Expresso Shots

Chapter 1: A/N: Hi guys! This is another infamous one-shot. I'm just in that sort of mood lately. ! I hope you like them though! Please R&R I love knowing what you think! Thanks!

Ponyboy Michael Curtis is bouncing off the walls. He's running around the house like a maniac and when he's yelled at to stop running, he can hardly sit still. His fingers are twitching together as he tries to sit on the couch, waiting for dinner since he was banned from the kitchen. Dallas stands against the opposite wall, smoking and smiling at Pony's hyperness. That kid cracks him up.

"Darry! When's dinner? When's dinner? When's dinner?" He asks like a hyper bunny trying to bounce off the couch.

Dally is quite pleased with the results of this so-called, experiment that Darry didn't necessarily know about.

"Hey, sit still kid. You're gonna give me a stomach ulcer." Dallas laughs mostly amused but halfway serious.

He has had quite a few stomach ulcers in his eighteen years old life and he's currently trying to get rid of one, so he certainly doesn't need to get one from watching this fourteen-year-old guinea pig of his running around like a mad-man.

"Ponyboy, sit down." Darry commands as if his little brother was a little puppy.

"Darry, I'm hungry." He whines with an impatient whimpering look on his face.

Darry shakes his head and smiles. "Well, if you hadn't been such a crazy child in the kitchen, maybe your brother wouldn't have dropped half the meal in the floor. Your hunger is your own fault." He says trying to be stern but Pony really seems to be a whole different person tonight.

'Maybe someone gave him alcohol.' He thinks for a minute before disregarding the thought all together.

He walks back into the kitchen and helps Sodapop finish up. Ponyboy will hopefully calm down after dinner but at least Dallas is watching him right now.

'I feel bad for that kid.' Darry thinks as he catches a glimpse of Dally. 'If we don't have much, he has nothing. He has parents who barely know he exists and kicks him out of the house every time he stops by. I think I'd rather be parentless.'

Darry certainly doesn't know all of Dallas' business (not that he wants too) or his problems that he doesn't tell anyone, though he doesn't tell anyone much anyway, but he opens his door and couch to the teen so he can try to stay out of trouble with the law at least. Dally is basically living at the Curtis house now with the exception of staying out till six in the morning drinking, playing pool and messing around (or at least trying too) with girls. As long as he doesn't bring any girl to their home, Darry doesn't poke around in Dal's dating life.

Only when Sodapop is calling his name does he snap out of his thoughts and help his younger brother.

"Alright, dinner guys!" Soda calls while Darry is finishing setting the table.

Ponyboy comes running full speed into the kitchen, sliding into his seat while Dallas follows behind, much slower at a sauntering walk, slightly holding his stomach and grimacing while he sits down in his claimed seat. The rest of the family takes their place and starts passing around the food. Pony is still hopping around in his seat and can't even eat his food on his plate. Dally takes to simply pushing his food around in no great interest at all.

"Dally, everything okay?" Darry asks seeing something wrong with the oldest teen.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." He answers softly.

"Your stomach botherin' you?" Ponyboy asks finally jumping into reality for a split second.

"Just a little." Dallas replies. "It's not too bad or anything."

"Well I'm sure it does hurt considerin' all the drinkin' that we did." Pony answers smiling like a fool.

Darry's eyes bug out and he starts gagging. Sodapop slaps his back a few times before he can talk. Ponyboy isn't liking the look in his oldest brother's eyes and shrinks back into his chair.

"Ponyboy Michael Curtis you tell me exactly what the hell you're talking about with all this 'we were drinking so much,' s*** right now." Darry says low and dangerously.

"Uh, we were uh, Dally?" Pony asks desperately glancing at his tuff, pale friend, well hopefully a bodyguard now.

"Dallas?" The eldest Curtis states in a warning tone.

"It wasn't alcohol. Tell me you ain't thinkin' I'd give a fourteen year old kid alcohol, right? I ain't that stupid. That'd put me in the cooler for at least a year and I sure ain't goin' back there so soon." Dally answers placing his head in his hands.

'He must really be feelin' lousy.' Soda thinks.

"So what were you drinking then?" Darry asks quite confused himself now.

Ponyboy fidgets. 'The kid probably doesn't even know what he was drinking.' Sodapop concludes though he hopes it wasn't anything harmful or addicting. Well, anything can be addicting.

"It was expresso okay? I gave the kid a couple shots of expresso. It ain't gonna kill 'em so quite your worryin' about it. You know I take care o' that kid like I'd take care o' Johnny." Dally answers obviously growing to be very upset.

"I know you wouldn't give anything to Ponyboy that would hurt him in any way, but why on earth did you give that boy coffee?" Darry asks a bit bewildered.

"He was bein' all mopey and I needed someone that would keep me from noticin' my stomach ulcers and when I asked him if he wanted it, he said yes so I gave it to him. Gotta problem with that, Darrel?"

"No, but I don't know if I want Ponyboy drinking coffee all the time either."

"Dally you should go lie down. You're not looking too hot." Soda says.

"I don't need a nurse-maid Sodapop Curtis." Dallas grumbles but makes his way over to the couch anyway.

Soda helps Dally onto the couch and grabs some blankets for him. Ponyboy is starting to calm down and sits next to Dal as Soda tries to get Dally to sleep. Darry carries Pony to bed and kisses him goodnight while Sodapop crawls in next to his brother. Dallas is sleeping restlessly on the couch with a high fever. Darry takes his temperature, wakes him enough for him to take an Aspirin and sits beside him until morning arrives. Pony and Soda stumble out of bed around the same time and find Darry barely awake in a chair next to Dallas.

"Mornin' boys." He greets sleepily.

"Hi Darry, how's Dal?" Soda asks.

Ponyboy collapses onto the floor completely worn out from his coffee experience yesterday and all the running around he did.

"Well, he's certainly sick. His fever's gone down and he's got a little more colour in his face but I want you two to keep your distance. I don't want either one of you getting sick. Understand?" Darry asks.

"Yes sir." Soda shouts, saluting.

Darry grins and tells both boys to eat. Dallas wakes up a few hours later feeling much spiffier than he had the night before but Darry and Soda keep him couch-bound for the day despite his forceful protests and threats. At the end of the day, Darry is completely exhausted and scarcely awake at all.

"Looks like you need some expresso too Darry." Ponyboy points out at the dinner table and everyone laughs.

A/N: Alright! That's it! I hope you liked it! Please review, fav & follow! You know how much I love to hear what you think!