A/N: Here we go! This one is a little bit different. It takes place the day after story three did, right after Darry's talk with Two-Bit about Ponyboy being missing. It has multiple points of view because there isn't a single person being comforted. So I hope you guys like it.

This was requested by Delgados and Milou. I hope you guys like it.

Story Thirteen

Darry and Soda

"Promise/If You Ain't Superman."

When Darry woke up his conversation with Two-Bit was still fresh in his mind. The talk had helped but he was still worried about Ponyboy. He was so worried that he had barely slept, once again, and felt sick at the thought of eating. Now he was pacing in front of Sodapop's room, willing himself to go in, see if he was awake yet (which he probably was with the week they were having) and talk to him. It was still early and the sun wasn't quite up yet but he didn't want to waste more time. If Soda was up, he needed to take care of this now.

"As a fellow big brother I can only hope that I'm half the big brother you are."

Darry tried hard not to scoff as he thought back. It had helped when Two-Bit had said it and it still made him feel a little but better but at the same time he couldn't truly make himself believe it. If he were truly a good big brother, he'd be able to handle this better. They wouldn't even be in the situation and, even if they were, he'd be able to actually talk to Soda instead of pacing and fretting.

It's just Sodapop, he told himself. You know he doesn't have much of a temper. Just go talk to him.

Darry buried his face in his hands and heaved a sigh. He could do this. He knew he could. He could fix this still. Maybe Pony wasn't here but Soda was and he had to do something. He'd be damned if he let their relationship crumble.

Soda lay on this back, staring at the ceiling. He was trying to ignore the dead feeling in his chest that had settled when Pony ran out into the night and only grown as the events with Sandy had unfolded. He pushed her bright eyes and long hair to the back of his mind, letting his mind wander instead to Ponyboy.

He'd seen this coming for the past few months. He wasn't a fool and even if he acted like he didn't see the fighting he did. Darry would yell about something, Pony would clam up and glare. Neither of them would listen to him when he tried to explain the other's side. No one would listen when he tried to get them to understand that they were family. No one believed him when he said that they both loved each other.

He rolled on his side, staring at the wall. No one had believed him and no one had listened. Unfortunately, it seemed that that was the story of his life. No one listened, no one cared. What if everyone continued to fight? What if fighting with the Socs just wasn't enough for them? What if Pony came back and Steve continued to look at Pony as if he were twelve and what if Pony continued to resent Steve? What if Ponyboy and Darry never saw eye to eye? What if he continued to be a middleman? And what would happen if some of the others started fighting too?

He hit his mattress furiously and rolled onto his stomach to bury his face in his pillow, trying to keep the hot tears welling at bay. He didn't want to cry again. He felt drained from crying so much last night and he was sick of it. Every night since Pony ran off he'd cried himself into a restless almost-but-not-quite sleep. He'd toss and turn all night and then go through the next day like a zombie. Work was a saving grace, a distraction. But he wasn't due at work for another two hours. He hated being awake this early simply because he now had to keep his mind occupied until then.

Darry took a deep breath. He had to talk to him. He needed to go in and do it. Things would be at least somewhat better for them both once he did. He took a deep breath and was about to turn to the door when it opened and Soda came out, not as quickly as he usually did but certainly not as slow as a normal person did.

They collided and both took several steps back. Darry blinked at him as Soda surveyed him with a guarded surprise. "What are you doing outside my room?" Soda asked finally.

"I, uh, I wanted to talk to you," Darry said, pushing a hand through his hair.

Soda hesitated and for a wild moment Darry was convinced that he was going to refuse. What would he do then? Insist? Follow him around until he caved? "Sure… Let me go to the bathroom first and I'll meet you on the roof."

Darry nodded then did a double take. "The roof?"

Soda shrugged. "I could use the air." He turned and went into the bathroom.

Darry looked at the door for a moment before knocking once. "Don't forget shoes and a jacket, you hear?" Soda grunted in reply and Darry closed his eyes. That's all you can really expect. With a sigh, he turned and made his way to the roof.

Soda climbed up to the roof, rubbing his arms. It was cold but he didn't mind too much. He almost enjoyed getting cold outside because he liked the feeling of warming up inside. Besides, he didn't like letting the weather make him wear shoes, even if Darry wanted him to. He put on socks at least so he figured Darry wouldn't be too upset with him. So maybe he didn't have a jacket but he had a flannel shirt over a T-shirt that he thought worked well enough.

Darry looked up at him and his icy eyes flashed with relief quickly. Soda felt guilt tear at his gut. Had he really been so awful to Darry that his older brother thought he wouldn't come up here? He hated being angry and he hated letting someone think he was angry. He hated having a distance between himself and anyone. It was nearly a fatal flaw of his. He'd do anything to fix things most of the time, even when it's time for the relationship to die.

Do not think about Sandy right now. Focus on Darry.

He pushed his girlfriend- ex-girlfriend- out of his mind and sat down next to his brother. He looked at him, taking him in. Darry had shadows under his red eyes and some stubble across his chin that he hadn't shaved. He had thrown a jacket on but it wasn't the thickest one around. He felt worry pierce his heart, even though he knew he looked just as bad and tired. Besides, he had even less protection from the cold than Darry did.

"I told you to grab a jacket and shoes."

Darry's tone jolted Soda out of his thoughts and made him stare. A fresh wave of worry hit him that was so intense that he thought he might be sick. Darry's voice was lifeless. Normally Soda would get at least an eye roll and an exasperated tone for doing this. Sometimes he'd even get a lecture. But this was concerning.

"Dare, are you okay?"

Darry fixed him with an exhausted look. "Are you?"

Soda opened his mouth and then closed it again. No he wasn't. He didn't have the energy to lie either. He looked out at the sky. The sun would rise soon. The dark sky would have been pretty if he wasn't so distraught. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I'm real sorry." Darry's voice cracked and was so raw that he sounded like he was about to break down. Soda, who hadn't actually seen Darry break down in years, if ever, looked at him.

"Darry, what are you talkin' about?" He knew. Of course he knew.

"You've been telling me to lay off for months," Darry whispered. "You've been getting between us and cooling us both off. I didn't listen. I didn't stop to think about what he felt or how I came off. I ain't sure what to do or how to make it up to you."

Soda blinked. "Make it up to me?" Despite himself, he felt a rush of gratitude sweep over him like water rushing over the deck of a ship. Darry was actually thinking about him? In this time of pain for both of them he was thinking about him?

"This is hard enough for you right now without worryin' about Pony."

Soda felt tears hit his eyes again and blinked them back furiously. "Darry, don't. This ain't your fault." Darry looked at him with such surprise that Soda wanted to cringe away. "I ain't blamin' you… I ain't gonna lay the blame on you. I wish you would talk to each other but that goes back to both of you and…" He swallowed. "It goes back to me too."

"You? How does it go back to you?'

Soda looked away. "I've been wrapped up in Sandy lately. Wonderin' why she was quieter and thinkin' about…" He swallowed. "I wanted to marry her."

"I knew that."

"No." Soda forced himself to look at his brother. "I knew you weren't gonna be happy about it so I made Pony promise not to tell. I wanted to marry her anyway. I was savin'." Darry blinked in surprise and opened his mouth to speak but Soda pushed past him. He had to tell him. If he didn't tell someone he'd explode. "It's not mine."

Soda closed his eyes while he waited for it to sink in. Once it did, Darry made a noise of surprise. "Oh. How do you know?"

Soda opened his eyes and threw Darry a look that he thought only a sibling could manage. A look that plainly said are you kidding? "Well, 'member what Dad told us? 'Bout what you gotta do to cause that? When a woman and a man love each other-" It was Darry's turn for the are you kidding? look. Soda heaved a sigh and looked away again. "Well, we didn't."

"Oh." The surprise was evident in his brother's tone and Soda felt his cheeks flame red. He began to play with the hem of his jeans for something to do.

"I loved her," he said lamely. "I still do. I wanted… I wanted to prove it by…" He stopped. His throat felt so tight that he knew if he continued he'd lose it. He needed a minute to collect himself.

"I didn't know… I assumed…"

Soda swallowed and said quietly, "I wasn't about to let the gang know. Imagine if Dally got his hands on that. Of course you didn't know." He shook his head. "It isn't mine," he repeated in a voice so quiet he wasn't even sure Darry heard him. Saying the words out loud was different than just thinking them. It made it feel more real in a way and it was the realness that was closing around him now, making it hard to breathe. It wasn't his. Neither was Sandy.

And who knew about Pony anymore?

That was it. That was the final straw. He pulled his legs up to his chest, wrapped his arms around them, and buried his face in his knees. His shoulders began to shake with the sobs that he didn't want to cry but couldn't hold back any longer.

There was something about Darry that felt safe. There was something about talking to Darry that was different than talking to anyone else in the world. He knew it was because Darry was the big brother and he wondered if this is how Pony felt about him. The thought made the cries come out so violently that he was afraid they would even tear out of him vocally.

Darry sat stunned for a moment. He had seen his happy go lucky brother break down only a few times before. It was as rare as seeing him angry was. He felt vaguely guilty for assuming that Soda had fathered the child. This made sense somehow, in a way that the idea of Sandy being pregnant with his kid hadn't.

"Come here, little buddy." Darry scooted to Sodapop and wrapped his arms around his brother's shaking frame. "I've got you," he whispered soothingly, planting a kiss on his brother's head.

"I'm sorry," Soda choked out after a few minutes of crying.

"What in the world are you sorry for?" he whispered, cradling his younger brother in his arms.

"I ain't… I ain't helpin' by being mad… I'm sorry I got so angry…"

Darry felt his heart rip into two pieces inside his chest. He pulled his brother closer as if he could shield him from the world. "It's okay… Don't go feelin' bad for that… I'm mad at me too…"

Soda tore free of his arms and looked at him with watery, wounded brown eyes. "You don't get it. That's why I shouldn't have been angry… I know you have to hate yourself right now Superman…"

Darry winced and tore his gaze away from his brother. "Don't."

"What?"

"Don't call me that. I ain't a hero."

"You ain't a hero?" Soda's shaking voice now sounded somewhat steady. "You gave everything up for us. I know that ain't an easy thing to do. I know you wonder what things would be like if you didn't have to stay behind with us. So does Ponyboy. I think it bugs him real bad. I think he thinks you don't want to be here." Darry looked at Soda and opened his mouth to speak but, not for the first time this morning, Soda kept going. "I know you wish you could do something more than roofing. But I know you wouldn't give us up for anything. You ain't that kind of brother." Soda took a shaky breath before saying, "If you ain't Superman I don't know who is."

Darry's blue eyes met his brother's brown ones and they locked gazes for several minutes. Finally he grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him into a hug. Soda's arms went around him immediately and Darry remembered a time years ago when things were simpler and Soda had been only seven or eight.

Darry blinked sleepily as he looked at the doorway. There stood a small figure clutching a small teddy bear. There was a loud sniff and Darry realized that the boy was crying. Wordlessly, he opened his arms and the boy crawled into them. Darry hugged him to him protectively. "It was just a dream," he whispered quietly. "It was just a dream."

Between the sniffles and choking sounds, Darry managed to make out the words "real bad". He stroked his brother's messy hair and said quietly, "Do you want to talk about it?"

At first, Soda just shook his head violently but after a few moments he, like Darry knew he would, began to speak, "I dreamed that you got killed."

"I got killed? How'd I get killed?" he asked quietly.

Another sniff and then the younger boy's voice choked off into another sob and Darry pulled him closer.

"I ain't going nowhere," he whispered. "I am right here with you. Always."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"I ain't going nowhere, Pepsi-Cola," he whispered. "You know that right? I'm happy with you two."

"I know that," Soda said, aiming for what had to be a "duh" tone but missing as his voice cracked.

"Hey, kiddo." Darry pushed him away enough to look at him. "Do you ever think I could possibly prefer spending time with a bunch of dumb college kids over you?" Soda's eyes dropped down, giving him the answer he didn't really want. "I don't," he whispered. "This is my life and I'm happy with it. It ain't easy. Lord knows it ain't easy. But you're my family. You're where I want to be. You and Pony. And the gang of course. I ain't going nowhere. I am right here with you. Always."

In a shaking voice, Soda said quietly, "Promise?"

"Promise."

Soda dropped his head against Darry's shoulder, his exhaustion evident. Darry hugged him close. "We're going to get our brother back," he whispered. He felt Soda nod against his shoulder.

He wasn't sure how long they sat there but by the time Soda was out of his arms and sitting next to him again the sun was starting to come up.

"I think I see what Pone was always on about," Soda said quietly.

"Yeah," Darry murmured.

"Ya think he's watching this?" Soda whispered. "Maybe with Johnny?"

Darry thought that over for a moment. "Yeah," he said finally. "I do."

"We need to watch one of these with him when he gets back," Soda said.

"Yeah." Darry looked over at Soda. "Come on, let's get inside. You're shivering."

Soda nodded slowly and got up, Darry right behind him. Together, they went back in the house. "I'll do breakfast," Soda said, going in the kitchen. Darry nodded. He knew neither of them were going to eat much but they had to eat something. He followed Soda into the kitchen to help, feeling a small smile sliding onto his face. Not everything was fixed, but one thing was. That was something.

His brother's words rang loud in his head.

"If you ain't Superman I don't know who is."

Soda glanced over his shoulder at Darry and started cracking eggs into a pan. His heart still ached and he still knew someone important to them was missing. But he and Darry were back on track. It was them against the world, as it should be. They were the big brothers but sometimes Soda had to be the little brother himself. He smiled a little as he looked at his big brother standing in the small doorway.

If he had any doubts about their little family making it, they were gone now. All because of a few words.

"I ain't going nowhere. I am right here with you. Always."

"Promise?"

"Promise."