Pony liked to walk around at night, especially when the stars were out, and they were covering the sky tonight. It was a nice night for a long walk, but he was on his way back to the house because he figured Darry would just about kill him if he came home too late. He was even more protective now, after everything that happened, and Pony gets it, he really does, but sometimes he just wants to be by himself for a little while.
It didn't look like he was going to be alone tonight, though, because there was someone with a suspiciously Shepard-shaped head full of hair lying in the empty lot.
"Curly?" Pony started walking towards him, thoughts racing as he did. He didn't realize Curly had gotten out of the reformatory—it didn't feel like six months had passed at all. He started wondering if Curly had broken out and was hiding out here because he knew they'd look for him at home, but no, the more he thought about it, it really had been six months. Pony was kind of excited to see him, really.
The closer he got, the better he could make out Curly's face: ringlets of dark hair falling onto tanned skin and closed eyes. He was asleep, his mouth a little open, and he looked softer than he really was. It almost made Pony not want to wake him up, but then he saw the empty bottles scattered around him. Oh. Curly probably passed out more than fell asleep. It was a very Curly thing to do—get passed-out drunk as soon as he got out of the reformatory. Not to mention he had been there in the first place for robbing a liquor store.
It wasn't like Pony could say anything, though. They weren't that good of friends.
"Curly?" He still didn't move, and Pony wouldn't have admitted it, but he started to get worried. It wasn't that big of a deal, but little things worried him a lot more than they used to. When he said Curly's name for the third time and he didn't respond, Pony nudged him in the cheek a little, and got nothing. He did it again, just a little harder, and Curly seemed to feel that.
"Hnnng." Curly rolled over a little bit, but that was about it.
Pony was getting a little annoyed at that point, so he kicked him again and said, "Jesus, Curly, get up. If I was a Soc, you wouldn't be doin' too good right about now."
If it was because he was already a little bit awake or because he heard the word "Soc," Pony wasn't sure, but he shot straight up, pushing his hair out of his eyes and reaching for something in his pocket-a blade, most likely.
"Shoot, uh, didn't mean to scare ya. It's Ponyboy." Pony backed up. He hadn't really been thinking about it too much before, but he would probably be a little scared too if he was woken up by some random guy in an empty lot. Well, not random, but it's dark outside, and he doesn't think Curly's recognized him just yet. Curly won't remember a whole lot about how he got there, either, if all those bottles really are his.
"Shit, Pony?" He takes his hand away from his pocket, dark blue eyes relaxing. "What, ya watchin' me sleep? I know, I'm just so handsome an' all." he said, and he had a smirk on his face like he'd just said something real clever.
Pony isn't really sure what to say to that, so he just rolls his eyes and settles for, "Lucky I ain't a Soc."
"What? I coulda taken 'em," he said, fake offended. He went to push his hair out of his eyes again. It was definitely longer than it was the last time Pony saw him. His hand rubbed across his eyebrow, and Pony noticed a little scar that he didn't think was there last he saw him either. Leave it up to Curly to get into fights in the reformatory.
"I dunno, you sure were out of it. I kicked you three times."
"Whatever, man. I coulda taken five of 'em. They woulda been so sorry they ever tried to mess with me." Curly smiles at him, so he smiles back.
"Six months in the cooler any fun?" Pony asks, because he can't think of anything else. "Don't look like it did too much good."
Curly laughs like he's proud of that, and if he's anything like his brother, he is. "Same as always."
Pony had heard about reformatories from Curly before. They didn't sound like they were too great, and Curly said it drove him crazy with boredom. Pony could see him sitting there, itching to get into some trouble just to have something to do. He never could sit still or focus on one thing for too long-it almost reminded him of Soda. With everything he gets into, it made Pony wonder how he didn't get longer than six months just for bad behavior.
Curly speaks again before Pony gets the chance to say anything. "What about you? How's my favorite Curtis brother been?" He gets a look on his face immediately after he says it that lets Pony know he regrets asking. He really wished he wouldn't. That was the worst part of everything that had happened the past couple of months: everyone felt bad for him. For the most part, things had gone back to normal, but his friends still acted a little weird around him sometimes, like how Curly was doing right now.
"Sorry 'bout your buddies," he says. "That was a dumb question I asked. I'm not really the brightest, ya know."
Well, he's right about that. "S'fine, really. Dally was Tim's buddy, too, right?"
"Yeah. Tim's the one that told me 'bout everythin'."
The conversation died off after that. Neither one of them knew what to say, and the silence was getting more and more awkward. Curly started fidgeting with the end of his jacket just because he didn't have anything else to do, then it looked like he started to remember exactly where he was. Which was, to say, nowhere.
"Baby Curtis, I don't got no idea how I got here, you know that? Shit, I need to get home. Or somewhere, at least. Tim's real pissed at me 'bout the liquor store, and I think seein' me made him mad all over again."
"Uh, you could stay at my house for the night, if you want. It might take some convincing to get my brother to let you, but Sodapop's always on my side, so it'll be fine."
Ponyboy wasn't sure why he said it. Maybe a kid sleeping in an empty lot because he didn't want to go home reminded him a little bit too much of Johnny Cade, or maybe because a hood getting drunk as soon as he got out of the cooler reminded a little bit too much of Dallas Winston. He didn't know why he said it, but he did. He almost wanted to take it back. Darry wasn't going to be too happy about him bringing Curly Shepard home, but they've woken up with Tim on their couch before, so he figured it'd probably be alright. Really, it wasn't that big of a deal.
Curly's eyebrows shot up behind his hair. "Pony, you sure? You know your brother's real big? I don't want him mad at me, now."
"Yeah, I'm sure. You act like he's gone try an' fight you. The most he'll do is act mad then give me a good talking-to when you leave."
Curly thinks about it for a minute before answering. "Alright, sure."
He gets up off the ground finally, and Ponyboy wonders why he's been sitting down there this whole time. He's got dirt all over his backside, but Pony doesn't say anything. "Let's go then, Baby Curtis."
So they start walking. "My house ain't that far. I was walking back when I saw you."
"And why were you walkin' around out here all late at night? Surely a good kid like Ponyboy Curtis wasn't lookin' to get into no trouble?" Curly liked to tease him about being a goody-two-shoes and all, even if he really wasn't that great of a kid. He might've been compared to Curly or any of the other hoods or greasers around town, but he wasn't what Curly acted like he was. He just didn't like to get into trouble, that's all. It wasn't any fun, and he just didn't really see a reason for it.
"Oh, shut up. I just wanted to walk around for a little bit, s'all. And look at the stars." Pony knew telling him he was looking at the stars wasn't going to help his case, but he didn't feel like lying. Talking to someone had made him realize he was actually really tired. He felt like he was going to pass out as soon as he got home, unless Curly kept him up.
"The stars? Now, that's real cute, Pony."
Pony's kind of embarrassed. "I just think they're nice. Stars, and sunsets. The moon, too, but it's not out tonight. The sky's just nice, alright?"
"I mean, I guess so, just seems kind of weird to come all the way out here to stare up at the sky."
Pony wasn't surprised he thought that. Curly was a greaser, after all, like his brother and the rest of their gang. Johnny had been the only one that understood why he liked things like sunsets, books, or anything that didn't have to do with fights or getting into trouble, really. He's reminded of Johnny's letter, all of the sudden.
I want you to tell Dally to look at one. He'll probably think you're crazy, but ask for me. I don't think he's ever really seen a sunset. There's still lots of good in the world. Tell Dally. I don't think he knows.
He never got to tell Dally. He never got to tell Dally, and he thinks about it every day. He looks at all the kids around them, and his heart hurts because he knows they'll turn out just like him. Curly's one of those kids. He likes Curly. Curly's his friend, and he might not be the best kid out there, he might be a little bit of hood, but he's not a bad person. Ponyboy imagines it being Curly shot down under that streetlight, the same way Dally was, and he stops walking.
"You should look at 'em." He says.
"What're you on about? The stars?"
"Yeah, the stars." Ponyboy plops down on the ground. "Come on, look at them with me."
"Baby Curtis, you're absolutely crazy." Curly smiles down at him, ear to ear, almost laughing, and Pony doesn't blame him because he probably did look pretty dumb. He didn't care, though. Ponyboy doesn't move, and Curly seems to realize he's not kidding.
"Shit, you're being serious? That's romantic-like an' all, you wantin' me too look at the stars with you. I'm flattered, really."
Pony only blushes a little bit because he's mostly used to Curly's jokes, and it's too dark for him to see his face anyways.
"Quit bein' weird, Curly." Pony kicks him in the foot. "C'mon, look at the stars, they're everywhere tonight."
"I'm the weird one? You're the one layin' in the middle of the sidewalk," he says, but he gives in, because he lies down next to Pony.
It makes Pony happier than it should. Just because he got Curly to look at the stars doesn't mean it'll change anything, he knows that, but it's something. It's something, and that's more than he got with Dally. He must have started smiling because Curly asks him what he's grinning at.
"Nothin', it's just funny. How much would it hurt your reputation if your brother and his gang knew you were looking at the stars with that goody-two-shoes kid Ponyboy Curtis?" If Curly can tease him for being the good kid, he can tease Curly for being a bad one.
"Oh, hush it, Ponyboy." Curly thumps him on the head, and for just a second, Pony sees a scar from a cigarette burn on his index finger. It looks just like the one he has, and it's on the same finger, too. That really was a dumb thing for them to do, looking back on it, but it was fun in the moment. They had both been bored, and since there was no one around for Curly to get into trouble with and Pony's not the smartest when it comes to things that aren't school-related, they'd agreed to play chicken. Pony starts to rub his thumb against his scar, and Curly must notice, because he looks at him for a second before looking back up at the sky.
They're silent for a while. It's not awkward like it was before, but Pony's mind won't quit running. He keeps thinking and thinking about all those kids around the world that are just like Dallas Winston until he thinks he could pass out. Then he remembers that he really needs to get home, and he looks over at Curly and wonders how he's managed to stay quiet for this long. He's not asleep, thank God. Pony really didn't want to go about waking him up all over again.
"We should probably go." He tells Curly, and he just nods, so Pony guesses he's pretty tired too.
The walk home after that is short and uneventful, and Pony's glad. When they get to the Curtis place, Darry's passed out on the coach and Pony can hear Soda snoring from his room, so that's good. He'll just have to deal with Darry in the morning. Darry'll be in a better mood after he's slept all night, and it's not like he's going to kick Curly out as soon as he wakes up. They sneak back to Pony's room as quietly as they can manage, but Curly accidentally runs into a little table in the hallway, and they both freeze for a second before starting to walk again.
Once they were in his room, they smiled at each other like they had just gotten away with some crime when really, they were just about to go to bed. Speaking of, Pony wasn't really thinking about where Curly would sleep when he said he could stay the night. Pony was starting to think that he really should use his brain a little bit more, if he could figure out how.
"We can, uh, both sleep in my bed. It's not that small." If him and Soda can fit in it, then so can him and Curly.
"Invitin' me to bed already, Ponyboy? C'mon, at least buy me a drink first."
That time, Pony did blush, and it must've been pretty noticeable because Curly smirked at him. Curly took off his jacket and plopped down on the bed before Pony got the change, so Pony turned off the lights and followed suit.
The first few minutes were pretty peaceful, but apparently Curly decided he wasn't having enough fun, because he wrapped his arms around Pony and pulled him back into his chest.
"Hey, Baby Curtis," he said, voice smug.
Pony had half the mind to push him off the side of the bed, but he didn't. He could feel heat in the tips of his ears, and he didn't want to admit it, but Curly's arms felt really nice around him. "What?"
"Oh, c'mon. You like me, Ponyboy." Pony could feel Curly's breath hot against his neck, and yeah, maybe he did like him. He wasn't going to tell him that, though. Curly pressed a kiss against the back of his neck, and Pony didn't say anything, but he thought he might go insane.
They didn't talk about it in the morning, but when Curly left he gave Pony a wink and said, "See ya around, Ponyboy."
If they started hanging out more after that, it wasn't anyone's business.