There's a hint to my next Outsiders fic in this chapter.

o-o-o

In the end, they had to return to the house after all. Samuel didn't tell Ponyboy what he had planned for the rest of the day, only that they had to come back to change clothes and get ready. Pony didn't know why he had to change because he thought that his outfit was enough already. Yet, multiple outfits were thrown at him to try on, each one more ridiculous than the last. He wasn't sure if he was wearing anything correctly, especially when it came to the extensive accessorizing. Ponyboy missed the outfits he used to wear when he didn't have to care too much about how he looked. Apparently, stylized outfits were important now. Samuel explained that outfits, hygiene, and hair changed so much of how other people perceived them. The most attractive feature that a guy could have, when not including personality and interests, was the hair—a random point Samuel brought to his attention.

"Look at Dylan O'Brien," Samuel provided even though Ponyboy didn't know who that was.

Finally, after over an hour of work and "montage" music, Ponyboy's final look was finished. It was this techwear (as Samuel described it) inspired look. It was an over-the-top style but, in a way, it was tuff-looking. However, what made the outfit ridiculous was the neon accents, which wasn't necessarily common with the style. Most of the time the outfits were supposed to be black and/or white as it was explained to him. He was now wearing dark cargo joggers that clung around his ankles; fastened around the waist with a belt. Thin neon orange lines ran up and down the leg of the pants. There were other belt-like straps that came off it, hanging from the pockets and the belt. He was given a neon shirt that hugged the features of his torso and arms tightly, a belt harness on top of that.

Neon was a ridiculous category of color. It was so bright and fluorescent that it made his eyes hurt. Why anyone wanted to wear such atrocious colors were beyond him. Samuel wore more neon than him, but the style and scheme matched his. Honestly, Ponyboy thought that it would have been better for him to wear Samuel's outfit so he wouldn't have to look at it all the time.

"This outfit's… extra?" Ponyboy said uncertainty, testing out the slang word.

"It's totally extra," Samuel chirped, going to bring out a makeup bag. As soon as he took out an eyeshadow palette, Ponyboy protested.

"I'm not wearing that. Makeup's for girls," he complained, leaning away. Samuel rolled his eyes.

"Wow, it's the sexism for me." He placed the palette back down.

"What was that?" Ponyboy looked at him incredulously, raising an eyebrow at the weird tone and statement. He shook his head, disregarding it. It was probably just a statement. Nothing more. "I just don't think it's right for a guy to wear makeup. I don't think you should wear it."

Samuel raised an eyebrow as well. "It's the toxic masculinity for me."

There it was again. Was this a thing? Is this a form of insulting someone in this generation? It seemed pretty sassy, so he guessed that, if it was, it wasn't meant to be truly insulting. They were more like small jabs if anything. Well, two can play that game. "Well, it's the peer pressure for me."

Samuel laughed. "Come on, leave the toxic masculinity in the past. Plus, a lot of guys wear makeup. There's nothing girly about it. I mean if you don't want to wear it, it's fine."

"Maybe… another time."

"Then how about face paint?" That was something Ponyboy didn't mind so much.

After they finished getting ready, there was still time left before whatever Samuel had planned. Samuel suggested they watch a movie, something that Ponyboy never did yet in this time period. Movies had honestly slipped from his mind, but could you blame him? His life had been hectic.

They sat themselves on the couch, both of them sitting close to each other even though there was a lot of seating around them.

"What are we going to watch?" Ponyboy asked.

"I don't know, what are you in the mood for?" Samuel questioned.

Ponyboy shrugged. "I don't really know, what are you in the mood for?"

Great, both of them were indecisive. "Um… how about something horror?"

Horror? Ponyboy wasn't so sure about that. He was never great at horror movies because of his over-imagination. Samuel must have noticed his uneasy expression because he reassured, "Don't worry, the movie I have in mind is more of a gay rom-com with horror only sprinkled in it. Not scary at all."

"What is it called?" Ponyboy asked. That didn't sound so bad.

"We're going to watch IT."

"Yeah, but what's it called?"

"IT?"

"Yeah, what's it though."

"The movie's name."

"What is?"

"IT is it."

Ponyboy groaned, massaging his temples. "But what is it?"

"The title."

"What's the title?"

"The title is IT. I-T. IT." Samuel said it slowly as if he were talking to an alien. Ponyboy's mouth opened in realization. That was the movie's name.

"Oh! IT!"

"Yeah," Samuel chuckled.

"Okay, what's it about?" Ponyboy asked, curiosity plaguing his mind.

"Simply? A shapeshifting monster eating kids."

What the hell. "I thought you said it was a gay rom-com with a little horror."

"It is, but… just watch."

Samuel quickly set the movie up, settling himself next to Ponyboy again. The heat of his body warmed Pony's side. He found himself leaning towards his friend, relishing his body heat. He trained his eyes on the screen, marveling at how different it was from the TV at his house. It was so large, and the images were so nice that the actors looked like they were right in front of him. He could never get over that. The one in his rugged house was small and the images on the screen were grainy. It was a lot of work to watch TV. He constantly had to stand up and walk to it to change the channel—which only had a few—and he had to adjust the antennae every day. So, seeing how all of those problems were solved now was flabbergasting.

It didn't take too long into the movie for Ponyboy to look away, disgusted.

Not scary his ass!

There was so much blood and gore that it made his stomach knot. Samuel was laughing the entire way through and Ponyboy was convinced that he was a maniac. He found himself nearly getting a heart attack at each jump scare. The detail was way too real for him. It made him feel like Pennywise was going to be waiting to get him in the next room. It was still a great movie, don't get him wrong. It just made him feel sick, is all. Maybe he just wasn't used to it. Maybe gore and blood in film were normal now.

So, instead, Ponyboy found himself looking at Samuel, focusing on the small shifts of emotion that crossed his face. He still watched the screen often and listened to the audio, but he kept his eyes as trained to the boy during the scarier parts. He was happy that there were so many humorous parts in the movie or else he would have been staring at Samuel the entire time.

The excitement was clear on Samuel's face, mouth mouthing the same words as the actors. It was quite impressive. He found it to be more entertaining than the movie itself. Before he knew it, the movie was finished.

"Okay, time for the next one," Samuel proclaimed.

"Next one?" Ponyboy gaped. "Why are we watching the next one?"

"We still have a lot of time and the second one wouldn't make as much sense if you watch it within a week."

They started to watch the second one which was far less scary, but there were scenes that still made his stomach clench. This time, they weren't from the blood and gore. Instead, he felt sick at all the homophobia and hate-crimes. Although there were minuscule gay references in the first movie, the second one had whole dedicated parts about it. Well, for the period-typical homophobia parts, that is.

There were amazing characters, which had to be his favorite part of the movies. All of them had their own defining traits and character development. If he had to pick a favorite character, it would be Richie. He sort of reminded him of a more hyperactive and unfiltered Two-Bit. Not only that, but both actors that played him performed phonemically. He especially liked Bill Hader who added his own flair to the character. Samuel, on the other hand, had a thing for Pennywise. Pony didn't know why though.

These movies were supposed to be scary, and they were, but Samuel's antics made them hilarious. He made all of the lines dramatic and weird, and, usually, Ponyboy hated when people did that during a movie. However, with Samuel, he found that he didn't mind so much.

"I'm guessing these types of movies aren't your first pick," Samuel said randomly. Ponyboy shrugged.

"There wasn't really a pick of movies. Whatever showed, I watched it," he explained.

"You peg me as someone who would like Anne with an E."

Ponyboy mouthed the name, hearing the familiar ring to it. "Is that Anne of Green Gables, the book?"

"Yeah, yeah. They made a show for it that's wholesome. I'll have to show you sometime. That and make you go through a Marvel movie marathon."

When they were finished with the movie, it was finally time to leave. They left in the car, driving across town to a building with a lot of flashing machines. Ponyboy stepped onto the strangely patterned carpet, looking around the neon lights and lines of tickets being dispensed.

"It's an arcade," Samuel explained, seeing his awe. "It's a place where you can pay to play games and possibly win prizes. But we aren't here for these games."

"We aren't?" Ponyboy asked, trying to keep up with Samuel as they squeezed through the people there.

"No, we're here for that." Samuel pointed in front of him to a separated section of the arcade. People were waiting in the room he pointed to, probably for their turn for whatever this was. Both of them walked up to the cash register where an attendant was waiting. He paid for the game that they were going to play. Laser Tag… Ponyboy wondered what that was.

A few minutes afterward, they were let into a smaller room with the other people that were waiting. As soon as he stepped inside, Ponyboy saw why Samuel wanted to wear neon. His clothes glowed brightly under the black light. Some of the people wearing white had their clothes glowing as well. Maybe the color wasn't so bad after all. The style looked tuff there and he didn't think that things could get better. That was until the instructions of the game were played to him over a monitor.

Shooting people with lasers? Defending their base? Man, the future sure had some ideas on entertainment.

After the instructions were finished, it was time to equip themselves with the equipment, which looked even better with the outfits they were wearing. He slipped on the vest, which glowed red to match his gun. The preselected name ROBIN was displayed on the screen.

"Red Robin, yum," Samuel mumbled behind him, reading over his shoulder. Samuel looked so badass under the black light as well.

"What's yours say?" Ponyboy asked, trying to get a look at Samuel's gun.

"Terminator."

"That's such a tuff name."

"Cool, you mean. Your name is… cute."

Ponyboy playfully glowered at him but couldn't help but smile. "Shut up. I'm going to shoot you first."

"But we're on the same team!" Samuel shot back, gaping at the claim.

"What a shame," Ponyboy mumbled, turning his gun in his hand.

They were let into the arena when the alarm sounded and Ponyboy ran in with the rest of his team. The place was like a maze, tall walls stretching everywhere. It didn't take long to get lost in it. It also didn't take long for him to lose sight of everyone, even Samuel. He was on his own for now. He slowed his speed to a walk, gun raised and back tense.

He licked his lips nervously. Now that he was on the field, it was a lot more nerve-racking than what the instructional video displayed. His eyes skittered around the area for anyone on the opposite team, making sure nobody was creeping behind him as well. Suddenly, a person jumped out from behind one of the walls, shooting him in the chest with a beam of a laser. His vest turned off and the guy escaped before it could turn back on. Ponyboy huffed. Great. He was already off to a bad start. He wondered how Samuel was doing. He probably already had a ton of points, unlike him.

The game went on like that. He hardly saw Samuel the entire way through. In the end, he didn't do too hot, but that was to be expected. It was during the second game when things went differently. There was another group playing with them this time. However, because there wasn't an even number of players between the two teams, some people had to switch sides. Unfortunately, Samuel decided to be helpful, leaving Ponyboy on the red team with a bunch of people he didn't know. Not only did he feel nervous now, but also dread. Why did he have to be the one who switched sides?

So, there he was, back as ROBIN in the maze with all walls. He passed by a few of his teammates, shot a few on the blue team, and got shot himself. He was jogging around, despite knowing that he wasn't allowed to. He still was hyperaware of his surroundings, waiting for Samuel to pop out. Probably halfway through the game, he started to believe that he wouldn't see him, which was sort of disappointing.

That was until someone grabbed him by the shoulders and dragged him down to the ground. The strong scent of eucalyptus flooded his nostrils. It was Samuel. The glow of their vests danced on both of their faces. Samuel was so close to him, practically leaning over him with one of his hands pressed against the wall near Pony's head. Ponyboy's breath hitched in his throat, eyes boggling.

"Samuel, wha—" Ponyboy sputtered, surprised, but a hand clamped over his mouth to keep him quiet.

"Shh, there's a bunch of people around the corner," Samuel whispered, not realizing the position they were in. Or maybe he did, and he was just teasing Ponyboy, he wouldn't know. Ponyboy's chest fluttered in his chest, eyes never tearing from Samuel's sharp facial features. He hadn't seen his face like this before—so confident and all. He usually was more sly or anxious.

Ponyboy had to force himself to focus, moving the hand off his mouth. "Samuel, we're not on the same team anymore."

Samuel finally looked down, his face turning red from either blush or the light of Pony's vest. He shifted a bit away from Ponyboy to be in a less awkward position, putting a hand on the red gun. He smiled knowingly, a mischievous glint in his eyes. It was too late when Ponyboy realized what was about to happen. "I know."

Samuel shot his gun at Ponyboy's chest, deactivating it. He held tightly onto Ponyboy as he continued to shoot at the chest whenever it would turn back on.

"Hey!" Ponyboy protested, struggling but Samuel kept his hold tightly.

"Shouldn't have trusted that I wouldn't do anything," Samuel laughed.

Ponyboy squirmed as much as he could. Somehow, during his struggle, he managed to lift up his gun just enough for it to be able to hit Samuel's vest if he shot, which he did. He spammed the trigger, even when his gun was deactivated. As soon as it turned on, it shot a short beam of a laser, deactivating Samuel's vest.

During the time of shock, Ponyboy managed to break free from Samuel. He flipped them around so that he was the one that was trapping him instead.

"Gotcha," Ponyboy huffed, shooting Samuel in the chest. He kept shooting Samuel's vest over and over again just like how it was done to him. During that time, Samuel didn't even struggle. At first, Ponyboy thought nothing of it. But, by the time he shot him around twenty times, he began to wonder. Only when he looked up, did he figure out why.

Ponyboy's face was a lot closer than what he thought it was. They were so close that their noses were almost touching. Their eyes locked, unwavering.

"I…" Ponyboy said dumbly. He shut his mouth to keep himself from looking like a fish.

Samuel was about to say something himself, but the alarm for the end of the game snapped them out of their daze. Ponyboy quickly shot up, giving one more look at Samuel before rushing away.

That was too close.

o-o-o

To top off the night, Samuel took him to a rave. He didn't know what a rave was exactly except that it was like a party. Ponyboy wasn't a fan of parties. They were awkward and boring. There wasn't anything to do but talk to drunk people, which wasn't his favorite thing to do. He didn't drink himself because he hated the taste and Darry would kill him if he did. He technically wasn't allowed to go to them, but he tagged along with Dally or Two-Bit sometimes.

He was certain that Samuel wasn't a party person either. He wasn't much of a person that made many social interactions with other people. He couldn't even handle a simple phone call. When he commented on it, Samuel said that it was okay because a rave was a party without the need to socially interact with anyone. All they had to do was vibe with the music and dance. That's where another problem arose. Ponyboy sucked at dancing.

He had been to a few school dances, but he only went for the social part of it and not the dancing bit. He'd never danced with anyone before, which was embarrassing to admit. The gang had teased him countless numbers of times about that when they found out, but there wasn't really anything that could be done about that.

"I can't dance," Ponyboy confessed. He had to put it out there before he embarrassed himself.

"Don't worry," Samuel reassured with a smile. "All you have to do is jump up and down or sway and you should be good."

That was it? Dancing was more complex in his time period. Hopping around seemed too easy to be true. "That's not dancing."

"No, but that's what we do at places like this. I will say though that there are the people who are grinding and the showoffs. Just ignore them and focus on having fun."

Having fun. Right…

When they got there, Samuel walked up to his group of friends who were arguing about something.

"But, like, I don't think he's sus," one girl said.

"That's because you slept with him, bitch," another girl slapped back, overemphasizing the last word. Ponyboy cringed at hearing it but nobody even batted an eye to it. "He's been simping to get into your pants and to take advantage of you, just like the others. How large is your body count, bitch? Thirty?"

"Only four but go off."

"Four? How is it four? You've explicitly described more than four genitals to me."

"Girl, you know it doesn't count if you don't sleep with them more than one time. It doesn't count if they aren't any good."

"True," another boy chimed, and the original girl nodded her head in acknowledgment.

Ponyboy's head was spinning at the conversation. He had no idea what was going on.

"Where have you two been?" one of the friends asked when they joined the group.

"Around and about. Do you have the tickets?" Samuel asked.

"Bet. Gotta spend some of the cash from my sugar daddy." Sugar daddy?

"Thanks. I couldn't go up there because of my insufferable social anxiety." While he was talking, he was shaking his fingers that were situated like a gun. Actually, he noticed that he did that a lot now. Basically, whenever he spoke to him. He just didn't notice it until the other people in the group were doing it too whenever they talked. That had to be a thing as well. Christ, he'd been learning new habits and phrases every day.

They finally got in after talking outside for a few minutes. Ponyboy could hear the music from outside, but when he was in there, it blasted his eardrums. There was a horde of people, all closely compacted together. A blast of heat hit him, and the musky smell made him blech. Just like with laser tag, his outfit lit up under the black light. But his outfit wasn't one that stood out compared to those worn by some other people. There were many people there that were dressed weirdly—shirtless guys covered in glitter, girls in lingerie, and even a girl who was wearing a bunny suit. Ponyboy didn't feel so strange anymore. He was still uncomfortable though.

For a long moment, he watched as the horde danced. Then a hand placed itself on his lower back, causing him to shiver.

"Let's go," Samuel said in his ear, pulling him forward into the crowd. They weaved themselves through people, finally settling in a semi-open spot. They were still smushed between people who were too close for comfort. Just like what Samuel said, everyone was jumping or swaying along with the must. Many others were doing much more than that though, and Ponyboy found himself blushing at the intimate movements. He turned his head to an old, crackhead woman who was screaming and flashing her breasts to the guy on the stage.

Ponyboy tried to dance as well but the music wasn't his type, so it was hard to move along to it. He felt so out-of-place. But Samuel made sure he had none of that by dancing like a complete idiot that made Ponyboy laugh. He tried to copy his friend but probably looked even more like a fool. Slowly, he found himself relaxing and having fun. He raised his arms in the air and cheered. People around him cheered with him, fueling him with newfound energy.

"Hey, I got drinks!" one of Samuel's friends yelled over the music. She held out cups for them to take. Ponyboy could smell the alcohol before he could take one.

"How did you even get these? You're underage," Samuel asked but only got a wink as an answer. Ponyboy took a sip and cringed at the awful taste. Why people liked to drink was beyond him. He could barely stand the taste. Samuel looked at him concerned, not taking a drink himself.

It was hard to tell if Ponyboy was having fun. He hoped he succeeded in that, and he almost believed it with all the cheering. But now that alcohol had found its way there, he started to doubt himself. Was he drinking to enjoy the experience? Was he being overzealous in the activities that he picked that day? He really should have picked something that was more Ponyboy's taste than his own.

"Hey," Samuel started, not wanting to waste the night on alcohol. "Dance closer to me."

Curiously, Ponyboy stepped closer. Samuel twisted his body so they were basically in their own bubble that consisted of two people. They were close to each other, but not too close that a small push would knock them into each other. Ponyboy kept his drink close to his chest as he subconsciously swayed to the music, matching Samuel's movements. Even though it didn't match the intensity of the music, it didn't matter. It was just them and no one was judging them.

Once settled, Samuel took another step closer to him, swinging his arms around Ponyboy's waist. The younger boy sputtered, eyes growing wide at the bold gesture. His face turned red, but nobody could see it under the black light.

"Is this alright?" Samuel asked and Ponyboy could only nod, not trusting his voice.

Ponyboy went to take another drink to calm himself down, but before he could touch the rim to his lips, Samuel placed his hand on his wrist, bringing it back down.

"Hey, don't drink anymore," he said.

"Why?" Ponyboy finally got out. The air between them was stiffening.

Samuel bit his lip, looking down at Ponyboy's lips nervously. He looked conflicted, arguing against two choices. But he picked one in the end. "Because I want you to remember every second of this night."

Suddenly, he leaned forward, crashing their lips together. Ponyboy's eyes widened in shock as his first instinct was to move away. However, he calmed down, closing his eyes. His arms slightly went limp, causing his beer to spill onto him. But he didn't care. The softness of his vanilla-flavored lips melded perfectly with his. His heart hammered against his chest again, his mind going absolutely blank.

However, it was over far too soon and Ponyboy found himself chasing Samuel's lips when he moved away. And, unfortunately, it also didn't take him long to snap out of his daze, realizing what just happened as well as where they were.

Both of them were male and two guys weren't supposed to kiss in public—that's what he was told in his time period. He remembered the gay couple in IT who was beaten bloody and the slurs thrown at the characters constantly. He remembered poor Richie who was stuck in the middle of things. Now, they were in public, at least a hundred people surrounding them, kissing. That was bad. Ponyboy panicked, head snapping around to see who was looking at them, but nobody paid them any mind.

"What's wrong?" Samuel asked, grounding him a bit. It wasn't enough though. He was still waiting to be called a fag or a fairy. He was still waiting to be jumped and beaten half to death.

"I… uh…" Ponyboy stammered, unable to think of the right words. He kept thinking to run, but the hand on him tightened—not enough for it to hurt but enough for him to tether him to the spot. "We can't…"

Hurt flashed across Samuel's eyes and he pulled away. He took several steps away from Ponyboy, almost knocking into other people. He dug his nails into his wrists. "Oh. I thought that you liked me back. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

"No!" Crap. This was turning into such a mess. He liked Samuel—like really liked him. He never felt this way towards anyone before and that scared him. He couldn't bear to see the hurt on Samuel's face, but he just couldn't be with him. "It's not that. I just…"

"You just what?"

Ponyboy quieted down his voice so that it was barely audible. "I do like you that way, but it's not safe."

"Not safe?" Samuel asked, tilting his head to the side. It took a while for him to realize what he meant by that. He stepped forward so they were close again. "You're… You're scared about homophobia."

Ponyboy nodded. "I want this but…"

"It's okay now, Ponyboy. You don't have to be worried about that sort of stuff much anymore. Being gay is accepted by most people. It's safe to be yourself here. This isn't your time period anymore."

Right… It was 2020, almost 2021. It's not 1965 anymore. Almost sixty years have passed so there were many changes. Being gay was okay now. Marrying another guy was okay, although he wasn't thinking about marrying anyone just yet. But this meant that it was okay to say, "I really like you, Samuel."

Samuel caressed his cheek and Ponyboy leaned into the touch instead of flinching away. He could do this. "So, is it okay if I kiss you again?"

"Yeah, I'd prefer it if you did." This time, they met each other halfway. Their lips touched and Ponyboy let himself melt into it. This felt right. He finally understood why some of the members of the gang liked to kiss so much. It felt great and he finally felt safe. This was him and he was gay. He was free to be him.

When they pulled away again, Ponyboy heard Samuel's friends cheer at them. Both of them smiled so widely at each other that their faces started to hurt.

"Next time, I'm going to take you to do something you will like more," Samuel said.

"I don't mind as long as you're there with me," Ponyboy answered, leaning his head onto Samuel's shoulder. Maybe the future wouldn't be so bad if Samuel was there with him.