downsobadforthatoneguy

[downsobadforthatoneguy]

Curtis Sister

all my works about being the only girl in the gang

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅ Fine Line .𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅Fine Line Pt ii .𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅

[downsobadforthatoneguy]

Max Medina

all my works for max medina ⋆˙˖✧

meeting max hcs

[downsobadforthatoneguy]

Darrel Curtis

all my works for the eldest curtis brother

Cafe Cuties ⋆ ˚｡⋆ in which darry curtis realizes a bad morning doesnt mean a bad day

Cafe Cuties Pt ii ⋆ ˚｡⋆ where darry uses his handyman skills to help his girl out of a tough spot

Mama Don't Get Dressed Up For Nothin' ⋆ ˚｡⋆ the one where darry gets bossed around

Had Me By Halftime ⋆ ˚｡⋆ as quarterback of the year, it's finally his time to shine at the cotton bowl

Superman ⋆ ˚｡⋆ superman is still just a man sometimes

Hot for Teacher ⋆ ˚｡⋆ where darry helps his fiance put her classroom togther

Everybody Talks ⋆ ˚｡⋆ the one where darry just needs his brothers to get off his back

[downsobadforthatoneguy]

Masterlist

All My Works

I am taking requests!

a link to all my fics about being the only girl in the outsiders gang

˖ ࣪⭑Curtis Sister˖ ࣪⭑

A link to all my fics about the eldest and hottest curtis brother

˖ ࣪⭑Darry Curtis˖ ࣪⭑

A link to all my fics about the cutest english teacher whose arc was done so dirty

˖ ࣪⭑ Max Medina ˖ ࣪⭑

[downsobadforthatoneguy]

Everybody Talks

Darry Curtis x reader

summary : Darry just wants a night to himself, his brothers don’t care.

warnings : some cursing

———————————————————

��Goin’ out again?” Ponyboy asked as Darry slung his jacket over his shoulder. “This is, what, your fourth date with this girl and you’ve only known her a week and a half?”

“Yeah, is that problematic for you?” Darry asked, an eyebrow raised as he smirked.

“Nah, you’re nicer when you go out,” Pony teased, his own smirk appearing.

Darry rolled his eyes and ruffled his brother's hair, earning a groan. “C’mon, I was havin’ a real good hair day!”

“Where ya goin, in case we need ya for an emergency?” Soda asked.

“Goodbye!” Darry said as he shut the door behind him.

Now, Darry wasn’t proud of lying to his brothers, but sometimes he just wanted to have a quiet night by himself. If he said he was going out alone, someone would inevitably tag along. If they didn’t, Pony would give him a list of things he needed from the store. If Pony wasn’t doing that, Two-Bit was making comments about how sad it was, and telling everyone to picture Darry sitting in a crappy diner, eating all alone. This was the only way he could get out of the house without dealing with the boys.

He drove to a cafe downtown, ordered a cheesecake and coffee, found a quiet corner table, and relaxed. His food had just arrived when he noticed a pretty woman sitting at the coffee bar. She looked over at him, gave him a warm smile and looked back down at her book. He didn’t miss the way her ears turned pink. He smirked and went back to his food. They spent the next fifteen minutes flirting with each other through smiles and winks. Just as Darry was going to make a move, she got up to use the ladies room.

She hadn’t been gone a minute when Darry felt his gut tell him that something wrong was about to happen. The cafe door chimed and in walked Ponyboy, Sodapop, Two-Bit, and Steve. They spotted Darry and they sauntered over.

“What the hell are you guys doin’ here?” Darry asked, exasperation filling his voice.

“Oh you know,” Steve started.

“Just wanted to drop by,” Ponyboy continued.

“Get some coffee at a quarter to nine.” Soda teased.

“Had no clue you’d be here,” Two-bit said, feigning innocence.

“So,” Soda said, gesturing to the empty seat across from Darry. “Where is she?”

Steve let out a gasp. “Oh no! He got stood up!” Steve bit his knuckles and fought the urge to laugh, and failed.

Darry sighed and ran a hand over his face. “I didn’t get stood up!” He said, his voice having the slightest defensive edge to it.

“Well then, where is she? Smoke break?” Two-bit joked.

Darry looked around. “She’s…” He stood up and saw the woman from earlier walking back towards her seat. “There! ‘Scuse me, one second.” He pushed past the gang and walked right over to the gorgeous woman. She stopped in her tracks at the sight of the attractive greaser headed towards her. Darry looked over his shoulder to make sure his brothers were out of earshot and whispered hurriedly, “Hi, My name is Darry. This is super strange, and not at all how I wanted this to go, but you would be doing me a huge favor if you walked back over there and pretend to be the girl I’m seeing.” His eyes were huge and pleading. She let out a giggle.

“Well, Darry, I’ve never had an offer like this before,” She whispered back. “I’ll help ya out, but you have to buy me dinner.” Darry smiled and nodded, before taking her hand and leading her back to the table. She swiftly grabbed her bookbag and coffee, Darry taking the bag out of her hands. She came up to the gaggle of greasers and stuck her hand out. “Hi, I’m Y/n!”

Soda was the first to reach her hand. “I’m Sodapop.” He gave her a mischievous smile.

Steve gave her a firm handshake and said, “Hey doll,” in a flirty tone. “Names Steve.” He gave her a confident smirk. Darry gave him a warning look from over Y/n’s shoulder.

Ponyboy looked her over, skeptically. “I’m Ponyboy.” He shook her hand and started a list of questions to ask her.

Two-Bit was last, and the most friendly. “I’m Two-bit!” He gave her a warm smile and shook her hand.

Y/n slid into the seat where Darry had put her bag, and watched as the boys pulled chairs around them. Ponyboy was the first to ask a question. “So, you've been dating my brother for about two weeks. Could you remind me how many dates you’ve been on?”

“C’mon Pony, this ain’t an interrogation-” Darry started.

“It’s a simple question, Dar’. I forgot.”

“Three.” She answered with confidence.

“Really?” Ponyboy asked. “I could have sworn it was four?”

“Well,” Darry started, not sure where he was going with this. “That’s because she doesn’t count the first one as a date.”

Y/n laughed and nodded. “I sure don’t, if you don’t buy me a slice of cake, it doesn’t count as a date.” She teased, gesturing to the plate of cheesecake.

Darry let out a chuckle and put his arm around the back of her chair.

“Okay, rapid fire questions.” Ponyboy says, determined to catch them lying. There was just no way his brother could manage to land a woman that pretty.

“What’s his name?”

“Darry?”

“Aha!” Soda shouted. “But what is that short for?”

“Darrel? C’mon, even if we were strangers I would have gotten that.”

“Coffee or tea?”

She looked at Darry then back at Pony. “Coffee.”

“How old is he?”

“Twenty one.”

“Favorite color?”

“Blue.”

“Pony, you’re actin’ like an ass, leave her alone.” Two-bit said.

Ponyboy looked at Two, then back at Y/n. Then he looked over at Darry who looked like he wanted to reach across and knock his head off.

“Last question, what sport did he play in high school?”

“Baseball.” She said after looking over at Darry. He gave her a smile and shook his head.

“Ha!” Ponyboy exclaimed. “I told you he was lyin’ about somethin’!” Y/n smiled at Darry and mouthed an ‘I’m sorry’. The boys were starting to get rowdy, so Darry cleared his throat to shut them up.

“Look, yes I lied. But you guys hassle me if I say that I’m goin’ out by myself. I thought y’all might see that I wasn’t alone and you would leave me alone.” He looked over at Y/n. “Thanks for tryin’,” he said.

“Any time.” She looked into his eyes and smiled. Darry wasn’t sure what was going on, but he knew that he didn’t want to stop looking into Y/n’s eyes. He was brought back to reality by Steve clearing his throat and elbowing Sodapop in the ribs.

“Your brother is smitten,” He whispered to Soda, loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Say, looks like it’s time for y'all to clear out, it is a school night.” Darry stood and gestured for his friends to leave.

“Dar’, it’s summerti-”

“Aw, let him have his fun, Pony,” Soda teased.

“Have fun kids!” Twobit said as he trailed behind the group. Darry let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding as the group exited the cafe. He sat back down next to Y/n. He gave her a smile and said, “So, still up for dinner?”

“Only if I don’t have to get interrogated by your brothers again.” She teased.

[downsobadforthatoneguy]

hot for teacher

Darry Curtis x reader

a/n : i love this man sm its actually embarrassing

warnings : none but i could be wrong

summary : Darry helps his fiance move into her classroom

——————————————————

The Tulsa air was hot and sticky as the end of summer approached. For most people, that meant staying inside with the air conditioning cranked. For others it meant a trip to the pool.

For Darrel Curtis, it meant hauling box after box to his fiancé’s first grade classroom.

“Alright, this is the last box for this trip,” Darry said as he set a box on the floor.

“Thank you, sweetheart. Pony, can you hand me the stapler?”

For the first time since he walked in the room, Darry’s eyes found Y/n. She had one foot balancing on a chair while the other stretched out slightly, as her arms attempted to hang something on the wall.

“Jeez Y/n!” He rushed over and steadied her with his hands on her hips.

Pony walked over with the stapler and passed it to Darry. Y/n positioned the poster the way she wanted, held it in place with one hand, and reached for the stapler with the other. “Is it straight, Pony?”

Ponyboy stepped back and took a hard look. “Straight enough.”

That was all the confirmation she needed before stapling the poster in place. Darry removed one hand from her hips to grab the stapler, and promptly dropped it on the floor next to his boots. He grabbed one of Y/n’s hands and guided her off the wobbly chair.

“Thank you, Superman.” Y/n said as she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.

“Anytime, darlin’. Can’t have you dying before I marry you, now can I?” He said with a smile.

“Okay, now help me set up this shelf, pretty please.” Darry just smiled. He grabbed the box containing the parts for the shelf and started assembling.

“You are going to read the instructions before you just throw it all together, aren’t you?”

“Sweetheart, I do this for a living.” He replied, sending her a wink.

“That’s what you said about the bedframe,” She quipped.

“Gross!”

“Never talk to me again.”

The couple laughed as Ponyboy and Soda gagged.

After two tries without the instructions and an hour and a half later, the shelf was built. Ponyboy immediately started stocking it, putting the books he thought were best at the front, while Soda secretly littered it with stickers.

“What’s next, babe?” Darry asked.

“The bulletin board!” She grabbed a roll of paper that had been lying on the floor and walked over to the giant empty board.

“This time, I’ll do all the climbin’.” He said, grabbing the stepladder that stood in the corner of the room. He stood it up and climbed on. “Paper,” He said and held his hand out. Y/n obliged and handed him the roll. He started unravelling it and used one hand to keep it in place, awaiting approval before he cut the paper.

“It’s not straight, Dar’.”

He looked at the paper. “What are you talking about? It could not be more straight.”

“Darry, it’s lopsided. Look,” She walked over and traced where the paper started curving.

He adjusted the paper with his hand and waited again. “Well now it’s too far the other way.”

“Babe, can we just trim it after?”

“No, because there is exactly enough paper to cover the board.”

Darry sighed and adjusted the paper slowly.

“Stop! Right there!” Y/n stood on a chair and put a staple in the top corner. She helped Darry unroll the rest of the tube and cut the paper as high as she could reach before handing the scissors to Darry. He finished the cut and added a few staples to the top of the board. He stepped off the ladder and helped put the bottom layer of paper on the board.

He put the border all along the board and only argued about the straightness of it twice. While he did that, Y/n started working writing name tags.

He finished the last strip and pulled up a tiny chair next to where she was working.

“Here,” he said as he grabbed a stack of tags and a marker. He started from the bottom of the list, since Y/n was working from the top, but quickly got bored with the task. He started drawing little things on each tag. A dinosaur, a racecar, a horse, a bouquet of flowers, one kid even got a detailed drawing of a deer in a forest.

“How many have you done so I know where to stop?” Y/n asked.

Darry, not looking up from his drawing of a chicken, replied, “Six.”

Y/n looked at him incredulously. “Honey, it’s been twenty minutes.” She looked over at his pile and saw the drawings.

“Darry,” She said, dragging out the last syllable.

He looked up and then looked back down at his drawings.

“Oh.”

“In all fairness I should've seen this coming.” She took a breath while Darry gave her a sheepish grin.

“Sorry? I can redo them,” He started but was cut off.

“No, it's fine. They're actually kind of cute. Here, let me write the last few names and you can sit here and color.” She teased and traded her stack of twenty-five names for his untouched stack of three. She quickly finished the stack, pressed a quick kiss to Darry’s cheek, and stood up. Darry continued drawing while Y/n started pulling out small decorations and arranging them.

It was almost two when Pony and Soda left to go grab lunch.

“What else do you need to do?”

“I don’t know. The space just isn’t right.” She said, frustrated.

“Well, maybe we could rearrange the desks. Give you a better flow.” Darry started moving table groups around until there was enough space to move. “See,” He said after three minutes of rearranging. “This is so much better.” He put his hand on the small of Y/n’s back and led her around the room. “You could even spin around right here if you felt like it.” He took her hand and twirled her. He twirled her right into his arms and started swaying. His voice lowered, and he mumbled, “Could even dance around if ya wanted to.” Y/n rested her head on his shoulder and held his right hand with her left. With the hand that was still on her back, Darry pulled her closer. They lost track of how much time they had been dancing, and neither of them noticed when the boys quietly slipped into the room.

Darry pressed a quick kiss to the side of Y/n’s face.

“You missed, Dar’.”

Darry leaned down for a real kiss.

“Get a room!” Soda exclaimed before throwing a ball of napkins at the couple.

“Technically, this is my room.” Y/n said before pulling Darry into her by his collar.

“So, what you're saying is I can kiss you in this room as much as I want?”

“As much as you want, Cowboy.”

Darry leaned down and closed the gap. He swiped his tongue against her lips and snaked his arms around her waist. Y/n opened her lips and allowed Darry to explore her mouth. She let one hand slide down and settle inside the back pocket of his jeans while the other ran through his hair. Darry let out an over the top groan and pulled away as the sounds of gagging filled his ears. He turned to see his brothers pretending to vomit, and sent them a smirk.

“Just remember, I can always make things worse.” He teased as he let one hand slide in the back pocket of his fiance’s jeans.

[downsobadforthatoneguy]

Superman

Darry Curtis X Reader

a/n : when i listen to morgan wallen i js can’t let anyone be happy. it’s angst wrapped up in more angst with fluff.

summary : Superman is still just a man some times

warnings : descriptions of violence, some language, blood, mentions of alcohol, darry is injured and reader helps clean him up, baby boy starts second guessing himself

—————————————————

It was near ten o’clock and Darrel Curtis was still not home. “He should’ve been home two hours ago,” Y/n played with the hem of her shirt nervously as she muttered to Sodapop. The rest of the gang was at the house and, even though it was a school night and half of them should have been asleep, everyone was awake.

It wasn’t for a lack of trying, however. Of course, Y/n didn’t mean to keep them awake, but she was anxious. Every once in a while, someone would be right on the verge of rest, and she would start talking as a way of coping.

“I just, I don’t like him working jobs on the west side of town, ya know?” She said, causing Steve to bolt awake.

“He’s fine, girl,” TwoBit chimed in. “Besides, it’s not like Superman walks around with a can of grease in one hand and a switch in the other.”

“Plus he’s the biggest guy in town,” Johnny added, trying to calm his friend.

“Shit!” Soda said suddenly. “I forgot to put gas in the truck! He probably ran outta gas and has to walk!”

As if on queue, the sound of keys could be heard jiggling the lock. Y/n stood up, prepared to scold Darry for not calling, and headed for the door. Before she could open her mouth, Darry stumbled in with blood dripping down the side of his head.

The gasp his fiance let out alerted the whole house that something was wrong. Suddenly everyone was wide awake. There was a clatter as a wrench fell out of Darry’s hand and hit the floor while he attempted to grab something to hold on to.

Y/n helped steady him as Soda and Steve each threw an arm around their necks.

“Jeez man, what happened to you?” Dally questioned lazily. The boys set Darry down on the side of the tub in the bathroom.

“Ran outta gas,” He huffed out, his voice strained. “Was walkin’ to a pay phone when these five guys pulled up.” He gave a shaky exhale as Soda started pulling off Darry’s shirt, revealing multiple bruises. “Two of ‘em were big. Bigger than me.” He groaned as the boys stood him up.

“Bub, we gotta get this cleaned,” Soda started, trying to get his brother in the shower.

“Here,” Y/n appeared, first aid kit in hand, along with a glass of water. She handed Darry the glass and watched him drink the whole thing.“I’ve got him. Steve, why don’t you take everyone to the nightly double. Pile up in Two’s car.” Before anyone could protest, she grabbed Soda and Steve by the ears and hauled them out of the bathroom. “I know you want to help him, but you guys bein’ here, watchin’ him ain’t gonna help. Just give me an hour or so to get him cleaned up, then y’all can come back and do whatever.” Soda thought about it before nodding.

“Take care of him, sister.”

“I will.”

Y/n returned to the bathroom to find Darry stripped to his boxers with his head hung in shame.

“Baby, what’s goin’ through that head of yours, hmm?” She asked as she helped him stand up and get in the shower. As he moved, she caught sight of a huge gash on his back. “They got you good, didn’t they,” She said, remorse filling her wavering voice.

“Before I could run, they had backed me into the side of the truck. Started waiting on me. One hit me so hard I was half in the bed of the truck. I felt a knife and I knew I had to do somethin’.” He grabbed the walls to steady himself as the water hit his cut. “Grabbed the wrench from the toolbox and hit the guy who cut me. Others must’a gotten scared by somethin ‘cause they all ran.” His breathing slowed and returned to a slightly normal pace.

“You’re gonna hate me for a second.” Y/n said as she pulled a bottle of alcohol out from under the sink. They kept it there for awful moments like these.

“Stole my money and my keys. I had to walk from there.”

She moved him to where he was out of the water, his body shivering from the loss of contact, and started pouring the solution on his cut. He leaned his head against the wall while his body tensed. Y/n turned off the water and did her best to dry him off without hurting him. He sat on the edge of the tub so she could stitch him up.

“You’re awful quiet for someone whose fiance just showed up late, covered in bruises and cuts.” He teased, voice still rough.

“I was just thinkin’ about the last time I had to stitch you up.”

Darry smiled weakly as his fiance recalled the events.

“You were just so sure that you could still do a cartwheel.”

“Technically I did do a cartwheel,” He rasped.

“Yeah, you did. And then you smacked your head on the coffee table because you did it inside.”

Darry let out a pained laugh and promptly grabbed his side. “No fair, you can’t make me laugh. It hurts.”

She delicately ran her nails through the uninjured side of his scalp. “I’m all done, Dar’,” She said quietly, as if talking any louder would break Darry. She helped him out of the tub and slung one of his arms around her shoulder. Y/n walked him to the bedroom and had just helped Darry sit down when the gang re-entered the house. It was a miracle they came when they did, because she wouldn’t have been able to help him get dressed by herself.

She pulled out a pair of pajama pants and grabbed an undershirt out of his drawer and set it down next to him. “I’m gonna get some help baby, I’ll be right back.”

Darry caught her wrist before she could leave. “Just not the boys.” He meant Soda and Pony, he never wanted them to see him as weak as he felt right now. “Y/n, could you wait until I’m dressed to come back in?” Y/n gave him a confused look but nodded her head. “Just, don’t want you to see me like this,” He mumbled, mortified at the thought of having his girl watch him struggle to put on a pair of pants. He was the strong one, he carried the gang on his shoulders and he did it with pride. Now, his ribs, his legs, and his ego were all bruised. Y/n pressed a light kiss to his cheek before walking out of the room.

Before she had completely closed the door, Soda and Pony were at her side.

“Is he doin’ okay?”

“Does he need to go to the hospital?”

“Can we see him?”

She took the boys into her arms and wrapped them in a hug. “He’ll be okay.” She breathed out. “You can see him in a minute,” She said as she pulled away. “Right now, I need Two-Bit and Johnny,” She looked over at the four members of the gang that sat on the couch and signaled for the two she wanted to come over. “Go sit, I’ll let you know when you can see him.” With that Ponyboy and Sodapop went to sit between Steve and Dally.

Y/n told Two and Johnny what was going on and sent them in to help Darry while she refilled his water glass. As she stood in the kitchen , she finally let her emotions catch up to her. It had been too close of a call. Darry was the strongest guy she knew. Nothing had ever brought him down before. Her mind painted a violent picture of what might’ve happened as silent tears fell down her face. She felt an arm around her and looked to see Soda offering her a reassuring smile.

“He’ll be okay.”

As Soda gave his future sister a tight hug, Johnny and TwoBit emerged from the bedroom. “Y/n,” Twobit called. “He wants ya.”

She untangled herself from Sodapop, grabbed the glass of water, and headed for the room. The door had been left open, and she leaned against the frame and took in the sight of her fiance. He was sitting up, leaning against the headboard with a pillow against his back for support. He was staring blankly ahead while one hand rubbed his eyes.

“Here ya go, Cowboy.” She handed him the drink and sat on the edge of the bed.

He took a small sip, and balanced the glass on the mattress between his knees. “Y’know,” He started, “While I was layin’ there, gettin’ beat, all I could think about was you guys.”

Y/n ran a gentle hand through his hair as she moved to lay beside him. “What were you thinkin’ ‘bout us for?”

“How poorly I’ve done.” His gaze shifted from the wall to the glass. “I mean, hell I sure ain’t been good to Pony. I’m always hollerin’ at him for something. I never let him go out, never let him fool around, it's all business with that boy. And Soda, I never should've let that boy drop out of school. I know he says not graduatin’ don’t bother him none, but it will one day. One day he’s either gonna need that diploma or wish he had it. Then I thought how I shouldn’t’ve let TwoBit drink so much because it’s real bad for him. Then how I shouldn’t’ve let Johnny live with his folks no more. I should’ve went over there the second I found out and walloped his daddy real good and brought Johnny home. And then…” He took a breath and looked at Y/n. “Then I got to thinkin’ about you. ‘N how I never shoulda dragged you into this mess.”

“Darry, what do you mean?”

“I mean, you didn’t sign up to be a mom to two teenagers. You shouldn’t have to work full time to help me raise my brothers and keep the lights on. You should’ve gone off to college and married someone who’ll give ya everything you deserve.”

“Oh, Darry, come on.” Y/n said, mischief laced in her voice. “If I recall correctly, I’m the one who asked you out.”

“In kindergarten, that doesn’t count.”

“I’m also the one who told you that you had to kiss me.”

“Again, we were seven, and it was on the cheek.”

“I’m also the one who said ‘Darrel Shayne Curtis, you better propose one of these days before I get sick of you’.”

“Babe, we were in third grade. It doesn’t count.”

“Darry, if I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t be here. Unfortunately for you, I love you very much and right now, that means taking care of our family. It’s complicated, and it's difficult, and sometimes I want to slap you upside the head. But I love you, and you're stuck with me until we both croak at the same time, face down in our cake.”

“Well that may be true, but it doesn’t change the other two.”

What Darry and Y/n didn’t realize was that when Darry was lamenting about how he screwed up with his brothers, his voice had gotten really loud and everyone in the house heard. They had all been standing at the door, save for Dally who couldn’t be bothered, waiting to see if Y/n would set him straight. When Darry had said that Y/n loving him didn’t change the fact that he ‘failed’, the group barged into the room.

“You didn’t screw up!”

“It ain’t your fault I like to drink!”

“I was goin’ to drop out, with or without permission bub.”

“It’s not your fault, Dar’.”

“How come you didn’t say anything about me?”

Darry let out a pained chuckle at Steve’s comment and bit back a sarcastic reply.

Ponyboy and Soda walked around to the other side of the bed and sat next to their older brother, whose left eye was starting to swell.

“Darry,” Pony started, “You ain’t been awful, we just need to find a way to talk to each other.”

“Damn straight,” Soda muttered under his breath. “And leavin’ school was my choice. Just like leavin’ college was your choice. I could’ve let you flounder to raise Pony, but I didn’t want to and hated school anyway.” Both brothers wrapped their arms around Darry.

Darry let a few tears escape from his eyes before sniffing and wiping them away.

The mood had lightened when Steve asked again, “Why wasn’t I included in your last moments thoughts?” He paused before gasping. “Wait, this means Darry thinks I’m the perfect kid! Aww shucks, thanks pa.” He teased.

[downsobadforthatoneguy]

Sodapop Curtis was a backpack leash kid.

[downsobadforthatoneguy]

Had Me by Halftime

Darry Curtis x Reader

a/n : i had no clue where this story was going until the end, now i wanna write a whole book. lmk if i should do a part 2

summary : 2.6k darry is a football star with bad grades and a terrible attention span

warnings : slight angst if you squint, twobit matthews, football injury, a few curse words, dally smokes, that should be it

four years after the book, but dally and johnny are alive because i refuse to acknowledge the ending

——————————————————————

This is it,” Soda said, setting a moving box down. “Our little boy is all grown up.” He wiped a fake tear from his eye and pulled Ponyboy into his side. “What ever will we do without Darrel? We’re empty nesters, Pony,” As Soda talked, his voice donned that of a southern belle.

“We can always adopt,” Pony played along.

Darry rolled his eyes as he shoved his suitcase under the loft bed. “Guys, I’m literally ten minutes from the house.”

“It’s not the same,” With that, Soda started to fake sob and threw his arms around his brother.

“Knock it off before I tan your hide,” his older brother warned as another guy entered the room.

“Hi! I’m Mike, looks like I’m your roommate!” This guy was way too eager to be here. He was younger than Darry, probably fresh out of high school. He wore thick glasses and still had braces.

“Hey,” Darry said as he offered his hand. Mike gave him a limp handshake and got to unpacking the one box he had brought up. The boys cleared out, and before Darry knew it, move in day was over.

Over the course of the next week, Darry had gone to every class, taken thorough notes, and was determined to pull a Ponyboy and pass with flying colors. What he was most excited for were the football tryouts. He had been going to the gym since he shoved the application in the mailbox. That had been nine months ago. Now, he was ready to take down an entire defensive line. He wasn’t sure if the fact that he was older gave him an edge, or put him at a disadvantage. If he played all four years, he would be close to thirty. But that was an issue for later.

When Darry walked onto the football field, he felt at home. He knew right then, that he had to make the team. So he went over to the sign-in table, wrote his name on the slip of paper, and went to the locker room to change.

The day was brutal. He did drill after drill, ran play after play, and did workout after workout. He was sore and he was tired and he loved every second of it.

At the end of the night, the coach called out the names of all the players that had made it. The first name he read off the list was “Curtis, Darrel.”

Darry was practically buzzing with excitement. He went back to the locker room, showered and changed, then found the nearest payphone to call his brothers.

“Tulsa County Morgue, you stab ‘em, we bag ‘em…” Soda’s voice teased on the other line.

“Sodapop Curtis, that is no way to answer the future quarterback of the Golden Hurricane!”

There was cheering on the other end and all the members of the gang congratulated Darry before his time ran out.

“Okay, I gotta go. I wanna call Pony before he goes to sleep.”

They said their goodnights and hung up the phone.

The phone rang about four times before Ponyboy picked it up.

“Hey,” said a tired voice, “This is Ponyboy.”

“Hey, Pon’. It's Darry.”

“Hey Darry, what’s goin’ on? Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I was just callin’ to tell ya I made the team.”

“Oh, congrats.” The line was quiet as Pony tried to figure out what to say. “Better not cause your grades to slip, sir.”

“Oh I wouldn’t dream of it,” Darry teased back.

“I’m proud of you, Dar’.”

“Proud of you too little buddy.”

They said goodnight and both brothers went to bed not long after.

About two weeks into the season, Darry’s grades started slipping. If he didn’t get them under control, he would lose his spot on the team. So Darry - headstrong, ‘No, I can do it by myself’ Darry - did the only thing he could think of. He asked for help.

He was matched with a study partner about two years younger than him. He walked into the library at their assigned meeting time and he knew that this would probably lead to a further decline in his grades. She was beautiful. Darry hadn’t seen a girl like that, ever.

“Hi! I’m Y/n.” She stuck her hand out to him and gave him a smile that made him feel weak.

“Darrel,” He took her hand, and felt electricity coursing through his veins as he shook her hand. “But, everyone calls me Darry.” He sent her a crooked smile. They sat down and she got straight to business. Darry, made an honest attempt at studying, he really did. He would read a page from his textbook, jot some notes down, look up, forget everything, rinse and repeat.

“Look, you look like you’ve got this whole, studyin’ thing down, but I can't for the life of me remember what I’m readin’.” Darry said, honest as he could without saying ‘You're a babe and you're distracting me’. “Could ya maybe give me some pointers?”

Y/n laughed and moved her chair so that she was no longer across from him, but next to him.

“What I do, when I’m with a partner, is I read out loud and then I’ll have them ask me a question from that section.” She read a paragraph out loud and waited for Darry to ask her a question. He thought for a minute before asking something easy, which she answered without skipping a beat.

“Alright now you go.”

He read a whole page out loud, completely unaware that Y/n had been checking him out while he was distracted. His voice was smooth and he had the slightest drawl to his words. It was fantastic. She was caught, however, when Darry finished and said, “Alright, ask me anything.”

She had to swallow her pride and admit her crimes. “I’m so sorry. I got a little… distracted.”

“Oh, did ya now?” Darry let the smirk on his face grow as he turned his body to be facing her.

“Well there's no need to let it go to your head.”

“You’re right. Alright you read a section from your book.”

Unfortunately, Y/n didn’t know him well enough to detect the hint of mischief in his voice. She read about three paragraphs before he interrupted her.

“Okay, question time. “

“Really? I didn’t finish the sec-”

“Will you go out with me?”

“-tion, I still have three more.. Wait what?”

Darry gave her a real smile.

“Will you go out with me?” He tilted his head slightly and leaned back in his chair. Y/n felt her cheeks flush and she smiled.

“I would love to. Now shut up and let me finish this section.”

Darry grinned and listened to every word that flew out of her mouth.

By the end of the study session, Darry had a date and a better understanding of the inner workings of the stock market.

It had been three months filled with studying, football, and dates. Nothing too extravagant. They were both broke college students. It was the Cotton Bowl, the big game for the year. It was the Golden Hurricane against the Longhorns. Tulsa held the record for the season, all thanks to the star quarterback, Darrel Curtis. As the team took the field, the Hurricanes on their home turf, the crowd chanted his number, sixteen. The whole gang had shown up to support Darry, even Dally was there, though he refused to admit that he was cheering as loud as the gang would later say he was. Ponyboy had driven up from Rice University in Texas.

Everyone in the gang knew Darry had been seeing someone. He came home less and less and when he did come visit, he was distracted. Steve had been the one to call him on it.

“Will you stop smilin’? It's weird seein’ you all happy. I miss the grumpy Darry, he was so easy to piss off.”

Sodapop had snuck down to the field with Twobit to ask Darry questions about her.

“C’mon Darry. It’s not like we're gonna chase her with a pitchfork. We just want to know where she’s at!”

Unfortunately for Darry, Y/n had just made her way down to wish him luck.

“Hey quarterback!”

He turned to find her leaning over the railing. He jogged over and stood on the bench that sat below the stands. She pulled him up by the collar of his jersey and smashed her lips against his.

“For good luck. Now go win this thing.”

While the couple had been more or less making out, Sodapop was waving his arms in the air, catching the attention of the gang. He pointed to Darry and the girl in the #16 home team jersey. While he did that, Two-bit turned his back to the gang and pretended to make out by running his hands up and down his sides. Suddenly, a gruff, deep voice hollered, “You ain’t supposed to be down here are ya?” Soda and Two-bit turned to see a security guard behind them.

“Uhh,” They were both grabbed by the arms and escorted to their seats. Darry laughed as he watched them get dragged away.

“You sure you still want to meet those freaks?” He asked Y/n.

“Yeah, I gotta see why you act the way you do.” She teased.

He glared in mock annoyance before giving her one more kiss and running back to his team, who were now in a huddle.

Three hours later and it all came down to this. 22-27. All Darry needed was one touch down. It was the fourth down with five seconds on the clock, and they were out of timeouts.

“Okay, don’t puke,” He muttered to himself. “Just throw the damn ball.” With one last look to Y/n in the crowd, he got ready. Then came the snap. He dodged a tackle, did a spin, spotted his teammate in the endzone, and let it fly. It was the most perfect pass Darry had made all season. Before he could watch his receiver catch the ball, a linebacker hit him like a freight train. He was flat on his back.

Through the ringing of his ears, Darry could hear the roar of the crowd, chanting his name. He heard the pounding of cleats running towards him and he heard the announcer yell “Touchdown!”

He tried sitting up, but he felt a sharp wave of pain shoot up his body. He forced himself to stand. Even with the world seeming to spin, Darry felt tall. His teammates had formed a circle around him and had hoisted him onto their shoulders. He let out a groan of pain that was misinterpreted as a cheer.

The gang had rushed to the field as Y/n headed for the locker room, where she usually went after his games. Darry’s teammates and coach had set him down and were all cheering and slapping him on the shoulder. One slap on his left shoulder sent him to the ground as his vision went white. His arm was visibly swelling and, upon closer inspection, was bent at a weird angle. Before anyone else could get to him, a team of medics circled like hawks. They helped him stand and sit on a stretcher, before moving him into the locker room.

The bright lights made his head throb while he was asked question after question. He attempted to blink away the sick feeling in his stomach while they asked him if he knew who the president was.

“You got lucky, kid,” One medic chimed in. “Could’ve ended up a lot worse.”

Darry ignored the medic as he leaned against the wall. His breathing, once ragged and uneven, was now slow and shallow.

The locker room door opened, and in walked Y/n. She shoved through the crowd of coaches and medics until she was face to face with Darry.

“Hey, quarterback.” She said quietly, almost a whisper, as she examined the man slumped against the wall. His shoulder pads had been taken off, along with his cleats and his helmet.

“I’m alright, don’t you worry your pretty little head ‘bout me.” He said, his voice rough. His body betrayed him by wincing as one medic started to touch his arm.

“You’re not alright.” She crouched in front of him and rested a hand on his knee.

“Won the game, though.” He sent her a crooked grin and was met with Y/n fighting a grin off her face.

“Either way, you need to go to the ER. At minimum an X-ray, maybe even surgery.”

“You and I both know I can’t afford to miss class.” He teased. Then his tone shifted and his voice lowered and a hint of shame was evident in his body language as his eyes met the floor. “I sure as hell can’t afford surgery.”

“Darry,” Y/n stood up and ran her manicured fingers through his hair. “We’ll figure it out.”

As Darry opened his mouth to argue, the door opened again and a stampede of greasy haired boys barged in. Ponyboy first, followed closely by Sodapop, then came in Two-Bit, Steve, Johnny, and Dally. The only way you could tell Dally was concerned was the way he lit a cigarette and offered it to Darry, who smiled and shook his head no.

“Darry!” Ponyboy shouted, not realizing that when he yelled it made Darry’s head spin. “What happened?”

“Took a hit, I’m fine.” Darry used his fake calm voice. It was the one he used when he was trying to make his brothers believe everything was okay. The one he used when social services threatened to put the boys in a home. When Pony was in high school, it worked. But now, looking at his brother, the strong facade wouldn’t have convinced Pony that the sky was blue.

“Darry, your bone is about to break through your skin!” Steve blurted out, pointing to a painful lump on Darry’s arm where the bone had split. Everyone fell silent, then finally realized there was a girl running her hands through Darry’s hair. She gave everyone a nervous smile.

“This the one?” Soda asked, a mischievous smile playing at his lips.

“Yeah, she’s the one.” Darry said, eyes shutting as the medic started positioning his arm. He leaned his head against the wall and grit his teeth.

“Hi,” Y/n said. “You must be the infamous gang of delinquents.”

Without missing a beat, Two-bit replied, “I love her.”

Pony turned to Y/n and asked, “You takin’ him to the hospital?”

“Well, I’m tryin’, but he’s bein’ stubborn.”

The whole gang feigned shock.

“Darry? No!”

“I’m shocked!”

“Darry? Not wanting to get help?”

“This is groundbreaking news!”

If his body would let him, he would have chucked every shoulder pad and helmet within arms reach at his idiot friends.

“I can drive!” Steve offered, and he was met with a chorus of ‘no’s .

After much deliberation, it was decided. Pony would ride in the ambulance with Darry and Y/n. Soda would drive Johnny, Steve, Two, and Dally in a car behind the ambulance. The medics loaded Darry onto the stretcher carefully and started walking towards the ambulance. Y/n grabbed Darry’s uninjured hand and traced delicate patterns on it as the vehicle started the drive to the hospital.

“I’m sorry,” Darry said, the silence eating him alive.

“Sorry for what, baby?”

“Sorry for makin’ ya worry,” Darry said quietly. “For screwin’ up.”

Y/n pushed a stray hair out of his face and gave him a reassuring smile.

“Baby, you didn’t screw up nothin’. Hell Darry, despite everything, you won for your team. On top of everything else, you, my sweet, loving, stubborn, headstrong boyfriend, asked for help. Far as I'm concerned, you didn’t screw up, you grew up.”

“You make me sound like quite the catch,” He joked, letting out a laugh.

“Yeah, well, you make it pretty damn easy.”

[downsobadforthatoneguy]

Cafe Cuties Part ii

Darry Curtis x reader

⋆⭒˚｡⋆ read part i here ⋆⭒˚｡⋆

a/n : this is part two to my earlier post of the same name. it can be read as a stand alone, but if you wanted more, it does exist.

summary : darry is one hot handyman

warnings : i’m sure there’s a few curse words in there, talk of darry’s parents accident but not really, i probably missed something but idk

3.2k

——————————————————

It had been raining in Tulsa for two weeks straight. That meant that Y/n had been dealing with a leak coming from her ceiling for three days. Luckily, the storms were supposed to stop for a few days before inevitably starting back up.

Y/n had given her number to Darry Curtis three weeks ago. They talked on the phone almost everyday since and had gone out four times. She thought it might be a little bit early in the relationship to call in a favor, but she didn’t really have a choice.

“Hi, is Darry there?” She asked into the phone.

“It’s me,” a deep voice replied. A voice far too deep to be Darry. “You must be the girlfriend I can’t stop talking about.” Y/n let out a soft laugh as she listened to, whoever it was, joke. “Don’t worry about me, I’m just standing around, flexing my mus-” The phone fell to the floor and Y/n could hear boisterous laughter on the other end.

“Run Steve run!”

“He’s gonna kill you!”

“I’m gonna kill that kid one day.”

Y/n stifled her giggles as Darry picked up the phone.

“Hey, what' s goin’ on?”

“Hey, not much. Listen, I need to ask a favor, that is, if you're not too busy flexing your muscles.”

She heard Darry let out a soft chuckle before he replied.

“What do you need? I can be there in ten minutes.”

“My ceiling has a leak and I don’t know what to do about it besides stick a bowl under it and hope it doesn’t ruin my floors.”

“Okay. I’ll be there soon!”

They said their goodbyes, but before the phone hung up, Y/n could hear Darry being teased by his brothers.

“Be there in ten? She must give really good-”

Ten minutes later, true to his word, Darrel Curtis knocked on the door. When Y/n opened her front door, she was greeted with the sight of her favorite greaser in work jeans and a black muscle tee. He had a tool box in one hand and a bucket in the other.

“Wow, I didn’t really think you’d be out here flexing your muscles.” Y/n teased as she stepped aside to let Darry come in.

“Yeah, well, I thought I'd give the ceiling a show,” He said with a crooked smile. He looked over at the pink mixing bowl sitting on the floor. He followed the water drip up to a small hole on the ceiling. “Looks like I’m going to need in your attic, if that's alright.”

“Oh, well I never did get around to organizing anything up there…” Y/n replied sheepishly.

“Oh yea,” Darry questioned, a smirk growing on his lips. “What could possibly need organizing up there?”

“Uh, old clothes, Christmas decorations, my dignity, who’s to say.”

Darry let out a laugh as he walked towards the ladder leading to his attic. He grabbed his flashlight out of his tool box and climbed out of sight.

Y/n leaned against the ladder, smiling to herself. ‘Well it's official,’ she thought, ‘I’m falling for this big strong man who knows how to fix things and make me laugh.’

While Y/n was having her revelation, Darry was inspecting the attic. There had been more damage than he had thought. He climbed back down the ladder to find Y/n in the kitchen, whisking something together in a bowl while a pot of coffee brewed.

“I hope you actually know more about ceilings than I do,” She called as she heard him approach.

“Well, I know enough to tell you that this could turn into a longer job than I thought.” He said, leaning against her pink tile countertop.

“What do you mean,” She asked as she turned to face him, wiping a stray hair out of her face in the process.

“You have roof damage.” He said bluntly. “I have to take off the damaged shingles, hopefully I’ll be able to replace some of them, and then the leak shouldn’t be too bad. But that’s an all day job.” He inspected her face as she took in all the information. ‘Damn she looks real pretty when she’s thinkin’,” He thought. Suddenly, the gears started turning and he had a wonderful idea. “Look, I would hate to think of you stayin’ in some leaky house when there's a chance of another storm comin’ in,” He started, and Y/n could hear the slight mischief in his voice. “So, what if you decided to come over and stay the night at my place.” This time, it was Y/’s turn to let her face flush. Darry finally let the smirk settle on his mouth as he said, “Looks like a plan to me.” He grabbed his tool box, headed outside to his ladder and got to work.

Darry worked for hours, coming inside every once in a while to drink some coffee and talk, or use the bathroom. The sun started going down while Y/n packed her overnight bag. This was a serious situation she had gotten herself into. She called her best friend, Lena.

“What should I pack?”

“Cute pajamas. You don’t want him to see you while you're in a ratty shirt with holes just yet.” Her friend teased.

“You’re right, that's much more of a date seven outfit.” Y/n joked back. She stuffed her cute pajama pair into her bag and started rummaging through her closet.

“Look, if he’s really into you, which it sounds like he is, it won’t really matter what you're wearing. But… you should definitely wear your brown plaid dress. The one where the sleeves stop at your shoulder?”

Y/n pulled out the dress her friend was talking about. It was her favorite dress, after all. She packed it, along with her brown boots that would match. “Okay, I think I’m good now.”

“Okay girl! Go get in that boy’s–”

“Hey,” Darry’s sudden appearance caused Y/n to drop the phone.

“Jeez! Don’t scare me like that.” She joked and lightly slapped his chest. She picked up the phone and whispered a goodbye to her friend.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” He laughed as he held his hands up in defense. “Are you ready to go?” A smile played at his lips as he waited for her response.

“Yeah, let's get outta here, sugar.”

Darry grabbed her bag and carried it to the truck. It was at this moment that Y/n watched him walk ahead. ‘Damn he looks good carrying my things,’ She thought as she watched the way his arms flexed as he swung the bag onto his shoulder and made a mental note to make him carry things more often. They got in the truck, which Y/n didn’t remember looking so clean earlier, and drove to Darry’s house, talking the whole way.

As they pulled up to the house, Darry realized that he never had an opportunity to tell the boys they were having company, let alone the girl Darry was crazy about. As he mentally jumped off a cliff, Darry climbed out of the truck and said, “Give me, like two minutes?” As soon as Y/n gave him a knowing nod, he bolted inside.

“Look, we have company. Y/n has to stay the night because of the leak. So straighten up the living room as fast as you can!” Darry looked around as his brothers laid on the couch, various members of the gang sat on the couch, and he felt his palms become clammy. He picked up the nearest book and chucked it at Soda. “Let's go!” Suddenly the boys got into gear and picked up everything in the living room. Whether it was the fact that they wanted to help their brother, or the fact that the last time Darry was this stressed he made the boys sleep outside, they started helping. However, none of that meant that they couldn’t make Darry sweat in front of his lady friend.

Darry went back outside and opened Y/n’s truck door. “Oh, what a gentleman,” Y/n teased as she accepted his hand to help her out.

They were almost to the front door when one of the boys appeared. “Well well well,” He said, in the worst french accent he could muster. “Welcome to our humble boat! My name is Captain Sodapop” As he said this, he opened the screen door.

“It’s ‘humble abode’, you idiot,” another joked from inside.

“Leave me alone, Ponyboy.”

Darry grimaced and felt his heartbeat accelerate. Just as he was about to open his mouth, he heard Y/n laugh, so he decided to let it slide. The couple walked into the house.

“Damn, Darry, you didn’t say she was a babe!” Y/n felt her cheeks heat up and she stifled a laugh as she looked up at Darry.

“Hey, would you look at that? It’s getting late. Time for everyone who doesn’t live here, or doesn’t have a leaky roof,” He smiled down at Y/n, “to clear out.” With one sharp look from Darry, the four gang members left the house for the night.

After an interesting dinner, where Sodapop asked far too many questions about Darry’s girl, the younger brothers cleared out for the night.

Darry chewed the inside of his cheek as he looked at the old, beerstained couch. It was not nearly as nice as Y/n’s ruffled white one. “Sorry to say this is the best I can offer you.”

“Oh whatever. You show up, save the day by fixing my roof, then you feed me dinner, and give me a place to stay. An old couch is not a big deal.” Y/n smiled up at Darry as she snaked her hands around his sides. Darry let his hand find her hip and he pulled her closer. He looked into her eyes and his mind started to panic. What if this was too soon? What if she broke up with him after this? What if his brothers were too weird during dinner? What if she hated his cooking? What if-

Darry was pulled from his destructive train of thought by a kiss to his cheek.

“Let me go find you some blankets,” He breathed out, holding her for a moment longer before breaking off.

He walked over to the closet and found one, thin, shrimpy little blanket. There was no way she would be warm. So he went into his bedroom, pulled the quilt off his bed, dropped the crappy one on his, and brought the quilt to the living room. He made up the couch the best he could before giving her a kiss on the forehead and saying goodnight.

He walked back to his room, put on his pajama pants, and crawled into bed. He suddenly felt too warm for the sad little blanket.

A loud clap of thunder awoke Darry from his sleep. He let out a low groan and ran a hand over his face. It could not be time to wake up. He reached for the clock on his nightstand and tried to read the time. It was too dark in his room, so he gave up. He laid in bed and stared at the ceiling for about ten minutes before getting up. He put on a pair of socks before quietly walking out of his room. He peeked inside his brothers’ room to find them snoring through the storm. Knowing they were okay, Darry walked into the kitchen. He made himself a glass of water, and leaned against the counter.

“Dar’?” A quiet, soft voice clashed with the rain pounding against the house.

“Yeah, it’s me.” Darry walked towards the couch where Y/n was, now sitting up. She patted the spot next to her and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “I didn’t mean to wake ya’,” He said quietly.

“You didn’t, it was the thunder.” Y/n turned in her spot so she was sitting with her legs crossed, facing Darry.

“It sounds like it's goin’ to blow the whole house down.”

“Well lucky us, you know how to fix it.”

Darry smirked and pulled her legs onto his lap. “I don’t know about that. I just specialise in pretty girl’s roofs.” He let out a quiet laugh and said “Hell, we might have to stay at your place.”

“Well, I only have one couch, and one bed…” Y/n trailed off.

“Oh, well I’m great at sharing,” Darry teased.

Y/n giggled and laid down, legs still resting on Darry’s lap. His hand started to trace invisible patterns on her calf.

“Y’know, I never cared for thunder storms like this,” He admitted.

“How come?”

“I don’t really know. I guess, when I was a kid, the thunder used to scare me. I would hide in my parents room. Spend the whole night next to my mom. Then, one night after the accident, there was this godawful storm.” He paused and took a breath. “The power went out and then next thing I knew, I had Ponyboy and Sodapop in my room. I don’t know. I didn’t really know how to comfort them like my mom used to.” By the time Darry had finished his story Y/n was sitting up next to him, running a hand through his hair.

“Oh Darry, I’m so sorry.”

“Ain’t your fault. It's kinda nice havin’ someone to tell all this stuff to.”

They sat in silence for a while as Darry pulled the quilt around them and wrapped an arm around Y/n’s shoulders. After a few more minutes Darry said, “I should go back to bed.” Before he could get up, Y/n caught his wrist and looked into his eyes in the darkness.

“Will you stay until I go back to sleep?”

“Of course.” Darry let himself get comfortable as Y/n rested against him. Soon, they both drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

It was near seven thirty when Sodapop dropped the skillet on the floor. Both Darry and Y/n awoke with a startle and Darry nearly elbowed Y/n in the face when he jumped to his feet.

“Sorry! Sorry!” Soda exclaimed when he saw the look on his brother's face.

“Well, if they're awake, that means I can turn on the TV,” Two said as he sat in front of the TV and started flipping through channels.

“Yeah, and I can finally make fun of them to their faces,” Dally joked. One nasty glare from Darry was all it took to shut him up.

“I should go get dressed.” Y/n excused herself and went into the bathroom to get ready.

Darry walked into the kitchen and grabbed two mugs out of the cabinet. “If you lot say anything rude, you’ll find yourself outside with a black eye faster than you can say ‘It was Sodapop’,” Darry said as he poured coffee into the mugs. The gang nodded, knowing Darry would never do anything in front of company. About ten minutes later, Y/n emerged from the bathroom with her outfit on and her makeup done.

“See Soda, not even a woman takes as long in the bathroom as you do.” Steve teased.

Y/n laughed and found a spot standing next to Darry in the kitchen. He was dressed in jeans and a blue sweatshirt covered his muscles. ‘That’s unfortunate,’ Y/n thought to herself. His hair wasn’t greased the way it normally was, and with the way it poofed, it made him look younger. He didn’t look like an exhausted thirty five year old dad, he looked like a twenty three year old kid.

“You plannin’ on going out in that?” Darry questioned, a smirk on his face.

“Well, I wasn’t thinkin’ it was going to rain,” she teased.

Darry offered her a plate of cake and was silently grateful that Ponyboy had made it this time. After they ate and finished their coffee, it was time to get back to work.

“Here,” Darry said as he handed her a leather coat. “It’s too cold for you to not have somethin’ on your shoulders.”

She smiled as he helped her put it on. It was a tad big on her, but it smelled like Darry.

They ran outside to the truck as the rain slowly sprinkled.

“Let’s hope I did a better job patching your roof than the last guy.” Darry huffed as he drove to Y/n’s house.

They got to the house, got inside, shook all the rain off their coats and checked the leak.

“Hey! There’s no water in the bowl! You did it Dar!” Y/n threw her arms around him and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Aw, it was nothin’. Really,” Darry said as his face flushed. “Now I just have to patch the inside, shouldn’t take too long.” Darry climbed up the ladder, toolbox in hand. He had pulled out his flash light when he heard a pair of footsteps follow him up the ladder.

“What are you doin’?”

“I’m gonna help. Never know, one day you might have a leaky roof and I’ll have to come over and fix it for ya.”

Darry laughed and watched as she sat down on a crate next to his toolbox. “How about you hand me tools and cheer me on and I’ll do all the manual labor.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

As Darry replaced drywall and patched holes, the pair joked and talked about anything and everything.

“Okay, so what’s in the mysterious box in that corner?” Darry asked, pointing to a box labeled ‘Secret Stash’.

“Oh you know, just your average drug dealer supplies.” Y/n said lazily. She laughed before giving him a real answer. “My friend thought it would be funny to write that on my book box. She used to say I had a reading addiction. Just her way of gettin’ in one last joke before I left.”

“And what did you leave?”

“Well, let me start by sayin’, my folks aren’t bad people. They never hit me, or said mean things to me. But they were constantly changing their minds about things. ‘Go to college, no stay here and take care of us. Date that boy he’s sweet, break up with him I never liked him anyway. Get a job, you’re always workin!’” Y/n took a breath. “It was too much. So, I talked to my friend, who said she had family out here lookin’ for employees. I hopped on a train and now here I am.”

Darry, now finished with the ceiling, looked over at Y/n, suddenly very grateful that his parents had been firm and unwavering. He leaned in close and said, “I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”

“It’s nothing really. Tell ya what, it’s nice havin’ someone to tell all this stuff to.” She said, echoing his words from before.

Darry rested his forehead against Y/n’s. Their lips were centimeters apart when someone started banging on the door.

“Darry,” Soda’s voice called. “You in here?”

“We should get that.” Y/n whispered, her lips brushing his.

“He’ll survive,” Darry whispered back, and closed the gap.

[downsobadforthatoneguy]

Mama Don’t Get Dressed Up For Nothing

Darry Curtis x reader

Okay so I was listening to Brooks and Dunn and this was the result

summary : Darry likes being bossed around

warnings : i can’t write dancing scenes so yall gotta make it up in your head, but that’s about it

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The last time that Darry Curtis had taken his girlfriend out was too long ago to remember. It wasn’t entirely his fault. He did work two jobs and take care of his family, and it wasn’t like Y/n could afford to go out all the time, either. However, in order for a couple to grow, they sometimes need to spend time together without Ponyboy asking for help with his ‘stupid’ art project. Or without Dallas making innuendos at their expense. Or without Soda asking ‘Mom, dad, how are babies made?’. To remedy this, the couple made a secret savings jar where they stored money that they would use on dates.

So when the jar was about half full, Y/n decided it was time to get out of the house for a little bit. She did her hair, put on the dress Darry bought her two years ago, put on the perfume that made his knees weak, and marched into the living room. The sight of her was met with whoops and hollers. Soda started clapping, leading to the faintest blush on Darry’s cheeks.

“Alright, Superman, get off of that couch.” She said as she grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet.

“Where we goin’?” Darry questioned as he slid his hands around her waist, a smirk on his face.

“Youre the man of the house,” She replied. “You had better think of somethin’.” She pressed a quick kiss to his lips, earning noises of disgust from the other boys. “Y’know, mama don’t get dressed up for nothing.” She winked as she walked away, returning to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

Darry stood still, staring after her while the tips of his ears turned bright red. He was snapped out of his daze by Two proposing marriage to his girl.

“Dar, you had better get dressed before the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse steals your woman.” Soda joked. Darry walked to his room and found an outfit already laying on his bed, accompanied by a note that read “Let’s go dancing, Cowboy”. He smiled to himself as he changed clothes. He used the comb on his dresser to tame his hair as he walked towards the bathroom.

“All done, waitin’ on you pretty boy,” Y/n teased as she walked to the living room to sit with the boys.

Darry chuckled to himself as he added extra grease to his hair. “C’mon man! Steve is making a move on your girl!” Ponyboy yelled. As he did, Darry appeared in the living room with his clean button down shirt tucked into his nice pants. The boys cheered and pretended to swoon as he walked to the couch to put his boots on.

“He’s just so strong and handsome!” Soda said in the highest pitch his voice would allow.

“And easy on the eyes.”

“Would ya look at those muscles.”

Darry rolled his eyes and fought the smile that crept at the corners of his mouth. “Ready to go, sweetheart?” He asked as he pulled Y/n up from her spot on the couch. She kissed his jaw and pulled him towards the door. Darry used his free hand to grab the keys and his wallet while his lady led him to the door.

“Alright, give it up for mom and dad!” Ponyboy yelled as the gang started cheering. This led to Darry pulling Y/n flush against him. His hand that held the keys and wallet was now firm against her back. His free hand tipped her chin up, towards his face. He leaned down and connected his lips to hers. He let his tongue dart out of his mouth and push against Y/n’s lips when Soda cleared his throat. They pulled apart and attempted to listen to him.

“Okay kids, don’t stay out too late and remember to use protection.”

“Jeez!”

“Soda I’m tryin’ to eat here!”

“Gross!”

The couple laughed as the gang hurled insults and pillows at Sodapop.

Before they knew it, they were in a bar, downtown, dancing to Patsy Cline. Darry held Y/n close to his chest, swaying gently to the music. They had already danced to three fast songs and were glad for something slow.

“Y’know, I think that I fall in love with you a little more every day,” Darry whispered in her ear, and y/n smiled and leaned into him.

“I love you Dar’.”

“I love you, darlin’.”

[downsobadforthatoneguy]

HC that one time, Twobit, Steve, and Soda took Darry to a karaoke bar as a joke. They told him something like “This new sports bar opened up and they’re playing the football game, let’s go.” Darry was in shock when he got there. Twobit was the first to sing. It was for sure something ridiculous. Steve and Soda did a duet. Darry refused to sing. At some point the three lost Darry. Last time they saw him, he was working on his third drink. Next thing they know, Darry is on stage singing his heart out to Neon Moon. Soda has one polaroid from that night. They aren’t allowed to talk about it. Darry threatened to hit them all with his truck if they ever mentioned it in front of anyone else.

[downsobadforthatoneguy]

Cafe Cutie

Darry Curtis x Reader

⋆⭒˚｡⋆ read part ii here ⋆⭒˚｡⋆

Darry is my fav, and lowkey there aren’t enough fics for my man, so here’s a lil drabble

726 wc

warnings : n/a

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Darry let out a small groan of annoyance as the sunlight streamed in through the curtains. ‘One day, one day where I can sleep ‘til noon,’ He thought. He rolled over onto his side to shield his face from the rays of light. ‘Two more minutes and I’ll get up.’

“Soda! Stop using all the hot water!”

“It’s literally my house!”

“And?”

Maybe two more minutes wasn’t in the cards for him.

Darry swung his legs over the side of the bed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He got dressed, suddenly glad he had showered last night, and walked into the kitchen. He was met with the sight of the Pony and Johnny eating breakfast at the table, while Steve pounded on the bathroom door yelling at Soda. He looked at the couch and saw Two laying down, cake in one hand, a beer in the other, watching cartoons. In the corner, Dally sat drinking something, Darry hoped was coffee, out of a mug, flicking his cigarette at Two. Darry made a mental plan in his head to avoid dealing with everyone, get coffee and go sit on the porch until he had to leave. Again, life had its own plan. The coffee pot was empty, there were no more coffee beans, and there was one, tiny sliver of cake left on the plate.

He closed his eyes, knuckles gripping the countertop, and let out a breath. “Hey Superman!” Twobit called. “Here’s the five bucks I owe you from the football game.” He tossed a wad of cash at Darry, whose bad mood was now dissipating as he recalled the bet he made.

It was nearly a week ago. The whole gang was going to miss the OK Chiefs V the Cowboys game. So Darry decided to tape it and they would all watch later. Well Darry had gotten home sooner than he expected and caught the last fifteen minutes of the game. When the gang got together to watch the tape, Darry started making bets that seemed crazy, so Two-Bit agreed to the wager and lost every time, believing that Darry was, in fact, every bit the football god he had been in high school.

Now, with five dollars in his hands, Darry decided to go to the coffee shop on his way to work. He put his work boots on and ran a hand through his hair before telling the boys he would see them later and to please for the love of god do the dishes.

A few minutes later, Darry found himself in a quiet cafe about five minutes away from his job site. There were only a few people seated inside, most of them reading or filling out paperwork. Behind the counter, the prettiest lady Darry had ever seen was making coffee. Suddenly, his brain chucked itself out the window and he forgot why he was there in the first place.

“Hi, how can I help you?” The lady asked.

‘Why did I come in here? Oh shit yea-‘

“One cup of black coffee, please.”

“Of course!” She got started on pouring his cup. “Anything else, sugar?”

“Uhm, maybe a bagel?”

“No, do you want sugar in your coffee?”

Darry’s ears went pink. There was no possible way.

“Oh, uh, no thank you.” He put the five dollars on the counter and tugged at his collar. ‘There is no way that this is happening to me.’

“Do you still want that bagel, darling,” The girl giggled.

Okay, so now she was just playing with him.

“Yes, thank you ma’am.”

She handed him his coffee and put the bagel in the toaster. “It comes out to, $2.47.”

Darry handed her the money and sat down after she gave him his change. He couldn’t stop, why did he think she was flirting with him. First pretty girl he sees and he’s lost his mind. A minute later, the girl called out “Darry?” and he walked over to the counter. “See you next time, sugar!” He smiled and took the paper bag from her. As he climbed in his truck, he noticed some writing on the bag.

It read,

‘Next time, you get to make me flustered, Sugar - y/n from the coffee shop, xxx-xxx-xxxx’ with a little heart drawn next to it.

Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad after all.

[downsobadforthatoneguy]

Lorelai’s Sister Meeting Max Medina HC’s

a/n : so i actually hate what they did to Max Medina because i LOVED him and then they trainwrecked his character. so this is an attempt to undo what they did

warnings : n/a

• You’re Lorelai’s slightly younger sister, only like by two years

• You went to college but moved in with Lorelai to help her raise Rory

• You got a teaching degree and work at Stars Hollow High

• when Rory transferred, you helped prepare her for everything

• At a Friday night dinner, Emily is trying to make a point about how she is more on top of Rory’s schedule that Lorelai, so you step in

• “Oh actually I saw the newsletter and thought I would go to give Lorelai a break. Totally my fault.”

• She finds another way to roast you guys

• So you both go to parents night

• You’re admiring a book on the shelf when a cute guy behind you goes “that’s one of my favorite books”

• You both flirt a little, then it’s time for the meeting and he’s like “Hi, I’m Mr.Medina, I’m the English teacher…” and continues to yap for about forty minutes to all the parents

• Your sister teases you about it

• The next week there was a flyer for a bake sale and all of a sudden you have the urge to bake cookies, no idea where that came from

• You go to the bake sale with your homemade cookies and guess who’s there

• Max

• Medina

• Maaaax Medina

• He introduces himself properly

• Buys a cookie, writes his name on the dollar he gave you

• Realized that the dollar isn’t really yours to keep and comes back later with a slip of paper

• He’s really cute and he thinks you’re really cute and he really wants to take you out

• So of course you say yes

• The rest is history

[downsobadforthatoneguy]

Fine Line Pt ii

Curtis Sister

˚ ⋅.𖥔 ˖read part i here˚ ⋅.𖥔 ˖

summary : part two to my last one, this time with even more drama. i just like making big scary men sad. is it a crime?

1.9k

warnings : a little bit of cursing. not well written, probably ooc, not proofread

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“I am NOT missing Karen Gorney!” Two-Bit shouted. Y/n listened closely as her brothers rummaged around for their shoes. As soon as the door slammed shut behind them, she tentatively climbed off her bed and started to grab things out of her dresser. She pulled out the few dresses she had along with some shirts and her dad’s old leather jacket that he had left her. She went through her dresser and pulled out everything she would need. She grabbed her make up and her bottle of perfume, all stolen by Dally, Steve, and Two for her birthday earlier that year. She quietly unlocked her door and tiptoed to Darry’s room. He snored softly as Y/n opened his closet and gently picked up the suitcase.

“I’m so sorry, Dar’,” She whispered as she walked back to her room. She threw everything in the suitcase and opened her bedroom window. She had never been so grateful to have a one story house. She dropped the suitcase on the ground and put her cowgirl hat on. She popped open one of the floorboards in her closet and pulled out a jar filled with the cash she had saved over the years. She had used that hiding spot when she was little. First to keep Pony from stealing her money to buy ice cream, later to keep Two and Dally from taking it. She put the jar in her handbag. She grabbed her boots and dropped them next to her suitcase. Then she climbed out the window.

Y/n walked with her things all the way to the main road and then hailed a cab. She handed the driver a wad of cash and told him to go to the train station. From there she bought a ticket to Oklahoma City, and a ticket from Oklahoma City to Nashville Tennessee. Might as well do what she wanted since she was on her own. She got on the train and didn’t look back.

Back home, Darry was damn near tears. He put on his coat, hopped in the truck and drove. He looked through the whole neighborhood and found nothing. After that, he drove to the drive in. ‘Maybe she went with them. Maybe she wanted to be comforted by the brother who didn’t yell at her. Maybe she is just fine.’ Darry had to think these thoughts because if he didn’t, he might as well drive his truck into oncoming traffic. By the time he reached the drive in, the movie was over and the boys were walking out.

“Dar! What are you doing out here?” Soda yelled. “I thought you had a double shift?” Darry pulled over and jumped out of the truck. He jogged over to where the boys were and looked for his sister.

“Is Y/n with you guys?” He asked. His eyes were red and his hair looked like a tornado ran right through it.

“She’s not at home?” Pony asked, worry rising in his voice.

“Her window was open and all her things were gone.” Darry ran a shaky hand through his hair.

“She’s not here, man.” Dally replied.

“Shit!” Darry tugged at his hair and started walking towards the truck. His breathing started to become uneven and his hands were shaking.

“Alright let’s start lookin’ then!” Steve and Two headed towards the main road and Pony, Dally, and Johnny started towards the library. Soda hopped in the truck and made Darry get in the passenger seat.

“Darry,” Soda said, “Hey, man, it’s not your fault.” Truthfully, it didn’t matter what Sodapop said at that moment. Darry couldn’t hear anything but a loud ringing in his ears and the tightness in his chest made it difficult to focus on anything. Soda started the truck and drove around. The pair ended up at the police station. They talked with person after person until they eventually were met with an officer who could help them. They answered all the officers' questions and when asked for a photo, Darry pulled out his wallet and handed him a photo that had been taken nearly three months ago. His baby sister was finally starting her senior year. He and his brothers had scraped and saved until they could afford to buy her a new outfit and take her to get her portrait taken. However, Y/n didn’t want to be alone in the photo, so she made her brothers stand around her. Darry had gotten one of the photos framed for the wall, but that photo of the four of them, he kept in his wallet. The officer took the photo and said that he would be in touch, but there was nothing else to do now except wait.

After nearly a day and a half, Y/n found herself in Nashville. She found the nearest hotel and booked it for a week. It was nearly half of her money, so she knew she would need to find work. After storing her stuff in her room, she wandered around the city. She found a bar near her hotel and went in to see about any type of work she could get. Before the night was over, Y/n had herself a gig with the band and an additional job cleaning the glasses after the bar closed.

She went back to her room and started writing in her notebook. She wrote about her adventures and about the city itself. She wrote down some lyrics that she had come up with, that she would hopefully be able to pitch to the band.

Over the course of the week, she had gained friends in her new band mates and with the bar staff. She was already a crowd favorite and the tips she made reinforced that idea. As a matter of fact, she had been recognized by one of the bar regulars when she went to the grocery store. Life was great. She had money, she had friends, she was starting to have fans. So why was she so miserable? That was the thought train running through her mind. She knew why, but she didn’t understand why. So, she decided to call. ‘Just not right now.’ If she called right then, it would all be over. She wanted to be able to stand her ground. She wanted to be able to say that they were welcome to visit her. So she had to wait until she had something concrete. But life tends to have its own plan.

Nearly three weeks into her new life, Y/n found herself standing in the alleyway outside the bar. She had just put out her cigarette when she heard a voice. “Hey sweet thing,” the voice called. “Yknow, this alley is a dangerous place. So what’s a doll like you doin’ back here?” Y/n felt a chill run down her spine.

“How about no?” She reached for the knife in her boot, opening it and bringing it close.

The figure became clearer as he stepped closer. He was big. It was dark and she couldn’t see his face. Before she knew it, he had overpowered her and her world went dark.

It had been almost five weeks since Y/n went missing. The Curtis home was a wreck. Dirty dishes were in the sink, there were clothes all over the house, and the T.V. was covered in empty, and some broken, beer bottles. Pony’s grades had started slipping. Soda’s smile was a rare and faint occurrence. Darry was worse. The first two weeks, he had thrown up every day. His anxiety was through the roof. Most nights he didn’t sleep. The few nights he did were plagued by nightmares. He had used up what little time off he had and continued to work. The rest of the gang nearly lived at the Curtis house in Y/n’s absence. They helped where they could and made sure that nobody died. Their first piece of news came when the police officer knocked on the door.

“Mr. Curtis?” The officer asked as Darry stepped outside.

“That’s me. What’s going on? Did you find my sister?”

“We did. She was I.D’d in a hospital in Nashville Tennessee.”

“Oh God.” Darry suddenly felt sick.

“She had her I.D. on her and she matches the description. I’ll leave the contact information here with you.” The officer handed Darry a business card with some information scrawled on it.

Darry took the card and went inside as the officer walked back to his car.

“What happened Dar’?” Johnny asked.

“They find out about the drugs?” Dally asked.

“Y/n’s in Nashville. They found her in a hospital.” Darry breathed out.

The rest of the gang fell silent.

“So she’s in Nashville. That’s in Tennessee?” Soda asked.

“Yeah.” Pony replied.

The boys looked around at each other. “Well…” Johnny started, “we goin’ or what?” Suddenly everyone was piled in Darry’s truck as they headed to the train station. The gang pooled their money and bought three tickets. An hour later, the Curtis brothers were Tennessee bound.

When they arrived nearly two days later, all three brothers felt miserable. It took them forever to find the hospital Y/n was in. When they finally were able to find it, they had to fight to get to her.

“Look! I understand you’re trying to do your job, but that’s my sister! Okay? She’s alone. She needs us! I need to see her. I need to know that she’s okay!”

They finally got the clearance they needed, and as soon as Darry stepped into that hospital room, he almost wished they hadn’t.

Her face was pale and her hair was starting to fray. Her skin was littered with bruises and cuts. She had bags under her eyes and she looked thin. The worst was the cut that started near the knee and dragged up until it was no longer visible, but it did a number on the imagination. Pony choked back sobs and Soda let his tears fall silently. Darry wouldn’t let himself break down now. They needed him. They needed someone strong. So he held them tight.

After a while, Soda and Pony had fallen asleep in a chair while Darry sat next to the hospital bed, wide awake, his large hand covering Y/n’s smaller one.

“Oh baby, I am so sorry. It’s all my fault. You were just tryna help. I never shoulda yelled at you like that.” He let the tears fall freely as he continued to whisper apology after apology until his eyes could no longer stay open.

He woke up to the feeling of a squeeze on his hand. He was tired and thought he imagined it. Then it happened again, this time accompanied by a low groan of pain. He bolted up, his hold on her hand tightening. “Y/n? Sweetheart, are you awake?” He took his knuckles and brushed a stray hair off her face.

“Dar’?” A hoarse voice whispered. “Dar’ is that you?”

“Yeah, kiddo, it is. It’s me.”

“Darry!” Her eyes opened and immediately welled with tears. Darry leaned down and pressed a kiss to her temple. Her arms flew to his neck as she pulled him close. “I’m so sorry Darry. I never-“ He shushed her as she sat up. He sat on the bed next to her and cradled her in his arms.

“Don’t worry about it, kiddo. It’s all over now. It’s okay. We’re okay.”

Neither of them knew whether he was talking to her or himself. The commotion caused Ponyboy and Sodapop to wake up. They both were wrapping their arms around their sister in a second.

“Hey! What if you didn’t do that again? Huh?” Soda teased.

In that moment, despite all the chaos and the anxiety and the hurt that preceded and surely would follow the family, everything was okay.

[downsobadforthatoneguy]

Fine Line

Curtis Sister

˚ ⋅.𖥔 ˖read part ii here˚ ⋅.𖥔 ˖

a/n : Okay, so this is my first ever story that I’ve ever shared so… please be nice. It’s also part one and will probably be continued soon.

summary : Y/n Curtis is trying her best to help, but she’s going to give her brothers an aneurysm trying to do so.

2.8k

warnings : angst kind of, not well written, not proofread, hella long, like one curse

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Darrel Curtis felt his whole life slip away in the crash that killed his parents. All four years of hard work had vanished into thin air. The late nights spent at football practice. The study breaks he would take at work to prepare for exams. All the nights he spent stressing and waiting for acceptance letters from every college he applied to, thirteen to be exact. Every plan had gone right out the window. So when Darry’s siblings took school for granted, it upset him. Each class Two-Bit had to retake, due to his laziness, was a painful reminder of the life he would never have. It was far worse when his kid sister decided that she, too, would spend less time paying attention in class.

Y/n Curtis had only one gift from her parents that had survived the years. The one thing that would never be sold to pay the bills, or be stolen by Two-Bit so he could have extra beer money. On her fifteenth birthday, her parents had gifted her a pair of brown leather cowgirl boots. They had a square toe and blue and white stitching that covered the bulk of them. It was these boots that she had adorned with ribbon that Two had stolen from some store in town. It was these boots that she had to put on outside so she wouldn’t wake Darry when she walked around the house. It was these boots that would carry the now seventeen year old girl to the bar in the over part of Tulsa, late at night when her brothers were either sound asleep or too tired to notice her absence. Of course, she could only do this on nights where Darry worked a double shift because on other nights, Darry would be on her like a hawk.

“Where you goin’ all dressed up?” “Those boots better march themselves back inside, it’s far too late for you to be going out alone.” She didn’t mind having someone to watch over her, in fact most of the time, she appreciated it. However, she knew how hard her brother worked. She knew how he was killing himself to barely make ends meet for her brothers and herself. So, when Darry was passed out from working two jobs, she snuck out. She went to the local bar in town, switchblade clipped to the inside of her boot, and waited her turn to take the stage.

The country bar she frequented had a band that played from half past eleven and carried on until two in the morning. They had two guitar players, bass players, and a drummer, but no singer. So Y/n filled in when she could. Lord, was she good. That girl could have the toughest of men tearing up when she got a microphone in her hands. The band had gotten to know her well and had essentially accepted her as their front woman. They would make sure nobody hit on her during the show and when the bar closed and they got their money, they would drive her back to her street, always stopping a block before her house so she wouldn’t be seen or heard.

The money she made from the night would mostly go into the swear jar that sat on the kitchen counter. When she was about sixteen, she had grown tired of hearing people swear like sailors in a house where her mother never cared for the language. So she made a swear jar. The money went towards helping pay the bills when Darry couldn’t pull two shifts. Nobody ever really questioned the money because they all had mouths that never stopped. Even precious little Pony could let out a string of curses that would have a biker gang blush. So they never batted an eye when the monthly spoils would have over fifty dollars. She had been doing a great job of hiding her secret life. That is, until her grades started slipping.

“Hey, darlin’,” Darry started as his sister walked into the kitchen, ready for school. “I just got a call from the school. Said something about a conference I have to go to with your math teacher.” He put a plate of toast in front of her as she looked up at him. “Anything I need to know before I go in there tonight?” He met her eyes and watched as she shifted uneasily in her seat. She had never been good at lying to Darry. He was her rock. Every thought had started running through her mind. All the what ifs had reared their nasty heads and she knew that the gig was up. The issue Darry would eventually find out was that she had been falling asleep in class as a result of her late nights. She could tell him now, or let Mr. Gardener tell him and then explain herself later.

“Um, not that I can think of? Maybe I did way worse than I thought on the last test he gave us.” She lied through her teeth. The worst part was, Darry knew it was a lie. She had lied to the one person who always had her back, but he didn’t push. He didn’t press her for more details. He let it be. He would find out later anyway.

“Alright. Well, you need to hurry up. You only have five minutes before you need to leave.” He ruffled her hair that she spent all morning doing, receiving a glare in return. She scarfed down her breakfast as Darry started to go through the swear jar, silently praying it would be enough to cover the shift he now couldn’t work. “Have a good day at school and stay out of trouble! I’ll see you around four thirty.” He said as she stood up to leave.

“I will. Love you Dar’.” She grabbed her bag and didn’t look back as she started out the door. If she looked back, she would’ve broken down and spilled her guts. ‘It’s for the better,’ She told herself. ‘I’m helping keep the lights on.’ She walked to school and did her best to stay awake in all her classes. When school got out she went to the library to study for her upcoming English exam. It was here where she ran into Pony and Johnny.

“Hey Y/n,” Pony called as she walked in. “Over here!” Pony was a lot of things, eager to put down a book and talk to his sister was not ever one of them. She walked over to where he was and found him and Johnny stacking a pile of books on top of a passed out Two-Bit.

“We got all the way up to twelve books on his head before he rolled over and now we have to start again.” Johnny snickered. Johnny had let loose a lot more in the past year. Ever since he and Ponyboy had been cleared by the law, he had been staying with the Curtis family and Dallas a lot more.

Although the idea of stacking books on Two seemed appealing. Y/n couldn’t shake the sick feeling in her stomach. She knew that soon enough Darry would be lecturing her on school and the guilt would eat her alive. She knew how badly Darry wanted her and Pony to have the life he didn’t get to have. She knew that he wanted them to go off to college and live a better life. She knew how he nearly had. heart attack when Soda dropped out. Yet here she was, wasting the opportunity her older brothers would never have and setting a bad example for her youngest brother.

So she watched. She watched Pony and Johnny goof around while she braced herself for what was coming. Soon enough, it was 4:15 and she began the walk back to the front of the school. Darry had just parked the truck when she reached the front doors. He jogged to catch up and put an arm around her shoulder. “As long as you’re doing your best, it can’t be that bad.” Darry had no clue how much his words ate at her. He had no clue how his arm felt like an albatross around her neck. The pair walked inside and his words echoed in her mind. Mr.Gardener was waiting outside his classroom and Y/n took a seat outside.

She watched the clock at the end of the hall tick for twenty horrible minutes. Her knee bounced up and down as she waited. Suddenly the door opened and Mr. Gardener shook Darry’s hand and bid him a good evening. When he finally looked at his sister, his eyes were dim and he looked tired. “Grab your things, let’s get going.” The walk to the truck was silent. Y/n wanted to say something, anything to kill the tension that had been suffocating her. Maybe the truth wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe telling Darry what she got up to would help. Maybe he wouldn’t be mad. He might even be happy. But she kept her mouth clamped shut. Darry climbed in the truck and started the engine. He waited for his sister to get in before he opened his mouth. She saw the gears in his head turning and braced for the anger. She was not prepared for the concern she received instead.

“How long have you not been sleeping well at home?” He asked, the worry in his voice palpable.

“What do you mean?”

“C’mon kid. I know you. You don’t just fall asleep in class. That’s not how you act. Now if they were telling me about Soda or Two, sure. But that’s not you.”

She said nothing. She didn’t want to lie anymore, but she couldn’t risk telling Darry and then not being able to help out with the money.

“Y’know, it’s not a huge deal. You can wake me up if you need something. Just because I work doesn’t mean I’m not here for you.” That was it.

“Dar’, I’m real sorry.” She couldn’t help it. All of a sudden the words started spilling out faster than she could stop them. “Look I stay out late at this bar where I make some extra money to help with the bills. I know-“

“What?” Oh boy, Y/n had never seen Darry’s face that color before. “What do you mean you’re at a bar late? What are you doing at a bar in the first place? Who are you with? How did you even get in? Was it Dally? No, I bet it was Steve. Oh I’ll kill him, more importantly-“

“Darrel!” She shouted. Darry went quiet and looked at her. “Nobody took me there. I go down there by myself with a blade. I go in, I sing, I get paid, I leave.” The tension in the truck was thick and Y/n swears she could see the vein in Darry’s head budging out.

“Not anymore. I can’t believe it. I thought I was done with sneaking around after Pony and Johnny's incident. I thought I was done with worrying about my kid siblings getting jumped because they’re out late. And I definitely didn’t think it would be you breaking the rules.” Darry’s words had stung. He was her protector. He was her comforter. Ponyboy had Soda, sure, but she had Darry, who had always taken her side.

The ride home was silent except for the hum of the engine. Y/n had been fighting back tears the whole ride. She didn’t dare look at her brother. Darry wasn’t doing much better. He had one elbow resting on the window while his hand gripped his hair and the other gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were white. When the truck pulled into the drive way, Y/n climbed out and slammed the door while Darry sat there, staring at the house. He watched as she walked inside and closed the door behind her. He knew that she had probably gone into her room and shut the door. He also knew that Soda was probably already sitting outside her door asking what had happened. But he also knew that he needed to calm down. Her heart was in the right place. She was trying to help him. But she had put herself in a dangerous situation. What if something happened? Nobody would know until the next morning. Nobody would know where to look for her. Darry couldn’t lose anyone else.

After a few minutes he walked inside. Just as he suspected, Soda was sitting outside Y/n’s locked door. “C’mon, kid. Tell me what’s going on.” His demand was met with soft sobs that could only slightly be heard. It was enough to make Darry hang his head. Soda glared at his older brother and mouthed ‘what did you do’. Darry ignored Soda and went to his room to think. ‘How would dad handle this’ was the thought that plagued his mind.

When Ponyboy got home, he was greeted by Soda attempting to wedge a spoon under their sister's door. “What are you doing?” Pony asked, completely unaware of what had happened earlier in the day.

“Seeing if ice cream will make her come out of her room.” Soda replied without abandoning his task.

“Well now there’s a puddle of chocolate on the floor.”

Soda looked down and saw that his white shirt now had a big ice cream stain on it. “Damn, this was new!” He bolted to the bathroom to take it off and rinse it with warm water. Suddenly, the front door burst open and the whole gang was in the house.

Two-Bit started shouting the second he got in the house. “Alright Curtis family! Put your shoes on because I got everyone tickets to the drive in!”

“Shut up!” Soda whisper-yelled. “Darry is asleep and he has a double shift in the morning.” Soda grabbed a different shirt that had been laying on the bathroom floor and pulled it over his head. “And I think Y/n is asleep.”

Twobit’s ears went pink at the sudden scolding and he whisper yelled back to Soda. “Well you and Pony get your shoes on and let’s go! Saturday Night Fever is playing and I am NOT missing Karen Gorney!” The boys did as they were told and left a note for Darry saying they would be back by 10.

The boys had been gone for an hour when Darry woke up. The house was empty and quiet. He got up and walked to the kitchen for something to eat. His shoes were still on and his body was hot from sleeping with his work clothes on. He saw the note on the table and silently thanked whoever had decided to go out. He was getting ready to take a long shower when he saw his sister’s door still shut. He tried the handle but it was still locked. She had stayed behind. ‘Maybe now would be a good time to talk it out.’ He thought. Nobody was around to take sides or egg on any arguing. He knocked on the door softly.

“Hey sweetheart. You awake?” No reply. “Look kid, I shouldn't've yelled at you. I’m just worried. If something had happened to you,” He shakily exhaled a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, “Well, I don’t know what I would do.” He sank down to where he was sitting on the floor with his back resting on her door. “Girl, you’re the one person in this house who keeps me sane. I don’t know what I would do without the days where I get to pick you up after school and have you tell me all the drama.” That had been their thing. Whenever Darry could, he would swing by in his truck and drive his sister back home while she told him about everything that had happened. All the drama, all the he said she said and what not. None of it really mattered, but he loved listening to his sister talk. “Cmon kid, you can’t stay mad forever. Open the door.” He was starting to grow worried, and when Darry worries, he makes quick decisions. “Look, I’m gonna come in if you don’t say something.” He waited about three seconds before shoving the door open with all his strength. He heard the lock snap and felt his body tumble into his sister's room.

He looked at the bed. Then at the dresser that had been rummaged through haphazardly. Then he looked at the open window. “No. This cannot be my life.” He ran back into his room and looked in his closet for the one suitcase in the house. It was gone. He ran back to Y/n’s room and looked in the closet. Half her clothes were gone. All her make up had been packed up too. Her notebook was gone. So was her cowgirl hat and her boots with the ribbon tied on them. Y/n, his sweet little sister, was gone.