𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒. ( 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘺 )

irritation is bloomed

Ponyboy screams into his pillow, making sure to press it firmly against his face. The redhead was starting to get undoubtedly irritated. He could never get around to confessing to Steve. Everyone kept getting in his way, walking through the front door with their poor timing and oblivious demeanors. He was starting to think that the world was out to get him.

Johnny rubs Ponyboy's back comfortably, side pressed against the younger male's. He was over because the redhead had texted him, telling him it was an emergency. The ravenette somehow knew that it was a Steve emergency. And now he sat here comforting Ponyboy as he screamed his heart out into that poor pillow of his.

The redhead eventually pulls the pillow away from him, his face matching the color of his hair almost. He takes a deep breath, putting the pillow in his lap before turning his head to look at Johnny.

The ravenette gives him a sympathetic smile, continuing to rub his back.

"Are you ready to talk about it?"

"...Yeah."

Ponyboy takes a deep breath again, a hand moving to run his fingers through his hair. The redhead would have started getting a headache if he kept up his screaming. He felt a tiny bit better if he was being honest. Screaming into his pillow worked better than he would have thought.

"Alright, take your time," Johnny answers gently. "I've got nowhere to be."

"It's just... I can't seem to tell Steve that I like him, Johnny," the redhead complains. "I've really tried. But every single time that I get close to doing it, one of my brothers walks in. The first time, Soda came inside yelling about his raise and Steve was so quick to just forget that I was even talking to him. And then the next time was even worse!"

"How so?"

"We almost kissed!" Ponyboy exclaims. "He helped me put the mistletoe up and was holding my hips. We both leaned in and before we could even brush our lips together, Darry came home! The moment was over and we ended up just going back to decorating the rest of the living room."

Johnny takes a deep breath, making an awkward face at the events Ponyboy was telling him. He could see how the redhead was beginning to become irritated with trying to confess to Steve. Things did seem to be getting in the way of how the younger male wanted things to go.

"You almost kissed him?" The ravenette questions. "I feel like that's pretty good progress... despite Soda and Darry unintentionally ruining your chances. If he tried to kiss you, that means that he likes you too. I think that's good clarification that you two will get together."

"Yeah, we almost kissed," the redhead confirms. "God, I thought we'd actually kiss. He kept holding my hips and rubbing his thumbs over my hip bones. I thought that I was going to die, Johnny. Die."

"Die?"

"I wanted to screw the man where he stood."

Johnny barks out a laugh, tossing his head back. He's never in his life heard Ponyboy talk like this. It was interesting to know that he was capable of talking like that. The ravenette figured that he'd be much more shy and reserved about those kinds of feelings.

Once the older male's laughter dies down, he looks at the redhead with a more serious expression. This was serious business and he needed to be focused. Johnny was a master when it came to poker faces.

"I'm glad that your feelings are so intense," Johnny teases.

"I've been crushing on him since we were kids," the redhead reminds. "I feel like my emotions have simmered and sat for far too long. I just... I just want to be his but I don't know how to tell him. Things keep going wrong. And... and I go back to college in January. What if I don't tell him before then?"

"I know that you will," the ravenette reassures. "You just need to work around the fact that everyone is coming in and out of the house since you're back."

It was the only reason that the house was as full as it was. Ponyboy was staying with Darry and everyone wanted to spend time with the redhead before he left for college and they wouldn't see him until summertime. They had to soak up all the time they had before it went back to phone calls and mailed packages.

The redhead sighs gently in response before nodding his head.

"What can I do, Johnnycake? I feel so hopeless."

Johnny purses his lips in thought, trying to think of a good plan that would help the redhead out. The biggest problem was that there were too many interruptions. It was clear that being at the house and trying to confess wasn't doing anyone any favors. Too many people and too many possibilities.

"What if you guys go somewhere?" The ravenette suggests.

"What do you mean?"

"Go somewhere in town to spend time together," Johnny answers. "Can go do something cute. Go for coffee, head to the ice skating rink that's right by the park. You know, just be anywhere but the house. You'll have a better chance of not running into your brothers or anyone else."

The redhead slowly nods his head and he grins widely at Johnny's words.

"You're literally a genius, man!"

"So I've been told a time or two," Johnny responds playfully. "But really, get him away from the house and make sure it's just the two of you. I think you'll do pretty good then. Maybe you'll even earn yourself a smooch."

The ravenette playfully leans closer to the younger male, making kissing noises. Johnny had gotten much more confident as he got older, freely joining every conversation without a care in the world. Getting away from his parents had done him plenty of favors in how he goes about life now.

Ponyboy giggles wildly at Johnny's playful kissing noises, their faces closer than most people would expect. The redhead knew that Johnny wouldn't kiss him. He was dating Dallas and was so head over heels that it was almost comical. The ravenette was loyal to the older blonde and he always would be.

The bedroom door creaks open and both males turn to see who was there.

Steve stands in the doorway, an almost bewildered expression on his face. But it faded into something else entirely once he realized how close Ponyboy and Johnny were, their faces close together, wide grins spread across their lips.

The brunette's stomach bubbles with jealousy, shifting a little in his spot. He really didn't think that he'd see the two of them like this, especially after the moment he and Ponyboy had shared while decorating. Steve thought that they had something.

"I, uhm... Go back to whatever you were doing," Steve stammers, eye twitching a bit at the jealousy that he felt. "Sorry for interrupting."

Johnny's eyes widened in surprise, lips parting to say something before Steve slipped out of the open doorway, shutting it roughly behind him. Ponyboy was stunned, slowly turning to look back at Johnny who was just as baffled as he was.

"Son of a bitch!" The redhead curses, putting his head into his hands. "He thought we were gonna kiss!"

The ravenette takes a deep breath, puffing his cheeks out. No one really knew of him and Dallas dating, them being a relatively secretive item, so it looked quite bad to see him and Ponyboy looking like they were about to lock lips on his bed. Steve looked pissed.

"I mean... we know he gets jealous," the older male says slowly. "Maybe he'll be jumping at the chance to go hang out with you."

"He's going to keep his distance because he thinks you and I are a thing," Ponyboy whines, flopping backward down onto his bed. "I won't get any kind of kiss now."

"Sorry, Pone..."

"Ain't your fault, man. I'll work with it."

Now it was just asking Steve to hang out.

Should be easy enough.