Windrix Hall - 41

Fandom: The Outsiders
Pairing: Johnny/Sodapop
Genre: Romance, Drama
Rating: NC-17 (overall)
Disclaimer: Characters belong to S.E. Hinton
Authors: Zayhad & M3535


Chapter 41 – “We Were just Having a little Fun”

Johnny woke at the sound of the alarm clock and he stretched out an arm to turn it off just as Sodapop came out from the bathroom wrapped in a towel. He bounced on the bed, laughing as Johnny's body jumped a few inches. 

Johnny looked up at him, smiling sleepily. "Good morning." He pushed his hair back and put on his glasses so he would be able to see Sodapop clearly.

"Good morning, baby," said Soda and kissed him. "How you feelin’ today?"

"I'm a little sore," Johnny said, not wanting to lie. "But I’ll be okay." He sat op slowly, pulling the covers around him and yawned. "What time is it?”

"Quarter past seven. Hey, hurry up if you wanna get in the shower before Pony starts doing his hair."

Johnny got up and left for the bathroom. Soda quickly dressed in his uniform and shuffled into the kitchen, whistling a merry tune. He was in an awfully good mood, still a little high from last night's events. 

"Morning, big brother!" he said and poured himself a large glass of orange juice.

Darry looked up from his newspaper and sent Soda a tired look. "Morning, Sodapop," he hummed and took a sip of his coffee. "You sure are in a good mood."

"I'm always in a good mood!" beamed Sodapop. "You ain't looking too good, thought. Had bad dreams?"

"More like disturbed sleep," Darry mumbled. He took a bite of his toast and looked around, making sure Ponyboy was not within hearing range. "Next time, would you mind keeping it down a bit? It was 2 AM..." 

"Oh," said Soda, grinning sheepishly. "You heard that? Well, I'll tell Johnny to try and be more quiet. Although, who can blame him with a lover like me?" he teased, well knowing that Darry knew Johnny hadn't been the loud one. 

"I don't wanna know," Darry said and poured some more coffee into his half-full cup.

Johnny came out a few minutes later, noticing Soda grinning and Darry looking a little irritated. He wasn't sure he should ask what was up, so he decided to just say good morning. Sodapop leaned over the table as Johnny sat down to give him a long kiss. He just looked too lovely to resist.

Johnny blushed heavily. He always got nervous around Darry, especially when Soda was kissing or groping him.

Darry raised the newspaper, shielding himself from the vision. He was never going to get used to this boy/boy kissing, but telling Soda to stop doing it in front of him was like telling the sun not to shine. 

Ponyboy came out from the bathroom half an hour later and sat down next to Johnny.

"Why do you bother spending so much time on your hair when you have PE in first period?" asked Sodapop.

"Because," said Ponyboy.

Johnny looked over at Ponyboy. His hair was perfectly styled, not a single hair out of place. Then he realized what Soda had said and gulped. They had PE. He hated PE and there was sure to come a few new comments now that he was out. Also – he was really sore and having to run around was not going to be fun.

When Darry was about to leave, Sodapop pulled him aside.

"Hey, Darry - could you give 'em something easy to do? Johnny's a little..." How was he going to put it without being too direct? "...sore. I think he slept in a bad position or something."

Darry put on his jacket and took a deep breath. "Yeah, alright, I'm not gonna push him too much." He picked up his bag and turned to open the front door but hesitated.  "Try not to sleep in anymore bad positions the day before PE."

o0o0o0o0o0o

Victor and Harry were already in their sports outfits when they got to PE; probably because they didn't want people to see more of their battered bodies than they had to. 

"Holy..." said Ponyboy when he saw the condition they were in. 

Their faces were full of bruises; Harry had a split lip and a swollen eye, and Victor had some sort of cast on his nose as well as a black eye and a large band-aid across the cheek. 

Johnny stood beside Ponyboy, also staring at his ex-roommates.

"What?" snapped Victor, glaring at them. "You pussies never seen a guy with a few bruises before?"

"S-sure," Johnny stuttered and pulled Ponyboy with him to the other side of the locker room.

"What happened to you guys?" asked a tall boy named Rick.

Victor and Harry looked at each other.

"We... We, um... got in a fight with each other," Victor explained. "I hit on a girl Harry liked. But it's cool now. Girl was a slut, anyways."

"And he breaks your nose over that? That's a little excessive, isn’t it?"

"Just shut up, will you?" snapped Harry.

"Alright, sorry," said Rick, throwing his hands up in surrender.

Ponyboy couldn't help laughing to himself. Victor and Harry had really gotten what they deserved. Pony was just a bit disappointed that he hadn't been there to help beat them up. But of course he knew why Soda hadn’t taken him. He didn't want to risk getting him in trouble, and Darry would probably have skinned him alive as well.

When Darry spotted Harry and Victor he felt a little proud of his brother. They looked way worse than he had. He grinned to himself as he made a decision.

"All right! Listen up," he said after blowing his whistle. "Today we play dodgeball."

"Ah, come on! That's such a baby's game!" complained Harry. He was aching all over and not at all keen on being hit by a dodgeball.

"What’re you complaining about?" asked Ponyboy. "Afraid of the ball?"

"Shut up, asshole!" said Harry, shooting daggers at Pony. 

They were divided into two teams and Darry blew the whistle to start the game. Fortunately, Ponyboy was on the opposite team of Victor and Harry so they were fair game. As soon as Pony got his hands on the ball, he threw it as hard as he could at Harry, who was standing close by. Speed not being one of Harry's fortes he didn't manage to dodge the ball in time and it hit him square in the face. 

"Ouch!" gasped one of the others in sympathy. "That's gotta hurt!"

Harry was just about to pick up the ball and throw it at Pony, his eyes burning with hate, but Darry stopped him. 

"You're out, Harry. Go to the back."

Harry clenched his teeth and walked to the back of the hall, making sure to bump against Ponyboy’s shoulder as he passed him.

The next time Ponyboy caught a ball he threw it at Victor, who also took it to the face. Victor howled in pain and clutched at his nose.

"You nittle fnucker!" he cried, stamping a foot furiously in the floor. 

"He did that on purpose!" yelled one of the other team's players. "That's his second headshot! And Victor's got a broken nose - that's really low!"

Normally Ponyboy was not a dirty player, but he wasn't letting this chance of kicking Victor and Harry's asses go by. He wanted to give them a piece of his mind too. Darry hadn't given him a warning for the last headshot, but Pony doubted he would get away with it a second time. Even if Darry shared his opinion about the two bullies, he was still the teacher and had to be impartial. And giving his brothers special treatment was a no go. But Pony didn't care. Winning wasn't a priority right now. 

"Ponyboy," Darry said, crossing his arms and trying to sound strict. "Don't throw so hard."

When Matt picked up the ball, he set his eyes on Johnny. "Let's see if you pansy can catch," he grinned and threw the ball hard at him.

Johnny held out his hands to protect himself and closed his eyes, bracing himself for the impact. The ball hit him in the stomach and his arms wrapped themselves around the ball and held on tight.

"Ah, come on!" Matt moaned as Darry waved him to the back.

"Great catch, man,” said Tyler and slapped the baffled Johnny on the back.

When class was over, Darry stayed behind to put away the balls and lock up. Victor and Harry had darted out into the showers as the first ones so they could finish up quickly. Ponyboy and Johnny sent each other a grin as they walked into the locker room. It had been a pretty good gym class.

o0o0o0o0o0o

Steve sat at the lunch table waving Sodapop over as he spotted him. "Heeeey buddy," he grinned. "So..." he started when Sodapop sat down with his lunch tray. “How are you feeling? I gotta tell ya, I’m sore as hell. They put up an okay fight, I gotta admit that."

"I'm feeling pretty damn awesome!" grinned Sodapop. "Sure I'm a little beat up, but it was so worth it. Besides, I'm used to being hurt a bit. Riding's a rough sport unlike boxing. Horses don't wear big padded gloves so that it don't hurt so much when they kick."

"Ha ha, real funny. You don't think I can take hits just as well as you, pretty boy?" Steve took a gulp of his coke. "Anyway, those two assholes got what they deserved. They’re telling people that they beat each other up over some girl. I heard it in the hallway."

Soda looked at him and they both burst out laughing.

Steve leaned back. "But yeah, so worth it. Was a gooooood night too," he smirked.

"Yeah? I bet you spent it on your back whining while Evie put little Mickey Mouse band-aids on your wounds and kissed your bruises better." Soda ducked just in time to avoid the slap Steve aimed at the back of his head. "Wanna hear about my night?"

"I don't wanna know, man," Steve said and scratched his neck nervously. "And if you tell me anyway, I ain't inviting you to my birthday."

"As if you could imagine a great birthday without your best bud," grinned Sodapop. "What's the plan, anyway?"

"Thinking of hitting the town," Steve said and leaned back, kicking his feet up onto the table. "And yes, you can bring lover boy."

"What about Pony?" asked Soda just as Evie joined them. 

Steve rubbed his temples. "Man, you know... He’s a kid." 

"Well," Evie said. "We can go somewhere Pony can come too. And Cathy. The more the merrier, right baby?"

"So this Saturday?" asked Soda.

"Yeah. We head out to eat first. Pony should be able to join for that, I guess."

Ponyboy and Johnny came over to eat their food with the others and afterwards they all swung by the kitchen to say hello.

Mrs. Harris stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Soda and Steve's faces. 

"My God!" she exclaimed and looked closer at the two. "What have you boys been doing?"

"We, um," Steve started, not sure what to tell her. "We got into a fight…"

"Well, I hope you gave them a good woopin' after what they did to your faces!" said Mrs. Harris, placing her hands on her hips.

"Oh, we did," grinned Sodapop.

Two-Bit noticed that Johnny was walking a little funny. "You get into a fight too? Or was it more of a pillow fight?" he grinned.

Johnny's face turned bright red.

"No, I just took him for a ride yesterday - the kind that involves horses," Sodapop lied, trying to get Johnny off the hook. "You just got a dirty mind, Two-Bit."

"Yeah, right," Two-Bit laughed and patted Soda on the shoulder. "You took him for a ride, all right."

o0o0o0o0o0o

Ponyboy and Johnny had a free period after Geography and decided to spend it studying in the library. Pony started working on an essay on Edgar Allen Poe's poem, The Raven. He had always loved Poe. 

Johnny was working on a history report on Old Rome, and the further into the report he got, the more focused and distant he became.

A few tables down, David sat with three other boys: Randy, Bob, and Kyle. David looked up and noticed Ponyboy and Johnny.

"Hey -" David said to the others. "Watch me scare the living shit out of that fag."

He got up and walked quietly over to the table, hearing his friends snicker behind him. He snuck up behind Johnny and pulled out a lighter from his pocket, and with a shift movement he held it up in front of Johnny's face and lit it.

"Need a light for that smoke of yours?" he said loudly.

Johnny's eyes flew open wide, filling with terror, and he fell backwards off his chair, making David and his friends burst into laughter, all of it happening in a split second.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" cried Ponyboy and jumped up to help Johnny up from the floor. "It's okay, Johnny," he said, looking at the Socs out of the corner of his eye to see if they were going to do anything else. "It was just a lighter. We'll go somewhere else where we won't be bothered."

Johnny closed his eyes and took a deep, shaking breath, trying to calm himself down.

David just laughed. "Oh, are you boys going to walk away? We were just having a little fun. Hey, let's make it up you - we can go to a bonfire or something. I hear you like to set things on fire, Cade."

"I-I d-d-didn't… I…"

"Y-y-you d-didn't w-what?" Bob mocked.

"Shut up, you mean bastard!" said Ponyboy, feeling his face grow hot.

Truth be told, he was a little scared of the Socs. Most of the younger students were. They liked to single out a weak target and bully them, and sometimes beat them up. And always in a group where the victim didn't stand a chance. But accusing Johnny like this just made Ponyboy furious, even though he was sure they didn't actually think Johnny was guilty.

"Tough words little man?" Bob said and walked up to Pony. "Are you a man now? Ponyboy?" He pushed him once. "Are you?" He pushed him again. 

"C-come on," Johnny said nervously. "Please s-stop."

Bob ignored Johnny. He grabbed a hold of Pony and threw him to David. Johnny tried to intervene but Randy grabbed him by the throat and pushed him up against the wall.

"Say, David… Why don't we water the little pony? I hear the toilet water is pretty fresh." Bob laughed and looked over his shoulder at David who had a good hold on Ponyboy.

Ponyboy tried to wrench himself free but Bob grabbed a hold of him as well and they dragged him toward the bathroom at the far end of the library. He started yelling for help, but they were the only ones in the library and nobody could hear him. 

"Shut him up!" said Bob and Kyle backhanded Ponyboy across the face. 

Randy was holding on to Johnny's upper arm as he watched the others. Johnny tried to get loose but Randy just held on tighter.

"Let GO!" he yelled and swung his bag, hitting Randy straight in the face. 

"Ouch! You little shit!" Randy spat and threw Johnny back against the wall. As he tried to get a better grab of him, Johnny kicked him over the shin and made the decision to run. He had to get help.

"Get him!" David yelled at Randy who was cursing and rubbing his leg.

When Randy raced into the hall, he spotted the younger teen a little farther ahead. "Come back here, you little shit!" he yelled.

o0o0o0o0o0o

Bob looked down at Ponyboy and grinned. "Time for a bath..."

They dragged Pony into a stall and kicked up the toilet seat. David grabbed a painful hold of his hair and pushed his head down towards the bowl. Ponyboy panicked. He began screaming again and struggling like crazy, but the hand on the back of his neck was too strong. He was forced onto his knees and his head ducked under the water. 

o0o0o0o0o0o

Johnny could hear Randy just a few yards behind him. There was no one else in the hall since most were still in class. He turned a corner, hoping to lose Randy but got knocked over as he ran into someone. Sitting on the floor, his glasses askew, he saw Dallas Winston and Tim Sheppard looking down at him.

"Watch where you're going, you brat!" Tim hissed.

"I-I don't got time! Pony -"

Dallas cut Johnny off as Randy rounded the corner. "What're you doing, Adderson?" he snarled.

Randy hesitated for a second, eying Dallas and Tim, then spun around and fled down the hall. 

"What the hell was that about?"

"Th-they're drowning Ponyboy!" Johnny burst out. "His friends are!"

"Where?" asked Dally, pulling Johnny roughly to his feet by his upper arm. 

Johnny looked at him, stunned. "T-the library b-bathroom,” he stuttered.

Dallas let go of his arm and took off. Tim followed and then Johnny.

o0o0o0o0o0o

When Ponyboy had first realized they were going to plunge his head into the toilet bowl he had feared the germs, but now he was starting to fear for his life. Just when he knew he couldn't hold his breath any longer, the grip on his neck slackened. Pony pulled his head up and gasped for air, filling up his lungs. 

"Give him some more, David," he heard Bob's drawling voice say. "He isn’t clean yet. I bet that little piece of trash doesn't get a bath too often. They probably have to save money on the water bill."

Ponyboy started struggling again but his head was forced under one more time. 

I'm gonna die, was all he could think. I'm gonna die!

David jerked him up by his hair and Pony spat water out as he coughed for air.

"Had enough?" David grinned but before Pony could answer, his head was ducked back into the water.

Dally tore open the door to the bathroom and was met with the sight of three seniors standing over a smaller boy, whose head they were holding under water in the toilet bowl. 

It wasn't that Dally gave a damn about the Curtis kid (although he wasn't as annoying as his happy-go-lucky brother), but if there was someone he really despised it was Bob Sheldon and his clique. Snobs of the worst sort - exactly the kind of people Dally's parents were. 

Kyle, who was standing closest to the door turned his head and managed a "What the -" before Dally planted a solid blow in the middle of his face. He toppled over backwards and received a hard kick to his stomach as he landed on the floor.

David let go of Ponyboy and turned around to see what was going on. Before he could react, Dally had grabbed him by the wrist and yanked him out of the stall right into Tim’s arms. Tim kneed him in the face and started beating him up.

"What's this?" he asked. "You picking on a kid? Four against one?"

One minute Ponyboy had been under water, knowing that this was it, feeling his lungs flood; the next he found himself lying on the floor, coughing and spluttering. His head was swimming and he could hear noises of people yelling and bumping around. 

"Oh, God," cried Johnny, who had made his way around the fighting boys to get to his friend. He turned Ponyboy onto his side so he wouldn't choke.

When Pony stopped spitting water, Johnny pulled him closer, both of them sitting on the floor. The rumble outside the stall seemed to be ending.

"J-Johnny?" coughed Ponyboy. "What's happening? Wait - is that Dallas Winston?"

"Yes," Johnny said “I... I dunno… I ran to get help and... h-he just stormed in here. I dunno why." 

Johnny was as puzzled as Pony about Dallas helping them out. He could still remember the first day he was here and Dallas had embarrassed him in front of everyone in the lunch hall, and now he was beating up a couple of guys that had been hurting Pony. What was his motive for helping them now?

David and Kyle had managed to pick themselves up and escape. Dallas threw Bob out the door, giving him a final hard kick in the butt. Bob scrambled to his feet and headed off in the same direction as his friends. 

Dallas wiped a little blood from his face and popped his head into the stall where Johnny was sitting with Ponyboy. "He gonna live?"

Johnny looked up at Dallas and nodded timidly. "Y-y-yeah."

"Man, that was fun," Tim grinned and ran his fingers through his hair. "That douche went girl fight on me, man. He actually pulled my hair. What a wimp!"

"Yeah," said Dally, rubbing his knuckles. "They're a couple of nancy boys, is what they are."

He cast another glance at Ponyboy and Johnny on the floor and then back at Tim. "Man, I could use a beer. Or something stronger."

"Yeah, alright, let’s go grab a drink, then," said Tim. Then he looked into the stall. "What do you wanna do about the kid?" he nodded in Ponyboy’s direction. "Think we should bring him to the nurse’s clinic or something?"

Dallas sent Tim a look. "What do I care?" He lit a cigarette and strolled out of the bathroom.

Tim gave the boys one last look before following Dallas.

Johnny tried to get Ponyboy up but he still seemed really out of it. "I'm so sorry," Johnny said and kept trying to pull Pony to his feet. "I'm so, so sorry… They could’ve killed you."

Ponyboy just realized that he had had his mouth full of toilet water and the thought made him lean forward and throw up. He felt at little better afterwards but was still shaking and a little shocked.

"Johnny... Help me up."

Johnny helped him to his feet and over to the basin where he turned on the water. Pony stuck his whole head under the faucet and kept it there for a long time.

Johnny stood there helping Ponyboy stay on his feet. "M-maybe we should get you home. You don't look so good, man.”  

"Yeah, alright," mumbled Ponyboy. His shirt was soaked anyway and he needed a dry one. 

o0o0o0o0o0o

They got back to the apartment and Johnny sat Ponyboy down on the couch. 

"Can… can I get you anything?" he asked and wrapped a blanket around Pony after he had removed his wet T-shirt. 

Ponyboy just shook his head ad leaned back on the couch, still looking ill.

"You want me to text Soda or Darry?"

Pony took a deep breath. "We can't tell them, Johnny. You know Soda's gonna fly off the handle and he'll get in a lot of trouble. And who knows what Darry might do... Promise me you won't tell them."

Truth be told Pony was also kind of embarrassed about what had happened and he didn't want to feel like a child and have his big brothers fight his battles for him. He could take this. They didn't need to know. 

Johnny sat down and nodded. "I won't tell. But how do we explain that we’re not in school?"

He hoped that Dallas would keep his mouth shut about what had happened so Pony wouldn't have to explain anything to Darry and Soda. He knew Pony was right when he said that it was best his brothers didn’t hear about this.

"We'll just..." Pony started, trying to find a solution. "You go back to school and I'll go to bed. Say I felt sick and went home. 

It wasn't even a lie. He did feel awful, and taking a long shower and then off to bed didn't sound like a bad idea. 

Johnny looked at him and took a deep breath. He didn't like the idea of Ponyboy being alone after what he had just gone through. 

"You… you sure you wanna do that?" 

Pony nodded. "Yeah. I'll text you if I need something.”

Johnny got up and swung his bag over his shoulder. "O-okay. I'll say you got sick.”

o0o0o0o0o0o

Ponyboy was dozing when the door to his room opened and someone came in. He opened his eyes to see Sodapop sit down on the bed next to him. 

"Hey, Pony. Johnny told me you went home sick."

"Yeah..." said Pony and lay his head in Soda's lap. "I ain’t feeling so good. I threw up in school." He had an urge to tell Soda what had happened, but he knew better. 

"Poor Pony," said Soda. "Are you feeling any better now?"

"Yeah... a little."

"Two-Bit's coming by after dinner. He sort of invited himself."

After a few minutes, Ponyboy felt better and calmer. Soda always made him feel better when he was upset; he was like a healing balm, as if there were some kind of magic ability to his voice and touch. So Pony decided to get up. Two-Bit's visit was sure to cheer him up as well; he was always a lot of fun. 

o0o0o0o0o0o

There was a knock on a door and in came a very happy looking Two-Bit.  "Hello ladies! And Soda."

"You calling Darry a lady?" grinned Sodapop. "I don't think he heard that one before!"

"He's a big lady," Two-Bit laughed and winked.

"Careful, Two-Bit!” said Darry, sticking his head out from the kitchen.

Two-Bit grinned while he dug his hand into a paper bag. "I brought you a host gift, Mr. Darrel! I don't eat out so often."

He pulled out a bottle of Vodka, but before Darry could show a reaction Sodapop snatched the bottle out of the hand, saying, "Great!" 

Everyone looked at him in surprise. 

"I thought you didn't drink," said Two-Bit.

"I don't. But I'm making dessert and this is perfect for it!"

"If you’re gonna make something with booze in it, then I am all for it!" Two-Bit said eagerly.

"What are you gonna do, little buddy?" Darry asked and crossed his arms.

"Don't worry. It's just a little bit - nobody's gonna get drunk."

"No, they ain’t, ‘cause you're not serving alcohol to your younger brother," Darry said in a firm voice, his arms still crossed.

o0o0o0o0o0o

They had dinner in the kitchen as usual and when they were done Soda got up and proclaimed that he was going to make dessert and since it was a surprise, they should all go wait in the living room. Ponyboy could stay, though, because Soda could use an assistant.

Darry sent Sodapop a skeptical look but took his beer and went next door with Two-Bit and Johnny. 

Sodapop didn’t really need any help, he just wanted some company to share the fun with. Not Johnny, though, because Johnny didn't need to be reminded of the fire. 

"What’re you gonna do?" asked Ponyboy curiously as he watched his brother arrange a handful of peeled and split bananas on a frying pan. 

"Flambé them!" grinned Sodapop excitedly. "I always wanted to try that. I saw someone do it at a restaurant once, so I know how it's done."

Ponyboy had never seen food being flambéed in real life, so he thought it was a bit exciting as well. He just hoped Soda really did know what he was doing.

"And now to the fun part," said Sodapop and uncapped the bottle of vodka.

"It says you're supposed to use rum for bananas...” said Ponyboy, looking up from the cookbook he had found in the kitchen cabinet. 

Soda just shrugged. He never followed cooking instructions. Improvising was much more interesting. 

"Booze is booze," he said and poured half the bottle on the bananas. 

"I think that's too much, Soda," said Pony, eying the bananas that were now swimming in vodka. He looked in the book again. "It says you're only supposed to use a table-spoon."

But too late - Soda had already struck a match and dropped it into the pan. 

Darry, Johnny and Two-Bit heard an explosion and Darry flew up, telling the two to stay put as he ran to the kitchen. As he entered, he saw the pan that had a huge flame on it and Soda who was getting a glass of water, about to throw it on.

"NO!" shouted Darry and stopped Sodapop. He quickly took a towel and got it wet, throwing it over the frying pan, putting out the fire.

Then he turned to Sodapop and Pony. "What the hell are you trying to do? Burn the house to the ground?"

"No, Darry," Soda said and started to explain.

"And you use half a bottle and then try to put it out with water?" Darry asked and sighed. "You, little buddy, are gonna study some more physics...” He was still disgruntled but decided to let it go for now. "There’s some ice cream in the freezer. Take that and come into the living room." He turned to go back but then stopped. "And no funny business, Soda. Just the ice cream."

"Well, that's no fun..." moped Soda as Ponyboy found some chocolate ice cream in the freezer. 

Ponyboy shook his head, grinning. You never got bored with a brother like Sodapop...

Johnny looked relieved when Soda and Pony came back unharmed. Darry had said that Soda was doing another of his experiments, but he had not said what.

"Hey, Soda," Two-Bit said. "You know if you want to build a bomb, you need fertilizer."

"Bring some next time, then," replied Soda and sat down. "I had it under control, Darry, I could have given it another go. There's more bananas."

“Then get them and we’ll make banana splits,” said Darry.

Banana splits weren't a lot of fun either, but at least they were good and twenty minutes later they were all full. Darry had gotten himself some coffee and Two-Bit another beer. 

Two-Bit leaned back on the couch and watched the others get comfortable. "Oh, I almost forgot!" he said and got up and went out the front door, leaving the others a little puzzled.

A moment later, he came back with a large box and handed it Sodapop. "Your wedding present," he said and dropped down on the couch.

Johnny eyed at the box. This surely wasn't gonna be a good experience.

"W… what?" said Sodapop and looked at the box in his lap. "Well, thanks, but you're a bit early. I haven’t even popped the question yet," he grinned. Then he unwrapped the box and took off the lid. 

Johnny leaned over, looked down into the box and gulped. Soda started pulled up one thing at a time. First something made of leather.

"It's a harness," Two-Bit explained. "I saw it in a movie once with some gay dudes. So you might wanna use it."

Johnny's face turned deep red. Soda then pulled out a tube of lube. A rather big one, in fact. 

"I wasn't sure if you had finished the one I got you. Thinking with a boyfriend like that, you probably had."

Soda kept pulling out stuff. There were a few sex toys such as gag balls, whip, and handcuffs. Johnny wished that he could just crawl under a rock and die there.

"I can especially recommend the cuffs,” said Two-Bit. “I’ve tried them many times.”

"Yes, but you usually were on your way into the back of a police car," said Darry who seemed to finally wake up. He quickly put the things back in the box and slammed on the lid. He didn't approve of stuff like this getting into the house at all. He crossed his arms. "All right, Two-Bit. Might just be time to go home and get to bed."

Two-Bit, who was clearly getting a little drunk by now, shrugged and got up. "All right. Now - " He looked over at Sodapop and Johnny. "Don't use all of it in one week, ‘kay?"

"See you later, Two-Bit!" Darry said.

Two-Bit leaned over toward Ponyboy and handed him a pack of condoms. "Didn't forget you, buddy. I know you got a girlfriend now," he said with a grin.

Before Pony could answer, Darry snapped the box out if his hand. "Thanks, I'll make sure he gets them in 10 years."

Two-Bit looked at him and then grinned. "See you guys tomorrow! And thanks for the dinner."

Ponyboy had gotten very red ears, watching Soda pull all the stuff out of the box, and poor Johnny looked even worse. 

Sodapop laughed. "I don't know why Two-Bit thinks we're into BDSM. I could never hurt you - not even for fun," he said and kissed Johnny. 

Johnny leaned in and hid his face against Soda's shoulder. He was already tense and embarrassed enough around Darry. Now he wouldn't even be able to look him in the eye for a while.

"Well, I guess we better hit the sack," said Sodapop. "School night tomorrow and all. By the way, Darry, it's Steve's birthday Saturday. We're going out for dinner and nightclub. You're invited too, Pony."

"M-me?" said Ponyboy, a little surprised. That must have been Soda's doing. He doubted Steve was crazy about him coming along.

Darry shook his head. "Pony ain’t going to no nightclub, Soda. Are you crazy?"

Johnny looked at Pony who seemed a little crushed. It was probably not that he didn't get to go to a nightclub but more the fact that he was being left out.

"Maybe," Johnny started. "Maybe he can eat with us, and then go see a movie with Cathy?" 

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" said Sodapop. "It's our free weekend, after all. Maybe you could pick them up afterwards if you're worried about then going home alone, Darry."

Soda sent Darry a pleading look, discretely, so Ponyboy didn't see it.

Darry tried to stand his ground but Soda just kept looking at him, so he gave in. "Fine. Fine. You can go to the movies… But I’m picking you up at the theatre the second it ends!”

Pony couldn't help grinning. Now he could ask Cathy on a real date.

"Well... off to bed!" Darry said and started to clean up.

oOooOo

To be continued...