Outsiders Oneshots (mostly angst)

13) Steve+Ponyboy⚠️

•Title: "Aftermath"

•Requester:

•Warnings: Talk of Johnny and Dally. Sorry, they're dead. PTSD and other mental illnesses, suicidal ideologies

•Inspiration: I was rewatching and just realized we barely see Pony's trauma.

•Type: ANGSTY

A/N: I hope you enjoy and boy is this LONG

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Ponyboy Curtis is a very smart kid. He is always reading some book or writing some story. Because of his intelligence, he is also very compassionate and sensitive. Many people who don't know him-the real him-view this as a strength and not a weakness.

All growing up, Ponyboy either had his head in a book or in the clouds. His older two brothers would tease him for it all the time. In reality, though, they were envious of his mind. His parents would watch as he would react in a larger way than his two brothers. It was almost as if he felt more emotions than everyone else. He definitely had more compassion than others around him. His brothers feel that's why the youngest Curtis gravitated towards Johnny and Dally out of anyone. Neither one of the older greasers had great home lives. To be fair, The three Curtis brothers and Two-Bit were the only ones with at least one stable parent.

When the Curtis parents died, the entire dynamic of the gang changed. Darry, who used to be out at all hours, got a steady job. Sodapop, who used to actually love school, dropped out. Everything they did, everything they sacrificed, was to keep a sense of normalcy in Ponyboy's life. The gang began to take it easier on Ponyboy, too. Part of this was because they were afraid of Darry, part of it was because they wanted to keep life easy for him.

Ponyboy always got along with the gang, except for Steve. Steve is Sodapop's best friend. Since grade school, the two were inseparable. Steve and Ponyboy, however, have always been a different story. They used to get along great, until the parents died. Steve was never great with emotions. Seeing Ponyboy's late night cries in his sleep, his panic attacks, and more was hard for Steve. Not only was he protective over the youngest greaser, he had begun to catch feelings for Ponyboy. The Curtis brothers' mother knew, or at least suspected. About a week before she died, Ponyboy's mother pulled Steve aside before school. She gave him his blessing to date Ponyboy. He promised her that day that he would think about asking the younger boy out on a date.

He eventually did make good on his promise. Steve hopes that the woman he always viewed as his mother is looking down at him and Ponyboy with a smile. The two of them are dating for six months before the gang faces another tragedy.

+ + + + +

It's around eight months after the parents died when Steve walks into the Curtis home. Instead of being greeted with a kiss from his boyfriend, he is greeted by a panicked tension. When Darry tells him that Ponyboy never came home. He is of course shocked to learn the reason ponyboy left, but his concern outweighs the anger at the eldest Curtis brother. Everyone's thoughts and fears are interrupted by the door swinging open.

"Hey," Dally says.

"Dal, Pony didn't come home last night and neither him nor Johnny were in the lot. Do you know where he is?" darry asks desperately.

"Yeah," Dally responds, "about that."

"Where is my kid brother?" Sodapop asks softly.

"He and Johnny kind of ran into some socs last night. Both of them are okay, but the same can't be said for the socs. They had to run," Dally explains.

"Run!?" Darry, Soda, and Steve shout in unison.

"T-to where, Dallas? Where is Ponyboy?" Steve asks, his voice breaking.