Summary: A certain Greaser's thoughts on Ponyboy Curtis, when he find's the youngest Outsider in not the best of situations. Btw, this is SLASH! Pony? (wouldn't you like to know!) R&R please! First Fic.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Outsiders, yadda yadda yadda, lol you know the drill. All belongs to the wonderful S.E. Hinton. 

WARNING: This is SLASH! so if you do not like that, then HIT THE NIFTY LITTLE BACK BUTTON! Plz and Thank you.

Chapter 1. Awakening

The house was empty. Steve knew as soon as he stepped over the threshold. Only a clock ticking in the kitchen challenged the silence. Despite the knowledge, he squinted, peering around the homey living area, looking for any signs of life. Though his investigation, futile as it inevitably was, unearthed a note. His brow slanted into a slight scowl, it seemed as though all conversations in the Curtis residence recently had been carried on with a banana magnet as intermediary. The wide open door forgotten as he regarded the document with somber curiosity and strolled forward, rough hand extended, snatching it from the glossy surface of the fridge.

Pony,

Working a double shift tonight, and Soda's out with Ally. Be sure to finish your homework, there's cake in the freezer if you get hungry.

-Darrel Curtis

He crumpled the note and flung it at the trashcan. It missed. He snorted in disgust; lately everyone had found one reason or another to keep away from the comfort of their homes. Ever since Dally and Johnny's death they all assumed they needed something solid to focus on. Soda attempted bridging the gap with his new "soul-mate", Darry, in his work found a mindless solidity that helped camouflage the deep despair of loss, and Two-bit drowned his misery in booze. Leaving Steve to meander and Ponyboy all to his lonesome. Being home meant too much time for their thoughts to wander, too many opportunities to relive the past few weeks, not a single one of them could take it.

His thoughts roamed to the youngest Curtis as he fell into a chair with a beer firmly pressed against his marble like lips, his long legs stretched out casually before him. His stubborn, arrogant face twisted slightly in a grimace as the amber liquid carved a fiery path down his throat before settling to sauna his insides and relax his aching shoulders.

Pony had lost weight and appeared listless and haggard, his usually lively eyes sparkled with weariness. He looked as hollow as his voice sounded.

But only he, Steve, seemed to have taken account of his current state. Not that he didn't understand the underlying grief, he missed Dally and Johnny everyday too, but the poor kid had seen too much, witnessed too many painful scenes for his tender 15 years of age. On top of losing his parents and the continuous threat of being placed in a boy's home. But never once had he heard him utter a solitary complaint, not that he said much of anything these days as it was. He was one tough kid, that was for sure. He was the innocent one out of all the rest of the gang, he was the one who was going places, he was gonna make one heck of a somebody someday. We all knew.

Although I'd never admit it aloud, I felt for Pony. He had somehow crawled his way into my skull, around my ego, and shattered the hard shell I had constructed so carefully around myself and into my conscious. I always appeared mean and aggressive towards Ponyboy, claiming he was a tag-along, but I never meant a single word of it. In all sincerity, I may perhaps more or less go as far to declare that I enjoyed his companionship. He was real dreamy, didn't chatter much, and there was constantly something going on in that head of his. And I wasn't all that social anyways, so it worked out all right. I wasn't really much of one for insignificant yakking anyway.

Where is Pony anyhow? Ain't he s'posed to be home by now, it's nearly six.

My thoughts came to an abrupt stop, my heart jumping in my chest.

I was conscious only of a low tortured sob…

A/N: Review and tell me what you think! And then go onto the next chapter  I'll love you as long as I live! Sorry so short.