. So pleading. I glance down before returning to his gaze.

"Alright, kid." I say and walk to the other side of the bed, kickin' off my shoes and pulling my shirt off over my head before slipping into bed with the seventeen year old.

"Thanks Dal." He states softly, snuggling into my chest.

"Don't worry 'bout it." I reply, knowing I won't get an answer. I roll over onto my side and flop my arm over the sick kid. Within a matter of minutes, we're both dead asleep.

Darry's POV:

I walk back into the house a few hours later with Ponyboy by my side. I'd told him that Sodapop was sick but I don't go into details. I'm too embarrassed about what I did to my little brother. We quietly push the door to their bedroom open and I smile when I see Dally and Soda curled up together in the bed. I guess Dal's not that bad of a guy after all. I think with him being so tough around the edges makes him real soft inside. I'd never seen Soda cuddle with anyone, not even Pone, like he is cuddling with Dally. Dal's arm drapes over his side and they both lie close to each other's bare chests. I think Pony's eyes start to mist 'cause mine sure do. I squeeze his shoulder and guide him into my room where he drops his bag and we both crawl into bed shirtless and fall asleep together. A broken relationship slowly being repaired in the hours of undisturbed, peaceful sleep.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading guys! Please review, I love to hear what you think! I just really wanted to show how the four of them are so close even in their drastic differences. Thanks again!