This is the second of what will (hopefully) be more one-shots in this universe. For normalcy's sake, I'm using the American dub names for the girls. Serena is Usagi; Amy is Ami; Lita is Makoto; Raye is Rei; Mina is Minako; Trista is Setsuna; Hotaru is Hotaru.
As a note: each chapter is its own story, meaning that couples mentioned in previous chapters will be negated. Even though Two-Bit was paired with Amy in the first chapter, he will be paired with Lita this time around and, no, that doesn't mean he's a man whore cheating on Amy. In this particular instance, he and Amy probably never dated.
Similarly, even though Serena was with Soda last chapter, she is with Dally this time around. Does that mean she and Soda broke up/have not yet dated? No, it means she is with Dally and she was never and will never be with Sodapop. Kosher?
DISCLAIMER: I own no one associated with the Sailor Moon franchise or the Outsiders novel and subsequent adaptations.
Couples: Dallas Winston and Serena Tsukino (with Two-Bit Matthews and Lita Kino as a minor couple)
Was it strange that she was a little scared of her date? She didn't really know what had possessed her to say yes when Lita begged her to double – okay, yeah, she did. Two-Bit was a great guy, no doubts about that, but Lita hadn't known what kind of first date guy he was. Was he gonna expect too much? Was she gonna expect too much? Or were they not gonna expect enough? Too much what? Enough what? Touching. And then Lita had made grabbing-groping motions with her hands while laughing hysterically. So, naturally, a double-date would get rid of that awkward uncertainty, because no one wants to make out with friends sitting right there in the car.
As it was, Lita and Two-Bit were busy in the backseat trying to eat the other's face first. That left Serena sitting shotgun next to Dally – oh yes, Dallas Winston – in awkward silence punctuated by randomly obscene grunts and assorted noises from behind them. Lita had already banged her knee into Serena's head twice.
So far, they hadn't really said anything to each other. Not that she expected Dally to be a regular chatterbox, but still. She had at least expected him to try and pull a move or something. Get to second base. Unhook her bra through her sweater if nothing else. But, no, nothing. He just sat there slouched low in the seat with his arms crossed over his chest, scowling at the air in front of him. The boy had a lot of anger.
That was a part of why Serena had been hesitant about going out with him. As a rule, she stayed away from angry boys – angry people in general. They made her nervous. Dallas made her nervous. Very nervous. She hadn't moved since they pulled into the drive-in. Her hands were still folded on her knees and she wasn't really sure she had feet anymore, since they felt like they were a part of the floor at this point. Not to mention, she was getting hungry.
Serena sighed and leaned her head against the window glass. This was not how she had planned to spend her Friday night.
"What?" It took her a second to realize that, yes, the question was directed at her and, sure, she should probably respond. She sat up in her seat and turned to look at Dally who was studying her with narrowed eyes. Serena felt frozen, dumb, as she stared at him. His eyebrows were raised expectantly. "You sighed," he clarified impatiently. "Not havin' fun?"
"Oh, no, no," she stammered eloquently, "I, uh... I'm hungry. That's all." She fell forward a little as Lita kicked her seat. Resisting the urge to look over her shoulder, she cleared her throat and smoothed over her lap.
"Well?" Dally asked, reaching for something in his back pocket as he grabbed the door handle. Mouth open, she blinked at him with her fingers still tangled in the fabric of her skirt. He rolled his eyes and shook his wallet at her. "Let's go get some popcorn." She closed her jaw with a quiet snap as he turned around to address the amorous couple in the back. "Two-Bit, you want a Coke?" His only answer was a hand flapping in his face.
The trip to the concession stand was, in the barest terms possible, awkward. Serena lagged a few steps behind, in case Dally wanted to pretend he was out with some other chick. It was also so she didn't start a conversation with him, because she just couldn't go anywhere with someone and not talk to them. And he seemed like the kind of guy who didn't like talk. At least, not with her. Serena inhaled and puffed out her cheeks as she rubbed at her arms. Golly, but it was cold. Even with a sweater, she could feel it.
"C'mon," Dallas ordered roughly as he grabbed a hold of her hand and started tugging her along. As they walked, she noticed a few of the guys – greaser and soc alike – giving Dally dirty looks. When they caught her staring, the boys directed their glares at her. With an almost inaudible squeak, Serena drew closer to her escort. He glanced down at her. "What?"
"I'm cold," she admitted thickly in embarrassment. All she seemed to do around him was complain in very short sentences. He sighed and dropped her hand as he struggled out of his jacket. "What are you...?"
"Here." Irritated, he all but shoved the garment at her. When she didn't take it, he rolled his eyes and draped his jacket around her shoulders. "There," he tugged on the collar a little; her slight frame was practically swallowed by the material. "Now c'mon."
Serena dutifully followed him, managing to keep the jacket shut with one hand. It smelled like leather, sweat and some kind of soap – maybe shaving cream, but she couldn't say for sure. Keeping a surreptitious eye on her guide, she rubbed her cheek against her shoulder and inhaled deeply. All in all, it was a nice, clean smell. It was definitely a smell she could get used to. With a bright smile, she pushed her arms through the sleeves. "Hey!" She called out as she hurried to catch up, "wait up!"
The concession stand wasn't very crowded; it certainly had a shorter line than Serena would have expected on a Friday. Not that she would have minded a long wait. Wearing his jacket, she felt a lot braver about talking to Dally. She babbled about school, described how the socy boys in Amy and Pony's advanced classes sometimes tried to mess with them at school but it was okay because Two-Bit and Steve were there to watch out for them. She rambled about hanging at the DX, told him about all the girls that glared at her for talking to Soda while he worked on their cars, which was dumb because everyone knew she and Soda were practically siblings.
Dallas, for his part, didn't seem particularly interested in what she had to say but he didn't appear to be bored or bothered by her chatter. He just stood there with his hands in his pockets, as she mimicked a particularly nasty face a girl had made at her behind Soda's back. She couldn't hold it for long before she dissolved into loud giggles.
"Would you just shut up?" A boy behind them finally exploded. Serena choked on her laughter as he started to rant. "Do you ever stop talking? I'm being serious here – do you? 'Cause from where I'm standing, doll, it looks like it's impossible for you to be quiet."
With a red face, Serena shrunk deeper into the jacket and bit her lower lip. "Sorry..." Despite her hardest efforts, she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. Next to her, Dally clenched his hands into angry fists. His knuckles turned white as he set his jaw.
"Oh jeez – you're not crying, are you?" The boy – a soc in a checkered madras shirt – asked in a loud voice. "What's the matter baby?"
"Would you just shut up?" Dallas said in a dangerous voice as he turned around. Serena stood frozen as the air thickened with tension. This was most certainly not going to end well.
"I aint talkin' to you, pal," the soc sneered, crossing his arms over his chest, "so this isn't any of your business."
"You're talking to my date, pal," Dally informed him coolly, "so that makes this my business." The other kids in line felt the change in atmosphere and most of them hurried to pick out what snacks they wanted.
"Shoot, that's your date?" The boy laughed incredulously, "I thought she was your sister. Not much of a looker, is she? Not with that weird hair going on. Is she easy at least?"
That was more than enough for Dallas Winston. He granted the boy a pleasant, deadly smile before punching him soundly in the jaw. The boy covered his face with trembling hands as Dally took a step back, loosely shaking his fist. He flexed his fingers experimentally and asked "all right there?" in a faux-friendly voice.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" The boy slurred in a jumbled mess of vowels, consonants and pain. "Goddamn greaser!"
"You insulted my girl. Plus," he pondered as he inspected his already reddening knuckles, "I just don't like you."
'I'm on a date with a psychopath,' Serena thought as the boy took off running. 'A bona fide psychopath.' With shocked, wide eyes, she watched Dally wiggle his fingers experimentally.
"Son of a bitch had a damn hard head," he muttered to himself as he tried to determine the extent of the damage. Looking at him, so calm after punching someone, Serena couldn't help the singular, half-hysterical giggle. It was a nervous reflex. "What?" He glanced at her.
"Nothing," she hurried to elaborated, "you just punched a guy in the face – a complete stranger."
"He was a jackass," Dallas defended.
"You still punched a guy in the face."
"So?" He refused to look at her as he grabbed two cups of popcorn. He handed her one and said, "the punk was trash talkin' you."
"Lots of guys trash talk me," she explained gently, "I'm a girl with a very unique hairdo." She flicked her eyes upward to indicate the twin buns on either side of her head. "You can't go around punching every jerk who's rude to me, Dally."
"Says who?" He muttered darkly as he paid the terrified concession stand attendee.
"What?"
"Nothin'. You want a Coke?"
The trip back to the car was no less quiet but far more comfortable. They walked side by side, their shoulders occasionally bumping. Serena smiled privately to herself as she played with the cuff of Dally's jacket. She felt something brush against her hand and, blushing, she laced her fingers through Dally's. It was small and it was innocent, but she enjoyed the gesture while she could. It was definitely a step in the right direction.
She was almost disappointed when they reached the car – it meant more sitting next to each other, trying to ignore what was going on in the back seat and pretending to be interested in a movie that was decidedly uninteresting. She couldn't even recall the main character's name, or even if there was a main character. They stood at the passenger side door, both unwilling to drop the other's hand.
"Hey," Dallas said suddenly as he untangled their fingers.
"Yeah?" She blinked at him in the dim light. He took her popcorn from her and balanced both cups precariously on the hood of the car.
"I wanna take you out. For real. Are you busy tomorrow night?"
"Um," Serena blushed and stared down at her shoes as she shyly bit her lip. "No," she admitted slowly and kicked at the ground, "I'm not doing anything."
"Good," and then he took her face in his hands and kissed her. In true Dallas Winston fashion, the operation was executed in one fluid move; he didn't bother asking for permission and he didn't give her the option of pulling away. His hands were rough from playing football, riding in the rodeo and whatever shenanigans he got himself into and he kissed her thoroughly – licking, sucking and even biting a little – as she held on to his wrists, whimpering faintly.
Finally, they separated. He was panting harshly and it took her a moment to get her breathing under control. Blushing, she tucked a bit of hair behind her hair. "So..." She began, grinning like a giddy idiot.
"I'll pick you up around seven," he told her, looking oddly proud of himself as he handed her her snack back. He popped a piece of his own popcorn in his mouth and held open the passenger door for her. Inside the car, Lita and Two-Bit sat next to each other with only slightly mussed hair. Lita wiggled her fingers in a suggestive wave and Two-Bit winked at them both.
"Seven it is," Serena told him as she got in the car, primly tucking her skirt around her legs. "So," she turned around to address the couple in the back. "What'd you two kids do while we were gone?"
