Sorry for the slight wait. Thanks for the great reviews and positive remarks! They're always nice to receive.

Heaven Forbid

Two-bit had all ready engaged Dally in a game of poker before Pony had even come out of his room. The room buzzed with activity and noise and it was as though things were normal for everyone. And Pony knew why that was. It was because things were normal for his friends. Nothing had happened to them for it not to be.

He wasn't sure if he felt up to this. It had been his decision to make, yes. But it had been simple enough to tell his brothers that he wanted them to have the gang over like normal when it was a sugestion. Somehow the noise of Steve and Soda wrestling on the living room rug and Two-bit chuckling as he took in his winnings from a good hand felt almost too natural.

He wasn't sure if he was relieved or uncertain. His place was so unclear within the gang as it was, but he almost felt as though he barely knew these people whom he'd been friends with all his life.

"Pony, there ya are!" Two-bit cried from his seat at the table. "I'm tired of playing with this cheating bum all ready. You and Johnny come play with us?"

Johnny had been sitting low against the armchair, alternating between raising an eyebrow at Steve and Soda's antics and watching Perry Mason on the TV. Darry didn't seem phased by the noise as he continued to read the paper as though he were in silence, but he lifted his gaze when Two-bit announced his brother's presence.

"Yeah, Pon, ya wanna play poker?" Johnny asked softly, sitting up, looking interested.

"Ya know I'm lousy at poker, Johnny. Knowing Two-bit, I sit down at that table with a pocketful of allowance and leave broker than the muffler on Steve's car." Having heard Pony's quip, Steve froze and Soda was easily able to pin him down as he laughed.

"I'll break your muffler you get any wiser, kid," Steve muttered loudly enough for everyone to hear, causing laughter from everyone but Darry who had a suspicious smirk on his face.

"Turn up the radio and then sit down. We'll play for smokes. We all know you've got plenty enough of them, uh?"

"Two-bit, you can take my money and you can take my pride, but I ain't givin up my Kools," Dally stated.

Soda wandered over to the table after turning up the radio and suggested everyone play bullshit at a quarter a game.

Somehow through Two-bit's persuasive, albeit annoying demeanor, and Soda's vigor, everyone agreed to play. Even Darry.

Pony tuned out a bit as Two-bit went on one of his rambling tales about something that most assuredly never happened.

He thought about the way that even his brothers seemed to have brightened given the somber atmosphere of the previous evening. He wasn't sure he was entirely at ease in this situation, but he couldn't help but enjoy himself, and in comparison to the brooding he'd done the past few nights, it was more a relief than it was uncomfortable.

"So I told her 'that wasn't me that never called ya back, doll, it was my twin brother, and he died in the Vietnam war a few months ago. Thanks a lot for bringing it up, though.' I swear she felt so bad; she actually gave me a little action." Two-bit was grinning like crazy and Pony could tell by the way that Johnny looked a bit darker with flush that he should be glad he hadn't heard the whole story. "Two jacks."

"Bullshit. Ta both your cards and your story," Dally proclaimed with a sly look on his face.

"Gah. Ya know me too well, you're no fun to play with," Two-bit declared, smirking slightly while scratching his head as he took the small pile of cards.

"That's to you, Pon," Darry said when he made no move or even looked at his cards.

"Oh… what're we up to?"

"Queens," Johnny said.

"Oh, right," Pony said, smirking as he pulled a queen and an ace out of his hand. "Two Steves… I mean queens. Ah, same thing." He chuckled as he laid his cards down and Johnny put down his bit before anyone could call him on it. They were too busy laughing to do it anyway.

"Popcorn."

"Ugh, I knew it too. I guess the kid had to be good at something," Dally groaned.

"You mean besides English, science, social studies and math?" Soda asked with a grin.

"I meant things that mattered," Dally said, laying down a card he claimed was a two.

"Here here!" Two-bit and Steve said at the same time.

"Aw, leave me alone guys."

"What, you can dish it out but you can't take it?" Steve hassled him. "What a baby."

"I'd rather be one than have one." Pony muttered, referring to a pregnancy scare Steve had had with his girlfriend a few months ago that had turned out to be baseless.

"Yeah, well, you're going at it the right way," Steve said loudly, bright red.

Pony looked up with wide eyes and a pale face. He knew he was probably taking what Steve had said the wrong way, but he was worried all the same. He felt as though ice had dropped into his stomach. "W-what do ya mean by that?" he asked quietly.

"Ya know damn well what I mean by that you little smart-ass."

"No, what do you mean by that?" Pony demanded louder, though the way his palms went clammy and his heart raced, he wasn't sure where the courage had come from.

"Pony, Steve, that's enough," Darry interrupted.

"I mean you're a little queer, Pony. Always have been, always will be."

"ENOUGH!" Darry hollered loud enough that all sound but the radio and the television ceased.

"Steve, if you talk that way about my brother again, I'm gonna beat your face in. Ponyboy, quit provoking him."

Had Steve's words been any different, Pony probably would have argued that he hadn't been doing anything of the sort, but he was frozen in place, his mouth slightly ajar. Did Steve call him that just to be an asshole, or had he… had he known what had happened?

Pony dropped into bed later that night with the event still weighing heavily on his mind. Steve, whether through decency or a strong sense of self-preservation, had dropped the subject and despite Two-bit and Soda's best efforts, the evening hadn't been able to pick up after that and broke up within the hour.

"Turn the light off for me, would ya Pon?" Soda asked from the other side of their bed, and despite his best efforts, Pony wasn't able to do so telekinetically and was forced to get out of bed.

When he returned, his brother twisted towards him so they were looking at each other in the dim, dirty streetlight filtering through their windows blinds. "Ya know Steve didn't mean what he said tonight, right? He doesn't know what he's talking about and he doesn't have any clue what happened to you or he wouldn't have opened his stupid mouth."

"He… he doesn't know what happened does he? I mean, he hasn't said anything to you, has he?" Pony couldn't help but feel a little paranoid. He couldn't think of anyone he wanted to know less what had happened. He'd never be able to look at his brother's friend again, and no mater what Darry threatened him with, he knew Steve would somehow manage to find a way to torment him with the information. Steve couldn't know. He just couldn't.

"Course not, Pon," Soda said through a yawn. "No reason he should."

"He hasn't said anything you thought was strange?" Pony questioned quietly as he turned over to face the wall.

"Pony, he doesn't know. You don't have to worry about it, all right kiddo?" Soda threw an arm around him and rested his forehead against the space in between Pony's shoulders.

"No use." Pony muttered to himself.

There was quiet for a bit as Pony attempted to forget his worries, but one in particular seemed to keep vexing him.

"Soda?" he asked quietly, and his brother shifted slightly away so he could respond.

"Yeah?"

"Do you- do you want me to go sleep in your old room from now on?" Pony asked quietly turning over to face him without meeting his brother's eyes. He didn't want to hear the answer, but if his brother really did want him out, he should do the right thing and leave.

"No. Not unless you want to. Why?"

"Just… I just want to make sure you still don't mind sharing a room with me after what happened. I mean I'm… I'm disgusting now. You-"

"Pony, you're the same you were Friday night and every night before that. I love ya just the same and I want to share a room with ya for as long as you want to share one with me." Soda sounded as sincere as it was possible to sound, and his brother couldn't lie to him. He'd known that much since they'd been five years old and Soda had told him he'd been dropped off by aliens. He'd looked at his brother's face and heard his tone and had known in a second he'd made it all up.

"Really?" his voice sounded young and scared to his ears.

"Absolutely," Soda replied, putting his chin atop Pony's forehead. Wrapping his arm tighter around his little brother, Soda let his breathing even out as he fell asleep.

Pony only wished he could do the same.

A/N: So, erm, I've officially gone from pitiable to pitiful. I'm not 100 sure those are different things, but I'm counting on that you'll get that. Point being, I failed again. Ugh. But yeah, I'm not implying I don't think it was justified or that I deserve compassion. I wouldn't talk about it if not for the fact that I mentioned I was going for it again last chapter. All right, I'll let the personal information cease from here on out since I'm sure it's uninteresting for everyone. Thanks again for reading and reviewing.