Please, before you start this story, read the Author's note (but you can skip the first paragraph if you like).

Hey guys, this is Aly208, starting her first ever Outsiders fanfic! I had read this book for school, and I've absolutely fallen in love with it, especially with lovely Ponyboy (who is, by the way, totally the cutest of all of the gang!). So, as this being my first Outsiders fic, I hope it'll end up being something good (although I'm not expecting many people to read it). I will say that this story has been rather unexpected; since I had never planned to do any stories about this fandom (I still have a story on hiatus in the Hetalia fandom that I have to get to, but I've been so lazy with it!).

This story will not be a light hearted fic. It will be more so in the beginning, but that's when all the trouble begins. This will be a serious fanfiction (which was also unexpected, funnily enough), so if you expect some cute over protectiveness and only some light harassment, don't stick around for too long. It'll get more serious within three – four chapters. I think I'll start this as T rated, but I will make it M rated somewhere along the line. But don't worry, I will surely alert you guys in the chapter before I do so.

Also, I know that in the sixties gay people were heavily disapproved of, and that boys, let alone girls, did not wear revealing clothing. However, this is already an AU (yes, that's right, Johnny and Dally are alive, and none of things in the book happened), so I decided, what the heck, let's change up some of the past as well. So please forgive me for the clothing types that haven't existed at the time, everyone seeming gay or bisexual, all the phrases that hadn't existed yet, etc . . . I've tried to keep some things as they are, though (like the types of cars, some of the phrases, how technology wasn't as developed as today, etc . . .).

Now that I've got the most important things done with, this story will also end up with a slash couple at the end (which means male x male), but I will not reveal which couple because I want it to be a surprise. I'll give you a hint, though, it involves Ponyboy (totally unsurprising, I know).

Wow, long Author's note is long (yes, I realize what I said). Now, enjoy!

"Pony, time for school," Soda spoke gently to the petite teen on the bed. He pushed a piece of reddish brown hair from the boy's face, and then started to lightly shake him. The old bed creaked ever so lightly as Ponyboy stirred in his sleep.

"Soda . . . ?" he questioned sluggishly, trying to rub his tired eyes awake. Sodapop smiled softly and mussed up the other's hair. Ponyboy drowsily swatted away at the unwanted arm, glaring at his brother.

"Stop it," Ponyboy mumbled, propping up his elbows against the mattress to help him sit up. The dark blonde helped the younger one stand up, and, just to have fun with his brother, lifted him like a sack of potatoes and began to carry him to the bathroom.

The lift had shocked the sleep out of Pony. Not able to help himself, he began to giggle airily, although he did screech at Soda to put him down. Soda just shook his head, smiling goofily all the while.

"What's going on here?" asked Darry, his deep voice heard above Ponyboy's giggles and shrieks. However, Darry did not sound serious or annoyed – like he usually would be – but playful. Attention from both his brothers was drawn upon him like a moth to a flame.

Soda's smile brightened and grew even more. He heard the teasing tone in Darry's voice, and yelled, "Pony, hold on tight. We must surpass Evil King Darrel, who wishes to imprison you!" And with that, Soda ran away from Darry, clutching onto Ponyboy with all his might. Ponyboy's laughter increased and echoed down the hall as he saw Darry actually chase after them.

After catching up with the two and cornering them in a span of two minutes, Darry had somehow grabbed the green-eyed boy from Soda's tight grasp. He sped off as if his life depended on it, carrying Pony with ease in his muscled arms.

"Hey!" Soda tried to yell angrily, although his smile revealed his true feelings. He ran after both of them, knowing they could not get far if Darry was the one running. Soda had too much energy most of the time, and Pony was the best runner in the family, which left Darry stuck in dead last.

However, Darry had also managed to out speed his other brother, kicking the door to Soda and Ponyboy's bedroom open. The very tall man plopped his youngest brother on the bed and locked the door quickly before Soda could get in.

Darry smirked at Ponyboy, with the latter trying to smile up at him innocently. Unexpectedly, Darry dove on top of the bed and held the smaller one down, running his fingers rapidly up and down the boy's sides.

Soda, who had just arrived outside the bedroom, heard a peculiar noise that sounded like it belonged to Ponyboy. He pounded on the door and attempted to open it, but to no avail.

"Hey!" he yelled, pounding louder and more furiously. "What's going on in there?"

"S-Soda, help!" Ponyboy screamed, his laughter almost overpowering his voice. "He's t-t-tickling m-me!"

Sodapop let out a loud, fake gasp, yelling, "Evil King Darrel, you best take your hands off my kid brother, you hear?"

"Never!" Darry yelled out, tickling Ponyboy even more ferociously. Ponyboy snorted so loudly and so much that he almost choked on his saliva. Finally, after what seemed like an hour, Darry stopped with the tickling. However, he didn't get off of Pony just yet. He smiled down at the flustered almost red head, and kissed him gently on the forehead.

"Happy birthday, baby," whispered Darry. Pony smiled, reaching up to give his older brother a chaste kiss on the cheek. Darry's smile grew wider, and he tightened his arms around Ponyboy in a hug.

"This is my kid brother right here!" Darry called loudly enough so that Soda would hear him. Scooping up Ponyboy in his arms, which elicited a soft giggle from the teen, he opened the door, bracing himself for Soda to slam into him.

But there was no sign of Sodapop.

Darry frowned lightly, wondering where his other younger brother could be. He and Ponyboy shared a look of confusion, both having no idea where he could've gone. Suddenly, there came Soda running, holding a broom in one hand and a bucket on his head, representing a sword and a helmet respectively.

Not able to stop himself, Ponyboy burst out laughing. The youngest one was holding his sides in pain, having laughed enough in one day to supply a whole week's worth of laughter.

"Hand over the boy and no one gets hurt," Soda tried to threaten menacingly, but his chuckles were ruining the overall effect (which was not much, to be honest). Darry cracked a grin at the scene.

"Okay, fine. You've got me cornered." He handed Ponyboy over to Soda, and Darry rolled his eyes when the brown-eyed man started to plant frantic kisses all over Pony's face.

"Pony, my dear, I thought I lost you forever!" cried Soda over dramatically, giving Ponyboy one last sloppy, wet kiss on the forehead. Disgusted, Ponyboy wiped all the spit off his face. Darry let out a low chuckle, ignoring the light glare Soda sent his way.

"Alright, alright, enough of the brotherly love; we've gotta get a move on. You and I've got work, Soda, and Pone gets to start school today," said Darry sternly, giving his brothers a look that meant no more fooling around.

Soda nodded and plopped Ponyboy on the ground. Although the moment Darry left to go cook breakfast, Soda tackled Pony in a bear hug, saying, "Happy birthday!" Pony hugged back, but let go of his elder brother shortly in order to prepare for the rest of the day.

Pony quickly picked out his clothes (it was the first day of school, but it was boiling outside, so he chose a pair of tan shorts and a tight green t-shirt), and went to the bathroom to tidy up. He exited the moment Darry was setting the food on their plates.

Walking over to the kitchen table, Ponyboy felt the eyes of Darry and Soda carefully analyzing over his outfit selection. Lately, they've been doing that, though Pony couldn't think of a fathomable reason why they would. Not only that, but sometimes even the gang would put in their two bits ("Jeez kid, not even someone as skinny as a pencil could fit into those shorts!" or "I don't want to be responsible for you being kidnapped, so put on my damned jacket!").

Soda's eyes slid off him after a short while, which meant that he approved, but Darry's eyes seemed to be heavily trained on Ponyboy's vast amount of uncovered leg.

"Ponyboy, don't you think some longer shorts would be more ideal for school?" Darry asked skeptically, his eyes still frozen on the same spot, not wavering even in the slightest bit.

Ponyboy frowned prominently, making his irritation of the topic very obvious. He crossed his hands over his chest. "Darry, the school doesn't care about what we wear! Also, these shorts aren't even that short!"

"They're barely mid-thigh," Darry said without missing a beat, laying out a few hard-boiled eggs and a sliver of chocolate cake on Ponyboy's dull-colored plate. He then placed the pot in the sink carefully, trying not to hit the other equally as dull plates already in there.

Soda's frown almost matched Pony's, except his was less pronounced. "Darry, just let him go. It's the end of summer – which means no more clothing like that for a long time – and it's his birthday. Let him have it."

"Fine," replied Darry after a few seconds of silence. He then immediately turned his attention to Ponyboy and said, "But no more clothes like that for a while. Savvy?"

The petite teen nodded, although his mind was fogged with perplexing thoughts. No more clothes like that for a while? What? What were Darry and Soda talking up, clothes like that?

"Hello, Curtis brothers!" Ah, perfect timing, Two-Bit, thought Ponyboy sarcastically, He'll probably say something about my clothes, too. God forbid he brought Steve – or even Dally – with him.

Unfortunately, luck must not be on Ponyboy's side today, because not only did Steve come in, so did Dally. Two-Bit was the worst offender of teasing his clothes, but sometimes Dally or Steve would put in their input (which was when Pony would take a serious look at his wardrobe, especially if Steve said it).

"Happy birthday, kiddo!" Two-Bit called out, messing up Ponyboy's hair, which made the latter shoot an annoyed look at the always joking man. The moment he stood up to put his plate in the sink, however, Two-Bit let out a long whistle and stared at his body.

"Shoot, maybe I should rethink the 'kiddo' part," muttered Two-Bit a little too loudly, causing Steve to roll his eyes, Dally to let out a low, yet almost inaudible, growl, and Darry and Soda to glare heatedly at him. Ponyboy blushed.

A beat of awkward silence surrounded the kitchen, where no one knew exactly what to say after Two-Bit's absolutely delightful comment. At least, that was before Steve broke it.

"Well, anyways, happy birthday to you," Steve said nonchalantly, barely sparing a glance at Ponyboy, "but we've gotta get a move on." He gestured toward Darry and Soda for that last part, earning him a bamboozled look from his best friend.

"I thought you usually went to school on the first day, Steve?" Ponyboy asked for Soda, expressing a similar confused look as his blonde brother. Steve would sometimes go to work at the DX on school days, but he would often save work for the weekend. Ponyboy had never particularly questioned the other greaser about this, but Pony would assume that Steve just didn't want to go to school that day.

Steve rolled his eyes impatiently at the younger male, although the look from Darry daring him to roll his eyes at his brother just one more time set him straight, reminding him to actually respond to Ponyboy's question. "I just don't feel like going today," replied Steve lamely and a little too quickly.

Whipping his head around as fast as a cheetah could run, Soda gave Steve a mien that clearly said 'we'll talk later.' Steve sighed softly when he thought no one was watching.

"Two-Bit, you giving Pone a ride to school today?" Darry asked, quickly changing the topic as he addressed the facetious greaser. At the same time, Soda reassured a hesitant Ponyboy that he'll wash the dishes this morning.

Two-Bit cringed, letting out a tsk sound. "Yeah, about that, Dar . . ." he trailed off, not looking at Darry as said man gave him a hard look, "I finally took the car in to get the brakes fixed, and it won't be back until tomorrow . . . I was planning to ditch school today."

Taking his attention off Two-Bit, Darry bestowed a worried gaze on Ponyboy, eyeing the rather showy outfit. Steve and Two-Bit shared a look. Dally glanced at Pony's outfit, and then at the floor. Soda gave Ponyboy a look like Darry's too, and Pony wondered what the big fuss was about. His brothers hadn't really cared if he walked to school alone before, but ever since that incident . . . Well, it had all really started a few months ago when Johnny and he had went shopping for summer wear, and some strange men had been flirting with him. Soda and Darry had hit the roof when Johnny had told them, and they never left Ponyboy alone for one minute since.

Ponyboy shrugged, displaying that it was no big deal to walk by his lonesome to school. "It's just school," the green-eyed teen said simply, his big eyes all wide and innocent, "I'll be fine."

Darry immediately shook his head, rejecting the idea as soon as it was said. "Where's Johnny when you need him?" he muttered, and then he gained a glazed look over his eyes as he tried to think of a plan. Another beat of silence passed.

"I'll take him," offered Dally coolly, lifting his eyes to find Darry's own ice blue-green eyes boring a hole into his skull. "I'll only be able to walk him half way since there's a party on the way, but that's better than nothing."

Nodding slowly and comprehendingly, Darry reluctantly said, ". . . Fine. I suppose that's better than Pony walking by himself." Then the oldest Curtis brother turned to Ponyboy, sternly adding; "Now you be careful out there, alright? No dilly-dallying, and remember, if someone tries to harm you, you shout as loud as you can and run away from them."

A feeling of uselessness and frustration was burning inside of Ponyboy by now, but he nodded at Darry anyway. God, couldn't the gang understand he wasn't a freaking baby anymore? He could walk himself to school if he wanted to without someone watching him like a hawk the entire time. He wanted to rip his precious hair out in anger.

"We'll see you later then," Dally said, pushing Ponyboy out the door a little bit too eagerly. The latter let out a wave at the others, and saw Two-Bit and Soda wave back eagerly, Darry give a short wave, and Steve doing nothing (must've been rolling his eyes again).

Dally wrapped a tight arm around Pony's shoulder as they hit the more busy streets. Quite a few people looked up at them, and Ponyboy uneasily noticed that many of them stared at him as they passed by. A few guys had bumped into the teen, but Dally, his face turning red every time one would do that, cussed each one out like no tomorrow.

"Dally," whispered Ponyboy very quietly, looking around nervously. The man in question snapped his head around to look at the anxious teen, wrapping his arm around the petite red head even tighter, "why do people keep looking at us?" he continued, his green eyes big.

The blue-eyed man muttered something unintelligible under his breath, not answering Ponyboy's question. However, Pony stayed silent, not repeating his question in order to not anger the man. He already seemed volatile; glaring at people who would dare look at the general direction that Ponyboy was in.

When they were in close range of the house where the party was being thrown at, Dally looked at Ponyboy sternly in the eye, saying, "Listen, Ponyboy, if there are any . . . complications on the rest of the way, run, don't walk, run, back here and get me immediately. And remember," he then leant down, whispering, "just tell 'em you know a dangerous hood known to beat the tar out of people who mess with you. And, um, I guess you should always know that you can tell me anything." He rubbed the back of his neck rather sheepishly at the last part.

Ponyboy nodded staidly, not understanding what Dally meant by complications, but he guessed that he would surely know if he was stuck in any 'complications.' "Okay," he easily said, stopping at the house with the music so loud that it was only a wonder the police haven't shown up yet.

Dally rolled his eyes, with Pony just looking at him curiously as he did that. He would never truly understand Dallas Winston, even if he, Johnny, and his own self have formed a little friendship pack over the summer – not that Dally would ever admit that to anyone else, though. Ponyboy began to head in the direction of his school, not seeing any reason as to why he would linger in front of the house.

"Wait, Pony," called out Dally, not yelling or bothering to go after the younger teen, just standing there. Ponyboy looked back at him, stopping in his tracks. "Happy birthday," Dallas said rather coolly, but he said them in a kinder tone than most things he'd say.

Pony grinned, his eyes twinkling as he waved once, and then he continued to walk toward his school. However, he hadn't seen the tiny hand wave he had received back.

As Ponyboy walked closer to his school, he felt more and more eyes watching him from afar. No one had touched or even bumped into him (which was great, but Ponyboy had found it odd that people had run into him with Dally, of all people, hanging around him). But that all changed when Ponyboy noticed a Soc car tailing him.

Oh no, thought Pony, his palms suddenly sweating up a storm. He kept wiping them on his shorts and shirt, but it didn't alleviate the problem. He looked back nervously, but the blue Mustang was still tagging along beside him.

When the window of the car rolled down, Ponyboy swore under his breath. He crossed his arms across his chest, trying to make it look like he could care less about them following him, but in actuality, he did that to calm his nerves.

"Greaser!" one of the Socs bellowed out in his loud, obnoxious voice. However, instead of the usual insults, Pony heard catcalls and whistles from the car. He furiously blushed, wrapping his arms around him tighter, not sure if them doing that was a good or bad sign.

"Hey, how'd you like it if we drove you to school?" asked the blonde Soc from the window. Ponyboy ignored him, finding the sidewalk very interesting at the moment. He quickened his speed a bit. The Socs, unfortunately, had noticed this.

"Aw, don't be like that, baby," another Soc had called out, but Ponyboy still refused to acknowledge their presence. He sped up again, but the blue Mustang went faster as well to catch up to the small teen.

"Looks like we've got a feisty one, fellows." Pony didn't even need to turn around to see the smug smirk the man had on his face; he had felt it in his voice. There were more cheers from inside the car.

When Ponyboy hadn't responded, the Socs became quiet for a few minutes, just talking amongst themselves on what to do now. But they still didn't leave him alone, which frustrated and scared Ponyboy to no end.

"Come on, babe," Ponyboy heard a different voice from the car, this one more calm than the other two from before, "you know you want to get in here with us."

Ponyboy shivered at the suggestive tone in his voice, and wrapped his arms around him even tighter. As expected, the catcalls and whistles were also louder. There was some commotion going on inside the car. Probably all the Socs giving him a pat on the back for making me more uncomfortable, thought Ponyboy bitterly, a frown placed on his gentle features.

When Ponyboy saw the school in all its glory, from the freshly cut green grass to the old blue paint that was peeling off, he sprinted the rest of the way, losing the Socs as he weaved between the groups of students on the yard. He wiped off some sweat from his brow, never feeling his heart race more than right now, which may or may not have been from the running.

He entered the school, getting ready for his first class of the day. Ponyboy, as he took what he needed from his backpack and locker, soon found himself deep in thought.

My birthday so far has not been so great, Ponyboy thought sadly, I mean, the only good thing that happened was when Darry and Soda had messed around with me earlier. Then Darry and all the others had to ruin it a bit when they mentioned my clothing and not being able to walk to school alone . . . and then those bothersome Socs arrived. Wait . . . I hadn't gotten a good look at them earlier, I won't be able to recognize them! What if they attack me later, or make fun of my clothes some more? Oh God, oh God, I have to walk home with Johnny today. Hmm, I haven't seen Johnny all day yet. I really hope he came to school. Besides, he's my best buddy. I'd be sad if he didn't come to school, even without the Socs screwing with me.

Then, Ponyboy snapped out of his thoughts when he realized that he had only a few minutes to get to first period, which was on the opposite side of the school. He cursed his bad luck and quickly set out to reach his class. Excellent, he'd make such a great impression on his new teacher for being late. And, to make it worse, his first subject was Math, which he had never been so hot in.

He didn't know how he did it, but Ponyboy had somehow managed to reach the class a few seconds before the bell rang. With his breath coming out in short gasps, he sat in the chair closest by him, not caring where he was sitting. That may not have been the brightest decision, though.

The teacher, who had introduced himself as Mr. Dinu, was a Romanian immigrant with a very thick accent. Mr. Dinu said that this was going to be an excellent year, and he immediately gave the class a worksheet to practice their Mathematics from the year before.

Ponyboy groaned quietly at the prospect of being handed a worksheet already. To make it worse, their teacher had a thick accent, which made this class a whole lot harder for him since he could barely understand Math, let alone his teacher. Damn it.

The person from behind poked him with a pencil. He resisted the urge to snap at them, but turned around to see what they could possibly want. Ponyboy looked to see dark piercing eyes staring right at him.

"Hey grease," he whispered into Pony's ear, tickling it with his icy breath. Ponyboy turned around as quick as lightning. He didn't want the teacher to catch him talking to this Soc, and maybe because he was so startled by the other's expression that he didn't want to look at him.

"Y'know, I heard about the car incident. My buddies really didn't appreciate it when you hadn't responded to them. I'll let it slide, but only because you're smoking, for a greaser, and because I'm feeling particularly nice today," the dark haired man said, and Ponyboy felt an unwelcomed visitor stroking his bare leg. He shivered.

"Get your dirty paws off me, you Soc," Ponyboy bravely shot right back at him. He blinked once, having no idea where that courage had come from. The churlish teen took his sweet time taking his hand off the almost red head, chuckling all the while.

"I like you, babe," he whispered, tickling Ponyboy's ear even more. That was when the conversation ended, and Pony instantly set to work on the worksheet, scooting as far away as he could from the other.

Soon enough, the class ended, and the next class passed, and the next, and the next . . . But Ponyboy still couldn't shake the Soc's voice from before out of his head. Not only that, but many people in his other classes seemed to have taken a liking to him, too. Not just the Socs, though, there were also greasers and the middle class hitting on him. Although, the greasers usually let him be, since most knew of his two older brothers. Funnily enough, there seemed to be a lot more boys making flirtatious comments and inappropriate gestures at him than girls. One daring boy in particular had even tugged at the bottom of his shorts, but only to have his hand slapped away by an embarrassed Ponyboy.

Boy, Soda and Darry both would've exploded if they saw all this 'attention' the boys are giving me, Ponyboy had thought after the teen from earlier left with a reddened hand, and quite a lot of the students (cough boys cough) giving him either praise or threats.

Pony had exited that class with a very red blush coating his cheeks after some more teenagers tried their luck with the almost red head. Two had flirted with him (but Ponyboy hadn't even realized it, and had rejected them rather harshly on complete accident), but one had smacked Ponyboy after he had leant down to pick up his books. Luckily, the teacher had seen that and had angrily sent the boy to the office, shouting various things at him, like how he could get suspended for sexual harassment and how in all her years of teaching, she had never seen a student do something like that. The class had then turned to look at Ponyboy, who could've just died of humiliation.

Around lunchtime, Ponyboy had finally spotted Johnny. He was very easy to spot with his dark tanned skin, extremely greasy black hair, and a new purple bruise adorning his facial features. Ponyboy sat down next time, Johnny looking up at him and staring at his face, then to his outfit.

"Happy birthday . . . wow," said Johnny dumbly, watching Ponyboy in such awe that said teen blushed heavily for the millionth time that day, "Ponyboy, you look . . . wow."

"Thanks," Ponyboy spoke gently, embarrassed that even Johnny, the quietest boy from the gang, had said something even remotely related about his outfit. Ponyboy sure felt complemented.

There was some silence as the two munched on their food, although Pony sadly noticed that all Johnny had was some crackers. He offered some of his lunch, but Johnny had politely refused.

"So, how'd your brothers, or even the rest of the gang, let you go out like that?" asked Johnny, his voice naturally being barely above a whisper. However, he was more comfortable around Dally and Ponyboy, especially the latter, so he spoke more freely around the two.

Ponyboy shrugged, frowning at the memory. "Darry told me to go put on some different shorts, but Soda let me go out like this. And Two-Bit said somethin' real funny, not in the hilarious way, but in the weird way. Then Dally had to walk me half way to school because no one else could drive me. I mean, jeez, I'm not a baby! I can walk and dress the way I please, so I don't know why they keep worrying about me! This outfit is not even that bad; I've worn worse!"

After Ponyboy's outburst, Johnny calmly explained, "Ponyboy, firstly, the outfit, while you are right, it's not as bad as other ones you've worn, really makes your eyes stick out and your legs look real long, which makes you even better-looking than you normally are. Your brothers and the gang worry about you 'cause you're extremely beautiful and the youngest. If somethin' were to happen to you, golly, I don't know how'd we all get along. 'Sides, there's always one or two people that everyone frets over." Johnny let out a shy half smile at the last sentence, and Ponyboy grinned sweetly back at him.

"Aw shucks, Johnnycakes, did you know that you're my most favorite out of the gang?" asked Ponyboy, slinging an arm around Johnny in a half hug. He snuggled his head into the crook between Johnny's shoulder and neck, and the only reason the black-eyed teen wasn't blushing was because of his tan.

But then Johnny received many glares and jealous looks, so he shook Pony gently off of his shoulder. At Ponyboy's hurt expression, Johnny almost hit himself for his stupidity.

"Uh, this food isn't going to eat itself, you know," said Johnny rather lamely, barely coming up with an excuse. Pony looked at him with narrowed eyes for a second before shrugging. Whatever was Johnny's problem, he'd probably tell him later.

"You want to walk home together?" asked Ponyboy after a few minutes of just chewing on food.

Johnny nodded slowly, taking his time as he ate each cracker one by one. Ponyboy felt bad, but no matter how many times he insisted that Johnny take some of his lunch, the teen always refused. Ponyboy almost cussed at his best buddy to take some of his goddamned food already, but the bell rang, signaling that lunch was over.

"I'll meet you by the old tree out front," Johnny told him, throwing out the empty bag of crackers. Ponyboy nodded, both of them splitting up to finish the rest of their classes.

The rest of the day was uneventful, although some Socs were making a myriad of perverted and inappropriate comments at him. Ponyboy's ears grew very hot, his face following suit. He would've much rather liked it if the Socs ostracized him, but they gave him so much attention that Ponyboy might've well as been a celebrity.

And when the last bell of the day rang, Ponyboy was so happy and relieved he almost forgot to stop by his locker to retrieve his books. He remembered, luckily enough, and stuffed whatever he needed, ready to high tail it out of there.

But someone blocked him.

"Hey, hey, hey, what do we have here?" The Soc breathed down his ear, pushing him into the locker harshly. Ponyboy was so shocked he almost dropped his backpack, gaping widely as he felt the other press himself tight against the teen.

"Get off!" shouted Ponyboy in desperation and panic, shoving the man hard enough that he fell to the floor. His eyes were huge and he ran to another part of the school, not fit enough to go outside and meet Johnny yet. Ponyboy stood, breathing heavily and trying not to bawl his eyes out.

Okay, okay, calm down, Ponyboy. He's not going to hurt you anymore, Pony thought, leaning against some lockers. He wiped some tears that were threatening to fall, but he soon began walking when his heart rate slowed down.

He was calm when he walked out and met Johnny by the old tree. They walked home together, Johnny at an almost leisurely pace and Ponyboy ready to sprint at any moment, chatting about all kinds of things. However, Ponyboy never mentioned his harassers. Not even once.

Johnny was observant, though. He noticed that Ponyboy was very jumpy and eager looking to return home to the gang. The beautiful teenager also wouldn't stop blabbering on about how happy he was that it was his birthday, and that he knew Soda and Darry got him a double chocolate cake (his favorite), although he shouldn't know.

Johnny said nothing, thinking that Ponyboy would burst eventually. The dark teen watched Pony warily, wondering what was wrong with the younger one. Ponyboy didn't see Johnny staring at him like that, just blabbering on and on about random things.

"And then, this kid in school came behind me, and he-" Ponyboy stopped yapping at that point, almost spilling it about all the harassment in school. His face grew hot as Johnny looked at him oddly. Ponyboy prayed, hoping that his companion didn't notice what he said.

"Ponyboy, are you alright? You've been talkin' real fast, and then you just stop out of the blue," Johnny asked solicitously, his gaze soft as he met Ponyboy's slightly too wide eyes. He rested a hand on Pony's shoulder comfortingly, but the red head had to beg himself not to flinch at the touch.

"I'm fine. I forgot what I was saying earlier so I stopped talkin'. Guess I paused a bit too quickly," lied Ponyboy smoothly, appearing to look sheepish. Johnny half smiled, fooled by Ponyboy's acting.

The two were right by the Curtis household by then, and Ponyboy sadly noted that Darry's truck wasn't parked in the drive way. He hadn't come home early to celebrate his birthday? Although Ponyboy knew that he was being unreasonable and that Darry could not leave early all the time, it still hurt a bit.

"Happy birthday!" a group of very familiar voices chorused together, and before Pony knew it, he had a handful of Sodapop in his arms. Soda wrapped his arms around the younger one's petite waist, tightening his hold as he smothered Ponyboy in wet kisses. Ponyboy gasped, remembering what the Soc had done earlier, but held in the urge to shove Soda off. If he did anything, they'd know.

Ponyboy heard Two-Bit laughing as Soda almost tipped them over. He blushed for what seemed like the millionth time that day, and tried to detach himself from his older brother's constricting grip. Keyword: tried.

"Sodapop, you're going to choke him," said Darry sternly, but his voice seemed to have a light humorous tone. Ponyboy was shocked to hear him. Where was his truck?

Soda eventually dropped Ponyboy (finally letting him breathe!) and grinned at Darry. "Sorry, I just can't believe my baby brother's fifteen now!" exclaimed the blonde as he feigned sadness, wiping off fake tears from his eyes.

Darry shoved Soda playfully, rolling his eyes as he headed to Ponyboy. Then he took his turn embracing the youngest brother, holding him a bit awkwardly due to such a dramatic height difference between them, but Pony didn't mind. Even if he really didn't want to be touched now, he was just happy that his eldest brother was home.

"Darry?" asked Ponyboy, his voice muffled due to being cuddled against his eldest brother's chest. Darry looked down at him, gesturing for him to continue. "Where's your truck?"

"The truck just needed some oil changes. I took it to the DX and Steve said he'll fix it right up for me. Isn't that right, Steve?" explained Darry, and he let go of Ponyboy, turning back to look at the greaser with complicated hair.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Steve said busily, but nodded briskly at him anyway. He then became engrossed to Two-Bit's rambling about some greaser fighting off five Socs with a coat hanger.

Dally rolled his eyes at the obviously made up story. The blonde haired greaser walked to Ponyboy and ruffled his hair affectionately. Pouting, Ponyboy attempted to fix his hair to the perfection it was in before.

"Hey, Pone, why don't you open up your presents? And then we can have cake afterwards!" Soda said excitedly, bouncing up and down as if he was five instead of seventeen.

"It's your favorite: double chocolate!" blurted out Two-Bit, unable to control himself. Everyone groaned loudly at the revelation, although Ponyboy had already known. Dally actually slapped the back of Two-Bit's head lightly.

"That's it, we're never telling you anything ever again!" decreed Steve, and many of the gang members agreed in unison. However, the man with the rusty colored sideburns frowned, proclaiming that this was the first time he had ever told a secret. Steve retaliated back, and the two continued to bicker to the point that it turned into a brawl.

Ponyboy ignored them as Soda enthusiastically shoved the first present in his arms. He heard Darry threaten to kick Steve and Two-Bit out if they didn't stop, which, of course, instantly made them halt. Dally smirked at the scene, but then turned his full attention back to Ponyboy. Johnny sat on the sofa, watching shyly as his best buddy unwrapped his gift.

Ah, how Ponyboy had missed his little family.

After a very successful gift exchange and a less successful cake cutting time (it had turned into a food fight after Two-Bit had continuously picked on both Johnny and Ponyboy [cough clothing selection cough], causing a steaming Dally to throw his cake at him), Ponyboy was exhausted and decided to go to bed. He bid good night to the gang, and left for his and Soda's room.

Ponyboy changed into his pajamas, yawning and rubbing his eyes a few times, and went in the bathroom to do his routine. Quickly enough, Ponyboy finished and entered the bedroom, where he already found a sprawled out Soda on the bed.

"Ponyboy," Soda said when Ponyboy was tucked securely and safely in the bed next to his brother. The blonde swung an arm around Ponyboy's waist, drawing him close, "I-I can't believe you, my little baby brother, are fifteen."

The green-eyed teen nodded, his eyelids heavy and looking like he was going to be knocked out cold in a few minutes. He hoped Sodapop wouldn't talk too much.

"Okay, Ponyboy I actually have somethin' serious to talk to you about. Pone, you're fifteen years old and in the middle of your teen years. You're hitting puberty . . . but not in the way 'normal' boys do. Me and Dar, we thought you were gonna to end up tall and have some big muscles on you. But Pony, you're like mom. You're short and petite, but you've got a few muscles on you. Pone, we also noticed that you're not toughening up like the other guys, but instead you've got some . . . curves on you. It doesn't matter, I'm trying to tell you, and you should never compare yourself to other boys, alright? Don't feel insecure about your body. And could you tone it down on the wardrobe a bit? I swear Darry almost had a heart attack today with what you were wearing, and that you had to walk with Dallas Winston only half way to school. Wouldn't stop talking about it the whole drive to work," explained Soda, chuckling a bit. He turned to look at Ponyboy, but the kid was out like a light. Huh. So that was why he wasn't talking . . .

Soda sighed, a bit disappointed. He really wanted to tell Ponyboy about this, since he knew that Pony was never going to fill up with muscles or be tall. His kid brother actually has some curves, if that was even possible. But he absolutely had to tell Ponyboy about this, because he knew how gorgeous his brother is, and how 'popular' he'll be, especially with the guys . . . It better not have happened already, though, 'cause Soda would have to go hunting soon.

He really wished it won't happen.

But he knows it will.

Whoa! This chapter's huge. Whoops, didn't mean for it to be that long.

I just wanted to say that I have no idea when Ponyboy's birthday is, so I just made it on the day kids go back to school.

Muahahaha, you'll all have to wait until next chapter to see if Ponyboy's problem escalates. Any of you guys guessing on what the slash couple will be? Sadly, you'll have to wait for that too . . . but for quite a long time. I'm so cruel to my readers.

Well, anyways, I hope you guys liked it!

~Aly208