Work Text:
“Come on, it's not even that high up.” Curly sneered, elbowing Pony in the ribs. “If you're chicken just say so.”
Pony looked at him, indignant. “If you think it's so safe, then I dare you to climb all the way up.”
Curly shrugged, starting to climb. “Fine, but if I make it all the way up, you owe me a Dr. Pepper.”
Pony rolled his eyes. “Whatever, you weirdo. Just don't break your neck.”
Curly flashed him a sharp grin, easily scaling the post. “See?” He called down. “Now you owe me-”
Curly shouted as he lost his footing on the telephone pole, throwing his arms out to catch himself.
CRACK!
He screamed before the pain even registered in his brain, Pony rushing to his side. “Curly, oh my god.” Pony sputtered, staring at his arm. He turned to look, but Pony grabbed him by his jaw, forcing him to look at his face. “Don't look. I'm gonna get Tim, and it's gonna be fine.”
Curly barely registered the words over the firm hand on his face. He sat up, reaching to touch his arm, but Pony smacked his hand away. “You don't want to do that.”
He knew he probably looked an absolute mess, pale and wide-eyed. So much for being a tuff hood.
His arm throbbed uncomfortably, and his eyes slid to look, but Pony leaned in, grasping him tighter. “C'mon Curly, I said don't look.” He murmured insistently.
Curly's heart did a rude little flip in his chest. Terrible timing, but Pony looked so serious, green eyes filled with worry. Lordy, was he pretty when he was a bit upset.
“Is it bad?” He asked quietly, voice trembling slightly. Aw man, he wasn't gonna cry, not now. Pony winced. “I think you'll be okay, really. It's just… not pretty.”
Pony let go of his face, sitting back. Instinctively, Curly tried to look at his arm again, the stupid thing hot and throbbing something fierce, but Pony grabbed him by the jaw, sandwiching his face between both of his hands.
“Curly, I mean it. You're gonna be fine. Just breathe, man.” Curly nodded absently, feeling the heat radiating from the other boy's face. He could see every detail of Pony's face here, and he felt his heart rate pick up. Oh. Oh no.
Pony had always been attractive, anybody with eyes could tell you that, but the nerves in his head must not have been connecting right because he was sure that Ponyboy Curtis was the hottest guy he'd ever seen right then.
Luckily, Pony must have attributed whatever gross expression he must have been making right then to be pain. “I'm gonna help you, we're gonna move you real careful, so you're not in too much pain.”
“Okay.” He muttered, leaning into his touch. Pony squeezed his face gently. “Don't look at your arm.” He stood up, looking down at Curly. “Ready?”
Curly nodded, and took Pony's outstretched hand. He hissed, swaying on his feet as he was pulled up, his arm grinding together terribly. Before he could turn his head, Pony caught him again.
“I'm sorry, I know. Let's get Tim, okay?” Curly leaned on Pony the entire walk back into his house, Ponyboy supporting him by wrapping an arm around his shoulders.
Tim looked near ready to kill him when he walked inside with his bone sticking out, rushing him inside his car a little rougher than he should have.
Even as Tim called him every name under the sun on the drive to the hospital, and his bones grinded together painfully, his thoughts kept drifting back to Ponyboy.
‘Glory,’ he thought grimly as they pulled into the ER parking lot. ‘I might actually be whipped.’
The next time they saw each other, Ponyboy called his cast tuff and signed it. Curly was totally normal about it. He swears.