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Dallas was always a light sleeper, so when he heard scampering at his door, he jolted up. Had Tim broken in? He'd been wary around him for a few days. He'd been messing around and stole Curly's cigarettes the other day and had just been waiting for Tim to figure it out.
He sighed and got out of bed, opening the door and preparing to get his jaw broken. Instead, he was met with the eyes of Johnny Cade.
Dally glanced at the clock. It was around eleven.
"Old man give it to you again?" Dallas sighed as he ushered him in, closing the door behind him. Johnny hummed and stumbled in like a clumsy fawn. Dally's eyes narrowed.
"Somethin' like that." Johnny mumbled.
"…Johnnycakes, are you fuckin' drunk?" Dallas asked after a beat.
"I think." He slurred.
Dallas learned on the door and watched him fumble around for a second. He tried to figure out how this happened, and couldn't wrap his head around it. Dally made it known to everyone, even Tim that if they laid a hand on the kid, they'd wish they were dead. They knew better than to offer the kid a drink without Dallas there.
"Alright, alright, quit fumblin' around before you break my shit." Dallas scoffed, leading him over to the bed and sitting him down. Dallas noticed some blood on his clothes, and the more he looked around the more he found. "The fuck happened?"
"My uh- my old man beat on me again but-" Johnny smiled. "What else is new? S-so I thought it would help to uh… to drink somethin'. Take the edge off or whatever you say… But my… he saw me and gave me the entire bottle instead of the- the one shot I was gonna take." He blinked slowly.
"Yeah, alright." Dallas cursed under his breath and went into his drawers to find some new clothes for the kid. He found a black T-shirt that would be a bit big, but whatever. He threw it over onto the bed. "You think you got your head screwed on enough to get that on, kid?"
Johnny whined but nodded. He took his jacket and white shirt off and they fell to the ground. Dallas ended up needed to help him get the shirt on, but he expected that in all fairness.
"Why do they hate me so much?" Johnny slurred. Dallas was a little taken aback at how direct his voice was. He'd never actually seen the kid intoxicated. He got drunk all the time but he didn't really want to let Johnny.
He didn't say it out loud, but he didn't want the kid to go down the same path he did. In the cooler all the time, getting in fights, the works. He was too good for that. Dally hoped he'd get out of Tulsa with Ponyboy. Though, at the same time he selfishly didn't. he tried not to think about it.
"Dal?" Johnny asked again, wanting an actual answer.
"Oh uh-" Dallas stammered. He wasn't good at this. "I don't know, Johnny. They're assholes."
He didn't know what else to say. The kid wasn't gonna remember any of this in the morning.
"Did I do somethin'?" He asked hopelessly. "Maybe I deserve it."
"No." Dally said sharply. "It ain't you. It was never you, so stop with that. Don't-" Dally pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "Don't give me that. You know it ain't true. Your folks beat on ya because they ain't got nothin' else in their lives. They're pathetic pieces of shit, but that got nothin' to do with you."
Johnny took in the words and just hummed.
"'Sides." Dallas continued. "Curtis's actually give a rats ass abouts ya. Ain't like you're alone."
"And you."
Dally didn't respond to that, but didn't shoot it down either.
"Thanks, Dal." He mumbled.
"Yeah, whatever. Don't get all sappy on me." Dally shut down, patting him on the leg. "Stay here for a sec."
Thank God Dallas decided to just spend the night at his dads place instead of heading to Bucks. His old man hadn't showed in days, and he wasn't complaining. Dally figured it was safe for the night and since Johnny was here, he hoped he was right.
He headed into the kitchen and reached into the cabinet and grabbing a cup. He filled it with tap water and headed back into his room. He realized as he walked in that Johnny must have let himself in and found Dally's room himself.
Huh.
"How'd you know I was here anyway?"
"I went to Bucks first." Johnny mumbled. "Said you were here and I f-figured your old man won't- wouldn't be home."
Dallas exhaled and handed Johnny the water. "Drink this and don't spill it on my rug."
It occurred to him then he should probably get something for the kid to throw up in. He got up and went into the kitchen again, grabbing the largest bowl he could find. Johnny hadn't drank anything since he left.
"You need to throw up?" Dallas asked incrediously.
"Maybe." Johnny muttered weakly. He sounded like a little kid at that moment, and Dallas couldn't help but laugh a little. He took the glass out of Johnny's hand and set it on his nightstand so he didn't get water everywhere.
He placed the bowl next to Johnny and almost immidetly he began to puke. Dallas looked away— more so to give the kid privacy than anything— and looked back when the noise stopped.
"Ya done?" Dallas asked.
Johnny went to say something but turned back to the bowl and continued instead. Dallas rolled his eyes and fully left the room for a good two minutes before coming back.
"If you're still hurlin' I'm kicking you to the curb." Dallas warned as he came back in. Johnny's mouth twitched.
"I'm done, I think."
"Feel better?"
"Little." He shrugged. "Still weird."
"Yeah, well bein' drunk does that." Dallas sighed. He grabbed the glass of water and handed it to him. "Drink this while I go clean up you're mess." He spat, though kept a playful tone.
"Sorry." Johnny mumbled. Dally rolled his eyes and just grabbed the bowl, heading to the bathroom. He washed it out in the bathtub, not making much of an effort to clean the bottom of it. Not like he came around here often, and as far as he could tell, neither did his Old man. Though, if he did, he deserved to be met with this.
Dallas didn't have a problem with puke. He'd been in enough bar bathrooms to know the smell and was immune to it, and seeing it wasn't any different.
He came back with the bowl just in case and Johnny had drinken half the cup.
"When was the last time you showered, kid?" Dally asked.
"I dunno what I had for breakfast, dal."
He huffed. "Probably nothin'."
"Not this time. I- I went to Curtis's."
Dallas hummed. He outta pay Mrs. Curtis a visit. She was probably getting worried about him.
"Pancakes?"
Johnny hummed an affirmative.
"Did you eat breakfast, Dally?" Johnny challenged. This kid was brave while drunk, huh.
"You know the answer to that."
"You should eat more." Johnny said bluntly.
"I eat plenty. Breakfast just ain't my thing."
"It's the most important meal of the day." Johnny shurgged, grinning.
"God, you sound like Two-bit."
"I stole it from him." Johnny admitted.
"Figured." Dallas huffed. "You like orange juice?"
"What?"
He rolled his eyes. "Orange juice. You like it?"
Johnny blinked slowly. "I guess?"
Dallas nodded.
"Why?"
"You're gonna have a helluva hangover in the mornin', and shit like that can help. That and water. Drink more water." He put the cup back in Johnny's hand. He chugged the rest of it. "I got some aspirin but I might run to the store to get ya the stuff."
"'s fine, Dal."
Dallas exhaled. "No, it ain't. You're wasted off your ass."
"I ain't that bad."
"You could barely walk into the room." Dally deadpanned.
Johnny didn't grant him a response to that one.
"Yeah, that's what I thought." Dallas grinned.
Johnny's eyes drooped, and he only looked half there. Dallas huffed.
"You tired?"
"No." He lied.
Dallas rolled his eyes. "Lie down, dipshit."
Dally took his shoes and belt off him and threw them to the other side of the room.
"Where will you sleep?" Johnny fretted.
"Don't worry about it." Dally shrugged. He went to say something else but Johnny was already knocked out.
Dally slept on the floor last night. It wasn't that bad. Wasn't any different than sleeping on benches like he used to do sometimes. Honestly it was better since he wasn't at will of the elements.
He woke up quickly when Johnny stirred. Dally sat up and rubbed his eyes, glancing at his bed.
Johnny was awake, but clutching the covers tightly.
"Alright, relax." Dally said in a low tone. "Let me get you some pain medicine and that juice. Bowls on the floor."
"What?"
Dally rubbed his eyes. "Do you not remember anything?"
Of course he didn't, he was wasted last night.
"Am I sick?" He asked, concerned.
"You're hungover, Johnnycakes." Dally said. "Let me get you some water and pain medicine, and I'll go out and get you some orange juice. If you gotta puke, use that bowl. Don't need any more reasons for my Old Man to hollar at me."
"What happened?" Johnny asked.
"Don't worry about it. Try to go back to sleep if ya can."
Johnny wined and layed back down. Dally grabbed the glass of water that they used last night and figured it was good enough. He took it to the sink and began to fill it with water. He came back and placed it on the nightstand, into his drawer and grabbing pain medicine.
He nudged Johnny. "Here, take this."
He whinced but took the drugs in his hand. Dally handed him the water and he downed the pills and half the cup.
"There ya go. Think you can handle by yourself for a few minutes?"
"Sure." He mumbled.
"I can take you to The Curti-"
"I'll be okay, Dal."
Dally sighed. "Alright."
Dally didn't exactly get the juice legally but Johnny wouldn't care. Dally also doubted he'd ask questions.
He got back as quickly as he could and went into the kitchen. He grabbed a different cup and filled it half in half with juice and water.
He brought it into his room and found water had been thrown up into the bowl. He didn't bat an eye and set the cup on the counter.
"If you think you can, drink this. It might help. Ya should get some food in your system as well, but I won't make you yet."
Johnny whined and moved closer to Dallas, side hugging him. Dallas froze, unsure of how to respond to it. He awkwardly patted Johnnys arm.
"Thanks, Dally."
"Yeah, whatever." He muttered. "Hey uh, do me a favor?"
Johnny let go and looked up at him.
"Maybe… Don't bring this up to Mrs. Curtis."
Johnny grinned a little. "Okay."
Dallas patted his back and got up. "Let me get you somethin' to eat."