Four days hadn't been enough time to find an excuse to get out of Sunday dinner. All three Curtis boys had tried their luck to no avail. Aunt Birdie wouldn't hear a word of it. Short of the house being on fire, nothing was stopping this reunion. For a while, Pony contemplated how hard it would be to get away with burning the house down without getting caught. Tillie listened to Darry gripe about how it was an awful idea. Quickly, she found a hole in any excuse he threw out. Who knew getting three grown men in the same room would be such a feat?

Darry grumbled under his breath as he fiddled with his tie. Getting all dressed up was overkill, in his opinion. Tillie insisted they wear their Sunday best, anything less felt disrespectful. Her family always had a big dinner after church, so naturally, everyone was well-dressed. He knew better than to complain about one more thing regarding this get-together. She'd have his head. It was only a few hours, a meal, and a little conversation. Nowhere near the worst thing he's dealt with in his life. Her constant positivity still didn't put Darry at ease, but he was going to keep his trap shut.

"Let me," Tillie took the tie Darry clumsily tugged at and finished tying it properly. He was doing a great job at looking helpless, though she was sure he was stalling for time. Wordlessly she straightened his tie and gave him a peck on the cheek, "I'll grab the cake. We don't want to be late."

Ma's voice filled Darry's head. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all, "I'll start the car," He chose his words carefully, begrudgingly heading out the door.

The amount of extra cleaning done in the last two days left Ponyboy feeling like Cinderella. He highly doubted Darry cared if the baseboards were clean, or that he planned to look under all the beds to see if any dust bunnies were hiding. Heaven forbid there's a single streak on one of the windows, he might just pack up and leave again. While Soda wasn't thrilled about today, he was significantly less vocal about it than his younger brother.

"We even have to have the Golden Boy's favorite dinner," Pony whined to his brother as they set the table.

Soda set another plate down, unable to answer before Aunt Birdie cut in, "We were having roast either way," She called from the kitchen, her tone was all the warning he needed to check the attitude.

"Don't worry Pone, it'll be over in a flash," He tried to be reassuring, giving that lopsided grin. He even gave his brother a playful nudge passing by, a little harder than intended, sending the utensils in Pony's hands clattering down onto the table.

A brisk knock at the door broke the newfound silence. Soda sauntered to answer it, moving as slowly as he could. His grin had since faded as he pulled the door open. Darry stood a hand on the small of his wife's back, lips pursed together so hard they were nothing more than a line across his face. His gray eyes icy as ever, with a gaze enough to send a chill up your spine.

Tillie, on the other hand, looked like a ray of sunshine in her yellow dress. A smile glimmered across her face as she proudly held the cake carrier. The two couldn't look more like polar opposites. There were no nerves or hesitation, as most would have when meeting their in-laws for the first time. Anyone who didn't know better would think Darry was the odd man out here. Soda didn't meet his brother's eyes.

"Hi-" Tillie started, unsure exactly who stood before her, despite briefly meeting at the supermarket.

"Soda," He responded sheepishly, pulling the door open so the pair could come inside, "Sorry 'bout the other day," He mumbled quickly, only apologetic that she'd been caught in the crosshairs of his family drama.

"It's nice to see you again Soda," Her words were reassuring and soft. Not forgetting his manners, Soda quickly offered to take the dessert from her.

Before walking off to the kitchen he sized his older brother up, finally meeting his gaze. There was no way for Darry to avoid it without Soda knowing it was intentional. Soda snorted a laugh, "Nice tie," He said sarcastically; Darry's brows furrowed.

That left the two of them and Ponyboy, who had made his way over. If looks could kill, Tillie would be the only one left standing, and just barely. Pony looked so much like Darry, down to the scowl. He was staring at a younger more stubborn version of himself. A thousand things were said between them with only a look. These two, Tillie realized, would take a lot of work. The tension was so thick she was almost hesitant to speak, but someone had to break the ice.

Chipper as ever Tillie stepped forward, extending a hand, "I'm Tillie, it's so nice to finally meet you!"

"Ponyboy," Obligation was the only reason he shook her hand and introduced himself. He couldn't look any less enthused about it. Ma would have smacked him upside the head. Aunt Birdie too, luckily she was still in the kitchen. He braced himself for the typical remark about his name that, for once, never came.

"I've heard so much about you," Tillie continued. Pony had to stop himself from snorting a laugh, though his face said it all. He highly doubted Darry mentioned anything about either of them. They were just baggage he couldn't be weighed down with, after all. That's why he took off without a word to start a new life.

Before she had to scrounge for anything else to say, Birdie and Soda joined them. "Junior!" Darry cracked a half smile, letting himself relax a bit at her embrace.

"Hey, Aunt Birdie," Her attention was focused on him for a mere moment. She looked him over one good time before moving her attention to his wife.

"And you must be Tillie," She greeted with a quick hug.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mrs. Shultz," Tillie responded, though she was waved off almost instantly.

"Please, call me Birdie," Just as she had with Darry, she gave Tillie the once over. As if looking her over good would give any more information, "And I told y'all not to bring anything," She finally added after a moment. No real scolding, but she looked between the two, hand on her hip as if she were.

"I couldn't show up empty-handed," Tillie interjected, "When we were cleaning I found some old recipes. Darry said the chocolate cake was a family favorite. I thought it would be a nice treat." Tillie beamed proudly, receiving a warm smile from Birdie.

It was quickly squashed by Pony, "That's my mom's recipe," All four of them were shocked by the sudden outburst, "You shouldn't touch things that don't belong to you," He spat, disgusted.

If this weren't the first time meeting Darry's wife, Birdie would have whacked Pony one good. "That's my mama's recipe passed onto your mama after her wedding. Watch the lip, boy." Her tone was dangerous. Soda and Darry both straightened up instinctively. Pony still stood defiant, fist balled at his side, all of this only fueling the rage inside of him. His lips nearly trembled, ready to fire off every nasty thought in his head. Tell the whole room how he really felt about Darry and his stupid new wife. The words sat on the tip of his tongue, threatening to spill out at any moment, but for once in his life, the kid used his head. He swallowed all that malice back down, gritting his teeth instead. Despite his growth spurt, Pony wasn't sure he could take Darry if it came down to it. He was still notably bigger than his youngest brother, though with his football injuries, if Pony played his cards right, he could have the upper hand. That wasn't a gamble he was willing to take and ultimately was the deciding factor in keeping his trap shut.

The next sixty seconds dragged on for an eternity. The five of them were quiet, barely breathing. No one wanted to be the first to break the deafening silence. Birdie's eyes never left Pony. As quick as he was ready to spit venom, she was ready to intercept and shut it down. The brisk ding of the kitchen timer broke the tension.

"Ponyboy," Aunt Birdie's tone was still low, "Come help me with the roast," It wasn't a question. The teen angrily stalked into the kitchen, Aunt Birdie hot on his heels.

"I'll be damned if I stand here and let you continue to disrespect a woman under my roof. You were raised better than that," He was lucky she hadn't dragged him in here by the ear. It had been all of five minutes since Darry arrived, and Birdie was trying to salvage their first impression on his wife, "If you ain't got nothing decent to add to the conversation then you just keep your mouth shut. You hear?"

Momentarily the teen debated talking back. A pop to the mouth and being sent to his room would be well worth it. Not the worst punishment and the fastest ticket out of this dinner. Without the opportunity to answer a dish was shoved in his hands; Aunt Birdie saw right through him, "Yes ma'am," Pony said reluctantly, his teeth still gritted as he stormed back to the dining room.

No amount of small talk seemed to break the tension that filled the dining room. While Soda was perfectly content completely ignoring his older brother, Pony continued to glare as he sat across the table from Darry. Thus far he'd listened, not uttering a word. Instead, he pushed a carrot around his plate, as if it gave the illusion of him eating. Not that he'd ever let on, but it was making Darry's skin crawl. He was sure to look anywhere but across the table, strongly considering "accidentally" kicking Pony right in the shin. Then at least he'd have a reason to keep that nasty look plastered on his face.

Birdie was determined to keep the conversation afloat and not let these stubborn boys ruin their evening. At the very least, she wanted to attempt to get to know Darry's wife. Tillie was equally on board, grasping at anything to talk about. Ideally, she'd hoped to break the ice with Pony and Soda, but if talking about herself kept the awkwardness at bay she'd do it. "Now are you going to try and work before the baby?"

"I actually have a meeting with the school tomorrow," Tillie perked up at this question. While she hadn't started her teaching career, she was more than eager to, "Being so close to the beginning of the school year I'm sure everything is covered, but I'd be more than happy to be a substitute,"

"That's probably for the best, right now. You should be taking it easy. Lord knows you'll have your hands full when the little one comes," Regardless of Tillie's answer, Birdie would have been supportive.

That was the in Pony needed to join the conversation. "Do you plan on getting a job, Darrel? Or are you going to let your pregnant wife support you?" He scoffed, every bit of his words were meant to be degrading. Knowing just what buttons that would push. Soda nearly choked on his water. The small coughing fit that followed distracted everyone but Darry. "Your hot-shot football career is out the window, what do you plan on doing now?"

Darry was really regretting not kicking the little shit under the table right about now. "Ain't no wife of mine need to work." Never in his life had he sounded more like his daddy than right there, down to the slight twang he'd fought so hard the last four years to hide. The whole reason he'd gone to school was to avoid having to break his back working two jobs just to barely make ends meet. To avoid relying on his wife to help bring in money to pay the bills. He had far too much pride for that. While he knew he couldn't stop Tillie from doing anything, he'd make damn sure her job was for self-fulfillment, not necessity.

"Don't worry about me, I have it handled." A reassuring squeeze on his knee reminded Darry to relax a bit. He hadn't even realized the grip on his fork was so tight his knuckles were white. The slight smug smirk threatening to curl up on Pony's lips wasn't missed. This was exactly what he'd wanted, to rile his brother up, and Darry couldn't believe he'd fallen for it. He wasn't going to sit here and bicker with a child.

"Prolly makin' a lot of money with that fancy degree," Sodapop, for once, was the smart one in this situation. Subtlety was key, only the slightest hint of sarcasm laced his words. Just like when they were kids, he and Darry would sit there straight-faced picking on Pony right under Ma's nose. It was Pony who would get hollered at when he finally snapped back to defend himself.

"Dunno 'bout that. They tend to push the jocks through. Degree ain't nothin' but a glorified wall hangin'." The quip came so quick from Pony that no one had a chance to think. All Darry could do was furrow his brows once again, "But hey, I heard the peewee football team is lookin' for a coach." Delightfully Pony popped a carrot into his mouth. Soda did the same to keep from snickering when he caught wind of the less-than-enthused look on Aunt Birdie's face.

"Darry has quite a few prospects lined up," Tillie, bless her heart, was simply glad to share what she felt was exciting news, "Until he gets it sorted his old boss was kind enough to offer him a job."

Unwittingly she'd just given Pony even more ammo. Internally Darry groaned, "Sounds like you're back to square one," The teen paused looking thoughtful, though he was anything but, "Almost like you abandoned your family for nothing."

"Funny how things work out like that," Another passive remark from Sodapop, just to keep stirring the pot.

"It's temporary," Even to Darry it sounded like an excuse, a pathetic attempt to defend himself. He straightened up in his seat, doing his best to look unbothered, "Some extra cash until we can fix the house up enough to sell."

The shock and awe plastered on his brothers' faces almost more intense than the simultaneous "What?!" they blurted out.

"Are you serious?" That was all Soda could muster.

"You can't sell Mom and Dad's house!" Pony nearly slammed his hands down on the table. This almost felt like more of a betrayal than Darry up and leaving.

"It's my house and I'll do what I want with it, little brother." The patronizing tone was uncalled for. Darry knew he should be the bigger person, keep his mouth shut, and take whatever was thrown at him. But Pony was getting on his last damn nerve.

"Why even come back then? To flaunt how happy you are with your new life?" Pony had pushed his chair back from the table, unsure if he was going to storm off or lunge across the table.

"Yup, everything I do is just to spite you," Darry rolled his eyes; his tone still even, despite the sarcasm.

"We're all better off without you anyway!" There wasn't a rational thought left in Ponyboy's head. If there was he wouldn't have raised his voice.

"Trust me, I can't wait to get out of this shithole again," Irritation was creeping in. The two could sit here all night going back and forth. A never-ending loop because they both needed to have the last word.

"That's enough!" Aunt Birdie was not entertaining this nonsense anymore, "I've had it with the bickering. Either act like you've got some sense or take it outside! Y'all ain't gonna continue to ruin my dinner."

The silence that filled the room was interrupted after only a few seconds. Pony took that as an open invitation to leave. The force with which he stood up almost sent his chair toppling over. He stalked around the table but couldn't leave well enough alone. Instead of taking that straight shot out of the dining room to the freedom of the front door, he was sure to knock into Darry's chair on the way out. Hard enough to jar his older brother, muttering under his breath the whole time. No effort was made to pretend it was anything but intentional. The wise choice would have been to ignore it. Be the mature adult and let Pony think he'd won with one last shot. The Curtis boys weren't exactly known for using their heads. Darry was on his feet in a second marching right out the door behind his younger brother.

"What the hell is your problem?" Darry's voice boomed as the door slammed behind them. This was nothing compared to what he deserved; he was lucky it was only Pony going in on him. The truth was he didn't need any help feeling guilty.

Pony was already down the porch steps and whipped around to face Darry, "You!" He hollered right back. "You're my problem!" As if that weren't obvious enough. All that schooling and Darry still needed something so simple spelled out for him, "Mom and Dad died and you couldn't even be bothered. Barely showed up for the funeral then disappeared without a word."

"I was at school, what else was I supposed to do?" By this point, Darry had come down the steps and stood face-to-face with Pony. Damn, the kid had shot up because he no longer towered over his kid brother, "Throw my life away too?"

That was not the answer Pony had wanted, though it should have been one he expected, "That fancy school of yours didn't have any phones?" No way was Darry this dense. Doubling down trying to excuse how awful he'd been did nothing but infuriate Pony even more, "Or were you too busy being a self-centered asshole?" As if the name-calling weren't enough Pony shoved his brother as hard as he could. It was enough to cause Darry to stumble, he wasn't sure if it was due to the surprise of it or that Pony had gotten that strong. It didn't matter either way, this was going to get settled the only way they knew how: slugging it out.

It wasn't long before the others found themselves outside. Soda had excused himself first, not to ensure things were alright but to put in his two cents. The opportunity may not present itself again and he did have quite a bit to say. He hadn't fully passed the threshold before Tillie and Aunt Birdie followed. The three stood unsure how to proceed as they were now front row to a wrestling match nobody asked for. Tillie's face contorted with worry. When Pony's fist connected square with Darry's head Tillie couldn't stand back any longer.

"Darrell!" Her plea fell on deaf ears. Before she could take a step forward Aunt Birdie grabbed her arm, and Soda stepped in front of her.

"Let them go," No way were they going to let a pregnant woman step up and attempt to break up the fight. Neither of them were too keen to try and intervene either, "They'll be alright," The boys needed to get this out of their system. Tillie was none too fond of this, though she was far more worried for Ponyboy than Darry.

"I'll get 'em," Soda said a few moments later when it was clear there were no signs of letting up. He hopped off the porch ready to grab Pony and drag him inside. The kid wasn't going to stop until he physically couldn't continue. Even then his stubborn ass would still try, "C'mon Pone," Unsurprisingly he was ignored by both parties; his hand swatted away when he attempted to grab Pony's arm. Soda took a step back waiting for an opportunity to cut in, "Knock it off," He attempted to get between them only to catch a rouge elbow, unsure exactly of which direction it had come from. Like they always say, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Just like that one more Curtis brother joined the brawl.

There was no rhyme or reason to any of it. Pony and Soda hadn't ganged up on Darry. There were simply fists and obscenities flying around landing wherever they may. By no means was this the biggest Curtis brawl Birdie had seen. These boys were nothing compared to their daddy and his cousins, or even Birdie's own brothers. There were no weapons, not that any of them were vicious enough to fight dirty. Just a good clean fight. Still, they'd gained a few on-lookers, passers-by, and a few neighbors who had stepped out to see what the ruckus was. This wasn't an unusual occurrence on this side of town by any stretch, just a bit of Sunday excitement.

Tillie had one arm over her chest, the tips of her fingers on her other hand pressed to her lips. If her brows furrowed any harder they might stick like that forever. The trio toppled over, Ponyboy landing at the bottom of the pile; Tillie winced, "Don't worry sweetheart," Reassuringly Birdie gave her a pat on the shoulder, "A few bumps and bruises never hurt no one."

True as that may be Birdie felt as though this had gone on long enough. Wordlessly she walked away to the side of the house, picking up the hose and turning the water on, "Alright," She hollered approaching her nephews, "Cut it out!" She may as well have been talking to the wall. The only response she got was Darry clipping Pony in the jaw. Who swung blindly hitting Soda in the chest causing Soda to rear up to charge at Darry. None of them were expecting to get blasted with the hose and simultaneously yelped finally backing away from one another.

"I said knock it off. Y'all got half the neighborhood out here staring!" The boys looked at each other before taking in their surroundings seeing Aunt Birdie wasn't exaggerating, "Out here looking as trashy as the Shepard boys you ought to be ashamed." Darry hung his head, Soda soon following suit. Pony rolled his eyes and turned to stalk off. Not caring he was sopping wet, and not a clue where he was going. Anywhere was better than here.

Author's Note: It's been a while but I'm finally back. Thank you to those who have stuck around this whole time, giving me the kick in the behind to finally finish this chapter. As always feedback is appreciated.