The usual disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders. All rights belong to S.E. Hinton.

Chapter 3

Johnny hesitantly wrapped his own arms around Dally's bare waist, pulling him closer and returning his kisses just as eagerly. He parted his lips slightly, inviting Dally's tongue inside his own warm mouth and kissed him surprisingly rough. Dally let out a low moan from his throat and tugged at Johnny's cool jacket; their tongues pushed and slid over each others, Johnny getting quite an aroused reaction from this play. He whined slightly from every touch he received from the older boy's tongue and pulled himself even closer, just to keep that exciting spark going. He'd never felt such pleasure like this before, not even from Ponyboy.

And just like that, the thought of the younger greaser seemed to pull him back into reality. He was now aware of how close he and Dally really were; he was leaning back on the swing just a little too far, nearly on his back and Dally practically on top of him, practically sitting on Johnny's rising erection. A wave of shame suddenly washed over him, making himself break from their lip contact; Dally pretended not to notice this, going back for another round of kisses and pushing Johnny full on his back. Johnny turned his head away almost immediately.

"Dally, we-we shouldn't be doin' this," he said quietly.

Dally started trailing soft but firm kisses down Johnny's neck instead, provoking a loud, rather high moan from Johnny. "Nobody has to know," he whispered in between kisses. "It'll be our little secret." He slipped a hand up Johnny's shirt.

Johnny gasped, squirming a little. He was enjoying Dally so much, but he knew it was wrong. He was cheating on Ponyboy, there was no sugar-coating that. He tried without success to push Dally off.

"You're drunk," he tried again. "You don't mean none of this anyhow so just...stop, please."

Hearing Johnny beg made Dally pause in his drunken haze. "...you don't like me," he muttered.

"What?" Johnny asked, confused.

Dally sat up, fixing his eyes on Johnny's reddish face. "You don't...you don't like me...you don't like this..."

Johnny just looked up at him, wondering if he dare work up the courage to ask a rather personal question. Sure Dally was drunk, but he really did seem a little hurt by Johnny's refusal. He licked his lips nervously. "Dallas...a-are you...gay..?"

Dally looked at him for a good long while, blinking slowly. Finally, just when it seemed like he might suddenly fall asleep, "I love you Johnny...I...I can't keep my mind offa you. I ain't queer but...I like you. A lot."

All Johnny could do was stare up at him, dumbfounded. He hadn't expected this type of answer. When Dally realized Johnny wasn't going to say anything else, he leaned back down and kissed him once more. It was starting to get dark already and the shade from the awning over the porch kept them well-hidden from any possible passerby.

Dally was making him feel so confused. All this kissing and sudden confession...it was too much to handle at once. Johnny knew he had two choices:

Go back to Ponyboy and make up with him, never to speak of what happened between him and Dally.

Or stay with Dally, and see if he could make him feel better than Ponyboy ever could.

He pulled away from Dally's lips and looked up at him once more with those big, dark, puppy-dog eyes that could make anyone melt.

"Dal...lemme stay with you tonight."

Dally woke up with the sun hitting him square in the face. He groaned, blinking away the blurriness and resisting the urge to crawl back under the blanket and ignore yet another hangover. He looked around, trying to remember why he was back in his own bed; it seemed like years since he last slept in it. Looking over, he noticed a lump beside him, snuggled under the blanket. Upon noticing that, he was then aware of a thin arm wrapped around his waist.

He suddenly remembered something: his old man had been gone for a few days now. He probably just brought some broad back to bed with him in a drunken frenzy. But he was puzzled that his jeans were still on if they screwed around. His puzzlement grew even more when he noticed tufts of dark hair poking out from under the blanket; not just dark hair either. Slightly greased black hair. He slowly pulled back the thin blanket, revealing an equally shirtless teenager: Johnny Cade.

Dally didn't know how to react. He froze once he recognized the figure, and felt a little queasy as memories of last night flooded back into his head. He'd been kissing the kid. No, not just kissing. He'd made out with him too... A panic arose in his chest right after that. Why couldn't he remember what happened after that? What else did they do?

Without even thinking, desperate for an answer, he gave Johnny a sharp shove onto his back. Johnny gasped, waking up almost immediately. His household had made him a very light sleeper and very paranoid to even the lightest of touches when he slept. His frightened face softened a little once he saw that it was only Dally, but his heart still raced.

"What..? What's wrong?" he asked softly.

Dally was bewildered at Johnny's calmness. Surely he hadn't... "Johnny. What the hell did we do last night?"

"...um, well...we kissed...and then went back inside your house, into here. And by then you were already sleepy, but we were still, uh...kissin' and everything.. But after that you passed out." When Dally didn't say anything, Johnny continued, looking at him carefully. "We didn't do anything if that's what you're so worried 'bout...I'd never do that to ya' when you're drunk."

Dally hated himself almost immediately for picking up that damn beer bottle yesterday. "Yeah...that's right, I was drunk." He continued to stare back at Johnny, thinking how to word his next sentence carefully. He didn't wanna upset the kid. "Johnny...you didn't think that I...that we...?"

Johnny suddenly looked close to tears the way his eyes got watery. "...Didn't think what?"

"I'm not a queer Johnnycake."

There was a long, heavy silence before Johnny was able to utter out a few more words.

"No, Dally...I—you said that you...that you loved me."

Dally couldn't disguise the obvious frown that was creeping up on his face. "Johnny, I told you. I ain't no queer. I would rather die than be some faggot."

Once again, there was that mental slap that just seemed to always be smacking Johnny right in the mouth. And it hit him hard in his chest too. He was trying so hard to keep the tears back as he wordlessly got out of bed and slipped on his jacket, not bothering with his dark shirt. "I-I get it Dal...you don't hafta tell me twice. You got a problem with 'queers...'"

Dally didn't know what to say as Johnny left the bedroom and headed to the front door. His quiet sniffling was so audible, but he couldn't even explain why he did what he did last night. There was no point in trying to make up some lie. He loved that kid, but he wasn't sure it was in that way.

Johnny started running down the street, his chucks smacking the pavement and filling his mind, not sure of where he was going. He had to get out of that town, he desperately needed to. Ponyboy would never forgive him for what he did, and Dally didn't even care that they did something. He wasn't wanted anywhere; it just felt better for him to be living on his own. Or not even living at all anymore.