Ponyboy's P.O.V.

I bit my lip and smiled at him while I got dressed. He got dressed, too. It couldn't last forever, lying next to each other on the bed and the rain outside, making the bedroom seem even warmer and safer.

His back was to me and I watched the way his muscles moved as he buttoned his jeans and reached for his shirt. Pulled the shirt over his head, shook his head in that familiar way to get his hair out of his eyes.

"Shit, Johnny," I said when he turned around. He looked at me, so solemn, big black eyes filled with all our secrets.

I pushed him onto the bed but lightly, a playful shove. He fell onto the bed and looked up at me.

"Shit, Johnny," I said again, and leaned in to kiss him. He let his head fall back and kissed me, too. He'd yield now. It was like he was mine.

Johnny's P.O.V.

I left Pony's house cause I had to sooner or later. Just wandered around, nothing to do and nowhere to go. Kicked at the cans, kicked at the rocks. I wouldn't go home.

It wasn't raining so hard anymore so I leaned up against a wall and lit a cigarette. Closed my eyes and thought of what me and Pony done. Life was sometimes shocking like that. Shit, man.

In the distance I saw someone coming. Even from this far away I knew it was Dal. I could tell by his hair. In the rain it looked like metal.

"Hey, Johnny, got a cancer stick?" he said, and I got him one. I smoked the most of any of us, even Pony. And I'd started smoking earlier than the others, even Dal. He started smoking at 12. I started at nine. And it's cause cigarettes are lousy for you. I'm self destructive.

"Haven't seen you around in a while," Dal said, and lit his cigarette. I shrugged.

"I've been around,"

"Oh, yeah?" And now he looked at me sharply, and I looked away. He had that look like he wanted to talk about something, or lecture me about something, and I knew what it was.

"What have you been doin' lately?" he said. I sighed, lit up another cigarette. I really didn't want to have this talk.

"Is it about Ponyboy?" I said, exhaling the smoke in a stream. I wished Dally'd cut the bullshit and say what he wanted to say.

"Of course it's about Ponyboy. What the fuck, Johnny, huh? You two can't, you can't…"

Out of words, even for Dallas Winston.

Ponyboy's P.O.V.

I heard the door slam but didn't think anything of it. People were in and out all the time.

I heard the footsteps come down the hall and hoped it was Johnny but knew it wasn't.

And the door slammed open and Steve stood there, a calm and terrible anger on his face.

"Ain't no one here to protect you now," he said. I froze. I could outrun him, even with this broken nose and feeling a little run down. No one could catch me. He blocked the door so I glanced at the window.

"Darry'll kill you," I said quietly. He wouldn't dare touch Johnny. Steve had always liked Johnny better than me anyhow.

"Not when he finds out you two are queer for each other,"

"Fuck you, Steve!" I took off for the window at a dead run but before I reached it I felt his hand on the back of my shirt.