#Hey we were all teenagers and my entire floor during freshman year got ear infections because they did it in the living room

[anhedoniamayhavelived]

“You let Curly Shepherd pierce your ear?” Two-Bit wheezed, slapping his knee as he practically rolled onto the floor, his laughter filling the Curtis living room. “Darry’s gonna kill you when he sees it!”

Ponyboy scowled, clutching his throbbing ear. “Oh, for the love of God, will you just help me,” he muttered, cheeks burning with embarrassment. He tugged his collar up to hide the red, swollen mess from view.

Steve bent in front of him, shaking his head, his grin smug. “Don’t think you get it, man,” he said, still staring at the ear like it was a ticking time bomb. “He’s really gonna kill you this time.”

Two-Bit wheezed harder, wiping his eyes. “A bad needle? Curly? You couldn’t have at least asked someone halfway decent?”

Ponyboy winced as Steve pulled against his ear to look at it. “I wasn’t thinking, okay? I just—” He broke off, looking down, unable to meet their eyes. “I just wanted to do something… different.”

Two-Bit and Steve looked between eachother with a look that Ponyboy found people giving him too much.

“Yeah, well, next time, don’t pick the guy who sharpens knives on a curb.” Steve replied his voice not unkind as he grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a rag, shaking his head as he dampened it.

Ponyboy braced himself as Steve pressed the rag to his ear, hissing at the sharp sting. He felt the burn shoot through his head like fire, his whole jaw tightening up. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Oh, he’s feelin’ that now,” Two-Bit chimed in, grinning as he leaned against the wall. “Guess the ‘I’ll feel different’ plan didn’t include feeling like your head’s gonna explode, huh?”

Ponyboy let out a tight laugh, still wincing as Steve dabbed at the infection. “Yeah, no kidding.” His heartbeat pounded in his ear, and it felt like every nerve was lighting up at once, the ache spreading down his neck.

Two-Bit voice was more sympathetic this time, though still teasing. “Gotta admit, it’s impressive. I’ve seen some bad piercings, but this might be the worst.” He paused for a second, watching as Steve wiped more gently. “Seriously though, Pony, this is infected bad—should’ve told someone.”

“Didn’t wanna hear all this,” Ponyboy grumbled, biting his lip as the alcohol stung like fire. The pain had dulled a little, but it still radiated through his skull, pulsing with every heartbeat.

Two-Bit crouched next to him, smirking. “Well, you were gonna hear it anyway. Lucky for you, we’re the best doctors this side of Tulsa.” He reached out, gently flicking the other side of Pony’s head. “Or, y’know, something like that.”

Ponyboy shot him a glare, though it was half-hearted. “Yeah, real lucky.”

“Hey, at least we’re getting you fixed up before Soda gets home,” Steve said, the corners of his mouth tugging up as he cleaned the last bit of the mess. “He’d probably die laughing before he even helped you.”

Ponyboy flinched again, though this time it wasn’t just from the pain. “Let’s just keep this between us.”

Two-Bit grinned wide. “We’ll see.”

As the last of the sharp stinging eased, Ponyboy relaxed a little, though his ear was still throbbing, each pulse reminding him of how stupid this whole thing had been. The pain wasn’t going away anytime soon, but at least they’d helped enough to keep it from getting worse.

Two-Bit nudged him lightly, his voice softer now. “It’ll stop hurting soon, kid. Just don’t go poking any more holes in yourself, alright?”

He wasn’t just talking about the piercing.

Pony sighed, offering a weak smile. “Yeah, I got it.”

Steve packed up the alcohol and the rag, standing up. “Good. Because if Darry sees this and finds out what you did? You’ll be feeling a whole lot more than that ear.”

“Yeah whatever,” Ponyboy let out a short laugh despite the pain, leaning back against the couch. “…Thank you.”

They both waved him off, sitting down on the floor to pull out a hand of poker.

“Seriously though? Curly Shepard was the best—“