I'm back, everyone! I'm sorry for the small break. My school killed with projects and essays. I literally wrote four, six-paged essays in four days. I was left dead after that. But, I'm back now and ready to write.

o-o-o

"Ready to go?" Archer asked one day as he walked downstairs with a duffel bag hanging off of his shoulder. Ponyboy tilted his head to the side in confusion. He didn't know what Archer was talking about whatsoever. They didn't plan anything before so what was he talking about?

"Go where?" Ponyboy questioned, trying to get more of a clarification.

Archer sighed, dropped the duffel bag down onto the floor when he realized that they weren't going to go anywhere for several minutes. "Didn't I tell you? It was in our deal way back then. You agreed to go to my basketball trip."

Ponyboy's mouth opened before it closed again. He had totally forgotten about the basketball trip. But who could have blamed him? His life had been hectic these past few months. Besides, he was mostly sure that Archer hadn't given him any details, let alone gave him a heads-up, about it yet. Ponyboy would have remembered a trip like that if he were informed. "You haven't told me anything about it."

"I haven't?" Archer lightly shook his head, chewing on his inner cheeks. He shrugged. "Well, better late than sorry?"

"Well…" Ponyboy started, eyebrows becoming downturned in reluctancy.

"What's wrong? Don't you want to go with me? All of the other guys are bringing their girlfriends."

Rapidly nodding his head, Ponyboy swallowed the lump in his throat. The problem wasn't him not wanting to go with him, it was something else entirely different. There was one problem with what Archer had said, which made Ponyboy look down at his hands in shame. "Of course, I do. It's just…"

"It's just what?"

"I'm your boyfriend…not your girlfriend. Wouldn't your teammates hate us for liking each other."

Archer hummed. He had thought about it. Most of them were, for sure, homophobic because they played a part in the plan to break Ponyboy. They probably didn't want to see him because he ended up with Ponyboy. However, he didn't want to throw his life away. He loved to play basketball. Besides, he had already paid to come along on the trip with Ponyboy. If he couldn't be with the team, at least he could hang out with Ponyboy.

"Probably…" Archer mumbled, scratching his chin. "But what matters is that we're together."

Scrunching up his nose at his sentence, Ponyboy cringed. There goes Archer again. He snorted, "That was really cheesy."

His boyfriend walked over to him and wrapped him up in a bearhug, causing Ponyboy to softly giggle. "You got a problem with being cheesy, Roadrunner?"

"Not at all. I like when you're cheesy." Ponyboy pulled himself out of the hug so he could easily look him in the eyes. "But, anyway… Isn't this trip going to be like a basketball camp? Wouldn't you have to play with them?"

"Not necessarily. None of us actually go to play basketball. It's basically just a time to have fun. That's why it's not during the basketball season." Archer grabbed the duffle bag off of the floor, shouldering it. "So, are you coming or not?"

A smile crept onto Ponyboy's lips as excitement caused his heart to flutter. Sure, they had spent many nights already sleeping in the same bed, but this was a getaway. Even though it wasn't supposed to be a romantic getaway, Ponyboy couldn't help but associate the trip to one.

"Yeah," Ponyboy breathed out. "Let me quickly get a bag together and then we can go."

o-o-o

The bus ride across the state to the hotel felt like it lasted for days. Ponyboy and Archer sat in the back row with their hoods up to hide their faces. They were tense the entire time, just waiting for the basketball team to mess with them. They were practically sitting ducks on the bus. So, they just sat there, bodies so tense that it hurt their backs. Fortunately, though, the basketball team didn't pay them any attention. They didn't even notice their existence, it seemed like. Eventually, after the basketball team ignored them for a few hours, Ponyboy relaxed enough to lean his head against Archer's shoulder. He let out a deep sigh as he tried to get some rest, but it was difficult to do so with him worrying about the basketball team and all.

After hours of driving and dealing with stiffening bodies, the bus finally arrived at the hotel. The hotel was practically a five-starred, countryside resort. Ponyboy had never stayed in a hotel like that. It would have definitely put him into a million years of debt if he had. Ponyboy had only stayed in cheap motels, and even that wasn't often.

Ponyboy took a deep breath, stretching his limbs until his joints popped. He grabbed his bag and walked with everyone else inside the fancy hotel to check in. He wondered how all of them even got the money to stay there. It made him feel bad that Archer paid for him.

The check-in process was quick and easy, and it didn't take long for Ponyboy and Archer to get to their room. As soon as they entered, Archer grabbed his bag for him and threw it on the bed before he did the same to his own. He turned to Ponyboy with a wicked smile plastered onto his face and grabbed his hand.

"Come on," he said, dragging himself out of the room, much to Ponyboy's surprise.

"What's going on?" Ponyboy asked, trying his best to keep up with Archer's long strides. "Where are you taking me?"

However, Archer didn't answer his question until they were back outside of the hotel, heading away from it.

"The last time that I was here, the team and I found this place. I just want to get there before the team does," Archer answered, eyes moving back and forth around the area.

Eventually, the two of them reached their destination. The hotel was nowhere in sight now and the sun was already starting to set. The place that Archer took him wasn't what Ponyboy expected. At the back of his mind, he was thinking that Archer was going to take him to a scenic area to watch the sunset or something. He wasn't expecting to be taken to a muddy obstacle course.

"We found an obstacle course," Archer explained, seeing the confusion on Ponyboy's face. "This property used to be a military training camp before they decided to put a hotel on top of it. Want to try it out?"

Archer nudged Ponyboy in the side with his elbow, smiling daringly at him. Ponyboy mirrored the expression, nodding his head feverishly. He had never done an obstacle course before. He wondered if he would be able to do it since he was still a bit weak. Ponyboy had been working out again to get back into shape, but there was only so much he could do in such a short amount of time.

"Let's do it," Ponyboy agreed.

"Want to make a bet?" Archer asked.

"A chance to make another deal?" Ponyboy hummed to himself. "What do you have in mind?"

"We're going to race each other, and, if I win, then you have to shave off your hair."

A gasp left Ponyboy's mouth as he shielded his hair with horror written all over his face. His hair? It was his pride and joy. He had one of the tuffest hair in Tulsa. He couldn't shave it! He would look ridiculous. "Not my hair! Do you want a bald boyfriend?"

A chuckle left Archer's mouth. "I think it'll be interesting to see if your head is deformed or not. So, do you want to take the deal?"

"These are high-stakes," Ponyboy commented, chewing on his bottom lip. "I need to think of something big for when you lose the race."

"If I lose?" Archer dramatically gaped. "Sorry, Roadrunner, but you're the one who's going to lose."

Ponyboy pointed a finger towards Archer, planting a hand on his hip as he leaned forward. "Okay, maybe. But, if I win, then you have to steal some clothes from one of your teammate's girlfriend. Then you have to wear it for a full day in front of your team."

Archer whistled. "Harsh."

"You brought my hair into it. I'm making sure that you get punished."

"Again, that's only if you win."

"Trust me, I will. Don't underestimate me. My nickname isn't Roadrunner for nothing, Robin Hood."

The two of them walked over to the starting point of the obstacle course, stretching out their limbs. When they were both ready, they stepped a foot in front of the other, leaning forward in anticipation.

"On three…" Archer began, taking a deep breath. "One… Two… Three!"

Immediately after Archer said the last number, they raced forward. They both didn't think that the obstacle course was going to be that hard. However, after they hopped over the first obstacle, they were immediately faced with their first wall. Literally. From far away, the wall looked minuscule; like they could just leapfrog over it. However, when they were running towards it, after hopping over the first obstacle, they realized that the wall was a few heads taller than them. It loomed over them, making both of them question if they could get past it.

Unfortunately, that second of hesitation doomed both of them. They leaped up, stretching their hands over their heads to grab the ledge. However, Ponyboy missed it by a hair. Archer did catch the ledge (having the advantage in height and basketball-jumping skills) before he slipped himself. They exchanged looks before they both backed up and tried again, this time both managing to grab ahold of the ledge. The two of them struggled to pull themselves up, feeling their biceps burn as they did so. At the top, they swung their legs over it, jumping off to the ground on the other side. Their feet slapped against the mud, splattering across their clothes, but that was the least of their problems.

They began running again, stepping onto the next obstacle. However, their shoes were caked in mud, making the platform slippery. As soon as Archer placed his foot on the platform, his shoes slid across it, causing him to fall back. A short yell left his mouth, stomach flipping, as he fell backward. Archer fell into the mud with a splash, causing it to splatter all over him.

"Maybe… the obstacle course wasn't the best idea," Archer chuckled, sitting up.

Ponyboy snorted, "You're only saying that because you're going to lose. It looks like you're going to be crossdressing."

"Not if I could stop you first." Archer grabbed a handful of the mud and threw it at Ponyboy's face, causing him to fall as well. He fell onto his back, groaning. While he was in a daze, Archer took the opportunity and got back onto his feet, patting off the excess mud that stuck to his body. "Looks like I'm going to be the one who will win. I'll personally give you the haircut myself."

He started to turn away, but, before he could start running again, Ponyboy lunged forward. He grabbed Archer's ankle and held onto dear life.

"Let go of me, you ankle biter!" Archer yelled, trying to shake Ponyboy off but that only caused the grip to become tighter.

"Give up and maybe I will!"

"Not a chance!"

They continued to struggle, but, before Archer could rip his leg free, voices filled the area. Ponyboy's and Archer's heads snapped up in panic as they saw the heads of the basketball team poke up from the horizon.

"Shit," Archer cursed, realizing that their fun was over. "We got to get out of here."

Ponyboy nodded, standing up. Before the team could reach the obstacle course, the two of them were already on their way back to the hotel. They ran inside, ignoring the glares that were shot at them from everyone they passed by. At first, Ponyboy was confused. Then he looked at his clothes and realized that hardly any of his skin had been spared by the mud. Archer was just as dirty. They probably even left a trail behind them on the carpet. He smiled sheepishly at them before he ducked inside of his and Archer's room.

"We made it," Ponyboy breathed out in relief. "That was a close one. Too bad we got interrupted."

"But it's not like our day is finished. There's still one place I want to take you," Archer commented, eyes sparkling.

"What do you mean?"

"You should take a shower first. I don't want to be muddy forever. I'll tell you later."

Nodding, Ponyboy walked inside the bathroom. He wondered where Archer was going to take him afterward. While he was letting the warm water wash away the mud, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. Ponyboy couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad was going to happen. He hoped that it wasn't true.

o-o-o

After they both showered and changed into fresh clothes, they headed out. Although it was dark, many lights lit up their way to their destination. The breeze brushed past their wet hair, sending shivers down their spines. Despite it being chilly, both of them enjoyed the serenity that the night brought them.

They eventually arrived at a small restaurant that was packed with people. There must have been some sort of event going on for it to be that busy, Ponyboy realized.

"Is there an event tonight?" Ponyboy asked, sitting down on one of the barstools since all of the tables were taken. He looked around the restaurant more, noticing something strange. Everybody there was sitting with people of their own gender. Sure, it wasn't impossible, but these people didn't look like mere friends to one another. It was almost as if they were…

"This is a homosexual gathering," Archer answered, tapping his fingers against the counter.

Ponyboy looked around at the people again, everything coming together like a puzzle. "You mean… everyone here is…"

"They're all gay. Well… most of them."

Ponyboy's mouth dropped. Beside himself, he had never seen other gay people before. At least, to his knowledge. Archer didn't count because he liked to date females as well, but nobody that he knew came out as gay. Then again, Ponyboy knew why people wouldn't share that information with others. Being gay was still illegal and rejected. A smile crept onto his face. He knew exactly why Archer had brought him there. For months, Ponyboy had felt alone. He even thought that there was something wrong with him a few times. But, being in the restaurant with other gay people reassured him otherwise. "Wow…"

"Yeah… After all the shit that you went through, I thought that you would really enjoy it."

Ponyboy tentatively reached over to grab Archer's hand. Even though he knew that it was okay, he was used to not showing much public displays of attraction in fear of people seeing them. "Thank you, Archer. Really… I mean it, thank you."

"Of course."

Ponyboy looked at their hands before looking back at Archer again. He should tell him that he loved him. It seemed like a really good moment to do so. But was it too early? What if Archer didn't want their relationship to get that far? The more he thought about it, the more that he believed it. He was psyching himself out and he knew it.

But he just had to do it. If Archer reacts badly, then he should end their relationship right then and there. He didn't want to do so, but it would be for the best. Ponyboy didn't want to be in a relationship that would be for nothing. Archer didn't have to tell him that he loved him back. He wasn't expecting that answer. However, if he yells at him or runs away, then he would know that the relationship wasn't going to go far. But, then again, it wasn't like they could get married anyway. But he was thinking too far ahead of himself.

He needed to just say it before he got even more attached to him.

"Hey, Archer, I have to tell you something," he started, feeling butterflies in his stomach. He swallowed thickly.

"What is it?" Archer asked, tilting his head to the side in question.

Here it goes. "I just wanted to say that I really lo—"

That was all Ponyboy was able to say before a scream erupted from outside of the restaurant. The entire restaurant quieted down as everybody snapped their heads towards the door. The same question was burning on everybody's mind: what happened? That wasn't an excited scream whatsoever. It was a scream of absolute terror. That uneasy feeling returned, making Ponyboy want to throw up from how queasy he felt.

They all got their answer soon as the door slammed open and policemen flooded inside the restaurant. One of them was holding a bloody baton. The others were touching the guns in their holsters, just waiting to whip them out a shoot at any sign of threat.

"Everybody, on the ground, right now!" the one with the baton ordered in a snappy tone.

Ponyboy and Archer looked at each other with wide eyes before they got off of their ball stools, knees feeling weak. They sunk to the floor, raising their hands to show that they weren't going to do anything suspicious.

What the hell was going on?

"Why are the police here?" Archer whispered to him but Ponyboy could only shrug. He was just as lost as he was.

"If any of you resist in any way, you will be faced with force like what happened to the woman outside," the policeman continued, brandishing his bloody baton to the crowd.

Ponyboy gulped, knowing that he somehow got himself into trouble again. Why did this sort of stuff always happen to him?

The police started to talk about arresting employees for serving gay individuals, but Ponyboy's heart was beating so loudly that it practically drowned out everything that was being said to them. But, at one point, someone did something stupid. So stupid that it endangered everybody there. It all happened so fast. One moment, everybody was kneeling on the floor with their hands raised over their heads. The next, a man started to charge at the police. He screamed something that Ponyboy couldn't make out. But, soon enough, the other customers began charging as well. They clashed with the policeman, raising their fists or grabbing something from the table to defend themselves.

That was when the first shot was fired, making the once nice restaurant into a warzone.

o-o-o

This chapter plus the next will be based on the 1969 Stonewall Riots. Of course, it's not exactly that, since it's the wrong year and the violent happenings are different. But you guys get the general gist of it hopefully. This is a more violent rendition of the raids that happened during LGBT gatherings back then.