Disclaimer: I do not own Outsiders.

Sure, Dally was belligerent and wouldn't take anyone's crap but he wasn't the sharpest crayon in the box. He couldn't remember formulas or equations, hell, he could hardly remember what he had for breakfast. Anything that didn't pertain fighting, women, booze, or himself was in one ear out the other. Any yet, Dally knew the exact time, exact moment that he fell in love.

The week had been a crappy one to say the least. Monday he had the pleasure of meeting a terrible cold. No skin off his nose, just a bit annoying when he could hardly breathe or when Sodapop forced him to down the distasteful contents of cough medicine. Tuesday he got into a rumble and hit his head against a brick wall, making him nauseous and a dull throb in his head to set a beat. Wednesday he misplaced his cigarette pack, had no money, and thus had to go all day without a smoke. Thursday was uneventful as well. He had been sleeping peacefully until luck struck his bed, its wooden supports snapping and his mattress springs popping.

Waking up with a sore back and throbbing head from the floor Dally greeted Friday with indifference. Sleep at Pony's consumed most of the day until his conscious had decided it actually cared and he left to seek shelter in his dainty apartment. As he rubbed his hands together, trying to find warmth in the bitter chill of winter, he paused seeing a lump of black, blue, and limbs. Johnny. Jogging over to the slumped teen he called out with a "hey". Johnny turned to watch the oncoming greaser, his small hand making an even smaller wave. Just as Dally was about to complain about the weather, he lost his footing in an overlooked patch of ice, tripping and falling right on his ass with a disgraceful grunt of "fuck!" Johnny, of course, bursted into a fit of laughs, holding the back of his hand against his mouth, trying to stifle his giggles.

Dally peered up at Johnny and watched as said boy grinned, the corner of his eyes crinkling in amusement. Dally's heart beat like a drum, his voice catching in his throat as he merely grunted and sat beside the other. Under his stoic face, Dally was smiling too, now warm as he shot a glance at the beaming greaser next to him. It was then, as he watched Jhonny silently smile, staring fixedly at the snow beneath his shoes that, shit, he was in love.