Quick debut of Ponyboy's nickname. Also, some Johnny and Pony time as requested by some readers. :)

o-o-o

The audience was loud as cheers erupted from everyone's mouth. Feet pounded across the track following after the boom of a gunshot. There were so many people watching and participating that day since it was the first meet of the season and there were many schools there already. Ponyboy squeezed past the crowd, trying his best to get to the field so that he could stretch and get ready for his first race.

He managed to push his way to the gate when an arm wrapped around his waist and a hand covered his mouth. Ponyboy's eyes went wide as he was harshly tugged backward, heart leaping to his throat. Out of instinct, he struggled against the hold, squirming while trying to pry off the arms. He tried to scream out for help or to catch someone's attention, but his muffled voice only blended in with the cheering.

"Don't move," a voice that was obviously purposely deeper than the original ordered.

Wait a minute… Ponyboy froze. He recognized that voice despite the disguise.

He stomped his foot down onto his captor's own, causing a yelp to come out of their mouth. "Jesus Christ!" they cursed, letting him go. Ponyboy spun around to find exactly who he thought it was.

"Archer, don't do that!" Ponyboy griped. "I thought that someone was about to jump me!"

Archer dramatically shook the pain away in his foot, laughing at him. "But you should have seen your face!"

Huffing, Ponyboy crossed his arms to show his displeasure but easily forgave the Soc anyways. One question was burning on his mind now. "What are you doing here anyway? I never told you that I had a track meet today."

"I think the question is, why didn't you tell me that you had a meet today?" Archer corrected, catching Ponyboy off-guard.

"I just…" Ponyboy shifted his weight to another leg. It wasn't just Archer. He didn't tell anybody about the meet. "I didn't think that you wanted to come."

"You went to my game, so I'm going to show some interest in your meet. Is there a problem with that?"

Ponyboy's cheeks turned a light shade of pink at his words, heart fluttering a bit. He shook his head, a small smile forming on his lips. "No, there isn't a problem at all. Thanks for coming, Robin Hood."

"There you go with that nickname again," Archer mumbled to himself, looking at the starting line of the next race. Runners were already gathering there, lining up. He pointed his finger towards the mass of runners. "It looks like they're getting ready for the next race. Is that your event?"

Ponyboy looked over to where Archer was pointing and nodded. He should probably hurry over so he could be able to stretch. "Yeah, it's my first event."

A hand clamped over his shoulder in a silent 'good luck,' and Ponyboy shot Archer a tentative smile before walking over to where the other racers were gathering. He quickly stretched while each row of runners ran forward. When it was his turn to run, he took a long, deep breath, crouching down into position. His eyes zeroed in on the finish line, muting the cheers around him. The only sound that he focused on was the one of his own breathing and the incoming sound of the starting gunshot.

The sound of the starting gunshot sent a shiver down Ponyboy's spine as he pushed off his back leg in a sprint. His arms pumped by his sides as his feet pounded against the track so quickly that it felt like his legs were running away from him. People were cheering around him, but they sounded distant to him. He quickly pulled into first place, the finish line getting closer and closer with each passing second. He could vaguely sense the other runners not too far behind him though.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Archer watching him by the fence. Without realizing it, he slightly turned his head towards him, feeling time around him slow down. His heart pounded quickly against his chest, but he wasn't sure if it was from him running or from seeing Archer.

"Focus, Ponyboy!" Archer's voice suddenly ripped through everything, snapping Ponyboy out of his daze. His eyes widened as he snapped his head back forward. For a flash moment, he saw the other runners catch up to be only a few steps behind him. If he didn't speed up, they were going to pass him. Ponyboy leaned his body more forward, pushing himself harder. His side started to cramp up, but he ignored it to the best of his abilities. The finish line was right there. He just had to endure it for a little while longer.

Slowly, he started to create distance between him and the other runners. His foot passed over the finish line as cheers came rushing back to him. He stomped his foot down while he ran, forcing himself to slow down. He panted hard as he came to a stop, placing his hands on his knees. It's been a while since he last ran like that. Even in his practices, he didn't push himself that hard. He was so out of shape.

After grabbing his time and reporting it, he walked over to where his next race would start and sat down in the grass to rest a bit. When he had finished all of his events, he looked back to where he had first seen Archer but didn't see him by the fence. He frowned but jogged over to the audience stands, looking around for him. This proved to be an easier task now since many people had already left.

"Archer?" he called out, but, of course, he didn't receive an answer. Did he leave already? The thought made him feel disappointed. He had hoped that Archer stayed the entire way through.

He had just about given up on searching for the Soc when he caught sight of the back of a familiar figure. He felt butterflies in his stomach again, smiling as he rushed over to him.

"Hey, Arch—" his voice got caught in his throat when he saw the scene in front of him. He saw Archer with an unfamiliar girl clinging onto his arm, both of them laughing with smiles blown upon their faces. For some reason, the sight of them together made his stomach drop. He stopped his pursuit over to him as if his feet were glued to the pavement. There was an ache in his chest, making it feel like his heart had stopped beating.

This feeling… It was jealousy, he just knew it. He wasn't unfamiliar with the feeling, but He still didn't like it one bit. Ponyboy didn't like those two together. He wanted them apart. Archer was with him.

Right after he thought that Ponyboy shook his head. What was he thinking? There was no reason to think that way. It wasn't like they were actually together. But that didn't change the fact that what Pony saw hurt.

He forced a smile onto his face, walking over to Archer as if he had no control over his body. All he knew was that he didn't want him talking to her. He stepped up to the pair, wrapping his arms around Archer's waste and forcefully pulling the girl and him apart. He leaned his weight against Archer, scrunching his shirt in his hands. "Hey, I was looking for you. I didn't see you after I finished my last race," he said, the corners of his mouth feeling like a thousand pounds were weighing them down. He could feel a glare zeroing in on him, but it only made him feel satisfied with himself.

Archer stared at him, startled at the sudden entrance and behavior. His eyes went wide for a moment before he quickly caught himself. "Oh, hey," Archer replied, trying to pull away from him, but Ponyboy only tightened his hold. "I was just talking to—"

"Barbra," the girl finished for him, turning her attention to Archer and not removing her gaze from him for the rest of the conversation as if she didn't have the time to deal with Ponyboy herself. "And who's this?"

"This is Ponyboy."

She crossed her arms. "He's clinging onto you pretty tightly. What's his deal?"

Ponyboy glared at her. "Archer's my boyfriend," Ponyboy snapped, jealousy almost blinding him.

Instantly, her face turned red. She was probably from another school if she didn't know about them and their 'scandal'. "You two…" She swallowed, baffled. She gaped like a fish. "You two are together? But you're both boys!"

"Your point?"

"It's wrong and disgusting."

"If it's disgusting, then why don't you go away so you wouldn't have to look at us?"

If possible, her face turned even redder as she spun around and stormed away, muttering insults. Ponyboy's strained smile turned into a satisfied one when she left, but it dropped when he heard Archer murmur, "Man, that broad was hot."

His heart clenched again, causing him to grind his teeth. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but what Archer said really hurt him. It reminded him that, even though he liked him, Archer didn't necessarily like him back the way that he did. Then again, Ponyboy shouldn't like him at all. Subconsciously, he held onto him tighter—so tightly that his knuckles started to turn white.

Archer tried to pry him off again, but Ponyboy continued to hold on. "What is with you?" Archer asked a bit annoyed.

"I don't like it…" Ponyboy mumbled.

"Don't like what?" He examined Ponyboy closer, seeing him still looking in the direction of the girl that had just left. Realization hit him. "Don't tell me… You're jealous?"

At those words, Ponyboy pulled away from him, crossing his arms. He looked away stubbornly. "Me? Jealous? Not a chance!"

"You are! But why? There's no reason for you to be jealous. It's not like you actually have a crush on me."

But he did, as much as he didn't like admitting it. He took another step back. "You're right. I have no reason to feel jealous…"

Archer could tell that something major was on Ponyboy's mind. He wondered what it was. It was a question he would ask for another time when Ponyboy was in a better mood. He decided to change the subject to a lighter tone instead. "Man, you run fast," Archer complemented. "You totally outran everyone in all of your races. Well, besides that one time where you almost screwed up. If it wasn't for me, you would have gotten last place."

Ponyboy rolled his eyes at his cockiness, jealousy and hurt somewhat pushed aside. He shouldn't feel jealous, he kept reminding himself. "Wow, thanks," Ponyboy said sarcastically.

The Soc clapped his hands together and rubbed them together. "So, Roadrunner, what next?"

The greaser snapped his head towards Archer again. It was a simple question. However, what caught his attention the most was the nickname. "Roadrunner?" Ponyboy raised an eyebrow. Was that what Archer was going to call him now? After a cartoon character?

"Your new nickname. It's payback for calling me Robin Hood. I came up with it while you were running." Archer grinned, seeing Ponyboy playfully glower at him. "Do you not like it? I can call you something else if you would like."

That piqued his interest. What else did Archer have in mind? It couldn't be good, but he was still curious. "And what would that be, Robin Hood?"

"Marian."

Catching Ponyboy off guard, the younger boy did a double-take. "Marian…" he slowly repeated. Where did that name come from? "Why Marian?"

Archer's eyes gleamed mischievously. "Because she's Robin Hood's love interest."

Red bloomed across his cheeks at that, but he glared at Archer, nonetheless. He just knew that the nickname was going to be worse. He shouldn't have asked because he liked the sound of 'Roadrunner' far more than 'Marian'. "Don't call me that."

He shook his head. "But that's your name now, Marian!"

"Stop! I don't like the nickname!"

"Too bad! You started it! You called me Robin Hood first. I have to call you something and you wanted something different than Roadrunner. This is what you get."

Ponyboy just had enough of the nickname. Well, it did one thing good, he guessed. It made him forget about his previous jealousy and the girl. "How about this? If you stop calling me Marian, I'll stop calling you Robin Hood for an entire week."

Archer hummed, grinning. He dramatically scratched at his chin. "Tempting… a whole week… It's a good offer." He acted like he was thinking about it, nodding his head. "Sure, Roadrunner. You have yourself a deal. Now, you have to stop calling me Robin Hood."

Smirking, Ponyboy chirped, "Okay, Hawkeye."

The Soc faltered at the new nickname that came out of nowhere. "Is Hawkeye going to be my new nickname?"

"For an entire week."

"I should have seen that one coming."

The two burst out in laughter, starting their walk to the parking lot. Before they could get there, however, they were stopped. Johnny appeared in front of them, smiling gently. Ponyboy felt his body go rigid again when he saw him, something that didn't go unnoticed by Archer. The Soc glanced at him through his peripheral vision, raising an eyebrow. He knew that Johnny and him were best friends so it made him wonder why Ponyboy was acting that way towards him.

"Ponyboy, you sure run real good," Johnny started, hoping to start a conversation with his friend.

"Thank you, Johnnycakes," Ponyboy awkwardly answered with a strained smile. "I didn't think you would come."

It was then that Archer realized that Ponyboy was still avoiding his gang, despite the conversation he had with him. But why? Was he still scared?

Johnny also noticed the hesitation, eyebrows knitting together in concern. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Ponyboy opened his mouth but closed it again, shifting his weight to his other foot. With a sigh, Archer nudged him forward, giving him a reassuring smile. "Don't be scared," he whispered in his ear, sending shivers down Pony's spine. "He doesn't hate you. Your other friends don't hate you either."

"But—" Ponyboy whispered, but Archer cut him off.

"You should go and talk to him. You both need it. It's going to be okay. I'll be nearby if you need me, Roadrunner."

With that Archer walked away, leaving Ponyboy with a longing feeling as he watched him walk away. He shook his head. He shouldn't long for him.

He turned his attention back to Johnny before they both walked back over to find a place to sit on the stands. Luckily, not many families were still there so they had quite a bit of privacy. For a long moment, nobody spoke, unsure about what they were supposed to say for the first time ever. They never really had that problem before.

"You're not around much anymore," Johnny finally began, staring at Ponyboy to see if he could read him like he used to be able to. But, no matter how hard he examined him, he couldn't. Ponyboy was like a completely different person now.

"There's just been a lot on my mind recently," Ponyboy answered honestly. He fiddled with his fingers, trying to find some sort of distraction from the awkwardness. He watched the people around them move about while also keeping an eye on Archer who was already talking to another female. He clenched his jaw.

Johnny was about to press into what he had said but stopped short when he saw the sudden pained look on his friend's face. He placed a hand on Ponyboy's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze to bring his attention to him. It worked since he snapped his head back over. "Are you doing okay?"

Ponyboy nodded despite his eyes saying otherwise. "I'm doing alright…"

It was an obvious lie. Johnny pressed a hand against his own chest, leaning forward. He hated when Ponyboy lied. "Are you really? Ponyboy, you know that you could talk to me, right?"

"I know…"

"You're not doing alright at all and we both know that." Johnny's voice was filled with built-up emotion, causing his volume to raise slightly. All of his frustration was starting to come out, bubbling out of its containment. "Why can't you tell me what's wrong? Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do!" Ponyboy instantly answered, gaping. How could he think otherwise?

"If you trust me… please, tell me what's wrong so I could try to help you."

Ponyboy desperately wanted to tell him everything. He wanted to scream about everything that was on his mind. But he just couldn't. At least, not yet. He couldn't tell Johnny about the fake relationship that he had gotten himself trapped in. Even though he was confident in the fact that Johnny wouldn't make fun of him and would keep it a secret, he still made a promise to Archer. There were just so many other things going on in his life as well. He couldn't just load that all onto him, could he?

The two stared long and hard at each other, and Pony was able to see the hurt in Johnny's eyes. It made him realize something big. He had caused this hurt. While he was selfishly focused on his own problems, he had been neglecting everyone else close to him, pushing them away and making them feel useless and unwanted. He couldn't imagine how intense that feeling must have been with Johnny, seeing how they were best friends and all.

"Is it the notes?" Johnny asked.

Ponyboy shook his head. Even though they were a part of it, it wasn't the main thing that was on his mind. "The notes don't really bother me anymore," he replied, tilting his head to the side. "Well, they do… They still hurt but I've been trying my best to throw them away before I could read them. That's not what was on my mind though."

"Then what is?"

Ponyboy clenched his hands, looking back over to Archer. His heart started to hurt again, stomach dropping. "I'm so confused, Johnny."

Frowning, Johnny pressed more into it. "Why are you confused?"

There was another long pause—so long that Johnny thought that Ponyboy had refused to reply to his question. He was about to change the question when Ponyboy continued. "At first… I wasn't really sure about what I've been feeling…"

He spoke ambiguously, but Johnny followed Pony's eyes to Archer, and he understood immediately. "You're talking about Archer."

Ponyboy nodded again. "I hated him at first… I didn't think that I could ever catch feelings for him. Part of me still doesn't want to like him. He's an ass half the time, but I can't help but still love it when he's around. I can't help but want to spend time with him and cling onto him. But it still hurts because I don't think he likes me back to the extent that I like him. He hurts me, and I keep falling for him more and more and I don't want to. I'm not supposed to like him. I don't know what I'm supposed to feel anymore. Am I supposed to like him or am I not?"

Johnny understood nearly perfectly. There were still parts of the story that Ponyboy was obviously keeping away from him, but it was enough. He smiled reassuringly, eyes so warm that they could melt ice. "You like him, Ponyboy," he stated. "I've seen the way that you look at him. I've never seen those expressions on your face before—filled with so much love and all. You might be confused on the inside but on the outside its for sure. You're scared to be hurt, but you're always going to get hurt. Both of you are going to hurt each other from time to time. That's unavoidable. It's bound to happen. But both you need to learn how to understand each other though and continue pulling each other through. You fear liking him but what's so wrong with it?"

"Because I'm not supposed to. Society doesn't allow it."

"Who cares about that? If you like him, then nothing else should matter. It'll only hurt you and confuse you more if you reject it."

"But everyone will hate me."

"Not everyone will hate you," Johnny argued. "You can't assume that everyone thinks the same way. Besides… Dally, Two-Bit, Steve, and I haven't turned our backs on you. We're all here for you and none of us wants you to suffer. So, please, never be scared of us. Don't push us away anymore. I know that you think that you're the most trustful person since it's yourself but have faith in everyone else around you too."

The younger greaser smiled at his words. This time, it wasn't forced. Johnny was the best person ever. How could he have ever pushed him away? He missed being able to talk about things with him. "Thanks…" he said. "This really helped a lot."

"You can talk to me at any time." Johnny quickly corrected himself. "You can talk to any of us at any time."

Both of them stood up and Archer walked over, noticing that they had finished their conversation with each other. "Ready to go, Roadrunner?" he asked.

Nodding, Ponyboy chuckled. "Yeah, Hawkeye. I'm ready."

Johnny stayed behind, leaving his best friend with his fake boyfriend. A huge weight was lifted from his shoulder knowing that Ponyboy was still going to stick around and not push him away any longer.

"You're smiling," Archer noted. "Did something good happen?"

"I just feel like I understand things more, is all," was all Ponyboy said as they walked away.