Chapter 9
Soda had a wonderful day after his brother and Dally had left. John and the guys stuck around for a while but he knew he would have to go home to the hell that was his home. Time had flown of course and now it was time for him and Steve to close up for the day. Both men worked slowly, Steve had already said that he was going to avoid the house so he would walk Soda home and leave not wanting to be around Dally or Darry. So they worked together to close up the shop and started the walk back to the Curtis house.
"Hey Darry I'm home." Soda said as he walked through the door. He seen Dally sitting on the couch watching tv and heard Pony in their bedroom.
"Hey Soda, can I talk to you for a minute?" Soda sighed figuring another fight was lying in wait. He didn't want to fight with his brother anymore he just wanted to move out. He was tired of this and if it meant he had to break up the family then he was going to do that. As he walked through the living room Dally glared at him which gained him an equally menacing look back.
"What do you want Darry?" Soda asked walking into the kitchen. He noticed Darry cooking dinner and that it smelled delicious but not wanting to allow Darry to think everything was forgiven he hid his smile.
"Well I was thinking about some of the things you said today and your right. I am being way too harsh on you. Look I just want to look out for both my brothers and you two make that very hard sometimes. I also tend to forget that just because you're my younger brother that does not mean you're a kid anymore. So anyways what I'm trying to say is if you want to see that Cena boy you can." Darry said not taking his eyes off the dinner in front of him.
"Well I guess thank you…" Soda said but before he could finish Darry cut him off.
"With that being said there are some stipulations…" Soda's eyebrow raised and he crossed his arms knowing full well the attitude that was currently rolling off him. "Don't give me that look. 1. I want you in this house no later than 2am when you two go out 2. Don't let me catch you doing anything stupid 3. Help me enforce the rules on Pony." Soda was astonished. The first two rules he could handle but Darry wanted him to turn on his own brother.
"Only if you lighten the rules on Pony will I agree to the last term…" Soda started and when Darry went to interrupt Soda held his hand up, "No, Darry listen. That boy is going to see him whether you like it or not. There is no stopping that now either you can control it or you can let it get out of control and allow for what happened a year ago to happen again. I don't think keeping him all locked up in this house is something that is going to pan out well and we both know he is only gonna hate ya for it. On top of that I won't turn on him and betray his trust just to get myself out of this." Soda's tone had become more harsh as he ranted.
"Soda take it or leave it but there is no negotiating." Darry said as he continued to stir the sauce on the stove.
"Soda take the deal. I can handle our dear older brother on my own." Pony said leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, and clearly pissed. "That's a low blow Darry making him choose between us, even for you."
"I'm not making him choose, Pony. I am trying to get you to understand that just because you want something doesn't mean you can have it. I won't let you destroy your life being with that man. He is too old and too dangerous for you to be seeing." Pony laughed at his older brother.
"Is that what you think or is that what your master thinks?" Pony asked pointing over his shoulder towards the living room.
"It's what I think, smartass. I don't like the fact that you two are suddenly attacking him for everything." Darry said turning the burner off and looking at his brothers.
"Really Dar, he hasn't changed you at all? Do you really believe that?" Soda asked.
"Yes Soda, I can still think for myself and I see danger when it comes too Randy Orton." Darry said as he set the table never once asking for help and never once did either of the brother's move to help him.
"Don't set a place for me. I'm not hungry." Pony said shaking his head and walking back up the steps to his room.
"PONY get back down here. You have to eat!" Darry yelled up the stairs.
"No I don't and do me a favor superman, go fuck yourself!" Pony yelled back as he slammed the door shut and locked it.
"That boy is going to be the death of me. Please go get him and get him to eat." Darry told Soda. Soda shook his head and headed out the back door. "Where do you think your going?"
"I'm going to find Steve, then I'm going to find John and Evan. If you have a problem with that I will grab some shit and take it with me, but I will not force feed my brother and I won't be your mule to get him to listen to you." Darry was shocked at the ultimatium that Soda had just given him. It had sounded like he was threatening to move out if he forced him to help with Pony. This was really bad and Soda must really care about this boy if he was willing to give up his family for him either that or he really didn't think that they were that dangerous. With everything that he had heard he knew they were, he would have to just get Soda to see that it wasn't right to but their baby brother through that.
Soda headed to Steve's dad's and knocked on the door. Steve opened the door grabbing his coat and sneaking out the door before the bottle could bust on him. He heard the inevatible crash of glass breaking just as the door closed and the yelling of 'and don't come back here you piece of shit boy'. He shook his head and him and Soda started walking down the street.
"What was that about?" Steve shrugged.
"Norm, so whatcha doing down here and where is your guardian's?" Steve asked kicking a rock in front of him.
"Darry offered me a deal, that if I stay out of trouble, be in by 2, and help him enforce the rules on Pony I could see John." Steve stopped and looked at him.
"Did you take it?" Steve asked.
"Nah, can't do that to Pony so we both fought with him again and it ended with Pony telling him to go fuck himself and me telling him that if he didn't like me seeing John without that stipulation that I would move out." Soda's shoulders hunched a little more and Steve shook his head.
"I would have said ok." Soda chuckled and shook his head at Steve.
"You just don't like my kid brother." Steve shrugged and they turned another street corner. Both knew where they were heading without having to talk about it. They Austin house wasn't too far from the Curtis's at about four blocks away but they got very close to soc territory which always but the boys on edge. He walked up the stairs to the Austin house and knocked.
"Hello, Can I help you?" Kelly asked opening the door. Soda smiled at her he from the hospital that this was Kelly.
"Hi, is John here?" Kelly nodded and held the door open for him.
"You must be Soda, John told me all about you." At Soda's scared look she held up her hands "All good don't worry." She laughed and yelled for John.
"Yea, Kelz?" John yelled back from the second story of the house.
"Someone's here for you!" John came running down the stairs stopping when he seen Soda.
"Hey," John jumped the rest of the steps and quickly wrapped his arms around Soda. "Is everything alright?"
"Not exactly, can we talk?" John nodded and grabbed his hand and headed up the steps.
"John behave yourself in my house." Soda noticed a big burly man coming through the doorway and recognized him.
"Yes of course Steve oh and by the way this is Soda." John said smiling deviously before pulling Soda the rest of the way up the stairs. "Alright everyone out!" John yelled entering what Soda assumed was his room.
"Aw come on John it's my room too." Randy said piping up but shut up when he seen Soda. "Is everything alright?"
"Yea you can stay you might want to hear this." Randy nodded and John kicked everyone else out of the room.
"Alright what happened?" John asked as he shut his and Randy's door.
"Well Darry offered me a deal today when I got home from work. He said that if I stayed out of trouble, was in before 2, and I helped keep Pony away from Randy then I could date you without a problem. I told him no and both me and Pony jumped him again about treating us like shit. Pony told him to go fuck himself and I told him that either he let me date you or I was moving out." Soda said. As he retold the story John had pulled him over to the bed and into his arms. Randy slowly breathed both of the other men could tell that he was visibly trying not to freak the hell out.
"Oh wow, why didn't you take the deal?" Randy asked knowing how much easier everything would be between him and John.
"Because I can't do that to Pony." Soda said amazed that Randy would even ask.
"You have to take the deal." Both men stopped and looked at Randy in awe.
"What the hell Randy I thought you liked him!" John said amazed at his best friend's audacity.
"No really you have too, think about it if Darry trusts you enough to watch Pony on your own and you get to see John." Randy said with a stupid smile. Both Soda and John caught on at that moment and laughed.
****Later that Night****
"Hey Darry look I'm sorry about earlier." Soda said as he walked in to see Darry and Dally sitting on the couch together. "I thought about and your right Pony is too young to be with Randy." Darry looked at him and shook his head.
"Nah deals off the table if you wanted it you would have taken it before you talked to John." Dally said wrapping his arm around Darry's shoulder.
"I really wasn't thinking it was a really intense moment I was still mad about what had happened earlier and really Dally are we gonna go through this again. It's not really your place to be involved if Darry wants to not let me use it then he needs to tell me. On top of that Randy said something in front of me today that makes me think he is not the best person for Pony." Soda explained to Darry and Dally.
"What did he say?" Darry asked.
"He just implied Pony wasn't the only one he was messing around with." Soda stood his ground. He knew Pony was listening but he would explain it later.
"Ok well as long as your behind me on this but I don't think we should tell him tonight. We will tell him tomorrow and you will tell him everything. Maybe then he will understand why we can't let him be in this. Soda nodded and made for the stairs.
"I'll talk to you guys tomorrow. I got work in the morning so I'm going to bed." Both boys just nodded too busy smiling at each other. Soda's stomach turned at the two of them. He couldn't believe how dumb they both were. He noticed Dally's hands shaking but shook his head not wanting to know what was going on.
"Pony?" Soda said as he slipped into the dark room. "Pony, I know you heard me."
"Is it true?" Pony asked crying. He couldn't believe that Randy would do this to him and was absolutely pissed but more heartbroken then anything.
"No" Soda whispered. He climbed into bed and pulled Pony into his arms so he could whisper in his ear. "It's a little plan me, john and randy came up with to make all of our lives easier. See if me and John are able to see each other and Darry trusts me enough to keep an eye on you then you and Randy can see each other too. But you have to come up with some really good acting skills or else this isn't going to work. You're going to have to get pissed and angry and sad, and if anyone sees you two together immediately start acting like your fighting with him." Pony just nodded and hugged his brother. There would be peace in the house again. In truth both boys hated fighting with Darry.
Thanks for being so patient guys! I'm on break for a few days so I should be able to bust out a few chapters for all of my stories. It's been ridiculous how busy finals season gets me. As always Read and Review.
