Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Soda woke up feeling off. If he was honest with himself, really it started sometime yesterday in the afternoon with a headache and general tiredness. He assumed he was just a little run down and it wasn’t worth mentioning, especially when Darry and Ponyboy were busy having some squabble over Pony’s test grades for god knows what time. Throughout dinner he kept his mouth shut aside from the occasional “ease up on him Darrel,” or “he’s just trying to help Pony,”and went to bed early in hopes that his head would be clearer in the morning. In the end it was just wishful thinking.

Throughout the night he couldn’t seem to get comfortable and he kept waking up from the sharp pain building in his head from pressure in his sinuses. He felt sickeningly warm to a feverish degree with Ponyboy pressed against his side, but Soda didn’t have the energy to move him or himself. Instead he begrudgingly accepted his sleepless fate and got what little rest he could.

Now Ponyboy was shaking him awake for work and it felt like his head was underwater. His head ached just as bad as ever but there was a new soreness in his muscles as he scrubbed the sleep from his face. Distantly he heard Darry and Two-Bit telling him to hurry up and he shooed the words away.

“I’m hurryin…I’m hurryin…” he muttered as he stumbled into the shower. He hoped the steam would help him feel a little better and a little more awake, but he was out and dressed before it could do much good. He watched the gang bounce around him as they ate breakfast, but Soda was too nauseated by the smell of eggs to stomach anything more than a glass of water. No one really seemed to notice though as they got ready for school and work.

In a haze he managed to stumble out to Darry’s truck and hop in the passenger seat with a sigh. The quiet was bliss out here compared to the cacophony of sound inside. He had about three seconds to pray he wasn’t coming down with something as he rubbed his temples before Darry was hopping in the driver seat.

“Soda? hey, you alright?” Soda heard Darry ask as a hand found its way to his shoulder. Soda nodded and straightened out a little.

“Yeah…just didn’t sleep too good last night.” He said, running a hand through his hair. It wasn’t often for him to have a bad night and wake up with a headache, but it wasn’t unheard of either. Maybe that’s all that it was. “Woke up with a headache, I’ll be alright by 10, I’m sure.” He flashed a tired smile at Darry who nodded and started up the car. The two drove in silence to the DX, which Soda was thankful for, he didn’t have the energy to talk much if he didn’t have to. He rolled down the window, letting the fresh air help clear his head some. It wasn’t much, but he would take what he could get. When they reached the gas station, Soda pushed back his hair again and took a deep breath.

“I’ll grab a ride home from Steve later.” He said with a smile. Darry nodded back.

“Alright, and hey, hope your head feels better little buddy.” The oldest Curtis called before he was driving off again. Soda unlocked the doors of the DX, silently begging the universe for the same thing as the bell chimed and the doors shut behind him.

Chapter Text

Soda could pray and hope as hard as he wanted, but the cold harsh reality that he was sick only became more and more clear the worse he felt. His headache refused to ease up, instead only making him feel lightheaded and a little nauseous every time he stood. By midday he was sure he was feverish with how cold and shaky he was, but still he tried to tough it out and just survive the next few hours of work. Business was slow today anyway, and all he had to do was man the front desk, even in his current state it was manageable.

When it came time for his break, he ate about half a sandwich before it started tasting sour in his mouth and he couldn’t stomach any more. He managed to find some aspirin in the first aid kit and downed two pills, but it only helped for an hour or two before every ache and pain came crashing back down on him.

The hours dragged on slowly as Soda sat at the front desk, staring at the clock. He could feel himself starting to nod off when the door chime startled him awake.

“Jesus, you look like shit, Soda.” Steve said hopping on the desk to get a better look at his friend. Soda glanced at the time, not even realizing it was already 3:00. “The hell happened to you? You sick?” Steve asked putting a hand to his friend’s forehead before pulling it away quick. “Jeez, yeah that’s a fever pal.” Soda pressed his palms into his eyes.

“I’ll be fine...” Soda croaked. “I’m just a little tired and I got this headache I can’t shake...”

“Soda, really, you don’t look too good. Why ain’t ya home in bed right now?” Steve asked with his voice starting to fill with worry, but Soda snorted.

“Trust me, ain’t no where else I’d rather be right now, but I made it this far, might as well get paid for a full day.” He said cracking a smile. “Besides, I ain’t got a ride anyhow. Darry’s got the truck, and Two-Bit’s got his P-O-S, which leave me stuck here with you till the end of your shift.” He added and rested his arms and head on the counter. Steve ran a hand through his hair.

“Yeah, but- what if- goddamnit…” Steve hissed as he tried and failed to come up with a solution. Eventually he sighed and patted Soda on the back. “Fine but take it easy for the rest of the day, alright? Glory, the last thing I need is to pick your ass off the floor because you fainted or something.” He grumbled. Soda smiled with a laugh and nodded. He felt a little more at ease knowing Steve had his back.

~~~~~~~~~~~

About three hours later the two boys were peeling out of the DX parking lot and heading back to the Curtis house. It wasn’t a long drive, but Soda couldn’t stop himself from closing his eyes and pressing his head against the cold window the moment he was in the car. He knew he probably looked as terrible as he felt but he didn’t care. Things really picked up after school let out, but Steve took care of most of the customers while Soda stocked shelves just to stay awake. Even with taking it easy, by the end of his shift Soda had barely been able to stand straight and Steve angrily fretted about how he should have just stayed home today. Soda wanted to tell him to lay off, but Steve was right. His body felt heavy and keeping his eyes open was a chore in itself, all he wanted to do was lie down and stop his muscles from screaming at him. Pretty soon someone was shaking his shoulder awake and he cracked his eyes open to look at Steve.

“Soda? Geez you’re shiverin. Hey pal, we’re here.” Steve said softly. Soda groaned and sat up as he rubbed his eyes, desperately trying to stay awake.

“Right…thanks for the ride.” He mumbled. “You stickin around for a while?” He asked as he opened the door.

“Nah, I better head out so you can get some rest, you gotta be exhausted man.” Soda gave a half hearted laugh in response as he slowly got out of the car to keep his head from spinning.

“Thanks.” Soda said.

“I’m gonna drive by Two-Bit’s place, see if he wants to catch a movie or something to keep him out of your hair tonight. I don’t think Dally or Johnny will be comin around to bother you neither. Oh, and if I see you at work tomorrow like this I’ll skin you.” Steve said pointing a finger at his friend.

“Don’t worry, hear ya loud and clear.” Soda said with a salute, and with that Steve sped off. Soda trudged up the porch steps and through the front door, squinting a bit at the harsh lighting inside. He let out a shaky sigh of relief as he kicked his shoes off and threw his DX over-shirt onto the arm of the couch. For a moment he considered settling down on the couch for a few minutes just to get off his feet, but he knew he wouldn’t be getting up any time soon if he did and he still wanted to wash off the cold sweat sticking to him like a parasite.

Deeper into the house, Darry was already cooking dinner with the radio on as he squabbled with Ponyboy over something. It didn’t take Soda long to piece together that Darry was trying to convince Pony to get his homework done early tonight. The idea of having to diffuse a Curtis argument right now made his head throb worse and he prayed it didn’t escalate too much. He shuffled to the kitchen, poking his head in the doorway.

“Hey y’all.” He said with a tired smile. Darry and Pony barley paused to greet their brother as he walked through to get to his room.

“How was work little man?” Darry called after him.

“Could have been better that’s for sure…Hey Dar, if you don’t need help with dinner I’m gonna take a shower, savy?” Soda said as he grabbed some clean PJs to change into and headed to the bathroom without waiting for a response. He couldn’t get his sweaty clothes off soon enough.

“Yeah, no problem. You got about 20 minutes before it’s done though.” Darry said.

“Mhm…” Soda hummed. “Hey Pony, that means about 20 minutes to get some homework done. It’s less you gotta do later so see what you can do.” He added as he shut the bathroom door behind him.

“Fine! I’m gettin to it!” He heard Pony call from the other side. Good, hopefully that was the end of the bickering tonight then. Soda set the clothes down on the counter and stared at himself in the mirror for a minute. As he had expected, he looked about as shitty as he felt. He looked flushed and tired with those dark bags underneath cloudy eyes. Glory, no wonder Steve was worried, he looked like a corpse. He opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out the aspirin, downing two more pills before hopping in the shower. He was shivering with chills as he peeled the sweaty clothes off of himself and forced his body to move enough to turn on the faucet.

He coughed a few times as the steam filled his lungs, but the heat was doing wonders for his aching muscles. He stood there for a few blissful minutes, letting the hot water run down his shoulders and back as the pain dulled for the first time all day. The only thing to break him out of his trance was a knock at the door.

“Soda, dinner’s ready!” Pony called from the other side. The mention of food only reminded Soda of the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he crawled out of the shower and changed all the same. When he opened the door, his headache seemed to return tenfold when he heard Darry and Ponyboy still bickering at the table. It was like the aspirin did nothing at all.

The conversation had shifted from homework to Thursday night plans. Pony insisted he just had to go to the movies with Johnny but Darry refused because it was a school night. Between the realization that his brothers wouldn’t be shutting up anytime soon, and the way the cold air of the hallway hit him after leaving the bathroom, Soda’s head was spinning worse than ever as he stumbled his way to the table. Both his brothers were too occupied with each other to pay him any mind as all three sat down.

To be honest Soda couldn’t follow most of the argument so he didn’t try to. He instead tried to focus on the food in front of him, but only managed a few bites before he was pushing food around his plate as the volume grew and grew around him. He turned and coughed a few times, but even that went unnoticed as his brothers hurled insults at each other. It felt like his head was splitting in two the louder and angrier they got and it was nauseating being stuck between them. He thought about just getting up and going to bed, but he was almost certain he’d pass out before he made it there and regrettably remained where he was.

“Hey guys…can you quiet down a little..?” He tried to ask. His feeble attempts had gone unheard as Pony and Darrel continued on.“Guys please…” Soda begged again holding his head, but his voice felt as weak as the rest of him. Again it went unheard.

“Soda, you tell him! At least you can get through his thick skull!” Darry suddenly yelled.

“No Soda, tell him he’s the unreasonable one here!” Pony shot back. Soda couldn’t take anymore.

“Shut it already! The both of you!” He yelled despite the pain it caused, pounding his fist on the table as he stood. Instant regret washed over him as his vision darkened and he clutched the table with a groan to keep himself steady. “I don’t…I don’t have it in me for this…” he croaked weakly as he shut his eyes and started shrinking in on himself. He felt so faint, he was sure he’d hit the ground like dead weight. Thankfully before that could happen, he felt himself being supported from both sides and he forced his eyes open just enough to see a concerned brother on either side of him.

“Soda, hey, hey take it easy little buddy, you don’t look so hot.” Darrel tried to comfort as he supported more of Soda’s weight, but he sounded shaken up.

“Soda, you okay?” Pony asked, clearly just as shaken as Darry if not more so. Soda didn’t respond, suddenly feeling all too aware that he was shivering again and weaker at the knees than he had been in a long time. He let his head relax against Darry’s shoulder as he took a shaky breath.

“Glory, he’s warm. Ponyboy, go grab the thermometer and a cold rag, I’m getting him to bed.” Darry said firmly, trying to take charge of the situation. Pony looked unsure between his two brothers but Darrel only held Soda closer. “I got him, don’t worry. Now go.” Pony nodded and headed off to the bathroom as Soda was practically dragged to bed. By the time they entered the room, it was obvious Soda was completely out of it. Darry pulled the sheets back and helped his little brother lay down, smoothing out his hair as he laid a hand on Soda’s forehead.

“Jesus, kid, when did you get this bad?” He said biting his lip. Soda curled up on his side with a groan, the shivers left him tense and sore as he pulled the sheets up higher.

“Got em!” Pony called as he ran in and sat down on the bed. He handed the thermometer to Darry and kept hold of a damp rag. “The aspirin was sitting on the counter, I think he already took some for his fever.” He added quietly. Darry nodded but kept his eyes on Soda as he leaned in close and ran a gentle hand over his cheek and hair.

“Pepsi-Cola? I need you to open up for me, okay? I gotta take your temp, you’re burning up.” He said in a tone so soft it was unrecognizable to Pony. Soda swallowed thickly and opened his mouth just enough for Darry to slot the thermometer between his lips.

“Golly, I don’t remember the last time Soda was this sick.” Pony said, fear sticking to his voice.

“I…I didn’t even know he was sick.” Darry admitted looking guilty. “Did he say anything to you?” He asked suddenly, turning to his youngest brother but Pony just shook his head.

“Nothing. I just thought he was tired this morning.”

“He mentioned a headache but I didn’t think- I never thought- damnit how could I have missed this?” Darry muttered angrily more to himself than anyone else. He pulled the thermometer from Soda’s lips and frowned. “102. I knew he felt too warm…” he said biting his lip again.

“What do we do..?” Ponyboy asked cautiously as he stared at his shivering brother. Soda’s face was twisted in pain as he struggled to find a comfortable position. Darry sighed and rubbed Soda’s back, hoping to relieve at least some of the pain.

“Set that cloth down on his forehead and we’ll let him rest for now.” He said confidently and Ponyboy followed his orders without complaint. “He said he didn’t sleep too good last night, I’m sure he could use some shuteye.” Soda started mumbling something, but Darrel only shushed him and washed the cloth over his cheeks. “Easy now, get some sleep, Soda.” He cooed. Soda did as he was told and settled down, falling asleep in a matter of seconds. Poor kid really was exhausted.

“We’ll check on him in a bit, but let’s let him sleep for a few. He needs it.” Darry whispered as he corralled Ponyboy out of the room, leaving Soda to some well needed sleep in the quiet room.

Chapter Text

The next time Soda woke up he felt disoriented and feverish. The last thing he remembered was Darry and Pony fighting in the kitchen, and it was getting pretty serious. He sat up in bed, groaning a little at the strain it put on his head and back. His head felt full of cotton as he looked towards the door, trying to will his stubborn aching body to move. Before he could get any farther though, a warm hand was on his chest, gently pushing him back down to the mattress.

“Hey hey, stay down little man. You shouldn’t be moving around too much.” A voice told him overhead. Soda groaned softly again as he blearily stared up at the dimly lit ceiling. He wasn’t strong enough to push the hand away, hell he wasn’t even strong enough to try.

“But Darry and Pony…” the words felt heavy in his mouth. “I gotta talk to Darry…I have to…to…”

“Hush up Soda, you need to sleep.” A second voice told him, but Soda shook his head. He felt so powerless. He was stuck here while Darry and Pony were probably still at each other’s throats.

“They been fightin all day…I gotta stop it…I have to…” his voice wavered as he closed his eyes and felt hot tears pricking at the corners. If he couldn’t get to his brothers, the fighting would just get worse and worse. He couldn’t let that happen, he just couldn’t. Suddenly the hand on his chest pulled away like it touched fire. After a few moments, a hesitant hand carded through his hair.

“Oh Sodapop…we’re pullin you apart…” the first voice whispered. Soda coughed weakly into the air, letting out a miserable whimper. There were more murmurs above before something cold and damp ran along his face and arms. It sent a chill down his spine and he shivered, yet it felt good against his clammy skin. He let himself relax again and was fast asleep before he even realized he was nodding off.

~~~~~~~~~

Darry and Pony sat there mortified for a moment. Time was ticking closer to midnight and this was the first time since putting him to bed that Soda spoke anything more than a grumble. He was delirious, and didn’t even seem to recognize that it was his brothers at his bedside, but the fear in his voice was clear and real. Even now his brow was creased with worry as he slept.

“They been fightin all day. I gotta stop it.” His weak voice looped in their minds as guilt consumed them. Suddenly it was all too obvious how they’d missed Soda’s condition. They’d been too busy fighting to even notice how sick their brother was, how could they let that happen? The more they thought about it, the more they realized Soda had been kind of pale when he got home from work, and it wasn’t like him to be so quiet at dinner. Darry swallowed down the lump in his throat as he kept carding through Soda’s hair.

“I’m sorry buddy, I’m…I’m so sorry…” Darry whispered to Soda, his voice shaky. Ponyboy looked at his oldest brother. He wasn’t crying, but he looked close to it. Ponyboy gently put a hand on Darry’s leg.

“Darry? I don’t wanna fight like that in front of Soda no more…” he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking too. “I’m sorry for yelling, I didn’t mean to, I-“

“Hey, baby it’s okay.” Darry comforted, patting Ponyboy’s hand. “I’m sorry too, I don’t wanna fight like that in front of Soda no more either. I think right now the best thing we can do for him is give him some peace and quiet, we owe him that much.” Ponyboy wiped his eyes. “He’ll bounce back quick once he gets some rest, don’t you worry bout that.” Ponyboy cracked a smile and nodded again. Darry smiled back and nodded towards the door before both boys filed out of the room.

“Guess he ain’t goin to work tomorrow.” Ponyboy said rubbing his neck. Darry huffed.

“Yeah and neither am I by the looks of it, someone’s gotta look after that knucklehead.” Ponyboy frowned.

“I could stay home with him if you need me to.” Darry ruffled his hair.

“It ain’t for you to worry about, I’m still the oldest around here and I say you still got school in the morning. I’ll take care of this, alright?” Ponyboy sighed and nodded again. The last thing he wanted was another fight with Darry.

“Hey Dar? You know it ain’t your fault Soda’s sick, right? If he told you he was tired this mornin he really did think he was just tired. He wouldn’t lie to you about somethin like this. I don’t think he started feelin real bad till later on.” Pony tried to comfort. Darry flashed him a thankful smile as his shoulders relaxed a little. Ponyboy hadn’t even noticed till then how tense his brother was.

“Ponyboy…” both boys heard Soda croak from the other room.

“Maybe you can just keep an eye on him till bed. Seems like he wants you.” Darry said. Ponyboy smiled and rushed back into the room while Darry got busy doing dishes in the kitchen.

Chapter Text

Soda woke up the next morning still groggy as strong hands hoisted him up to a sluggish sitting position. He groaned softly at the movement, hoping it would be enough to show his disapproval and whoever lifted him up could lie him back down so he could sleep some more, but no dice.

“C’mon buddy, you gotta drink a little something for me.” Darry’s low voice said as a glass was held to Soda’s mouth. Soda obeyed and took small sips of water until his head cleared a little and the glass was pulled from his lips. He turned away from Darry and coughed before turning back with a dull stare. Darry just smiled and rubbed his back. “Hey there Sodapop, how ya feelin?” He said softly. Soda scanned his face, noticing the dark bags under his eyes.

“Dar, you look tired…” Soda rasped as he reached out and touched Darry’s cheek for a second before his hand fell back down to his sheets. He was still a little too out of it to realize just how rough his voice had gotten, but Darry heard it loud and clear and couldn’t help but grimace at how painful it sounded to talk. “Did you sleep..?” The words slurred together as one big mumble and it was a small miracle Darry understood any of it.

“Yeah I got some, don’t worry bout me.” Darry assured him with a tired smile. “You just…weren’t all there last night. And your fever had us a little spooked for a minute there. Pony and I took turns keepin an eye on you.” He added and massaged Soda’s shoulders. Soda scanned the rest of the room, finally noticing how quiet and how bright it was in the house.

“What time is it..?” He asked. Darry shrugged.

“Around 10:00 probably? Maybe a little later. You slept like a rock after Steve picked up Ponyboy for school. He asked how you were feelin too.” Soda sat still for a moment like a realization had just hit him and turned back to Darry with fear in his glassy eyes. He tensed up and shook his head, grabbing at Darry’s shirt.

“Wait…No, Darrel, you should be at work, we can’t both call out today. You shouldn’t have-“

“Hey hey, take it easy, you still got a fever remember? We don’t need it to spike again because you got yourself all worked up.” Darry said sitting down next to his brother and wrapped an arm around him before he could start spiraling. Soda was still tense but he leaned into Darry’s side and closed his eyes, feeling a little lightheaded from all the excitement.

“I didn’t even call my boss this mornin…God he’s gonna skin me tomorrow...” he muttered.

“No he ain’t, I called him before Ponyboy left for school and explained everything. He said you weren’t lookin so good yesterday anyway and agreed it was best you stayed home. Sounded real worried about ya.” Soda shivered and hugged himself tight.

“You should be at work…if both of us are home that means-“

“You leave the worrying to me, alright? I’ve been holding on to a sick day in case something like this happened. Even if I didn’t, making sure you were okay was more important, Sodapop. We’ll be alright.” Darry said as he started stroking Soda’s hair. Soda was quiet for a few seconds before he let his shoulders drop a little and he relaxed more into Darry’s side.

“Dar…Last night, you and Pony-“

“Soda, don’t.” Darrel cut him off hard. “Don’t you go worrying about that either. We patched things up, but we shouldn’t have gotten you in the middle of that in the first place. God, I should have realized how sick you were yesterday morning but I was too busy screamin at our kid brother over a stupid movie.” Darry hugged Soda a little tighter. “I’m so sorry Soda. We talked it over, and we ain’t gonna do that to you anymore.” Soda finally relaxed completely with a sigh of relief. It felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest. Even if Soda knew the chances of that promise sticking were slim, maybe it would at least get them to quiet down once in a while. Maybe that was enough for now.

“You really do look tired, Dar…Sound it too…” Soda said again, burying his head into his brother’s chest. Darry only chuckled and carded through Soda’s hair again.

“Bold words comin from you little man.” He joked.

“I mean it…I don’t wanna get you sick too cause you were run down…we can’t both be down for the count here.”

“Golly you talk a lot when you’re sick.” Darry said. Soda shrank into his older brother a little more, it felt good being hugged like this. “I promise you I’m doin just fine. I just need you back on your feet, then we’ll both sleep like kings, savy?” Soda chucked and nodded, but was soon coughing again, feeling a pang in his lungs with each one. It left him dizzy again.

“I’m still dead tired Dar…I could sleep the day away...” He muttered.

“First lets get you something to eat while I got you awake, alright? No way I’m letting you take anymore meds on an empty stomach.” Soda cringed at the mention of food. The dull ache in his stomach remained ever present and his throat felt like sandpaper when he swallowed, but Darry was never one to take no for an answer.

“Maybe just somethin simple? Like peanut butter toast or somethin?” He asked meekly. Darry gave him one last hug before letting go and propping Soda back against the wall.

“Sounds good kid. I’ll be back in a few then. Rest up in the meantime.” Darry said and was out the door, whistling all the way to the kitchen.

Soda laid back down in bed and closed his eyes. His head never fully stopped throbbing, but the pressure wasn’t as intense as before. His limbs also still ached so bad it was a struggle to move and his sore throat wasn’t doing him any favors, but he probably felt better than he had in days. For once things were quiet and everything was alright. No fighting, no yelling, no picking sides, just blissful silence. Just for today, all he had to worry about was getting some sleep. He could live with that.