Author's Note: Well, I had a really slow day today. So I wrote another chapter. Just a little lightheartedness to break up all the angst, haha. Hope you like it! Please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders.

Chapter Twelve

Wrestling

Soda managed to have a pretty normal day. No Socs stopped by the gas station at all, which made things a lot less stressful. He even went into the garage a few times and helped Steve out with some small jobs. He was finding that he could set his cane aside for short periods of time and lean on the car while working on the engine. He even managed to flirt some with a few girls who had stopped by for a fill up. It felt like things were finally starting to even out.

Soda chatted easily with Two-Bit and Steve on the drive back home. As Steve parked the car in front of the house Soda opened the door and swung his legs around. He still couldn't lift himself out of the car because the seat sat so low, but that didn't bother him much today. Two-Bit got to him first and helped him up without comment. His friends knew well enough to not make a big deal about helping him out. However as Soda looked up at Two-Bit he suddenly realized that he had been quieter than usual on the ride home. But before he could say anything about it Two-Bit had already turned and was heading up the walkway.

"Honey, we're home!" Two-Bit called as they entered the house.

"Hey guys," Darry said, coming out of the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in about a half hour."

"Why so late?" Steve asked, flopping on the couch. "I'm starved!"

"You'll live for another half hour," Darry said simply. "How was work?" He tried to make the question sound casual but there was a hint of tension in his eyes as he glanced at Soda.

"It was fine," Soda said earnestly. "No incidents to report, sir." He gave Darry a salute and grinned, trying to put his older brother at ease. He limped over to the recliner and fell down into it. "Where's Pony anyway?" He suddenly realized that it was odd for Darry to be cooking after he had worked all day. It seemed that since Soda had left Pony had taken over the responsibility of cooking meals.

"He's working on homework," Darry said, glancing toward where Pony's bedroom was. He suddenly looked uncomfortable. "He had kinda a rough day today."

"What do you mean?" Soda asked.

But Darry didn't get a chance to answer. Possibly because he heard them talking about him, Pony emerged from his room just then.

"Hey," Pony said with a smile.

"What happened to you?" Two-Bit asked. "Looks like you got hit by a truck."

Soda was staring at his little brother. One side of his face was all bruised up and swollen. His stomach dropped at the sight. It certainly wasn't as gruesome as some of the things he had seen overseas, but it still shook him up to see Pony with any kind of injury.

"I got jumped after school," Pony said with a shrug. "It wasn't a big deal."

"Looks like they made a big deal out of your face," Steve laughed.

"Hey, there were four of them, and I managed to do some damage before Darry showed up," Pony said defensively.

"C'mere," Soda said, sitting up in his chair. He had learned quite a bit about first aid while he was deployed as he helped patch up comrades on several occasions. Pony walked forward and leaned down so that Soda could get a good look at him. Soda reached up and gently tilted Pony's head so he could get a better look at the injury. "Doesn't look too bad," he said quietly. "Did you take him to the hospital?" He directed the question at Darry. "He might have a concussion. If he goes to sleep he might not wake up…"

This had happened several times in their platoon. A soldier would take a bad hit to the head and seem fine for a while, but after he fell asleep he would slip into a coma. There wasn't much they could do about that in the middle of the jungle. Suddenly a voice was echoing in his head. "Hey, keep your eyes open Curtis. I just risked my life for your noble ass so you are not allowed to die now."

"It looks a lot worse than it is, I promise," Pony insisted.

"I've been keeping an eye on him," Darry assured Soda. "He hasn't been showing any symptoms since I brought him home."

"How'd you managed to get jumped, anyway?" Two-Bit asked.

There was a bit of a hesitation as Pony shifted his eyes, staring down at the floor. Soda gave him a curious look as Pony straightened up.

"Who knows?" Pony said. "I was just walkin' along and suddenly they were just on me."

"You sure, Pony?" Soda asked slowly. Something just seemed off. He glanced over at Darry but his expression was unreadable.

"Yeah, of course I'm sure," Pony said just a fraction too quickly. "We gonna eat soon?"

"Yeah, few more minutes I'd say," Darry said as he turned and headed back into the kitchen.

Two-Bit and Steve were arguing over what to watch on TV and it was quickly turning into a wrestling match. Soda took the opportunity to pull Pony in closer.

"What really happened, Pony?" Soda asked.

"What do you mean?" Pony asked. "I told you what happened. Guess I looked like an easy target or somethin'."

"That just doesn't seem like the whole story," Soda said slowly.

"Well it is," Pony insisted.

Soda sighed. He wasn't quite sure that he believed Pony, but he could see that he wasn't going to get a different answer. He was getting pretty tired of everyone being so careful around him. He watched Steve and Two-Bit wrestle and felt envious and restless.

"Uncle!" Two-Bit called as Steve managed to pin him.

Suddenly an idea dawned on Soda. "I got winner!" he suddenly declared. All three boys in the room turned to him, staring curiously. There were several long seconds of silence as no one quite knew what to say to that.

"What do you mean?" Steve said slowly, frowning. "Soda… I'm not gonna wrestle you…"

Soda grinned. "Why, you chicken?" he teased. "C'mon… I'll arm wrestle you!"

Relief swept through the room as the tension evaporated. Pony pulled over the coffee table and Soda slid to the floor to be on the right level, grinning despite himself. Suddenly he felt so incredibly normal. Steve sat on the other side of the table and they clasped each other's hand with their elbows planted firmly on the table.

"Ready…" Pony counted down, holding his hand on top of both Steve's and Soda to keep them from starting early. "Set… Go!"

Soda flexed his bicep, stopping Steve in his tracks as he threw all his strength into trying to immediately bring Soda's hand down. Soda was definitely still in excellent shape, despite his disability. The Greasers were always athletic and strong, but having military training gave Soda a whole new edge up on them. Soda pushed back and inch by inch Steve's hand started to fall closer and closer to the table. Steve grunted with effort, but was unable to make any kind of progress in the opposite direction. After just a few minutes Steve's muscles finally gave way and Soda slammed his hand onto the table.

"Yes!" Soda exclaimed, raising both his hands over his head in victory.

"Damn, Soda!" Steve said, rubbing his bicep. "What did they feed you over there in the military?"

"My turn!" Two-Bit said with a smile. Steve stood up and Two-Bit took his place. "Bring it on, Captain America."

"Oh, you'll pay for that one," Soda sneered as they clasped hands. They repeated the game. Two-Bit was a little more of a challenge than Steve had been, but ultimately Soda won again. Soda was grinning whole-heartedly, feeling more happy and normal than he had in over a year. "How 'bout you, Pony?" he challenged. "Not chicken, are you?"

"I should warn you," Pony said, taking the seat across from Soda. "I have gotten stronger since you've been gone."

"Give me your best shot, little brother," Soda said.

Soda was surprised by Pony's strength, he hadn't been lying when he had he had gotten stronger. He resisted pretty well for a fair few minutes. He would have given Steve a run for his money. But ultimately Soda pinned Pony's hand to the table as well.

"Undefeated champion!" Soda declared, pumping his fist in the air.

"Hang on there, little buddy." Soda looked up to see Darry coming out of the kitchen. "Not too chicken to challenge the real champion, are you?"

"Bring it!" Soda said excitedly. Darry always won at arm wrestling. This was going to be a real challenge, but the bragging rights would be priceless.

Darry settled into the spot across from Soda and Soda eagerly grabbed his hand, gripping it tightly. He met Darry's eyes as Pony counted down again. On go they both tensed in defense, neither pushing right away, both their hands staying straight up. Soda decided to test his brother's strength, pushing hard against him and finding that he could not make his brother's hand budge. He felt Darry start pushing back and he clenched his muscles and gritted his teeth. For several minutes they were locked at a standstill, neither making away progress against the other. This would be a test of endurance. Who would tire first?

Several minutes passed and both hands were still straight up. Pony and Steve were cheering for Soda while Two-Bit was cheering for Darry. Soda and Darry were both silent, deep in concentration. Soda took a breath and pushed harder, feeling Darry's hand move just slightly down. Darry pushed back and they went the other way. They went back and forth a few times. Finally Soda was worn. Darry inched Soda's hand farther and farther down, Soda fighting his every move. Finally, with his hand hovering no more than an inch above the tabletop, Soda's muscles gave way and his hand hit the table. Two-Bit cheered as Steve and Pony groaned. Darry smirked and Soda smiled at him good-naturedly.

"Rematch!" Soda said, putting his hand back up.

"It's time for dinner," Darry said, standing up with a smile. "Maybe you could do some pull ups on that new shower rod and we can try again after you build up those chicken wings of yours a little more."

"Don't think I won't!" Soda said, looking up at Darry and grinning. "Believe me, I will beat you!"

"We'll see about that," Darry said, chuckling.

Pony pulled the coffee table away and put it back in its place. Darry and Steve each grabbed one of Soda's arms and hauled him to his feet. Despite having to be picked up like that, Soda was still smiling as Steve handed him his cane back. Things were getting better. Life was getting easier to deal with. Maybe things could really go back to the way they used to be.