𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐀 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋. ( 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘱 )

CHAPTER SIX

Soda watches as Steve runs out of the house, his heart dropped low enough to where he thought he could feel it in his stomach. The blonde was hurt by his words but knew well enough that he deserved to hear them.

The blonde had been so nervous to face Steve at work after realizing that he was his soulmate. The brunette called him "the hottest guy in Tulsa" before leaving Soda behind in the store with a heavy heart. He didn't even say anything back.

He'd been so worried about saying something stupid. The blonde wanted his first words to Steve to feel important. Just saying "hi" felt too little. And with how Soda's brain worked, he'd probably give Steve something stupid in response.

Steve would never really want to be his soulmate.

Two-Bit looks at Soda, a frown tugging down on his lips. The redhead was confused as to what was going on. Soda's never called sick from work since he's gotten the job and Steve just ran off home instead of getting a ride.

"What's going on?" Ponyboy asks, lightly placing a hand on Soda's arm. "You never call off of work and you lied about it… Something's wrong… You gotta tell us."

"Steve's my soulmate," Soda whispers, tugging up the sleeves of his pajama shirt to reveal the words Steve had said to him the night before. "I was so embarrassed that I didn't think I could face him today…"

He looks at Ponyboy and Two-Bit, his little brother's eyes widened in shock and Two-Bit's whose eyes looked hurt. Soda didn't have it in him to ask the older male why. Not today.

"Is that why Steve's been acting real grouchy?" Two-Bit asks, trying to keep his tone sounding concerned rather than upset. "I mean, besides the whole ditching him at work so he had to do everything on his own?"

"He don't even know that I'm his soulmate," Soda says. "I didn't say anything back to him when we bumped into one another at the store… I didn't want to say something stupid and have him feel like he got stuck with an idiot of a soulmate."

His whole life he's been made out to be stupid. He wasn't good at school and everyone thought that he was slow. The blonde dropped out of high school and worked at a gas station. No one would genuinely want him as a soulmate.

As far as Soda knew, Steve was still in school and he was pretty smart. Two-Bit had talked about him a lot and how much they'd get along. Steve was handsome and had a bit of a temper, and he knew better than to flaunt all he's worth around others. He was smart in school, level with Ponyboy. Ponyboy, his little brother who skipped a grade for being so smart.

Steve wouldn't ever want him as a soulmate.

Ponyboy slowly moves to wrap his arms around Soda, face resting against his chest. He could see that Soda was really beating himself up over this. Too much, really.

"Soda, whatever you say to him, it ain't gonna be stupid," Ponyboy responds. "He's your soulmate no matter what and he's going to love you when he gets to know you… But you can't avoid him forever… Hiding from him now will only cause more harm later. You saw how he was just now. He's angry that you weren't at work today to train him and help him out. And then figuring out who you are to him on top of that won't look pretty either."

Two-Bit nods his head in agreement. Despite Steve's quiet nature around the topic of soulmates, he knew more than anyone that he was lonely. Watching Steve eye couples in public and then looking so defeated afterward made his own heart ache.

And Steve deserved to be happy, whether or not it was with him.

The redhead's hand moves to self-consciously rub his own soulmate mark. He'd do anything for Steve, even if their thing was a one-sided deal. Steve needed someone to make him happy like that. Soda was better fit than he ever was.

"He'll be real happy when he figures out that you're his soulmate, trust me," Two-Bit responds. "He's a big sap when it comes to that stuff. He won't ever say it but I can see it in the way he looks at couples when we go walk around. He's lonely, real lonely…"

Soda looks at Two-Bit, taking a small breath. His arms loop loosely around his little brother, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his head lightly. He knew that it wasn't any good hiding from Steve. The older male was just going to hate him in the end. And if he ruined their chances now, things wouldn't work out later.

"You guys are all sorts of right," the blonde huffs gently. "But what if I say something stupid for my first words to him? Then he'll think I'm an idiot and he won't want me."

"You ain't an idiot, Soda," Ponyboy responds, lifting a hand to lightly swat at his head. "You just learn different is all. That don't make you stupid. You're good at other things where it matters. You work good with customers and you're handy about fixing cars. Loads of people need cars to get places and thet gotta go through you to be able to do it. Plus you're social and that's really important for loads of jobs."

Soda whines a bit as Ponyboy smacked his head. His little brother was right and would always be right. He was too smart for his age sometimes. The blonde wanted so badly for him to just act like a kid. Even sometimes. But he was quiet and was really smart, nose stuck in a book or sat at some movie house by himself.

After their parents died, Ponyboy only got more quiet. He didn't talk to anyone much, not even Soda and Darry. The youngest Curtis kept to himself and he had a hard time eating or doing schoolwork. It's why they were allowed cake for breakfast now. Ponyboy wouldn't eat anything else and Darry had been desperate.

He squeezes Ponyboy closer and buries his nose into his hair. The blonde wasn't going to run anymore. He couldn't afford it. His eyes go to Two-Bit who looked like he was trying his best to stay all put together. He wondered why he was like that right now.

"I'll head into work tomorrow and try talking to him," Soda responds, finally breaking the silence that swept over them. The atmosphere was tense. It made his body feel weird and he wanted it to stop. "Hopefully he'll be able to forgive me for today and anything that comes after."

Written by: -TheFandomLife-