In Repair; Chapter 2: "Aozora" (Blue Sky in Japanese)
Excuse lateness. Schoolwork and lack of ideas, as well as sleep loss and laziness doesn't add up good. As for the chapter title, I have recently discovered a j-pop singer named Shiina Ringo, and that song in which I named the title off helped me write this chapter.
And to my ten reviewers - I love you.
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"Not a cloud in the sky today, eh Pone?"
Sodapop retracted his head from the rusty, old window and focused on the dishes he was washing. Running the soaked cloth across the white plate, he reached up to scratch his head, leaving a few suds from his hands. He turned his head slightly to the right, to look over his shoulder at his younger brother.
"Pone, you with me here?" Soda cracked a grin, and Pony looked up from his homework slowly.
"Oh, sorry Soda. Math." Ponyboy looked back down at the white sheet before him, furrowing his brows momentarily, then taking his pencil and scribbling down an answer.
"I said, sky's real clear today. After you're done, why don't we go for a walk or somethin'?" The blonde asked cheerfully, looking out the window again.
"Sure..." Pony knew what'd his older brother would do; he'd ring up Steve and ask him if he'd like to come with. And Pony was praying inside that he wouldn't. Since yesterday, Pony couldn't forget that look the seventeen year old had given him. And he didn't really want to find out...
With a clink of a plate being placed in the soapy water, Soda grabbed a dry towel and wiped his hands. "Pone, can you finish these last three plates fer me? I'm gonna go see if Stevie wants 'ta come."
I'm goddamn psychic! Pony's inner voice said in a sarcastic tone. "Yeah yeah, I will." Dropping the writing utensil, the redheaded boy rolled up his sweater's sleeves and reached into the foamy water. He heard Soda wander into the next room to phone Steve.
Steve... what was up with him? What was that little glint in his eye all about? Pony furrowed his brows and scrubbed chocolate icing residue off the white surface of the plate. It wasn't a typical Steve-type glare, the kind he gave Pony constantly...it was different...
And it made Pony's inside go cold whenever he thought about it.
"Hey Pony!" Soda's yelling made the fourteen year old jump, and he whirled around to face the blonde, suds flying. "Stevie's gonna come, kay?"
"Great." Pony tried his hardest not to sound sarcastic, but Soda didn't notice. The blonde grinned and approached the redhead.
"I think I'll finish these off with ya, okay? and then we'll head out." Soda reached into the water readily and pulled out the last dish, his usual bouncy nature about him. Pony just shook his head.
"What about my homework?" Pony's maturing voice questioned his older brother. Soda just laughed good-naturedly.
"School's stupid!" was the blonde's only reply.
----
"So, how's girlfriend huntin' workin' out for ya Soda?" Steve's soft voice asked his best friend, who simply shrugged.
"Haven't got around to goin' out and findin' anyone yet." The blonde seemed indifferent to the question, and turned to his younger brother, who had walked in silence with the two older boys since they'd left the house. "How 'bout you, Pone? Found any lookers you'd like to go with?"
Pony shook his rusty head. No, there was no girls. 'And there won't be, until I stop loving a certain tan-skinned, black haired boy...' Pony's inner voice seemed to be full of sadness, and he felt it. Three months, almost four, and he still hadn't moved on. Why?...
Steve, on the other hand, snarled inside. Both at the thought of Pony being with anyone but himself; and at the thought of him liking Pony. One side said he was in self-denial; the other said it was a sign he needed to sex up Evie soon. If this continued, he'd go insane for sure...and so far, the self-denial side was winning. By a long shot.
Steve took a glance out of the corner of his eye at the younger boy. He was talking to Soda, his face angled up to face his older brother. He studied Pony's face, taking in every detail. The high cheekbones, the pale flesh that looked like it would be soft to touch, like silk. Long eyelashes, soft pink lips...Steve licked his own lips at the thought of kissing the younger boy. Deciding to let his thoughts go as they pleased, he couldn't help but fantasize about the boy; soft and moaning, beneath him...
Shaking his head quickly, he fought down the thoughts. The was sickened with himself, and yet...pleased. He could easily take the boy and have a little fun with him, to see why he was so attracted to him. But then again, Pony would definitely tell Soda if Steve touched him anywhere...and that put his friendship with Sodapop in major jeopardy. He needed to figure out these feelings; if he didn't, he had no idea what would happen...or what he would do.
The three boys were slowly approaching the park, and Pony had went into a deep silence. Steve watched the younger boy's expression go from a smile to a blank stare, eyes clouded. He walked faster, and wandered into the park. Soda turned his head to look at Steve, who shrugged. Soda returned his attention to Pony, and followed after. Pony had stopped, staring at the fountain in the center of the park. Steve trailed behind slowly, kicking himself for mentally calling Pony an annoying child. Then kicked himself again for kicking himself to begin with.
Pony's grey-green eyes were staring at the fountain, clouded with a past memory. He didn't even notice the sounds of the children laughing around him, the cars passing by; all was silent, except the voices inside his mourning head.
'I almost drowned here...and then...you saved me...' He began to feel cold, like he was as the Socs drowned him within the icy waters four months ago. Cold and choking...so close to death himself.
'Why? If you had let me die, you could be with everyone still...it wouldn't have happened, all of it.' Pony's eyes were seeing only a memory.
"If I'd let you die, alot more people would have been sad." An familiar, ethereal voice answered his question.
Pony's head snapped up at the sound. That voice...he knew it so well. But no one was around, save a few laughing children playing tag nearby. He looked around, eyes darting everywhere. Where? Where? Where are you?
"Pony, what's wrong?" Soda's worried voice came from his right side, and Pony turned his head quickly to look at his older brother. "Oh..."
Pony realized there were tears on his cheeks. Blushing, he wiped them away quickly on his sleeve and looked at the ground. He'd been crying; right in front of Soda too. And Steve had been watching as well; the swirly-haired greaser was standing next to Soda, looking at Pony. But Pony didn't see that glint in Steve's eye. One of worry, the other of laughter at the sight of the young greaser crying silently.
"Pone, you don't look so good..." Soda's voice was heavy with worry as he gently stroked the redhead's hair. "Let's go home, alright?"
"Kay Soda." Pony's almost voiceless reply came.
-------
"Don't tell Darry what happened, okay?" Pony pleaded with Soda, who shook his blonde mane and grinned. "Please Soda! I didn't mean to cry! I'm fine, really!" his pleading wasn't gettin through to the blonde. With a heavy sigh, he gave up.
"Darry deserves to know when somethin's buggin' ya. I'd like to know what it was too, if it's not too big a deal." Soda perked his left eyebrow, giving off a very Two-Bit-like effect. Pony swallowed hard and shook his head.
"Just memories of what happened..." was the fourteen year old's weak reply.
"Oh." Soda's eyebrows raised; he had been expecting somethin more. But, nonetheless, he swung his arm around his younger brother's shoulders and hugged him. Pony smiled faintly, and Soda grinned. "Don't worry about that anymore, okay? Those two are in a better place now."
Pony attempted to perk an eyebrow, which he had gotten slightly better at, but still looked slightly lopsided. "Even Dally?"
Soda flashed a grin. "He probably likes all those devil chicks down there. He's always liked 'em firey."
-----
Pony lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Soda was fast asleep, and Darry had gone to bed at least an hour ago. The young boy couldn't sleep; his mind was still focused on the voice he'd swore he'd heard in the park. He knew he'd heard it before; just couldn't put his finger on it. Inside, he knew it was obvious; just needed to give it a name. Biting his lip, he started making shapes out the shadows on the ceiling for the tenth time that night.
'Where was that from?' His brain was tired, and he closed his eyes. He couldn't think anymore; maybe it would come to him tomorrow; possibly in a dream. Slowly, waves of sleep passed over him, and he fell into slumber, snuggled up to his older brother.
------
Inside the dream was pure darkness. All around Pony; silence, emptiness, black like the feathers on a raven. His footsteps echoed eerily as he walked about. It was like he was awake, but yet, he could feel his body back in the living world snuggled up to Soda, his older brother's warmth and scent washing over him. What was this?
A quiet chuckle echoed through the shapeless place, and Pony turned his head. The sight that greeted him made him drop his mouth open in disbelief.
"Long time no see."
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Yay! Second chapter DONE! Cliffhanger! Oh the evil. Now I have a project to work on.
Reviews are very much loved. :D
Excuse lateness. Schoolwork and lack of ideas, as well as sleep loss and laziness doesn't add up good. As for the chapter title, I have recently discovered a j-pop singer named Shiina Ringo, and that song in which I named the title off helped me write this chapter.
And to my ten reviewers - I love you.
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"Not a cloud in the sky today, eh Pone?"
Sodapop retracted his head from the rusty, old window and focused on the dishes he was washing. Running the soaked cloth across the white plate, he reached up to scratch his head, leaving a few suds from his hands. He turned his head slightly to the right, to look over his shoulder at his younger brother.
"Pone, you with me here?" Soda cracked a grin, and Pony looked up from his homework slowly.
"Oh, sorry Soda. Math." Ponyboy looked back down at the white sheet before him, furrowing his brows momentarily, then taking his pencil and scribbling down an answer.
"I said, sky's real clear today. After you're done, why don't we go for a walk or somethin'?" The blonde asked cheerfully, looking out the window again.
"Sure..." Pony knew what'd his older brother would do; he'd ring up Steve and ask him if he'd like to come with. And Pony was praying inside that he wouldn't. Since yesterday, Pony couldn't forget that look the seventeen year old had given him. And he didn't really want to find out...
With a clink of a plate being placed in the soapy water, Soda grabbed a dry towel and wiped his hands. "Pone, can you finish these last three plates fer me? I'm gonna go see if Stevie wants 'ta come."
I'm goddamn psychic! Pony's inner voice said in a sarcastic tone. "Yeah yeah, I will." Dropping the writing utensil, the redheaded boy rolled up his sweater's sleeves and reached into the foamy water. He heard Soda wander into the next room to phone Steve.
Steve... what was up with him? What was that little glint in his eye all about? Pony furrowed his brows and scrubbed chocolate icing residue off the white surface of the plate. It wasn't a typical Steve-type glare, the kind he gave Pony constantly...it was different...
And it made Pony's inside go cold whenever he thought about it.
"Hey Pony!" Soda's yelling made the fourteen year old jump, and he whirled around to face the blonde, suds flying. "Stevie's gonna come, kay?"
"Great." Pony tried his hardest not to sound sarcastic, but Soda didn't notice. The blonde grinned and approached the redhead.
"I think I'll finish these off with ya, okay? and then we'll head out." Soda reached into the water readily and pulled out the last dish, his usual bouncy nature about him. Pony just shook his head.
"What about my homework?" Pony's maturing voice questioned his older brother. Soda just laughed good-naturedly.
"School's stupid!" was the blonde's only reply.
----
"So, how's girlfriend huntin' workin' out for ya Soda?" Steve's soft voice asked his best friend, who simply shrugged.
"Haven't got around to goin' out and findin' anyone yet." The blonde seemed indifferent to the question, and turned to his younger brother, who had walked in silence with the two older boys since they'd left the house. "How 'bout you, Pone? Found any lookers you'd like to go with?"
Pony shook his rusty head. No, there was no girls. 'And there won't be, until I stop loving a certain tan-skinned, black haired boy...' Pony's inner voice seemed to be full of sadness, and he felt it. Three months, almost four, and he still hadn't moved on. Why?...
Steve, on the other hand, snarled inside. Both at the thought of Pony being with anyone but himself; and at the thought of him liking Pony. One side said he was in self-denial; the other said it was a sign he needed to sex up Evie soon. If this continued, he'd go insane for sure...and so far, the self-denial side was winning. By a long shot.
Steve took a glance out of the corner of his eye at the younger boy. He was talking to Soda, his face angled up to face his older brother. He studied Pony's face, taking in every detail. The high cheekbones, the pale flesh that looked like it would be soft to touch, like silk. Long eyelashes, soft pink lips...Steve licked his own lips at the thought of kissing the younger boy. Deciding to let his thoughts go as they pleased, he couldn't help but fantasize about the boy; soft and moaning, beneath him...
Shaking his head quickly, he fought down the thoughts. The was sickened with himself, and yet...pleased. He could easily take the boy and have a little fun with him, to see why he was so attracted to him. But then again, Pony would definitely tell Soda if Steve touched him anywhere...and that put his friendship with Sodapop in major jeopardy. He needed to figure out these feelings; if he didn't, he had no idea what would happen...or what he would do.
The three boys were slowly approaching the park, and Pony had went into a deep silence. Steve watched the younger boy's expression go from a smile to a blank stare, eyes clouded. He walked faster, and wandered into the park. Soda turned his head to look at Steve, who shrugged. Soda returned his attention to Pony, and followed after. Pony had stopped, staring at the fountain in the center of the park. Steve trailed behind slowly, kicking himself for mentally calling Pony an annoying child. Then kicked himself again for kicking himself to begin with.
Pony's grey-green eyes were staring at the fountain, clouded with a past memory. He didn't even notice the sounds of the children laughing around him, the cars passing by; all was silent, except the voices inside his mourning head.
'I almost drowned here...and then...you saved me...' He began to feel cold, like he was as the Socs drowned him within the icy waters four months ago. Cold and choking...so close to death himself.
'Why? If you had let me die, you could be with everyone still...it wouldn't have happened, all of it.' Pony's eyes were seeing only a memory.
"If I'd let you die, alot more people would have been sad." An familiar, ethereal voice answered his question.
Pony's head snapped up at the sound. That voice...he knew it so well. But no one was around, save a few laughing children playing tag nearby. He looked around, eyes darting everywhere. Where? Where? Where are you?
"Pony, what's wrong?" Soda's worried voice came from his right side, and Pony turned his head quickly to look at his older brother. "Oh..."
Pony realized there were tears on his cheeks. Blushing, he wiped them away quickly on his sleeve and looked at the ground. He'd been crying; right in front of Soda too. And Steve had been watching as well; the swirly-haired greaser was standing next to Soda, looking at Pony. But Pony didn't see that glint in Steve's eye. One of worry, the other of laughter at the sight of the young greaser crying silently.
"Pone, you don't look so good..." Soda's voice was heavy with worry as he gently stroked the redhead's hair. "Let's go home, alright?"
"Kay Soda." Pony's almost voiceless reply came.
-------
"Don't tell Darry what happened, okay?" Pony pleaded with Soda, who shook his blonde mane and grinned. "Please Soda! I didn't mean to cry! I'm fine, really!" his pleading wasn't gettin through to the blonde. With a heavy sigh, he gave up.
"Darry deserves to know when somethin's buggin' ya. I'd like to know what it was too, if it's not too big a deal." Soda perked his left eyebrow, giving off a very Two-Bit-like effect. Pony swallowed hard and shook his head.
"Just memories of what happened..." was the fourteen year old's weak reply.
"Oh." Soda's eyebrows raised; he had been expecting somethin more. But, nonetheless, he swung his arm around his younger brother's shoulders and hugged him. Pony smiled faintly, and Soda grinned. "Don't worry about that anymore, okay? Those two are in a better place now."
Pony attempted to perk an eyebrow, which he had gotten slightly better at, but still looked slightly lopsided. "Even Dally?"
Soda flashed a grin. "He probably likes all those devil chicks down there. He's always liked 'em firey."
-----
Pony lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Soda was fast asleep, and Darry had gone to bed at least an hour ago. The young boy couldn't sleep; his mind was still focused on the voice he'd swore he'd heard in the park. He knew he'd heard it before; just couldn't put his finger on it. Inside, he knew it was obvious; just needed to give it a name. Biting his lip, he started making shapes out the shadows on the ceiling for the tenth time that night.
'Where was that from?' His brain was tired, and he closed his eyes. He couldn't think anymore; maybe it would come to him tomorrow; possibly in a dream. Slowly, waves of sleep passed over him, and he fell into slumber, snuggled up to his older brother.
------
Inside the dream was pure darkness. All around Pony; silence, emptiness, black like the feathers on a raven. His footsteps echoed eerily as he walked about. It was like he was awake, but yet, he could feel his body back in the living world snuggled up to Soda, his older brother's warmth and scent washing over him. What was this?
A quiet chuckle echoed through the shapeless place, and Pony turned his head. The sight that greeted him made him drop his mouth open in disbelief.
"Long time no see."
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Yay! Second chapter DONE! Cliffhanger! Oh the evil. Now I have a project to work on.
Reviews are very much loved. :D