#I just love the thought of Darry really doing anything for his brothers :3

[paul-ster]

I’d like to think that because of work, the Curtis parents weren’t as close to their kids as they thought they were. Like it was small things but Darry 100% spent his entire first paycheck on Ponyboy and Sodapop.

Like it wasn’t neglect fully- but it was borderline. Still, the Curtis’s love their parents. Even if they were at work or trying to work (because sexism 💀) :3

[rumble-aint-a-rumble-without-me]

Henlo :) okay so um hcs for the gang with a reader who comes from a family thats rlly rocky, so they dont rlly experience love so when they get it its confusing for them? Like experiencing cuddles for the first time?

A/N: Thanks for requesting this! I’m super sorry for the delay, things got kind of hectic around here- hope you enjoy these!

DARRY CURTIS

Honestly? The Curtis brothers are probably the only ones here that have experience with familial affections and just affections in general?

Darry’s grown up with two parents who love him and is pretty used to the affections that come from that

When he meets you? Who doesn’t have that? Who’s never had that with their parents?

He takes it slow, he’s careful in how he holds you, not wanting to make you uncomfortable and he tells you that he loves you

Gives you all the compliments, asks you about your day and how you feel about different things, he really just does anything he can so that you know that he cares about you

Not exactly the best with his words like Ponyboy is but he knows that it’s important for you to hear that someone cares and appreciates you

SODAPOP CURTIS

Sodapop is very perceptive and already sort of knows what’s wrong when you sort of tense up when he tries to hug you or throw his arm around your shoulders 

He’s a very tactile person, he likes to be touching you, so if you’re not used to being touched or don’t exactly like being touched, I’d talk to him about

Sodapop won’t care, he doesn’t mind either way and would be happy to work towards a happy medium for the both of you

If you’re not used to being hugged and stuff? Sodapop kind of dials in his affections, being a little gentler with you

Hugs, cuddles, holding hands, he’s always going to give you the option to pull away from him

He doesn’t want to overwhelm you, he really just wants to show you that he loves you and if being held all the time doesn’t make you feel loved, that’s no problem, the two of you can work something else out!     

PONYBOY CURTIS

Ponyboy isn’t a very touchy person? At least my version of Ponyboy isn’t, so tensing up during cuddles and stuff doesn’t really register with him at first until you say something

Pony’s big thing is words if you couldn’t tell- I mean, kiddo literally wrote a whole book and gave it to a professor

So hearing you kind of talk down about yourself? Leftover habits from being told that your opinions don’t matter? That kind of sets him off

Expect tons of compliments and gentle reassurances from Ponyboy, all sweet and genuine remarks

He loves you, he loves hearing your thoughts and your parents were crazy for telling you that you didn’t matter

You do matter, and Ponyboy’s gonna make sure you know that <3

DALLAS WINSTON

My version of Dallas had a rough homelife back when he was in New York, his dad was a deadbeat, mom died when he was younger-

So for you to come from a rocky home and not be used to affection and kind words? You and Dal are kinda the same

He doesn’t entirely know how to show you that love he has for you?

Like it’s not second nature to just take your hand or kiss you before he leaves, y’know what I mean?

So like, if you guys were a seesaw of uncertainty about affection, I don’t know if seesaws are just an American thing but I hope not cause you guys would seriously be missing out, the seesaw would be perfectly balanced in the middle, completely flat

Over time though, the two of you get a bit better, relaxing into each other and showing each other a little more love! It just took you a little bit of time 

JOHNNY CADE

Yeahhhhh so Johnny has a pretty rough homelife too so I have a feeling the two of you are in the same boat here

The whole not knowing how important you are, uncomfortable during physical affections, yadda yadda yadda, you guys know what I’m talking about

I think the relationship you have going with each other is good though! It’s good for both of you!  

Johnny gives those vibes that he’d definitely be the hype man for everyone else while putting himself down

So he’d shower you in all the compliments, in all the pretty words and everything you could ever ask for, paired with a few gentle kisses pressed to your cheeks

Every aspect of this relationship would be so calm and laid-back, you’d be so good for each other because you’d finally be able to show each other what real love should be <3  

TWO-BIT MATHEWS

Okay so I take back what I said about the Curtis bros, Two-Bit’s mom definitely loved him like a mother should and I can’t believe I overlooked that- 

She works two jobs for her kids and I can’t believe that I forgot how hard she works for them

He’s also very touchy? Like Sodapop, he likes to be touching you so he’s kind of taken aback when he realizes how confused you are by it

He’s like ??? and pulls away very slowly, looking at you and trying to figure out what’s going on in your head

And I swear, if you say one thing bad about yourself, no matter what it is, Two-Bit is immediately correcting you, telling you you’re perfect and that he cares in his own Two-Bit way

“Whaddaya mean you don’t care? I wanna know what you wanna do, doll. Where do you wanna go to dinner?”

STEVE RANDLE

Steve, another very touchy boy, does his best to slowly ease into physical affections with you

He’s not trying to make you uncomfortable or overwhelmed, he just really wants to hold your hand when you’re walking around the drive-in together

I suggest having a conversation with him about your less than satisfying homelife? Steve’s got his own shitty household, and I think he’d be pretty understanding 

He gets a little sad when you talk about how you think you don’t matter? It hurts him to think that you don’t think you’re important

Steve looks at you like you’re his whole world, he just can’t believe that someone could tell you that you’re not good enough

Gentle reminders that you’re enough, you’re more than enough and that he loves you are given in the form of extra dates, extra compliments and extra loving!  

TIM SHEPARD

The reason Tim is so forward with his affections and compliments is because he stops being able to function the second those nice things turn back on him-

So yeah! Both of you don’t really know what to do with gentle affection because you both had rocky homelives

But! You’re working on it, both of you, you’re slowly relaxing into each other, slowly realizing that this is what love really is and this is how it’s shown

And as for your self-worth? Tim makes sure you really know he cares about your opinions

He’ll ask what you’re doing, what you want to do and what you don’t want to do, what you like about this and what you don’t like about that

It’s not overly obvious? But his questions are definitely him trying to see what you want and trying to do whatever you want so you can the chance to be heard 

CURLY SHEPARD

Curly Shepard had a messed up childhood no matter what sort of background you headcanon him to have so I think he’d understand where you’re coming from

Hesitancy to be wrapped in a hug or to have someone hold onto your hand?

Confusion when you’re given compliments or trusted to make decisions for something?

Curly understands what you’re going through, he’s got the same thing going on himself sweetheart <3

Together though, I think the two of you would be really really good, you’d do a lot of good things for each other and sort of build each other back up

By the way, it’s hard to not feel special when you’re with Curly because he’s always calling you by little nicknames and giving you what he’s got, saying sweet things and all that good stuff <3

[juniperss]

Howdy! I don't know if you're still taking headcannon ideas (if not feel free to ignore this) BUT if you are could you do some headcannons of the outsiders boys with a partner that's a really picky eater?

picky eaters unite!! i am still taking requests, so thank you for sending one in!

tw/cw: discussions about food, food insecurity gender neutral reader

The Gang with a Picky Eater Headcanons

Darry:

My initial reaction was to say that I think a picky eater would bother him but then I thought about it and that doesn’t make any sense. He’s literally the oldest of 3 brothers, one of which canonically eats eggs with grape jelly and washes it down with chocolate milk. Strange relationships with certain foods or a picky eater isn’t going to phase him one bit.

All that to say that Darry doesn’t mind and is probably one of the most accommodating out of the group when it comes to helping you find meals that you like. He makes sure to have a few items/snacks in the fridge for you and scolds any of the guys if they think about eating them. That’s for his partner, not his little brothers. 

Has and will smack anyone upside the head if they make comments about you being a picky eater. He doesn’t want it to bother you and keeps an eye out to make sure the teasing doesn’t get too out of hand. 

In the book Darry is constantly making sure his brothers are eating enough and now that you two are dating that behavior extends to you. 

Sodapop:

This is the boy who eats eggs with grape jelly, he has no room to talk about picky eaters when he eats the way he does! Not that he would anyway. He doesn’t mind that you’re a picky eater and will gladly make sure that you find something that you like to eat when you two are together. 

He’s really good at remembering what you do and don’t like and I chalk that up to him being such a romantic and caring individual. I don’t subscribe to the idea that Sodapop is dumb even if that’s what he claims, because not doing well in school doesn’t mean you’re not smart. He has a good memory when he wants to apply it and you’re worth it to him. 

Might tease you a bit about certain foods you like over others but it’s always gentle teasing and you have plenty of ammunition to use against him regarding his own eating habits. The difference between his teasing and others picking on you is that it’s very obvious that he finds everything about you endearing and that includes you being a picky eater. 

Also keeps snacks in the fridge for you ^_^ But he does eat them so the chances of them being in stock when you visit is 50/50

Two Bit:

Okay he will tease you about being a picky eater, I’m sorry. It’s just in his nature to poke fun at other people’s quirks. But unlike Dallas (we’ll get to him in a moment) he’ll stop if he finds out it bothers you or if you’re not in the mood for it. 

He will eat anything that he can get his hands on so he doesn’t understand being picky about food. He’s basically Kirby and would inhale a car if it tasted good. 

Definitely eats off your plate regardless if it’s something you want or not. The King of getting rid of the side dishes you don’t want so that you don’t feel embarrassed about leaving it there (is that just something I worry about?). 

He does worry about you getting enough to eat. He may be a loud mouth with a lot to say but Two Bit Matthews is very caring and he loves his partner. 

He’s also an older brother so I wouldn’t be surprised if he has snacks in his car that he pulls out for you to have if he feels you haven’t eaten enough. DEFINITELY swipes stuff from the store too. What can I say, he’s a romantic in his own way

Dally: 

Dally, Dally, Dally…..look friends….Dallas Winston is an ass to everyone and that includes you. I know we all love him but I can’t erase the fact that he’s mean! Now I can see him being softer, more gentle with his partner but that doesn’t make you immune to his teasing and snark and I’m assuming that if you’re dating him that you’re either patient enough to work with him on that or you can dish it back at him

He teases you relentlessly about being picky because he can’t fathom turning down any food ever. This stems from the obvious fact that Dally has experienced food insecurity. There’s never a guaranteed meal once in his life. Until he started hanging out with the Curtis Gang. He eats every meal as if it’s his last. He simply can’t wrap his head around you not eating food put in front of you. 

Similarly to Two Bit, Dallas will eat off your plate at any time. But unlike Two Bit it’s not necessarily out of a desire to help you out. He’s just hungry and doesn’t like to waste food.

Over time he starts to understand that you’re not being picky just for the sake of being picky. That it’s actually something that you struggle with and (if you’re like me) wish you could change. Knowing this probably curbs some of the teasing or slight resentment on his end. 

When he takes you out for food he makes sure to find a place that he knows you like. On the rare occasions you can’t find something you prefer, he’ll help scavenge together enough from other meals that result in something that will fill you up. 

He still gives you a hard time, but at least you can see a good natured glint in his eyes about it

[taelovesjohnny]

muted ( the outsiders) chapter 1 Late At Night

here is another story I’m writing with a friend!

I was walking home, it had been a long day at work. If your wondering, I dont go to school anymore. yes I got parents, and yes, they dont really approve but i didn't give them a choice. So anyway, im walking home, my muscles are sore. And im awaiting the fluffy pillows on my bed. My name's Millie. Millie curtis. Im 15, the only girl in the gang. i have 3 brothers, Darry, the oldest one he's strong handsome and very protective of me. Sodapop, he's 15, movie-star handsome, and the brother i can tell anything to. Last but not least Ponyboy, the youngest of all 4 of us, he's 13 loves movies, and books. and my parents, very nice people. they care for everyone that  turns up on their doorstep. 

Im almost 2 blocks away from home, just passin' a dark alley way, when I here footsteps behind me. I turn around and see it's a greaser boy. He's wearing boots, a leather jacket, and jeans. I get along good with other greasers. Most everybody thinks im gorgeous, not me. I think im just a typical, average girl. I keep walking. not thinking anything of it. Suddenly, i feel his hand on my shoulder. I spin around, and look up at him. Im short around 4 feet 4 and I hate it. have to look up to everybody. 

so this dude starts to kiss me. i try to push him back, but he has a strong hold on me. I've never seen this guy in my life. What kind of person does this. I mean, socs i can understand, they do this to everybody. But greasers?? I thought we were better than that. He's trailing down my neck, I'm trying to get out of his grip. I can't, which is kinda' surprising, I am strong for a person my size, and i can pack a good punch in a rumble. I guess this new dude, has done some serious weight lifting. 

" GET OFF!!" I scream. 

"Now baby, why would i do that, you have such a pretty face, i can't resist."

" Your're sick!"

" Hold still, or im gonna do something we're both gonna regret."

" Please, I beg you, please don't do this."

But I knew that it was hopeless, once somebody had a person, they could do whatever they wanted, espeically to girls. The next thing i knew, he had pushed me into the dark alley. And pushed me to the ground. God Dammit. I didn't have my blade. But he did. He took it out, and cut my clothes off, and rolled me to the corner of the alley. It smelled like cat poop, and trash. But that was the last thing on my mind. His blade was trailing down, from the bottom of my ear, to the bottom of my neck. silent tears were rolling down my face. He was now naked and trusting himself on top of my and r@ping me. I didn't know how he could do both things at once, but he continued to cut me and r@pe me. and all i could do was lie there. I struggled for a good portion of the begginning but now my strenght had gone. I don't know how long he was there but it felt like hours. When i finally got off, he silently put his clothes back on. 

" Bye, Bye Kitten,I hope to see you 'round again"

and then he spit in my face. I was left there, no strenght, no clothes, and friends or family near. I just layed there, in the mud. Hopefully my family would get worried, and come look for me. Hopefully. I dont remember when, but at some point I went into an uneasy sleep. It was filled with nightmares.

Dally's Point Of Veiw.

I had just moved to Tulsa, Ok. My parents had abused me ever since i was born, and i finally had the sense to run away. Not that they cared. They probably didn't even know i was gone. I had packed up and moved out. I was living at a bar, no problem, i was used to the noise. Anyway, It was a dark night, perfect to go find so trouble, or make some. I was walking a long a street, when i spotted a girl, just perfect to be messed with. She looked innocent enough. I had the erge to make her life miserable. I dont know why though. Maybe she reminded me of my sick mother. who always acted like she was god or something. 

At one point I was blinded by rage, and put my hand on her shoulder, the next thing i knew, i had her down on the ground. And i was r@ping her. The thoughts going through my head were mercyless. She deserves it. I didn't care how fucked up her life would be after this, I just needed to let go of some steam. when i had finished, i threw on my pants, and told her

" Bye, Bye Kitten, I hope to see you 'round again." 

and with that, I walked off. back to the bar. to go get drunk

[simplyso-spooky]

I just read your imagine of Y/N breaking up with Ponyboy after finding out he's cheating...could you maybe do a continuation where he tries to win Y/N back? <3

ponyboy curtis x female! reader

(all characters are aged up! all 21 & over)

warnings: little bit of angst, some cursing, fluff

wordcount: 739

pt. 1

____

an: i'm glad you liked the first part! i would love to write a pt 2. thank you for the request! sorry this took so long. <3

(haha sorry this kinda short... yolo)

____

Ever since you caught Ponyboy, to say your life was utter hell would be an understatement. You couldn’t eat, sleep, breathe, you really couldn’t function without him. You did want to be upset over someone you caught cheating, but you couldn’t help it. You missed Pony.

 Now, here you were, sulking in your bed for the nth week in a row. Your friends had invited you out with them, but just like all the times recently, you had turned them down. You did not feel like leaving your bed whatsoever.

 Your thoughts of self pity were interrupted by a knock on your front door. You groan, not wanting to see anyone. You get up and trudge your way to your door, seeing who in their right mind would interrupt your pity party. You open the door, and to your surprise it’s the last person you would expect to see. It was Darry, your ex-boyfriend’s older brother. “D-Darrel?” You question, eyes wide.

“Y/N.” He stated calmly. “How are ya doin’?”

You look at him questioningly, how could he ask how you were when you recently broke up with his little brother? “I’ve been better.”

“Oh, uh-” Darry scratches the back of his neck.

“What are you doing here Dar?”

“Y/N,” He says with a deep breath “I need you to visit Pony. He’s not doin’ well.” You stare at him blankly. “He hasn’t gotten out of bed in over a month, he won’t eat, I can’t even get a word out of him! I had to pry what was going on from Johnny!”

“Darry I-I don’t kn-”

“Please, Y/N.” He interrupts you “I’m not asking for you to marry him. I just want you to set him straight, please. If you’re not gonna do it for Pony, at least do it for yourself.” You thought about what Darry was saying, maybe this is what you needed.

“Ok. I’ll be over in an hour.”

“Thanks, Y/N.”

An hour later, just like you promised, you were standing on the Curtis’ front porch. You could not believe what you were doing, how did Darry convince you? “Here goes nothing.” You say to yourself, raising your fist and knocking.

You wait a few seconds before the door opens, revealing a blonde-haired Soda. “Y/N, hey, come in.” You slightly smile at him. “Ponyboy is in his room.”

“Thanks.” You enter the house, palms sweating as you make your way to Pony’s old bedroom. You reach his bedroom door, feeling like you’re gonna hurl. You knock. You hear a groan on the other side of the door.

“Go away, Dar.” Pony says, his voice raspy. 

“I-I’m not Darry.” You say. The door opens abruptly, exposing a sickly looking Ponyboy. His hair was matted, clothes wrinkled.

“Y/N...” 

For the first time in months, you look up into his green-gray eyes, the ones you love so much. Neither of you say anything, the both of you stand there taking each other in. Pony makes the first move, pulling you into a tight hug. You quickly wrap your arms around his torso. You begin to hear quiet sniffles.

“I-I am so so s-sorry, Y/N.” Ponyboy sobs “I-I can’t believe y-you're here. I-I’m such a-an ass. I’m s-so sorry. I-” You can’t believe how at peace you feel in his arms. Ponyboy really felt like home to you.

“Pony,” You say, stopping his ramble. “It’s alright.” He begins to cry harder, knowing he doesn't deserve you or the words you say.

“I c-can’t believe what I-I did. I d-didn’t mean i-it, Y/N. It m-meant nothing. Y-you mean everything to m-me. I don’t d-deserve you, I-I’m such a-an ass. I- don’t.” You can’t believe how much this boy talks. You think there’s only one reasonable explanation on how to get him to shut up, so you kiss him. 

As your lips dance in harmony, Ponyboy swears your lips have gotten softer. He feels like he had taken them for granted, making a mental note to himself to never do it again. You pull away first, needing a breath of air. You open your eyes to find Pony looking at you, noticing his damp eyelashes and pink nose. “I’ve missed you.” You said, heat rushing to your face.

“I’ve missed you more, Y/N.” Pony pulls you in for another kiss. You know there’s no need for a spoken apology, feeling it in the way Ponyboy holds you.

You’re glad to be home.

___

(haha sorry this kinda short... yolo)

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[thesunmeltedthegrayaway]

The Outsider From Opulence Chapter 24: Sodapop Curtis x OC

Chapter 24: Eyes That Struggle To Stay Open.

~~~

POV: Cherry’s

I walked heated down the sidewalk quickly. My hands clenched at my sides tensely. Elliot was alright, well, at least from what I had seen. But that didn’t just erase the things Darry and... Dallas did to him. If I saw that boy walk in front of me again, I could just-

My thoughts must’ve cursed me, before I could even fully finish the scenario, I was building as he walked by. He stared over at me; his eyes were angry when he saw me. I marched over to him quickly, my breath now coming out in angry huffs.

“I think you need to cool off.” He spat as soon as I stood in front of him.

“Oh, really you do think I need to cool off?” I ask sarcastically.

“Yeah, I d-” I whipped my hand back as far as it could. My hand stung as I connected with the left side of his face. He let out a shocked sound of pain before glaring back over at me.

“You have some nerve tryin’ to tell me to cool off. And you have even more neve daring to even flicker an ounce of anger my way.”

“He hit my-”

“I wouldn’t give a damn if he someone important to me. I know Elliot, he wouldn’t hit someone if he didn’t have a reason to.” I sneered.

“Please.” He scoffed, a hand gingerly holding the throbbing part of his cheek.

“Look you can scoff and brush off anything else I have to say. But at the end of the day, you still jumped into a fight that didn’t concern you and a fight that you didn’t know anything about.” I rant.

He didn’t respond to me, his eyes merely staring at me heatedly.

“I hope that bruise growing on your face stings like hell Winston ‘cause you deserve it!” I hissed before pushing past him.  

I continued my way down to the DX. I had a feeling his brother wouldn’t be too telling in the events that had transpired an hour ago. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I let out a short sigh of relief when the small gas station finally came into view. I pulled open the glass door unceremoniously.  Soda jumped at the sudden sound of the bell ringing in the small room.

“Hello, how can I-” He stopped talking when I quickly walked over to the counter. He looked at me wearily.

“Something happened with your brother and Elliot.” I explain bluntly, taking him aback.

“Wh-what-”

“They got into a fight... Elliot didn’t look too good when I found him.”

Soda hissed in a tense breath; he gripped the counter until his knuckles turned pale white.

“Dallas Winston joined in, they got him good. His mom’s takin’ him to the hospital.” I sneered, even me mentioning him left a sour taste in my mouth.

Soda closed his eyes before releasing the counter.

“This...is a weird thing to ask but, could you stay here till my buddy Steve comes out. He’ll need someone to tell him why I ain’t here anymore.” He spoke as calmly as he could.

I had nothing better to do. I might as well stay behind for a bit.

“Sure.” I relent kindly.

“Thanks,” he replied. He walked out from behind the counter. He didn’t even spare me a second glance as he pushed past the glass door.

I hope he didn’t do anything too brash.

~~~

POV: Elliot’s

3 bruised ribs, a broken wrist, split lip, a bruised jaw, and the ever so lovely possible concussion were all on the list of injuries I sustained. And thanks to that lovely concussion, I was being forced to spend the rest of the day and night in the hospital. I was exhausted before I had even gotten here. But due to the painkillers the doctor had given me, I was now beyond exhausted.

The cruelest part of this hospital stay was well... not being able to sleep. My eyes would droop shut every 5 seconds; it felt like. But before I could fully fall asleep, Mom or a nurse would come in and wake me up. It was starting to feel like I was going insane. The frustration and tiredness combined together, creating a dangerous tornado.

I was zoned out, staring at a slightly off-color tile in the mostly dark hospital room I was staying in. It was the only thing that held my attention long enough to keep me awake.

A sudden light bled into the dark room I was laying in, my eyes winced at the sudden intrusion.  

I swear to God, if one more nurse comes in here to tell me to not fall asleep. I am going to-  

“Someone wants to see you. I can tell them to come back later if you’d rather want to be alone.” The nurse offered softly.

"No, no it’s fine, I don’t mind having...” I stopped for a second. I could not for the life of me think of what to say.  

“You can bring them up.” Mom spoke up for me. “It’s a little hard for him to talk right now.” Mom added humorously.  

“Alright, I’ll be back in a flash.” The nurse replied brightly.

The only person that I could think of who would come down would be Cherry. After all, she was one of the only people who knew about my... fight.

“Hey, Elliot.” A smooth, familiar voice called out to me.  

My eyes slowly opened to see Soda leaning against the hospital room’s door frame. His smile was small, not as wide as it normally was.

“Hey.” I greet him as brightly as I can. But in all honesty, the word slurred greatly.  

“Hi honey,” Mom greeted him cheerfully. “Not that I’m not glad that you’re here but, how did you find out about this?”

Soda leaned off the door walking over to me slowly. “One of his friends told me, the girl with the bright red hair.”  

“Cherry talked to you?” I said in awe. He nodded in reply.  

“Well, I’m glad you’re here to see him.” Mom replied contently. She got up from the chair she was sitting in. “I’ll give you two a moment alone.” She added, patting Soda on the shoulder before walking away.

I braced one of my hands on the bed and slowly sat up. I winced as I lightly leaned against the “headboard.”

“You aren’t too mad at Darry, are you?”  

Soda just looked at me in pure bewilderment, yet warily at the same time.

“I’m furious with him, actually.” He walked over to me, sitting on the edge of my bed. He stared moodily toward the curtain-covered window. “He went too far.”

I scoffed lightly, making Soda look at me. “Yeah, you’re tellin’ me.” I grumble. “But, being mad at him won’t fix anything.”

Soda gave me a begrudging look before turning his head away from me.  

“We gotta talk this out with him.” Soda turned back around, giving me a shocked look. “The outcome doesn’t even have to be him accepting us but... we have to reach a.”  

My mind blanked again on what to say next. “A common ground.”

“I did want to have that while he just wanted jump you.” Soda replied angrily.

“I know, I know.” I reply understandingly. “But we’re going to have to hash all of this out.”

“I don’t think Darry is willing to do that.” Soda muttered tensely.

“Well, we gotta try, don’t we?”

“I guess.” Soda sighed.  

“Look, it’s either we talk with him or I get my ass kicked every other week.” I reply bluntly. “I prefer we go with the first option.” My head lulled to the side quickly, but I snapped it back up.

“Yeah, I prefer the first option too.” Soda replied, a dry laugh began to echo in the room. He looked over at me, an amused expression falling onto his face. “You can hardly keep your eyes open; you know that right?”

“Yeah...” I mumbled. “Doctor gave me some painkillers for my ribs. So, I honestly feel great right now. Well, I mostly feel great.” My words slurring slightly.

“Oh,” Soda replied.  

“I mean...d-did you even talk to Darry yet?” I questioned.

Soda shook his head, his blank look returning to his face. “I tried to but he wasn’t down at the house.”

I looked at him with tired curiosity. “What the hell have you been doing for the past 3 hours then?”

“I didn’t even know I was out that long.” Soda said quietly.

“Yeah, it’s been that long.” I replied, a dopy laugh falling from my lips. I leaned my head back onto the metal bed frame a bit too fast. I hit my head once again, wincing at the sore spot that bloomed on the back of it.

“At least I think it was that long... I kind of lost track of time when I first took that medicine the doctor gave me.”

Soda moved closer to me, looking at me warily. “Yeah well, you should lay back down. The last thing you need is for your head to get cracked open.”  

“Ah I’m fine.” I say, brushing him off. “I’ve already hit my head three times. A fourth ain’t going to do much damage.”  

Soda bit back a laugh and shook his head. “Don’t push your luck, Elliot.”

“I’ve been pushing my luck for a while.”  

Soda scoffed before replying. “Yeah, and look where that’s gotten you.”

“This is nothing compared to the good.” I mumbled drowsily.  

“Yeah okay.” Soda spoke skeptically, he laughed as I lazily flopped back down onto my pillow.

“I mean it.” I just barely got out. “You’re part of the good, and it’s a pretty big part of it.” I add, fighting to keep my eyes open.

“Alright smooth talker, settle down.” Soda replied.  

I sighed out tiredly, my eyes shutting out of my control. “I’m not settling down willingly.” I slurred out.

Soda laughed before replying. “I know you’re not; you usually have a lot more energy than this.”

I couldn’t even think of a response. So, I simply let out a hum, and before I knew it, I dosed off again.

~~~

POV: Soda’s

He was out like a light; I could tell he was exhausted. His eyes were puffy. He could hardly keep his head up. But I could also tell he was in some pain. He hesitated to move almost, cringing before he even attempted to.  

“Night Elliot,” I said more so to myself. It didn’t seem like he could hear me.  

I quietly got up, closing the door behind. As I walked toward the end of the hallway, Elliot's mother stood there. She was talking to Cherry in a hushed, rushed whisper.  

“Hey, Soda.” Cherry greeted; Elliot’s mother turned around, giving me a soft smile.  

“Hey,” I greeted her back.

“Is he doin’ alright?” Cherry asked quietly.

“Oh yeah, he’s fine, he uh... fell asleep so I thought I should just leave him alone.” Cherry nodded in reply.

Elliot’s mom's calm look morphed into one of stress. “Oh, I better get in there. They said he could have a concussion so he can’t really sleep right now.”

Both Cherry and I cringed at her sentence. Elliot’s mother seemingly shared that same sentiment.  

“Yeah, I feel the same way.” She started quietly. “I love my son but... he can get really moody when he doesn’t get sleep.” She sighed out.  

“Oh, I know.” Cherry replied humorously. “Is uh, is it alright if I go in and-”

“Of course,” she replied with as much cheer as she could muster. “I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you.”

“Good,” Cherry started; she turned to look over at me. “Are you going to-”

“I would like to but, I need to talk to somebody first.” I say vaguely.  

Cherry thankfully got the hint and nodded understandingly. “Okay, I’ll see you around.” She replied before waving goodbye.

“See you, have a good evening you two.”

“You too Soda, and stay safe.” Elliot’s mother warned kindly.

“I will.” I replied with a forced smile.

Well, I’d be as safe as I can be when it comes to disagreeing with Darry...

~~~ My legs would usually ache from the long walk I just had. But today, I couldn’t feel a tinge of soreness. The only feeling I could focus on was the ever-growing frustration that pulsed through me. Thankfully, Darry seemed to finally show up. His truck was parked in its usual space. I marched up to the old worn steps, pushing open the door. Darry was sat in his arm chair clutching a newspaper. I could tell he wasn’t really reading it; his eyes stayed still on one part of the page.

“So, what’d you do today, Dar?” I ask rhetorically. Pony was sat on the floor working on what I assumed to be homework. His eyes shifted from the half-filled out sheet to me.

Darry placed the crinkled newspaper down, his ice eyes boring into mine. “Nothing important.” He said simply.

“Let’s cut the crap.” I snap. Pony’s wary expression now grew at my sudden tension. “Why would you do that to him?” I asked angrily.

“Do what?” Pony inquired before Darry could respond.  

“Oh, that’s great you didn’t even tell him.” I say with a fake tone of humor. “Well Pony, our older brother decided to jump Elliot today.”

Pony turned to Darry, his expression filled with shock and a tinge of hurt. “Why would you do that, Dar?”

Darry shot up from the arm chair and began to pace. “Look, I don’t need to get tag teamed here, alright?”

“Well, you had no problem doing that to Elliot earlier.” I rebuttal. “It was real nice of Ol 'Dal to join in on your fun, wasn’t it?”

“Darry.” Pony uttered in shock.  

“Look he said that I could do whatever I felt I needed to do with regarding you two-”

“That wasn’t an invitation to beat the hell out of him!” I yelled out, I could feel my body heat up in anger.

“And I know he wouldn’t start somethin’ like that either. I know Elliot he isn't much of a fighter.” Pony added, now standing up himself.

Darry glowered at us; he didn’t respond at first. But he eventually found the words that evaded him. “What is goin’ on with you two needs to stop. Now.” He ordered.

“Why?” I asked. “Is it because your disgusted by it?”  

“I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.” Pony jumped in strongly.

“It’s because society says it isn’t something that should be happening!” Darry snapped.

“Darry, when have we ever cared about what other people think of us!?” I exclaimed frantically. “We are the bottom of the barrel to the people around here. I don’t think a gay couple would somehow push us even lower than we already are!”

“Soda-”

“No, Darry, no! You want me to break up with Elliot because you care about what other people will think about us? So, my happiness is above some random stranger's opinion on you and me then?”

“My god you two are broken records. He had the audacity to say the same thing to me!” Darry hissed.

“Well, he probably said the same thing I did because it’s true!” I interject strongly. “You just told me that I shouldn’t be with him because of society. How is that not putting a stranger's opinion over me?”

Darry just stared at me blankly, his face growing pale white.  

“It’s not right Dar.” Pony spoke up quietly. “Not right at all.”

Darry seemed to bite back a comment, his jaw clenching due to the restraint. He turned on his heels, abruptly marching toward his bedroom. The door slammed shut, echoing through the desolate house.

“Thanks Pone,” I mutter thankfully.

“No problem.” He responded quickly.

The screen door creaked open, making the both of us turn around. Two-Bit stood at the door way, the lazy grin he usually had dropped when he saw us.

“What-” He stopped talking, contemplating his next move. “You know what? I’ll... come back late.” He uttered before turning around, walking back out toward the street.

I turned back around to the now empty armchair Darry was sitting in. I looked down at the spot angrily.  

The moment he’s confronted with something he knows he's wrong on. He walks away without defending himself... much.

[fizzydrink-fanclub]

The gang when you get beat up really bad? Like, the reader was fighting someone and they lost, so they go to the Curtis house and the gang sees them with a black eye and bruises and shi

Love your writing btw, you do an amazing job <3

Thank you! <3 enjoy

Tw: Blood, injuries, violence

You walk down the dark street, footsteps echoing into the night. Your shadow shifts and warps as you pass under streetlights, making out the vague silhouettes of hedges and parked cars in your hazy vision. You were surely badly injured: taking a clobbering like that, you weren’t sure how you were still walking, willing yourself to put one foot in front of the other instead of collapsing in an alley. But there was no time for pain, no time for crying, not when you were alone and needed sanctuary. You’ve walked the route to the Curtis house many times before, but never at night, bruised and defeated.

You had no idea what time it was. You were dizzy and disoriented and just wanted to have a place to stay the night. If the Socs were a threat, then it was good to have everybody there to protect you.

You reached the door and tried to slip inside, surely unnoticed in the middle of the action of a Saturday evening. Soda and Steve were doing backflips off the couch, the coffee table moved away to the corner where Johnny and Pony were playing cards, Dally standing by, watching. Two-Bit sat cross-legged in front of the TV, spectating and calling out scores for the living room gymnastics competition. Darry sat in an armchair nearby, keeping guard of the door, reading a newspaper and occasionally calling out warnings when things got too dangerous.

He was the first to notice you, glancing up for a brief moment before pausing and doing a quick double take. You sniffed and wiped your nose, seeing bright red blood on the back of your hand.

“Y/N, what happened?!” he exclaimed, jumping up and rushing to your side. He looked you over and turned you around.

“What hurts? Where did you get hit? Was it a fight? Was it the Socs?”

He pushed hair away from your neck before nervously asking,

“Did they pull out a blade?”

You shake your head vigorously and try to duck away. He’s attracted too much attention, though, and the gang is coming at you from all sides.

“Are you okay?”

“Can you see alright?”

“Did you break anything?”

Soda cups your chin with his hand and inspects your injuries.

“Are you seeing dots? How’s your head?”

He grabs some tissues for the nosebleed. “Pony, go get some ice.” he instructs his little brother, who promptly dashes to the kitchen.

Oh, well, no escaping the gang’s smothering. Darry guides you to the couch and makes you lie down. He takes the ice from Pony, pressing it to your swollen eye.

“Darry, I can do things for myself!”

Two-Bit looks you over again.

“What happened, Y/N? Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah.” You reply. “I just got in a fist fight.”

A round of collective gasps surrounds you.

“One of the Socs. He said something about you guys and… I thought I could, you know…”

Darry shakes his head. “Don’t you ever do that again, you hear, Y/N?” He scolds, “I don’t want you going around picking fights because of what a Soc says about us. It isn’t worth it. I think you’ve learned your lesson, though.”

You nod and sigh. The bruises up and down your chest and stomach from where you got punched are starting to hurt. Pony comes by, with a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin.

“Hey, Y/N, I was just wondering if you wanted some aspirin.”

You nod and take a couple aspirin. “Thanks, Pone.”

He nods and moves away a little bit. Him and Johnny sit by your feet, watching with big, timid eyes full of concern. Dally walks over next, taking a slow drag on his cigarette and exhaling the smoke.

“You know, Y/N.” He advised, “Stay away from street fights. I’ve seen them get ugly real quick. You never know when the other guy could pull a blade or call up his buddies. It can get real dangerous.”

“Thanks, Dally.” You mumble. You close your eyes and try to get some rest until a little while later. Everybody leaves for their rooms, or their houses, or wherever they’re going. Steve stays by, situating himself on the carpet.

“‘Night, Y/N, I’m here if you need anything.”

You gawk. “Steve! Why are you sleeping on the floor? At least get a pillow or something!”

You toss him a pillow. He grins and lies back in the recliner.

“Thanks, Y/N! Could use a blanket, though.”

Tossing him a blanket, you grin and shake your head, leaning back and closing your eyes. You felt at home, because you were. In the smothering sanctuary of the Curtis house.

[darriness]

Klaine Fic - You’ll Always Be The Home - Chapter 4

Author: darriness

Fic Summary: Everything is finally settled in Kurt and Blaine’s life…right?

Link to: Prologue - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3

Rating: T

Chapter Word Count: 2115

Chapter Summary: A meeting

Author’s Note: Thanks to my beta @darrenismydarcy

AO3 Link

“Blaine!” Kurt calls as he follows his husband out of the church and down the steps to the street. Blaine isn’t running but he’s speed walking with a hand over his mouth and looks like he might vomit. Kurt is vaguely aware of Bethany following him down the stairs but his eyes and attention are on Blaine.

“Blaine!” He tries again when he’s reached the sidewalk. Blaine is about a half a block away, “Blaine, stop! Please!”

Blaine does stop then, causing a woman walking in the other direction to have to quickly dodge past him with a glare and curse. Blaine turns to Kurt with wide eyes and his hand still over his mouth. Kurt approaches him slowly with his hands outstretched like you might a wild animal you don’t want to provoke. Kurt’s never seen this look in his husband’s eyes and he’s not quite sure how to handle it.

“It doesn’t mean…” Kurt starts but Blaine cuts him off with a harsh laugh as he removes his hand from his mouth sharply.

“Everyone else is dead, Kurt.” Blaine says, “The only other way for that kid to look like that is if I somehow got some girl pregnant eight years ago and by that point I had given up sleeping with women so...” Blaine rolls his eyes sarcastically.

Kurt breathes in deeply and tries to stay calm. Biting back at Blaine would not accomplish anything, “What do you want to do?” He asks.

Blaine puts a hand to his mouth and rubs harshly as he looks down the street and shakes his head. Kurt’s heart aches for the lost look in his eyes. He doesn’t know how to fix this. He doesn’t know what to do.

Finally, after a long silence which wasn’t really silent considering they are standing on a busy New York City street, Blaine finally looks back at Kurt, “I want to buy a unicorn.” He says, looking over at Bethany.

Kurt looks at Bethany to find the girl staring incredulously at Blaine, like maybe her brother had gone insane. Kurt’s not entirely sure that hasn’t happened.

“What…?” She asks.

Blaine nods, “You said you wanted to do something extremely gay after the funeral. I think we can all agree that our time at that funeral has come to an end, so let’s do it. Let’s do something really gay. Let’s buy a unicorn.”

Bethany and Kurt look at each other for a moment. Kurt thinks they are both thinking the same thing: that Blaine is a stiff push away from losing it completely and neither wants to see that happen. Kurt thinks that the middle of the street is not the best place for Blaine to have whatever breakdown he might be having so he decides quickly with a nod to just go with it.

“Okay.” Kurt says, “Let’s go buy a unicorn.”

-- -- --

As it turns out ‘buying a unicorn’ means taking an almost magical mystery tour around New York City until landing in a spot called Dinosaur Hill and purchasing perhaps the largest unicorn stuffed animal known to man. It’s so large that it takes up an entire seat on the subway as Bethany puts her arm around it and cuddles it. Luckily, the subway isn’t overly busy at this time of day or transporting such a feat of sewing engineering home might have been a challenge.

When all four of them (Blaine, Kurt, Bethany, and Eugene the Unicorn, as Bethany has named him) enter the apartment, Bethany curls up on the couch with Eugene beside her. Blaine takes a seat in the armchair and Kurt perches himself on one arm of the chair Blaine sits in. 

They are silent, each lost in their own thoughts, like they had been for most of the search for Eugene the Unicorn. Eventually, Bethany coughs, drawing the attention of the two men.

“So uhhhh, are we going to address the white unicorn in the room?” She asks.

Kurt sighs and looks over at Blaine who is chewing his lip. Kurt wishes he knew what Blaine was thinking, but finding out you have a brother you never knew about from the parents who abandoned you at the funeral for the mother who abandoned you isn’t something Kurt could imagine in his wildest dreams. He has no idea how he would feel after finding out such information.

“We don’t know for sure he’s who we think he is.” Blaine finally whispers, in direct contradiction to his words on the street earlier.

Bethany’s eyes widen, “I’ve seen pictures of you at eight, Blaine. That kid is your clone. Like you said, what other option is there?”

Blaine sits straight in the chair and begins to lean forward while pointing. Kurt reaches for Blaine’s hand and brings it into his lap, which effectively ends whatever comeback Blaine was going to give, “Look, I think we all know who that little boy is.” He says softly, “That’s not what I think we should be talking about.”

Blaine slumps in his chair and nods after a moment, seemingly resigned to the fact. Kurt watches Blaine’s face before looking over at Bethany who is doing the same thing. Kurt has a feeling that whatever they need to talk about, it has very little to do with Bethany and her feelings.

He truly believes what he told Blaine in the shower the night after they told Bethany about their mother’s passing. Bethany’s connection to that part of her life isn’t all that strong, potentially almost non-existent, because Blaine allowed her that. He gave her a parental figure. He gave her the stability, and nurturing, and love that their biological parents either couldn’t or wouldn’t give.

And it’s this influence over his little sister that Kurt is sure why she says what she does next. Bethany nods her head with a determined expression and looks between Kurt and Blaine, “We should take him.”

Kurt lets out a surprised laugh as Blaine’s eyes widen next to him.

“What - you want to kidnap him?” Kurt asks.

Bethany shrugs, “Considering who our father is, I’m sure this kid would come willingly.” Kurt lifts his eyebrows in silent agreement before Bethany shakes her head and looks back at Blaine, “He’s going to need our help.”

Blaine’s eyes widen again and his mouth opens and closes a few times. Kurt watches a lot of thoughts pass behind his husband’s eyes, but Kurt can’t really guess at any of them. He knows his personal thoughts on Bethany’s suggestion but this isn’t really about him right now. And by Blaine’s reaction, Kurt’s personal thoughts are way off. Blaine seems to be at war with his thoughts.

Blaine’s mouth opens again, as if ready to say something, but is interrupted by a knock on the door. All three occupants of the apartment turn toward the door in unison. Knocks are not an uncommon occurrence, but for some reason all three of them seem to regard the action as alien. What is that noise and what should they do about it?

Kurt shakes himself from his confusion first and gets up to answer the second knock. He pulls the door open with a polite smile before his face crumbles in confusion when he’s not met at eye level by another person. A cleared throat brings Kurt’s eyes down a couple of feet and his eyes land on an eight-year-old Blaine.

The same little boy from the church is standing on their doorstep. He looks dapper in his blue suit, purple checkered shirt and deep blue bowtie with brown dress shoes, but it’s also his expression that gives off an air of dapperness. Of superiority. Of...judgement.

Kurt feels judged by this eight-year-old in a very eight-year-old Kurt Hummel sort of way. Kurt would have served that face at eight. He has a sudden twilight zone moment in his head. This kid looks like Blaine but acts like Kurt. Is he somehow their time travelled biologically impossible child?!

Kurt shakes his head to clear himself of the thought as he and mini-Blaine continue to stare at each other. Eventually, the boy clears his throat again and quirks an eyebrow, “Are you going to invite me in?”

And suddenly this little boy is Blaine’s dad. Kurt may have only met him once, but there is no mistaking who raised this little person. Speaking of the elder Anderson...Kurt’s eyes shift up and down the hall outside the apartment for any sign of Marcus Anderson. There is none.

Kurt looks back down at the boy dumbly for a moment, even prompting the kid to lift his eyebrows expectantly, before stepping aside, “Um sure.” He says for lack of anything better.

As the little boy makes his way into the apartment, Kurt gestures toward the living room, “Ummm Blaine? Bethany? Your…” He trails off before saying ‘brother’, but the pause is enough to imply the word before he adds, “, is here.”

Blaine and Bethany are staring at the little boy with wide eyes. One set hazel, the other blue, but still so much alike. The boy moves into the room with a confidence he really shouldn’t have at that age and definitely not in this situation, and sits in the only unoccupied chair in the room. He folds his hands in his lap and sits with a straight back.

Kurt sits back down on the arm of Blaine’s chair and the three of them - Blaine, Bethany, and Kurt - just stare. How did this kid get here? What does he want? Why can’t Kurt get the image out of his head of this kid being somehow genetically tied to both him and Blaine?

Before any of them can ask a question though, the boy speaks.

“My name is Aiden Anderson. My father is Marcus Anderson and my mother is…” He pauses and Kurt notices his mouth pulls up in a slight grimace, “was...Evelyn Anderson.”

Even though Kurt is beyond confused, his heart breaks for the little boy, for Aiden. This boy just lost his mother.

Blaine clears his throat and shifts in his chair. Kurt turns to see his husband lean forward with a furrowed brow, “Aiden,” He starts, “does your dad know you’re here?”

Aiden shakes his head, “No. I found your address the other night. My father said he had to go do something but he was acting very strangely so I snuck into his office while he was gone. I found your address on his desk attached to a picture of you two.” He says gesturing between Blaine and Bethany.

Bethany and Blaine turn to each other with shocked expressions before turning back to Aiden as the boy keeps talking, “You looked liked me.” He shrugs, “And when I saw you at the funeral today, I asked my father who you were and he got all…” Aiden pauses and adopts a grumpy expression for lack of words to describe Marcus Anderson’s reaction. He drops the act after a moment before sighing, “I wanted to know why you looked like me, so I remembered the address and came to find you.”

The room is silent after the boy's story before Kurt’s eyes widen briefly, “Smart eight-year-old.” He says impressed.

Aiden turns to him with his nose in the air, “I’m seven.” He corrects.

Kurt’s eyes widen even further.

“So, you don’t know who we are?” Bethany asks.

Aiden shakes his head, “No. I just saw your picture and know that my father got really upset when he saw you and I asked about you.”

Blaine sighs next to Kurt and wrings his hands together, “Aiden, I don’t think your dad would want us telling you who we are.” He says.

Aiden tilts his head curiously, “My father always says the more knowledgeable a man is, the less of a fool a person can make of him.”

Kurt notices Blaine’s eyes pinch at this before he bites his lips together, shakes his head, sighs, and looks back at Aiden, “Aiden, I’m Blaine. And this is Bethany.” He says, gesturing to Bethany on the other couch who waves. Aiden gives Bethany a strange smile but waves back before Blaine continues hesitantly, “...And our parents were Marcus and Evelyn Anderson…”

Kurt watches as the little boy in front of them takes in the information, rolls it around in his head, and then comes to the only conclusion there is. His eyes widen and his mouth drops open as he stares between them.

Kurt kind of can’t believe he’s been witness to the same face (just decades apart in age) realizing it has more siblings than it thought it did twice in one day.

[the-outsiders-blogg]

I love that imagine! Would you do part 2 of Triangles? like maybe y/n can’t stop thinking Dallas and Dallas gets out of control with his drinking and y/n catches him being heartbroken over her? Or make it your way? 💝

I got this request almost immediately after I posted Triangles, which is crazy! I can’t believe someone read my imagine so quickly after I posted it! I love this request ty and feel free to send me more requests!

Triangles pt 2 (former!dally x reader) (soda x reader)

Dally isn’t too happy when he finds out that your engaged to Soda. (series master list)

You couldn’t stop thinking about what Dally said last night.  You never meant to hurt him like that.  You thought y’all split because he just wasn’t the guy for you. You tried to push those thoughts out of your head; you were engaged to Sodapop after all.  Soda loved you, and y’all were good together.  He was always there for you, and he wanted a life with you.  You and Dal were bad for each other.  

Right?

You drove over to the Curtis house have breakfast with Soda and his brothers.  You took a deep breath as you pushed open the door, hoping that Dally wasn’t still asleep on the couch.  You quickly scanned the living room; the only one there was Steve, asleep on the lounge chair.  You sighed in relief as you walked into the kitchen and sat down the have breakfast.  

“Hey babe,” said Soda placing a plate of misshapen pancakes on the kitchen table.  He kissed your cheek.  

You smiled as Soda put a pancake on your plate.  Pony and Darry sat down at the table after greeting you and started to eat.  

I hope Dally’s okay, you thought to yourself.  You forced those thought away as you cut into the breakfast Soda had made for you.  

...

You had just gotten off of work, 10:30pm as always.  You walked out of the diner counting your tips when you felt a hand on your shoulder.  You jumped, dropping your tip money, and you let out a small yelp.  You turned to face the assailant.  It was Dallas.  

“Dally what the hell!” you exclaimed scurrying to pick up the money you dropped.   

“Sorry, y/n, didn’t mean to scare ya,” slurred Dally.  One hand still rested on your shoulder, the other held a booze bottle. 

“What are you doing here?” you said.  

“Remember when I used to come here and you’d give me a free meal and some coffee? And then your manager started getting pissy about it so I came on his lunch break?” said Dally.  

You didn’t say anything.  That was a long time ago.  

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to, I was just-” stuttered Dally.  

“It’s okay Dal,” you said softly.  

You looked at him up and down before shifting your weight and taking a deep breath.  

“I gotta go, Dally, I’ll see you around. You started to walk off, but Dally’s voice stopped you.  

“Are you really gonna marry him, y/n?”

You took a deep breath.  You couldn’t turn to face him.  “Yeah, it looks that way.”

You walked off holding your breath.  You couldn’t figure out if you still had feelings for him.  You kept telling yourself that you loved Soda and only Soda, but could you believe yourself?

Yeeesh! Hope you like this one! Pt. 3 is here!

[tasteslikepepsicola]

Somebody Else (Sodapop Curtis x Reader Part 2)

Part One - please read first!

Y/N confronts the boys about what each of their relationships with her mean to them. A party at Buck’s is sure to cause drama when Y/N shows up with one of them, and the other proceeds to get drunk out of their mind, becoming Y/N’s responsibility.

Word Count: 4800+

Warnings: drinking, slight angst (not really)

Authors Note: Hey guys! Hope you all enjoyed part one, and heres part 2! I hope to have part 3 up within a week. I am not sure how much longer this story will continue, but I do not believe it will extend over 5 parts. Please like, share, and follow! Your support means the world <3 

As Y/N approached the D.X, her heart thumped. She could see Sodapop working on a car inside the garage. However, Steve wasn’t in sight. She watched the movie star handsome boy wipe a bit of sweat from his brow, and pause to take a sip of water.  As she came closer, he finally noticed her walking towards him.

“Hey, Pepsi-Cola” Y/N hummed sweetly. 

“Oh, hey, Y/N” He went back to working on the car, trying to look like he was concentrated on it, but Y/N could tell by the way he stared blankly at it, pretending to fidget with it, that he was just trying to seem uninterested in what she had to say.

“I’ve barely seen you the past three days,” she said.

“Yeah,” he mumbled.

“I tried calling... but um Darry and Ponyboy answered each time I called, you never seemed available. I even stopped by today hoping to see you, but um- your brothers told me you were at work so I-” she was abruptly cut off.

“Guess I figured you were too busy fooling around with Steve to want to see me.” He shrugs nonchalantly, but his words sting.

“Soda, it’s not like that, you and I both know that.” She takes a step closer to him, trying to reach out for his face, to rub off a smudge of dirt he got while working on the car. But he pulls away sharply.

“Really? Do I? Do I know that it’s not like that? Cause neither of you told me you cared for each other like, like- that until you got caught.” His anger fades and his voice breaks by the end of his sentence. His tone softens, “were you even going to tell me?”

“Soda, that was the only time Steve and I did something like that, I- I don’t even know why we did it. We didn’t even kiss. We just got caught up in the moment.” Y/N realizes how desperate she sounds for him to believe her, but she doesn’t care. “Please believe me…” her voice trails off.

Sodapop stands above the hood of the car he was working on, anger prevalent in the way his muscles are flexed from gripping the edge of the car so tightly. 

The desperation begins to leave her voice as Y/N becomes more frustrated, and it is replaced with indifference.

“I get that it was shitty to see your friends act so out of character, but it was one time, and there’s no reason for you to be reacting the way you are.” At those words, Sodapop breaks.

He slams the hood of the car shut aggressively, Y/N jumps back. The Sodapop she knew never acted like this. He runs his hands through his hair, tugging at it, he looks like he wants to punch something. He sighs, calming himself down. Finally, he makes eye contact with her with a softened expression.

“You’re right, okay? If you want to date Steve, that's fine. I don’t care. At all. Make out with him all you want.” He flails his arms around, exaggerating every gesture, like he often does when he's upset. “Just don’t do that shit in front of me, or in my house.”

“No, you don’t get to ignore me for three days because of one stupid decision and then pretend you’re okay with it because its easier than dealing with the truth.”

He laughs sarcastically. “Oh so now there’s some whole big hidden meaning behind why I’m upset that my two best friends betrayed me?”

Y/N stands there silent for a minute. Could she be wrong? Did she misinterpret what Darry and Pony had said? No, Soda has to be jealous, that's the only explanation. But what if she's wrong? What if she only believed it so easily because she wanted it to be true?

Softly, she asks, “isn’t there?”

He looks away from her, and down at the ground. “No, there isn’t.” He replies.

Y/N could feel her heart drop in that moment. She hadn’t even realized how much she had wanted it to be true, how much she wanted Sodapop to care about her the way she always cared about him. 

“Fine.” is all she says as she walks away from him, and through the doors of the D.X. Regardless of the hurt she may be feeling, she still owed someone else an explanation.

Above her head, the small chime of a bell rang, alerting the cashier of her presence. Another young teenage greaser stands at the cash register, mindlessly flipping through a magazine that looked to be about cars. He’s tall, with slicked back, thick black hair. He almost looked like Steve, but tanner and with chocolate eyes different from Steve's signature green. 

Y/N walks right up to the boy, as he chomps on a piece of gum obnoxiously, eyeing her up and down. 

“What's cookin’ good lookin’?”

Ugh, he did not seriously just use the cheesiest pick up line I’ve ever heard. Y/N sighed, rolled her eyes, and crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly a little self conscious.

“Is Steve here?” she asked, fed up.

The greaser boy smirked at her. “So you’re Y/N?” he let out a low whistle. “You’re even prettier than I imagined. And trust me, he was talking about you a lot, so I thought I had a good idea. Anyways how did a girl like you end up with someone li-” he was interrupted by a flustered Steve running out of the stock room. 

“Y/N!” he forces a smile. “I see you’ve met my friend Jess,” he slaps Jess on the back, a little too hard to be considered friendly. 

Jess turns to look at Steve, casually, then points back at Y/N, “Your girlfriend is here.” He says smugly.

Steve and Y/N both immediately rush to explain, speaking at the same time.

“Woah woah woah buddy you are way off base. We are not dating. Nope”

“She is not my girlfriend, okay? We’re just friends.”

Jess lets out a small laugh, ignoring their claims, and heading back to the cash register. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say. But um, if you’re not dating then, does that mean you might wanna catch a movie sometime Y/N.” He nods in her direction, flashing a smile.

Steve defensively puts an arm around Y/N. “Yeah, nope. That’s not happening on my watch.” He replies.

“Relax Steve-o, I’m just messin with ya.” Jess winks at Y/N, causing Steve to glare back at him. 

Quickly, Steve checks his watch, then smiles. “I’ve still got fifteen minutes left of my break. Y/N, take a walk with me?” he offers.

“Sure,” she accepts.

Jess returns to flipping through the pages of his magazine, as Steve and Y/N walk out of the convenience store, past the garage, and down the road they had walked so many times before. It almost felt like old times, Y/N reminisced about a time when she, Steve, and Sodapop would all walk to the D.X and she would sit at a short distance watching them fixing up cars. Y/N would never admit she actually found it kind of boring, but she appreciated any time she could spend with her friends, since their schedules were already so packed. She also knew the days she would watch them at work they were always happier, having a little more distraction and just slightly more fun. And, if she was being truly honest, she had always loved the way Sodapop looked when he was really into something he was doing, it was one of the only times she ever saw him have a passion. He was a dropout, there weren’t many options for a guy like him. And he needed to provide for his family, he didn’t have time to pursue his interests. But cars, well they seemed to genuinely bring him excitement and joy. And for that, Y/N was so grateful.

“So,” Steve starts, unsure of what to say next. “I guess we should talk about what, um, ya know, happened that night with the gang.”

Y/N nods, knowing he didn’t know how to continue. Instead of watching him struggle to find the words, she prompted him, “Well, what did it feel like to you? Was it just fooling around, or did it mean something?” Y/N asks, unsure of which answer she would rather hear.

“Honestly, I could stand here and lie to you and say I didn’t feel anything, but I just can’t anymore. I- I didn’t know I felt the way I did about you. But then you were just, there, in my arms. And your skin is so soft, and your hair smells like flowers, and um-” he pauses, blushing. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, I care about you. But also, if you don’t feel that way about me, we can just pretend this never happened. It’s not like I’m in love with you or anything but-”

“Steve?” she cuts him off, smiling up at him.

“Hmm?” he hums.

Suddenly, something comes over Y/N, she doesn’t owe anyone anything. Sodapop has made it clear how she feels about her, and she might have a real chance at happiness with Steve.

“Can I just, um try something?” she says, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Uh, sure.” he replies, unsure.

Y/N tries to steady her breathing, before wrapping her arms around Steve’s neck, standing on her tiptoes to reach him, and leaning in to kiss him. He meets her halfway, and before either of them fully understand what they’re doing, the two of them are kissing. Y/N feels warm, and safe, and comforted, like Dally pulling her into his lap with a blanket, or Darry holding her while she cries because she had another horrible fight with her family. It’s like how Ponyboy always listens to her no matter how frivolous her topic of conversations seem. It’s like how Two-Bit never fails to put a smile on her face. It’s how Johnny always gives up his jacket when she says she's cold. It’s almost like the butterflies she feels in her stomach when Sodapop says her name.

When they finally pull away, they are both smiling at each other. 

“Wow,” is all Steve says.

“Yeah,” is all Y/N can add.

“Alright, I know this is all new and I don’t wanna scare you off, or think I’m trying to be exclusive all at once but um- do you wanna come to this party with me Friday? It’s at Bucks which I know isn’t your usual scene, but most of the gang will be there and, I don’t know, I’d love to have you there with me.”

Y/N kisses him on the cheek swiftly, “I’ll be there.”

“I’ll pick you up at eight?” he beams.

“It’s a date.” she replies.

*****

Friday came sooner than Y/N could have ever expected. A thousand nervous thoughts ran through her head. But truthfully, what did she have to be afraid of? It was still Steve, and she was still Y/N. They would always be best friends above all. 

All her attempts to reassure herself were equally matched with the nagging thought, would Sodapop be there? But no, she was just being paranoid. She knew as well as everyone that Soda was not the partier type. He never touched a drop of alcohol, he always talked about getting drunk off life instead. Y/N finally managed to push her thoughts away from Sodapop so she could focus on getting ready for the night.

She settled on a simple white flowy sundress that fell just above her knees. She let her hair do its natural beach wave type-of-thing, and used a few bobby pins to make it look a little more intricate. She kept her makeup light and natural, as always, with just a bit more mascara and a lip gloss with a peachy tint.

Once she was done, she looked in the mirror and was reminded of how good it felt to dress up a little from time to time. She had always been relatively girly, and although she certainly doesn’t wear flannels and boots everyday, she still had to stick to some form of the greaser look. But tonight, it looked like she could party with the Soc’s any night. Y/N loved the look, hated the actual concept of a Soc party. Although she doesn’t go out much, when she does, she would much rather be with her own people.

Y/N checked the clock across her room, and noticed it was now 7:58 p.m, meaning Steve would be here any minute. She has just enough time to apply a dash of her signature perfume, before there's a knock at the door. Luckily enough for both her and Steve, her parents weren’t home, so they didn’t have to face any interrogation about where they’re going and when they’ll be back.

When she opened the door, she could have sworn she saw Steve’s eyes bulge out of his head.

“Y/N, you look...incredible.” He barely manages to get the words out.

She giggles, cheeks heating. “Thank you, so do you.”

The two of them stand there staring at each other for a moment.

“Uh, Steve? Shouldn’t we be going now?” Y/N inquires.

A second passes before he seems to return to reality. “Oh yeah, of course. Sorry, it’s just- you look really beautiful.”

Y/N smiles at the ground for a second, before replying. “Okay, smooth guy. Let’s get going now.” She loops her arm through his as he escorted her to the car.

*****

When they enter the house, the smell of alcohol and cigarettes fills the air. Loud music is playing, it seems a couple card games are already going on, and the night is just starting.

The couple immediately sees Dallas and Two-Bit and makes their way across the room to them. 

“Guys! You made it!” Two-Bit exclaims.

“And...together?” Dally questions.

“Well, I mean, we’re here together, but we’re not together.” Y/N tries to explain.

“Ahh, and how does Romeo feel about Mercutio stealing his Juliet?” Dallas quips.

Y/N is stunned for a second, “Wow, since when does Dallas Winston reference Shakespeare?” she asks.

“Since I heard Ponyboy use that exact same phrase an hour ago and he had to explain to me what it meant. I’d figure you’d get it Y/N.” He laughs.

“Oh, trust me, Romeo and Juliet is my favorite Shakespearean tragedy, but I still don’t get what you’re meaning to relate it to.” Y/N added.

Steve let out a nervous laugh, before placing his hand in the small of Y/N’s back. “How about you and I go grab a drink, Y/N?” Steve suggests while leading them off. “Catch up with you later guys!” He shouts, already halfway across the room.

For another hour or two, Y/N tried to let loose, she had a couple drinks and danced with Steve. She was having a great time, no doubt. But she still couldn’t push Dally’s words out of her mind. He was quoting Pony? About Steve and Y/N… The whole situation was messy and she was trying to piece it together as she sat at an empty table watching Steve play a game of pool from a short distance.

And all of a sudden, from across the room, none other than the handsome greaser who she had been trying to push from her mind all night walks through the door. Sodapop Curtis is at one of Bucks crazy parties. But why? And then it clicks all at once. Ponyboy must have been trying to say that, well, if Y/N is Juliet, Steve is Mercutio, that means...Soda is supposed to be Romeo? But in some messed up version where Juliet is at a party with Mercutio, and kissing him, and making out with him during movies with Romeo just feet away. 

Y/N felt light headed, trying to process where she was and what she was doing. Sodapop told her there was no hidden meaning behind his passive aggressiveness. He assured her he was just mad because he was shocked, because it could break up their friendships. He practically told her he wasn’t jealous. He couldn’t be Romeo, he couldn’t feel that way about Y/N. Ponyboy must have been severely misinformed.

Before he can catch her staring, Y/N pulls her gaze away from Soda, instead opting to grab onto Steves hand, and leading him onto the dance floor once again. She can feel his eyes on them as they dance, his burning gaze that he had no right to be plaguing her with. Maybe it was the liquid courage, but Y/N thought to herself, fine, if he wants to stare, might as well give him something to stare at.

Just then, she pulls Steve close to her again, crashing her lips on his, while they continue to sway to the music. When they finally come up for air again, Sodapop is nowhere in sight. 

“What was that for?” Steve grins.

“You just look so darn cute when you dance,” she replies, pecking him on the cheek. 

Another hour or so passes by, and the party is in full swing. But Y/N has yet to see Sodapop since he first walked in.

“You know, I’m gonna go grab another drink, you want anything?” She asks Steve.

“I’m alright, thanks though.” he replies.

She swiftly saunters off, pushing through the crowds of people, scanning their faces for an all too familiar one.

After a few minutes of wandering, and almost completing a whole lap around the party, Y/N is about to give up. Remembering she was supposed to come back with a fresh drink in hand, she makes her way into the kitchen. Of course, in the comical mess that was Y/N’s life, a very intoxicated Sodapop was standing next to Jess as he handed out drinks. Y/N cautiously approached the pair.

“Y/N! Steve actually managed to convince you to come?” Jess joked.

She let out an uneasy laugh, “yeah, I guess he did.”

Sodapop completely avoids Y/N’s eyeline, huffing at the mention of Steve.

“So what can I get you?” Jess asks. 

“Just another…” Y/N pauses, lifting up her drink to inspect it. “Whatever this is?” she replies unsure, giggling a little.

“Coming right up, beautiful!” he replies, before ducking deeper into the kitchen to retrieve the drink, leaving Y/N and Soda alone together, for the first time in days.

The silence is practically unbearable, so Y/N decides to be the first to end it. She takes a seat at the table next to Sodapop. Around them, people dance, sing, kiss, scream, and fight. But not here. Here, at this remote island Y/N finds herself stuck on, it’s just her and Sodapop, not knowing what to say.

“Hey,” she begins with.

He rolls his eyes over to meet hers, over exaggerated annoyance apparent on his face. “Hello, Y/N.” he states. 

“How have you been?” she questions.

“Grand.” he says sharply, crossing his arms over his chest.

Y/N puffs out her cheeks, lost for words. She’s about to go find Jess and head back to Steve, and she even stands up to leave before she feels Sodapop reaching for her.

“Wait...don’t leave.” he slurs out. 

She sighs, but ultimately sits back down.

“I’m sorry I’ve been like this, the past few daysss.” he extends the last word, sounding barely awake. 

Y/N says nothing, waiting for an explanation. 

He realizes she isn’t just brushing him off and he continues. “I- I just don’t like-” he pauses, tilts his head back, and scrunches his eyes shut for half a second before quickly continuing. “I don’t like seeing you and Steve together. All in my-” he gestures his hands around his head. “all in my face.” he finishes.

Y/N bites her lip, not knowing what to say next. He eagerly awaits her response.

“I know, Pepsi-Cola, and I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you earlier.” she apologizes.

He lets out a sharp laugh. “That's ironic isn’t it?” he stares down at the table, seemingly not focused on anything.

Y/N feels her brows knit together like they do when she’s confused.

“What do you mean?” she asks.

Suddenly, Sodapop looks stone cold sober. “It just didn’t matter to him at all did it?” he says.

Now, Y/N is more confused than she was before they started talking. She wasn’t even sure how that could be possible.

“What didn’t?” she pushes for an answer.

“I’ve been in love with you since the seventh grade, and he still took you from me, like it- like my feelings, our friendship- like it meant nothing.”

Y/N’s heart sinks. Her head whirls. Her breathing halts. The world stops spinning, just for that moment. That moment where Sodapop said he loved Y/N. Loved...loves? She tried to replay what his exact words were, but her brain couldn’t produce a coherent thought.

“You’re drunk, Sodapop.” is all she can say.

“In fact I am, Y/N.” he replies.

Just then, Jess reappears, a drink in hand. He places it in front of Y/N proudly.

“Thanks, but I actually don’t think I’m gonna need it. I really think I should bring Soda home.” Y/N places her hand over Sodapop’s forehead, who looks like hes about to be sick. 

“What do you mean? The party’s just starting! It’s barely past midnight- and I haven’t even gotten to show off my impeccable dance moves to you yet.” he jokes.

Y/N keeps a hand against Sodapop’s cheek. He wraps his arms around her waist, as she is now standing while he remains seated. She messes up his hair a little, affectionately. 

“While that is quite tempting, this dumby here is kinda my best friend. And he’s pretty much the biggest light weight you’ll ever meet.” She says, helping Soda rise to his feet. He slings his arm around her for balance. “So with that being said, if you could do me a favor? Tell Steve something came up and that um- I had a great time. And to call me when he gets home so I know he got back safe.” She smiles at Jess, about to leave before turning around and adding, “And if you wouldn’t mention that I left with Soda?” she says barely above a whisper.

“Your secret is safe with me.” He winks at Y/N, before heading back to serve more drinks.

When they had finally made their way out of the party, they began the short walk across town, to the Curtis house. 

*****

Wow, that walk takes a lot longer when you’re dragging your drunk buddy behind you the whole time. Y/N notes. Darry and Ponyboy are both fast asleep by now, so quietly she sneaks Sodapop into the kitchen. 

She manages to get him to sit at the counter without breaking anything in their path. She quickly grabs a glass from the cabinet, fills it with water, and leaves the room for a moment, before returning with a couple aspirin in hand.

“Take these.” She hands them to Sodapop, watching as he swallows them to make sure he does. “And drink all of this.” She taps the glass.

He smiles at her, amused.

She can’t help but feel her face slightly light up at his sudden cheerfulness. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asks.

“Cause you love me,” he hums.

Y/N’s heart races, but she attempts to remain composed.

“Of course I do, you’re my best friend.” she reasons.

“No, not like that Y/N. Never like that. Okay? We’re more than that. I love you. You see?” His motions still indicate he’s intoxicated, but not quite as heavily as he previously was. 

Y/N pours herself a glass of water, too, and stands across the kitchen from him, leaning against the counter. 

“You don’t know what you’re saying, Sodapop.” Y/N mentions.

He smiles obliviously, before shouting as loud as he can, “I love you Y/F/N! I am in love with you!” She immediately rushes over to him. Clasping a hand over his mouth. 

“Oh my god Sodapop, what are you thinking? Are you trying to get us killed? In about two seconds Darry is gonna run in here and he’s going to see that you are drunk and then-”

Sodapop grabs Y/N, pulling her into his lap. Y/N removes her hand from his mouth, in shock by his blatant neediness. 

“Why don’t you just kiss me already, Y/N?” he whispers to her. At this point, her heart is racing so fast, that Y/N is sure he can hear it beat. And as much as she wants to, she can’t do this.

“No Soda, come on, not like this. We’re better than this. If we’re gonna do this, our first kiss will not be in your kitchen at one A.M when we are both drunk.” She kisses his temple lightly, before standing up and offering him her hand. He takes it half-heartedly as she leads him to bed.

“So you’re saying you’ve thought about it then? And want it to be special?” he inquires.

Y/N rolls her eyes and giggles. “I didn’t say that Pepsi-Cola.”

“Well I’ve thought about it. A lot. More than I should possibly.” When he says this, Y/N swears she’s died and gone to heaven. Or that she must be dreaming. 

Finally, they reach Ponyboy and Sodapop’s shared bedroom. Pony is sound asleep, somehow, despite Sodapop’s previous screaming. 

“Okay,  smooth guy, let's get you to bed.” It isn’t until the words leave her mouth that she recalls how she used the exact same nickname earlier in the night, to her date, Steve. A wave of guilt comes crashing over her. She tries to brush it off, and focus on the task at hand.

Sodapop struggles to take off his shirt, so Y/N helps him, while he manages to take off his belt and jeans. Standing there in just his underwear, Y/N tosses him a shirt she grabbed from his dresser. He quickly puts it on.

“Turn around, I need to get dressed too.” she states. Sodapop obliges, quickly turning around. And then there is silence as Y/N reaches behind her to try to unzip her own dress. Even in his drunken haze, with his back turned to her, Sodapop knows she's struggling.

“Uh- do you need help?” he asks innocently.

She sighs, “Actually, yes.” Y/N replies.

Finally, Sodapop stands behind her as she holds her hair up and away from the zipper. He is extremely cautious as he unzips the tight dress, and it falls off her body, and to the floor softly. For that brief moment, there was a shared intimacy between them- the tension was so much. It was almost like, Y/N could have just turned around and kissed him. Well, she could have. But it wasn’t right. Not yet. They had waited years for their time, it certainly wasn’t right now.

Sodapop’s cheeks turned a bright red, flushed, and he quickly turned around to hide this from Y/N. She threw on one of his oversized shirts, and noted that it smelled so much like him and found comfort in that. She taps him on the shoulder, “you can turn around now.” she adds.

“Oh,” they face each other once more.

“Let's get you to bed Pepsi-Cola.”

And then, shes at his bed side. Guiding him under the covers, leaving a glass of water on his nightstand. And wanting nothing more than to stay there with him, possibly forever.

She kisses him on the cheek, “goodnight, Sodapop.”

“Why do you always sleep on the couch, there’s enough room for two people in the bed.” he yawns through his question.

“There's already two people in the bed silly,” she glances at Ponyboy, who remains sleeping.

“I guess that's a valid point…” he mumbles. “Have I mentioned that I love you?” he responds.

“A couple times.” She kisses him on the nose. “Now goodnight, for real, Pepsi-”

“Do you love me Y/N?” he asks with pleading eyes.

Maybe it was because she just wanted to go to bed, or maybe it was the alcohol, or even because deep down she knew it was the truth, but Y/N responds, “Of course I do, Sodapop, I always have, I always will.”

“Always?” he asks.

“Always.” she repeats, before closing his door, and heading to the couch for an inevitable restless night's sleep.

[eliniei]

Those Hard Days - Chapter 3

Summary: Rae’s brother always made sure she was tough as nails. But when her father flips her world upside down, will she find that there’s a limit on how strong she can be?

Warnings: Rape/Non-con (non-graphic, fade-to-black), child abuse, underage drinking, underage smoking, drug use, violence, major character death

A/N: Chapter 3! This chapter is a litle lighter. I promise not everything is going to be dark and gloomy.

AO3: here Fanfiction.net:

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Chapter 3 - Steady

"Rise and shine!" Two-Bit's voice said, way too happy and way too early. Rae mumbled something about leaving her alone, and rolled over so her back was facing him. "Oh, come on, kid. Don’t be like that. Ain’t you usually a morning person?" She sighed and rolled back over with her eyes open, to see Two-Bit's smiling face looking down at her. She squinted, the sun from the window behind him shining brightly. It made him look like god damn Jesus Christ. Except, well, with greasy hair.

"Your smile’s too bright. Turn it down," Rae complained.

"Oh, very funny," Two-Bit chuckled, ignoring her demand.

"What time is it, anyway?" she asked, groggily. He looked over his shoulder to the clock on the wall.

"’Round nine. Time to get up!" he exclaimed. He grabbed her arm and pulled her off the couch. Her body was really sore from the night before and she winced. She was still fully clothed with jacket and shoes. Still covered in dirt. Head still throbbing.

"Lay off, would ya?" Rae asked him, pulling her arm away just as Steve walked into the room. Two-Bit looked her up and down, his smile suddenly gone, and confusion crossing over his face. She reached back and felt the goose egg that had formed on the back of her head. It was tender and she thought she maybe felt a little dried blood coating her hair. “What in the world happened to you?”

“Just got beat up a little is all.”

“A little?”

"Mornin’, kiddo," Steve said over Two-Bit’s question as he shoved some cake in his mouth. “Glad to see you’re finally up.”

"Yeah, yeah," she sighed, ignoring the question, and inspected her fingers for red specs. Steve and Two-Bit looked at each other. Darry walked into the front room from his bedroom pulling a black shirt over his head.

"Oh, good. You're here," he said to the other boys, running a hand through his wet hair. The screen door slammed shut behind them. Johnny stood in the doorway, slouching, with his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket. "Hey Johnny." The small boy nodded. Rae noticed the cuts on his face finally starting to disappear, but the bruise that covered his entire cheek was still dark.

"Rae, shower," Soda said, stepping out of the steaming bathroom, only wearing his jeans. She nodded and went to the bathroom, carrying her backpack. She thought she heard Darry assemble the boys in the front room as she closed the door. She assumed he was going to tell them.

Rae let the hot water flow over her hair and body, washing the dirt down the drain. Now that she was alone, grief swelled in her chest. She scrubbed her skin with a washcloth until it was raw and the water burned. The roaring in her head turned into a dull throb, but it made room for her to think. Flashes from the night before ran through her mind and she gripped the windowsill until her knuckles were white and she thought her nails would break. Her jaw clenched and she crouched down into the tub, trying not to sob, but letting her hot tears mingle with the water. She didn’t want her friends outside the door to hear.

Once she got it all out, she dried off and dressed. She wiped the fog from the mirror. Her cheek was swollen from where she’d been hit, and a small cut along her jawline. The beer bottle her father and smashed must have still got her. Rae held her own gaze for a few short seconds but, quickly, and refused to look back. She reached into her backpack and pulled out her comb.

They were still having their meeting when she went to open the bathroom door. They were talking loud enough to be heard through the wood.

“Shouldn’t they go to the police?” Ponyboy asked.

“No, stupid,” Steve argued. “If they went to the fuzz, they’d take her away and put her in a home. No way would Dally be judged fit to care for her with his record.”

“Steve,” said Darry’s exasperated voice. “Could ya’ll quiet down? I’m sure she doesn’t want to be treated-”

Before anyone could say anything else, Rae swung the door open and joined them, combing through her wet hair. Darry stopped mid sentence and they all stared at her. She blinked back at them before throwing her comb back into her bag and taking a seat on the couch between Ponyboy and Two-Bit. The room was tense and silent, all of them unsure of what to say. Frustration pooled in her chest. Darry sure as hell was right. She didn’t want to be treated differently and they were off to a horrible start.

"So, uh, anyone want a real breakfast?" Darry asked, finally, breaking the tension. He gave a pointed glance to Steve who had chocolate crumbs all over his front.

"Johnny and I want some," Ponyboy said, as he looked towards his small friend, who nodded.

"Me too," Soda said, after clearing his throat. He elbowed his friend in the side.

“Yeah, sure,” Steve replied, softly, and started dusting off his shirt.

"What about you, Rae?" Darry asked. She shook her head. The thought of food made her want to hurl.

"I’m okay, thanks," she replied He stared at her with a frown.

"Alright, but if you do get hungry, tell me," Darry relented, but muttered something about Dally under his breath. He retreated into the kitchen. It got quiet again, making the tightness in her chest rise further.

"TV?" Rae asked, trying to calm the feeling and to get the boys to talk, again. She looked around at her friends, but her eyes landed and stayed on Two-Bit, the television enthusiast.

"Sure," he said and moved to turn it on. She shrugged and sat quietly as they focused on the show. Soda and Steve started talking quietly amongst themselves and a while later, Darry called them in to eat. Rae stayed behind as the group piled in around the small table. Her headache was threatening to come back.

As soon as they had all left the room, she laced her feet up inside her Converse and went outside, closing the door gently behind her. It was still chilly out. She sat down on the top step and leaned her head against the pillar beside her. She closed her eyes. Maybe the cold would help her head.

A while later, someone tapped her shoulder. Rae almost jumped out of her skin, but twisted around to see Two-Bit standing behind her. How long had it been? Had she fallen asleep again? Her wet hair was plastered to her face where she had rested her head. She brushed it off her cheek and over her shoulder.

"Mind if I join ya’?"

"Nah.”

He sat down next to her. Rae hugged her knees to her chest.

"We know," Two-Bit said, sadly.

“I know,” she huffed. “I heard Darry talkin’ ‘bout it.” He nodded and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to him.

"We’ll get through this, ya know?" She shrugged, but let herself relax into his side. She rested her head on his shoulder. He sighed. "I want to kill that bastard.”

"Join the club," Rae said. Thoughts of the night before ran through her head again. "It was my own fault.”

“Don’t you say that,” he said, laying his head on top of hers.

“But, it was,” she insisted. “I shouldn't have been-”

“Rae Lee Winston, you listen to me,” Two-Bit said sharply, lifting his head quickly and cutting her off. He looked at her, a harsh look in his eyes. She stayed her tongue. “It ain’t no one’s fault but his.” She sighed through her nose, but didn’t push it. “If Dally heard you talkin’ like that, he’d beat your head in.”

“He gave me a pretty damn loud earful last night,” she said, bitterly. “Anyway, what’s done is done. Ain’t nobody who can change it now.”

"Ain’t that the truth,” he said with a nod. “But if you need a place to stay, you come right on over. My couch is always open to you. You’re never going back to that house. We’ll make sure of it." Rae did manage a real smile at that, however small.

"Thanks, Two-Bit but, I don’t want to bother you with my shit.”

"You’re no bother, Rae," her friend stressed. "Don’t you worry about that. You and Dally have one of us since you moved here. You're good with us and you know it. Plus, my mother loves you." She snaked her arm around his back and squeezed.

"Thank you."

"No problem, kid. That's what I'm here for," Two-Bit said, with a smile. When she let go of him, he caught her smiling too. "Come on. Let's you get inside. Your arms are cold. You don’t gotta get sick on top of everything else." He stood up and offered her a hand. She took it and he hoisted her up. They were about to step inside when someone walked up behind them.

"Rae?" Dally’s voice asked. The other two turned around to find her brother coming through the front gate, finishing off a smoke. A hopeful feeling rose in her chest.

"Hey, Dally," Two-Bit said. Her friend turned and shook her brother’s hand. "We were just goin’ back inside. I think there’s some leftover food if you want some breakfast." Dally nodded and followed them inside.

“Sure, thanks, man.” The rest of the gang was back in the front room. They all looked up when the three walked in.

"Hey, Dally," Johnny greeted him.

“Hey Johnnycake,” Dally said with a nod, then turned to Darry.

"Can I, uh, talk to ya in the kitchen?" he asked.

"Sure," Darry said, and got up from the armchair he was sitting in. He led Dally into the kitchen.

Rae frowned as she watched her brother leave the room. Two-Bit nudged her arm and held out a deck of cards.

“Rummy?”

“I guess,” she said and sat down across from him on the floor.

As he dealt, she tried to listen to his chatter about his mother and sister, but she couldn’t concentrate. Dally was here, so that meant he was back, right? Had he found their father?

After a few hands, she spied her brother watching from the kitchen doorway, leaning against the frame, a frown on his face. He lifted himself up and walked towards them.

"Yeah and then- Oh, hey, Dally," Two-Bit said, cutting his story short. Rae looked up at her brother. She followed him as he knelt down beside her and took in his face. He looked tired with dark circles under his eyes and stubble coming in on his chin.

"Could ya take her tonight?" Dally asked. “I don’t wanna impose on Darry. He doesn’t need the added trouble.”

"Hell, yeah! We'll have a party!" Two-Bit exclaimed. Rae huffed a silent laugh.

“Nothin’ too wild,” her brother said, shoving his finger into Two-Bit’s chest. Her friend laughed.

"Don’t you worry about that. I'll take her as long as my mom lets me."

"Thanks, man.”

"Yeah, no problem, brother.” Dally focused his attention on his sister.

“Darry’s gonna drop ya off at the Dingo later today.” She nodded. “Buck and I were up all night- I’ve gotta get some sleep, but I wanna have a chat with ya.” She nodded again. “I’ll see ya later.” She watched him walk away from her again and the hopeful feeling she’d had earlier gave way to disappointment. Her chest felt constricted. Why couldn’t Dally just sleep in Soda’s old room for now? It’s not like anyone was using it.

Two-Bit noticed her mood sour.

“You know Dally,” he said while dealing out another hand, trying to reason with her. She sighed heavily through her nose and turned her cards over. “He’ll be back.”

“I know. I just wish he’d stop leavin’.”

It was more than a wish, although she didn’t want to admit it. Rae needed him to help keep her steady.

[rumble-aint-a-rumble-without-me]

Sodapop Curtis:

Sodapop is a great listener and tries his best to comfort people until they’re better. But, when it comes to expressing his feelings on a matter, he’ll get nervous and then immediately shut up, after he feels the lump in his throat creep. He doesn’t like sharing feelings unless it’s important. :(

He loves to keep stuff that reminds him of the past, like old drawings that Pony gave him, or an old horseshoe from his horse Mickey Mouse. Sodapop probably keeps a small box and hides it underneath the bed, thinking he is being sneaky. (Pony and Darry found it, but never said anything, just for him.)

Sodapop has a soft spot for classic romance films and often finds himself engrossed in old Hollywood love stories, and likes to imagine starring in one of those movies. If you need romance movie recommendations, just go to him, he’ll be the solution to all of your problems. <3

He has a collection of mismatched socks that he claims bring him good luck, and he wears them whenever he needs an extra boost of positivity. Most of the gang finds it weird, including his brothers, but Steve loves the idea. Sometimes you’ll see them both wearing mismatched socks.

Sodapop’s a natural with animals and has a special bond with a stray dog that he affectionately named Buddy, who often hangs around the Curtis household. Ponyboy loves Buddy, while Darry stays away from the doggy. But, he does give it leftovers that are safe for dogs, like eggs. :3

Soda is a natural peacemaker, and he often plays a mediator during conflicts within the gang, using his caring and understanding nature to bring harmony. The gang doesn’t know how he does it but is very thankful for his talent, mostly Ponyboy and Johnny.

He has a vintage record collection which was their mother’s, that he cherishes with his life, and he's known to dance around the living room with Ponyboy when their favorite tunes play. Darry has joined them a few times and sometimes the rest of the gang.

Guess who is back with more random headcanons. This time I chose Sodapop Curtis, since he is my second favorite greaser, right behind Tim Shepard. Sorry for being a bit late, I had to visit the doctor, just to check on my back. It was nothing bad of course! — 🎀 ヽ(´▽｀)/

Hi Sugar-Bow!! Have a little thought breakdown-

- Sodapop doesn’t do well with sharing his own problems/concerns/emotions because everyone assumes he’s got no problems with that supermodel smile

- Ponyboy found the box when he was looking for his shoes one time and was really touched that Sodapop kept the old drawings <3

- Old romances are the only ones Sodapop will sit through and he wears a wistful smile the whole time

- As a mismatched sock wearer, Steve and Sodapop will split a pair of socks in half so they can have matching mismatched!

- When it’s cold and rainy, Soda begs Darry to let the dog come in the house and it works about 50% of the time, but Darry refuses to let it happen every time cause he knows deep down, he’s got a soft spot for that old mutt

- Sodapop often gets called upon to soothe Dally when he gets in one of his moods or step between Steve and Pony/Darry when they start to squabble

- If the records are out, Soda’s either dancing around the living room or sitting on the couch, missin his mama <3

Glad your back’s okay, Bow! Thanks so much for the thoughts!!

[writingstyle101]

When We Are Loved - Ponyboy Curtis x Reader Chapter 3: We’re Pretty Unique Boys.

Question: Would you guys rather have me posting more request or working more on chapters to my ongoing series? 

chapter 2

“I’m not sure why I never really enjoyed Austen, just never did.” Ponyboy shrugged his shoulders. 

“Is he not a good writer or somethin?” You looked over to him. You both were walking down an old gravel road towards the abandoned park not too far from your school. You weren’t sure why people didn’t hang around there, considering the town you were in it was in pretty good shape. People around here were weird in that way, everyone knew where they belonged and who they belonged with. That wasn’t something you just went and messed with, if you did you were just doing it to look for a fight.

“She.” He chuckled looking up at you from the ground. 

You scrunched your forehead and looked up at him “She?”.

“Jane Austen. She’s a woman.” The side of his lips rose in a playful smirk. He has really nice lips. 

“Wow.” You gave a sad chuckle, kicking a stray pebble. “I must really seem dumb huh?”

“I don’t think you’re dumb” he shrugged making you look up at him again “I just think books never really caught your interest. I’m sure you’re much smarter than me at other things.”

You gave him a small smile, heat slightly creeping up your cheeks but you shook it off quickly. “I just don’t know how ya have time to read so much. I would if I could, I’m sure it’s real nice.”

“What do you mean time to read? What do you do with all of your time then?” he scrunched his forehead at you as you passed through the opening in the rusted chained fence.

“What do I not do?” you chuckled shaking your head as you walked over to an old wooden picnic table. “I have cheerleading, and piano lessons, French tutoring, math tutoring, homework, social club.” You rambled shaking your head. Ponyboy stared at you as you sat your bag down on the table. 

“What?” You raised your brow eventually when he didn’t respond.

He shook his head slightly, placing his bag on the table also. “That’s just a lot. What do you do for fun?” He stepped into the seat, you mimicking his actions.  

“What do ya mean?”   

“Fun? You know that thing people do to relieve boredom.” He smirked at you making you roll your eyes. 

“I mean Justin and I go to the drive in sometimes.” You shrugged pulling out some papers from your bag. “That’s pretty fun.”

“The drive-in isn’t fun.” He mocked. 

“Well what do you do for fun then, huh?” you challenged him.

“Man, all you can do on our side of town is have fun.” He put on a tough face and puffed out his chest playfully. “Haven’t you heard of us Greasers?” he loudly joked “We break into stores and steal cars and smash windows!” He started to laugh, breaking his act making you laugh out loud also, the hardest you’ve laughed in a long time. It was nice to see this playful side of the boy that was so quiet before. You liked that he made light of the situation of your guys' lives. If you didn’t, you'd just about go crazy in this town. You both laughed until you finally caught your breath. “No, but really, we do have lots of fun. Legally too.” He chuckled as you both sobered up from your laughing fit.

“What do ya guys really do?”

He sat up slightly “Well, we don’t really do a whole lot. Just bein around each other is fun enough. The gangs always got you on your toes.” He smirked. 

“The gang? Like your friends? You guys are really that close?”

“Oh yeah.” He nodded “Were all super close. Practically blood. Some of us even are, my brothers I mean. Don’t ya have best buddies?”

“Well yeah I have close friends” you shrugged “but nothing like that. I mean there’s Lisa who I pretty much shared a crib with and Justin of course.” You nodded “I don’t know, I never really see it as fun when I'm with them.”

“That’s the saddest thing I've ever heard” he shook his head making you gave him a small smile.  

“Tell me about them.” He looked up at you. 

“The gang?” 

You nodded completely forgetting why you guys even came to this park in the first place. It was nice hanging out with Ponyboy, you never would have imagined how much fun he was. “The way you talk about them, the must be pretty great. What are they like?”

“Well,” he sat up slightly clearly thinking of what to say “There's my brothers, Sodapop and Darry. Soda is one of the best guys you’d ever meet, truly. He knows how to make anyone happy, even Darry which is sayin a lot.”

“Whys that?”

“Darry’s just got a lot goin on. He’s only twenty but he takes care of us, makes sure we always got enough, the gang too.” He nodded. You decided to remain silent, not pushing too much. “Then there's Steve, Soda’s best friend.” He continued. “Steve works down at the DX with Soda. He’s pretty cool. And then there's Two-Bit.”

“Two-Bit? You boys really have some unique names.” You smiled. You hoped Ponyboy didn’t think you were making fun of him because you really weren’t. You liked their names, you liked that they weren’t the same as everyone else. 

You could tell by the smirk on Pony’s face that he didn’t take your comment as an offense. “We’re pretty unique boys.” You smiled at his remark. “Two-Bit’s real name is Keith, but if you ever met the guy you’d know why we call him Two-Bit. We’ve called him that so long I sometimes forget its not even his name.”

“Then there's Dallas.” He continued “Dally’s all sorts of trouble. I’m sure you’d see his picture up in the sheriff's office. Probably even framed too.” He chuckled making you giggle. “And then Johnny, there's not much to say about Johnny. He’s real quiet, kinda like me. But he’s a real good buddy. They all are.”

“It sounds like quite a gang.” You smiled at the thought. You never thought that people could be that close, even you got sick of your friends after too much time with them. But the way Ponyboy talks about his friends, you couldn’t imagine him ever getting sick of them.

“We really are. We stick together.” He shrugged “When you don’t got much, you appreciate the little you have.”

The way he said that last statement gave you a nauseated feeling. You knew you had a lot, always the nicest food, the nicest clothes, cars, houses, all of that. But you never felt like any of it really mattered. Who cares if you drive a fancy Mustang when the people in the back seat aren’t the people you want to be around?

For a moment you both sat in silence, and you imagined what it would be like to actually care about people the way Pony described. 

“You like Justin?”

You looked up, taken aback by his question. “Well, yeah, of course I like him. He’s a good guy.” You blinked.

“A good guy? That’s all?”

“What do you mean that’s all? What more is there?” you furrowed your brows at him. “You don’t think that’s important? Bein a good person.”

Ponyboy shrugged as he pulled out his own school supplies from his bag “I guess yeah. But I mean that’s usually not what you think of when you talk about your boyfriend or girlfriend.”

“What do you think about then Mr. Relationship expert?” You playfully mocked. 

You watched a slight blush creep up through Ponyboy’s cheeks, but he quickly recovered. “I just think that when you're in love you don’t just think of them as a good person. I mean anybody could be a good person. I just think that, to the person I love, id wanna be more than just anybody to them.”

You stared at Ponyboy for a second, taking in everything he just said. “I’ve never really seen it that way.” You shook your head slowly. “Justin and I, we just make sense you know? So, I always figured I was lucky that he was a good guy.” You weren’t quite sure why you were telling Ponyboy, some greaser kid, this kind of stuff. You didn’t even talk to Lisa, someone you’ve known your entire life, this way. So why is it with him everything is so much more different? So much easier. 

“So you're with the kid because it makes sense? What, because ya guys look really good on paper?” 

“Justin is a good guy,” you felt yourself slightly get defensive. No one questioned your choices when it came to your life before, in fact, the choices you made were hardly even yours. You weren’t sure how to feel now that someone didn’t actually agree. “It’s not like a fairytale Pony. That stuff doesn’t exist.” 

“How do you know that though?” He scrunched his forehead. 

“Well,” you blinked slowly “have you ever had that kind of fairytale before?” you no longer felt defensive but almost curious. And you couldn’t understand why a small part of you was hoping he would say yes. That there is more out there than planned boyfriends and scheduled lives. But you knew by the expression he held after you asked, there wasn’t. This was it. This was the life you were born to live, and this is the life you’re going to. 

“Maybe we should just start?” you spoke back up after a few moments of silence. The heaviness of the conversation becoming too much for your comfort. Ponyboy nodded in agreement, clearly feeling the same as you as he grabbed the book and opened to the first page. “Gregory, on my word, we’ll not carry coals.” He spoke.

You listened to Ponyboy read the pages from the book. You never found interest in art, or movies or books. English class always was a bore to you and you never could make it through a school play to save your life, but as he read the words you couldn’t help but listen. You liked the way he spoke, his voice raspy but clear. He never stuttered and he read with a sense of confidence that he must have adapted from countless hours of reading. 

You liked how he didn’t get too excited when he read, but he wasn’t mundane either. He didn’t feel a need to attempt to mimic the emotion the author was portraying, because he knew the words written were enough. He took these things, these complicated words and he did something you couldn’t even imagine. He didn’t try to water them down and make them simple, but he didn’t try to make them anything more. He just let them thrive in their own way. 

“Maybe that’s enough for today?” He finally looked up from the pages. You blinked, taking in your surroundings. The sun that once shined high and beat down ruthlessly has now started to lower and the temperature has cooled with the upcoming evening. You didn’t even notice the time that ticked by while Pony was reading. You started gathering your stuff together, Pony doing the same. 

“When do you wanna meet again? I know you’re busy and all.” He slung his bookbag over his shoulder before standing.

You stood up mimicking his actions “I’m free after five tomorrow if you'd like to meet then?” 

He nodded his head as you both slowly made your way out of the park “I can meet ya here.” You agreed before Ponyboy nodded a goodbye to you. You gave him a small wave before turning in the opposite direction of him to go towards your home. 

The entire walk was consumed with your thoughts and for the first time in a while, your thoughts weren’t about everything you had to do. Instead, you couldn’t stop thinking about Ponyboys’ words. Your head was spinning as you replayed every word, words that weren’t even his own. Yet, when he spoke them, your stomach twisted in a way you’ve never experienced before. 

You took a deep breath as you walked through the large perfectly crafted wooden door of your home. Your house truly was beautiful, even down to the detailed carvings in the wooden trim. It was such a beautiful mask that perfectly covered the mess inside. 

Your family wasn’t crazy out there or anything. Your parents were nice and they always got you what you wanted but lately, you couldn’t help but notice how much more frequent your dad’s crude remarks towards your mom were and how your mom seemed to be pouring herself more and more wine each night. No one would ever know this stuff though. Just like the house, everything on the outside was beautiful, down to the smallest details. 

“Mom?” You called as you walked through the door and made your way into the kitchen where your mom usually was around this time, where you found a notecard on the counter.

At the country club, your father is working late. There's money In the drawer if you'd like to get dinner.

 Love, mom.

You let out a breath and dropped the note back on the counter before making your way up to your bedroom and heading towards the phone. 

“Hey baby.” You heard your boyfriends voice come through the line. 

“Hey,” you fell back onto your bed “have any plans for the night?” 

“Actually yeah, me and James are hangin out. What's up?” 

You chewed your lip thinking about your next words. You didn’t wanna be alone tonight but you knew that if James was with Justin, they'd be drinking, and as soon as Justin knew you were home alone he’d be on his way over. You just didn’t have the energy to deal with him when he was drunk.

“Just curious. I miss ya is all.”

“I miss ya too hun. Listen, how about me and you grab some dinner tomorrow night? I feel like we've barely spent any time together.” 

“I cant” you chewed your lip, a habit you’ve never been able to drop no matter how much your mother lectured you. You did it so often sometimes you’d even accidentally slice a cut into your bottom lip. “I have to work on my project after tutoring.”

“On a Friday night? I know it's for a project and all but I don’t like how much time you're spendin with this greaser kid y/n.”

You closed your eyes sighing slightly. You had a feeling you shouldn’t have told Justin about Ponyboy being a greaser, and right now you really wish you didn’t. “I’ll cancel ok? We can get dinner.”

“Okay. I’ll see you at school tomorrow. I love you.”

You heard the words and immediately thought back to Mr. Spite in class on Tuesday. The way he described love was stuck in your head, the words on a constant loop. He made it seem so much more than what it was. You loved Justin, your parents were in love, James and Lisa were in love. You knew what love was, but for some reason when Justin said the words, all you could think about was the way Mr. Spite talked about it.  “You too.” You breathed before ending the call.

You felt flustered. You weren’t sure how you were gonna even cancel with Ponyboy since you didn’t know his number or where he even lives. You weren’t sure if you even wanted to cancel on Pony. You told yourself that your hesitation was logical. You couldn’t do badly on this project. But if you were truly being honest with yourself, you found yourself enjoying Ponyboy’s company. And spending the evening with him seemed much more fun than with Justin. 

You got up and made your way into your father's study and dug around in a few cabinets until you found a big yellow phone book. You looked through the Curtis’s until you found a Darrel Curtis listed. You remember Pony telling you about his older brother Darry, and that was the only name that was somewhat similar. 

You walked back into your room and dialed the printed number, waiting for an answer. You weren’t even sure if you were calling the right person. What if the phone number was listed under his parent's name? Why did you even agree to cancel in the first place? Before you had the chance to over analyze everything you heard a cheerful voice spill through the line.

“Hello?” The man's voice chuckled, clearly coming down from a laughing fit. The voice made you smile slightly.

“Uh hi? Is this uh- the Curtis home?” you scratched your head. That was stupid. Of course it’s the Curtis home, you just looked up the name in the phonebook.

“Yeah, who’s askin?” the voice didn’t comment on your stupid question and for that you were grateful.

“My name is Y/N I’m lookin for Ponyboy.” You listened as you heard the boy yell Ponyboy’s name away from the phone. You were relieved that you had the right number, but worry set back in when you listened to the chatter on the other line. You were sure Pony was gonna think you were crazy for calling him at his house. Would he be mad? Would he be upset at you for canceling?

You were starting to wish you didn’t give the man your name so you could have just hung up. “Y/N?” you heard Pony’s familiar voice.

“Hey, I’m sorry for callin you at home.”

“No, don’t worry about it. What's up?”

“I can't meet with you tomorrow something came up.” You chewed on your lip again. 

“Oh. Okay well, that’s okay I guess.” You felt a pang of guilt. You felt like all you did was disappoint this kid and two weeks ago it wouldn’t have bothered you at all, but now you hated how upset he sounded.

“I'm so sorry Pony. What day is okay with you? Maybe this weekend?” 

“I cant. I have some stuff I can't miss or I would.”

“Well,” you sighed ignoring the twisting feeling in your stomach you were feeling just a few hours ago “You could come over tonight? I mean, just so we don’t get too far behind.” 

“Like to your house?” you heard the obvious surprise in his voice. 

“Well yeah, I mean only if you want to. It really is fine if you don’t wanna.” You rushed.

“No, no I will. Let me just talk to my brother and I’ll head on over. What’s your address?”

[onlyfangirlsunderstand-blog1]

Adventure Can Be Anywhere- Ponyboy Curtis Imagine

(Hey, it’s Jay. Guess who has a six-page essay due Monday and hasn’t started??? It’s me but here I am doing this instead. This one’s just gonna be something small. Send me requests! Enjoy.)

Warnings: small mentions of abuse, unedited.

Another hot Saturday afternoon in Tulsa and Ponyboy found himself in the lot once again. He was alone this time and stayed staring at the puffy clouds in the sky. 

He was lost in a trance before he heard police sirens a few blocks away. He sat up and looked around. He could tell they were close.

Before he laid back down, he saw a girl running through the park and into the lot. He watched as she ran closer to him.

That girl was you of course. Y/N Y/L/N Winston. You had lived in New York until yesterday. You called up your brother, Dallas, and caught a train over to Tulsa. You love the city, but your mom...she was another story. Drinking was one thing, but when you became her babysitter and punching bag you couldn’t take it. You didn’t even pack a bag, you just heard the words “get out” and you were gone. 

Of course, you were as reckless as Dally, but you preferred the phrase “free spirit”. You loved trouble and adventure. It kept life interesting for you. Especially at night, it kept it from getting too quiet.

It’s only been a few hours in Tulsa and here you were, running from the cops. It was just a pack of cigs...and a candy bar...and an iced tea. But it doesn’t matter. Here you were just running.

You saw the brown haired boy laying down in lot. He looked like a greaser. So maybe he could help. You ran over to him, knowing the feds were only a few streets down. 

“Hey, I’m a bit of trouble here and uh...help?” You talked fast to the stranger. He was confused but something in you knew he was good people. You weren’t like Dally in that way...you had some faith in people.

“Uh-those sirens for you?” You nodded quickly and he nodded. “Um...follow me.” 

You watched him get up and he looked at you. You looked back at him and realized he was very cute... like really cute. His hair was a brown color and his eyes were a piercing gray-green. You almost forgot the problems coming at you until the sirens got louder. He noticed too.

“Follow me.” He grabbed your hand and started to run behind a building to an alleyway. You both sat behind a dumpster and waited there for a bit.

“Thank you.” You smiled at him, trying to catch your breath. 

“No problem.” He smiled back at you and began to speak. “My names Ponyboy by the way.”

“That’s original...I like it. Parents must be really creative.” 

“Yeah, they were.” You frowned at him and he shook his head with a small smile. “Don’t worry about it, you didn’t know.”  He sighed and looked at you. “So you got a name? Or you just gonna be a mystery girl?” He gave you a reassuring smile.

“Y/N.” You laughed and put your hand out. He returned the gesture and shook your hand. His was warm and soft, but not clammy or anything...just warm...

“So you look new. Do you live around here?” He broke the silence as your hands pulled away. 

“Uh, well now I have for about three hours. I guess,”you only laughed,”I’m from New York actually. I’m gonna stay with some family. It’s...interesting here so far.”

“It’s not really. It’s just the same old every day.”

“Well yeah, only if you let it be boring. Life’s what you make of it.” He watched as your eyes lit up. “Come on...I’ll show you.” You stood up from behind the dump and smiled at him with your hand out. 

He doesn’t know why he grabbed your hand, but he was in for an adventure that’s for sure. Something in his gut trusted you.

You pulled him up and smiled up at him. “Let’s go have an adventure, Ponyboy.”

With that, he followed you through the alley and into the town. “What are we gonna do?”

You tapped on your chin as you looked around and thought to yourself. You got a mischievous smile as you spotted two office chairs being thrown out. “Any hills around here?” 

He saw the look in your eyes and grinned at you before nodding. Anyone driving by would have seen two 14-year-olds pushing office chairs and knew they were up to no good. 

“Now some people like to say I’m up to no good, but I like to say having some unorthodox fun.” You told him as you two pushed up the hill.

Darry was gonna kill him for not being home by five and he could feel it. It was only two, but he knew he was stuck here with you. He had no problem with that.

He smiled at you. You couldn’t see because he was behind you, but that boy was grinning and thinking about all the trouble you were...but you were in the best way. 

Once you got to the top he looked at you. “Now what?”

“Well, now we sit on the chair and roll down.” You laughed as his eyes popped out of his head. “Come on, don’t be chicken.”

“Are you crazy?” He looked at the steep hill and saw death. But then he looked at your excited face and his fear vanished.

“Of course I am. And so are you because you’re here with me.” You smiled and sat in your chair. “Look, it’s not scary. I did it all the time back home. See?” With that, you pushed your self down the hill. His eyes were wide and he was gonna stop you, but he watched as the chair moved faster. The wind was through your hair and you laugh could be heard for miles. You felt like you were free and flying in the moments before the chair stopped.

You laughed and looked up at him. “Now you!” You shouted from the bottom. He sighed and gulped. He took a deep breath before pushing himself down the hill. His scream turned into laughter as he realized the way you felt. Free. 

He reached the bottom and you looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Well?”

He was quiet before he looked at you. “That was awesome! Let’s go again!” He stood up and pulled you up before running up the hill again. 

You couldn’t get the smiles off each other’s faces. It was like being a kid again. You two spent three hours up there. The last ride down you looked at him and smiled as you sat down. “Grab my hand.”

He did as he was told an looked at your hand intertwined before looking up at you. “Now on 3, okay?” He nodded. “1...2...3!” You two pushed off and let our screams and laughs. 

On the way down, one of your chairs hit a rock and took you both down. The ground scrapped your leather jacket and his arms. It was quiet as you laid on the floor, but when you looked at each other, you busted out in laughter. It was the best kind of laughter: loud and obnoxious.

He stood and pulled you up. “Come on, I wanna show you something.” You nodded and followed him up the hill again, without the chairs. You guys went all the way to the top. and he took you to the very top. The sun was going down and the sunset was a golden pink.

“Pony...this is beautiful!” You spoke excitedly as you saw the city and looked up at him.

“I know...I love it here. It’s quiet. Come on, sit down.” You both sat and watched the sunset. 

“So why here...why not stay in New York?” He looked at you curiously. 

“My momma...she was a drunk. She would never be home so it was me since I was like 8 when my brother left. It was...it was hard. I couldn’t take it so I called my brother and here I am.” You looked sad and he could tell you were upset. The thought was killing you. “But adventure can be anywhere...right?” You gave a sad laugh.

He smiled at you and put his hand over yours. “Yeah...it can.”

You sat there for another hour and talked. This boy was special. You could feel it within you and he felt the same.

It was six or seven when he realized he said he’d be home by five. “We should go...my brother expected me home hours ago.”

“Okay, I’ll walk with you. I gotta go find my brother anyways.” You stood up with him and began walking. 

“Who is your brother? I might know him.” He stuck his hands in his pockets and walked down the streets. 

“His name is Dallas. Dallas Winston. I was supposed to meet him at his friend's place. The Curtis’, do you know them?” Oh boy, he was gonna be in trouble. Dally had been waiting all morning for someone...he just never said who.

“Well I am them...and we gotta get you there quick or Dally is gonna have our heads on a stick.” He grabbed your hand and dragged you to his house. 

“You know Dally?” You yelled while running with him. 

“Small town and your brother is one of my best friends.”

You could hear his nerves. Eventually, you were in his front yard. Pony walked in first and there was his brother waiting.

“Ponyboy Curtis! Where have you been? I said five, it’s seven thirty! And who is this?” His voice calmed when he saw you.

Before Pony could answer, Dallas walked in. “Y/N?”

“Hey, Dal...” Darry looked so confused.

“You know her?”

“Yeah, that’s my kid sister and I wanna know why I said I’d be waiting at the station and your ass wasn’t there? You could have been dead.”

“Dallas, you said nine and I waited past ten you ass!” 

He stayed quiet until Darry spoke. “Why the hell are you both so scratched up? What did you do?”

“Oh my God, Darry, if he touched her, you’re only gonna have one little brother!”

“Ponyboy, what did you do with this girl?”

They were yelling and then you spoke up. “Hey!” They looked at you. “We didn’t do anything except having some fun in this town because apparently, no one knows nothin’ about it. And Darry, is it? I’m sorry I kept him late. It was my fault, not his. I’m sorry.” 

Darry’s expression softened at you. He sighed and rubbed his red face. He wasn’t mad at you or Pony, just frustrated and you could see it. “And as for you Dallas, I feel bad arguing in a stranger’s house so please, follow me.” 

Pony looked at you. The word stranger hurt a bit and he was in awe, along with Darry and the boys who had been in the kitchen with how you talked to Dally. No one ever raised their voice at him...ever.

He did follow you and looked at you. “Did you do anything with Pony?”

“No! Of course not Dally, he helped me get out of some trouble. We were just finding some fun.” You sighed and ran a hand through your hair. “You know Dallas you have some nerve being all protective now. You left me all alone with that monster!”

“I know! Okay, I know and I’m sorry. I couldn’t stay...I couldn’t. I wish I could have taken you but I’m making up for it now, kid. I’m sorry, alright?” He pulled you into a hug and held onto you. He never told anyone how much he missed you. You were his only weakness and he loved you as much as he loved Johnny. You and the boys inside were his only family. “I did miss you, kid.”

You hugged him back. “I missed you too.” He messed with your hair and walked you back in. 

All eyes were on you two. “Oh um...hi?” You laughed and smiled at them. Ponyboy couldn’t take his eyes off you as you spoke to everyone. “I’m Y/N. Nice to meet you all.” 

A blonde boy put his hand out. “I’m Keith, but they call me Two-Bit because I always put my two bits in.” He laughed and so did you as you shook his hand.

A boy with brown hair and beautiful eyes looked at you with the most striking smile you had ever seen. “I’m Sodapop Curtis.” 

A boy with cake on his face smiled. “I’m Steve.”

A shy boy with jet black hair looked at you. “I’m Johnny.”

The rest of the night was spent getting to know them all. Your charm got Darry to warm up to you through the night. Laughter and stories filled the living room for hours on end. 

Eventually, you got up and excused yourself to take a smoke break. You sat on the porch and lit up a cancer stick. You heard the door open and looked behind you. You smiled at the boy with the grey-green eyes. 

“Hey, Ponyboy.”

“Hey...so some stranger’s house?” The word bugged him. Stranger. It just didn’t sit right to him.

“You know what I meant. You’re not a stranger. I trust you, Ponyboy Curtis.” You smiled and nudged him gently. He smiled at you as his chest warmed up. Words have never touched him more.

You took a drag. “Want a smoke?” You held the cig up to him and he nodded before taking it. He saw your lip gloss stain and took a drag from it. He thought it tasted like nicotine and cherry. It stayed in the silence until he broke it. 

“There is some more to this town...it’s not always quiet.” He said looking over at you. 

“Mind showing me?” You smile said mischief, but he didn’t care at all.

“Y/N Winston, it would be my pleasure to have many more adventures with you.”

Your eyes lit up in excitement and a smiled was stuck on your face.

“Ponyboy Curtis, I cannot wait for the adventures to come.”

[stunningfandoms]

Nothing Too Serious... Right? Part 2

Pairing: Dally x Reader

Description: You are a Curtis sister and Dallas Winston, one of your brother’s best friends, just kissed you. You don’t really know what’s going to happen or how you’ll react but all you know is that the gang probably is not going to be happy about this.

Requested By: anon

A/N: This. Was. So. Fun. To. Write!!!!! I try to be as realistic as possible with this and not too many cheesy lines because you know Dallas is the least from cheesy. Tell me if you want a part 3!

I’m sitting in my room now, listening to music. I went upstairs after that whole thing... happened. It sounds so weird to say ‘Dally kissed me’. I mean, like, he did, it’s just... I don’t know. Anyway, I went upstairs after that and him and Sodapop were already gone. No idea where they went, just knew they weren’t here. Now, listen, I’ve had to lie a lot in my lifetime. Covering for my brothers and their friends, I’ve gotten used to it. Which is why I have no idea why I absolutely choked when I had to talk to Dally.

“Hey, Y/N, do you know where Sodapop and Dally went? Sodapop was supposed to do the dishes and God knows I’m not doing that little punk’s jobs for him,” Darry asked me. “Why the hell would I know where Dally is, are you joking?” I responded. Wow, that was defensive. “Damn, okay, just wondering. Why are you so riled up?” He asked, rightfully so. “I’m literally not, okay, I was just downstairs reading and Dally came and got like, a shirt, and went upstairs, okay, nothing riled me up, you’re just crazy,” Why am I being like this? Why am I being like this? Stupid, stupid. “Yeah, I’m the crazy one,” Darry muttered. “Listen just stay out of trouble. I heard Dally talking to you about scamming that kid out of 20 dollars. Don’t get involved with his stupidity,” “Yeah, of course,” I forgot about that. Huh.

So that leads to me going to my room and listening to music. Everytime a love song came on, I thought of him and then cursed myself for doing so. When I fall for somebody, I fall hard, and I’m sure as hell not going to let that happen with fucking Dallas Winston. I mean honestly, name a worse person to get a crush on. From the thin walls I heard the door open and Sodapop’s voice. Then Dally’s voice. I don’t think my stomach ever dropped more. God, I hope he doesn’t do or say anything stupid.

I hear footsteps to my bedroom door. I fix your position and pretend to read a magazine. God, I hate myself for doing this. Who am i trying to impress? The door opens and out of habit, I scream “Knock!” and roll my eyes without looking up. The door closes again and I hear a knock. Satisfied, I go to open the door and suprise, suprise, my stomach drops again. Can you guess who it is? “Hey, Y/N, ready to go?” Dally asks you, as if nothing happened before he left. “You mean, to Dairy Queen?” I ask, just to make sure and all. “Yeah, where else?” He says, looking at me as if I’m dumb. Whatta bitch he is sometimes. “Yeah, can you just kinda keep quiet about it? Darry doesn’t want me to go,” I ask. “Yeah,” He says, “DARRY, Y/N IS GOING-” I quickly put my hand over his mouth. “Shut up,” I demand, sorta laughing. With my hand still over his mouth, he raises his eyebrows and gives me that... look. I take my hand off and tell him to shut up again. 

As we are walking to DQ outside, Dally is his usual self. Not bothering to talk to me and having a scowl on his face 24/7. Trying to break the silence, I say, “I gotta say, my heart is beating pretty fast right now,” Dallas then proceeds to look at me funny. “Not because of anything, like, weird or anything! No, no, no, I’m talking about like, if we get caught or not. I don’t know, it doesn’t matter,” Why am I so stupid? He probably thought my heart was beating because of that kiss. Meaningless kiss, apparently. We approach the Dairy Queen and Dally faces me.

“Here’s the deal: You are going to walk in and start flirting with that son-of-a-bitch. He’s the biggest nerd alive, so you’‘l do,” “The hell is that supposed to mean?” “Don’t worry ‘bout it. Just go, flirt, I’m gonna be coming in behind you and pretend I’m looking at the menu. And don’t worry, I got sunglasses, real incognito. Then, I’ll slowly get down, sneak behind the counter, and pick-pocket him right back. Hid dad is the manager and he works there alone so it should be fine,” “What if it’s not empty?” “It’s the fucking afternoon, we’re in Tulsa, I think we’ll be fine,” “Alrighty,” “And no saying shit like alrighty, okay?” Wow, is he testing his luck, today. I look him straight in the eyes, for dramatic effect, of course, and say, “Alrighty,”,and walk right in. 

The guy is small and skinny and I start to feel guilty. This poor guy probably didn’t even steal those 20 bucks from Dally. Am I a terrible person for doing this? No, Y/N, you’re just a good friend, okay, it’s too late to doubt it now. Dally was right, there is no one in here. “Hi,” I approach the DQ worker. “May I please get a- wait a second, are you in my english class?” I can assure you this guy is not in my english class. “Uh, I’m not sure, maybe. I’m mostly sleeping all the time,” He laughs. I suddenly notice he made a ‘joke’ and start to laugh too. “Oh my gosh, right? Ugh, that class is just so boring,” I honestly, love english class.  

I hear the door open and make sure the poor guy is still looking at me. “Wow, I can’t believe I haven’t really noticed you before. I mean, you’re so...” I look him up and down. God, I hate this. He glances at Dally then right back at me. “So, what?” He is leaning in now and smirking and I can see Dally sneaking behind the counter in the corner of my eye. “Are you trying to get me in trouble? God, you know I shouldn’t say,” I laugh. Dally grabs his wallet and right about when this guy starts to look down, I grab his by his collar and put my face an inch away from his. “Hey, if you’re ever looking to really get me in trouble, you know where to find me,” Again, in the corner of my eye, I see Dally leaving out the back exit. “English class,” I whisper and proceed to walk out of the Dairy Queen. 

You meet Dally on the sidewalk and you both start to laugh. “God, that was the cringiest thing I’ve ever done. If word gets around I’m going to barf,” I say, joking and not joking at the same time. “Hey, you were great,” Dally laughs. “Here, for the hard work I’ll give you 10 percent,” He hands me a ten dollar bill. “Gee, thanks,” I say, still smiling but obviously being sarcastic. As I start to calm down from the rush of that, i realize I have enough bravery in me now to bring up that kiss. “Hey, can we talk about-” Before I know it, we’re kissing again. I’m not even stressed or anxious about it, I’m just kissing him back and it feels right. I’m happy. Like, really happy. Dally leans away and asks, “About that?” “Yeah,” I say, catching my breath. “Oh, absolutely not,” Dally says as starts to walk away. I run up to him, assuring myself I’m gonna get him to talk. But, Jesus Christ, this guy is impossible.

[rich-ditch14]

Reddie Eddie? Part 3

After they defeated the clown, Richie, alone, took Eddie home.

Eddie was talkative as usual, but talking about anything but the experience.

When they made it to Eddie's house and dropped their bikes on the front lawn, Richie went ahead and was about to open the door, ready for Eddie's mom on the other side. She really was fussy, but he guessed it was okay to have a mom who overly cared than one who didn't.  He stopped, his hand inches away from the handle when he noticed Eddie wasn't behind him.

He turned around and saw Eddie, still as a stone. He worried that the clown's powers were the only thing that was keeping Eddie alive and now that he was dead, Eddie would die too. The only hints that Eddie was alive was the deep breathing, the tenseness in Eddie's shoulders as his arms hugged his chest, and the fear shining in his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Richie asked walking down but stopping halfway on the steps. He didn't want to walk over and find nobody in front of him.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," Eddie's voice went up about a fifth, squeaking as he nodded his head.

"Well... are you coming?" Richie stood, swaying a little as he stood waiting for Eddie to walk. Richie, being on the steps made him feel taller as he looked down at the top of Eddie's head, his hair matted to his scalp with bits of demon barf on it.

"I Don't want to go inside..." Eddie whispered, rubbing his cheek.

"Oh..." Richie looked down before glancing back up, pushing his glasses back up his nose.

Richie understood the seriousness of the situation, but his mind automatically went to his own personal coping mechanism. Voices.

In a strong southern accent, he said, "well my fine friend, let's get ya to my home."

Richie didn't live too far away, it was a seven-minute bike ride at most. Eddie liked Richie's parents for the most part. He didn't like how they treated Richie sometimes, Mr. Tozier would call Richie stupid, and once, when Eddie walked to the kitchen while Richie was getting ready for bed, he heard Mrs. Tozier wish that she had a daughter because she just didn't understand Richie.

Eddie never told Richie, that would break him more than the society was already doing.

"What happened in the sewers?" Richie asked with sick curiosity as they got ready for bed in clean clothes after taking well-deserved showers.

Eddie remembered how scared he felt, how he called out for Bill and Richie the most. Hell, he even called out for Stanley.

"I don't want to talk about it," Eddie answered, not understanding what he remembered. He remembered seeing his life flash before his eyes, but he didn't know what was real or not. He saw It, he saw a spider, and he saw lights, but everything else was retaliating into his mind.

"C'mon eds, you can tell me about it," Richie smirked feeling a little helpless in the situation

"I said I don't want to talk about it and don't call me Eds!" Eddie snapped, suddenly annoyed.

"Okay," was Richie's short reply. Eddie didn't want to look at Richie's expression and feel guilty for shutting down his friend who only wanted to help.

He remembered something else; Richie kissed him, but he didn't know if it was a part that was a dream. Either way, he found that he remembered liking it, and that confused him.

On a blanket separating them from the old, dusty wooden floor with their backs to each other, the two boys passed out almost immediately as their head hit the pillow. They were safe. Wrapped up in a quilt in the confines of Richie's home.

Eddie woke up to a sharp pain caused by an elbow in his back.

"Fucking hell Richie?" Eddie spat turning, annoyed that Richie woke him up with pain and was ready to give Richie a piece of his mind, but his annoyance melted when he saw Richie twisting and turning in his sleep, struggling, whimpering, and muttering under his breath.

"Richie, hey Rich, wake up," Eddie shook Richie awake.

Richie woke up with a start, a startled cry as he shot up before realizing where he was.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Eddie asked Richie, staring at him surprised.

He rarely saw Richie scared or inferior looking.

"Nah, it was just a dream," Richie's voice was normal, but his body looked like it was shrinking away, trying to hide.

"About... It?"

"Yeah..." Richie breathed out. "It was nothing though, go back to bed," Richie laid back down getting comfortable.

"You can't ignore things forever," Eddie returned to his own position rolling his eyes.

"Yea you can," Richie argued.

Eddie didn't feel like arguing, he was still too tired, so he dropped it.

He was too tired until he started thinking. It just sunk in that Richie wouldn't be with him every night. That he'd have to face going into his house alone tomorrow. He re-evaluated his life and his mom, realizing things he was too oblivious to notice before.

"My Mom hit me," Eddie whispered, the emotional toll sinking in. He faced the window watching the wind slowly move the branches outside. He wasn't expecting Richie to answer.

Fuck

"Why?" Richie mumbled, sounding like he was on the edge of sleep.

"She said... said she was trying to protect me from things that would hurt me. But she hurt me," Eddie kept his back to Richie, playing with a small hole in the blanket.

"I'm sorry..." Richie mumbled.

"What does that make her?" Eddie studied his hand in the shadows of the night. He asked the question out loud to himself into the darkness, not expecting any reply.

There was some shuffling of sheets as Richie turned to look at Eddie, resting his head on his bent arm, while his other reached out and started playing with Eddie's hair. Eddie stayed still, unable to look at Richie even if he could.

"Someone you need protection from," Richie responded, something in his voice changed. It sounded more mature, more knowledgeable.

Eddie stopped breathing as his eyes widened. He realized that he about to be blessed to experience Richie in one of his rare moments. He only experienced rare Richie once before, and he wanted more of that Richie.

This was a Richie that Eddie and everyone rarely saw.

This was a Richie who was older by years, a sober child who held the answers to the world in his mind. A child who could be serious and comforting.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, your mom hurt you. Parents shouldn't hurt their children, period. They should make them feel protected, not scared to go into their own home," Richie reached out and started playing with the hair at the base of Eddie's neck nonchalantly.

Richie never dealt with comfort well, given that he rarely had someone to comfort him. The action was uncharted territory, but he attempted to recreate comfort that his mom would give him when she felt like she wanted to, which was once in a blue moon.

<p>Eddie stopped breathing as his eyes widened. He hoped that he about to be blessed to experience Richie in one of his rare moments. He only experienced rare Richie once before, and he wanted more of that Richie. </p>

<p>This was a Richie that Eddie and everyone rarely saw.</p>

<p>This was a Richie who was older by years, a sober child who held the answers to the world in his mind. Eddie talked about it to the other boys, how when Richie is in a mood like this, he reveals that he understands each one of them and their intricacies, and he notices things that even the boys didn't realize.

 <p>"Why do you say that?"</p>

<p>"Well, your mom hurt you. Parents shouldn't hurt their children, period. They should make them feel protected, not scared to go into their own home," Richie reached out and started playing with the hair at the base of Eddie's neck nonchalantly.</p>

<p>Richie never dealt with comfort well, given that he rarely had someone to comfort him. The action was uncharted territory, but he attempted to recreate comfort that his mom would give him when she felt like she wanted to, which was once in a blue moon. </p>

<p>"But she's my mom, she did take care of me when I was sick— actually sick, and I was always weak..." Eddie started arguing to get defensive. He didn't know why he was trying to defend his mom. A monster with a different kind of makeup.</p>

<p>"I know, but she still hurt you, and that's not okay. And, you've always been strong, all the time. Maybe you don't realize it, but your choices were made out of your strength, not your fear."

"I want to give you an answer you want to hear, I really do, but we're only kids. We can't do anything. We have to suck it up and walk back into our homes. Until we're old enough to leave at least. We have to live with their bullshit. Unless we run away, but a roof is better than no roof."

"What if I don't want to go home?" Eddie whispered, turning around and listening to the thirteen-year old's wisdom. "I'm scared of my mom. Before this happened. I convinced myself I loved her like a son should, but I think... I think I was scared of consequences if I didn't." Eddie admitted, feeling Richie's hands in his hair comforting him.

"You can live with Bill. He'll probably let you live with him." Richie suggested.

"What about you?" Eddie asked. He loved Bill as a brother, but he was more comfortable with Richie.

" I uh... my parent's are pretty strict." Richie was hiding things.

"I understand." Richie agreed simply

"What do you mean?" Eddie asked before thinking harder, "Richie... how do you give wise answers like these? Have you thought about running away?"

Richie didn't answer but instead shifted uncomfortably, but Eddie had a good guess Richie had been through the same situation, and maybe worse.

"Nothing," Richie finally answered, licking his lips, "Just... remember, we went up against a mother fucking demon, you're strong enough to make it through the day in a house."

"What if we didn't kill It?" Eddie asked, changing the subject partly because he was curious, and partly to give Richie some space after attempting to pry into his life.

"Well, if we didn't kill It, we'll defeat him again. If we aren't in Darry, we'll come back."

Eddie sighed, thinking the worst, "If we die?"

"I won't let anything happen to you," Richie cupped Eddie's face and ran his thumb over Eddie's freckled cheek.

That was his go-to comforting gesture. His mom, when he was younger, would cup his fat cheeks and kiss him on the forehead swiftly, so if his mom did that then that worked he supposed. He didn't know if Eddie was conscious of their kiss, but Richie found himself running his fingers through Eddie's hair to clear the strands from his forehead as he closed his eyes and gave a small, awkward kiss on Eddie's forehead. He didn't understand how that worked, but for him it did.

Somehow, it calmed Eddie down as well.

"Eds," Richie started to say something, but of course, Eddie hated the nickname so much he had to say something.

"I thought we established that you don't call me that!"

Richie grinned knowing that would annoy Eddie, "And I'm now establishing that I'll call you that 'till the day we die."

The night felt empty. The boys were close physically, but emotionally they felt a gap in their soul that the other had, but didn't know it to give it back.

They both would wait till the other wanted to share. They were impatient, but they understood that maybe they didn't want to. Maybe it would take them a day, weeks, months. Maybe years.

Years

They'd be friends for years. However many years that would be.

They didn't talk about the night in the sewers for months until Richie brought it up randomly at the Quarry.

(You can find the other parts when looking up the tag below listed “reddie Eddie”)(OR look at my masterlist)