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Early morning. Well, for Ponyboy it is. It's 10:30 am and there's light filtering through the window. Sodapop has already left for work, leaving Ponyboy alone in the bed.
Ever since Johnny and Dally's deaths, Ponyboy has been waking up in anguish from never-ending nightmares. However, this night was better— Ponyboy had only woken twice in the night and slept well into the morning.
He sighs as he places his foot on the cold floor of the bedroom, shivering before he slips out of his pajamas and puts on some decent clothes. Laundry hasn't been done in a while, so he slips on a jacket over his stained shirt.
As he makes his way out to the kitchen, he smells food being cooked. He follows the smell of eggs and bacon until he sees Two-Bit dishing up a plate. Ponyboy rubs his eyes as he sits at the table.
"Morning Pony, ya sleep alright?" Two-Bit asks as he sets the plate in front of Pony followed by a glass of orange juice.
Ponyboy nods and takes a bite of the egg. Two-Bit has been staying at their place more and more lately, since Johnny and Dally. He also spends far too much time with Darry, but no one has decided to comment on it. "Yeah, only woke up twice. Hey, we got any chocolate cake left?"
Two-Bit shakes his head "Nah, you're just gonna have to do without it. Soda said he'd bake more after work."
Ponyboy shrugs and takes another bite of his breakfast before Two-Bit speaks up again: "Hey, Soda heard something about your friend Curly Shephard being out of the cooler again, now it's not my place to tell ya who to hang with but Darry seemed a bit upset at the thought of you hangin' with him. So, just be careful is all I'm sayin'."
Ponyboy immediately perks up, "Curly's outta the cooler?" However, upon hearing Two-Bit's words he nods and becomes more calm. "Don't worry Two-Bit, I'll be alright. And we've fought rumbles alongside Tim's gang, remember?"
Two-Bit nods. "Yeah, 'course. But since... everything, Darry doesn't want you gettin' into any trouble. I'm just tellin' ya what he told me, alright? It's not my place to tell ya who to hang with, like I said."
Ponyboy nods again, sighing to himself. "Alright, thanks Two. I'll keep it in mind." Two-Bit shrugs and cleans the pan he was cooking with before setting it back on the stove. When he turns around, he sees Ponyboy chugging his orange juice and setting it back down next to his now-empty plate.
"Thanks a lot Two-Bit! I'll be back in a bit alright?" Before Two-Bit can ask where Ponyboy is planning on going, he's out the door.
----
Ponyboy is walking down the street, hardly thinking about where he's going. He's just heading in the general direction of the Shephards' hangout.
When Ponyboy turns into an alleyway as a shortcut, he sees him. Well, he sees the jacket first. Then the smirk. Then the cigarette hanging out of his mouth.
Before Ponyboy can say anything, Curly speaks, taking the cigarette from his mouth. "Hey Pone. Long time no see." He drops the cigarette to the ground and puts it out with the heel of his shoe.
"Hey Curly..." Ponyboy smiles, "You been waiting here for me?"
"Not long." Curly replies. That causes Ponyboy to smile even wider for a second, 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦?
Curly's expression turns from one of smugness to one of thought and slight sadness. "Hey I heard about uh... Johnny and Dally. I'm sorry. I know they were your close friends, and were in your gang and everythin'." He pauses, "you holdin' up alright?"
Ponyboy's expression falters. He tries to keep his expression sturdy. He doesn't want to fall apart in front of Curly.
𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘶𝘳𝘭𝘺.
But as hard as he tries, his eyes begin to tear up, and before he can reply he's full on sobbing: "I just want them back, I just want them back..." Is the only thing he's able to choke out between the tears.
Curly steps forward, and is able to catch Ponyboy before he falls to the ground. Curly isn't used to this. He's used to hiding his feelings. But he has a soft spot for Ponyboy, and he knows Ponyboy is different— more sensitive. He finds it endearing, quite frankly.
"Shh it's okay..." Curly knows it's not okay, but it's all he can think to say. "You'll be okay..." He rubs his hand up and down Ponyboy's back, trying to comfort him. Ponyboy hides his face against Curly's jacket, covering the leather with tears.
They stay like that for a while, until Ponyboy's cries calm down. "I'm sorry Curly I'm- I'm usually not this weak."
Curly just shakes his head, "you're not weak Pone. Just... Forget it. I'm here for you y'know."
Ponyboy shivers. It's not that warm outside, and he only grabbed a thin jacket. Without thinking, Curly takes off his jacket and puts it around Ponyboy. It's a bit big, but it warms Ponyboy up.
They sit down against the wall and Curly hands Ponyboy a cigarette, lighting it for him. The cigarette gets passed back and forth as they talk about random stuff.
Soon, once the cigarette is out, Ponyboy gets slightly tired, resting his head against Curly's shoulder. Curly just laughs slightly and brings his hand to Ponyboy's hair. "Hey! You're messing up my hair!" Ponyboy complains before looking at Curly a bit distraught.
"Stop complainin', you can grease it back again can't ya?"
"How would you like it?" Ponyboy asks before ruffling Curly's hair. They rough house for a bit until Curly lands on top of Ponyboy, pinning him down. "I win." Curly says before ruffling Ponyboy's hair again.
"Whatever, just get off." Ponyboy complains.
Curly stares down at Ponyboy. "Only if you let me kiss ya first."
Ponyboy looks confused, then shocked, then even more confused. "What? Why!?"
Curly shrugs "Dunno. Can I do it?"
"I-I dunno, I- if you wanna?" Ponyboy stutters out, getting more flustered and confused the longer Curly stares down at him.
"Nah, not if you're not into it." Curly gets off Ponyboy, helping him up.
The silence is suffocating. Ponyboy's heart is beating loudly in his ear, questions filling his head, but not enough courage to ask them.
"Darry's gonna wonder where I was today when Two-Bit tells him I went out." Ponyboy states, semi-awkwardly.
"Tim doesn't care what I do. Hell, he don't even care that I'm a homosexual." Curly laughs, he halfway said that last part as a joke, to gauge Ponyboy's reaction.
"You're- you're- you mean it?" Ponyboy isn't sure how to feel, but something rises in his chest, almost, hope?
"Yeah. I mean I don't go around telling everyone. 'Specially socs." Curly shrugs, clearly unbothered.
"What's it... I mean, what's it like?" Ponyboy asks, curiously, but also reticent.
"I'd imagine it's like what you feel for me." Curly says, a bit overconfident, but deep down he's scared shitless. What if Ponyboy never talks to him again? What if Ponyboy goes and tells someone who would hate him for it?
Ponyboy looks shocked, but he clearly ponders this. It's true that what he feels for Curly is... Different from anyone else. Even his best friends. His heart begins to beat even harder.
There's a long silence before Ponyboy breaks it: "Can you kiss me Curly?" He asks quietly as his cheeks flush. Curly can hardly comprehend what he just heard, "huh?" he replies, dumbfounded. "You-you heard me." Ponyboy stares Curly down, almost as a challenge. "C'mon, I dare you Curly." Ponyboy demands; he doesn't even know why he's saying this.
"Oh ya dare me, huh?" Curly asks, a bit intimidatingingly—being slightly taller and stronger than Ponyboy. Ponyboy just nods, staring up at Curly.
Curly gets closer, heart pounding. He feels intoxicated, like he's going to pass out. Little does he know, Ponyboy feels the exact same.
Their lips connect. At first slow and sweet, but it gets hungrier. Ponyboy's never kissed someone before, so it's messy and confused. But Curly helps. After a while they part and Curly smiles at him. They're both out of breath but Curly is not nearly as much out of breath as Ponyboy, who is gasping for air.
"Curly?"
"Yeah?"
"I think I'm a homosexual..."
Curly laughs "I love ya too, Pony."
Ponyboy blushes a deep crimson before looking slightly up at Curly. "I do love you..."
Curly smiles and hugs Ponyboy.
----
The two go around for hours together, until Ponyboy realises how late it is, since it's getting dark. "Damn we've been out all day Curly..."
"It's alright baby, but I don't want you walking home alone this late. In fact... I don't want to leave you alone ever again."
Ponyboy flushes at the nickname. "Well what about when you're in the cooler... Love?" Ponyboy adds awkwardly, wincing at his trying out a nickname.
Luckily no one is around to hear. Curly just smiles, he finds it cute. They can't be as open when they're out on the street though. "Well, love, I won't. Well, I'll try not to. Ya know, you're the only thing that gave me hope this last time I was there. I don't wanna go there again, not if I can't see you."
Ponyboy nods, glad to not be alone anymore. "Thank you." He says quietly, and Curly knows exactly what he's thinking, because he feels the exact same.
----
The two reach the Curtis household. Ponyboy isn't sure how to part with Curly, but he doesn't have to decide, as Curly goes in for a kiss.
"Where the hell have ya been Ponyboy!?" Darry yells out the door until he sees the two who break apart. Darry takes in the scene. There's a moment of silence before he sighs. "Come in you two..."
Ponyboy is terrified, what will Darry think? More importantly, what about Sodapop?
"First of all, I can't have you out so late without warning of where you went. Two-Bit told me you left without telling him. Second of all..." Darry pauses, sighing. "I don't like this. But... At least don't kiss out on the streets." Darry's expression softens, as if in understanding. "I care about you Ponyboy, I love you and I worry about you as your brother and your caretaker. I know you know that. Just- I don't wanna see you getting beaten up by another soc. Or worse, a fellow greaser. Alright?"
Ponyboy nods in understanding, cursing under his breath. Curly speaks up, "you know I wouldn't let Ponyboy get hurt, right? Look, I know you don't like me, but I love Ponyboy and I ain't letting anyone lay another finger on him."
Darry looks at Curly and sighs. "I just don't want Ponyboy gettin' thrown into the cooler along with you. The cops have it out for you."
Curly nods, "I know Darry, but I really do love Ponyboy. And I promise I won't bring him into trouble with me."
Darry sighs again. "Fine. But you're staying here for the night, I don't want you out on the street so late." Before Curly can argue, Darry is speaking up again: "And I don't care if Tim cares where you are or not, you're gonna call him and tell him you're stayin' with us tonight because I know what it's like to be an older brother."
Curly doesn't argue, he just does as Darry says. Surprisingly, Tim seems grateful that Curly called.
Ponyboy seems nervous, as if he's worried what Darry will think of him. Darry notices.
"Ponyboy, Curly..." He exhales and tries to come up with a way to say what he's thinking. "Y'all have got to be careful livin' this lifestyle. I mean real careful. Like... Ponyboy, you didn't know that me and Keith— You know him as Two-Bit, Curly— are together, did ya?"
Ponyboy seems slightly shocked, "No, no I didn't..." Darry nods, "That's the kinda careful you need to be Pony. Now y'all are safe here but... It's still technically illegal. Not just illegal, people will hate ya for it. Kill you. I don't wanna see that, alright? Just be careful. And Pony... You gotta decide when and if you tell Sodapop. He's with Steve tonight. I'm not gonna meddle in this."
Ponyboy nods in understanding. "So... Where's Curly staying?"
"Right here on the couch. You must think I'm insane if you think I'd let two young dumb teenagers in love share a bed." Darry replies, sternly.
Ponyboy seems embarrassed, as if he hasn't even thought of that.
"Good call Darry, I don't think I'd be able to keep my hands off Pony."
That almost causes Darry to scream, but he contains his anger. Then, from the other room, Two-Bit yells: "Dar, ya comin' to bed babe?" Darry sighs once more. "Whatever, get ready for bed you two. I'll be back.
"Your bedroom got a lock?" Curly looks at Ponyboy, completely serious. "Yeah... Why?" Curly nods, grabbing Ponyboy's hand.
The two retire to Ponyboy and Sodapop's bedroom, the door getting locked behind, just to piss Darry off a bit.