(A.N.: I got the idea from two harry potter fanfic's i was reading. The story is my own, the inspiration is a story...)

Steve looked down at his clothing. Not even a mark of grease marred his jeans. He couldn't understand why the youngest Curtis brother kept staring at him.

Ponyboy would pretend to read when someone came into the room, but once they left, he would stare at Steve.

The older teen felt uncomfortable at the feeling of the green-grey eyes focused on him when he was trying to read his book for the summer project.

Soda walked into the room, home from work. He sat down and started talking quietly to his kid brother.

Steve was worried they were talking about him. The boy again looked at his shirt, nothing on it. It was new. Two-Bit had gotten the whole gang tees from the concert he went and saw. The Grateful Dead. The tees were different for every size.

Steve absently noticed the book Ponyboy was reading. Signs Of Affection. Steve knew it was about what things like 'kiss in the hand' meant. It then went into a story where the sign was used. The older teen had to read it for his class a year ago. He actually thought the book was interesting and remembered what the signs meant. Like the kiss on the hand meant 'I adore you'.

Soda's head turned every few seconds to look at him. Steve felt uncomfortable in the one place he knew that feeling was a given.

Steve looked at Pony as they talked. The boy had kept his nice shape, despite quitting the track team. Pony's hair was now fully back to his own color. Though, he didn't grease it back as much anymore. Steve had mentioned in passing, he liked it better that way, and the other greasers got into talking about using hair oil. Dally and Soda favored no grease.

Steve admired how Pony had been emotionally there for Johnny as he made a full recovery from the accident. The damn doctors didnt know what they were talking about. They got his charts mixed up. Johnny was running around like before during the whole thing.

Pony had also backed Soda and Steve up once, when a couple of hoods were on them about talking to their girls. Pony even ended up having the guys buy him a drink. Which he didn't even drink.

Steve sighed contently, thinking about how after school had ended, he had developed quite a crush on the youngest member of the gang. He wanted to tell him, but feared rejection. And if Pony told Soda...

"Just tell him!" Soda growled louder, than their conversation level. Pony hissed and pulled his brother back down to a crouch. Soda stood up, and stormed out of the house mumbling something about taking a ride.

Pony grumbled sadly and padded into the kitchen. Steve followed like a cat, stalking his prey.

"What do ya want?" Pony asked, dejectedly.

"Why were you staring at me? What did Soda want you to tell me?" Steve had hoped that maybe the object of his affection had liked him back.

"I like... your shirt." Pony said quickly. "I thought you would think that's silly, i'm just a kid." Steve quickly made sense of that. Pony was thinking that he wouldn't like him, because Pony thought Steve thought of him as a kid.

"It's not silly. You can like my shirt. I like your shirt." Steve helped. Pony was wearing a shirt that had Bonanza written in golden ink. Steve knew it was some western show that Pony watched since he was little with his old man before he died. It was pretty damn popular, but Steve wasn't into western.

"Why are you saying shirt like that?" Pony asked.

"What are you talking about?" Steve countered.

"I... I kinda like you, Steve." The younger boy looked to the ground nervously.

"I like you too, Pony."

"Really?" The green-grey eyes brightened with hope.

"I do." Steve nodded.

"You mean like..." the boy trailed off.

"Yes." Steve laughs. Pony jumped happily. "Wanna go to the movies later? That...Cool Hand Luke is playing again"

"Oh, really?" Pony was so happy that if he was a dog, Steve was afraid he would pee all over his shoes.

"Sure, Pony. Seven?"

"It's a date." The younger teen jumped again and Steve held him down with his hands on his shoulders. He kissed Pony on the neck, recalling what it meant.

I adore you. Steve just hoped that Darry and Soda saw that when he picked their kid brother up.