The Outsiders Headcanons/Short Stories [COMPLETED]

Short Story: Fear of Fire

A/N: Takes place a year after the events of the book :)

It was a cool autumn evening. Darry, Soda, Steve, and Two-Bit were all in the backyard. Darry had started a campfire not too long ago and now everyone was going to start roasting marshmallows.

Ponyboy was using the bathroom inside and had no clue that there was a fire outside. Ever since the fire in Windrixville, Ponyboy has been very sensitive around fires. From a simple fire on the grill to fire the the fireplace, Pony was terrified of it. Every time he saw a fire, all the memories would come back.

The fourteen year old came outside, hoping maybe they could all play a nice, relaxing game of football. That's when he saw the fire. Pony froze in fear.

"Hey Pone!" Soda called, completely unaware of Pony's current state, "come roast some marshmallows with us!"

Pony couldn't answer. He stared directly at the fire and let the memories flow. The church. The fire. The kids. Gone With The Wind. Dally. Johnny.

Johnny....

Dallas...

Ponyboy missed Johnny and Dallas so much. He wanted them. He needed them here...

Ponyboy started to bawl loudly as he curled into a ball on the patio. Every now and then, he screamed, begging for someone to come to him.

At the speed of lightning, the older boys rushed to Ponyboy; the marshmallows were the last thing they were worrying about. Except for Two-Bit, who was hungry.

"But I want a s'mores!" He whined like a toddler. "Two-Bit forget the s'mores!" Darry cried.

Sodapop engulfed his younger brother into a hug. "Shh, it's okay Ponyboy." He whispered.

Ponyboy shook his head and started screaming. "NO!" He cried. "THEY'RE DEAD! THE FIRE! I DON'T WANNA SEE IT! NO! NO!!"

Darry stole Ponyboy from Soda's arms and cradled him. "Easy there Little Colt," he whispered. "You're okay, shh, shh..."

But Ponyboy continued to fight. "NO! THEY'RE GONE! GONE! JOHNNY AND DALLAS ARE GONE!"

Everyone finally understood why Pony was so upset. The fire. They all forgot. Darry picked him up and swung him gently over his shoulder. "Steve, go get some water and put out the fire." He said, "Two-Bit get the stuff for the s'mores. We'll make 'em on the stove."

Darry carried his kid brother into the house and placed him on the couch. Ponyboy was still in hysterics, sniffling and sobbing. Soda sat down next to Ponyboy and laid Pony's head on his lap, rubbing circles into his back.

"Ya wanna make s'mores with us, kid?" Steve asked as he came back inside from putting the fire out. Pony's eyes grew wide. S'mores meant fire. And he hated fire.

Ponyboy shook his head. "N-No..." He whimpered. "S'mores...fire...church..." Pony buried his head back in Sodapop's chest.

"We're making them on the stove this time, Pone. There's no fire." Two-Bit coaxed. Still, Pony didn't want to.

Darry walked into at this moment. "Give him time," he said, "let him calm down for a minute. You guys go start making them. I'm trusting you with out stove. Don't loose my trust, ya hear?"

The eldest of the gang sat down on the other side of Ponyboy and stroked his hair soothingly. "Hey Little Colt, look," Darry started, "I'm so sorry about starting that fire. I forgot about what happened. C'mere."

Reluctantly, Pony crawled out of Soda's arms and into Darry's. Ponyboy relaxed in his older brother's arms. Soda scooted over and wrapped his arms around both of his brother. Now Pony was sandwiched in between. He felt protected.

"I miss Johnny and Dally." Pony said sadly. Darry hugged him tighter. "I know, honey. We miss them, too." He said. Soda stroked Ponyboy's hair. "Everything's gonna be alright." He mumbled.

The brothers stated in that position for a half hour, until Ponyboy felt ready to spend time with everyone again. The rest of the night was spent with all five boys roasting marshmallows and eating s'mores.

Hope you enjoyed! Stay gold!

~ TJ