Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue. I just borrow them at playtimes.
Author's Note: My second attempt at a Slash fic. If that's not your cup of tea, then don't read. Otherwise, enjoy!
"Tell me."
"No."
"Tell me."
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Tell me!"
"For Pete's sake, Soda, no!" the eldest Curtis groaned. "Let me go to sleep, already!"
"Tell me and I will."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because."
"Because why? I only wanna know."
"You don't needa know."
"Oh, c'mon, Darry. I've already guessed that ya've been sneaking around most Friday nights. And what you've been doing. Mind you, the hickey was a bit of a clue," he added, smirking, as he pulled down the collar on his brother's shirt to inspect said mark.
Darry scowled at him and shoved him away, before rolling over on to his side and slamming a pillow over his head.
"Go to bed, Sodapop," came the muffled order from under the feathery mass.
"Just tell me who ya seeing and I will."
"You won't."
"I will. Promise. In a heartbeat."
"You won't. And I can't!"
This last was said in a weird tone that actually made Soda pause in his teasing. Darry actually sounded upset.
"Dar? Ya okay?"
"I'm fine."
"I'm only joking with ya, Dar."
"I know."
"So what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Soda leant forward and snatched the pillow from his brother's grasp. Darry blinked up at him in mild surprise but Soda couldn't help but notice the slight reddening of the whites of his eyes that hinted that maybe, just maybe, Darry had been on the verge of tears mere minutes before.
"So why can't you tell me?"
"Because it's none of your business, that's why."
"No, that's why you won't tell me. I wanna know why you can't tell me."
"Is there a difference?"
Soda just narrowed his eyes at him. Darry sighed and grabbed his last pillow, pulling it over his head again.
"Just go to bed, Soda."
"Darry!" Soda cried in an exasperated voice. "Just tell me!"
"No!"
"Why not?"
"Because I can't!"
"Why not?"
"Because you'll hate me!"
Silence followed that statement. Soda was too shocked to say anything for a few moments before he snapped out of it.
"Darry! I would never hate you, Darry! I couldn't ever hate you. Blimmey, what... Shit, Darry, you can date anyone ya like! I don't care. You could be dating the most Socy, snobby, smart-mouthed bimbo in Tulsa and it wouldn't matter none to me. At least not enough to make me hate you! No girl on the planet would!"
More silence. Soda just gazed at his older brother's unmoving form, something sparking in his mind.
"Unless…"
He slowly leaned forward again and carefully caught a corner of the pillow, gently raising it off his brother's face. Darry's eyes were clenched shut tight but he made no move to stop Soda's motion.
"Unless it's not a girl."
Their eldest gang member let out a low groan and pressed his face into the crook of his elbow.
"Darry," Soda asked, voice level. "Are you gay?"
There was no reply for a few moments, then he heard Darry draw in a shaky breath.
"Yes," was his reply, voice filled with defeat.
Soda stared at him for a few seconds. Then he suddenly launched himself across the bed and landed hard on top of his brother, hugging tight whatever part of Darry's body he could reach.
"That's what this has all been about? I don't care, Dar! I certainly don't hate ya! Why on earth would'ya think that I'd hate ya because of who ya happen to fancy. I don't care! Pony won't care. Hell, none of the gang will care and even if they do, they'll have me to answer to. Shoot, Dar, I can't believe ya worked yaself up so much over something like that. Ya shoulda known better," he scolded gently.
Darry finally shifted enough that he made eye contact with Soda and the middle Curtis inwardly frowned to see that Darry's expression had only marginally relaxed, despite all the consoling.
"It ain't just that," he said slowly.
"Ain't just that? Okay then. How about this time we just skip all the teasing an' wrestling and you just come right out and tell me?"
"I can't."
Soda huffed and sent him a look.
"Seriously, I can't."
"And why the bloody hell not?"
"Because it ain't only my secret to tell."
Sodapop pulled back slightly and opened his mouth, no doubt to demand to know exactly what the hell his brother was talking about, when he was interrupted by a voice from the doorway.
"Jeesh, what's with this gang? We all turning nocturnal or summick?"
Both Curtis' turned towards the slightly slurred voice. The rusty-haired teen simply gazed back at them, leaning heavily against the doorframe.
"What you waffling on about, Two-Bit?" Darry asked, obviously jumping at the chance of deflecting their conversation.
"Well, ya two are awake, I'm awake, Steve's awake. We're all bloody awake!"
"I weren't awake," Steve grumbled, coming up to the door. "Only since this idiot decided to spill his beer all over me."
"Alas," wailed the drunk greaser. "And now it's all gone!"
"When'd you get here, Stevie?"
"Not long ago, Sodie. My old man kicked me out again so I came to sleep here."
"Mmm," Two-Bit purred. "Sleep. Two-Bitty likes sleep."
"Then go to sleep, Two-Bit," Steve told him, pushing him towards the living room and the recently vacated couch.
He turned back to the brothers.
"So why you two still up?"
"Nothing much. Just me bugging the hell outta Dar."
"Oh?" Steve smirked, leaning against the door. "Why the heck you choosing this time of night to do it?"
"Soda's trying to find out who Darry's boyfriend is," Two-Bit announced, popping up behind Steve's shoulder.
Steve turned to look at him, Soda sent him a scowl, and Darry simply bit his lip, blushing slightly.
"Really?" Steve replied slowly, turning to look at the Curtis duo again.
Soda glared at him.
"You got a problem with that?"
Steve raised his hands slightly as if in surrender.
"Never said I did, Soda."
The happy-go-lucky greaser was back in a flash, sending him a smile.
"Good."
A loud crash sounded down the hall where Two-Bit had vanished.
"I think he broke something."
"Oh, God," Soda groaned, leaping off the bed and running out the room.
That just left Steve still in the doorway and Darry laying on the bed, sitting up slightly to look over at him.
"So," Steve began, nonchalantly, raising an eyebrow. "Boyfriend?"
"Yeah," Darry sighed, flopping back on the bed.
"Since when?" Steve asked, heading further into the room and settling himself cross-legged on the bed.
"I dunno. It was only s'pposed to be a bit of fun. Stress relief. I didn't expect things to get this serious this fast. I didn't expect things to get this serious," he amended.
"Hmm."
Steve leant back on his hands, biting his bottom lip, lost in thought. Darry watched him for a moment, then spoke.
"That beer's stinking out my room."
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Dumb Two-Bit and his stupid cans," Steve grumbled, sitting up and pulling the sodden shirt off over his head.
He dropped the item to the floor then moved to sit against the headboard, interlocking his fingers behind his head. He looked over to see Darry watching him. He smirked again.
"See something you like?" he teased.
Darry broke into a grin.
"I do rather. Wanna make something of it?"
In an instant, Steve had bent down and pressed his lips to the other greaser's. Darry's mouth opened beneath him and fingers came up to tangle in his carefully arranged swirls. Tongues met and greeted each other eagerly, dancing against each other as they fought for dominance.
"What the heck?"
The two on the bed broke apart to see Soda staring at them, his jaw practically on the floor.
"I told you it wasn't only my secret to tell," Darry told him, glancing sideways at Steve, and finding it difficult to keep a straight face due to Soda's wide-eyed expression.
"Well, yeah, but I… I mean, I never…"
"Hey, Soda," Steve called, waving a hand at him lazily and grinning. "Hope this don't affect our friendship but…I have a boyfriend."
"I kinda got that, Steve."
"Boyfriend?" Darry asked, raising an eyebrow, a smirk on his lips.
Steve shrugged then grinned at him.
"Hey, Two-Bit always calls everything as he sees it."
"And see it he did," Darry muttered drily.
"We were only making out."
"Thank God. Mind you, you've never forgotten to lock the door again."
"Hey, the door was your fault!" Steve pointed out.
"How?"
"It was your room."
"So?"
"You carried me in."
"So?"
"You weren't wearing a shirt."
"So… Oh. Never mind, then. I can see how that would be distracting."
"Conceited."
A loud, very fake cough had them both looking up to find Soda standing at the foot of the bed.
"I'm still here, you know," he reminded, pointedly.
"Sorry."
"And I'm sorry, but I really do have to ask this. Are you two…are you pulling my leg with this?" he asked, gesturing vaguely between them.
The twin sighs and chorus of 'no, Soda' in weary voices was enough to convince him.
"Didn't think so but I had to ask…just in case. Though I'm not sure if I'd find it more comforting if you guys had actually kissed each other for a joke. That'd be creepy." He shivered. "Eww."
"But…ya cool with this?" Darry suddenly asked, albeit hesitantly. "Ya…ya okay? Well, maybe you're not okay but…"
"I don't hate you, Darry," Soda told him flatly, sending him a knowing look, which shut him up pretty quickly. "And just for the record, I don't hate you either," he said, turning to Steve.
"Uh, thanks?" Steve replied, sending Darry a questioning look, to which he merely shrugged and looked away.
"Right," Soda sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I really do wanna ask ya guys some things, for example how it happened is a pretty big one. But it's way past midnight and frankly, I'm beat. So let's all get some sleep and we'll talk in the morning, deal?"
"Sure, Soda."
The blond walked to the door and Steve turned to Darry, grinning. He gave him a light punch on the arm, clearly saying 'See, I told you'. Darry rolled his eyes and slapped him gently on the chest with the back of his hand. 'Shut it, Steve'.
"Uh, Steve, ya coming?" Soda called from the doorway.
The pair looked over at him.
"Um, hey, Soda? One more thing I should tell ya."
Soda sighed.
"Go on, then."
"Ya know when I said my old man had kicked me out and I came to sleep here?"
"Yeah?"
"What I meant was, I came to sleep here." And with that he kicked off his trainers and lay down, resting his head on one of Darry's pillows, sending his best friend a crafty smile. Soda gaped at him then his eyes drifted over to his brother. Darry grinned back.
"Night, Soda," he said, then pulled the covers over himself and Steve.
"Ease me in gently, why don't ya?" Soda muttered, turning to walk out the door. He then said something else that had Darry lifting his head.
"What'd he say?"
Steve cracked up laughing.
"He said, 'for Pete's sake, lock the damn door'."