𝑹𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝑭𝒊𝒓𝒆 💖 Stevepop One Shots

☾ Vulnerable

I got the idea from Olivia414842 Thank you!! 😊

It was summer, scorching summertime. It wasn't really pleasant, especially since Ponyboy always woke up with a hot sweat raining down his forehead. Soda was locked down in bed with barely anything over him, just the transparent sheet they shared. A few things were coiling in Soda's mind.

His mind was on. On like a light. From the dampness of Pony's hair saturating the pillow between them, and the leaves rapping at their window. He was exhausted. Absolutely drained from work yesterday. His eyes were restless in spite of him; each time they closed, he found himself unable to drift off.

Soda's forehead had beads of sweat rolling down his temples, but he stayed cool as he stood up from bed. The motions of his socked feet down their room were gentle, barely clenching down on the floor. He spent some of his walking on his tiptoes, and his raised weight didn't throw off the quiet riff of steps.

Soda, having gone to the kitchen, subconsciously knew the icebox was empty. Regardless, he swore by his parents that he wouldn't keep a soiled pantry as long as he lived. It wasn't really a matter of keeping them alive in his heart if he could show it through action. By his mother's wise words, words don't speak as many volumes as actions.

That was before the accident. Years ago. All Soda could think of was Ponyboy. All he could think of was putting family before dreams, and before dreams could become realities. The sentiments whipped him even more awake now. The light hit his eyes, and he disgraced himself.

A knock on the door ensued, building up in Soda's mind that it was just a door knock and not some threat. He clicked the door open in a swiping motion. The outdoors shed a baby blue morning mist.

Despite the heat rolling in, Soda smiled genuinely, and Steve could see the soft dollface cheeks that rounded out his friend's toothy grin. "Hey," he cooed, realizing they hadn't met all week. "You're a little loco for being up this early." Soda brought his voice a pitch down and gave a small laugh, huddling in and patting Steve.

Steve eyed him funnily, checking for signs inside to see if anyone else was up. "You were awake?" he murmured at the same volume. "I don't believe that. Look at your eyes." Steve leaned closer as if to hunt down Soda's blemishes, "You look pretty... dead."

"I ain't dead, it's just been a long week." Soda rasped, backing away to grab them drinks.

The noiret, having history with Soda, wasn't ever one to judge his sensitive side. Steve always knew girls approached him because of it, but it didn't seem to charm Sandy's folks no matter what. Steve didn't really understand those callous people anyway.

Steve, being invited to sit in the kitchen, folded his arms. "It's been a good few days since I last saw you. What you been up to?" he cocked a brow.

The brunet stationed two mugs of tap water on the table, propping an elbow up to drink. "Mh." he echoed in his cup.

"You've been working, really working yourself." Steve studied the dark circles under Soda's eyes, making little notes to treat him out somewhere after work later. "Have you met anyone lately?"

"Nah." Soda shrugged, smiling beyond care. "I'm glad you called the other day, but Dally almost scared me shitless when he joked you were leaving the country."

Steve shook his chin. "Well, that ain't true in the slightest. He ain't fooling anyone."

The brunet nodded contentedly, fanning his hands over the table.

"Nice robe," Steve observed, jerking a smile. He could see the matted sweat on Soda's t-shirt beneath his robe.

"Oh, you like it?" he sat upright, "I thought it looked alright. Pretty, ain't it?" Sodapop laughed, rolling up the sleeves.

Pretty, it was. Pretty on Soda, it definitely was.

"What brings you here at four o'clock, Steve?" Uh oh. He felt like a stranger to the question. Did he know exactly why? Probably not. But talking was something he was good at with Sodapop. The fact that they could talk so much about darn near anything was almost out of this world.

"Do you ever get weird dreams sometimes?"

Soda paced back and forth through his memory, pulling out dreams he remembered from childhood until the present. "Yeah. Sometimes they're nice, other times they're downright weird, but they're just dreams, right?"

"I don't know why they say that about dreaming. But...is that something you believe?"

"Sometimes they feel real." Soda said.

"Well... those are nightmares." Steve chugged his water.

"Nightmares..." repeated Soda, he blinked as if he had never heard the word before.

Steve sighed slowly. "I had a nightmare but it was like a dream. Like one of those--you know, those uh...pre...fore..." he tried to spell out.

"Predictions." finished Soda.

"Yeah." Steve gave a silly groan at the thought. "They make me quake."

Sodapop paused. "Do you remember what it was about?"

"It's uh... it was very real, I can tell you that much." Steve chuckled lightly. "My mom was somewhere laughing, and she was saying something to me. I can't remember the rest, but when I woke up, she was in her room alone. I went in and she was... gone." Steve's eyes grew red and watery.

Soda's heart stopped. "Oh, Steve... I'm so sorry." his voice softened and he held Steve's hand from across the table. "I'm here, buddy."

"Yeah. You always are." Steve nodded, smiling sweetly.

Soda pulled him into an embrace, doing the opposite of toughening up. The touch was welcomed, and Steve gave into the hug, letting Soda pat his back just like they did when either of them got worked up from a fight. Steve was sure of the fight with his tears, but he knew it wasn't a weak fight. He wasn't alone.