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Dallas settles onto the bench, his hands firmly in his jumpsuit pockets.
He stares at Pony, a perfected bored look pasted onto his face. Pony stares back at him decidedly unimpressed.
He tilts his lip up at the look.
“Are you going to say something?” Pony says.
“I don’t know, do you want me to?”
Pony leans forward his elbows on the table and his fingers laced, “if it means you answering why you’re in here,”
“I thought it was obvious. I got into another fight and ended up in here,”
“But why did you get into a fight-”
“I get into fights all the time,” Dallas snaps.
“Not with Bob. Not like this,”
“I fight Socs all the time,”
“Not so violently. Not right after I tell he was the one that beat the crap out of me,”
Dallas snorts, “You think I fought him because of you,”
“Is that so unreasonable,”
“Yeah,”
“So what happened was just a coincidence?”
“Yup,”
“You don’t believe in coincidences,”
“I do if it means you get off my back about Bob,”
“Why won’t you just admit that you care,”
“Why won’t you just admit that you want me to care,”
“I do want you to care and I’m not afraid to admit that,”
“That’s great, Pony, that you’re so in touch with your feelings,”
“You’re a dick,”
“And yet you’re here visiting this dick,”
Leaning back into his chair Pony scoffs, “yeah cause you may be a dick, but your my friend, and I’m starting to think you don’t feel the same,”
Dallas watches as Pony for him to say something. The only answer he gives is a half-hearted shrug.
Pony nods his head as if that’s enough of an answer for him and he stands up, “I’ll see you when you get out,”
He watches Ponys retreating back and he feels like the biggest asshole ever.
He sighs, “Pony,”
Pony stops and turns around to face him. Dallas gestures his head towards the seat he was just in. Following the suggestion, Pony sits back down.
“Why’d you do it?”
“Maybe because hearing what Bob did to you pissed me off,” Dallas answers.
“Why?”
“You know why,”
“Do I? Or are you going to tell me straight forward instead of being a coward about it,”
Dallas works his mouth for a moment trying to get the words out, “because I care,” He says quietly.
Pony smiles, “now was that so hard,”
Dallas sneers, “just be glad I didn’t hit you earlier for calling me a dick,”
“What and get more time on your sentence for hitting a visitor,”
“I wouldn’t have got more time just solitary for the rest of my sentence,”
“I heard solitary drives people crazy,”
“Not in two days,”
Pony’s eyebrows shoot up, “you got two days left? How long was your sentence,”
“Two weeks,”
“Seriously?”
“Less time if the jail is already filled to the brim,”
“How lucky,”
“Only time I am,”
“You’re lucky all the time it’s the only reason you’re still alive,”
Dallas chuckles, “maybe,”
Pony shakes his head with a smile on his face.
His smile dies as a guard approaches the table.
Guess times up.
Dallas stands up with Pony.
“I’ll be here when you get out,”
“For what?”
“Because I want too,” Pony replies.
He opens his arms in a silent invitation to hug.
Dallas scoffs and shakes his head.
Pony puts his arms down as the guard starts to tug him away, “it was worth a try,”
“One you won’t try again,”
Walking backwards to continue to talk to Dallas, “I make no promises,”
Dallas watches him as he is escorted out of the place and ignores the unwanted smile that’s on his face.
******
Pony walks out of the place with a smile on his face and some hope in his heart. That’s the first time Dallas has ever said he cares about Pony and it was more than to spur Pony on.
It’s mostly because he knows that’s the most he’ll get from Dallas for now. He’s only been waiting for some verbal confirmation from Dallas that he cared about Pony to build his courage.
He knows this is going to be a risk, but just being friends with Dallas is a risk.
Pony’s not going to let a potential rejection stop him.
He’s ready to make his move soon, real soon.
******
Stepping into the bright light Dallas is pleasantly surprised to find Pony meant it when he said he’d be there for Dallas’s release.
“How far do you have to walk to pick up your car?” Pony asks as Dallas draws near.
“About 2 miles,”
Dallas never parks his car too far from the jail when he knows he’s going to get into some trouble that will get him arrested.
“Not that bad of a walk thankfully,” Pony says walking beside Dallas.
“You plan on following me around all day?”
“Yup,” Pony says popping the P, “you will never be rid of me,”
Maybe I don’t want to be rid of you.
“Sounds like a fucking tragedy,” Dallas replies.
“On the levels of something Shakespearean hopefully,”
“No,”
“No?”
“You’re not that special,”
“Wow,” Pony laughs, “I’m hurt,”
“Sorry bout that,”
“You say not sounding sorry at all,” he says, bumping his shoulder into Dallas’s.
Dallas lets a small smile slide onto his face as they walk.
He’s too soft with Pony, but he finds he can’t stop himself when it’s just the two of them. When it’s just the two of them his walls lower and he feels like he can laugh and smile and talk without being on guard.
He trusts Pony.
He stopped fearing that some time ago, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to say so.
Looking up at the sunny sky as they walk in a peaceful silence he thinks the sun matches Pony perfectly.
Coming to a stop he walks into the empty parking lot and towards his car. They hop in and Dallas starts the car.
“Where to?” Pony says.
“No idea,”
“Then just drive,”
And he does. They drive for hours doing nothing but watch the land pass them by radio music and their occasional conversations their only entertainment. Most of the time they stay quiet with each other.
“Wanna stop for a bit,” Pony asks.
“Why?”
“There’s a fair about two miles down this road. Wanna go?”
“With what money?”
“Who says we can’t just sneak in?” Pony says wiggling his eyebrows.
******
Sliding through the hole in the fence Dallas and Pony step into the fair and begin to walk around.
“Hey, you think they’ll have fireworks later,”
“Probably,” Dallas replies, “why you wanna watch em?”
Pony nods, “we should ask someone and see.”
He walks over to a lady in a uniform and comes back a minute later.
“They’ll start popping fireworks in about 10 minutes. Until then we should eat something,”
Dallas raises an eyebrow silently saying ‘do I need to repeat myself’.
“Don’t worry I got money from doing a couple of yard jobs around town so I’ll pay for the both of us,”
Dallas never says no to someone else paying for him so follows Pony to one of the food stands.
When they’re done they go back to the car and sit on the hood.
“Hey, Dal,”
He turns to Pony prompting him to say whatever he’s gotta say.
“Would you ever kiss me,” Pony asks looking up at the sky.
Dallas for the first time in his life freezes up, but he quickly unfreezes. Putting down his food he slides closer to Pony.
“I-”
The fireworks pop off and Pony looks away startled. They watch as the fireworks spew and quickly fade.
It’s… sad to say the least.
“That was the most disappointing thing I’ve ever seen,” Pony states, “we can 100 percent do better with convenience store fireworks,”
“Wanna go get some?”
“I don’t got enough cash left for fireworks,”
“Wait here,” Dallas says sliding off the hood of the car.
“What are you going to do,” Pony yells to Dallas’s retreating back.
“Get money,”
Dallas slides back into the fair and heads straight for a crowded area. Walking through it he grabs a wallet out of some guy's back pocket as he casually walks by the man.
Making a beeline for his car again before anything can be noticed he pulls the cash out the wallet and dumps onto a table as he passes it.
When he gets back to the car he waves the money around, “I think we have enough now,”
Pony shakes his head at him and climbs into the car. Driving to the store they get as many fireworks they can get with the money they have.
Dallas drives to a nearby field and pulls into it.
“Hand me your lighter,” Dallas says as they move to the middle of the field.
Pony hands him his lighter and sets up one of the fireworks. He backs away before it can go off.
Bright red and yellow sparks fill the sky.
Pony whoops at the sight, “now that’s a real firework,”
They go through their fireworks until all that’s left is the sparklers. He lets Pony play around with them and just watches as Pony runs around laughing waving the tiny things around.
Pony is on his last sparkler when Dallas moves towards him. Standing near him he waits for Pony to look at him.
“What,” Pony asks.
“Your question from earlier,” Dallas says, “I want to answer it,”
Pony drops the sparkler to the ground as it goes out, “what’s your answer?” he says quietly.
Dallas leans down and connects their lips as his answer.
This feels like a fantasy to Dallas, but even if it is it’s his favorite one.