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The July heat in Oklahoma is no joke. Ponyboy is very aware of that fact as he lays splayed out on he and Sodapop's bed.
There is sweat dribbling down the back of his neck, across his forehead and in every other crease of his body. It's warm and uncomfortable, even with the fan blowing cool air around the little room.
Johnny is laid out on the wooden floor, claiming that it's cooler than anywhere actually comfortable. His jean jacket he can never seem to take off is balled up under his head- a makeshift pillow. The sleeves of his t-shirt are rolled up into an improvised muscle tank and his worn jeans are rolled into capris.
It's quiet, the buzzing of the fan and the soft hum of the shoddy little radio he and Soda have filling the silence nicely.
Piny knows he and Johnny would be fine without the background noise. They never needed anything to fill the silence when it was just them.
He couldn't say for his life how long they laid there, Johnny on the floor, him on the bed, sitting in the heat making a very passive attempt of cooling off but mostly just basking in the silence. The world was too loud to not have these moments of quiet with someone you trusted with more than you even had.
Moments like that never last forever, but this one was broken in an unexpectedly pleasant way.
Johnny, quiet, anxious, beaten down Johhny humming along to the tune of the radio.
Pony can't help but look over at his best friend as he follows the tune of the song. It's not one Pony can confidently say he's heard but he's also not really listening because Johnny looks so incredibly peaceful and uts captivating.
He's laid there on the ground, a little sweaty, eyes closed, looking relaxed as he ever got, bobbing his head to the melody. And then Johnny opens his mouth and suddenly he's singing along with the man on the radio.
He doesn't sound amazing or anything, but he can carry a tune and that's enough to get Pony sitting up, looking at Johnny with a bit of wonder swirling in his eyes.
It's just singing he tries convince with himself. But it's Johnny singing in the relative silence of the room and it feels strikingly warm in a way that's different than the humid sweltering of the summer air. A kind of warmth that takes up far more room in his chest than he'd like and seems to boil in his stomach, making it bubble and flutter. It feels like vulnerability from Johhny, not carefully given but released because hes genuinely comfortable. It makes Pony happier thannit should.
He shook his head, trying to quell those feelings that only seemed to be growing stronger and stronger every time he's around Johnny.
He managed to snap back to the present, still staring at Johnny.
Suddenly he wants to laugh as he actually processes the lyrics flowing out of the sixteen year olds mouth.
'When the stars make you drool'
'Joost-a like pasta fazool'
'That's amore'
'When you dance down the street'
'With a cloud at your feet, you're in love'
It's silly and catchy and just on the right side of unexpected that he actually does laugh. Stifled little chuckles that have Johnny's eyes darting open and his lips snapping shut, looking a little embarrassed.
And Golly Pony really wants that look on Johnny's face again for a reason he can't describe and doesn't care to at the moment.
So he tried his hand at singing, stumbling through the next few lyrics, chuckling a little and standing up with a hand outstretched and offered- trying to get Johnny singing and comfortable again.
Pony has no idea what the words are, but he's trying. And after a moment of hesitant brown eyes staring up at him Johnny smiles, a small one but it gets bigger when he takes Ponys hand, pulling himself up.
He starts to sing again, laughing and singing along with Pony and the radio. His brown eyes are sparkling with laughter and all Pony can do is grab at his other hand and pull Johnny along to spin and move around with him.
Maybe it's the heat getting to him, but the mood is too upbeat to not want to dance with his favorite person in the world as the laugh and sing to a dumb song.
'Scusami, but you see
'Back in old Napoli, that's amore'
'When the moon hits your eye'
'Like a big-a pizza pie, that's amore'
'That's amore'
Their singing together and dancing and laughing and Pony feels like he's floating. Johnny looks so at peace, smiling, eyes squeezed shut as lyrics tumble out of his lips and Pony is utterly captivated.
The thoughts and feelings that he agonizes over and tries to shake suddenly don't seem so scary or bad in the moment. He's not sure how something like that can change in the span of one song but he's not all that worried about it.
Not when he's ignoring how Darry is always telling him to use his head in favor of leaning over and smushing his lips against Johnny's without a thought.
The kiss is a little awkward, he's never kissed anyone and he's guessing at what to do with his lips and Johnny freezes up in shock real quick.
It doesn't feel like a bad idea until hes pulling back, looking at a very very surprised Johnny. He suddenly wants to bolt, registering what a horrible idea that was.
Before he gets the chance Johnny seems to find some modicum of courage as he snaps back to his body because he's pulling at Pony till their lips are slotted against eachothers again.
This kiss isn't much better, but Ponyboy certainly doesn't care and Johhny doesn't seem to either.
The air is warm, the song is ending,the fan is still blowing cool air, Johnny's is pressed against him, and their tied up in a kiss that shouldn't be happening and everything feels perfect all of a sudden.
And the moment will end- maybe with the front door slamming open, or because the song ends or one of them will realize that they shouldn't be doing this because its so so wrong.
But for now everything is perfect, warm, and soft. Their just being kids, like they're suppoused to be.