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“My hands are pruning, man. We oughta get out,” Pony huffed, looking back at the shoreline. It was beginning to darken, with the sunsetting over the lake and giving everything this golden look. It’d be awfully pretty if he wasn’t so wet.
“What, are ya’ cold?” Curly smirked at him, his tone teasing. He was further out into the water. Then, he’d waded closer to him, his curls laid flat against his head.
A few months ago, Curly wouldn’t have ever let him see that. Catching him with a wet head, and a toothy grin, shoulders deep in water? No, no, that crossed a line Pony wasn’t aware of.
And well, things are just different now.
“No? I’m not cold, we just ain’t gotta be in the water for so–” Pony started, about to spew out one of his usual tangents.
That was until the other boy disappeared under the murky water, and he immediately knew what was coming.
“Curly, get back up here!” Pony groaned, flailing his arms around his legs, looking around for any shadow under the water, of course, the pretty dawn made that ever-so difficult. Figures.
He was moving to the shore at a slower pace than he’d like, barely even getting anywhere before he’d felt arms clamp around his waist, pulling him into the lake by his swim shorts.
“Shit–Quit it, Shepard!” He exclaimed as he’d barely kept himself above the water, but he’d been smiling, and everything he’d been yelling was indeed..through laughs, yeah, but he was serious!
His ankle slipped against the sand, and before he knew it, he was rolling around in the cold, dirty lake with Curly Shepard. Once again, soaked head to toe in water, standin’ up when Curly needed to let up for air with his shoulders deep in the water.
Curly was laughing, really, his face crinkled into one of his dumb all sarcastic, all funny smiles even when he hadn’t said anything, the only sounds between them the light crashing of the water, and the half-giggles, crackled out by the boy.
Pony rolled his eyes, still, breaking into a light smile, his eyes looking over the other boy. He looked over his shoulders and around them, before realizing they were alone. Just like they’d been hours ago.
Sure, this spot had great views, but honestly? Something he’d always liked about it? It was alone. It was theirs.
When he waded closer to him, Curly threw his hands up, announcing “I’m sorry!” In a fake whine, sticking his two hands out, till Pony wrapped his arms around his neck.
They’d closed the distance between them, Curly gigglin’ into the kiss and Pony smiling into it like they’d always seemed to be lately. The water splashed around them, moving with their bodies, pulling apart, but not goin’ too far this time.
Curly leaned in to kiss the bare, slightly wet spot under his chin, and Pony ran a hand through his wet curls, wondering how funny they’d looked right about now.
“Goin’ in?” Pony gestured, and Curly nodded almost immediately.
“Yeah, Curtis, fore’ you turn into a prude,”
“A prune!”
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They’d ended up on the sand, Pony laying on his side beside where Curly sat. His head was slightly propped up by the other boy's knees, a towel over his legs. (He was cold, okay? He’d admit it now.) Their bikes were laid a little off next to them, collapsed on top of the other.
Curly’s towel was draped over his shoulders, halfway to just fallin’ off, runnin’ his hand through the now damp strands of Ponyboy’s hair.
They were sharing a joint between them, smoke filling the air in their vicinity every now and again. Curly would look around, swearing ghosts were out to get them while raising his eyebrows, and Pony would just roll his eyes and flip him off.
“So, Curtis, you stayin’ over tonight?” Curly asked.
Pony gave a light shrug at first, thinking hard on it. School was starting up again in two days, his senior year. Their senior year, and–he could, yeah, he told Darry he was half-planning on it. They would know better than to expect different, even if both of his brothers had made it especially clear that keeping his ‘legal residency’ at the Shepard’s house wasn’t ever gonna pass when school started, that he better not be thinkin’ that it would.
“Maybe, I’ve gotta catch up on my summer work. Y’know I was supposed to do a buncha’ community service hours this summer?” He asked, looking up at him, passing the joint back to him.
“No shit, what’d you do?” Curly tilted his head down at him. “Didn’t know they gave those things out to Curtises.” He teased, smirking deeply.
“No, asshole. Volunteer hours for my college applications.”
“Oh.” Curly paused, thinking for a minute before continuing. “Sodacan and Darrel still onya’ about those?”
Pony shook his head, watching as smoke escaped from the other boy's lips, the light glow of his all-deep blue eyes with the orange haze layin’ over them. So..he’d gotten a little distracted, yeah, but he was thinking about it.
“Naw, I wanna do it. Can’t stay in Tulsa forever, I'll kill myself or somethin’.” He joked, smiling.
“Can you see me in New York, or California?”
If Curly frowned–it was for a second, and he’d convince himself that the boy hadn’t for hours. He rolled his eyes, but continued with a laugh.
“Like California Dreamin’?”
“California dreamin’, Curls. Far away from here,” He’d hummed dreamily, shutting his eyes.
“You want my real answer?” Curly asked, and Pony squinted at him, nodding.
“Fuck California, and fuck New York.” He huffed, “What’s so bad about Oklahoma, huh?”
“Do you want everything now, or later?”
Curly rolling his eyes, passing the joint. His eyebrows relaxed, along with his shoulders as he’d given a soft laugh.
“¿Grandes sueños, huh?” He asked, and it was Pony’s turn to tilt his head.
Curly really did confuse him sometimes. He oughta’ learn spanish, knowin’ him, he was probably callin’ him stupid about it or queer.
“There’s really nothing you like about this place?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.
Pony took a second, like he was thinking on it, looking around. Maybe there was something..but, he wouldn’t give him that. His ego was high enough already.
“Nothing.” He smirked.
Pony sat up, pulling Curly’s face into his again, kissing him softly. The other boy leaned back, hitting the dirt with a light thud. Curly didn’t mind.
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By the time they’d started on their walk home, dragging their bikes in the gravel, the sun had set and the night sky had settled over their heads. Ponyboy had agreed to stay the night at the Shepards, one last time before summer ended, they were heading to the same place with no curfews or nothing. So long as his brothers didn’t happen to be drivin’ past them, he wasn’t too worried about that.
They were still coming up on the deep city of Tulsa, the air flowing behind them, it was all making Pony feel extra cold, of course, with his shirt sticking to his damp back. He definitely wasn’t waitin’ to head back to the Shepard house, that way he could switch his clothes and just lie down.
The fact that it was with him, was maybe, was an added plus.
“You runnin’ track this year?” Curly smiled, but looked over at him twice instead of once.
“What? Yeah, of course I am.” He’d answered easily, and continued. “It helps with the scholarships, makes me seem committed, why?”
“Nothin’, I just thought..” Curly pointed to the cigarette he was smoking, but laughed, speeding up with Soda’s bike draggin’ next to him. Pony just followed, like he’d been lately.
“It wasn't a problem before.”
Curly stuck his hands up, shooting him a teasing look before he’d pulled something out of his waistband, and before Pony knew it, he heard a click.
“What the hell, Curly! That’s my camera–you coulda’ broke it, how long has it been in there?” Pony’s eyes immediately widened before realizin’ how stupid that photo probably looked, only gettin’ himself more irritated.
“Who got’cha the camera?” He’d teased, his voice all sing-song as he shook the white paper it had printed in the air, walking backwards with his brother's bike, of course, now, steps ahead of him.
Curly got him the camera. He’d stolen it for him the day school started, hiding it behind his back when Pony stepped into his room that day, all grins and with that mischievous glint his eyes, soft around the edges somehow. It was something he thought only Curly could even attempt at. He knew Ponyboy wanted a camera, and now pictures were piling up on both their dresses, though Pony kept his very much hidden under his underwear drawer. Still, they were some good pictures. Somethin’ you could keep forever.
Pony huffed, knocking his shoulder into his when he’d caught up to him.
“Gimme it, man. M’ real serious.”
“Real serious?” Curly mocked, tilting his head. “Make me, then, tough guy.”
Pony flushed at the nickname, looking away for just a second. That was all! It was a second!
When he looked back, Curly was dartin’ away in the forest, Soda’s bike in front of his feet, the boy lookin’ right at him instead of catching his own feet.
“Curly!” Pony huffed, dropping his bike down, just to follow him. Runnin’ through the grass–it never took him long, cause he’d always been faster than Curly. Even when they were real young, buck-toothed and playing tag on the school playground.
He’d tackled him by the shoulders, his hand cupping over the camera in Curly’s hand when the two of them fell. He straddled his knees, sittin’ on his triumphantly with his prize now sittin’ in his hands.
“You just got me by surprise–” Curly squirmed, groaning for a second but laughin’ like he always seemed to be. All cocky, rubbin’ the space he’d hit his head against the dirt on.
He sure didn’t look all that upset about it, or shocked. He never had a chance.
Pony raised an eyebrow then. Pullin’ up the camera, he got a great idea, all with a click of a camera.
“You know your throwin’ that out, Pones.”
“Yeah? Waste film?” Pony smiled.
“Yeah, asshole!” Curly responded, sitting up then–sending them both rolling over.
Well, he knew that he definitely wasn’t gonna throw out that picture.