Chapter Text
“Boys! Breakfast!”
Ponyboy groaned, rolling over and burying his face further into the pillow. Soda’s arm tightened around him, taking hold of his hand as he scooted closer to his brother. Pony’d stayed up much too late reading for it to be morning already.
“Hey! This is the third time I’ve been in here. Y’all get your butts outta bed ‘fore I pour water on ya.”
Soda’s eyes snapped open as he sat up quickly. “You wouldn’t.”
Darry raised an eyebrow. “Wanna test me?”
“Not really.” Soda sighed, finally throwing the covers off as he rubbed his eyes.
“I gotta get back in the kitchen ‘fore the eggs burn. Please make sure your brother gets up too.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Soda said around a yawn as he stretched.
Soda looked down at Pony, who was now hugging the pillow Soda had vacated. He smiled down at him, running gentle fingers through his hair. “Hey, kiddo. Time to wake up.”
Pony just hugged the pillow tighter to him, but Soda could tell he wasn’t really asleep. “Cone on, honey. I got work, and you got school.”
Finally, Pony opened his eyes, glaring up at his brother. “I’m droppin’ out.”
Soda smirked. “No, ya ain’t.” He flicked him in the ear.
Pony groaned, rolling over onto his back, spread out across the bed like a starfish. “It starts too early.”
“You’re the one who stayed up readin’ til two a.m.”
Pony raised an eyebrow. “At least I was home before two a.m.”
Soda shushed him, glancing towards the door to make sure Darry hadn’t heard him. He turned back to Pony, sighing. “Guess that makes us even, huh?”
“Guess so.” Pony shrugged.”
“Alright, horseboy.” He clapped his hands together, tickling Ponyboy in the side.
Pony shoved his brother off, but not before a stream of giggles escaped his lungs.
Soda laughed, smiling down at his brother, who was glaring at him now that he’d stopped tickling him. “Up and at ‘em. We got a day to face.”
The boys headed to the kitchen to have breakfast, arriving just as Darry was setting their plates on the table. “There y’all are.” He sighed. “I was just about to make that water threat a reality.”
“Ha ha.” Soda said as he took his usual seat at the table.
“Pony, ya got about half an hour before ya gotta be out that door, so eat up. What’s your shift today, Soda?”
“Ten to six.” He answered around a mouthful of chocolate milk.
“Good morning, Curtis family!”
“Don’t slam the—door.” Darry sighed, he didn’t know why he bothered, nobody listened to him anyway.
Two-Bit waltzed into the kitchen, whistling. “A fresh chocolate cake just for me? Ya shouldn’t have.”
“I didn’t.” Darry rolled his eyes. “Awh, come on Two, at least get a plate.”
Two-Bit looked up at him, chocolate frosting all over his fingers and face as he just dug right into the cake. "Where's the fun in that?”
Darry rolled his eyes again, handing Two-Bit a plate and a fork. Two-Bit used the fork to cut him off a slice, (although there was a knife lying right next to the cake).
“Hey, how’d your date with Kathy go last night?” Soda asked, taking a bite of eggs.
“I am so glad you asked, Soda!” Two-Bit took a seat at the table, propping his feet up and leaning back like he owned the place. “I took her bowlin’, I had to let her win. Ya know, it seemed like the gentlemanly thing to do.”
Soda nodded, gesturing for him to continue.
“Turns out, she ain’t a very good bowler, so I had to make a lot of gutters on purpose just so she’d win. Then, I took her out for a milkshake afterwards. And get this—”
Pony was bored with the story. He finished his food, rinsing his plate in the sink and heading to brush his teeth and get dressed.
Steve walked through the door as he walked through the living room. “Hey, kid.” He nodded at him.
“Hey.” Pony said, heading to the bathroom.
Steve walked to the kitchen, helping himself to a glass of chocolate milk and chocolate cake as he took a seat next to Soda. “Golly, Soda ain’t ya dressed yet?”
Soda rolled his eyes, only now noticing he didn’t even have a shirt on. “I was eatin’, first. Ya know breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”
“Is that your second or third breakfast?” Steve teased.
“Hardy har har.” Soda said, finishing off his chocolate milk and getting up from the table. “I’m gonna go take a shower.”
Ponyboy came out of the bathroom just as Soda was going in. Soda ruffled Pony’s hair as his brother squealed indignantly. “I just fixed it, Soda!”
Soda merely laughed, planting a kiss on his brother’s head.
Pony fixed his hair as he made his way down the hallway, groaning about his brother and his antics. He grabbed his backpack out of his room and checked his hair one more time before heading into the living room.
“Hey, Pone.” Two-Bit walked into the room, taking a gulp of beer. “You seen Johnny?”
Pony stopped from where he’d been tying his shoes, looking up at Two-Bit. “He said he probably wouldn’t make it to school today. His–his dad got him pretty good last night.”
Two-Bit sighed, a mix of sadness and anger crossing over his features. “He alright? We need to go check on him?”
Ponyboy shook his head. “He said he’d be by after school, Just wanted to lay low for a while.”
“Alright.” Two-Bit squeezed Pony’s shoulder before heading back into the kitchen, where Soda was eating another piece of cake with his hands.
Darry walked in, throwing on his tool belt. “Glory, Soda ain’t ya ever gonna put on a shirt?”
Soda looked up at his brother, crumbs on his lips and chocolate frosting on his cheek. “I just got out of the shower!”
“Yeah, well can’t ya get dressed instead of eating cake naked in the kitchen.
“I have a towel on.”
Darry glanced down at the towel before sighing and leaving the room.
Soda finished off his cake, took a swig of chocolate milk straight from the carton, and headed back to his room to get dressed.
Ponyboy walked into the room, shoes on and wearing his backpack. “Y’all ready?”
Two-Bit nodded, finishing off his beer and throwing it out. “Just waitin’ on ole Stevie here to finish up his biscuit. We all know how slow he eats.”
Steve rolled his eyes, throwing a spoon at Two-Bit, who dodged it with a laugh. “Shut up, I ain’t eat slow.”
He took the last bite, washing it down and standing up.
Pony rolled his eyes at their banter, walking back to the living room. “Darry, we’re leavin’!”
Darry hurried down the hall. “Ya got everything ya need? Your clothes for track?”
Ponyboy nodded. “I got it, Dar.”
Darry turned to Two-Bit just as he walked into the room, Steve right behind him. “Two, it’s supposed to storm later, could you drive Pony home after track practice? He should finish around five.”
“I can walk, Dar.” Pony crossed his arms. “I ain’t afraid of a little rain. Besides, ya know most of the time nothin’ ever happens.”
Darry sighed, turning to face his brother. “Well, I ain’t takin’ no chances, Pone.”
“Sure, Dar, I’ll give Ponykid a ride.” He put an arm around Pony’s shoulders, mussing up his hair in an attempt to cheer him up. But Pony only grumbled about his hair being messed up again.
It wasn’t that he really minded riding with Two-Bit, but Ponyboy craved alone time. If he didn’t get a few minutes to himself every day to relax and think, he got very overstimulated. And going on walks was his favorite way to unwind alone. He almost said this, but he didn’t really want to argue with Darry again…they’d been doing that too much lately and he was sick of it. Plus, maybe his brother had a point about the storm.
“Alright, whatever. Can we go now?”
“Okay.” Darry buttoned up his shirt. “Hey, I got a short day today, so I’ll probably beat ya home.”
Pony nodded, looking up when Soda walked into the room.
Darry let out a sigh of relief when he saw that his middle brother was finally clothed.
Soda walked over to Pony, wrapping him in a big hug and giving him a large kiss on the forehead. “Bye, Pony. Have a good day at school, honey.”
“Bye, Soda. You comin’ straight home after work?”
“Yup.” Soda popped the P. “Should be home a little after six. Stevie’s comin’ in to work the closin’ shift after school and I get to come spend the whole night with my favorite brothers.” He winked.
Pony grinned, and Steve rolled his eyes.
Soda smirked at his friend. “See ya later, Stevie. Bye, Two-Bit.”
Two-Bit saluted Soda before walking out the door, Pony and Steve close on his tail.
“Johnnycake!”
Johnny smiled slightly at Soda, gently shutting the DX door behind him. “Hey, Sodapop.”
Soda jumped over the counter, walking over to Johnny. “Boy, am I glad to see you, kid. I’ve been bored outta my mind all day. It’s been pretty dead in here.”
“Hey.” Greg walked over to Soda, pointing at him with a serious expression on his face. “ Never, never, say it’s dead, Sodapop. Don’t ya know that means we’ll just get so busy we’ll never go home?”
Soda raised an eyebrow, glancing at Johnny before turning back to his coworker and bursting into laughter. “Johnny, this Greg. He works here too.”
Johnny looked the man up and down, before shyly waving at him.
Greg nodded. “Hey, kid.” He turned back to Soda. “I’m headin’ out back to the garage. Got a few cars that need oil changes.”
Soda gave Greg a thumbs up and promised to hold out the fort out here while he was in the back. He turned back to Johnny. “So, Johnny B. Goode.” He clapped his hands together. “Ya need anythin’? Ya hungry? Have you eaten today?”
Johnny shook his head. “I’m alright. I just stopped by to grab a Coke on my way to meet Dal.”
“Oh, yeah?” Soda walked a couple aisles over to grab the Coke for Johnny. “Where y’all goin’?”
Johnny shrugged. “He said to meet him downtown, but I got a feelin’ he wants to head down to the stables. He likes it when I help him out with the horses.” Johnny walked over to where Soda was walking back with a bottle of Coke. “I could've gotten it, Soda.”
But Soda shook his head, handing it over to Johnny “It’s my job, anyway.”
Johnny reached into his pocket to pull out some change, but Soda stopped him. “It’s on me, Johnny.” He winked, giving his friends that award winning smile nobody could argue with.”
Johnny smiled back. “Thanks, Soda.”
He hopped over the counter, leaning against the top of it. “Hey, how come Dal never invites me out to help with the horses? He knows how much horses love me. And I love ‘em right back.”
“You ain’t ever met the horses Dal takes care of?”
Soda shook his head. “What’re their names?”
“He has to take care of three of ‘em so he can ride in the rodeos. Buttercup, Strawberry and honey.”
Soda smiled, letting out a laugh.
“He didn’t name ‘em.” Johnny said quickly. “But I think he wishes he had, he ain’t really like them names so much.”
“I reckon he don’t.” Soda laughed. “I love ‘em, though. Sounds like somethin’ I’d name a horse. Or somethin’ my dad woulda named a kid.”
Soda laughed, so Johnny supposed it was okay if he did too. But a moment later, he looked real sad. Johnny wasn’t sure if he was sad about his dad, Mickey Mouse, or not riding in the rodeo anymore. He thought it might be all three.
A horn sounded from outside, startling both Johnny and Soda slightly.
Soda looked up, hopping over the counter once again. “I’ll be right back, Johnny. Gotta pump some gas.”
Johnny nodded, watching him go.
Soda returned about five minutes later. “Man, it’s windyyyy out there.”
Johnny’s brow furrowed as he glanced out the window. He could see the branches moving on the trees, and they sure were movin’ fast. He could hear the wind too. “Is it rainin’?”
“Not yet.” Soda shook his head. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if it starts up soon.”
Johnny bit his lip, staring out the glass doors. A boom of thunder sounded a moment later, causing him to jump.
“Hey.”
Johnny turned to see Soda standing in front of him, voice soft, eyes gentle. “I know ya ain’t a fan of storms, Johnnycake, but it’s gonna be alright. Just a storm…right?”
Johnny sucked in a sharp breath. Part of him wanted to tell Soda he was wrong. What if it wasn’t just a storm? What if it was worse than everyone thought? What if everything wasn’t alright? But as he looked into Soda’s eyes…Johnny simply couldn’t help but believe him. Soda just had a way about him like that. He could calm your heartbeat just by existing.
“Yeah.” Johnny finally said, and Soda shot him a kind smile. “Yeah, it’s just a storm.”
Darry couldn’t remember the last time he’d come home to an empty house. Having half days or getting off early was more than a rare occasion for him. And if he ever did, he picked up an extra shift at his second job, because they could always use the money.
That had originally been the plan today, when he found out he would be done by four o’ clock. But just as Darry picked up the phone to call his boss, Soda had asked him not to. Said he could use the time to rest, and maybe they could all spend the day together.
He had to admit, nothing in the world sounded better to him than rest. Darry wasn’t sure he remembered what it felt like to be well rested. But…his brothers, the bills, the food he needed to buy…no, no Darry couldn’t afford to rest.
“Dar.” Soda took the receiver from his hand, placing two hands on his shoulders as he hung the phone up on the wall again. “Please, please listen to me. Ponyboy misses you. I miss you. Let’s all spend some real time together. We ain’t done that in a real long time. Certainly not since…” Soda shook his head, not finishing the sentence. But he didn’t need to, Darry knew exactly what the ending would have been.
It had only been five short months since their parents died.
One night, an unforgiving storm, and a derailed train had taken everything Darry and his little brothers had. And he wasn’t sure if they would ever recover from it.
Winter had been cold, long, unforgiving. The heater had gone out multiple times, and Darry had to try and figure out how to fix it.
Turns out, Steve was the handyman of the gang. Darry spent two days trying to fix it while his brothers were so cold they kept their hats, coats, and scarves on in the house. Steve came over, took one look and fixed it in less than five minutes.
Darry had been both relieved and angry. Relieved at feeling warmth for the first time in days, but angry that this heater had bested him, but Steve was a genius apparently. He was too grateful for the heat to get too mad though.
The next, not one but two times it happened, he’d called for Steve immediately.
The second time took Steve pretty much as long to fix as the first time. But the third time was a little more complicated, and Darry had to end up spending more money than he’d planned on that month.
But he was kind enough to pay Steve five dollars that time around. After all, he’d fixed it three times now, and that time it had taken him a couple hours to actually fix. And Darry was grateful, he really wasn’t sure what he’d done if it hadn’t been for Steve.
Slowly, and painstakingly, winter had turned into spring. And life started to feel the tiniest bit easier.
The pain was starting to dull slightly (not fade.) The grief was less fresh —just as present—but not quite so painful. The boys were finally able to get back to normal activities without constantly remembering the fact that their parents were dead.
The weather warmed, the flowers bloomed, and the Curtis brothers started to feel a little bit of hope again.
It had taken months, but Pony had finally smiled again. He was back to reading and drawing, working hard in school.
Soda’s smile reached his eyes again, and his laugh echoed through the house most days. It sent a warm feeling through Darry’s body, reminding him that things really could be okay again one day.
But of course, it still wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows.
The fighting had started almost immediately and Darry wasn’t sure if it would ever end.
It seemed like everything he said these days made his little brother mad. Darry wondered if Pony had backtalked his parents as much as he did him. He supposed he never really paid attention then, after all he hadn’t been the one raising his brother.
Darry would ask Pony to do the simplest things, like his chores or finish his homework. But somehow he always made his brother angry. Pony would roll his eyes, doing the bare minimum of his chores and finishing his homework at the last minute.
Half the time he forgot to do his chores and homework, leaving the house messy, his grades dropping, and Darry getting ever more angry. “I didn’t mean to!” Pony would say, and boy was Darry tired of hearing that come out of his brother’s mouth.
He tried to remember his brother was just thirteen, and that he needed to be patient. But glory, the kid made it hard.
And Darry knew the fights were minute, silly. Ponyboy forgetting to take out the trash on Tuesday couldn’t possibly matter in five years…but Darry just didn’t understand why it was so hard for the kid to listen to him. It’s not like he was asking him to perform brain surgery for crying out loud!
Doing the dishes, cleaning his room, finishing his homework at a reasonable hour, these were things that every teenager in the world was expected to do! Darry wished that was all he was expected to do! What he wouldn’t give for his biggest worry to be a biology test on Thursday and a football game on Friday.
Now he had bills upon bills to pay, mouths to feed, houses to roof. He had a house to keep clean, social workers to deal with, more bills to pay and more food to buy. He wondered if he’d eaten like food was going out of style when he was a teenager. No matter how much food he bought it never seemed to be enough for those ravenous boys.
At the thought of food, Darry found his stomach growling. He’d had a pretty small lunch, all that was left for a sandwich was a single piece of bread and some cheese. He’d managed to scrounge up an apple to eat with it, but it sure wasn’t enough. Especially when he was out roofing in the sun all day.
Removing his boots, Darry headed into the kitchen, mind set on making himself a piece of cake.
He was surprised to see that someone was already there, digging through Darry’s fridge like it was his own.
“Dal?”
Dally turned around, nodding at Darry as he helped himself to the chocolate cake.
“What you doin’ home this early, superman?” Dally placed the cake on the table, and Darry was surprised when he grabbed two plates and two forks. He usually helped himself right to the pan.
“I had a shorter day.” Darry answered, watching as Dally cut himself a slice and took a bite.
Dally looked up at him. “You just gonna watch me eat cake or are ya gonna have a slice?”
Darry opened his mouth for a second, before shaking his head and taking a seat across from Dally. He grabbed the fork and saucer, cutting himself a piece.
“What are you doin’ here?” Darry asked, taking a bite of cake.
“I was hungry and I ain’t got no food.” Dally answered simply.
“Sooo, you decided to steal my food instead of buyin’ your own?”
Dally raised an eyebrow. “Yup.”
Darry rolled his eyes.
“I’m on my way to meet Johnny, anyway. So I thought I’d stop here on the way and see what I could find.”
“Where y’all goin’? Ya know it’s s’posed to storm later.”
Dally rolled his eyes. “Gimme a break, man. The last person who knows anything about weather is the weatherman.”
Darry couldn’t exactly argue with that. There’d been predictions of thunderstorms and there’d been not a drop of rain. Predictions of a blizzard and not one snowflake had fallen from the sky. But other times, they’d been right on the money.
“I don’t know, Dal. Everyone at work was talkin’ about it. Sayin’ to get ready. That’s why I had a shorter day, so we didn’t get caught in any weather.”
Dally took his last bite of cake, leaning back in the chair. “Eh, I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
Darry finished his own piece, standing and taking both plates to the sink to rinse. He glanced out the kitchen window, just as the first few rain drops started to fall.
Darry checked his watch, Pony had about half an hour left of track practice. He just hoped his brother would make it home before the storm got bad.