Soda pov
I was pulled from my sleep that night because of a piercing scream. I sat up, startled, and looked down. Ponyboy was shaking, tears running down his face, and his eyes were closed. I quickly picked him up in my arms, trying to soothe him. He clung to me, not wanting to let go.
"Shh baby, it's ok. Everything's fine." I said to him, trying to calm him. Darry came rushing in, hearing Pony's scream. He sat down on the bed next to me.
"It's ok, honey. Soda and Darry are here." Darry said. Ponyboy seemed to relax a little bit more, but he was still crying and shaking. I hated these nightmares; they always made Pony so scared.
After a little while, Pony calmed down. He was still in my arms, and would let out a little whimper here and there. He had a tear-stained face, and he seemed worn out from all the shaking, crying, and lack of sleep.
"You okay, baby?" Darry asked. Ponyboy just nodded and sniffled. I lay him down on the bed and covered him up with the blankets. Darry bent over him and kissed his forehead. Darry started to get up, while I got under the covers.
"Wait! Can you sleep in here?" Pony said to Darry, looking hopeful. Darry looked to me, and I nodded my approval. I think Ponyboy was scared that he would lose us.
Pony snuggled closer to me, and Darry got in on Ponyboy's side. I put my arm around Ponyboy, and Darry did the same. Soon we both heard his light breathing.
"Poor baby. He shouldn't have to go through this." Darry said, feeling bad for our baby brother. I was thinking the same thing. Soon, we both fell asleep.
I woke up in the morning, and saw Darry awake, sitting up against the headboard, watching Pony sleep. I followed suit.
Darry and I started talking softly about different things, but mostly Ponyboy. After a while, Pony woke up. He seemed content that we were both here.
"I'm sorry." Ponyboy said quietly, looking guilty. Darry and I looked at him confused.
"What are you sorry for, Pony?" Darry said.
"For waking you two up last night." He said. I don't like it when he blames himself for these nightmares.
"Pony, don't say that. You know it's not your fault for the nightmares." I said, in a slightly stern tone. He just nodded.
"Let's get up and eat something. I'm starving." Darry said. I nodded, and so did Pony. But, then Ponyboy yawned pretty big. I looked at Darry, a sly smile on my face. He caught my look, and smiled too.
"Looks like someone's still tired. Ain't that right, Darry?" I said.
"Yup, but we can fix that." Darry remarked. We both started tickling Pony, while he laughed like crazy. It sounded so good to hear my baby brother's laugh. He squirmed around, trying to escape.
Ponyboy actually got away from the tickling, and got up off the bed, running out of the room. We chased after him, into the living room.
When he realized that he was in a dead end, he just turned around, and smiled sheepishly. I ran to him, and got behind him, wrapping my arms around his small torso. Darry started tickling him again. Pony tried to get away, but I made sure he couldn't by making my arms tight around him.
After awhile, Darry stopped tickling Pony, who was breathing heavily from all the laughing. Since I was standing in front of the couch, I sat down, keeping Ponyboy in my lap. He didn't care; he just leaned into my chest, trying to catch his breathing. I moved my arms a little bit, keeping them around Pony, but loosely.
Darry sat down next to us, and smiled at Pony, who was trying to get comfortable on my lap, and I guess he did, because he stopped moving around. He put his head on my shoulder, and looked up at me, smiling.
"Are you comfy, Pone?" I asked, smiling myself. He nodded, as I took my hand and pushed his hair back. I noticed he had a sleepy look in his eyes. I guess he was still tired. I probably would be too, after waking up, and getting tickled to death.
"Hey baby boy, you tired?" I asked him, and he nodded.
"I'm gonna make breakfast." Darry said, getting up and walking into the kitchen.
"Do you want to go back to sleep?" I asked him.
"Yeah. Is that ok?" he asked, like I was going to say no to him. I was gonna tell him yes, but then I got an idea.
"Yeah, it's fine. But, could you get up?" I asked, and he did.
Soon he was lying on the couch, his head in my lap. I was stroking his hair, and I could tell he was going to fall asleep very soon. I could hear Darry making breakfast in the kitchen. A few minutes later, Pony fell asleep. I continued stroking his hair, loving how even though Ponyboy is 14, sometimes he didn't mind being "babied".
Darry came in the living room, and smiled at Pony's sleeping figure. I knew that breakfast was done. I nodded at him, and very carefully, I slid out from under Pony's head, and quickly replaced it with a pillow. I kissed his forehead, and went into the kitchen. Darry and I ate breakfast talking in low voices.
All of a sudden, I heard a loud bang. Then I heard Two-Bit.
"What's up, Curtis Brothers?!" he said loudly. I quickly jumped from my chair, and ran to the living room. I put my hand over his mouth before he could say anything else.
"Two-Bit! Shut up!" I said in a whisper. I nodded my head toward the couch, and he followed my gaze. When he saw Ponyboy, his eyes got wider. I quickly went into the kitchen and Two-Bit followed.
"Sorry there, Soda. I didn't know the kid was sleeping in the living room." He said. I nodded my forgiveness.
Then, Two-Bit started to eat breakfast from our fridge, as usual. I took my plate to the sink, and glance in the living room. Ponyboy was still asleep. I smiled. Sometimes he could sleep through anything, but only when he's really tired. I walked to our bedroom to grab some clothes. I walked to the bathroom so I could take a shower.
After I took a shower, I went back to the living room to find Johnny, Two-Bit, and Darry. Darry was reading the paper, while Johnny and Two-Bit were watching TV. Ponyboy was still sleeping. I sat on the floor, in front of the couch. Then, when Pony woke up, I could be right by him. I turned around to see my baby brother starting to wake up. Dang, I have good timing.