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Dallas Winston was not soft.
In fact, he was quite the opposite. He was infamous for growing up in the meanest part of New York, being buddies with the tuffest of hoods, and of course, his very long (and what he would call very impressive) record. He didn’t care for anything at all, even if it was the two youngest of his gang. The only time he would show even the slightest bit of care for them was simply to protect them. He would wrap an arm around both of their shoulders when walking past a soc or send a glare at anybody who looked at them the wrong way because it was needed. Everyone knew that Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny Cade needed looking out for. It was an unspoken rule that the entire gang secretly agreed on.
Nobody was going to mess with the his kids.
So that was the only reason why Dallas Winston, the tuffest hood in all of Tulsa, was laying down on the grass with the pet of the gang curled up beside him.
Dally was bored that evening and decided to walk around, maybe cause some trouble. When he got to the lot, he saw a familiar dark figure laying on the ground. As he got closer, it confirmed his suspicions, it was none other than Johnny Cade.
Dally approached the kid because it made him upset that he was alone in the cold he had nothing better to do.
“Hey kid,” Dally grunted, kicking Johnny half-heartedly on the leg.
Johnny flinched at the contact, but quickly regained his composure.
“Hi Dal,” Johnny replied quietly.
Dally took a pack of cigarattes out of his pocket and offered one to Johnny. Johnny shook his head but muttered his thanks.
"You got a lighter?" Dally asked. The younger greaser nodded and Dally leaned down so Johnny could light up his cigarette. He took a long drag before sitting down beside Johnny.
“Watcha lookin’ at?” Dally asked, noticing that Johnny was looking up at something.
“The sky.”
“I can see that, smartass. I meant what's up there?”
“I’m just lookin’ at the stars”
Dally snorted. Stupid, stupid kids always looking at sunsets or stargazing. They needed to toughen up, especially since there always seemed to be a soc just waiting to jump them nowadays. Yet, he still followed Johnny's gaze up at the sky, confused what was so interesting about it. All he could see was darkness.
Still, he tried to observe it for Johnny. For a long time, the two just sat in comfortable silence, the cool night breeze blowing through their hair.
"You see that constellation?" Johnny asked quietly, pointing at the night sky.
Dally had to squint, but eventually he could make out the little white dots. He hummed in response.
"It's called Orion. We learned about it in astronomy. You see those three stars kinda in the middle?" Johnny continued when Dally nodded. "It's called Orion's belt. The three stars bring the constellation together," Johnny said softly. "You know, it kind of reminds me of us. You, me, and Pony." As soon as he finished Dally couldn't help but let out an amused laugh. He could tell that Johnny was blushing– even in the dark it was obvious.
"Well...I just mean that we all dig each other-" Johnny starts to explain.
"I know what you mean, kid. You don't have to explain yourself," Dally interrupts.
The two continued to stare up at the sky. This time, Dally really noticed the stars. He noticed their glimmer and how some were bigger than others. He noticed how even the smallest stars seemed to shine bright against the deep blue night. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of him, Pony, and Johnny each being one of those dazzling orbs, shining bright against the darkness.
Finally, Dally sighed and slowly stood up.
"Alright kid, I'm gonna head back to Bucks."
Johnny just nodded, a look of sadness flashed through his eyes but quickly went away.
Dally turned, taking a drag of his cigarette and then stomping it out before putting his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket.
"Wait," Johnny called.
Dally turned around, raising an eyebrow.
Johnny shifted nervously before saying, "Thanks Dal. I mean, thanks for lookin' out for me and Pony all the time. Don't know what we would do without you," he finished with a grin.
Dally just smirked and ruffled the younger greasers hair before turning back and walking away.
Those goddamned kids, He thought. Their gonna be the death of me.
"Dammit Pony, would you stop!"
“Steve, please?”
“No Ponyboy, I already told you, you won’t catch me dead drawing! Go ask Johnny"
“He’s busy. You ain’t doing nothing right now!”
“I am doing something you little shi–”
Dally had loped into the Curtis house, looking for Steve or Two-bit to play poker with. Instead he walked into the familiar sound of banter from the youngest of the gang.
Steve and Pony both turned around to see Dally slam the screen door shut, cocking an eyebrow at the two.
Steve took it as the perfect opportunity to escape.
“Dally! Perfect timing,” He grinned, putting an arm around Dally’s shoulder. “Ponyboy here wants to draw with you.”
“Get off of me you asshole,” Dally barked. Steve wasted no time in running out the door.
“Alright, whats up kid,” Dally sighed, looking down at Pony’s wide green eyes, already knowing a question was on the tip of his tongue.
Ponyboy shifted nervously under the hood's icy blue stare, almost like he was nervous to ask Dally.
And Dally was shaken a little at that thought. (Not because he cared about what the youngest greaser thought of him, but simply because he was itching for a cigarette).
Still, there was no bite behind his words when he grunted, “Spit it out kid.”
“Umm…w-well…remember those colored pencils Darry got me for my birthday? Well, I’ve been wanting to use them for a while, and I just wanted someone to draw with, I guess.” As soon as Pony finished, his ears turned bright red and he seemed to shrink into himself.
Dally was amused at his embarrassment. Hell, he might have even thought that it was adorable.
“I-I know it's stupid,” Ponyboy muttered. “Sorry. I dunno why I even asked.”
Dally just grunted and moved to sit on the floor in front of the coffee table where Pony had set up his colored pencils and paper.
Pony’s jaw nearly hit the floor, his eyes wide with surprise.
“C’mon kid, don’t just stand there like a door,” Dally said, a colored pencil already making its way across his paper.
Immediately, Ponyboy’s eyes lit up with excitement and he eagerly bounced over, plopping himself next to Dally.
They drew in silence, contently sitting in each other's presence.
A little while later, Pony looked over at Dally's paper to see what he had scribbled and frowned. “Is that s’posed to be a caterpillar?”
“No you idiot, it’s me!”
“Huh. Your arms look like little legs.”
“They do not!”
----
Darrel opened the door to the Curtis house with a sigh. He had a long day at work and glory he was tired.
He was expecting to find Soda and Steve playing poker, or Two-bit watching Mickey. He was, however, not expecting to find his kid brother giggling with the meanest hood in Oklahoma.
“Mine is a masterpiece, it's way better than yours, you can’t even deny it!” Dally argued, shoving his “masterpiece” into Pony’s face, as if he thought that the closer it was the more Pony could see its beauty.
Pony snorted and let out a laugh. “Alright, whatever you say. It’s just a stick figure, but okay.”
“You assho-”
“Alright let me see,” Darry butted in, not wanting to see Dallas punch his kid brother in the face.
Pony's drawing was amazing. He had drawn himself, Dally, and Johnny, each of them so accurate it could have been mistaken for a picture. The three were at Swift’s ice cream, the place in town that all of the greasers would go to. Pony was in the middle, wearing that navy sweatshirt with the sleeves cut off. He was holding an ice cream and looking straight ahead. Johnny was on the left, also holding an ice cream, but looking at something off in the distance. His hair was falling in front of his face and he was wearing his signature jean jacket. Lastly, Dally was to the right of Pony, his hair heavily greased. He was wearing his brown leather jacket and his St. Christopher necklace. Darry was taken aback by how Pony had exactly captured Dally’s tough demeanor.
Dally must have thought this too because he muttered, “Shit kid. I think you win.”
“Yeah Pony. This is real good,” Darry added. He knew Pony was good at art, but seeing how much he improved shocked him.
Pony blushed and gave a sheepish grin. “Thanks.”
Dally was intently staring at the drawing, like he wanted to memorize every stroke of the pencils.
“Can I keep this?” he asked.
“Uh yeah, sure. If you really want,” Pony was slightly surprised.
Dally folded it neatly and slid it real carefully into his pocket.
“Alright, I'm heading out.” Dally stood up from the floor and headed towards the door. “Bye kid. Bye superman.”
“See ya Dallas,” Darry responded while heading to the kitchen, preparing to start dinner.
From the kitchen, Darry saw his kid brother grab Dallas’ hand just as he was about to leave.
“Gosh Dal, thanks for today!” Ponyboy grinned, his smile reaching his eyes.
Dally looked down at Pony and smirked. “Yeah, whatever kid. I’ll see ya around.”
Darry just silently watched while prepping the food, their interaction bringing a smile to his face.
Dally was walking down the street with Ponyboy and Johnny in front of him, excitedly talking about the movie they had just watched. It was one of those Paul Newman movies that Pony absolutely loved.
Dally couldn't help but think it was sweet the way Johnny would smile when Pony would talk about the movie, his eyes lighting up.
I need to take them to the drive in again some time soon, Dally thought. We rarely go anymore.
The sound of an engine rumbling and people laughing quickly interrupted his thoughts. A blue mustang pulled over and two soc's stepped out. One had hair so blond it was white, contradicting his dark green lettermen jacket. The other was taller with an abnormally long neck and was sneering at them.
Dally moved so that Pony and Johnny were behind him. He could see from his peripheral vision that Pony was trembling.
"What's up grease?" Blondie snarled, the word "grease" dripping with venom. "Why don't you move away so we can get those kids behind ya."
"Over my dead body," Dally snarled back, blocking Pony and Johnny from the soc's view even more with his body. He knew that they could stand their own in a fight, he was just worried because they were both so small for their ages and he couldn't stand to see them get hurt Darrel would bash his head in if his kid brother was injured. (Darrel was not one to be messed with.)
"Stop playing games. Move," giraffe barked– both of them were getting impatient.
Before Dally could react, giraffe lunged at him, punching him square in the face.
Dally quickly got up and gave a satisfying right hook to his nose, feeling the bone crack under his fist. He grinned at the satisfying sound. Giraffe fell and Dally wasted no time in climbing on top of him and socking him in the face. While doing so he spared a quick look at Pony and Johnny and was pleased to see them beating the hell out of Blondie.
In no time, the soc's were running back to their mustang, both of them leaving with blood on their faces and matching black eyes. Thankfully, Pony and Johnny didn't seem to be too roughed up, both of them were just panting hard. Dare he say that pride swelled in his chest, the kids did well.
So yes, Dallas Winston was without a doubt the toughest hood in Tulsa, and yes, he didn't care for anyone. However, as he watched Ponyboy throw a rock at the soc's mustang and Johnny flip them the bird he couldn't help but think,
Hell yeah. Those are my kids.