Heartbeat
By Shattered Aura
In collaboration with FrankElza
Review replies:
Seth Clearwater: Thank you!
GreaserG1rl201: Thank you for the review and for the compliment. :)
Pony'sgirlfriend: I would give them a hug anytime. 3 thank you!
BunnyluvsU: Thank you! :)
Sydney Castle: I agree with you. Gotta love Rob. ;) Thank you!
theoutsider30: Thank you!
Obsessivebookdiva: Some people have original pennames, I like that. :) I have no specific symptoms except PTSD, and even then, I hadn't really realised that I brought that into the story! And yes, I do know where my story is going and have it all planned, but thank you for the suggestion. In fact, I think I apply it in this chapter. :) All in all, thank you for the amazing review! It was full of really nice compliments and I appeciate it very much!
FrankElza: I loved it too! We do mak a good team. ;)
mycookiegirl: It did! I can't imagine having to go through that. :( Thank you!
WatchRain4898: Personally I don't think that I get the characters' personalities right, but I'm glad that someone thinks I do! Thank you so much. :)
The Curtis Crew: Thank you! & yes. ;)
rachelmcflyR5: Thank you! I love them too. :)
The Dark Side Of the Sun: Ooouh, I love your penname, so dark and mysterious. ;) Thank you very much. :)
Nessie2000: I'm sorry about the delay! If I had seen your review earlier, I would've tried my best to update for your brithday! Forgive me?
seems-pretty-legit: Your penname is cool. ;) DO YOU HAVE SPACE FOR ME? 'CAUSE I WANNA CUDDLE HIM TOO! Hehe thank you! :)
A/N: I am extremely sorry for the delay, everyone. Jeez, and I get mad when someone takes a month to update! I'm not better!
Now, originally this story was supposed to be a three-shot at best. Now we chaged it for a 5-chapter story, and it still isn't enough. I'm glad to announce that this isn't the last chapter! The story is closing to a end, however, and will be maximum 8 chapters long.
Meanwhile, R & R and enjoy this chapter! And thank you, FrankElza, for all the help that you've given. This story wouldn't be successful without you. :)
XxX
It had now been two weeks since the robbery, and after another restless night, the three brothers sat at the kitchen table, all equally exhausted. Sodapop fumbled with his eggs to put grape jelly on the top, causing Darry to make a face at him. Ponyboy didn't even notice, since he was picking at his eggs, having taken only one bite.
"Hey Pony, is something wrong?" Sodapop asked. Darry gave his baby brother a look.
"You ain't getting sick on us, are you, Ponyboy?" he asked, now concerned.
Ponyboy shook his head. "I'm sorry." Sodapop and Darry exchanged glances at each other, confused. "You both have to be up with me all the time with my stupid nightmares," he growled out, getting frustrated and catching his older brothers off guard. He shot up from his seat and shifted his gaze back and forth from Sodapop and Darry. "I can't help it! I want them to stop!"
Sodapop got up from his chair and stood next to Ponyboy, wrapping his brother in a one-arm hug in an attempt to comfort him and calm him down at once. "Whoa, whoa, calm down," he soothed, sitting Ponyboy back on his chair and sitting next to his kid brother. "Pony, honey, it's not your fault. I thought Darry and I told you that. More than once."
"Ponyboy," Darry started, cupping Ponyboy's chin to make the boy look up at him. "We're there for you to help you with your nightmares 'cause we both love you, a lot. We'd never let you deal with them on your own."
"It's normal to have them all the time," Sodapop added tenderly. "We'll always help you out, no matter what. Got it?"
Ponyboy nodded, but didn't say anything. Still, he let his brothers hug him to show his gratitude for their help.
When the brothers parted, they settled down to finish their breakfast. Since Darry had prepared it, the dishes were Sodapop and Ponyboy's chore. It was a Saturday morning, and no one had work or school, so they were planning on hanging out together, the five of them. Ponyboy had been looking forward to this day, so he wanted to finish the dishes faster to get ready afterward.
However, the next events all happened at once.
Two-Bit and Steve walked in the house, with Two-Bit slamming the door behind him, shouting his hello. In that same second, Sodapop accidently dropped the pan he was scrubbing on the floor, and it resonated with a loud "clang!"
Ponyboy screamed and fell on his rear, trying to back away from the pan. In his mind, he was at the DX, the pan was the gun, and the loud bang of the door was caused by Sodapop and Steve as they struggled against the man. The sound rang in his hears, making him clutch his head and panic.
Sodapop immediately rushed over to his kid brother, who was breathing heavily, tears streaming down his face and eyes wide, though glassy. Ponyboy couldn't focus on anything, eyes darting in every direction and lonesome whimpers escaping his parted lips.
Steve and Two-Bit stood there, wide-eyed and shocked, watching as Darry ran around the table to get to his youngest brother's side quickly. When he put both his hands on Ponyboy's shoulders, the boy panicked, thinking it was the man. He tried to kick Darry off of him and struggled as Darry tried to hold him down, eyes shut closed so he wouldn't see his attacker.
Darry, out of options, simply hugged Ponyboy tightly as the boy screamed and cried to be let go. Sodapop took that as an opportunity to calm him down. "Pony!" he said, his mouth next to the boy's ear. "It's okay! Ponyboy, it's okay! You're home, you're safe, you're with me and Darry! Calm down, kiddo!"
Between his heavy cries, Ponyboy registered Sodapop's words, and stopped struggling, his eyes snapping open. He seemed to realise that he was home in his brothers' arms, and he collapsed, hugging Darry tightly and burying his head in Darry's chest, sobbing his heart out.
Darry sent worried glances at Sodapop, who rubbed Ponyboy's back, causing the boy to shiver. Ponyboy slowly gave in to his brother's comforting circles and tried to calm his sobbing down so he could breathe better.
After a few minutes in Darry's arms, he managed to stop crying, occasionally sniffling. He backed away from Darry's embrace and faced the other boys.
"Ponyboy?" Sodapop asked him in concern. "What was that about?"
"What a greeting," Two-Bit joked, trying to lighten up the mood, but he himself felt tense.
Still, it made Ponyboy weakly smile at him before it gave place to a shudder. "I..." he stared at the forgotten pan on the floor. "I thought that the pan was the m-man's gun...when he dropped it on me..."
Sodapop's slightly confused features shifted into understanding ones, and he rubbed his brother's back again. "It's over, Ponyboy. He's in jail. He ain't gonna hurt you no more."
He simply nodded, leaning into Sodapop, who wrapped his brother into a one-arm hug, giving his brother all the comfort he needed. The brothers stayed there for a few silent minutes, until Two-Bit cleared his throat, catching everyone else's attention.
"So...we still hanging out?" he lamely asked, earning himself a look from Darry, who didn't expect Ponyboy to say yes.
It caught him off-guard when his youngest brother did. "I wanna go to the movies," he flat out replied. He thought it sounded like an order, which wasn't the case, so he added, "Please, Darry?"
Darry bit his lip while Sodapop looked at Ponyboy. "You sure you feel up to it, Baby?"
Ponyboy nodded, not budging from his decision. "I need to get out," he admitted. "I just wanna have a normal day with y'all." For once, he wanted to add, but he stopped himself before he could spill the words.
Sodapop looked at Darry and shrugged. The unspoken was well understood; how bad can it hurt? Darry got up, helping his two brothers up by offering each of them a hand.
He looked at Ponyboy in the eye. "Alright, kiddo. We'll go to the movies." Then, for what seemed like a long time ago, he gave his little brother a smile. And for what seemed like a long time ago, Ponyboy smiled back.
XxX
The movie ended up being a western movie. Ponyboy didn't like being cooped up in Darry's truck, so the brothers plus Steve and Two-Bit sat in one of the rows of uncomfortable theater seats. How Ponyboy could manage to sit still in those for hours on end was still an unsolved mystery to the gang.
Halfway throughout the movie, two cowboys found themselves face to face, each with a gun in their pockets. The cliché dust ball rolled past them, with the clock that almost stroke noon, and the two men wiggled their fingers to wait for the signal to grab their guns and fire.
Ponyboy watched as one of the cowboys grabbed his gun at the speed of light, the camera zooming on the barrel and fired. Ponyboy's breath hitched in his throat as the gunshot echoed in the movie theater, and he let out a yelp, alerting both his brothers that something was up.
As he sat in his seat, curled up in a ball and shivering as tears streamed down his face for the second time in the day, Sodapop couldn't deny to himself that he had jumped when he heard the gunshot, but it clearly shook Ponyboy, since the boy had found himself staring down the barrel of a gun twice before. Ponyboy let out a couple of whimpers, and although not as bad as earlier, he still struggled to keep calm.
Darry rubbed Ponyboy's back and whispered sweet nothings in his ear, ignoring the annoyed looks that the people sitting behind them sent them for disturbing the movie. Sodapop shot them a look that quickly sobered them up, and they diverted their eyes to the movie.
"I wanna go home," Ponyboy whispered, eyes still wide. "I can't stand it here, Darry. Please, take me home..."
"Alright, kiddo, if that's what you really want," Darry said, but he didn't have to repeat himself twice; Ponyboy was already on his feet, ready to escape the movie theater and return to the comfort of his home.
"Y'all coming with us?" Sodapop asked the remaining two boys. Steve looked at Two-Bit and back at Sodapop with a shrug.
"Sure, the movie was getting boring anyway," he drawled, so without another word, the five boys left the movie theater.
Ponyboy hopped in the car first, followed by his brothers. He was squished between them, but that's what he wanted; he needed both his brothers by his side. He sat there shivering as Darry drove the three of them home, holding Sodapop's hand tightly and leaning on Darry's shoulder.
He didn't remember closing his eyes, but when he opened them, he was met with a foreign sight.
There was a cop car parked on the curb in front of the Curtis house, with two police officers standing outside of it.
Darry carefully manoeuvred the truck around the cruiser and parked in the driveway, followed by Steve, with his car. As Darry hopped out of the truck and made his way over to the police officers, Ponyboy shivered and anxiously stared at Sodapop, wondering what that was all about.
Sodapop shushed him by gently smoothing his hair away from his forehead and guiding him out of the truck. He stood next to the truck, wrapping Ponyboy in a one-arm hug—his now favorite thing to do besides tickling Ponyboy—and watching as Darry talked to the fuzz. The two younger brothers were soon joined by Steve and Two-Bit, who asked them what the deal was about, getting no answer.
"Hello, Sir," Darry politely greeted. "Can I help you?" He inwardly cringed at how he sounded; he had to use that tone of voice everyday on his first job at the Dingo, and his buddies had incredibly teased him about it until he stopped working there to join his father in the roofing business.
"I have three names here—Ponyboy Curtis, Sodapop Curtis and Steve Randle—and those young men had something to do with a robbery at the DX, I believe?"
Darry groaned.
XxX
A/N: I don't usually post notes here, but please, check out my pole and vote! You get to vote for 3 out of 11 choices! I only have three voters for now, so please, go vote! Your choices are just as important as my final decision will be! :)