This ends weird, because I broke it up into two chapters. It was too long. (It also might have mistakes, it's unbeta'd)
Enjoy!

When Ponyboy opened his eyes in the morning, the bed was empty, and his heart leaped into his throat. Jumping into a pair of pants, he darted into the living room, stopping short when he saw all three adults lounging around the living room. They looked up when they heard him come in.

"Morning, Pone." Darry said.

"Morning."

"Eggs on the stove if you want 'em. Might be cold, we all got up pretty early."

"Alright, thanks." Ponyboy looked at Steve. He was sitting on the ground, legs crossed, shuffling mindlessly through a deck of cards. He was wearing some of Darry's clothes; the older man must have made him shower.

"How are you feeling, Steve?"

"Hung the hell over." he grumbled, but smiled weakly. "I'm… okay. I needed the rest. Thanks, Ponyboy."

Ponyboy nodded, and went to eat breakfast. Halfway through his eggs, Darry and Two-Bit came into the kitchen.

"What's up?"

"We just wanted to talk to you about something."

Oh boy. Ponyboy's eyes flicked to Two-Bit, who was struggling not to smile.

"What's up, Darry?"

"Would you be okay with me having someone special in my life?"

"Like a girlfriend?"

Yeah, sorta. But, would you be okay if it was someone you knew?"

"Darry, are you trying to tell me you want to date Angela Shepard?"

Two-Bit looked like he would bust a gut, and Darry went pale. "What? No! Come on, Ponyboy, this is serious."

Ponyboy schooled his face. "Okay."

"It's not Angela, Pone. I-It's not… not even a girl."

"Okay, now I get it."

"You do?"

"Yeah. I didn't know Tim was your type, Darry."

Two-Bit lost it - howling with laughter, he stumbled out of the kitchen. Ponyboy leaned back in his seat, laughing even harder at Darry's confused, frustrated expression. "Okay, Okay, enough. Two-Bit, come back!" When Two-Bit came back in, Ponyboy said, "I know about you and Two-Bit. I walked in on you two making out yesterday, and Two-Bit told me."

Darry rounded on his boyfriend. "Damn it, Keith!"

"Come on, Darry. You know Pony and I are pals. We were up late and started having a heart to heart. And he was real cool about it."

Darry turned back to his brother. "Are you really okay with it Ponyboy?"

" 'Course I am, Darry. I already told Two-Bit: We're greasers, and there's a real good chance that even I won't make it out of here. But we still deserve to be happy."

"Don't you talk like that. You're getting out of here, Ponyboy, make no mistake."

"I told him the same thing." Two-Bit said, and Darry smiled.

Ponyboy sighed, and pushed away from the table. "I need to call into work. I don't think I want to leave Steve alone today."

"Don't worry, Pony, I'm off today. I don't start my job till Monday, remember? I can look after him while you and Darry are gone."

"I don't know-"

"Hey, come on, Pony you don't gotta be the adult right now. I got this."

Ponyboy looked to his brother.

"Two-Bit's right. You gotta go to work. Get dressed and I can drop you off."

Ponyboy nodded and went to get dressed.

"We'll see y'all later!" Darry hollered as he headed out to the truck. Ponyboy paused by the door. Two-Bit was watching Mickey Mouse on the TV, and Steve was curled up in Darry's arm chair.

"Hey, Steve?"

"Yeah?".

"Try and get some more rest, ya hear? There's leftovers if you get hungry."

Steve turned to look at him, smiling gently, "Sure, kid."

Satisfied, Ponyboy joined his brother in the truck. As they pulled away, Darry hummed along to the radio.

"Hey Darry?"

"Yeah?"

"Why'd you wait so long to tell me about Two-Bit?"

"I didn't wait that long-"

"Two-Bit said you guys been together since Soda."

Darry slammed his hand on the wheel. "That big mouth!"

"Don't be mad at him, we were both really shook up and spilling our guts to each other. Why did you wait so long?"

"We'd just gotten the letter about Soda, kid. Too much was happening, I didn't want to overwhelm you. And… I was scared. I just wanted us to find a new normal first."

Ponyboy mulled over his brother's words for a moment. He understood, kind of. "How did you know you loved him?"

Darry shrugged. "I dunno. It just happened. He makes me feel good, you know. Everything doesn't feel so heavy when I'm with him. I don't feel so alone."

"I get it." The brothers settled into companionable silence. When they got to Ponyboy's job, Ponyboy hopped out. "Have a good day, Darry. Be careful, hear?"

"I will. I'll be able to pick you up, so don't worry. Call if you need me." Darry pulled off, and Ponyboy went inside.

The day passed uneventfully. The traffic was steady, since the school year was almost over, but Ponyboy quickly found himself in a lull. His boss, Kathleen, left early for a doctor's appointment. He sat on the stool behind the counter and cracked open a book.

An hour later, the bell over the door rang, and Ponyboy looked up to see Two-Bit and Steve come in.

"Hey guys!"

"Hey kid!" Two-Bit said, skipping over. "We got bored inside, and Steve wanted to see where you worked, so we decided to drop by. Not too busy today is it?"

"It was earlier, but not right now. I get off in a little bit anyway."

Two-Bit nodded. "Well, we brought some food, if you're hungry."

"You guys didn't have to." Ponyboy said, but he was grateful. He'd forgotten his lunch in the rush to get ready, and his stomach was growling. HE was going to get food as soon as his shift ended, but this was much better. Steve handed over the bag before wandering away to look st the books.

"You got a bathroom in here, kid?"

"Nah, but the cafe next door does. Buy a cookie and they'll let you use it."

Two-Bit cursed. "Alright. I'll be back." He left, and Steve came back over. He didn't say anything, just grabbed a burger out of the bag and began eating. He was looking better, but Ponyboy knew that they still had to talk about the night before.

"Steve?"

He nodded.

"About last night-"

Steve shook his head. "Don't want to talk about it."

"We should."

"It was a moment of weakness, and it won't happen again."

"Until it does."

Steve glared at the younger boy, but Ponyboy continued. "I told you, Steve, I did my research. What this is, it's not going to go away. Bottling it up won't help you, man." Ponyboy paused, searching Steve's face. "I'm not saying you have to go to therapy or anything, just… you can talk to me. Always. Even if it's just you cursing for five minutes. I can't stand the thought of-" he couldn't even say it.

For a moment, Steve didn't say anything, just stared at the burger in his hands. "Ponyboy," he murmured, "it's hard for me to say this. But you were right. I can't hurt Darry and Two-Bit by offing myself. Hell, I can't even do that to you. I know I always gave you shit for Soda always hanging on to you, but I get why he did. I get wanting to hold onto the little piece of family you got." He took a deep breath. "I don't ever want to talk about last night, because I ain't gonna do it again. Soda… Soda wouldn't want me to, like you said."

Ponyboy exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding, closing his eyes. Hearing Steve say he was right kind of scared him, but was a relief. Steve chuckled, polishing off his burger.

The bell rang again as Two-Bit loped back into the store, frowning. "Glory, why didn't you tell me Kathy worked in that cafe, Pone? She still hates me for dumping her! Good thing she don't know about who I'm with now. She woulda killed me for sure."

Ponyboy laughed. "I forgot, sorry Two-Bit."

"Hey, you guys wanna catch a movie tonight? Nice, wholesome fun, as a group?"

Steve shrugged. "Sure."

"That sounds good. I think Darry is off tomorrow, too, so he'll come is you ask. It'll be good for us to get out before you both start working." Ponyboy glanced at the clock. It was time to start closing up. "I gotta close up the store real quick, you guys wait outside."

Two-Bit and Steve left, and Ponyboy got rid of any trace of food. Kathleen hated it when he ate at the register, but what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. He walked up and down the rows, putting away abandoned books and straightening up the shelves. He swept between the rows and made sure everything was where it should be before locking the door. He called Kathleen to let her know the store was closed, then called Darry to let him know Two-Bit and Steve got him, before joining the others.

They had to walk, since Two-Bit's car still wouldn't start, but luckily it wasn't that far. Two-Bit regaled them with how he charmed Kathy long enough to escape her wrath, and Steve snorted. "So you two ain't together anymore? When did that happen?"

"A while back. You were still in 'Nam."

"Who're you with now?"

Two-Bit stopped, and so did the other two. He looked at Ponyboy, who shrugged. "I'm with Darry." Two-Bit finally said.

"Really?"

Two-Bit nodded.

Steve looked to the sky. "Glory," he mumbled, "everything really does revolve around the Curtises."

"What d'ya mean?" asked Ponyboy.

Steve started walking again, and the other two followed. "I once told Soda that everything in our lives revolved around you guys. Your parents took care of us, then you guys. Soda was my best pal, and you and Johnny and Two-Bit were pals. Even Dallas stuck around 'cause of you guys." Steve sighed. "Everything really does come around to you guys. It's pretty nice."

Ponyboy didn't know how to answer, but he nudged Steve with his shoulder, and Steve smiled. It was weird having Steve smile at him. Ponyboy kind of liked it.

Once in the house, they immediately pulled out the rest of the cake, putting a large piece away for Darry before digging in with forks. It would be a while before Darry got off work, so they relaxed in the living room, flipping channels.

Steve sat up suddenly. "Hey Ponyboy."

"Yeah?"

"Ain't you graduating soon?"

"Yeah."

Steve nodded once. "Cool. You know if you're gonna be like, valedictorian or something?"

Ponyboy shrugged, cheeks turning red. "I dunno yet. My teacher says I have a pretty good chance of being salutatorian, which is right under valedictorian. I'm okay with it."

Steve nodded. "That's cool man. You deserve it."

"Steve, buddy, you're freaking me out." Two-Bit said, and Steve rolled his eyes, but smiled. He knew exactly what Two-Bit meant. But Two-Bit didn't know what had happened between Ponyboy and Steve. They weren't best friends, but something had changed between them. They were closer now, and both boys, if they were honest, were both terrified by and curious about it. The let it pass.

Darry didn't walk into the door until nearly 7:30, and he smiled at the sight of them lounging around. "Well hello there, lazy bums." he said, kicking off his boots and hanging up his tool belt. Ponyboy jumped up to hug him.

"Hey Darry, you're off tomorrow, right?"

"Sure am, little buddy. What's up?"

"Can we go to the Nightly Double tonight, please? All of us."

Darry pursed his lips and scratched the back of his neck, then shrugged. "Sure! Don't see why not. You guys up for it?"

Steve and Two-Bit agreed, and Ponyboy went to change, while Darry took a shower and changed as well. Once they were ready, they headed out in Darry's truck, Two-Bit and Steve riding in the bed.

"When's your car getting, fixed?" Darry called out to his boyfriend.

"Shoot, I don't know. Still can't figure out what's wrong with it."

"Lemme take a look at it." Steve said. "I still know a thing or two about cars."

Two-Bit nodded, and they continued on to the Nightly Double.

Once they were in, Darry groaned at the choice of movie. It was a beach film, a familiar one, and Ponyboy felt sick, though he said nothing about it. "Darry, why'd you come if you were just gonna complain?" he said instead, and Darry shot him a grin.

" 'Cause I wanted to spend some time with my kid brother. I'll be good, promise."

Ponyboy chuckled and let it go, but he still felt sick. It was the same beach movie he'd watched with Johnny, Cherry, and Marcia that fateful night. He swallowed the rising bile in his throat.

Darry noticed his unease. "You okay, Pone?"

Ponyboy nodded. "Was just thinking that I wanted some popcorn and a Coke. I'll be right back." he jumped out of the car before Darry could respond, he made his way to the concession stand. He heard footsteps behind him, but he didn't turn around until he got in line. It was Steve.

"Heard you tell Darry you were getting popcorn, thought I'd grab some."

"I was gonna bring some back for you guys."

Steve shrugged. "Well, now you got extra hands."

Ponyboy shook his head, but didn't respond. The line moved quickly, and they ordered three popcorns and two cokes. Steve jumped in and paid before Ponyboy could even reach into his pocket, and the younger man scowled, but Steve only laughed.

On the way back to the car, Steve stopped him. "What's really bugging you, Ponyboy?"

Ponyboy opened his mouth, but Steve said, "Listen, kid, if you're going to push me to talk about how the war fucked me up, you have to talk, too. What's wrong?"

Ponyboy looked down at his shoes. "This is the movie we saw the night Johnny killed the Soc."

Steve nearly dropped the Cokes. "Seriously?"

Ponyboy nodded. "Yeah. It just… reminds me of that night." He looked up, sticking his chin out. "But I wanna stay. I don't want to ruin the weekend. Me an Darry haven't done anything together in a long time."

"Kid, if the movie brings all that stuff back, we should do something else."

"Like what?"

"I dunno. Something else. The last thing you need is to do think about that shit again." Steve's eyes were serious, and Ponyboy almost felt bad for keeping his feelings inside. Steve was right. If he was going to force people to talk, he had to be willing to the same.

Darry and Two-Bit were sitting in the bed of the truck, whispering, when they got back. They looked up when Steve and Ponyboy got close.

"Pony-" Darry started.

"I'm sorry I freaked out." Ponyboy blurted. "This - This is the movie we were watching when - it happened."

Darry's face fell. "Oh, Pony…"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin tonight, and I know we already paid-"

"Shoot, kid, it ain't ruined! We can find some other trouble to get into." Two-Bit grinned at his younger friend. "This movie stinks anyway."

Darry put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "We can do something else. It's okay, Pony." He hopped down. "You know I hate movies anyway."

They all laughed, and piled back into the car. Ponyboy sat in the bed with Steve that time, and they threw popcorn at each other, throwing some at Two-Bit through the window. Nobody asked where Darry was going at first, but when Pony noticed them leaving town, he finally spoke up.

"Hey Darry, where are we going?"

"I heard through a trustworthy source that there's a bar in Wagoner that we'd like."

"You're willing taking the kid to a bar?" Two-Bit asked.

"Don't get mouthy, it's to have some fun. Ponyboy, you will not be having more than one beer."

Ponyboy agreed, and they kept going.

The bar wasn't too far from the city limits, and the boys could already tell this was a place they would like. Music poured out of the windows, and people danced and talked on the grass outside. They went inside.

Hopefully I can post the other part soon, but in the meantime, tell me what you like! I tend to give up on projects that don't garner a lot of comments. Even one or two is enough to keep me going!
We'll be getting to the smut soon (hopefully;;) but until then my loves!