Darry walked into the living room through the kitchen, holding what looked like a baby. Sodapop, who was on the couch, and Ponyboy, who was in the armchair, looked up. They saw that the baby was… fake? A doll? What the hell would Darry want with a baby doll?
"Goin' somewhere with that doll, Darry?" Soda asked jokingly. Pony laughed a bit.
Darry smirked. "No, little buddy, you are." He responded, shoving the doll in Soda's arms, seeming to enjoy every minute of it. Soda quickly handed it back.
"Uhh… no I ain't.." He looked over at Pony, cocking an eyebrow.
Ponyboy sat up in the armchair and watched curiously.
"You two are takin' care of the baby doll." Darry said, looking over at Pony and then back at Soda.
"Darry, I gotta work. I don't got time to be parentin' some doll." Soda argued. Pony nodded.
"I ain't takin' care of a doll, especially not alone." He snapped, turning on the TV. Darry immediately switched it back off and glared at his two kid brothers.
"I never said this was a debate. You're doin' it whether you two like it or not." The eldest brother snapped sternly.
The two boys sighed, but they saw that Darry was serious. Ponyboy was the first one who broke and simply nodded his head, still not wanting to do the little project. Soda was still hesitant on the whole subject.
Darry glanced over at Soda.
"How long do we have to do it?" Soda asked, not making eye contact with his older brother.
Darry looked as if he were thinking hard about it. A small grin appeared on his lips.
"Three months." He said, a smirk curling across his lips.
"THREE MONTHS?!" Soda yelled, jumping off the couch.
Darry simply handed Soda the doll and, without another word, strolled off into the kitchen.
Soda threw the doll down on the floor. "I ain't doin' this shit for three months! He's crazy if he thinks I am!" He said, crossing his arms.
"Calm down, Soda." Pony said, smiling sweetly at his lover. "We can do this, no sweat. 'Sides, it's only a doll."
Soda looked into Pony's eyes before taking a deep breath and nodding. "Why the hell not." He said, picking up the doll. "D-Do we name it?" He asked curiously, stuttering a bit.
"Um, yeah… I guess." Ponyboy said, looking at the realistic-looking doll. He put his hand on Sodapop's shoulder before shouting, "I CALL BEIN' THE DADDY!"
Soda gave Pony one look up and down and smirked to himself. "But you call me daddy all the time." He chuckled under his breath. Pony's face automatically flushed bright pink.
Soda stood up and grabbed Pony's small waist.
"Need me to prove it?" He smirked.
"N-No, D-Darry's home." Ponyboy stuttered, his face turning even more pink.
Soda pushed his lips to Pony's neck. He could sense Pony's hesitation.
"You know, we can't hide this from Darry forever." He said, sitting down and pulling Pony into his lap.
"We can sure try, though." Pony mumbled.
Soda looked at his lover, sympathy in his eyes. He knew it weighed on Pony because he never wanted to disappoint Darry. Darry would never approve of them.
Ponyboy looked down at the doll and mumbled, "Can we at least make him proud by doin' this?"
Soda kissed Pony's forehead and nodded. "Of course." He whispered in his lover's ear.
The two heard the sound of Darry's footsteps. Pony jumped off Soda's lap and back onto the chair.
"Did you guys figure it out?" Darry asked.
"We'll do it." Pony coughed up, his cheeks still red. When Darry wasn't looking, Soda winked at Pony. The 14-year-old couldn't help but smile.
