(Darry's POV)

Two-Bit led us to the bedroom door, and then he stood out of the way so Soda could go in first. Before I walked through the doorway, Two-Bit grabbed my arm. I looked at him, confused.

"I'm gonna go home for a bit. I didn't exactly tell anyone that I was leaving last night, so I should probably check in," Two-Bit said.

He had stayed over at our house plenty of times without telling his mom or sister, so I knew that wasn't really why he was leaving. One look told me that he was giving us some privacy to talk and sort things out. "Thank you, Two-Bit… for everything," I said, and I really meant everything. He came over in the middle of the night to check in and make sure everything was okay, we had a good conversation, and then he watched over Ponyboy when I needed to step outside to collect myself. Two-Bit really was a good buddy.

"I don't know what you mean, Darry. All I did was spend the night," he said with a crazy grin. Then he winked at me before turning away. "Don't worry, Muscles… I won't tell anyone that you're human." As he walked out the front door, I found myself shaking my head and grinning.

When I walked into the bedroom, I saw Pony still sleeping, but he had moved in his sleep so he was facing the door. Soda was sitting on the bed next to him on the side closest to the door. Does he realize that he naturally puts himself between Pony and any potential danger? He's naturally protective. I saw that another blanket was taken off of Pony's still figure, so either Soda or Two-Bit must've noticed that Pony was getting warm. I walked around the bed and sat in the chair I slept in the night before.

"No Two-Bit?" Soda asked.

I shook my head. "No. He said he should go home and 'check in,'" I said, emphasizing the last two words.

Soda looked confused, but then realization crossed his face. "Right… okay."

We both sat there quietly, and after a minute or two, we heard Pony mumbling in his sleep. "Soda… Darry…"

Soda looked up at me. "Should we wake him up?"

I debated, but decided against the idea. "No, let's let him sleep as much as possible. He needs rest." Another minute passed, then Pony started trembling in his sleep. "Is he cold, Soda?"

Soda placed the back of his hand on Pony's forehead, and he shook his head. "No, he's still warm."

The trembling continued, and then Pony started twitching his arms and legs. "No… please…" He started curling into himself, and his mumbling got louder. "Darry… Soda… help…"

Pony's pleading broke my heart, and I could see the same pain on Soda's face.

"He's having a nightmare," Soda said softly. "I gotta wake him up." We've both seen and heard Pony having nightmares since the death of our parents, but Soda had more experience in helping Pony through them than I did. He reached down and gently ran his fingers through Pony's hair. "Wake up, Pony."

Pony's trembling turned into shaking. His body looked like it was vibrating. I wanted to be next to him and get him to wake up, but I figured Soda would know what to do better than me, so I left it up to him. I was only able to see Pony's back, but I imagined a pained expression on his face.

"Soda… Darry…" Pony choked out, almost as if he was crying in his sleep.

"Shhhhh. It's me, baby. It's Soda," Soda soothed. He rubbed Pony's upper arm as he kept talking. "Can you wake up for me, honey?"

Slowly, Ponyboy seemed to settle down, and after a few more gentle encouragements from Soda, Pony woke up. "Soda?" His voice was hoarse and quiet, but at least I knew he was conscious.

Soda nodded. "I'm here, Pony." He reached towards Pony's face, and I guessed he was wiping tears from Ponyboy's face. "You were having a nightmare."

"I was in the fountain," Pony said quietly. "But that really happened, didn't it? It wasn't just a nightmare."

Soda nodded. "Yeah, that happened."

"Did… did Darry save me?" Pony asked.

Again, Soda nodded. "Yeah, our big brother saved ya, kiddo."

"Where is he?" Pony asked, this time his voice a little stronger. "Is he home?"

Soda tilted his head in my direction. "He's right here, Pony. He's barely left your side."

Ponyboy slowly turned to face me. When he did, I could see in his eyes just how tired and scared he was.

"Hey, Pone. How are you feeling?" I asked as softly as I could.

"Okay… My head kinda hurts though," he said. He reached his hand to the back of his head, and he winced.

I immediately moved and sat next to him on the bed. I put my hand on the back of his head, and when I found a bump, I saw him flinch. "I'm sorry, Pone. It looks like you hit your head on something. You have a big knot on the back of your head."

"Probably from the concrete…" Ponyboy said. "The ground, the ledge, the bottom of the fountain… there was a lot of hard surfaces."

"I'll get some ice," Soda said before disappearing.

I took my hand away so I wouldn't cause him any more pain than I already had. "Does anything else hurt, Pony?"

He shook his head, then slowly sat up in the bed. "I'm okay, Darry."

Soda appeared with an ice pack in hand. Pony accepted it and placed it on the back of his head, and leaned back so the bag was held up by the wall. As Soda sat back down, Pony closed his eyes and muttered, "Thanks."

"You should take it easy for a while, Pony. You could have a concussion," I said. Ponyboy nodded and hummed a reply.

We were silent for a moment before Soda spoke up. "How much do you remember of last night, Pony?"

Ponyboy opened his eyes and looked down as he concentrated. "Most of it, I think. I don't remember getting home, though…" Pony trailed off, but then a thought popped into his mind. "I was in the water a long time."

"Yeah, you were," I said. I heard my quiet voice crack, and I knew the emotions I was barely containing were threatening to escape.

He looked at me. His eyes looked a bit dazed, and I knew I was right about the concussion. "Things got dark… and the next thing I remember is you hovering over me." His eyes narrowed like they always did when he was figuring something out. "I stopped breathing, right? And you got me breathing again?"

I nodded, and my eyes started getting watery.

Ponyboy's eyes widened a bit. Then, to my surprise, he wrapped his arms around me and leaned his head on my shoulder. "Thank you, Darry."

I returned his embrace as gently as I could, trying not to aggravate his injuries. "No need to thank me, kiddo. I'm just glad you're okay."

When we pulled apart, Pony turned to look at Soda. "Soda, you're still hurt."

I looked at Soda and pretended to see him for the first time so I could guess what Pony was feeling. Just looking at Soda's face, you could see the cuts on his lip and above his eyebrow, the large bruise on his jaw, and the bags under his eyes. Besides that, the minor injuries on his arms were also easily visible. I know if I had woken up and seen Soda looking like that, I would be very concerned.

Soda scoffed. "You were worried about me last night too, but you ain't gotta worry, alright?" Soda placed his hand on Pony's shoulder. After a few seconds, Soda smiled and stood up. "Tell you what… I'll go clean up, and the next time you see me, I'll look good as new. Then you won't have a reason to worry."

I shared a look with Soda, and I knew what he was doing. He was giving me and Pony some privacy so we could talk. I gave him a quick nod, showing him my acknowledgment and appreciation.

Once Soda left the room, there was a strange tension in the air. We both knew the conversation that we were about to have, but Pony didn't know that Two-Bit and Soda had helped me understand more about the relationship between us.

I put my hand on Pony's shoulder and took a deep breath before I spoke. "Pony, I need to apologize." That made him look at me with a hint of confusion on his face. "I'm sorry about last night. There's no excuse for hitting you. I promise that'll never happen again."

He looked at me, and to my surprise and slight horror, he shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal. "It's okay, Darry. I know you were just mad, and it was my fault-"

I shook my head and interrupted him. "No, Pone, it's not okay. It wasn't your fault, and it wasn't because I was mad exactly…" I trailed off, trying to find the right words. As I struggled to figure out what to say, Ponyboy was even more confused than before. I reached behind him, grabbed the ice pack that had fallen, and put it on the back of his head. Finally, I continued. "I wasn't mad, Pone. I was worried about you. When you didn't come home on time, I started thinking about everything that could've happened to you. I was scared to death, and so was Soda. When you came home, I wasn't mad; I was relieved."

He reached his hand up to the back of his head so he could hold the ice instead of me. "Then why were you yellin' at me?" Ponyboy asked quietly, like he wasn't sure if he should ask the question in the first place.

I sighed. "Because… because I'm not good at dealing my emotions." I was getting uncomfortable, but I knew Ponyboy needed to understand. "I was scared, but I'm the oldest brother, so I'm not supposed to be scared." I ruffled his hair a bit. "So instead of showing how worried I was about you, I yelled. Then I did the most regretful thing I've ever done in my life, and I'll never forgive myself for it."

Ponyboy looked down as he took in everything I said. He narrowed his eyes again, so I knew his mind was processing something.

"Look, Pony… I'm sorry about everything. I promise I'll listen to you and talk with you before my temper flares up or I get overwhelmed." I felt tears in my eyes, but I ignored them. I've had so many emotions bottled up, and I just wanted to get all of my thoughts and feelings out in the open before I exploded. "I'm supposed to be taking care of you and Soda, but it seems like I'm just messing up all of the time. I know I'm not the best guardian, but I'm trying. I'm still figuring it out." I took a breath, trying to regain my composure. "I don't want to argue anymore, Pone. I love you, and I don't want to keep pushing you away."

After a moment, Pony spoke very quietly, but I could still hear him. "I don't want to argue anymore either." Then he finally looked up at me, and his glassy eyes mirrored my own. "Darry… do you ever regret your decision to stay with me and Soda? I mean, your life would be a lot easier if you didn't have to take care of us."

Soda was right. Pony thinks I regret staying with my brothers and taking responsibility for them.

I shook my head, almost violently. "Never. It wasn't even a choice. The three of us are staying together if it's the last thing I do." I felt tears falling on my cheeks. "I'm sorry that you ever thought that, kiddo. I never want you to think that again."

Pony sniffled, and then he suddenly wrapped his arms around me, dropping the ice pack again. I returned the embrace and rested my chin on his head. He was sobbing, and I did my best to soothe him by rubbing his back.

"I'm sorry, Darry. I'm sorry for falling asleep in the lot and worrying you. I'm sorry for everything I do that makes things harder for you," he sobbed. "I know you love us, but sometimes I just wonder if I'm right… you gave up so much for us, and I keep messin' up."

"I know you hate to hear this, but you're still a kid, Ponyboy. You just turned fourteen. You're going to make mistakes, and that's okay," I soothed. "I'd do anything for you and Soda."

After a while, Ponyboy's sobs started quieting down, and my tears started drying up. Still, we kept our arms wrapped around each other. Ponyboy suddenly spoke again. "It's okay if you make mistakes too, Darry. You're only twenty, and you're taking care of your two kid brothers."

My heart warmed at his words. I knew he was specifically talking about my mistake of hitting him, and even if he thought it was an excusable mistake, I didn't. "Thank you, Pony. I appreciate it."

"You know, you don't need to be Superman all the time… you can tell us how you're feeling," Ponyboy continued. He pulled away from me and looked me in the eye. "Just because you're older doesn't mean you don't get to feel anything."

I grinned. "I'll work on it, I promise."

"And I promise I'll work on using my head and talking with you so we don't fight as much," Pony said with a smile. Then he hugged me again. "I love you, Darry. Thank you for everything you do, and even if you don't forgive yourself, I forgive you."

I smiled, and my eyes were glassy once again. "I love you too, little buddy."