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“Let me see it, Stevie,” Two-Bit begged, pushing himself off from leaning against Steve’s truck to try and grab the shiny new object in Steve’s hands.
“Lay off, Two-Bit,” Steve grumbled, shoving Two-Bit away from him. He threw Two-Bit a glare. Ponyboy rolled his eyes at the two of them as he stood to Steve’s right, smoking his third cigarette in the last half hour. He should really cut down on how much he was smoking, he thought. He knew he should. It wasn’t good for him, and Darry was always on his ass about it. He brought the cigarette to his lips once again as he mulled over his thoughts. The three of them had just gotten back from school, Ponyboy fetching a ride home with Steve, and Two-Bit doing the same with his car out of commission and what not. Usually, Ponyboy would be in and starting on his homework as soon as he got home, but he had an English assignment he was dreading. He was going to drag his feet with it for as long as he could.
“Aw, c’mon Steve, why’d you mention it if you’re not even gonna show us?” Two-Bit whined, crossing his arms over his chest. Steve ignored him, pulling out his pack of smokes and bringing a cigarette to his lips. Two-Bit scoffed in disbelief as Steve lit up. What had crawled up his ass today? Two-Bit knew he got into it with some Socs today at school, but he had no idea why Steve was so hung up about it. He thought his mood had turned around on their way to the Curtises’ place when Steve mentioned his new blade he had gotten recently. He had been saving up for a mighty fine one he had been eyeing for months, and he finally bit the bullet and got it. Two-Bit just wanted to see the damn thing, Steve brought it up for god’s sake, why the hell was he acting like a child over it?
“You’re a real piece of work, you know that Steve?” Two-Bit mumbled, leaning back up against Steve’s truck. Steve pocketed his lighter after lighting up and while he was at it, fetched his shiny new white blade. Pony eyed it out of the corner of his eye. It was nice, Pony gave him that. You could tell it was pricey with its shiny white handle, Steve must have been saving up for a long time.
“Oh-wee! That’s a mighty fine blade, Steve! You had to have paid top dollar for that thing,” Two-Bit exclaimed, leaning off Steve’s car once again, his attention fully on the blade. Steve smirked as he turned it around in his hand, the sunlight gleaming off the handle. He popped out the blade and held it up to his face, looking it over.
“Wasn’t cheap, that’s for sure,” Steve mumbled around his cigarette, passing the blade over to his right hand. He grabbed his cigarette with his left and let out a breath of smoke.
“Man, wait until the Socs see this, they ain’t gonna wanna touch you,” Two-Bit said, chuckling to himself. He reached out for Steve’s right hand holding the blade. Steve sent him a glare from the corner of his eye as he moved the blade further away from Two-Bit.
“Ohhhh-ho-ho,” Two-Bit drew out. He saw Steve’s actions as a challenge. He lunged for Steve once more, Steve’s left hand shooting out towards Two-Bit’s chest as he tried to keep him at bay. Meanwhile, his right hand shot further up and away from Two-Bit’s wandering hands. Steve realized too late that the blade had cut something that hadn’t been the air. There was a sharp intake of breath from his right. Steve and Two-Bit whipped their heads towards the noise. Ponyboy’s cigarette dropped to the ground as his hand came up to the side of his neck. Blood immediately started making its way between Pony’s fingers.
“Holy shit,” Two-Bit said, by Ponyboy’s side immediately. He threw his hand over Ponyboy’s, putting more pressure on the kid’s neck. Ponyboy’s mouth hung open, in shock as to what had just happened.
“Woah, Pony, hey, can you look at me?” Two-Bit uttered, putting his hand under Ponyboy’s chin to get the kid to look at him. Steve stood there in shock, unsure of how to react. His still burning cigarette now lay on the ground. Ponyboy looked at Two-Bit, panic written across his features. He was scared to take a breath.
“Hey, you’re okay, it’s not even that bad, alright?” Two-Bit snuck a glance at the bloody situation he had his hand over. It wasn’t looking good. “Hey, breathe for me, Pony, we don’t need you passin’ out,” Two-Bit said, patting Ponyboy’s cheek. Ponyboy nodded hesitantly and took a sharp breath in.
“Damn it, Steve, do somethin’! Go get some towels, I don’t know, somethin’!” Two-Bit yelled at Steve, knocking him out of his trance. Steve cursed and nodded, making his way to the house, snuffing out the two burning cigarettes lying on the ground while he was at it. They didn’t need a fire breaking out on top of everything. He ran into the house, quickly trying to figure out what he could use to staunch the blood coming out of the kid. His eyes landed on a blanket draped across the couch. That’ll have to do, Steve thought. Steve was sure Soda and Darry wouldn’t mind the blanket getting ruined to save their brother’s life. He ran back out of the house and back towards Two-Bit and Ponyboy, both of whom were now on the ground. Steve thrusted the blanket in Two-Bit’s face.
“Okay, Pony, I’m gonna remove my hand and put this blanket over your neck, alright? I’m gonna need you to move your hand too, okay?” Two-Bit said, trying to sound as calm as possible as to not spook the kid. Ponyboy slowly shook his head in understanding. Tears lined his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Two-Bit removed his hand and made a grab for Ponyboy’s hand, clutching it with a death grip as Pony removed it. Two-Bit quickly replaced their hands with the blanket. It hadn’t been as bad as Steve had anticipated. No squirting as soon as they removed their hands, which is what he expected. Just blood, and a lot of it. Two-Bit kept Ponyboy’s hand in his as he held the blanket against his neck. Steve shifted his weight, unsure of what to do with himself in the situation. He wasn’t much good at comforting people, especially when it came to the kid.
“Alright, I’m just gonna take a look, alright, Pony?” Two-Bit said, meeting Ponyboy’s eyes and making sure to get a nod of approval before he continued. He slowly removed the blanket and moved so he could get a closer look. Steve inched forward as well. It wasn’t actually too bad, from what Two-Bit could see, just a cut, a pretty big one at that, it was just bleeding a whole lot. Didn’t seem too deep and didn’t look like it would need stitches, he thought, which was good news for them.
“It’s not even that bad, Pony, what did I tell you?” Two-Bit said, smiling in relief and reapplying the blanket. He squeezed Pony’s hand as Pony sighed in relief and nodded. The fact that the kid hadn’t said anything was scaring Steve.
“Alright, what do you say we go inside and clean you up? You down for that? Think you can walk okay?” Two-Bit said, once again waiting for a nod of approval from Ponyboy. Upon receiving it, he made a move to get up and helped Ponyboy up as well. Ponyboy swayed as soon as he stood up, which caused Steve to launch himself forward, arms out, ready to catch the kid if he were to fall. Ponyboy shook his head softly and shook Steve off. Two-Bit threw his arm around Ponyboy’s shoulders as they made their way inside.
The adrenaline coursing through the veins of the three of them was dying down as Two-Bit bandaged Ponyboy up in the bathroom and Steve sat dormant in the living room. Hisses of pain could be heard through the doorway of the bathroom followed by mumbled apologies from Two-Bit. Steve was just glad they had finally gotten the kid to stop bleeding so much and gotten some words out of him. He sat leaned back on the couch, arms crossed over his chest and legs going a mile a minute, unable to keep still as his mind raced with guilt. Man, he was such a moron, waving around his blade like that with the kid so close. If he had been a little closer, had knicked the kid a little harder, the situation could have been so much worse. He didn’t even want to think about the conversation with Darry and Soda. He groaned as he buried his head in his hands.
“Alright, Stevie boy, what do you say we start plannin’ out your funeral?” Two-Bit said as he waltzed into the living room, Ponyboy following him. His neck sported numerous strips of gauze all nailed down by surgical tape, all of which had to have been in the Curtises’ first aid kit for years. It was quite the sight to see. Steve removed his hands from his face and threw Two-Bit a glare that could melt concrete. Two-Bit just laughed as he popped a squat next to Steve on the couch, hitting him on the arm.
“Aw, c’mon Two-Bit, it was just an accident,” Ponyboy said, voice hoarse as he threw himself into Darry’s recliner. “Or was it…?” Ponyboy gave Steve a side glance and then chuckled.
“If you guys don’t shut the hell up…,” Steve grumbled, sitting up and grabbing his pack of smokes off the coffee table.
“Listen, we don’t even have to tell Darry and Soda…,” Ponyboy trailed off, shrugging as he leaned back in the recliner. For how scared the kid was when Steve initially knicked him, he was a hell of a lot calmer now. Must be coming down from his adrenaline rush. It pissed Steve right off.
“Unless you’ve got a bunch of turtlenecks lying around that I don’t know about, that ain’t happenin’ Pony,” Two-Bit said, chuckling. Steve rolled his eyes as he’d had enough of the two of them. He pushed himself off the couch and made his way to the porch to smoke. Darry and Soda would be getting home any minute now, Steve might as well wait around for them and try to explain the situation before they got inside and saw their brother all cut up. Man, he was going to be hearing it from Soda.
“Don’t worry too much about Steve, Pony, he just feels guilty is all,” Two-Bit said, patting Ponyboy’s knee. Ponyboy closed his eyes and nodded. He was mighty tired after everything that had happened. He had been terrified for his life when he felt the blade slice his neck. He thought for sure he would bleed out within minutes. He doesn’t know what he would have done if Two-Bit hadn’t been there to take charge and calm him down. Steve had just froze in the moment, shock written across his features. He’s lucky it wasn’t worse than what it was, Ponyboy thought, he’s sure his brothers wouldn’t have been too happy with Steve accidentally killing their kid brother.
“I said I forgave him,” Ponyboy mumbled, irritated that he had to be the bigger person and tell Steve it was okay that he almost killed him while Steve hadn’t once uttered an apology.
“I know, Pony, but you know Steve. He’s kind of… I don’t know… emotionally constipated,” Ponyboy scrunched up his nose at Two-Bit’s use of words. “I can’t even imagine how bad he feels. Plus, if it makes you feel any better, he’s gonna get chewed out by Soda and Darry pretty soon here,” Two-Bit said, motioning to the door with his head as the headlights of Darry’s truck shone through the window, lighting up the living room. Ponyboy cringed at the idea of his brothers yelling at Steve. He tensed up as he heard their car doors slam. He heard Soda yell out a greeting to Steve, followed by a “what’s up?” when Steve didn’t answer him.
“Oh god, here we go,” Ponyboy said, putting his hand on his forehead. He listened as Steve tried to explain the situation, all the while failing to tell them that Ponyboy was fine. Should have started with that, Steve, Ponyboy thought as Soda burst through the front door.
“Pony?!” He exclaimed, eyes darting around the room to find his brother. He crossed the room in a matter of seconds when his eyes fell upon Ponyboy. Darry burst in soon after, freezing once he crossed the threshold. His eyes were focused on something by the bathroom door, and he paled. Two-Bit followed his eyes. He cringed inwardly when he realized that Darry was staring at the blood-stained blanket that Two-Bit had discarded outside the bathroom. Well, shit, should have done something about that, he thought.
“Shit, Pony, are you okay?” Soda asked, hands on Ponyboy’s face, moving his head gently so he could see the bandage along Ponyboy’s neck. Ponyboy swatted his hands away.
“I’m fine, Soda, it’s not even that bad. It’s just a cut,” Ponyboy said, sighing at his brother’s reaction. Soda brushed his brother’s comment off, and his hands went back to Ponyboy’s face.
“Jesus, how big is it? Why didn’t you guys take him to the hospital?” Soda questioned, fully taking in what he was seeing. Darry eyed Two-Bit for an answer as he inched his way closer towards his brothers.
“It wasn’t bad enough of a cut that it needed stiches,” Two-Bit reassured, “I made sure to clean it up for him. You know, disinfect it, wrap it, the works.”
“What the hell is that, then?” Darry hissed, pointing to the bloody blanket by the bathroom. Soda followed his finger and gasped when he saw it. Ponyboy sighed next to them.
“Alright, alright, yeah, I understand, listen, it looks worse than it was,” Two-Bit said, putting his hands up in defense. “The cut just bled somethin’ awful. Don’t worry, don’tcha think we would have taken him to the hospital if it was bad enough?” Ponyboy nodded and averted his eyes to his brothers, trying to make them understand.
“Yeah, really, it wasn’t all that bad. Two-Bit took care of it and it’s fine now,” Ponyboy said, wanting so desperately to get this conversation over with. He didn’t really want to talk about this anymore, it was over, and he just wanted to get started on his homework.
“Yeah, I’ll believe that when I see this little “cut” of yours,” Darry mumbled, patting Soda’s shoulder as he motioned him to move so he could get a closer look. He mirrored Soda’s previous actions and moved Ponyboy’s head so he could see the now bandaged wound. Ponyboy made an inaudible noise as he huffed and shoved Darry’s hands away as well, now fed up with the situation. He made a move to get up.
“Listen, it’s fine, I’m fine, let’s just move on,” Ponyboy huffed, storming off to the bathroom. Darry sighed as Ponyboy slammed the door. Soda stood up and made his way back out to the porch, probably to give Steve a piece of his mind.
“How bad was it, Two-Bit?” Darry asked, running his hand through his hair. He looked over at Two-Bit.
“It wasn’t pretty. As soon as Steve cut him, Ponyboy started freaking out. It was scary, Darry, I thought he would bleed out for sure, there was so much blood,” Two-Bit said, shaking his head as he remembered what had went down just hours ago. Darry’s jaw tightened as he listened. “I think he’s still pretty spooked about the whole thing. Not to mention Steve has been a dick about it, won’t say a word to Ponyboy and he hasn’t apologized or nothin’.” Darry shook his head.
“I’m gonna kill him,” he mumbled, glaring at the door as Soda’s raised voice could be heard just faintly outside. “He coulda killed Pony. It could have been so much worse, it could have-,” he cut himself off as he was getting too carried away with his anger. He took a deep breath in and wringed his hands together. It could have been so much worse. If Steve had a little more pep in his step when he swiped at Ponyboy or if he sliced him a little farther to the left… Darry didn’t even want to think about it.
“But he didn’t. Look, I know you guys are angry, but Steve’s already been beatin’ himself up about it,” Two-Bit said, trying to de-escalate the situation.
“Good,” Darry said, getting up and making his way to the bathroom. He knocked on the door.
“Pone?” he asked. He received no answer. “I’m comin’ in.” He made his way into the bathroom, Ponyboy sitting on the toilet, his head in his hands. He sniffed as Darry walked in and his hands frantically moved in an effort to wipe away his tears. Darry’s heart dropped as he realized his little brother was crying.
“Oh, Pone, baby, it’s okay,” he said, making his way over and rubbing his brother’s back. He was never as good at this as Soda was.
“It’s not even that big of a deal, Dar, everything’s fine,” Ponyboy said, his voice cracking as he finished. Darry got onto the ground and kneeled in front of Ponyboy. He grabbed Ponyboy’s wrists.
“I know everything’s fine, Ponyboy, but that’s not the point. The point is it could have been so much worse. I realize it was an accident on Steve’s part, but it was an accident that could have costed you your life if it had been worse,” Darry said, trying to meet Ponyboy’s eyes. “Do you understand that?” Ponyboy just sniffled.
“He didn’t even say sorry,” Ponyboy chuckled as he wiped at his eyes again. Darry pulled Ponyboy into a hug, bringing his hand up to cup the back of Ponyboy’s head. He rubbed his brother’s back in comfort.
“Oh trust me, he will,” Darry reassured. Ponyboy felt the vibration of his words as he lay his head on Darry’s chest. The events from the day hit him again, and he broke down once again as Darry held him.
“I’m sorry, Dar, I was just so scared. I was bleeding so much,” Ponyboy choked out. Darry held him tighter and shushed him.
“Don’t you apologize for this, it’s not your fault, it’s okay.” He was trying his best to make Ponyboy feel better, but he didn’t know how to make it better for him. The kid was just shaken up, which was obvious at the vulnerability he was showing Darry currently. Soda suddenly appeared at the bathroom door.
“Oh, Pone,” he said, joining his two brothers in the bathroom. He rubbed Ponyboy’s back as he kissed the top of his head. Ponyboy removed himself from Darry’s arms and switched to hugging Soda instead. Darry tried not to get hurt by his actions; he understood that Soda was Pony’s safe space. Didn’t make it hurt any less. Darry stood back up, moving to make his way out of the bathroom and give the two their privacy.
“Throw that blanket out, will ya Darry?” Soda said as Darry stopped at the doorway. Darry nodded in understanding. A wave of nausea hit him as he looked at the blanket once again. He swallowed and picked it up. His fists clenched around the thing and he stormed past Two-Bit who now had the TV on in the living room, turned down real low. The front door slammed behind him as he made eye contact with Steve who was sitting on the porch, smoking the last of his cigarette butt. Steve immediately averted his eyes. Darry walked past him, out to the trash can, and threw the blanket out. He slammed the lid back on.
“Listen, Darry, I’m so sorry…,” Steve began as Darry made his way back onto the porch.
“I’m not the one you should be sayin’ sorry to,” Darry said, fists clenched at his side. Steve swallowed and nodded, looking at the ground once again.
“Yeah, yeah, okay,” Steve said, at a loss for words. He had already been chewed out by Soda, and now he had to hear it from Darry too. Soda, he could handle. Darry, not so much.
“Do you realize how bad this could have been, Steve?” Darry asked. Steve grinded his cigarette into the ash tray. Steve nodded.
“Yeah, yeah, I do,” he responded, once again meeting Darry’s eyes. Darry just shook his head.
“You are one lucky son of a bitch, Steve,” Darry grumbled as he yanked the front door back open and headed back inside. Steve let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. His breath sped up a little faster as he held back his tears. Jesus, it’s fine, Steve, buck up, he thought. The kid’s fine, you got chewed up and spit out by Soda and Darry, move on. It was going to take a while for things to get back to normal and blow over. They always worked things out, it would be fine. He rubbed his palms on his jeans as he let out a breath. Well, he better start with apologizing to the kid, he thought, as he stood up and made his way back into the house.