Sunsets and Switchblades

First Date (Part 4)

Curly and Ponyboy go on their first date!

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While they were eating, Dally, Steve, and Soda all came home. Dally had just woken up from a drunken stupor at Buck's, and Sodapop and Steve were told to go home early considering there was practically no one at the station that day. Dally and Steve both plopped on the couch and accepted the beers Two-Bit had provided. Soda went to the kitchen to see Ponyboy and Johnny whispering to each other over a piece of cake.

"Hey Pony, hey Johnnycakes! What are you old ladies gossiping about, huh?" He asked with a wide smile and ruffled both of their hair to their indignation. Pony and Johnny looked at each other and seemed to communicate with only their eyes.

"Nothing much, Soda," Pony grinned back innocently, "We're just chilling, talking about school and stuff."

Soda nodded gravely, but then quickly pulled his brother into a large hug and smiled at Johnny, who was just watching what was happening, "Yeah, Johnny, did Pones tell you about how he's got all A's and is the captain of the track team, AND the midterm paper he wrote was apparently the best in his whole grade!"

Pony blushed under his brother's praise, "Soda, I'm not captain yet, I still have to do try-outs for it."

Soda rolled his eyes and made Johnny chuckled, "Whatever, kid, you've got that crap in the bag already, I know it!" He grabbed a bite off of their plate and went into the living room for the daily card game everyone played. Everyone joined in, even Johnny and Pony until Pony checked the clock on the wall and sucked in a breath. He threw down his cards and raced to the bedroom. Everyone stared as he left, but slowly went back to the card game- sometimes, Pony was just weird.

Pony, meanwhile, was completely freaking out. Curly called earlier in the day and told Pony what time he was picking him up, and it was almost time! Pony quickly decided he wanted to do something a little different than him wearing something he always did. Curly was never boring, so Pony thought he shouldn't be either. He threw on the fishnets, ripped black jeans, adding a black belt to show off his waist, and the black crop top. He decided against the flannel- he didn't want to look like any ol' greaser or the little nerd he was, he wanted to look the part of being Curly's date. Putting his arms through Curly's leather jacket, he put his good black Converse and dusted a soft glitter over his eyes, nothing too crazy, just enough. Checking the clock and out the window to see if Curly was there yet, Pony sped back to the living room and sat heavily onto the recliner while nervously bouncing his leg, too nervous and lost in his head to notice the gang gawking at his clothes.

Soda's mouth was hanging open as he stared at the absolute trash on his brother's body. Where did Pony even get any of that stuff, anyway?

"Pony, what are- why are you-" Soda floundered for a bit, completely unsure how to handle this, "What ya doin', Pones?"

Pony looked up and was about to answer, but a quick knock on the door cut through the air before he could. Pony gasped and scrambled up, fixing his ungreased hair to look a little more fluffy before practically ripping open the door and calling out "I'm going out, don't wait up, tell Darry I'll be home before dark, love y'all, bye!" And with that, he slammed the door shut. Instantly, the entire gang ran over the large window in the living room, peeking through the blinds. There was Ponyboy jumping into fucking Curly Shepard's arms like it was something that was normal. Soda's gasp rang through the whole house, how dare that hood to touch his baby brother like that? He especially did not like the heated gaze he saw Curly run down Pony's body. He, also, really did not like the black mustang next to the curb, a mustang that Curly definitely stole from under some stupid Soc's nose. The gang all watched as Curly opened up the passenger door for Pony to duck in, and proceeded to hotwire the car to drive away.