Now Playing: .Main - The Gift

Warnings: mPreg, slash, present medical items and devices, bullshit medical terms mixed with factual ones and OOC

Of Venus and Mercury

And now she fastens on him as he swims, And holds him close, and wraps about his limbs. The more the boy resisted, and was coy, The more she clipt, and kist the strugling boy.

Ponyboy Curtis stood pressed against the darkened hallway of the home he shared with his brothers. His eyes were closed as he listened to the voices coming from the lively living room where the gang laughed and music boomed loudly from the small radio sitting near the TV.

The guys were playing poker, or at least trying to play. Sometime after the second game, Two-Bit and Steve ended up arguing about something completely unrelated to the game at hand other than the fact one owed the other some cash. But they all knew that Two-Bit Matthews would never pay up on his various tabs even if he won the lottery, the argument was all in fun.

Ponyboy sighed, he wanted to join them but he couldn't, not yet at least. He knew if he entered that room he would get sick for more reasons then the one obvious. The first was because of the strong smell of cigarettes that made him sick to his stomach. For the last couple weeks it was one of the many smells that just seemed to overpower him along with the smell of motor oil.

The second was, he needed to tell the gang about his condition and soon, according to Darry. That scared Ponyboy to pieces, almost as much as it scared him for his brothers to find out, one more so than the others.

He took a deep breath, the strong mint gum in his mouth helped to provide a sort of barrier between his senses and the smell of cigarettes and steeled his nerves.

You can do this. He chanted to himself mentally before peeling away from the wall and stepping into the living room.

Two-Bit and Steve had ended up pulling Dally and Johnny into their conversation with the blonde haired teen had decided to side with Steve for the comical value at least. Sodapop sat next to his best friend, doing the opposite and siding on with Two-Bit, earning him the title of traitor.

Darry had managed to put up some sort of bubble and was able to somehow focus on the folder in his hands, seemingly oblivious of the happenings around him.

None of them had noticed him.

He went up to the dark-haired and dark eyed boy who was currently shuffling through the forgotten deck of cards, softly laughing at something Two-Bit had said to Dally.

"Johnny?" He quietly called for him, looking away when dark eyes met his own. "Can I speak with you? Outside."

Johnny nodded, and stood up, grabbing his jean jacket and lighter off the table. "Sure man."

"And – hey! Where are you two goin'?" It was Steve "We're in a middle of a important debate here."

"Since when does the topic of blondes or brunettes count as a seriously debate?" Ponyboy grinned receiving a cold glare from Steve.

"Smart ass kid." He heard the older teen say when he and Johnny stepped outside and tried his best to ignore the looks he was getting from his brothers.

The night are was crisp and chilly, causing their warm breaths to create puffs of fog. They stood on the porch for awhile, with Ponyboy stuffing his mouth with more gum when Johnny lit up a cancer stick.

"You quittin' or somethin'?" Johnny asked, breaking the silence that had settled between them, never had their friendship been so off before. Ever since that day, nothing ever felt right anymore.

"Somethin' like that." He answered, stuffing his hands into his jeans, fidgeting from one foot to the other avoiding looking at the other boy. "Freezin' out here."

"Ain't a-wolfin'. Get your jacket man." He put the cigarette out and back into the pack even though he was needing the smoke it could wait.

"Naw," Ponyboy shook his head, biting his bottom lip harshly, "I'll chicken out if I don't say this now Johnny."

Johnny glanced at his friend before he looked away, his hand twitching to go to the pack again "Is this about...that...then?" He started awkwardly, they hadn't talked about what had happened between the two of them. It was best forgotten.

"No...I mean, yeah -" Right then he was cut off by a loud noise inside the house, sounded like the argument had gone physical. "Let's talk over...somewhere else."

The two of them walked over to the street just as snow began to lightly drift from the sky. Ponyboy wrapped his arms around his self, for his own warmth and comfort. Why didn't he think to bring a jacket? His cursed himself mentally but kept his feet rooted, he knew if he went in to get on, he wouldn't come back out.

"I guess we should sit down...?" Johnny just shrugged and sat on the curb along side Ponyboy.

"I know we said we would never talk 'bout any of what happened again." Ponyboy started softly, watching as a few snowflakes landed on his arm, sticking to the light hair he had there before they melted into little dots of water. "It just happened, ya know? We both agreed to just drop it...like it didn't happen."

"Pony-"

"We said everythin' would be fine between us. But it ain't been Johnny everythin' been all weird with us I understand it but I don't. I mean-" He let out a humorless laugh, his eyes were quickly filling up with fresh tears but he couldn't let them out yet. He wouldn't.

"Why you talkin' bout all this now?" Johnny stood up and stuffed his hands into his pockets, shaking his head causing the white specks in his heavy greased locks to fly off. "We ain't gotta talk bout this stuff, man."

"We do Johnny!" Ponyboy shouted, standing to his feet. He was shaking, but not from the cold.

"Why?" The dark-haried boy questioned, he didn't know what was going on but he wasn't liking it. He didn't want to remember, he didn't want to think about it never mind to actual talk about it.

"Cause...!" Pony started loudly before lowering his voice, the whole neighborhood didn't need to hear this. "I...I'm pregnant."

Johnny just stared at the younger boy, "Wha...what?" he finally said, his voice low in a disbelieving whispter.

"I'm pregnant Johnny. I got...I'm different inside."

Johnny shook his head. "That ain't funny."

"I ain't laughin'." He crossed his arms over his chest, both in a defensive and scared manner. Part of him was upset that he'd even think that he was joking. But not even forty eight hours ago he'd been the same way towards his doctors.

And before any other words could be exchanged, Johnny turned on his heels and walked off. Ponyboy started to call out to the other boy, but his voice froze and all he could do was watch as the figure got smaller before vanishing around the corner.

Jonathan Cade was tired. He was just tired of everything happening that wasn't suppose to. Things were suppose to get easier but everything just kept spiraling down.

First his family, always his family. His damned mother and his more damned father, never made life for him easy or joyful. But he could escape that, he could escape them because he had his second family, his brothers he liked to call them.

Then one night after going to a drive-in he had almost lost all of it. Just by talking to a couple of Socs girls.

He killed a boy that night. He killed them and ran off taking his best friend, Ponyboy, with him. They ran with aid and directions from Dallas, they ran and hid. It was only a few days but to them it felt like months.

It had to come to a end somehow, they could stay and run or they could do the right thing and go home to turn themselves in. Not being known as baddest of boys they did the right thing. The night that Dally left, storming away back to Tulsa pissed about their decision to return, Johnny spent the rest of their money on a few beers and whatever else he could get his hands on.

It didn't take long for either of the two to get completely shit faced and even through the fog of his memory, he recalled enough bits and pieces to put what had happened between them together. The next morning, through hangovers and embarrassment they agreed to just never speak of it again, for the sake of their friendship.

And just like that, they returned to Tulsa, expecting the worse yet they were both acquitted, thanks to the testimonies of the girlfriend of the kid he had killed, Cherry was her name and another soc Randy. The scariest moment had been Ponyboys case, even though they weren't going to jail they could still take the kid away from his brothers.

But the judge granted full custody back to Darry and everything was suppose to go back to normal.

Even though the courts had decided Johnny was innocent, he struggled with his own demons and punishment. Not a day went by did the guilt not consume him, the guilt that he had killed someone or the guilt of nearly getting Ponyboy taken away.

He still had nightmares of that boy, Bob. He dreamed of the soc coming for him, dead fingers still adorned in rings pointing at him with nails as sharp as knives.

He couldn't do this, he didn't know how it was possible for Ponyboy to be...pregnant...with his...child. But he knew, Ponyboy wouldn't lie about something like that. He didn't know how it was true, he just knew it was.

He couldn't handle it though, he couldn't be a father, he wasn't fit for that. Not with his background, no he didn't deserve it.

However, there was something in the back of his brain, telling him something completely different. He flicked his cigarette to the growing pile of butts at his feet and pulled another cigarette from the pack.

He was Johnny, the dark wide eyed teen who the gang view as a puppy, as their Johnnycakes. He was the piece of crap his father hit on and his mother screamed at, to them he was just a bunch of trouble. He was the screw up who never did anything right, who could never speak up for himself, to him he was a nobody.

Maybe...

No.

When Ponyboy came inside, Darry first wanted to scold him for being outside without a jacket especially now in his condition. Before he could even say a word, however, he took in the look on his baby brothers face.

"Pony...?" Sodapop shot up from his seat on the floor and quickly went over to the younger boy. He tried to look into those gray-green eyes but Ponyboy kept his head down – it didn't had the tears falling from his face though. "Oh baby." He pulled him into his arms. He didn't know exactly what had happened but he wasn't as stupid as people perceived him to be, he could connect the dots

"What's wrong?" Darry asked coming over to his brothers.

"I take it, this would be our queue to get outta here fella's." Dally said grabbing Two-Bit by the shoulder and pushing him to the door along with Steve, he knew they were needing some more time alone. He wasn't a fan of these situations anyway.

"Again? Where is Johnny anyway?" They heard Steve ask over the clattering of the screen door shutting.

Ponyboy pressed his face deeper into his brothers chest, trying to get some kind of grip on his emotions, it seemed like he was no longer in control of them, thankfully no one attempted to talk again until he had calmed.

"So," Soda started, "It's Johnny?"

Ponyboy simply nodded while Darry sat there in confusion for just a few moments before it finally clicked. He wanted to just jump out through the front door and go after the dark haired teen. Out of anyone he could think of, he didn't think Johnny of all people could...

But then he didn't see how he couldn't.

"When?" He asked, taking a firm grip on his own emotions.

Both he and Soda sat down on the couch, Pony kept curled up at his brothers side as if seeking all the comfort and protection he could. "Before we came back." Was his muffled response.

"Ya'll...are ya'll..." Darry didn't know how to ask that question.

"Just happened then, only then." Ponyboy let out another harsh laugh he had earlier, "We ain't queer or nothin' Dar. It just happened. We were drunk and scared...so scared."

"It was my...my fault." Came a voice from the doorway causing the three brothers to jump in surprise with their heads whipping around to the front door. There was the other half of their conversation; Johnny Cade. "I bought the liquor thinking it would help us relax." He looked so small standing there, his head so low it looked like he didn't have a neck to support it.

He rubbed his face roughly with the sleeve of his jean jacket. "Sorry man, I didn't mean to run like that its just..." his voice broke, "I...that scared me, I just didn't know what to think."

"Sit down." Darry gestured to one of the dining room chairs that had been turned over to its side. Johnny quickly and quietly did as he was told, thinking this had to be how it felt to meet some girls dad for the first time. No, this was different. Completely different.

"You two finish tellin' us how all of...this started and then you get your how."

to be continued

Alright to clarify:

Everything up until the church burning did happen Johnny and Ponyboy returned to it, got drunk and made a mistake. They agreed not to speak of it because they don't have romantic feelings for each other and being the 1960s it wouldn't be a great idea in the first place.

Best explanation I have.

I am not exactly happy with this chapter but after re-writing it five times, we just agreed to go this route we tried it with several of the guys but this one would be the most "realistic" (I was planning a asexual type reproduction or creature!Ponyboy- hush!).

Keep in mind they have changed, especially Johnny. He did kill a guy so he might be a little differen't or whatever.