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Ponyboy always got fussed at for not using his head, and Curly always got fussed at for not having a head to use.
Which meant that they were both idiots, in their own ways.
Ponyboy was book smart, while Curly was streets smart. Curly has good situational and emotional awareness, while Pony easily gets things wrong. Pony has a good vocabulary, while Curly just uses words he’s heard even if he doesn’t know what they mean half the time.
So, yeah, they’re idiots.
But at least they’re idiotic together.
Pony helps Curly with schoolwork, or whatever else that he needs to, while Curly can help him out when he’s in a bad situation, tell him what should be done. Curly can help Pony understand things about people or situations, like if they’re actually mad or upset and sometimes how to help, while Pony usually just thinks that the gang— or some other people —is upset with him for anything and everything. When Curly says something that he shouldn’t be saying or something that doesn’t make sense, Pony informs him about it, and helps him not sound so dumb in conversations.
They sort of balance each other out, and have the other’s back when they need it. Helping each other for a lot of their lives comes with benefits, one such as getting closer. At first it was all fine and dandy, normal friends, but then they became best friends, and then they became… something else. It stayed like that for awhile, friends, but friends who get flustered from the other, or friends who almost always thought about each other, or friends who couldn’t spend a couple hours away from each other without getting grumpy.
No one really thought anything of it, just that they were really close buddies. All that behavior seemed at least somewhat normal to what childhood friends are like, so no one batted an eye. Even if Darry and Soda didn’t like Curly that much, and Tim was tired of seeing the Curtis kid over at his house, no one was willing to really say a thing.
After being in that state for a month or so, they became curious .
Being curious led to kissing, and kissing led to more kissing, and that led to cuddling and being soft for one another. Soon as they know it, they were dating. Of course they had some questions about themselves since it was the 60’s and people weren’t really accepting of queer people, but they knew that they’re attraction wasn’t going to change just because of that, they were way to stubborn for it too.
Neither of them being out to anyone besides each other, they had to sneak around, even inside their homes. They acted normal for the most part, maybe a bit more eager to be alone, a bit more laughing, and being more happy and flustered when around the other. With them being friends so long, and the fact that they were teenage boys, no one questioned them.
This went on for three or four months before Darry stared asking where and why he was going out with Curly so much, and Ponyboy didn’t know what to tell him. He couldn’t just say: “Oh, yeah, we’ve been dating for months and we usually just go somewhere where we can be alone!” That’s so suspicious and also Darry would think that they are doing something that they haven’t done, and aren’t planning to anytime soon.
So, Ponyboy— honest to god —ignored him and ran out of the house.
He didn’t come back until the next morning, but he did ask Curly to tell Tim that he should let Darry know that he was staying the night there, which he did, and then Tim came into Curly’s room. “Whatever the hell y’all got into, or whatever the hell y’all are doin’, you better make damn sure that Darry knows I had nothin’ to do with it and didn’t know shit ‘bout it.” The older man said sternly, looking at both of them like he’d beat the tar out of them with a pipe if he got into trouble with Darry.
They both nodded. Ponyboy was already shaking when meeting up with Curly, but now faced with his brother he’s shaking like he’s about to explode. As soon as the old door shut, he exhaled a shaky breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Curly looked over at him, and then looked around the room as if something in there would tell him what to do.
He’s seen Pony breakdown a few times, but that’s usually around his brothers, and there’s no way that him seeing his brothers would help now. He thinks to what he knows about Pony, and what he’s seen and he tries his best to help.
Gently grabbing Ponyboy’s arm and turning him to face him, and then pulling him even closer, wrapping his arms around him. Pony also wraps his arms around him, and puts his head on his shoulder, lying there while trying to calm down. “You’re alright, Pony.” Curly knows that whenever someone says something like ‘Your brothers love you’ in a situation like this one, all it does is upset him more, so he keeps his mouth shut until he has something better to say.
They stand there for a bit before Curly guides him over to the bed, laying down first and letting Ponyboy climb beside of him, clinging to his shoulders still. The gingerish blonde burrows his face into his shoulder more, trying to hide from the world. “We’ll explain it to ‘em, Pony.” He says, hoping it’ll help. “Y’know they didn’t care when Avery said she liked only woman, so they shouldn’t care if you like men.” Avery was a lesbian that came out about a month before she had to skip town, all the harassment ran her out, no one’s heard of her since then, but her stay was pretty short.
“It’s different Curly.” Ponyboy says, sounding on the verge of tears. “I’m their kid brother and I’m a man. It’s different.” Curly didn’t push any farther, not wanting to upset him anymore, so he just held him, long enough that the both of them were getting tired.
It was after dinner when Darry confronted him, so now it was pretty late. All the emotions made Pony even more tired, and before he knew it, he was drifting to sleep. Before he could get fully asleep, he heard Curly talking to him. He hummed, not comprehending what the darker male said.
“We gotta get undressed, ‘less you wanna sleep in your jeans,” Curly had repeated, gently shifting Pony off of him so that the both of them could get up.
“Mhh.. yeah, no, ‘m changing.” He said as he followed Curly off the bed, not bothering to step away before taking off his jeans and putting on a pair of sleeping pants Curly thrown on the bed for him. Throwing the ones he was wearing into a corner before climbing in bed and settling down, hearing another pair of jeans hit the floor before Curly claims his spot in bed, spooning Pony.
“Y’think that they’d care?” It’s quiet for a while, and Pony thought that Curly had gone to sleep, but he was answered eventually.
“I think they care ‘bout you. I don’t think they really care ‘bout whether you’re gay or not.” His voice comes out slurred from tiredness, but Pony still takes those words in.
Yeah , he thinks, I kinda think so too.
He doesn’t say them out loud, but Curly doesn’t push him to say anything; both of them let the silence drone on until they’re both asleep, not exactly happy about tomorrow, but relaxed enough to be able to fall as with each other.