It was finally time for Ponyboy to fly back to California. He had classes on Monday, and he had to get his things back into his dorm and unpacked. The redhead was incredibly sad about leaving Tulsa behind. As much as he loved getting out of town to find something new, leaving behind his favorite people would always sting.
He'd come back, he always did.
But that didn't mean that it didn't hurt any less.
Everyone was going to be accompanying Ponyboy to the airport. They all wanted to see him off and say goodbye, taking their time with every last second that they could. This gap of time away would be longer than the last.
It was around four months rather than two. That was so long in comparison. And some people felt that more than others.
Steve sits on Ponyboy's bed, watching as he packed his suitcase with sad eyes. He didn't want him to go, but he knew better than to stop him. The redhead was going to do great things with this opportunity. Only two more years and he was finished. Ponyboy could go wherever he wanted.
And Steve would follow him anywhere.
The brunette shifts a little, fiddling with the zipper on his boyfriend's backpack. It was already stuffed full of personal items and ready to go. He would make sure to visit as much as he could afford. Valentine's Day was definitely on the list. Ponyboy came back for spring break in April, so that would be more time. Even better was that the brunette's birthday fell into spring break. It felt almost perfect.
"You just gonna stare at my bag with those sad eyes of yours?" Ponyboy asks gently, moving to join Steve on the bed. He still had time to pack. "It's not forever..."
"I know it's not," Steve answers, resting his head against his shoulder. "But that doesn't make it any easier. I'm sad to see you go."
The redhead kisses his temple, wrapping an arm around him. He couldn't ever remember Steve being so soft before. It was nice to have that kind of effect on him. The younger male rubs his side in soft circles. They'd get through this, together.
"I'll miss you too, Stevie," Ponyboy murmurs. "But I'm going to call you so much that you'll probably get tired of hearing my voice."
"That could never happen. I love listening to you talk. Your voice is nice."
The younger male giggles.
"Then maybe I'll read you my essays to get some feedback."
"I'd love to."
Ponyboy carefully takes Steve's chin between his forefinger and thumb, tipping the older male's head upward to look at him. The brunette had a shy smile on his face. It was one that the redhead had grown to love. He presses their lips together gently, taking his time to pour all the love he could muster into the kiss.
Steve kisses back, melting into the younger male's touch. He thinks that he'll miss his kisses the most. Or maybe how his laughter sounded, the way his hair fell over his eyes after getting out of a shower, how he always reassured him that they'd be okay.
Maybe it was impossible to just choose one thing.
Ponyboy Curtis as a whole was someone to be missed.
The redhead breaks the kiss, looking into the brunette's eyes. It was funny that they both had green eyes. He remembered growing up hating green eyes, saying that every man with green eyes was bad and denying that his eyes were ever green to begin with.
Now green was certainly his favorite color.
"I love you," he murmurs.
"I love you, too."
And with that, Ponyboy slowly pulls away to go back to packing. He didn't want to make them late by procrastinating any longer. Although he could have if he wanted to. Steve always caught his attention so easily.
Before anyone knew it, they were at the airport. The Curtis brothers and Steve took Darry's truck while everyone else piled into Two-Bit's. The whole way there, Ponyboy never let go of Steve's hand. He knew that once he did, it would be time to leave.
Nothing could ever prepare him for leaving him behind, even if only for a few months.
Steve wasn't letting go of his hand either, even if it cramped up or got way too hot in the car from Soda blasting the heat. He wanted to keep Ponyboy forever. And he knew that he had him for that long, even with all of the school in between. He'd make the most of the distance between them.
Now everyone was together near Ponyboy's intended gate after paying the extra fee to get through security, saying all of the goodbyes that they needed to. They only had so long before the redhead would board the plane and take off. They'd all miss him; it wasn't a secret. He was the baby of the bunch, and everyone looked after him, even now at 21.
Ponyboy hugs Darry first, tight and firm. He and his oldest brother got along a lot better than he used to. It took a lot of growing up for Ponyboy to understand the stress that Darry carried on his shoulders.
"Don't forget to call," Darry says gently. "You know I like hearing from you."
The redhead grins.
"I'll make sure to call with the same schedule I had before."
He always called Darry on Sundays. It was the best time to talk about their weeks and check in on one another. Soda's calls were always on a Friday. He thought it was the best day and insisted that was when Ponyboy called. Johnny's calls were on Saturdays in the morning. It just fit for the two of them.
Ponyboy didn't call Dallas or Two-Bit or even Steve often. But he made sure to text and not be a stranger, filling them in on anything they asked about. Which was never a whole lot.
He would definitely text and call Steve a lot more than before.
As his boyfriend, he'd never stop bugging him. Ponyboy would take pride in sending him pictures and those cheesy texts, telling him all about the people and the places and his grades. And he'd never miss a day to tell him that he loved him.
He'd never miss a day like that again.
Ponyboy moves down the group of people, hugging them all and saying his goodbyes with promises that he'd call and text. Even Dallas accepted a hug, as brief as it might have been.
Lastly was Steve.
The brunette wraps his arms around his boyfriend tightly, keeping him as close as he could manage without hurting him. He felt like he might just cry. Steve was never an emotional guy, but seeing his boyfriend fly away to California would be devastating.
Ponyboy hugs him back just as tight, a watery grin on his face. The younger male was already in tears. He couldn't help it. He'd always be a crybaby. Leaving was always the hardest part.
"Please don't forget about me," Steve murmurs quietly, his voice trembling from the effort it took to swallow the lump in his throat. "I don't want you to forget about me..."
The brunette was afraid of people leaving him.
"I'll never forget about you," the younger male answers gently. "You'll hear from me every single day. I won't miss a thing."
Even with schoolwork and friends and studying until his head explodes, he'd always make time for Steve.
"The flight for Los Angeles, California is now boarding," a woman's voice says from the speakers. "Please make your way to the designated gate."
Steve and Ponyboy tighten their grip on one another, not quite ready to say goodbye just yet.
The two stand and hold one another, listening as they call out the zones that would be boarding next. When they made it to zone two, Ponyboy felt like he wasn't going to be able to let Steve go.
The redhead presses their lips together passionately, wanting to make sure it was a good final kiss. It was the last one that they'd receive for months. Steve kisses back, moving a hand to cup Ponyboy's cheek. This was definitely a kiss to remember.
Ponyboy eventually pulls away, sniffling. He gathers his things and says one last goodbye before boarding the plane.
Steve stares at the gate as he walks onto the plane, a sad expression crossing his face. Tears were flowing down his face silently. He didn't like crying in front of other people. It was one of the worst feelings in the entire world.
Soda slowly places a hand on Steve's shoulder, giving him a comforting smile. Although he was crying just as much as Steve was, to be honest.
"Let's go home," the blonde says gently.
Steve slowly nods.
"Okay."