NOTES: In order for this fan fiction to work, I decided to ditch the wonderful and ingenious storyline that Hinton has created and just make Ponyboy and the others be there to witness the time when Soda was dumped by Sandy. Just wanted to clear this up, since it seemed to have been confusing a lot of people. My deepest apologies…

Dedicated to Sparkling-angel13! Much love and thanks to ya, girl :)

Disclaimer: The Outsiders belongs to S. E. Hinton, and the song Stand By Me belongs to The Temptations. I just hope that my story does them the appreciation that it deserves.

Warning: Incest

Notes: …lyrics… ; un-beta-ed

Stand By Me, Lean On Me

By: Caffeine Lover

Sodapop Curtis stared disbelievingly at the unopened envelope that he now cradled delicately in his large calloused palms. The newly turned seventeen-year-old had sent that letter only a few days ago, hoping that it would reach its destination with success – and maybe even have the receiver on the other end reply back, somehow taking back her words from that day and declare her love to him.

Soda still didn't understand what was happening – or how this was happening. Wasn't Sandy supposed to be his girl? The fateful person that was supposed to marry him, have kids with him, and spend the rest of eternity and forever with him? Sodapop had even almost believed that what Sandy had said on her last day in Tulsa was just a mistake, a fumble in words, a cover-up of what she really wanted to tell him. He wanted to believe that she had never meant any of it – that the reality was not real.

He wanted to go back to the world where Sandy still loved him, where she had promised 'forever and a day' to him.

Of course, he was lying to himself. Then again, he never believed him.

When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we see

Soda stumbled towards the couch in the small family sitting area, his entire body feeling as heavy as a ton of lead, while his mind just felt numb. The kind of numb that you get when some catastrophe occurs, the kind of numb you get when you lose everything recognizable in your world. It was then that Sodapop Curtis had torn down the walls of illusion that he had built around himself – illusions of happily-ever-afters, true love, becoming successful with a woman at your side – to finally see the ugly and sneering face of reality, whom was taunting him of his foolishness and vulnerability.

Sandy didn't love him. Sandy never loved him. He was alone, and he didn't know how to pick himself back up again.

But then…had all those kisses meant nothing? All the love endearments, hugs, time spent together, caresses – had it all meant nothing to her?

Soda felt played, used, and downright dirty. He had fallen – fallen hard – for a girl that had never seen him as anything other than a short-term fling. Her twinkling laughter, her sparkling blue eyes, and the brightness of her dark-blonde hair had blinded him, not allowing him to see through the disguise of the creature before him until it was too late.

He should have known, shouldn't he?

No I won't be afraid
No I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me

A small figure walked into the sitting room, his large hands crammed into the tight pockets of his faded-blue denim jeans as he slouched in his baggy red-and-white T-shirt. The older Curtis brother didn't even notice (or realize, for that matter) that Ponyboy was standing beneath the rickety doorframe, his face filled with a concerned expression as his greenish-grey eyes showed that he wanted nothing more than to chase away all of his demons and monsters and ensure that Soda was safe.

Ponyboy obviously has no idea what was wrong with Sodapop. He didn't know how brutally Sandy had broken his elder brother's heart without even an utter of a word, or how Soda has now almost given up on all hope.

The boy who once had gotten high merely on life itself was spiralling non-stop in a deep abyss of nothingness, everything around him feeling strangely dull and cold. If someone had suddenly set Soda ablaze, he wouldn't even notice, for his body doesn't react to stimuli anymore; his body doesn't feel anything anymore.

There had been many times when Ponyboy had come home with a heavy heart, and when Darry was too busy give any comfort to the young lad, he could always count on his other brother to give him the time of day. No matter how much Ponyboy needed to say, no matter how long it took, and no matter how important it was, Soda always sat beside Ponyboy, listening with all his heart and offering sincere, honest comfort and advice. He was just always there to provide the boy with unrelenting support, grabbing all the heavy burdens of the younger brother and placing it upon his own shoulders.

Maybe now…maybe now it would be a good time to repay him for all his kindness.

"Hey Soda," the quiet voice called out as footsteps approached the blonde teenager.

And darling, darling stand by me
Oh, now, now, stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me

Ponyboy trudged across the small space between them almost cautiously, afraid that the slightest noise or movement would awaken Sodapop from his trance and plunge him into breakdown mode. He had never seen Sodapop so distraught before – not when he had lost his pony, Mickey Mouse. Not even when he had lost their folks a few years back.

This scared him. Ponyboy was shaken bad at the state that Soda was in.

He sat down quietly beside his older brother, whom was currently clutching the white envelope with such a force that it crumpled beneath his fingers as his knuckles turned a snowy white while staring off blankly into space. Ponyboy nudged Soda gently in the ribs with his elbow, silently asking him to confide in him, telling him without words that he was there for him.

It was his turn to act in the role of the listener, the comforter. It was Ponyboy's chance to lend Soda a shoulder to lean on as he took the burdens off of his back and place it on his own.

"Soda, what's wrong?"

If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
And the mountain should crumble to the sea

The room was silent for a moment; the only sound that bounced and echoed off the four walls was the sounds of their laborious breathing, both afraid that too much of excessive noise would disturb the other. Ponyboy's question hung like a dead thing in the air, its presence and existence both disturbing and unwelcome. When Soda didn't answer immediately, Ponyboy didn't dare push him.

Then, it all started spilling out, like vomit, which cruelly displayed the contents of Soda's agony.

"It wasn't me, y'know?" Ponyboy remained silent. "Maybe I shoulda realized it sooner, with Sandy suddenly being distant an' everything… I was just so eager to hear her say, "I do" to really see what was going on and…" Soda still clutched the unopened envelope like it was his lifeline, and he still stared blankly at air in front of him. He almost seemed to be on autopilot; his heart was still beating, his lungs were still working, and he was still alive…it's just that he no longer seemed to be here. It was as if Soda suddenly died and an impostor flew in, looking like Soda and even sounding like him when he talked – but the only evidence pointing that it wasn't Soda was the fact of the emptiness inside his voice, the joy gone completely from his eyes.

Ponyboy didn't need Soda to spell it out for him. He may be a dreamy kid that didn't use his head much, but that doesn't mean that he was stupid without an ounce of logic. He remembered so clearly the day when Sandy had chosen Florida over Tulsa – when she had chosen her family over Soda. Ponyboy remembered how he had looked almost lost – almost broken – when the blonde girl was suddenly gone from his side. But he continued to smile and joke around, nonetheless, and everyone had taken for granted that Soda could bounce back from anything.

They all figured that he was just too damn happy-go-lucky to remain depressed.

"She never loved me, Pony! She never loved me. I feel so played, so used. I-I…" Ponyboy snaked an arm around Soda's upper torso in a slight hug, an action meant for comfort. He held his brother as Soda fought back the tears that threatened to spill from his closed eyes. After all, boys aren't supposed to cry, right?

I won't cry, I won't cry
No I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me

And when Soda's failed attempt at hiding his sorrow finally showed, Ponyboy turned Soda around to face him as he firmly wrapped both of his around his brother. Ponyboy was now sitting on his knees on the couch, which resulted Soda to rest his head almost awkwardly against the younger Curtis boy's chest. Soda's body wracked with silent and broken sobs, each movement like an earthquake against Ponyboy's heart. He hated to see Soda like this – it not only terrified him, but it also suddenly allowed him to despise Sandy. Despise her with such a passion that if he ever laid eyes on that blonde again, he would most likely borrow Two-Bit's switchblade and stab her to death.

The two brothers stayed in that position for a moment that seemed like an eternity, each minute passing by felt like an equivalent of a hundred years. Time didn't matter then for the Curtis brothers, what mattered now was the way that Ponyboy's arms fitted almost perfectly around Soda's worn body, and how the seventeen-year-old curled up just right to fit into the small cocoon of Ponyboy's protective embrace.

And darling, darling stand by me
Oh, stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me, stand by me

By now, the unread letter within the unopened envelope laid on the raggedy and stained carpet, forgotten, its surface still crinkled and folded from the time when Soda had crumpled it.

At any other time, the position that they were in might have been awkward – embarrassing even. But in a time like his, when a person is on the verge of an emotional death, actions are more appealing rather than honey-sweet words. No words needed to be said. The way that Soda's cries had ceased, and the way that one of Ponyboy's hands had somehow went into Soda's platinum blonde hair as he ran his fingers through the silky locks while the other patted him lovingly on the back was an exchange of unmentionable words by itself. Spoken words now would have been a waste of energy, a waste of breath. It was unnecessary thing to do, and the Curtis boys wouldn't have it any other way.

Ponyboy didn't need to inform Soda that he'd be by his side for as long as he needed, and Soda didn't need to thank Ponyboy and who his gratitude with fancy words. The older teen knew that Pony was unlike Sandy; he wouldn't abandon him for someone else, he wouldn't trample upon his heart and spit on the wound. Ponyboy knew that although his part in Soda's healing was almost minimal, he had done a great deal.

Soda was going to be all right. Ponyboy just knew it.

Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me
Oh, now, now, stand by me
Oh, stand by me, stand by me, stand by me

They went to bed far earlier than usual, both comfortable and content in each other's arms underneath the thick winter bed sheets. Soda and Pony always slept together, but that night, it seemed different in a way. Maybe it was the way they both helped each other with both emotional and physical trauma on different occasions. Or maybe it was the way that they had somehow connected with each other in a way that brothers didn't usually connect. They both developed a deep understanding about themselves and about the other.

Even before they slept, no words were exchanged. The necessity of that luxury was still unneeded, everything that needed to be unveiled was revealed already. Feelings were mentioned in shy hugs and sly glances at the person beside them, and comfort was given in larger-than-needed quantities.

Soda's wounds may not be completely healed, but it was on its way to a speedy recovery under the gentle treating and supervision of Ponyboy. But, Pony knew that when it was healed and the wound was closed, it would still leave a much-hated and humiliating scar in its wake. And when the time came, he would be ready to battle the despairs and tears that would come with that scar.

For now, things were perfectly fine. He would stand by Soda for as long as the older boy needed. Ponyboy had promised.

Darling, darling stand by me
Stand by me
Oh stand by me, stand by me

Later that night, when the oldest Curtis brother had returned home from a hard day of work, he was surprised to find an unopened letter lying carelessly and wrinkled upon the family room floor. However, when he had read whom the letter was apparently addressed to, his eyebrows furrowed down in contempt as his eyes darkened in fury.

I hope Soda's all right, Darry thought as he walked down the small and narrow hallway that lead to his brothers' bedroom.

And when he saw the slightly relaxed and smiling (and sleeping) faces of Ponyboy and Soda, Darry sighed in relief as he closed the door gently behind him.

Yes, things were going to be okay.

Stand by me

- The End -

The Coffee Corner: I know that it is sort of short, so my deepest apologies ::sweatdrops:: I hope that my stories were enjoyable – and please remember to review! If you have any suggestions for stories, I would be more than happy to take them :-) Just go to my profile and you'll find information on how to contact me. Thanks for your lovely time.

- Caffeine Lover