"A Brother's Instinct"
Summary: Soda knew something was wrong with Ponyboy ever since he came home from school. He just never expected something like this.
Warnings: Pedophilia, molestation, pre book, and sexual themes.
A/N: Oh, Christ, I've done it again. I have to stop writing these little one-shots when "Desire" should be my number one priority. Oh, well, I don't think I'm going to ever stop doing this.
The moment Ponyboy walked into the house, Soda knew something was wrong.
Very, very wrong.
Well, for one thing, Ponyboy didn't even look at him or the others in the room when he came in. He stumbled in at first, his clothes appearing disheveled and unkempt – a sleeve slipped off his shoulder, a tear in his blue jeans – and his eyes slightly watery and as large as tennis balls. He had wrapped his arms securely over his shaking body - hugging himself - and he was panting rapidly, as if he had ran the whole way home.
"Hey, Pony, are you okay?" Soda asked solicitously, hopping off the couch and making his way to Ponyboy. His chocolate brown eyes instantly filled with concern and worry for his younger brother. What happened to him? Did some Socs beat him? Soda bristled slightly at the thought, but kept his cool and observed Ponyboy meticulously.
His theory was disproved; Ponyboy had a lack of bruises and cuts. Besides, the way Ponyboy looked around frantically, like he didn't know where he was, told Soda something else happened had happened.
Something worse.
"Ponyboy . . . ?" asked Soda, gingerly stepping closer and closer to Pony. He then turned his head back and gave the other occupants of the room – Steve and Two-Bit – a puzzled expression, which was returned by a careless shrug and an equally as confused mien.
Ponyboy's head suddenly snapped to meet Soda's inquisitive and caring gaze. He blinked a few times and looked around again, gaining a relaxed, relieved look in his eyes, as if he hadn't known he was home.
"Huh? Soda? What did you say?" Ponyboy asked absentmindedly, dropping his school bag by the couch and sitting down on a cushion casually. He then noticed one of his sleeves wasn't on his shoulder and hastily corrected it.
Soda furrowed his eyebrows, narrowing his eyes and scrutinizing Ponyboy, who may or may not have squirmed under his stare. "I asked if you were alright, honey," he repeated patiently.
"Oh, I'm fine," Ponyboy replied rather curtly, waving his hand at Soda dismissively. He turned to look at the two other gang members in the room. "Steve," he acknowledged with a slightly bitter undertone; Steve merely snorted at him. He then turned to Two-Bit. "Hi, Two-Bit. How come you ain't been in school today?" he asked in a considerably kinder tone.
"Felt like skippin' for once - y'know, need some me and Mickey time," Two-Bit replied simply, smiling goofily as he stretched his arms way above his head. He then stood up from the floor – where he had been previously watching TV – and sat down on the couch, beside Ponyboy. He then gave the younger male a light pat on the back.
Soda didn't miss the way Pony flinched at the touch. His typically light, jovial eyes grew darker and more suspicious. That was bizarre for Ponyboy to do. He usually wouldn't even notice if Two-Bit did such a thing, much less mind.
Soda decided to keep a wary eye on Ponyboy.
The next few days were pretty normal.
If you didn't count the fact that Ponyboy came home from school everyday looking like he had recently ran in a marathon, of course. Although, Pony no longer appeared to be as frightened and shook up as he previously had been. He just seemed worn-out and slightly anxious, a nervous look in his eyes.
Soda, being the perceptive, big brother he was, noticed this right off the bat. Everyday he would raise a suspicious eyebrow at Ponyboy's panting, exhausted form and ask if he was all right. Pony, however, would just brush the question off and would quickly - eagerly - change the subject. And all Soda would do was flop back on the couch, perplexed and still concerned, but wouldn't push the subject any more. Ponyboy would tell him if anything serious was going on with him when he was good and ready.
That logic flew out of the window today.
Previously, Soda had been working behind the counter at the DX, dressed in his work uniform and giddy for no other reason except for the fact that he was Sodapop Curtis, which meant that he could be as exuberant as he pleased.
As Soda bounced on the heels of his feet, he glanced out the glass window and spied two fellow greasers making their way into the store.
When the duo entered, Soda immediately smiled graciously and asked generously, "What can I do for y'all this afternoon?"
One of the greasers, the tall one with hard, brown eyes, shrugged. "We're just gonna take a look around," he said in a hoarse, scratchy voice, his eyes half-lidded as he viewed the products with a seemingly bored look.
The shorter man beside him nodded swiftly, staring at all of the objects with a too interested and fascinated look in his green eyes, as if he had never seen such things before.
Soda's smile was instantly wiped off, yet he still kept a trained, guarded expression. He should've known they were up to trouble the moment they stepped foot in the store. As much as Soda liked to interact with other greasers, they often attempted to steal the merchandise, especially teenaged ones like these two that seemed to be ditching school.
Thus, Soda maintained his gaze on the sole customers in the store. They made no sign of ever feeling his vigilant eyes upon them. Actually, as they browsed around, they talked rather freely and loudly.
"So have you heard the latest news in school?"
"Naw, what is it?"
"Apparently, there's this rumor going on about a kid and a teacher . . . screwin' around with one another."
"What?"
"That's what I said! And get a load of this: the kid's a greaser, too!"
"Whoa, what's his name?"
"Somethin' real weird. Somethin' to do with horses, I think."
Soda froze at this revelation, completely still and silent as he let his mind process this new information. Ponyboy, his kid brother, was with someone. And that someone was way older than him and 'supposedly' his mentor. But, technically, they're not with each other; they're 'screwing around.'
Soda nearly had a heart attack right there and then. He made an odd choking noise in the back of his throat. Suddenly, he felt heat encase his face as he felt something horrible stir in his stomach. Trepidation and dark rage swelled up inside of him, desperately trying to claw their way out. However, Soda took a deep breath and kept his calm. It would do him no good if he burst and went crazy with fury, which might potentially cause him to lose his job.
Soda then bit his lip harshly, doing a rather great job of controlling his anger. He didn't even care that the other two greasers were stealing everything they could stuff in their pockets. All he cared about was going home and discussing this with Ponyboy.
"Ponyboy, is there somethin' you wanna talk to me about?" Soda asked casually, leaning against the door frame of Ponyboy's and his bedroom with his arms crossed.
Ponyboy froze, stopping in the middle of the word he'd been writing. Then, he placed his pencil down gently on his desk, and turned around to calmly face his elder brother. "No, why do you ask?" he asked innocently.
Soda shrugged, albeit he fervently prayed in his head that this was all just a stupid rumor. "I'm just curious. Wanted to see what you're up to." A few minutes passed where he just stared at Pony, searching for something in his face. "So . . . there's nothin' going on at school? At all?"
Ponyboy flinched so quickly that Soda barely caught it. He swiftly turned his chair to face the desk, hiding his face from his prying brother. "No. Now can you please leave me alone, Soda? I really need to finish this essay for tomorrow," he explained.
"I heard somethin' real interestin' about you today, Pony," Soda began, regardless of Ponyboy's request from before. "You wanna tell me anythin' before I reveal it?" he asked, his dark, brown eyes full of melancholy and desperation.
Pony shook his head solemnly, averting his eyes to the ground from Soda's imploring gaze. "No," he replied quietly.
"I-I . . . I heard you were havin' an affair with a teacher, Ponyboy," Soda whispered, his eyes tearing up uncontrollably. "Is it true? Please tell me it's not true, honey. Please, just tell me . . ."
Gloomily and very slowly, Ponyboy shook his head. He looked up to meet Soda's eyes, and the elder Curtis saw Pony's weary, woeful eyes glistening with unshed tears and his lower lip quivering erratically. His expression was one of heartbreak.
"He - I-I mean, I didn't want it, Soda. He f-forced himself on me, b-but he only did it once. One time, that's it, Sodapop. He d-didn't even get that far. I got away f-from him before he c-could, and then I ran home," explained Ponyboy mournfully.
Tears sailed down Soda's smooth, handsome face. He didn't know what was worse, having Ponyboy be with a teacher willingly or having it be nonconsensual.
Soda then held out his arms and engulfed Ponyboy in a giant embrace, squeezing him tightly and lovingly. "Oh, baby, why didn't you tell me?" he asked tenderly, his voice slightly muffled by tears as he lightly rocked himself and Ponyboy.
However, all Pony did was bury his head in his elder brother's chest, refusing to give an answer. His eyes stung as he felt tears attempting to escape the confines of his eyes and try to cascade down his cheeks in glorious freedom.
After a few minutes of the comforting silence, the two brothers broke apart from each other's hold. Ponyboy wiped at his eyes hastily while a sniffling Soda pretended not to notice.
"P-Please don't tell Darry," Ponyboy implored, his eyes desperate and pleading as he looked at Soda beseechingly.
At the moment Soda opened his mouth to reply, a gruff, yet familiar voice said, "Don't tell Darry what?"
Ponyboy stiffened instantly at the sound of his eldest brother; they had left the goddamned bedroom door open. "Nothin', Dar. It's not important," he quickly lied, fervently wishing that Darry would be in a good mood and let him be.
Darry stepped into the room completely. He had one eyebrow raised skeptically, his hard eyes narrowed suspiciously at his brothers, and a thoughtful frown placed on his lips. "It's gotta be important if you ain't plannin' to tell me. So, c'mon, spit it out, Ponyboy."
Ponyboy's lips pursed before he began to chew on his bottom lip apprehensively, his gaze averted down at the ground, avoiding the stares the elder males were giving him.
"Ponyboy," growled Darry in exasperation. He pinched the bridge of his nose, "I ain't got all day, kiddo."
"I-I," Pony began, but found that he couldn't even say it out loud. He looked up at Soda, sending him a beseeching look. "Please, Soda," he whined desperately.
Soda sighed and fidgeted nervously as he felt Darry's stern gaze immediately turn to him. He took a deep breath. "Darry," he began slowly, "promise me that, if I tell you this, you ain't gonna hit the roof."
Darry sighed, clearly irritated. "Yes, yes, now is someone gonna tell me what's going on or what?"
Soda and Ponyboy shared a worried look before the former hesitantly said, "Dar, a couple of days ago at school, Pone was - well, a teacher . . ." He took a large gulp and calmed down his heavy, labored breathing before he lowered his voice greatly and said, "Ponyboy was t-t-touched by a t-teacher."
Absolute silence coated the room. No one said anything or did anything. The tension was so strained that you could cut it with a knife.
Then, a voice. It was disbelieving - in denial - and angered. "N-No. Soda, if you think this is some kinda joke-"
"H-He ain't foolin' around, Darry," Ponyboy cut off, refusing to look up from the ground at all. Tears blurred his vision as he swiftly wiped at his eyes once more.
"What?" Darry growled furiously, his icy, blue-green eyes now melted to an enraged pool of enmity and animosity. "Teacher. Who?" He was so enraged that he couldn't even speak in fully formed sentences.
"Why? What're you gonna do?" asked Ponyboy, his eyes showing great concern and a touch of fear. "You can't do anythin', Darry. If the state hears about this, I'll be sent to a boys' home," he countered.
Darry's fists clenched together, and he bit his bottom lip so harshly that it was a surprise that blood didn't start leaking out. "Don't care. Just tell me."
Ponyboy hesitated a moment, looking at anything but his brothers. ". . . Coach McCoy," he mumbled.
Darry's eyes widened to an impossible size, his jaw dropped open. He took a step back, completely stunned by the response; it was like a punch to the gut. Soda took one glance at Darry and instantly knew that he had the same horrified expression on.
"McCoy? My old Football Coach - McCoy?"
Pony nodded slowly, and that was all it took for Darry to burst out of the room, ignoring the protests and cries of his bamboozled brothers. "I'll be back," was the only thing he said before he slammed the front door so roughly that the whole house practically shook.
Soda and Ponyboy shared a solicitous look.
They both knew Darry wouldn't be back for awhile.
Darry didn't come back until late that night.
The only reason Soda knew that was because he had waited for the return of his elder brother. He sat on Darry's recliner and watched the TV with a bored expression, not even aware of what show was playing.
Then, at half past one, the front door creaked open. Soda immediately turned off the television and sat up in the armchair, trying to put on the most stern, austere mien one could possess.
He watched Darry try to sneak in inconspicuously, quietly closing the door behind him, as if he was a wild teenager coming back home after sneaking off to a crazy party. Soda then chose to make his presence known and cleared his throat loudly. Darry cringed at the noise and spun around quickly to see his younger brother staring at him in disapproval.
"Darry, where'd you go?"
Darry shuffled into the room nervously. "Where's Ponyboy?" he asked unrelatedly, ignoring the previous question.
"He's sleepin'." Soda had to actually force Ponyboy to go to bed; it hadn't been easy, to say at the least. "Darry, did you do somethin' stupid? 'Cause this isn't like you at all, y'know."
Darry sighed and sat down on the couch. "Soda, I didn't do nothin' crazy nor stupid. I-I just couldn't handle it, y'know? I mean, Soda, that was my Football coach. Man, he used to be the guy I could talk to about anythin'. We got along great, me and him. But to think that he tried to go after our kid brother . . . it makes me mad as all heck. Then I started thinking, who else did he try this with? How many other kids did he touch? Did he even try to go after you or me? It makes me so angry, Soda, 'cause I used to think he was such a nice guy. And the worst part is that I should have known. I'm Pony's guardian; I should've known somethin' was different, I should've asked what was wrong." Darry put his hands over his face.
Soda's facial expressions softened. He stood up and sat by Darry on the couch, wrapping a comforting arm around his shoulders. "Aw, Dar, you can't blame yourself - it's not your fault. Heck, I didn't even know until I heard some rumor about the whole thing."
That was when Darry's back stiffened and he removed his hands off his face. "There are rumors? Soda, what if the State catches word of it? Lordy, they're gonna put you and Pony in a boys' home faster than you can say 'unfair.'"
"They ain't gonna hear about it, Darry," Soda said firmly. "They ain't got any proof to back it up." After a moment's pause, he added, "Also, you didn't tell me where you went . . ."
"I went lookin' for McCoy." When Darry saw Soda's aghast expression, he quickly added, "I told you I ain't done nothin' stupid. All I did was go up to the guy and tell him to stop touchin' our kid brother or he'll know the feelin' of my fist in his mouth."
Soda sighed in relief, but then he gained a dangerous glint in his eyes and said, "He'll know a heck of a lot more than your fist in his mouth if he goes after Pony again. And I'll be the first one to hunt him down."
Darry nodded, his lips twitching upwards. "I don't know about that, little buddy. You're gonna have to compete with the gang, 'cause they're definitely gonna have to know."
The two brothers then proceeded to chat about how badly McCoy was going to get it and of the like, both ignoring that, even though they both had work the next morning, the clock was making its way to half past two.
After Ponyboy got home after school the next day, Soda and Darry were both waiting for him in the living room. Darry had taken a few hours off work because there was enough money for this month and, perhaps, because he was exhausted.
Ponyboy walked into the house looking oddly relaxed and peaceful - very unusual compared to how he would come in lately. That expression turned into one of confusion when he saw both of his brothers sitting on the couch, staring at him.
"Soda? Darry? What are you doing at home?"
Darry cleared his throat. "I took a few hours off work today. Now, Pone, I'm sorry that I just stormed off last night, but I need to know about these things, alright? That ain't somethin' you bottle up and keep to yourself, it's serious. Really serious. If the State found out about this before I did, who knows what might've happened."
Ponyboy sighed and said, "Okay, I get it, Dar. I swear I'll tell you if anythin' of the like ever happens again. But where'd you go last night?"
"Nothin' of your concerns," Darry replied obliquely, shifting uncomfortably on the couch as Ponyboy raised an eyebrow and sent him a 'oh-really?' look.
Soda grinned at his brothers. "Okay, now it's time for the comfortin' part where we all hug each other and start cryin'! Pone, come here!" He said, reaching his long arms out for Ponyboy.
Ponyboy rolled his eyes, but complied nonetheless. He walked over to Soda, who gave out an excited yelp and wrapped his arms around Pony, putting him on his lap and cuddling him close to his chest.
After a few minutes of this, Soda realized that one brother was missing out on all the affection. "Darry! You must join us!" he shouted exuberantly and gently pushed a shocked Ponyboy onto Darry's unsuspecting lap instead. The blonde then stood up on the couch and wrapped his arms around his elder brother's neck. He saw Darry smile very softly and embrace Pony, who hugged him back just as eagerly.
Soda smiled joyfully; he couldn't imagine a world without his loving, little family.
BONUS SCENE
"Soda?"
"Yes, baby?"
"You and Darry didn't tell the gang that Coach McCoy t-touched me, right?"
"COACH MCCOY DID WHAT TO YOU? Are you okay, Pone? Wait a minute . . . GUYS, GUYS! C'MERE, COACH MCCOY TOUCHED PONY!"
"What was that, Two-Shit? Coach McCoy be doing what to the little brat?"
"Pony, are you okay?"
"Well, I'll be back later. I'm gonna go look for this sick fuck."
"WAIT FOR ME, DALLY!"
". . . Well, they know now."
"Dang it!"
A/N: XD Bonus points for whoever can guess who said what! HINT: Everyone except Darry said at least one line!