"—two more?" peggy's voice creeps up as two-bit makes his way inside of the diner. he doesn't have to guess at what she means with the way her eyes are widened in her face.

her eyes connect with his, and two-bit stiffens as he walks inside. there are more cowboys around now, and he hears snatches of conversation as he leans in to order: there's no way they're gonna let this stand — it's gotta be that wolf around here — what's the name of that kid it's with? — the kid has to know what's going on here or he's a damn fool.

"it ain't him," two-bit rebuffs the last point again, more firmly than ever. some of the people whispering around look skeptical, some of them distrustful. "listen, i know that kid, and we were around each other last night. when'd it happen?"

"around three," peggy says, and two-bit nods his head.

"wasn't them; they were both with me, at the rooster," two-bit cracks a grin. "ya'll will have to look somewhere else to blame."

he hopes that will be enough to settle everyone around him as he orders breakfast. except the tension doesn't dissipate as he digs into the sausage. on the contrary, his nerves get worse as he hears snatches of conversation between aggravated cowboys, looking for a reason to go after who they think is responsible.

it makes two bit feel ill as he finishes his plate. they've started to make up their minds as to who's responsible, rather than listen. and that was never, ever going to go over well.

his leg jitters, hands tensing around his fork as the hears them talk, getting prepared for action.

as soon as he swallows down the last of his coffee, he puts down money on the counter. his mind is made up: he has to find ponyboy, quick.

the only problem with that, is that he doesn't know where he is. he's only got a hunch to work off of, and little time to act on it. still, two bit makes use of the two hours he has, looking for ponyboy's auburn hair, his jacket, even fang. all of the greaser spots he knows don't have hide or hair of him, frustration, fear building in him.

"listen," he tells the biggest hood there, "if he comes around today, tell him to get to the rooster, soon as he can. tell him i'm asking for him."

the hood nods, and that's all two bit can do for now.

getting to the rooster is quick, yet two bit can't stop worrying as he gets to that day's loads. the competition for that day wasn't until two, and he works steadily through the rest of the morning, head buzzing.

at beast, he could warn ponyboy, tell him to get out of town as fast as possible. at worst? they were going to lead a whole fucking pack of people after him and fang. fang would certainly end up dead, and ponyboy heart broken. that's not something two bit wants, even if he doesn't know either that well.

something in them is... he sees them as friends, even if they weren't close, even if it wasn't like back home. he wants them safe, no matter what.

he's so engrossed in his thoughts that he doesn't realize until there's a rap at the back, that dallas is there. his head jerks up to see him leaning against the back, eyebrows raised. "what's got you all tied up in knots?"

there's almost something akin to relief that floods two bit when he sees him. "jesus — sorry, where's the kid?"

"at the stables," dallas says it casually, still looking at him sharply, eyes in a half squint. his hair seems longer than usual, and he cocks his head at two bit. "something going on?"

"it's... nothing," two bit ends, not wanting to get dallas off of his game for someone he didn't even know. "you competing today?"

"sure am," dallas keeps eyeing him suspiciously as he moves inside, to the back of the bar. he gets himself a glass, scooping up ice, flicking the jerk to give him cold, clean water. "doing the barrel racing with the kid, you comin'?"

two bit watches him as he takes a pull from the glass. at how cocky he is, at the assurance he has, and he can't help but ask, "why ain't you compete last night?" he straightens up a bit. "you think you were too good to do those races?"

"sure am," dallas doesn't miss a bit, wiping at his mouth. "they can do those, get in knots. ain't none of 'em worth my time." he gives two bit a cool look, as if two bit might challenge him on it. "jack talked a lot of shit and got dragged like someone just getting his legs under him. times yesterday was slow." he shrugs. "barrel racing might give me something worth competing against. kid's never lost, though."

"you're really itching for someone to take you down, huh," two bit hums, dallas taking another long pull from the cup, teeth snapping out to get some of the ice. "one day someone's gonna knock you right on your ass for that and you might be deserving it."

the ice crunches in dallas' mouth, something charming in the way he all but sneers at two bit despite the annoyance that two bit is beginning to feel in the undercurrent of worry. "he ain't here." the way he says it, though, feels strange. there's an odd emphasis on he as if he knew the exact person who could beat him. "they can try all they want – they ain't gonna beat me."

"c'mon," two bit pushes, trying to let it out before he loses his nerve. "you ain't the least bit worried for yourself? for the kid?"

"no," the word is said defiantly, and this time, there's a real warning in dallas' voice to two bit not to push it, that he knew what he was talking about.

so two bit is forced to drop it. he's not itching to get punched.

for all his concern, two bit can hardly keep still as he sits down to watch the barrel races. every bit of him is watching for any signal that someone messed with the kid or dallas, and it's enough that not even one of the blonde girls he usually has eyes for can distract him from as he looks around. he doesn't even have a beer in hand this time, too wired up to even enjoy that.

the air is dry, the temperature hotter than ever as he looks at the set up for the barrel racing. of all the competitions, this one is the deal breaker for many out here. if it's the same in other places, two bit isn't sure. but if you couldn't cut it here as a rider, you generally weren't going to fare well the rest of the time.

as the air kicks up, he wishes that molly were here. he wishes that she was nudging his side, pointing out funny looking people or making jokes that were so stupid you had to laugh, her red hair kicking up, catching the sunlight in a way that always made him pause for a second. he wishes she were here, cause maybe she could talk some fucking sense into dallas winston, and maybe she could hold two bit's hand and get rid of the fear in his stomach that he can't loosen, his leg about jackhammering into the wood beneath him.

she'd at least be the one who'd tell him he's wearing a hole in his daddy's shoes, and he'd laugh about it instead of feeling bitter.

"next up is dallas winston and his appaloosa, the kid!" the announcer's voice booms over, and two bit's gaze is towards the front, where the starting line is. he can see them in a static second for a moment: dallas with the red bandana on his neck, the kid's spotted hide –

and then they're off.

and of all shocks, two bit doesn't think he breathes for a second. there isn't anything he's seen like this as the kid shoots out, his hooves beating on the brown dirt of the track, moving like he was the wind itself as he does the course. two bit doesn't even think he can see dallas guiding him so much as riding along, grinning widely as the kid gallops, winds his way around the barrels as if they were nothing. other riders look like toys barely hanging onto their mounts; not dallas. dallas looks like he's been there his whole life, at ease at the speed of the kid when he zips back to the starting line.

the roars from the crowd are raucous, loud, and pleased. hats are tossed, people whistle, boots are stomped.

two bit is among them, slamming his own into the boards, almost going hoarse from his enjoyment. there's no doubt that the kid has set the record with that one, with the way he had moved, and two bit can finally concede to one thing: dallas winston could ride.

all that bravado, all that swagger was earned. there's no one here that has made two bit want to achieve what he's done, no one here that has made him feel like he's been holding his breath the entire time they were out on the course, feeling excited when their number is called.

that point only gets stronger when the trail course is set up an hour later and not a single person got a faster time than the kid. this time, two bit allows himself a bit of beer, having moved up for a better view of it all.

he's not disappointed, and neither is the crowd that is clearly just as in love as he is with the sight of the kid darting out, dallas all but cackling as they go through the obstacle course, the kid moving so quick, hooves hitting the ground so quickly that two bit can keep up. every jump, every wheel, every gallop has two bit and the crowd hooping, hollering, stomping, cheering them on. every single second of it feels electric as that horse, that boy seem to merge into one fluid being, made to fly like the wind, made to compete at a scale that dwarfs any old cowboy here.

when the kid thunders back to the starting line after the course finishes, the sunlight shining on that dappled coat, dallas' brown hair shining in the sun with sharp teeth glinting in his smile, two bit thinks he's screamed himself hoarse in shear excitement, glee.

dallas was fucking right. they were untouchable.

he doesn't think he'll get the image out of his mind for weeks of dallas in the stirrups, deciding to take a victory lap, playing the crowd. the kid whinnies, wheels around playfully, his coat beautiful, tossing his head with dallas. by the time they leave, two bit is crying out for an encore despite the jostling around him, the laughter.

he doesn't know when's the last time he's enjoyed himself this much at a rodeo. doesn't know when's the last time he ever felt this engaged, this ready to cheer for someone. or if he ever will again.

two bit replays it all for himself as the crowd disperses for the evening, the sunset not far off. hastily, he finishes off his beer, trying to keep his head down as he makes his way to the general stables where he knows the must be.

some of the other cowboys are certainly not happy – the kid and dallas showed out, and the way some of them are clearly pissed means that they'll make a pretty penny at the rooster tonight. it also makes two bit still at a level of unease; who knew how that jealousy would spill out?

he tries to ignore it when he sees one of the older ones – a salty old dog with a thick mustache – talking angrily with a clearly unimpressed dallas. it probably helps some that dallas is looking down at the old bastard quite literally but even feet away, two bit can tell that the anger is real.

he moves forward to–

"two bit?" peggy's voice rings out. he turns around to see her waving at him, her face flushed. "two bit, you didn't say you were coming. get over here!"

"one sec, peggy!" he shouts back, turns his head. dallas, however, is leading the kid away from the bristling old man, and two bit knows he won't be able to catch up, not without crossing that old man's path. and he doesn't want to have to clash with that kind of man right now.

later tonight. he'd catch up with dallas.

two bit turns and goes to peggy, looping his arm on her shoulders. she laughs, and he glances back just once – dallas and the kid are long gone though.

for all the fun had the rodeo, that night is no different than any other one after a big day: it's teeming with people, with people celebrating their wins and two bit has to work through it all.

all the while, he hopes to get dallas there, to speak to him, to celebrate, to ask him how he felt with that grin on his face, with the kid moving beneath him, with him.

instead, he is disappointed no matter where he looks. all the other competing riders save two or three others besides dallas show up. every time he thinks he sees a flash of him, he's disappointed. it bugs two bit as he works, makes sure to keep the beer going, the fights down.

it's not until it's getting a bit past midnight that he sees ponyboy, yawning, at the back. that wolf dog of his has squeezed his way into the booth, half hiding as ponyboy nurses not a beer but a giant flagon of water he's gotten halfway down, and a cheeseburger. two bit makes his way over to clap him on the back, ponyboy jumping. "jesus, kid. it's a party! can't be jumpy at a party."

"s-sorry," ponyboy yawns, rubbing a palm at his eye. "m'tired. everything go okay?"

"go okay?" two bit whistles disapprovingly. "ain't dally your friend? you didn't go see him ride?"

"no, i had something come up," fang's tail thumps against the booth, "how was it? i can't find him to talk about it."

two bit beams at ponyboy, as another round of cheers go up. "you should've see him, pony. the way that horse flew, the way he rode – thought his mouth was running before, but whoo-ee. dallas winston can ride a horse. i don't think i've seen a rider like that, with a horse like that in years."

the smile on ponyboy's face is bright. two bit returns it, that pride ponyboy must feel, the happiness. fang apparently does too, tail thumping against the booth more, making both of them laugh. "i wish i could've seen it. i know he's damn good." ponyboy's voice goes wistful, almost too hard to hear over the din. "he take his hat off too? do that little victory lap he always gets pinched for?"

"sure did," two bit guffaws, imitating how he'd done it, with the whoops. it gets the attention of others, and they laugh and cheer with him. "dallas winston, yankee who can ride!"

ponyboy, the others laugh and two bit can see that there are cowboys who want to get infuriated over dallas' lack of presence, and he ignores them as he finishes, pretending to bow. the laugh that ponyboy gives is warmer, happier and two bit thinks that he'd like to see that on his face more often, that it makes him look younger than he is.

he doesn't know why that wild thought pops into his head, even if it's right as ponyboy puts his cheek on his hand, asking him, "tell me about it. all of it."

and well...

two bit hasn't had an audience like this in some time. he doesn't mind squeezing in the booth, letting fang grumble and shift out enough to accommodate him. he likes the way that ponyboy pays attention to every word he says, likes the way that ponyboy can guess at certain things, the way ponyboy clearly feels something for dallas, about the kid.

and as the party winds down, as ponyboy shares a few beers with him, he thinks that he might feel something like that for ponyboy, for dallas too even if he can't put his finger on what that is. only that when he wakes up in the rooster, hours after dawn, he thinks he dreamed about it. about dallas and ponyboy, fang and the kid, and something about it feels significant.

of course, that feeling is easy when he's just waking up in need of a shower, his teeth brushed, and fresh clothes.

it's not so easily kept with a day of work ahead of him — cowboys can party and two bit finds himself getting freshened up and then immediately set to cleaning up the rooster. it was the second to last day and it was going to be worse than before. people were going to be riled up, too excited, and tempers would be running hot.

most of the day is spent restocking things, checking orders, cleaning up from the night before, nursing a hangover and puking when it needed to be done. he kicks himself a little — he knows that he needs to find dallas as soon as possible. but there's simply no time without other people at the rooster to help, with his boss needing him.

all the while, his thoughts keep turning back to dallas, with the way he'd been riding and the happy feeling of seeing him do it. with how he'd thought all those words were just talk and there was something more to him that two bit hadn't been guessing on. how ponyboy had beamed at hearing dallas, how he'd known so much about him. how two bit simply wanted to talk to them both at the same time, have them both in a room together.

the thought that they could be friends, maybe. real ones. something he hadn't had in a long, long time. something that could evaporate as soon as this rodeo week was done for.

he's old enough to know that some friends came in and out with the season. that some of them were just not to be. yet those two...

something about them, two bit is drawn to. he doesn't know precisely why in such a short amount of time. doesn't know why he cares so much, even if he knows that dallas seemingly is a threat to the other riders in ways that they don't like, even if he knows that ponyboy could be in trouble with fang.

but...

two bit had been attached to other people in a short time for less. he'd known people longer and deeper and didn't feel the same way he had here.

so he keeps the thought in his head, even if his body isn't doing well with keeping food down after all that drinking.

a nap is snuck between it all, and two bit is hardly back on his feet, ready for the night when he hears a familiar voice floating through the back window, " – care what it takes. we need to get them out of competition. today."

two bit's blood runs cold when there's an answer in jack's voice, "you don't have to tell me twice. meet me up half an hour, stables. we'll get it done."

all two bit can do, as his stomach revolts, as his heart plummets, is think: shit.